Once again, more proof that employee referrals are the most effective means to recruit candidates. A post on CareerXroads Annex provides more evidence that employee referrals are more likely to secure job candidates than all job boards combined.
Past Spherion research has reported similar findings. Employee referrals are an effective means for candidates to find a good job, however there are some important guidelines to consider when being referred to positions by friends or family members.
First and foremost, always know if the person referring you is in good standing with the company. Your association with someone who may not be performing at the top of their game could seriously hinder your chances of being hired.
Keep in mind that those who referred you may have already spoken to hiring managers describing your expertise and work ethic. So if you are called for an interview, make sure to confer with them and ask what hiring managers may already know about you so that you can expound on that information in more detail. In the same token, take the opportunity to probe about important company and departmental initiatives so that you can better present your skills, experience and overall ability to help achieve those goals.
One last tip to remember with employee referrals. It is helpful if your reference works within the department where you have experience. That way, hiring managers know that the reference understands the needs of the position, and can trust them to find someone who matches their criteria.
As promised, here are a few more of my predictions for and about the mature workforce in 2007...
Litigation, based on age discrimination, will accelerate in 2007. As mature workers linger between jobs following layoffs, sheer numbers dictate that lawsuits will soon follow as 10,000 boomers turn 50 and 8,000 baby boomers turn 60 each and every day.
The effects, for better and worse, of globalization will continue as high tech service jobs join the march overseas. And large numbers of recent college grads will begin to leave this country to live and work in other countries. Jobs will be back-filled here by the mature workforce.
In spite of the housing market slump, mature Americans will continue to leave home for the mountains in the West or the mild climate in the South. These folks, and others, will use the Internet to work remotely.
Record numbers of mature students will flood our universities and institutions of higher learning. Some universities will begin to see the possibilities that extended studies will, one day, outperform income from undergraduate studies. A concerted effort will be made by these institutions to attract continuing students in 2007.
It is widely known that more and more bilingual employees are needed to fit the needs of companies in many industries. A recent Career Builder post identifies healthcare, financial services, sales and marketing, social services and public services as some of the top industries actively seeking bilingual employees.
Having the ability to speak a second language, especially Spanish, is a true attribute for job seekers. If you are not already bilingual, here are a few suggestions about how to learn a second language.
Before purchasing any foreign language materials, conduct a little research about the foreign languages that are most prominent in your market. Spanish has already been mentioned and is probably the most frequently used foreign language. But there may be other languages that are just as important to your local market, for example, Creole in South Florida, or Asian languages in California and other Western states.
Check out your local community colleges or schools that specialize in foreign language such as Berlitz. Their classes are typically very affordable, and a good place to start learning correct pronunciation and grammar usage. If you are a better independent learner, there are numerous amounts of computer software and languages CDs that are available for a multitude of foreign languages.
Once you feel that you have good command of a language, be sure to highlight your language ability under "Special Skills" on your resume.
Learning a second and maybe even a third or fourth language is not only a fun and exciting challenge, but it just may help you land your dream job!
In our latest survey of the U.S. workforce, we found that worker confidence hit its highest level since July 2004 (when we first started the monthly survey). This renewed level of confidence was due in part to workers' more optimistic viewpoint on the economy and on the job market. Today's report by the government on job creation seems to support the higher confidence levels as job growth was higher than estimated.
The good news is that job growth continues to be broad-based in a wide range of industries. U.S. Workers are in demand and will continue to be in demand for the foreseeable future. So, as a current or potential job seeker, you are facing an excellent situation. And the more skills and experience you can get, the better off you will be in your job hunt.
So, as we close out 2006, how do you feel about your present situation? Do you feel more confident in the strength of the job market and economy?
For more information on our latest worker confidence survey, please click here.
I am also introducing the SpherionTheAir podcast which will feature regular segments on our views of the job market and the trends that are shaping the workplace of today. To listen to or download these podcasts, please click here for Quicktime users and here for Windows Media Player users. SpherionTheAir will soon be available at the iTunes Music Store for those of you that want to take us with you on your iPod.
We have received a lot of questions asking for our collective opinion on a story that recently appeared in BusinessWeek entitled, Napping Your Way to the Top. The story features a Q&A with sleep scientist Sara Mednick in which she praises the midday work nap as a natural productivity booster.
I think we first need to address the work-related conditions contributing to America's endemic lack of substantive sleep. In a business environment where connectivity is key and more workers are tethered to the office via their various "smart" gadgets, there is no such thing as leaving your stressful workday at the office. Nowadays, a "bad day at the office" follows you home and taunts you with incessant bleeps and blinks. It's no wonder we aren't getting enough sleep. Employers and employees alike must decide for themselves when their individual work day ends and leave work AT work.
Since that isn't always possible, we would agree that ANY form of (legal) workday rejuvenation, be it a "venti" java from Starbucks, a run around the block or yes, a quick power-nap is A-OK. The fact of the matter is, tired workers make for tired companies. A recent survey of a Global 500 organization's workforce by wellness program consultancy Vielife, showed that surveyed employees were ineffective an average 25% of their time at work as a result of preventable health risks caused by poor eating and sleeping habits. This loss in productivity was costing the organization approximately $2,800 per employee every year.
So, while we first recommend addressing the larger issues keeping you up at night, we can't argue with the business case for letting workers catch some Z's during their lunch hour.
Now, we would never advocate spending 4 minutes of your workday watching a funny YouTube video, but in this case, we’ll make an exception…because WE made the video. Now playing on Spherion’s YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=spheriontheweb) is our new original Web video series, My Temporary Life, an over-the-top comedy about nightmare temp assignments, hardly Scorcese-caliber but will certainly have you laughing (at least we think so). After 50 years of finding people jobs, we think we’re pretty good at it. Now, we thought we’d try our hand at entertaining them as well.
The Spherion channel also contains our favorite user-created workplace videos shot at the office or for the office. Create and upload your own workplace video and we’ll add it to our channel. Or better yet, send us your worst workplace horror story and we may use it as an episode of My Temporary Life.
Q: Every year around this time I start to stress over what to get my boss for the holidays. I never know what is appropriate, how much to spend, or whether I'm even expected to give a gift. Have any advice? Submitted by Nicki Elis, San Francisco, California
A: Dear Nicki,
You are not alone! "The season of giving" often sparks a wave of workplace anxiety. The queen of etiquette herself-Emily Post-suggests it is not necessary to give your boss a gift for the holidays, saying: "Generally, no. It could easily be perceived as trying to win favor. However, a pooled gift from you and other employees that isn't too expensive or personal is fine."
While this is sage advice, some workers already have a tradition of giving their boss an individual gift, or work in a small office where pooling is not an option. In these cases, keep your gift simple but professional-now is not the time to purchase boxers or perfume. Instead, fruit, candies, coffees or food baskets are always safe bets, as are work-related gifts such as a nice pen, business card holder or portfolio. And you can't go wrong with an easy-to-use gift certificate to a local department store, movie theater, bookseller or restaurant.
In terms of cost, don't go overboard. A good rule of thumb is to keep your purchase well under $25. Remember that it truly is the thought that counts-not what you spend. Happy holidays!
As someone who has worked from home in the past, I read with interest a recent Workerette post about running a home office. The blogger gives some great suggestions about working from home effectively such as setting up your office so it feels like one, avoid staying in your pj's, and install a separate phone line. These were all tactics I employed when running a home office, however, I had another interesting challenge on my hands - small children. During my work-from-home stint, my two-year old son was also home, which brings me to my additional advice for those in similar situations.
Invest in a good phone that has a "hold" button, and more importantly, a "mute" function.
Establish rules (as best you can) for everyone in the household - if the door is closed, Daddy or Mommy is working and shouldn't be bothered. That is, unless someone needs to take a trip to the ER.
To help make following this rule a bit easier on your child(ren), minimize your trips to the rest of the house. Make sure you grab your drinks, go to the restroom, etc. before you begin your day.
Install a separate phone line and use it. There were a few times I inadvertently gave colleagues my home number only to have my son pick up another phone in the house to offer his two cents - something like "Me watching Wiggles."
Try to schedule conference calls around nap times, particularly ones that you are leading or are expected to participate frequently. This minimizes stressing out if you can hear your son or daughter having a meltdown and worrying that everyone else might be unwilling witnesses as well.
After finally perfecting my home office environment, I will say that there were tremendous benefits to working from home. I was incredibly productive and at the same time, was able to swap time previously spent commuting with a little quality family time.
Sharing career "wins" with a potential employer can be an effective way to showcase your skills and expertise during the interview process. However, many candidates are reluctant to tout their accomplishments for fear they're bragging. As discussed recently on a Career Hub blog post, the use of portfolios, typically used by creative professionals, are becoming more mainstream even among even business folks and can make promoting your work more comfortable.
Portfolios are a great way to showcase some of your best work, and they also serve as "cues" to help remind you to mention your most successful project work. Keep in mind that you should only use examples of work where you developed the project yourself, or where you played a prominent role. Also, be selective when developing a portfolio of work. Too many examples can become boring, and if they are too old, the examples will no longer be valid.
Remember the interview process is the opportunity to sell your potential employer on the expertise described in your resume or on your application. If you don't "toot your own horn" no one else will.
The nightmarish temp job ... we've all had them. Now you can relive every awkward, cringing moment with My Temporary Life, Spherion's original Web series based upon YOUR worst temping stories.
Spherion is an employer of choice to 300,000 individuals. We've been finding rewarding career opportunities and job experiences that prove a great match for individuals' skills and expertise for 60+ years.
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A: Dear Nicki, 
