August 30, 2007

Happy Labor Day
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:39 PM

OK, time for a little history lesson, since to us here at Boston.com/Monster Labor Day isn't just any old holiday: What is the origin of the Labor Day holiday, and when did it first start here in the US?

For our answer, we turn to the oracle, the source, the beginning and end of all employment-related discussions, the US Department of Labor:

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

To read on and get the complete answer, visit the DOL website page on Labor Day.

And regardless of whether you knew the correct answer or not, take a break. This is a national day of rest and recovery, to recognize the work you have done.

So HLD, everybody, and talk to you next week.

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August 28, 2007

Why do people leave?
Posted by Maureen Crawford Hentz at 5:08 PM

As a recruiter, I often look at applicants to our company and wonder why they are leaving their (seemingly) perfect jobs. A quick look at this year's winner in Working America's Bad Boss contest reminds me of all the back stories candidates are (usually) too professional to say.

A glimpse at the 'winning' entry:

My story starts with me being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. I am in my early thirites and have not worked since March of this year. My boss threw away the paperwork I sent in and then lied about ever receiving it knowing that filing a complaint for the time I should have received would take months if not years to resolve. Its hard enough just trying to stay alive, let alone trying to pull knifes out of not only my back, but the backs of my wife and children too.

Thank goodness for bad bosses. They allow me to woo great employees away.

So, to all bad bosses out there: keep on with your evil ways----it makes my job much, much easier!

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August 27, 2007

Temp-to-perm hiring trend still strong
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 3:37 PM

Workforce Management magazine reports that the temp-to-perm hiring strategy is still going strong:

Pinched by a tight labor market and demands for more effective talent recruitment, companies are increasingly turning to temporary agencies as a source of permanent hires.

Richard Wahlquist, president and CEO of the American Staffing Association, says the number of temporary workers retained as full-time employees in a process known as temp-to-hire is expected to grow by 15 percent this year, equaling the healthy rate of expansion seen last year.

Read the full piece.

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August 23, 2007

A little recruiting humor
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:21 AM

New Yorker style, that is.

Click here to see Leo Cullum's black humor take, from the current (8/27/07) issue of the magazine, on recruiting someone who didn't clear their CORI check.

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August 21, 2007

Good news on the local job front
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 4:47 PM

A pair of recent press releases from the Commonwealth's Department of Workforce Development provide some welcome local job news.

First, there is clearly improving hiring demand in several key sectors, including IT, engineering, and healthcare:

Business hiring continued to climb upward in the 4th quarter of 2006, buoyed by an increase in the volume of job postings in several key industries, including biotech, IT, healthcare and finance, according to findings from the state's latest job vacancy survey of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development's Department of Workforce Development.

Second, the DWD just announced today that over the year jobs were up in all areas of the state:

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced today that over the year job gains occurred in all 12 labor market areas in Massachusetts in July. The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area recorded the largest over the month job gain, up by 31,600 or 1.9 percent. Additional over the year job gains occurred in the New Bedford and Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton labor market areas.

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August 20, 2007

Veritude to help with Biogen staffing
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:47 PM

From today's "Daily Business Update" on Boston.com:

Veritude said today it has been selected by Biogen Idec Inc. to manage the Cambridge biotech firm's temporary staffing requirements.

Owned by Boston mutual funds giant Fidelity Investments, Veritude is a provider of talent acquisition and management services.

Read the full entry.

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August 17, 2007

Recruiting metrics: Time to retire 'time to fill'
Posted by Maureen Crawford Hentz at 10:59 AM

Benchmarks are important, and in the recruiting world, one benchmark stands above all: time to fill. Time to fill calculations are general industry standards and beating them is always very satisfying. SHRM has a brief available that gives some basic numbers on time to fill stats. 33 days to fill a durable goods manufacturing position? Check.

As a benchmarks lover, though, I can't help but wonder if time to fill is the best metric for recruiters. What I've been doing lately is looking back at my time to source number. I'm operationalizing time to source as how long the clock ran between the time the requisition was opened and when I found the candidate who was ultimately hired. This metric also is completely within my control: no watching the clock running because the hiring manager has gone to Japan for three weeks--or worse--just doesn't look at the candidates more than once a week.

One of the reasons I like the time to source metric is that it helps me determine if I'm getting better at my job. The first time I go looking for, say, a Power Electronics engineer, it may take me a while to find the right venue. The second, third, tenth time-----the time to source should be much shorter.

So my proposal: out with time to fill, in with time to source!

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August 12, 2007

Underworked and wanting a "wife"
Posted by Diane Danielson at 10:15 AM

Today's Sunday Globe had some interesting stories:

"The Underworked American" looks at a national survey that goes against the grain and says we're working less than before.  It points out that we do less housework, and therefore have more free time.  The article does point out some of the study's inherent flaws.  Most importantly, that it's difficult to interpret data that covers all socioeconomic groups.  For example, if you break it down, men and women who have college degrees have NOT seen an increase in leisure time; the increase is more apparant the lower you go on the economic scale.   (and it's likely that this is due to unemployment not an active choice to watch more TV --- yes, that is the number one way we fill our leisure time).

In fact, the study does not account for the fact that there was in increase in the number of men and women working more than 50 hours per week (individually) and couples who work more than 100 hours weekly.  Also, maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any mention of the increase of "commuting" time and whether they classified that as work or leisure.  (I'd lobby for the former.)  With affordable housing being further and further from urban areas, my guess is that we spend a lot more time just trying to get to and from work. (Although this might be offset by those of us who work from home - hence the problem with far-reaching surveys.)

Click here to read the whole story.

Then there's the short piece in the business section about how working women really want a "wife."   This article brings up the old conundrum that being married helps a man's career but can hinder a woman's.  While this is nothing new, I thought the quote by Kim Ganedy, president of NOW, was quite telling:  "The real challenge is, companies expect you to perform as if someone is at home taking care of everything for you." 

Setting aside the unique issues married working mothers face (like the 2003 study that found the 6:00 dinner crises was a major source of stress that even their single working mom colleagues didn't face), this is an issue for single people too.  We can't wait for the plumber and be at a client site at the same time. And when many of us don't live near our family, just how often can we impose on friends to help us drop our car off at the shop.  (Not to mention, we don't have a second car to use in the meantime.)

Click here to read the whole story.

My takeaway from these articles:  In our diverse population, it's too hard to lump everyone together under a one size fits all study or survey.  So if the survey doesn't fit ... then don't wear it!

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August 8, 2007

The sushi economy unkind to women
Posted by Diane Danielson at 10:38 PM

Think American corporations are unfair to women?  Check out this NY Times article about Japanese careerwomen making up only 10% of managerial positions (compared to US where women make up 42%).  If I didn't like sushi so much, that just might be depressing enough to make me want to boycott all things Japanese.  Thanks to Entrepreneur Business Blog for spotlighting this!

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August 5, 2007

No middle ground for working moms and dads
Posted by Diane Danielson at 9:02 PM

The Seattle Times writes about the latest PEW Research Center survey out last month where women's desires to work part-time is not being met by the marketplace.  It's a short article but it does emphasize that for many women (and men) it's an all or nothing choice -- either an extreme job or an off-ramp.

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