December 30, 2003

How fast can you read or should you read?
Posted by at 2:17 PM

With the new year comes the onslaught of open reqs, we hope. If not, then we can definitely count on hundreds of resumes coming into your ATS or directly into your inboxes. The holidays are over. Time to sharpen your reading skills in preparation. Find out how fast you read, how you compare to others, and how you can improve.

College-educated people who fret they read too slow should relax. Nobody reads much faster than 400 words per minute.

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December 29, 2003

Checklist for assessing a director of recruiting
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 6:11 PM

From ERE, a story for the coming upturn in hiring:

With the economy turning around, it seems as though almost every major firm is beginning a search for a new director of recruitment or employment. But as a former chief talent officer, and as someone who advises firms on how to select the very best, I have found that most selection committees totally miss the boat when they screen and select candidates for the head of the recruiting effort.

Happy New Year everybody! Will look forward to blogging you again in 2004.
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December 23, 2003

Globe Santa
Posted by Jason Butler at 3:38 PM

The Globe Santa collects donations from readers like you and employees like me to purchase toys for underpriviledged children. The families write letters, and our elves brighten their day.

If you are lucky enough to be employed this holiday season, could you please consider making a donation? 100% of all donations pay for the costs of the gifts, packaging materials, and shipping.

Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

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December 19, 2003

Magical hiring formula: just measure three core traits
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:24 PM

From our 'net brethren at ERE, read Lou Adler's secret formula for hiring success:

Based on surveys and operational reviews we've conducted over these past 10 years, it appears that there is one common hiring mistake which just about everybody has encountered: hiring someone who is competent but unmotivated to do the required work.

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December 18, 2003

Weekly jobless claims fall sharply
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:15 PM

Today's Boston Globe reports some good news, a dramatic drop in new unemployment claims, another sign that the economy is headed in the right direction:

New claims for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, a sign that businesses are feeling more confident in the economic recovery and less inclined to hand out pink slips to workers.

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December 15, 2003

Employers will curtail their holiday cheer
Posted by at 9:18 AM

From CareerJournal.com, the BNA surveyed HR practioners about their plans for holiday gifts and bonuses this year. Due to a slow economy, many traditions will be scaled back or overlooked entirely. What are you doing this holiday to spread the cheer? Times are tough for most of your employees. They have been working harder this year than in years past. How will you recognize/reward them for their service and dedication?

End-of-year bonuses are less common in 2003 than last year, particularly at large organizations. Less than one-fifth of organizations (18%) plan to give holiday bonuses this year, down somewhat from the level recorded in 2002 (21%). Just 8 percent of large organizations reported plans to give managers holiday bonuses this year, down from 15% last year.

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December 12, 2003

Good news, bad news on job market
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:32 AM

Want the good news or the bad news first? The good news is that the Federal Reserve has gone on the record that the job market is finally turning around. The bad news? It's going to take time:

Federal Reserve policy makers expressed concerns at their October meeting that the battered job market might not fully recover until at least 2005 even if the economic recovery grew stronger, according to minutes released yesterday of the discussion.

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December 11, 2003

Screening and assessment goal: a high-quality hire
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:42 AM

From Charles Handler on ERE, a piece on the real goal of screening and assessment tools:

The more I have worked with these tools and have helped companies to experience their benefits firsthand, the more I have begun to realize that the bottom line when it comes to screening and assessment is quality.

In my mind, these tools have value because they provide a way for organizations to ensure they are making quality staffing decisions that will provide them with high quality personnel.

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December 8, 2003

After outsourcing, what?
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:27 PM

The answer? According to an article in today's Boston Globe, concentrating on what we do best:

Lately. . .[management consultant Rudy] Puryear has been doing some thinking about a new concept he calls "insourcing." Specifically, he is seeking to identify the core competencies around which the United States should refocus its workforce over the next 25 to 30 years to attract investment, customers, and even jobs from other countries.

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December 5, 2003

The race to recruit
Posted by at 12:16 PM

Human Resource Executive Magazine reports on the major recruitment concerns facing government agencies. Government agencies are scrambling to plan their recruitment tactics in preparation for the massive job openings they are expecting to come down in 2008. These agencies are getting creative with their recruitment methods in anticipation.

According to government statistics, roughly 900,000 federal employees may retire by 2008. To make matters worse, most federal law enforcement agencies are feeding from the same labor pool, making qualified applicants scarce.

Despite this odd combination, HR staff must forge ahead, using their collective skills and experiences to get the job done. Setbacks quickly become learning opportunities, paving the way for more innovative approaches next time around.

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December 4, 2003

Massachusetts: high-skilled in, middle class out
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:46 PM

In a related story to my previous blog ("Biotech challenge"), a piece from the front page of today's Boston Globe reports significant levels of in and out-migration in the Commonwealth over the last decade:

A new study suggests that Massachusetts has lured hordes of well-paid, college-educated workers from high-tech havens such as New York, North Carolina, and California since 1990, but has lost a far greater number of middle-class families who fled to more affordable New England states.

The study, released today by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth [Mass INC], also indicates that more people left the Bay State than relocated here each year between 1990 and 2002, despite a significant economic expansion for much of that time.

The issue is clearly larger than any one firm. But it does point up the need for hiring firms to be aware of candidates' concerns and address them, and that the issue is both a private sector and public policy concern. As MassINC says, "It is our hope that MASS.migration is the start of an important statewide conversation on how Massachusetts can remain a place of opportunity for people on every rung of the economic ladder."

Read more information from the MassINC site, including an executive summary or full copy of the report in PDF form.
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Biotech challenge
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:24 PM

The Boston Globe reports today that a North Carolina biotech group is looking to draw Massachusetts firms south:

. . .An umbrella group for biotech companies in the Tar Heel State has joined forces with North Carolina politicians in a letter-writing and advertising campaign to lure Massachusetts companies.

In a recent letter to a half-dozen CEOs in the Commonwealth, Richard Morgan, co-speaker of the North Carolina House, wrote that his state is ''serious about promoting the biotechnology industry.'' Taylor's group, meanwhile, is paying for newspaper ads that urge Massachusetts biotech executives ''to look south when next you plan for future growth.''

What is your firm's response? Where is the intellectual capital base to drive your firm to success?
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Workers' output soared in quarter
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:19 AM

This morning's Boston Globe reports that the 3rd quarter of this year saw a surge in productivity, a very positive sign for the economy - and the hiring outlook - for the coming year:

The productivity of America's workers soared by the largest amount in 20 years last quarter, raising hopes that the economic recovery is taking hold and businesses will soon be stepping up hiring.

The Labor Department reported yesterday that productivity -- the amount an employee produces per hour of work -- rocketed at an annual rate of 9.4 percent in the July-to-September quarter, the best showing since the second quarter of 1983.

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December 3, 2003

Monster's competitors are nipping at its heels
Posted by at 11:33 AM

This Workforce Management article discusses how niche boards and recruitment vehicles are being used by recruiters. This trend is taking market reach, market share, and revenue away from Monster.com and other large national job boards. What is your most effective recruiting tool?

Being number one in the job-recruiting field is about more than bragging rights. With mushrooming online competition, including corporate Web sites and niche job boards, Monster and its rivals are under intense scrutiny from hiring managers. Human resources chiefs often use all three big job boards, but are becoming much more choosy because the tight job market creates more pressure to make each new hire count.

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December 1, 2003

Catbert strikes again
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:13 AM

Check out today's Dilbert insanity with Catbert, Evil HR Director, via the lower right corner of the BostonWorks.com home page, where you can link to a Dilbert smile each and every day.
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