Seminar ideas? Let us know!

Summer is winding down, and with the St. Louis weather the last couple of months, we’re not sorry to see it go! We’re getting ready to start a new Seminar Series at Staffing Solutions, Inc. We had an excellent response to our last series, and we want to continue to bring you engaging speakers sharing their expertise! We could decide what we think you’d like to hear about… but we’d rather know what YOU think.

In the past, we’ve discussed a variety of topics relevant to job seekers, such as:

• Behavioral interviewing
• Resume preparation
• Confident communication skills (also known as “soft skills”)
• Business etiquette
• Career training and enhancement
• Healthcare options outside of employer-sponsored plans
• An HR leader’s perspective on why applicants didn’t get selected for jobs
• HR panels hosting Q&A sessions

So now we’re putting the question to you: What topics are most relevant to you? Would you like to see one of the listed topics revisited? Have we missed important areas that are important to you?

If so…let us know!!! Your topic could very well appear in our next “Seminar Save the Date” email!

Thanks in advance,

The Staffing Solutions, Inc. Team

Why you didn't get the job even though you were their #1 candidate!

We talk to many great candidates everyday and keep hearing the same story! Jobseekers are going on 2nd and 3rd interviews, but then receive a “thanks but no thanks” email from the hiring manager or recruiter! We get asked, "Why is this happening? Why didn't I get the job if I was such a great fit?"

Well, there are a million reasons why you didn't get hired- even if they thought you were great or even their #1 candidate! Sometimes these reasons have nothing to do with YOU.....read on!

A few possible reasons:
* The budget was cut.
* The position's duties has been changed.
* They hired an internal referral.
* Sales are down so they are waiting to see if things improve.
* You wanted a salary they couldn’t meet.
* They promoted an internal employee.
* There’s been a reorganization and the position is put on hold.
* There’s been a reorganization and the vacant position was split into two entry level jobs and now you’re overqualified.
* You have all the right skills, but not the right personality for the departmental culture.

See? It is easy to get discouraged while looking for a job and take rejection personally, but sometimes, you did nothing wrong and you were simply a fabulous candidate!

A very nice Thank You note....

A very nice Thank You note that made our day!! Congrats on your new position Renee!!! We are so happy for you!

"Dear Staffing Solutions,

I wanted to send my sincerest thanks to your team. I greatly appreciate the time and effort you guys spent working with and for me to find a good fit.

I'm glad to have found perm employment, but it was a genuine pleasure working with Staffing Solutions. If I ever find myself unemployed again, you will be the first number I dial!!

Thanks to the entire team at Staffing Solutions!

Renee"

BeKnown...Have you heard of it?

Get on Board Jobseekers! Monster recently launched an app to give facebook users a NEW profile for "Professional Networking"....Be one of the first to check this out!

BeKnown has many features for professional networking, and many extend beyond where LinkedIn is today. You build a professional profile (from your Facebook profile, but with a different photo and different information), AND you can network with your Facebook friends and connections in other media (Linkedin and Twitter) right away.

Some of the key features include:
* You can invite connections from you Facebook and LinkedIn network, Gmail, Yahoo, and other email systems
* Claim and manage company profiles
* Post and share jobs for FREE
* Liked LinkedIn, give recommendations
* Follow companies and view those companies' jobs, which are matched against your BeKnown profile (and your Monster.com profile)

Let us know what you think of this NEW professional social networking application which mimics and extends many of the features of LinkedIn within the Facebook network! If you are a Facebook user, Beknown will appear as an application – but once you join you become a member of the BeKnown network and can now manage your professional and social identities separately, but still on the Facebook platform.

Check out an article here:
https://www.staffingsolutionsinc.com/HotStuff.htm

Facebook as a recruiting tool? What are your thoughts?

How do you feel about recruiters trolling Facebook for potential candidates? Do you feel this is yet another private sector employers are invading? Do you feel this is encroaching on your personal space? We want to know your thoughts!

Check this WSJ article out - Job Recruiters turn to Facebook to Find Candidates: https://www.staffingsolutionsinc.com/HotStuff.htm

4 Easy Job Search Tips!

Follow these 4 tips to set yourself up for a successful job search!

1. Tailor your resume for EVERY job you apply for! In the time it takes you to read this paragraph, the average recruiter will have plowed through three resumes. Surveys show that an experienced recruiter only needs about 8 SECONDS to visually scan a resume before deciding if your resume is going into the “Yes” or “NO” pile! Want to increase the chances of your resume making it to the next round? Then avoid doing any of the following listed below or your resume will end up in the "NO" pile:

* Do not use one generic resume for every job listing...Be sure to tailor EVERY resume for every job you apply for!!!! If you are an SSInc Applicant, watch your inboxes for an invite to our next Resume Builder Workshop so WE can teach YOU how to easily do this!
* Avoid applying for a job for which you are not remotely qualified
* Do not impress with big words or philosophical statements
* Do not fill every inch of paper with type
* Do not get too carried away with fonts/graphics that can be distracting
* Do not add Volunteer a photograph or unexpected “extras”

2. Take 15 minutes and update your Linked In profile so that it's 100% complete!! If you have a Linked In account, go ahead and type your name into google. Most likely your Linked In account will be found. This is very important because recruiters and HR professionals are using search engines to type in a few words that is specific to their open position to find candidates. An updated Linked In profile means that you can be found easily on the Internet, which will increase your chances in landing a job!

3. Make sure recruiters can reach you. You won't get an interview if a recruiter has a hard time contacting you. Make sure you have an updated phone number and email address on your resume. Another important, and often overlooked, tip is to make certain that your voice mail message is professional. Make sure you do not have a song in the background that has profanity, or say "Wassup" on your voice message.

4. One of the most effective ways to finding a job is to Network. Sick of hearing this? Have you spread the word to everyone you know that you are in job search mode? Once you have exhausted your personal connections, consider the following to expand your career network:
*Start volunteering
*Join former school alumni groups
*Participate in professional associations that relate to your field
*Take a class relevant to your career
*Create a professional account on Twitter: visit the search function and type in a job title and your location. Start a conversation if it seems like a good fit and ask to submit a resume.

Happy job hunting!

A Thank You Note that made our Day!

A thank you that made our day!!

"Hi Bonny,
I truly do appreciate any and all feedback on my resume and interviewing skills as I begin my renewed job search in the St. Louis area and I thank you for your suggestion! As I look at it now, it does read better.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today and for your easy conversation. It seems that I am constantly reminded how small this big world is and it is wild that we share the Minnesota connection! I appreciated your candor and observations of this new area that I now call home. You made me feel at ease from the start and I felt like we really got a good chance to discuss where I had been and where I am looking to go and what type of environment I would fit best in. You are very good at reading people and, as I said, it was one of the easiest (flow-wise) staffing agency "meet & greets" I have had- perhaps ever.

Amanda"

Blame it on the economy...

Companies had to lay off thousands of workers during this downturn and are leery of ramping up permanent employment too quickly. They can more easily downsize again if necessary if they hire mainly temporary employees.

Companies need more flexibility, because they are uncertain about how strong the recovery will be. They’re concerned about the effect of new taxes and regulations, and they want to keep squeezing as much output from current workers as possible.

From a job seeker’s perspective, it seems that companies are just waiting for the “perfect” employee. With so much talent on the market right now, companies are being hyper-selective and are taking a lot longer to fill positions, even when they’ve been presented with the right candidate. They’re also conducting a more rigorous screening and interviewing process. That could be good for companies, but it means a lot more frustration for job seekers.

The fact is, companies are making do with a mix of more temporary and part-time workers at the expense of adding permanent jobs.

YET...
Temporary-help payrolls have risen for 11 of the past 12 months. Employers typically hire more temp workers as they gear up for a rebounding economy, and eventually convert many of those workers to full-time employees. But that temp-to-perm conversion has been slow this time around.

Positions that might have been reserved for permanent workers in a more robust economy now are going to temporary or contract workers. Even though the Obama administration has been trying to stimulate the economy and boost permanent job creation, companies are not ready to make the move to hiring full-time.

Chief financial officers say about 23% of recent hiring has been directed at contract and part-time employees, up from 17% before the recession. According to a recent survey, companies expect temp hiring to continue growing faster than overall hiring in the next year.


THE BOTTOM LINE?
Companies are still trying to do more with less.
When they do have openings, they will only extend an offer to the “perfect” candidate.

The long term trend might just be a workforce with fewer permanent employees, and more temporary/contract workers.

With the majority of job opportunities being “temp,” make sure you are represented by a great “talent management” firm — not just a temp agency. Work with the best...Staffing Solutions, Inc.!