Director of Quality | jobmagic

Director of Quality | jobmagic

Job Hunting Tips - BestLogic Staffing

• Network! Think of the people you know -- relatives, friends, professors, classmates, co-workers at summer jobs, and others. Make more of an effort to meet with people, and use these conversations to ask their advice, to make them aware of your job search, to learn more about their jobs or their organizations, and to get the names of others who might be useful in your job search.
• Target your Résumé. Make sure your résumé is targeted to the employers who receive it. Make sure your résumé is easy to read and the most important details stand out. Make more than one résumé if you are applying to more than one industry.
  
• Be prepared. You should have a copy of your résumé at all times. It is also a good idea to have fresh copies of your résumé prepared in case you are called to an interview at the last minute.
  
• Create a contact database. Write down all the employers you contact, the date you sent your résumé, any contact made, people you talk to, and notes about those contacts. Keep a notepad with you at all times -- take notes as soon as you hear about an opportunity or when you leave an interview. Get into the habit of updating your database daily.
  
• Make a "to do" list every day. This will help you organize your list of priorities and keep you focused on finding that perfect job.
  
• Try the buddy system. Link up with a friend who is also job hunting. Arrange to speak weekly and report on accomplishments, best practices, and future plans.
  
• Learn how to talk about yourself. Throughout your job search you will speak with many people at different levels. You must be comfortable having conversations about yourself with other people. Keep in mind that you never know who may end up being useful to your job hunt.
  
• Prepare an elevator speech. You never know who you'll meet in an elevator, in line at the coffee shop, or on the street. Know what your skills are and how to communicate them. You should be able to tell prospective employers and others you meet what you can offer. You should also be able to talk about how your skills relate to the industries that interest you.
  
• Find out all there is about employers in your field. Remain current on any issues or developments in the field, read trade journals or professional publications, and read the newspaper. It is extremely impressive during an interview if you know about the latest merger or coup in the industry.
  
• Practice for each interview. Practice is key to interviewing well. Friends, relatives, and career services counselors can help you formulate strong answers to questions you might not anticipate.
  
• Follow-up with leads immediately. If you find out about a position late in the day, call right then. Don't wait until the next day.
  
• Stay confident. Job hunting takes time and energy. Remain confident, but prepare yourself for challenges ahead. Don't get disgruntled if you are still looking for a job and it seems like everyone you know has an offer. Most students find their jobs after graduation.

Economy - Items to Note & GDP

Items to Note & GDP “That was the first time that growth exceeded 2% all year and the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010. But even with the acceleration, growth remained stubbornly below the 3% pace that many economists say is needed to quickly bring down the unemployment rate. The report also showed that most of the growth was thanks to a surge in inventory replenishing by businesses—a trend not likely to last. Final sales—a measure of products sold to end users, rather than to wholesalers or suppliers—advanced only slightly.” WSJ Sources: Wall Street Journal, Bureau of Economic Analysis, CNBC US Employment Situation Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Staffing Association Projections & Sector Comparison Source: Wall Street Journal Please note: WSJ Projections were released prior to the BLS report

BestLogic Staffing (BLS) is a full-service staffing search firm that has diligently emerged itself in recruiting and placing qualified and quality candidates with expertise in various industries. Our Services * Temporary Staffing * Temp-to-Hire * Direct Placement * Executive Search * Payrolling * HR Consulting Whether you are looking for a job, adding to your staff, or need any advice within the scope of hiring-we will do whatever it takes to help you succeed!

Aldin Beslagic - President of BestLogic Staffing Visit our Website for more information www.BestLogicStaffing.com Connect with Aldin Beslagic on Linkedin.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/aldinbeslagic

Process Engineer | jobmagic

Process Engineer | jobmagic

Tech sector layoffs fell dramatically in 2011

By Allison Linn (Source:http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10216778-tech-sector-layoffs-fell-dramatically-in-2011)

If you work in the technology sector, good news: You’re chances of losing your job fell dramatically last year.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Monday that computer, electronics and telecommunications firms announced 37,038 planned job cuts in 2011, the lowest level since the company started keeping tabs on such cuts in 1997.

That’s a 79 percent drop from 2009, when layoffs in the tech sector hit a peak of 174,629. It’s also a 21 percent drop from 2010, the outplacement firm said.

In total, U.S. companies across all industries announced 606,082 layoffs in 2011, up 14 percent from the year before.

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Challenger, Gray only counts layoffs that companies announce publicly, so it’s possible some companies are quietly cutting staff.

It also offered one other caveat: Tech-sector layoffs surged in the second half of 2011, which could portend an uptick in layoffs this year.

Still, Challenger, Gray is predicting that the technology sector will continue to grow in 2012. It notes that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and electronic manufacturing companies saw a net gain in jobs in 2011, for a total of about 1.12 million.

In general, the economy has been slowly adding jobs each month as the country works to recover from the Great Recession.

The technology industry has long been a hub of both good and bad employment news. While some IT workers have had their jobs outsourced to cheaper overseas locales, other computer scientists and engineers have found their skills to be in high demand.

The earnings season hasn’t offered clear guidance on where tech firms are headed. Google surprised Wall Street last week with a rare earnings miss, for example, while computing giant IBM beat its earnings estimates for the quarter.

2012 Job Market: 5 Tips for Using Social Media to Find a New Job

written by Todd Wilms, SAP (http://www.forbes.com)

The latest economic reports now describe the economy as “good, but not great.” We are seeing some slightly positive signs that the economy will improve, unemployment rates will drop, and that certain sectors (like small businesses) are hiring again. Still, competition for the 2012 job market will be fierce as we still see in the U.S. 9% unemployment rate, with many more being under-employed.

So, how do you set yourself apart and position yourself for a job in 2012? Social media, in combination with your current job-searching techniques, is the answer.

1: Manage Your “Digital Persona”

Your first step is to see yourself as others will see you. Most people see this as just your “online resume.” However, at some point in the process, your future employer is going to do a Google search on you. Your goal here is to maximize your presence online – to “represent you in the most positive light” wherever you can.

First, remove anything you can that you don’t want an employer to see – start with your popular social media sites like Facebook, and photo-sharing sites like Flickr or Tumblr. Change the privacy settings to private to help remove this content from the public eye. Those pictures of you at your family cookout – smoke in one hand, drink in the other – may be harmless family fun, but you never know when it will tip the scale for an employer.

Now improve the sites you can control, usually starting with LinkedIn. If you haven’t figured this out already, the best quote I have heard about LinkedIn is “it is facebook with a tie.” This is THE place for most employers to find you or research you later. In addition to the obvious resume-like aspects of your LinkedIn profile, ask for recommendations from current and former co-workers. Make sure what is included here is how you want to present yourself.

Next, start getting active. This is discussed further in the next section, but focus on joining LinkedIn groups or communities/blogs/sites that are in your area or discipline. Focus on those which have relevant conversations on your area of expertise. Start answering questions, posting or sharing idea, or promoting great content you see. Think a bit like a magazine publisher – pushing your (and other’s) great content into these groups. Remember, this leaves a digital footprint- much of which will be on your LinkedIn profile page. Employers are in these same communities and will see what you have to offer long before you face them in an interview.

2: Create Your Network

Pride, stigma of being out of work, embarrassment, or other concerns keep most people looking for a job in “stealth mode.” The best advice I have received was to realize that almost everyone has – at one time or another – had to really work at finding a new job. The vast majority is eager to help you, but in true Jerry Maguire fashion, you have to “help them, (to) help you.”

Use your groups and communities to search for former colleagues and connect with them – whether on LinkedIn or other social site or community. Find a few names or authors you want to follow (I am on LinkedIn, by the way) whose opinion you liked or you see as a good connection point for you.

Now that you have your network, start to leverage it. First, don’t just say “hi, looking for a job, let me know if you hear of anything.” You will get a lot of well-intentioned support, but little else. You need to take the reins here and do the following:

1. Tell them your situation,
2. Tell them what type of job you are looking for (including titles, locations or descriptive terms),
3. Provide them a list of companies you would like to work for (this gives them a place to start steering you),
4. Give them an indication that you would like to set up some time to discuss this with them.

You need actionable steps and you want these folks to start connecting you to other people to improve your network. True story: I knew one woman who was 9 people removed from her original contact to land her perfect job. That is tenacity!

3: Research Opportunities

Besides just checking the job boards and LinkedIn (which is a valuable not-to-be-skipped step), start looking for opportunities not disclosed yet. Follow your 5-6 ideal companies and read their updates on twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. What are they saying? Where are they expanding? What new deals have they won? Do those have a need for a fine professional like you? In generally, employees are looking for the best person that is the easiest to find. Make it easy for them. John Decker continues, “If someone can get to a manager with a problem before they start formally looking for candidates, and can do so with a good introduction, they have a much better chance of being hired. Be the only candidate, not one of hundreds.”

4: Prepare Yourself for the Interview

Great! You have landed that coveted interview. You need to research the heck out of the company and the people you will be interviewing with. Visit their LinkedIn profiles and see what they are reading, their backgrounds, their roles, etc. Guess what – they are doing the same thing about you. And, since you have worked on your digital persona, you know what they think of you. Be prepared to answer questions on the “pro” and “con” of you. Know how to respond no matter which “position” your interviewer takes.

5: Leverage Intel for Your Negotiations

Just because the economy is bad and you may just “need a job,” it doesn’t mean you need to be at the mercy of your future employer. Try sites like Glassdoor and (again) LinkedIn to see what these companies are offering for your type of job and what the average in the market is. Check your network to see if they have some perks you can ask for (extra vacation, additional training, conferences to attend, etc.) Most often, if you leverage this as “career development” you can find most employers willing to negotiate with you. Worst case, you know that you got the best deal you can, and now you can make the decisions with the benefit of full insight.

Next Steps

Find the few things you know you can do right now. Some of these may not apply to you. Pick your battles. But know that finding any job, let alone that “great job” is hard. The more you practice “socializing your job search,” the better you increase your odds over the next person.

Great blog written by Todd Wilms, SAP (http://www.forbes.com).

If you liked the skills listed above, check out the executive recruiters at BestLogic Staffing. Additionally if you need a new Resume or Cover Letter, visit AssembleMyResume.com.

Wish you the best in 2012 !

Job Interview Tips

An interview gives you the opportunity to showcase your qualifications to an employer, so it pays to be well prepared. The following information provides some helpful hints.

Preparation:

• Learn about the organization.
• Have a specific job or jobs in mind.
• Review your qualifications for the job.
• Be ready to briefly describe your experience, showing how it relates it the job.
• Be ready to answer broad questions, such as “Why should I hire you?” “Why do you want this job?” “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
• Practice an interview with a friend or relative.

Personal appearance:

• Be well groomed.
• Dress professionally.
• Do not chew gum or smoke.

The interview:

• Be early.
• Learn the name of your interviewer and greet him or her with a firm handshake.
• Use good manners with everyone you meet.
• Relax and answer each question concisely.
• Use proper English—avoid slang.
• Be cooperative and enthusiastic.
• Use body language to show interest—use eye contact and don’t slouch.
• Ask questions about the position and the organization, but avoid questions whose answers can easily be found on the company Web site.
• Also avoid asking questions about salary and benefits unless a job offer is made.
• Thank the interviewer when you leave and shake hands.
• Send a short thank you note following the interview.

Information to bring to an interview:

• Resume or application. Although not all employers require a resume, you should be able to furnish the interviewer information about your education, training, and previous employment.
• References. Employers typically require three references. Get permission before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good professional references.
• Transcripts. Employers may require an official copy of transcripts to verify grades, coursework, dates of attendance, and highest grade completed or degree awarded.