Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Posted: 18 May 2011 04:51 AM PDT

According to a recent survey commissioned by the talent management company Plateau, the top five reasons employees consider leaving their jobs are salary (57%), needing a change (31%), career and advancement opportunities (29%), change of profession (22%) and concerns for the employer's future (18%).
In a blog on forbes.com, Jenna Goudreau offers the top 10 signs it's time to leave your job. Here they are:

You're no longer valued. If you're not getting the recognition you deserve, it's time to reevaluate.
The job is literally making you ill. Developing chronic back problems, headaches, stomach pains or sleep issues may all signal a problem job. Equally telling are weekends spent dreading going into work,
You have a drop in productivity or too much downtime.
You are no longer learning new skills.
You are passed over for a promotion, again. The clearest red flag is when a subordinate is promoted over you.
You or your budget have been reassigned.
Your accomplishments go unrecognized.
There's no raise in sight – has the value of your contribution outgrown your compensation?
You can't even fake interest in the work.
The company is contracting – look for signs that the company is in trouble.

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Companies hiring the class of 2011

Companies hiring the class of 2011

Posted: 17 May 2011 12:44 PM PDT

By this time in May, many new graduates have already thrown their mortar boards and tassels in the air, and many soon-to-be graduates are counting down the days to do the same. It's graduation time! This means long, boring ceremonies, relatives asking what you plan to do with your life, you not knowing how to answer that question, and hopefully some fun parties in between.
Each year, new graduates wonder what kind of job market they're about to enter. Obviously the last several years have been tough for everybody, but especially for entry-level workers. This year, many graduates will be packing up and moving to a new city, where the job opportunities are better. Others who were lucky and smart enough to secure a job with the company they interned with are set. But most graduates are just looking for a place to begin their new career in the fabled Real World so they can pay the rent and make use of their degrees. At this stage in life, few workers are looking for a permanent job to stick with for the next 10 years. What they want is a place to earn valuable experience and see what suits them.
Recently, we had some good news for graduates: 46 percent of plan to hire recent college graduates this year, and many of those companies will be paying higher starting salaries than they were in 2010. Meanwhile, the National Association of Colleges and Employers conducted its own survey and found that the average offer to new graduates is expected to be $50,462, which is 5.9 percent higher than last year's figure.
In short, things are looking up. Although we couldn't make it to your graduation ceremony, we wanted to give you a gift. Therefore, we decided to provide you a list of companies who are looking for recent graduates. They want smart, educated workers who are ready to begin their careers. Consider this our way of saying, "Congratulations! We're proud of you!"
You can always find companies hiring new graduates at CareerRookie, which is one of our sister sites and is devoted to career advice, resources and listings for the college crowd.
Here are companies hiring new graduates:
AT&T
Industry: Telecommunications
Sample job titles: Business account executive, retail store manager, associate applications developer
Cbeyond
Industry: Telecom
Sample job titles: Entry-level sales representative, sales consultant, territory sales representatives
Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank
Industry: Banking
Sample job titles: U.S. associate, analyst, paralegal, specialist, administrator, middle office support, front office support, helpdesk support
Dayton Freight Lines
Industry: Trucking
Sample job titles: Apprentice, account manager, customer service representative, management internship
Ferguson
Industry: Wholesale distribution (plumbing products /building materials)
Sample job titles: Sales trainee program, credit trainee program
Gentex
Industry: Manufacturing, technology, engineering
Sample job titles: Electrical design engineer, associate engineer, research engineer, project engineer
Hertz Corporation
Industry: Transportation/sales
Sample job title: Manager trainee
Insight Global
Industry: Information technology
Sample job titles: Developers, engineers, project managers
The Kroger Co.
Industry: Grocery
Sample job titles: Assistant store manager and co-manager
Liberty Mutual Group
Industry: Insurance
Sample job titles: Sales, claims, underwriting
Maximus
Industry: Government services
Sample job titles: Associate analyst, health systems, associate consultant, professional services consulting, associate engineer, software engineering
Plymouth Auctioneering Services
Industry: Sales, entertainment, fine art
Sample job titles: International fine art sales and consultant
TATA Consultancy Services
Industry: IT consulting
Sample job titles: Software engineer
University Sports Publications
Industry: Sports publications sales
Sample job titles: Inside sales, inside advertising sales, inside sales representative
ZS Associates
Industry: Consulting
Sample job titles: Business associate, operations research associate, business information systems associate, consultant

Transform Temp / Contract Work into a Permanent Job

Posted: 17 May 2011 11:00 PM PDT

Contract or temporary work does NOT guarantee a future at the company. It is exactly that: a stretch of employment that has a finite end to it.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

[Ah-ha Lab] 3 Reasons to Forgive the Company that Wronged You

Posted: 17 May 2011 09:30 PM PDT

Is there a company, manager, co-worker, or even a client in your professional past you can't stand? Learn why you need to forgive them.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Newest Approved Career Expert: Corey Harlock

Posted: 17 May 2011 08:28 AM PDT

Corey Harlock, founder of SkillstoAchieve.com, is on a mission to teach job seekers how to be Inspired to Get Hired! It's time to break the rules!

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Should My Resume Disguise My Age? | Career Rocketeer

Should My Resume Disguise My Age?

Posted: 18 May 2011 03:30 AM PDT

I’m often asked by more senior professionals if they should somehow hide their age on their resume. Sometimes, they believe that age discrimination has been affecting their job search and it might open more doors if their resume appeared to make them younger. So they only include the last 10 or 15 years of their work history.
There are many opinions on both sides of this question, and I can understand those that disagree with me. However, I believe it is a bad idea not to acknowledge your entire career on resumes you present to prospective employers.
Here’s why, and some best practices…
Starting your interview in the hole. As soon as you show up for an interview they are likely to get a sense of your age. If your resume created an impression that you are someone in their 30′s, however, when you show up you’re clearly someone in their 50′s, they will feel like they’ve somehow been deceived. Whether age discrimination is an issue for them or not, you will be starting your interview ‘in the hole’ having to overcome the perception that you were trying to put something over on them. Compared to other candidates that they perceive to be more forthright, it may be an obstacle you can’t get past. Perhaps you’re someone that looks younger than you are… at some point they will discover your age and still feel you’ve been less than honest. It’s not your age that cools them toward you, rather your deception.
Your resume won’t change the problem. If the company truly does discriminate based on age, then hiding your age on the resume only delays the inevitable. If they don’t want to hire someone over 50, gaining an interview is not likely to change their bias. It only took things one step further and will lead to greater frustration for both of you. The fact that they are wrong in their bias, and potentially acting illegally is no consolation when you are turned down for the opportunity. Unless you’re fishing for a chance to sue someone, why put yourself through the experience? Why would you want to interview at a company that would reject you based on your perceived age on your resume? The idea that “They’ll change their mind once they meet me” doesn’t address the underlying problem. Even if you get the job, you now work for a company that decides not to interview someone because on their age. It’s not likely the company’s culture will make you feel at home!
So, what’s reasonable? While I believe it is important to acknowledge your complete career on your resume, I don’t think it’s necessary to emphasize your age either.
Your experience and responsibilities prior the past 10 or 15 years are not generally relevant as you pursue current opportunities. It’s not necessary to give much detail to positions prior to that point. Simply listing the Company, Title, and Dates of employment are sufficient. If the role was directly related to the position you are applying to, one brief line of description may be appropriate. Otherwise, the bulk of your responsibilities, skills, strengths and achievements should be listed under your most recent roles. Those are the ones that will matter most to a prospective employer.
Furthermore, if you had a number of positions earlier in your career, particularly if they were unrelated to the role you are pursuing, I believe it’s appropriate to group them together. Perhaps even something like:
Companies and positions unrelated to recent career 1978 – 1989
I also don’t believe it’s necessary to provide your graduation dates, whether it’s High School, Trade School, or College. And, if in your Summary section you have a sentence that begins with something like: ” Over 30 years of experience…”, I believe it’s appropriate to say “Over 15 years of experience…”. It’s still true, and doesn’t emphasize your age. If you are acknowledging your entire career in the rest of the document, they can do their own math if they choose to.
These best practices emphasize the most relevant, and minimize your least relevant information while still acknowledging your entire career history and presenting it in an honest way.
While age discrimination in hiring is not dead in today’s world, I am convinced it’s not nearly as prevalent as many people think. Presenting yourself in as an honest and professional way you can is the best policy when pursuing new opportunities, and ultimately will most likely lead to the greatest chance of success as well.

Author:
Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives, writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search, and can be found on Twitter as @eExecutives.

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Part 4 — How to Write Social Media Policies

Posted: 17 May 2011 05:17 AM PDT

In Part 1 of "How to Write Social Media Policies Series," I discussed the myths around social media. In Part 2, I outlined paid and unpaid social media monitoring tools organizations can use. In Part 3, I share some scenarios that companies and HR teams may have already encountered. In Part 4, I discuss how to communicate the social media policy t your employee population.

Your social media policy just like the rest of your employee handbook and policy and procedure manual should be custom created with your company and organization in mind. Education, research, and collaboration among other employees and other departments outside of your human resource team are key in ensuring that your policy properly reflects your company's culture, values, and business goals.
When evaluating your social media policy and determining how to incorporate it into your company’s employee handbook, standard operating procedures, or policy manuals, constant communication is key. Many organizations fail to properly communicate a policy change using an employee acknowledgment as a fail safe crux. Because social media is so critical to your organization, it makes sense that a policy that can affect your organization so swiftly should require more than a single employee signature. I call this one and done.
I suggest communicating your policy a multitude of ways including:

Employee Memo from the CEO. A policy change like this should come from the top and not just your HR or IT departments.

Front Line Manager Meetings. As a new policy is being rolled out, this change should be communicated first to your management teams providing them an explanation that is clear as to what the specific corporate policy is. Managers are now using google and social networks as a form of employee background check. To avoid this scenario, it’s important to explain to managers the expectation as well as the boundaries for themselves as well as their employees.

Signed Acknowledgment Form Plus Annual Training. Chances are your HR and legal teams will advice you to include an acknowledgment form of some kind and I agree. I personally recommend that all employees receive annual social media training to remind them of the guidelines, pitfalls, and suggested practices.

New Hire Social Media Training. In addition to annual training, I advise all companies to include social media guidelines in their new hire training. As these social networking sites become more popular, it’s important to talk about what the expectations are. If you are a company like SHRM, they have a process in place for all corporate Twitter accounts. Things like this should be discussed to avoid any potential misunderstanding.

What is the most important prior to rolling out any type of social media policy or training, is to make sure that your policy fits your organizational culture and covers all aspects or areas that you had originally intended. Organizations should consider not mentioning specifically social networking platforms by name because new sites are added daily. It is important to include and consider the following areas in addition to social networking platforms.

Video as well as Voice Recording

Mobile Computers — Smart Phones & Tablets

Personal Computers and their use at Work

Mobile Computer Apps

Photos, Texting, and Confidentiality

The above mentioned bullets are NOT things that you will hear from your attorney. That is because an attorneys job is to advise you the employer on the current potential pitfalls and liabilities. Employment law attorneys are not adopters or users of social media, and therefore, struggle understanding exactly how employees or companies and corporations are using these tools outside of case law summaries and court decisions.