| PBJ - People Between Jobs | |||
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Saturday, December 13, 2003 ( 7:38 PM ) axmc Laveta Randall a Potential Graduate ! Laveta Lee called with the great news that she will be starting in a temp to hire position with AM-SAFE - manufactuers of seatbelts for vans, RV and airplanes. ------She sent this along to the PBJ crew and extends best wishes to PBJ: Andy, I have some thoughts I wish you would pass on to PBJ from me. I heard about a single missionary lady who was serving in a part of Africa formerly know as the Belgin Congo. It was shortly before Africa was divided into the countries it is now. The mission compound was invaded by a tribe who took the women from the compound, beat and raped them. This woman was trying to come to an understanding of why this had happened to her. One evening it was as though God said to her, "Can you thank Me for trusting you with this experience, even if I never tell you why?" My challenge to each of you in PBJ is, "Thank God for trusting you with the experience of being without a job?" "Thank God for pain in your life?" I know from experience that it is not easy, but I challenge you to do it. Laveta Randall # Tuesday, December 09, 2003 ( 5:56 PM ) axmc Business Week Article - Employer's perspective. Andy, I stumbled across this segment of the "Business Week " magazine website. It is geared towards advising the potential employer. However, when looked at from the applicant's point of view, there is some very interesting material here. Gary Newman Business Week Online: Small Business # ( 6:42 AM ) axmc First Presbyterian in Evanston [For those in the Chicago area.] In the interest of better networking, I am sending the Agenda of this Thursdays, (12/11) ENG meeting. ENG is the Executive Networking Group of Chicago (www.engchgo.org). We are a group of ~500+ mid to upper level managers whose salary history exceeds $75,000. Therefore, you will have the opportunity to meet persons that very well can help you in your search. The program promises to be one of the most informative, stimulating, and challenging yet. You are invited and encouraged to forward this information to your members in the interest of better networking. We welcome the prospect of sharing your announcements. Thank you, Karl Randall 902 Pleasant Ave Highland Park, IL 60035 847-266-7662 karl_randall@alum.wvu.edu EXECUTIVE NETWORK GROUP of GREATER CHICAGO, INC. Please refer to the website to know what to bring, expect, & location. www.engchgo.org Schedule: Pre-Meetings, General, and Breakout Meetings Meetings Facilitator(s) Room Times PRE-MEETINGS: PCs and your job search Word Q&A Tom Francis 213 11:00am - 1:00pm Entrepreneurial Michael Lapinski 21 12:00pm - 1:00pm Healthcare George Phillips 103 12:00pm - 1:00pm International Mark Wineberg 206 11:00am – 1:00pm Open Networking All Main DR 12:00pm - 1:15pm Orientation Karl Randall/Christine Graf Matt Clenott/Steve Stern Parlor 12:30pm - 1:00pm SPEAKER* Success Panel Main DR 1:30pm - 2:30pm BREAKOUT MEETINGS (Cross- Functional) Steve Shaw Kelly Kurschner Rm. 21 2:30pm - 4:30pm Pam Pound Parlor 2:30pm - 4:30pm Matt Clenott Steve Stern Main DR (East) 2:30pm - 4:30pm Helena Stelnicki Mark Weinberg Sue Cibelli 206 2:30pm - 4:30pm Bob Cannon 213 2:30pm - 4:30pm Ron Mack 103 2:30pm - 4:30pm Diane Tuchman RECEPTION AREA: Current Members Karen Daugerdas/Tom Walsh 10:45am-1:25pm New Members/Visitors Bud Henryson/Tom Kennedy/Christine Graf 10:45am-3:30pm *GUEST SPEAKER: Wealth of Knowledge Success Panel will be our speakers this meeting. These are members who have landed and are returning to share their insights and skills to benefit us all. Come and learn the stories of Gary Anderson, Judith Gethner, Susanne Neal RN, John Orfe, Bob Podgorski. They will share how they landed, what they learned, and advice of what did & didn’t work. There will be Holiday prize drawing (six prizes-drawn from business card kitty)) for all in attendance. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> # ( 6:39 AM ) axmc Job Hunting in December Is a Great Strategy Courtesy of GHM newsletter By Sinara Stull O'Donnell The holiday season isn't relaxed for corporate recruiters or headhunters. In fact, the heat is on in December for many of them. While working as an in-house recruiter for a major food manufacturer one year, I made a pact with my husband to be home on Christmas Eve by 7 p.m. We lived in Los Angeles and its infamous traffic problems made us somewhat indulgent about the exact time. Still, I didn't make it until nearly 9:30 p.m. I was late because that morning, a hiring manager at my company selected a finalist for an opening. I was supposed to make the offer and complete all the paperwork before the manager left for a week's vacation. I negotiated back and forth all day and finished the offer only at about the time my husband was rolling into our driveway. The paperwork done at 8:30 p.m., I headed for Casa O'Donnell. I'm not recounting this tale to portray myself as a martyr, although all sympathy is welcome. My Christmas Eve story is no different from many other recruiters'. Positions close in December for lots of reasons, including: Executive recruiters' commissions go up as the year progresses. They receive more from their companies on deals that close at the end of the year because they're paid on rising commission payout plans (their payout rises as their gross revenues rise). Internal recruiters may feel pressure for budgetary reasons. "Hire him/her now. I may not have the funds in January." Many sales organizations have kick-off meetings in January and want to include new hires. Psychologically, recruiters want to tie up loose ends, such as unfulfilled job orders. Yet job hunters often blow off the holidays because they view it as a dead hiring period. Nothing is further from the truth. When calling job applicants in December, I've often heard: "I can't believe you called me this time of year." This doesn't make sense, since recruiters work a full month, except for the few days they take off around Christmas and New Year's. In some cases, candidates resist coming for interviews in December. I've heard all kinds of excuses. Some are legitimate: "I'm flying out of town that day." Many were silly: "We're going to a party that night and, with the traffic, I don't think I had better drive in for an interview in the afternoon." I felt like screaming, "Do you want the job or not?" We made an effort to be flexible with applicants. We sometimes interviewed them by phone while they were away skiing or visiting family. Occasionally, we'd pay to fly a candidate to and from a vacation spot to interview. Because of my recruiting background, I'm often sought out at gatherings for job-search advice. This time of year, the conversation typically starts with: "Well, I know it's dead in December, so I thought I'd hit it hard after the first of the year." "Where did you get the idea it's dead in December?" I ask. "Oh, it's common knowledge, and there aren't as many ads in the paper." This common knowledge is a misconception. As for the ads, they may dwindle after Dec. 15, but that doesn't mean you should stop all job-search activity. Many recruiting firms and most corporations list jobs online. Most provide the chance to apply online, and the last two weeks of December are a great time for this. It's also a good opportunity to do research, send targeted letters and network. You'll have laid the groundwork to get off to a good start in the new year. You might even get a recruiter on the phone. While working for a search firm, I was holding the fort alone in our small office after Christmas. The candidate who phoned the office was surprised when I picked up. "Oh, I thought I'd get a machine," he said. "Oh? How can help you?" "Do you want me to call back when the office is open?" "It is open." "Are you one of the recruiters?" After several more exchanges, I convinced him we were open for business between Christmas and New Year's. His disbelief reinforced my conviction that job seekers assume they get a pass to relax the last week in December. Corporate offices don't shut down, either. As an employee, I've often seen activity increase markedly at the end of December. Perhaps we had too much sugar from the cookies and candies in the office, or maybe we had too-urgent deadlines, but there was a definite rush on to hire people. Savvy candidates can take advantage of this urgency. They must be flexible enough to drop the wrapping paper for spur-of-the-moment interviews. Remember, job requisitions are sent to corporate staffing offices regardless of the date. Unemployment may be high, but companies are still hiring and recruiters are still recruiting. December is just the last month of the year. -- Ms. O'Donnell is the principal of Sinara Speaks, a professional-speaking firm in Springfield, Mo., specializing in career issues and humor in the workplace. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> [Stolen from Crain’s Chicago Business.] # |
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