Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer, On Friday August 6, 2010, 11:20 am EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Companies showed a lack of confidence about hiring for a third straight month in July, making it likely the economy will grow more slowly the rest of the year. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.5 percent.

Private employers added a net total of only 71,000 jobs in July, far below the 200,000 or more jobs needed each month to reduce the unemployment rate.

The modest gains were even weaker when considering a loss of government jobs at the local, state and federal levels in July that weren't temporary census positions. Factoring those in, the net gains were only 12,000 jobs, according to the Labor Department's July report Friday.

Investors reacted by selling stocks and shifting into more conservative Treasury bonds. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which helps set rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, fell to 2.85 percent from 2.91 percent late Thursday. Major stock indexes all fell and the Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 130 points in morning trading.

The department also sharply revised down its jobs figures for June, saying businesses hired fewer workers than previously estimated. June's private-sector job gains were lowered to 31,000 from 83,000. May's were raised slightly to show 51,000 net new jobs, from 33,000.

"There is still a labor market recovery, but it's a very, very weak one," said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight.

The slow pace of hiring will weigh on the recovery, he said, with economic growth in the current quarter likely to come in even lower than the April-to-June quarter's already weak 2.4 percent.

Overall, the economy lost a net total of 131,000 jobs last month, mostly because 143,000 temporary census jobs ended.

The "underemployment" rate was the same as in June, at 16.5 percent. That includes those working part time who would prefer full-time work and unemployed workers who've given up on their job hunts.

All told, there were 14.6 million people looking for work in July. That's roughly double the figure in December 2007, when the recession began.

Even if hiring picks up, it will take years to regain all the jobs lost during the recession. The economy lost 8.4 million jobs in 2008 and 2009. This year, private employers have added only 559,000 new hires.

Friday's report is being closely watched by the Federal Reserve as it considers ways to energize the recovery. The report could persuade the Fed to take new steps to boost the economy and keep interest rates at record lows when it meets next week.

Without more jobs, consumers won't see the gains in income needed to encourage them to spend more and support economic activity. Even those with jobs may not feel confident enough to ramp up their spending.

That's important because many of the trends driving economic growth earlier in the recovery are fading. Companies boosted production in the winter and spring to rebuild inventories that were depleted in the recession. But those efforts won't last much longer. And the impact of the federal government's stimulus package is also declining.

The economy grew at 5 percent in the fourth quarter last year and 3.7 percent in the first three months of 2010. But that slowed to 2.4 percent in the April-June period. That's not fast enough to generate many jobs and reduce the unemployment rate.

Many companies appear to be getting more out of their current employees rather than adding new staff. The average work week increased by one-tenth of an hour to 34.2 hours, the department said. That's up from about 33 hours in the depths of the recession.

Average hourly pay also rose 4 cents to $22.59, up 1.8 percent from a year earlier. That, along with the increase in hours worked, could provide some boost to spending.

The number of temporary jobs fell by 5,600, the first drop after nine months of gains.

Employers usually hire temp workers if they need more output but don't want to hire permanent employees. But "firms aren't even adding temporary workers right now," Gault said.

Manufacturers added 36,000 jobs in July, slightly above its monthly average this year. Those gains were aided by General Motor's decision to keep its plants running last month. Usually it closes them and temporarily lays off employees to retool for the new model year.

Construction firms cut jobs for the third straight month, losing 11,000, while financial firms shed 17,000 workers.

But retailers added 6,700 jobs. And the leisure and hospitality industry hired 6,000 additional staffers.

Corporate net income rose sharply in the second quarter, but businesses aren't yet using the proceeds to ramp up hiring. Companies in the S&P 500 index reported a 46 percent increase in net income for the April-to-June period, compared to a year earlier.

But many employers are uncertain about the direction of the economy. Some are concerned sales will slow once government stimulus and other temporary factors fade. Others fear what will happen if federal income taxes are allowed to rise next year as tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush expire.

"People have a long worry list they're looking at," said Ethan Harris, chief economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Some companies are adding permanent workers. The hospital chain HCA Inc. has 8,300 open positions, company spokesman Ed Fishbough said. That includes nurses, physicians and information technology professionals needed to build HCA's ability to handle electronic medical records. HCA employs about 190,000 people.

But layoffs are also continuing. FBR Capital Markets, an investment bank based in Arlington, Va., cut its work force by about 15 percent in early July to about 500 employees, saying it needed to reduce costs.

AP Business Writers Stephen Bernard and Tali Arbel in New York contributed to this report.

Season's Greetings

To our Client and Candidate Business Partners and Friends, all of us at Direct Search Alliance extend our sincerest best wishes for a happy Holiday Season.

May the New Year bring optimism, innovation, the coming together of talented people, support from colleagues and leadership, aspiration to overcome difficulties, and the power to make the best of trade and industry in the marketplaces we serve.

Teamwork brings everything together.

2009, a time to hope for peace and think green. A time to step it up in the face of adversity. A time to renew the spirit of service and go to work.

Market Conditions Change - Good Advice Doesn't

SPECIAL REPORT

'Greatest economic challenge'
Obama sets sights on economy - vows to confront global financial crisis
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- President-elect Barack Obama said Friday that the United States is "facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime."

The economy ranked as the top concern among voters. The issue...Jobs.

Layoffs and hiring freezes announced by Companies in the broader economy can ripple throughout the Staffing Industry by causing management to cut back on their costs by "making do" with less staff, and this can make it harder for these companies to maintain market share, fueling the ongoing decline in revenues and profits.

Given the weak labor market, only the most skilled, talented and motivated employees will uncover and leverage opportunities to contribute. The economy may be weak, but it is not without prospects.

Staffing Industry employers might be well served by taking a hard look at the capabilities of their employees and how they are deployed. To preserve a place in the market and prosper for longer term benefit, only the best and brightest should be "on the team," so to speak, in revenue generating assignments.

Tolerating mediocrity is risky. Finding talent is difficult with the unemployment rate increasing. As the numbers of candidates on the market increases it becomes increasingly difficult to “separate the wheat from the chaff” and choose the people that are of high quality from a group of mixed quality.

Does it make sense then to continue to employ the services of a search firm to find talent for your organization? Consider that a professional executive search firm is in constant contact with candidates. This “constant contact” is with “passive” candidates who, when facing economic instability, are more likely to entertain a new opportunity if presented by a known, trusted advisor.

The bottom line, great people are hard to find in even the best “employer's market” circumstances, and only great people are a good investment when resources are dear. An investment in a search fee pays dividends when a new employee not only joins your organization, but contributes with the high level of skill, talent and character commonly found with employed “passive” candidates who “fly under your radar.”

We can help make an investment in finding and hiring talent produce sustaining, material results. Recognizing that in times like these, cost is a factor, we are offering cost-savings options to initiate the search for top talent.

1. Stretch Your Budget with Extended Payment Terms
Have the option to make that critical hire in the near-term and spread payment over time. This "layaway" plan allows you to manage the impact on your budget and begin to realize a return on the investment in talent before making the full investment. Pay in 3-equal payments after the start date: 10-days, 45-days and 90-days.
Extended payment terms do not apply with any other discounts.

2. Take advantage of our Search Sale
Make a hire and receive 25% off the search fee. Even in a challenging economic market, customer-facing, revenue-generating and leadership talent are essential. If you have to make that one great hire, make it at a deep discount.
25% off applies only with standard payment terms of net 10-days.

3. Choose the Best of Both Time & Money
Focus on your core business and let us find you a top performer. Take a 15% discount off the search fee, pay only half the fee 10-days after the start and hold on to the balance for 60-days. Manage your cash and benefit from revenue-producing productivity.

Direct Search Alliance is a Search and Talent Consultancy specializing in the Staffing, Professional Services and Outsourcing Industries. I invite you to visit our website and blog to learn more about our company. Click the links below to download online brochures.

Talent Surplus – Not!

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that year-to-date totals of layoff events (12,542) and related initial claims (1,274,765) in 2008 were the highest January-August totals since 2003. Over the year, jobless rates were up in 47 states and the District of Columbia and down in 3 states. The national unemployment rate rose to 6.1 percent in August, 1.4 percentage points higher than a year earlier.

Does this mean that the scarcity of talent has become less and talent is readily available for the few openings employers have come up in this uncertain economy? To answer this question, first answer these questions:

1. With declining revenues and fewer opportunities on the horizon, is every employee’s contribution even more important to the success of your business and to justifying the role in your organization?

2. If you have made reductions in staff, have you considered performance as one of the deciding factors respecting who to let go, and released the lesser producing employees first?

If you answered yes to either question, take pause as you contemplate hiring from the pool of available “active” candidates. Likely, these candidates are “first wavers” who in a robust economy “flew under the radar” and now find themselves “redundant” in an economy that requires top talent to produce results. This doesn’t mean all unemployed or job-seeking candidates are bad or mediocre, but for many it is indeed the fact.

As the numbers of candidates on the market increases it becomes increasingly difficult to “separate the wheat from the chaffe” and choose the people that are of high quality from a group of mixed quality.

Does it make sense then to continue to employ the services of a search firm to find talent for your organization? Consider that a professional executive search firm is in constant contact with candidates and hiring managers across the segments in which they specialize. This “constant contact” is with “passive” candidates who, when facing economic instability, are more likely to entertain a new opportunity if presented by a known, trusted advisor.

The bottom line…great people are hard to find in even the best “employer's market” circumstances, and only great people are a good investment when resources are dear. An investment in a search fee pays dividends when a new employee not only joins your organization, but contributes with the high level of skill, talent and character commonly found with employed “passive” candidates who “fly under your radar.”

5 Tips to Jump Start Your Career this Year

In our search for top talent, LinkedIn is a resource to Direct Search Alliance, as it is for recruiters nationwide. More importantly, is it a career tool for candidates representing their skills and talents to the online community. As a reader of the LinkedIn Blog, I wanted to share this posting with prospective candidates -- simple but powerful advice.

by Kay Luo - LinkedIn Blog
Here are five resolutions that professionals can make and keep this year, to jump start their career.

1. Build your online brand
Your online image can affect the way other professionals see you, just as much as your offline image. Create your own online professional brand by developing a LinkedIn profile. Make sure to keep information on your professional experience and other relevant information up-to-date. You may be surprised to learn how many recruiting executives use online networks to locate potential candidates. Also, if you're keen on building an impressive professional brand, make sure personal information intended for close friends stays private on the web. You don't want coworkers and potential employers looking at personal photos of your vacations and party shots. If you're curious about who is checking out your online brand, you can use LinkedIn's "Who's Viewed My Profile" feature to find out.

2. Be at the forefront of people's minds
In order to get leads and recommendations through your network, it's important to keep in touch with former colleagues as well as your present circle. LinkedIn allows professionals to remain at the forefront of people's minds by easily and efficiently keeping in touch. Using LinkedIn, it's easy to see who's been promoted, switched jobs, moved, won an award, and more. LinkedIn's InMail messaging system is a perfect way to reach out and keep your connections fresh, without cutting into your personal time.

3. Make smarter decisions
Being a great leader is not always about becoming an expert at everything -- it's really about knowing where to find knowledge and expertise when you need it. The LinkedIn Answers feature allows professionals to quickly and easily solicit input and gain perspective from their own connections or from the broader LinkedIn community. Learn how others approach new markets, revamp processes, and resolve problems. Draw on the collective knowledge of your trusted connections -- and their connections -- and benefit from the experience of others.

4. Prioritize how you spend your time
Everyone understands the importance of time management in today's accelerated workplace environment. Successful people are often sought after with requests from unknown people for meetings, events, speaking engagements, and more. The LinkedIn network can be used to quickly and efficiently check out these contacts and requests before committing. A quick search reveals anyone you might know in common, gives you a capsule impression, and helps you allocate your valuable time wisely. And if you need to prepare for a meeting, the Advanced Search feature can also save time by allowing you to find specialists on almost every topic, industry, or company you want to research.

5. Stay on top of what's going on in your world
If you want to be truly great at what you do, it's essential to stay on top of industry news at all times. LinkedIn News makes it easy for every professional to read the articles they need to read, by leveraging the power of their business connections. It starts by delivering news about key daily topics: a user's company, industry, and competitors, drawn from more than 10,000 publishers and blogs. Then, LinkedIn News uses the wisdom of each user's "crowd" of colleagues to determine the handful of articles that are the most important to their business -- the articles they need to read that day.

Managers’ Survey: Interviewees Flunking Etiquette 101

The Find: 59 percent of hiring managers say that job candidates’ manners have deteriorated in recent years.

The Source: A recent survey from Vault.

The Takeaway: With a plethora of sources of advice for interviewees, it seems like, by now, every job seeker should know the interview etiquette basics. But when Vault surveyed over 150 hiring managers, they uncovered a multitude of interview sins. Even that most covered principle of job hunting–dress the part– is often overlooked (or misinterpreted). A full 87 percent of hiring managers have had candidates show up dressed inappropriately. But hiring managers encounter more extreme behavior problems as well:

26 percent have had interviewees answer their cell phones during the interview
43 percent have had candidates use profanity
19 percent have had job seekers show up with a child in tow

It may seem sort of depressing that these etiquette basics need to be gone over again, but it is heartening for businesspeople who have their interview etiquette down cold to be reminded that all those carefully pressed cuffs and polite thank you emails may, in fact, make you stand out.

By Jessica Stillman

Want Your Boss to See Your MySpace Page?

by Melanie London, Vault.com

The era of the social networking website is clearly upon us. An entire generation of people doesn't seem to think twice about sharing personal information and photos with the plugged-in planet. When it comes to employment, though, your willingness to share may cost you.

According to Vault.com's Social Networking Websites Survey, 44% of employers use sites like MySpace and Facebook to check out job candidates, and 39% have looked up the profile of a current employee. Profiles that reveal questionable behavior or attitudes can be harmful to job seekers, as 82% of employers say that something they perceive as negative on a profile would affect their hiring decisions. Despite these revealing statistics, only 57% of people with profiles take security measures, such as using the website's privacy controls or editing their profiles while in the midst of a job search.

As long as it's more important to you to land that dream job than to provide the world with photographic evidence of your win in last year's beer pong championship, remember these words: "This profile is set to private." If you're actively searching for a job, or if your resume is posted on an employment web site, be sure to utilize the privacy controls of any social networking sites you use.

The First Impression
Do you really want your online profile to make an impression before you can? It's becoming more and more common for hiring managers to use social networking web sites as a tool to whittle down the resume pile. If an HR exec logs on only to find coarse language and salacious shots, well, there's a good bet your resume will end up in the reject pile. Yes, it's fun to share borderline-scandalous profile content with friends, but why a potential employer? If it's NSFW ("not safe for work"), then it's NSF your non-private profile.

Personal Preferences
Revealing your affiliations and likes/dislikes can leave you open to someone else's biases. From your political party to even seemingly harmless information like your favorite movies or the last book you've read, these stated preferences could mean the difference between you and someone else getting the job. Isn't it safer to just keep this information private? You may feel that you wouldn't want to work for a company where someone would judge you based on such things, but in a close race, it may be easier for a hiring manager to align with a fellow oboe enthusiast than a candidate with whom he or she has no common interests. Get the job first; then reveal your love of Celine Dion.

Postings from Friends
Social networking site profiles are all about "friends." How many do you have? Who knows who? And what is everyone doing at every possible moment? Ask yourself, "Is it safe to let potential employers see what my friends are posting to my profile?" In high school, people judged you by who you hung out with; sad as it is, the same goes for social networking web sites.

Picture and Screen Name
So you've taken this all to heart, and you're about to set your profile to private -- great job! But don't neglect your photo and screen name. Resist the urge to choose a too-cutesy name and/or an excessively silly or revealing picture to represent yourself to the world at large. No matter how tempting it may be to call yourself Divalicious08, it doesn't exactly give off an aura of professionalism.

Don't be Slow, be Strategic in Hiring Talent

Why is it taking longer than ever to find, and land, revenue-generating professionals with the skills and talents to drive results? In a recent hiring survey, more than two-thirds of the respondents said they expect their companies to be bringing on new revenue-generating staff additions within the next 12 months, and 88% said their employers were experiencing a skills shortage.

The demand is there, but where are the candidates? Only 9% of revenue-generating workers polled said that they’re actively looking for a job, and 63% reported feeling secure or very secure in their current position.

Even when candidates are available, a lack of preparation by hiring managers or a disconnect between business drivers and internal processes can compromise company performance.

For any industry which is currently facing talent shortages in revenue-generating positions, the pertinent question remains: does the time-to-hire make a difference to the quality of talent being inducted into an organization?

Recruitment experts agree that the hiring time is critical for finding the right candidate. The reason is obvious. Often because of undue time lags between identification of candidates and making the selection, a good candidate may lose interest in that specific role and take up another opportunity.

SPEED (or the lack thereof) is a strategic factor in the competition for talent. When talent acquisition is an organizational strength, you start by overwhelming candidates with responsiveness.

Here are the spots in the recruiting process where the need to manage speed is critical:

1. Solicit candidates only when you have the time to and interest in screening them. For prospects that fit your general position requirements, set the initial step within 48-hours of submission.

2. Organize process steps to fast-track internal bottlenecks. Once the initial screen is completed and you decide to move the candidate to the next stage—momentum is on your side! Plot steps to the final interview and schedule these all at once, within 24-hours of the initial step.

Example: if the initial step is a telephone screen, and the final step is an interview with the senior manager; but in-between there is an interview with 1) the hiring manager, 2) a peer, and 3) a next-level manager—book set times for all of the 3 “middle steps” in this example, within 2-days of each other. You can always cancel if the candidate proves to be less than anticipated, but you cannot regain lost time between steps tying to schedule “on the fly” as the process unfolds.

3. Manage expectations as you move to the offer stage. Give timely and honest feedback to, or about, candidates following each step. Ideally, you want to do a blitz round of interviews and get to the final stage shortly thereafter. If there is any holdup in the process, you have to sell the candidate on the company and the fact that you still love them as the right fit for the job in question.

4. Anticipate administrative and/or organizational requirements to get to the offer stage. Don’t wait until after the final interview to initiate administrivia like reference checks, pre-employment screenings, approval forms, offer letter/new hire paperwork turnaround, etc. At the same time you schedule the final interview, start the organizational wheels turning to ensure a minimal lag time before you can make a firm offer.

Interested candidates are a perishable resource – start the process too soon or have a delay after a phone interview or a face-to-face meeting, and you have problems. Candidates start having confidence issues in you as an employer of choice, and even if you eventually hire them, the delays can cost you negotiation leverage as you go through the offer stage.

Learn how to juggle the timing needs of the company and the candidate in the hiring process, and you'll get better talent than you deserve.

The Secrets of Recruiting and Motivating Talent

Do employees want fun, work-life balance, a pleasant office environment, or a boss with an iron will? The exact formula for a truly motivated team remains elusive, but new research out yesterday from consulting firm Watson Wyatt suggests managers add another ingredient: clarity.

The survey of over 14,000 employees across Europe found that the most important factor for employee motivation was a clear sense of the company’s strategic direction. Andrew Cocks, a senior consultant at the firm, explains: “Business leaders who articulate the business strategy give employees a clear ‘line of sight’ to how they can best contribute to the performance of their company, but the benefit goes beyond this. It helps to build trust in the company and its management and creates a positive environment where all employees have well understood shared goals.”

If clarity is key for engaging and motivating employees, your company’s brand may be the biggest factor in recruiting them in the first place. Irish branding strategist, Krishna De, uses recent research from Jobs.as.uk as a jumping off point for a blog post on the topic. The research found that 86 percent of job seekers rate the strength of a potential employer’s brand as an important factor when considering whether to apply.

Krishna De comments: Think about it - can you remember a time when an executive search firm or recruitment consultant contacted you about what sounded like a great opportunity, but your heart sank when you heard what the company was?… You already had a mental and emotional picture of what that company stood for - both in terms of their reputation and their employer brand. It doesn’t matter how you came to your conclusion or if it was correct - you came to a conclusion.

She goes on to suggest that companies who are facing difficulties recruiting, start by doing a little research as to what potential candidates think of their employer brand. Listen carefully, even if you hear some less than positive things. What can we conclude if we put the two studies together? Employer brand is key for attracting talent. Clarity of vision is necessary to keep them engaged. By Jessica Stillman

Recruiting Tidbits from Recruiting Veterans

Great recruiters have proven techniques and processes they consistently use because they work. These include where they source, how they begin every conversation, how they listen, gather information, close, etc. If you have special ways of taking candidates and clients through the recruiting process and they work, congratulations — use them. But it does help sometimes to compare notes, and maybe even more so in today's changing market and economic climate.

Read on, it might be interesting. Remember, I'm not telling you how to recruit — just sharing a few ideas that work.

It's in the Numbers
And whether you're an internal, external, or contract recruiter, knowing the activity metrics it takes to be successful and measuring daily is very important.

Number of daily candidate sourcing calls

Call results

Number of position interviews

Daily interview feedback by position

Number of client interface meetings, by phone or in person

Number of new requisitions to be filled

Time to fill

Daily measurement of quality performance metrics leads to knowledge and success. Whether recruiting for a company or agency, understanding your activity will help you understand your business in sophisticated and strategic ways. Agree on activity to be measured and then put a process in place to understand daily performance. It works.

I Need Your Help
If you have not asked a source, prospect, candidate or client for help recently, get back to it. If you're stuck, or you're not working at the pace you're accustomed to, try asking for help. A door to an incredible and successful adventure may be opened.

It's All About Relationships
Great relationships can be built inside companies or out. It depends on you and your desire to do it. Think about your market, your internal hiring customers. Do they like your results? Do they like you? Have you gone out of your way to help them recently? Don't forget--get results, but be a friend.

What About You?
There are more than just these few recruiting tidbits that ensure one's success. When you ask the best how they characterize their success, common themes emerge:

Passion

Confidence

Listening skills

Hands-on Recruiting

Recruiting technology skills

Business knowledge

All of these are important. I believe we all agree that if you measure your activity, ask questions, show no fear, and work to build relationships, you will create a foundation of recruitment success. It's important we understand, remember, and practice these recruitment skills, especially as we take the convergence of recruitment process and technology to the next level.

Thanks for selected excerpts from Some Recruiting Tidbits from Recruiting Veterans by Hank Stringer

Five Ways to Say "I'm Unprofessional"

When you're looking for a job or internship, particularly in a tough market like this one, there's nothing worse than leaving a prospective employer with some sort of bad impression. Unfortunately, though, there are many ways you can do just that, often without even knowing it.

In most job-filling situations, the employer has the luxury of choosing from several well-qualified applicants, all of whom could probably do the job. It is then that the little things, like the common but often unrecognized mistakes described here, almost always come into play. Make sure you avoid them, so they don't cost you a shot at the job.

1. Using a Cutesy Email Address for Correspondence

Example: cutiepie@domain.com, or -- far worse -- something like sexkitten@domain.com.

You Might Think: It's a clever, memorable email address everyone will get a kick out of.

The Employer Will Probably Think: I can't believe someone would actually list this email address on her resume, let alone use it to correspond with me. Will she do the same thing on the job if I hire her? Yikes!

2. Putting a Silly Message on Your Answering Machine

Example: A is for academics, B is for beer -- and one of those reasons is why we're not here. So leave a message, OK?

You Might Think: Mine is the funniest answering machine message this side of the Mississippi. My friends will love it.

The Employer Will Probably Think: Good lord, this person probably lives in Animal House. And I just can't risk interviewing, let alone hiring, someone like Bluto or Flounder. Sorry, Charlie. Click.

3. Sending Your Resume and Cover Letter Without Proofreading

You Might Think: Everybody makes mistakes, even employers. So if there's a mistake or two on my resume, no big deal. The employer probably won't even notice, much less care.

The Employer Will Probably Think: Everybody makes mistakes, even employers. But making more than one minor mistake on a resume or in a cover letter is unacceptable, and often, even one is too many. How do I know this person will proofread the letters he writes to shareholders? What if he someday leaves a zero or two off one of our financial statements? I better put this resume aside and look for someone who's more accurate and thorough.

4. Winging Your Interviews Instead of Preparing Thoroughly

You Might Think: I'm good at thinking on my feet, and if I get stuck, I'll just BS my way through, like I've done on many an essay exam. Besides, they can't expect me to know everything about the company.

The Employer Will Probably Think: This person clearly knows nothing about the company, nor has she made any effort to learn more about us and what we do. She must not really care whether or not she gets the job. I want someone who cares. Oh well, maybe the next person will be better.

5. Failing to Send Thank-You Notes After Interviews

You Might Think: A thank-you note? You're kidding, right? Do people even do that sort of thing anymore?

The Employer Will Probably Think: This person has no follow-up skills, not to mention common courtesy. He could have at least dropped me a quick email note, like this other person did. I think I'll invite this candidate for the second round of interviews instead. The other guy must not really want the position.

by Peter Vogt - MonsterTRAK Career Coach

Six Must-Ask Interview Questions

Interviewing can be a gut-wrenching process. Most books on how to interview list hundreds of questions you need to be ready to answer, but few talk about the questions you need to ask.

Take more control at your next interview by asking some pointed questions of your own. Here are six must-ask questions and why you should know the answers.

1. What happened to the person who previously did this job? (If a new position: How has this job been performed in the past?)

Why You Need to Ask: You need to know any problems or past history associated with this position. For instance, was your predecessor fired, or was he promoted? Is this a temporary position or brand-new? The answer will tell you about management's expectations and how the company is gearing to grow.

2. Why did you choose to work here? What keeps you here?

Why You Need to Ask: Although you may like this company, you're an outsider. You need to find out what an insider has to say about working there. Who better to ask than your interviewer? This also forces the interviewer to step out of their official corporate role and answer personally as an employee and potential coworker.

3. What is the first problem the person you hire must attend to?

Why You Need to Ask: You need to be on the same page as your new manager, as well as be clear on what the initial expectations are and that you can deliver. What you don't want is to allow yourself to be misled about the job’s requirements and end up overwhelmed and over your head after the first week on the job.

4. What can you tell me about the individual to whom I would report?

Why You Need to Ask: It doesn't matter how wonderful the company might be; your time will be spent working for a specific manager. You need to find out who this person is and what kind of manager he is -- earlier rather than later, before personality clashes develop. If you're an independent type used to working through solutions on your own, for instance, you'll chafe when you find you're being supervised by a micromanager.

5. What are the company's five-year sales and profit projections?

Why You Need to Ask: You need to know about the future of the company you plan to spend several years of your life working for. It doesn't have to be this exact question. For example, you might want to ask about the company's future plans for new products and services or any planned market expansion. Of course, you've done your own research, but nothing can beat an insider’s observations and insights. This also shows you've done your homework and are serious about this company.

6. What's our next step?

Why You Need to Ask: This is your closing and the most important question to ask at the end of the interview. You need to know what happens after this point. Many books advise asking for the job now, but most people may feel too intimidated to bluntly do so. And with more candidates already scheduled for interviews, they're not likely to make you an offer yet. You may also need to do some additional research on the company, making it too early to ask for the job.

A good compromise: Take the lead and set a plan for follow-up. You'll also be able to gauge their enthusiasm when they answer. Don't forget to ask for your interviewer’s direct phone number and the best time to call.

What to Remember

As a job seeker, the key to a good interview is to find out as much about your potential employer as possible. Asking these six questions will not only make you appear more committed as a candidate, but will also give you better insight into both the challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead for you.

by Joe Turner
Monster Contributing Writer

Recruiting Gurus' Observations:Recruiting Trends of Tomorrow

When I am in receipt of what is characterized as "Junk E-mail" that adds to my knowledge or how to go about doing my job more effectively, I recognize its value. Sent Wednesday 6/27/2007 from ZoomInfo, I received a Mail Message that is informational and timely. I could post an editorial of one of my many opinions regarding best practices in the Staffing Industry; however, for today's article, I am pleased to pass on this gem from ZoomInfo:

Start using tomorrow's recruiting techniques today!

What trends determine which recruiters succeed in the current labor market - and which ones fail? Listen to observations from:

Lou Adler of The Adler Group
Jim Durbin of Durbin Media Group
HireVue's Ryan Money
David Manaster of ERE.net
Recruiting Guru Jason Davis
Sean Rehder of Rehder Talent Logistics

If you're looking for ways to make the difference between merely finding candidates and finding the right candidates, this brief online presentation will get your creative juices flowing! Listen to Lou Adler's comments on combining new tools with traditional networking, Ryan Money's insights into sourcing passive candidates, and Jason Davis' thoughts on the new cooperation between competitors.

ZoomInfo caught all these experts on video at ERExpo 2007, and compiled them into an online, on-demand presentation. Watch it now – and get started with the future of recruiting today!

Click here to watch now »

Who is ZoomInfo? ZoomInfo is a search engine that continually scans millions of Web sites, electronic news sources, SEC filings, and other online resources and provides results in concise, easy-to-use summaries. ZoomInfo PowerSearch helps recruiters source passive candidates by providing information on more than 36 million business professionals. ZoomInfo JobCast is a campaign tool that uses proven email best practices to help you efficiently reach these candidates. Try out ZoomInfo on some of your own searches!

Click here for a demo and free trial »

Copyright © 2007 Zoom Information Inc.

The Candidate-Centric Business Model Concept

Changes in economic conditions influence business operating models as we adapt to the drivers of supply and demand. The number of candidates available correlated with the number of open jobs influences, without question, the selling approach for the Staffing Industry. When the job market is depressed, unemployment is high and candidates are plentiful; sales are intensely focused on winning new customers to come across few and far between hiring needs. Conversely, when, jobs are abundant and candidates are scarce, the sales process follows the acquisition of a candidate, and the focus narrows to identifying the hiring manager with an open job that matches the background and experience of the candidate. This is concept is based upon demand forecasting and inventory management—best practices in product-based industries for decades.

The idea that a branch can “be all” to all customers is a myth. You cannot represent every candidate effectively and work every job order successfully. What you can do is develop a core-competency of identified job categories/titles for your branch and build a database of hiring managers who have interest in the job categories that you represent. The ideal core-competency skill sets for your branch should be representative of occupations that are desirable for Temp/Contract and Direct Hire. The reason for that is most candidates are best attracted and come to you for Direct Hire opportunities. Should they be “available” presently, they can be assigned to Temp/Contract engagements until which time a “regular” job is identified. Job categories/titles that fit these criteria are generally aligned with health margins, high pay rates and superior markups. These are the people likely to be sought after by hiring managers and department-level company representatives to fill critical open positions. These may differ market-to-market and should be reflective of your market; including hot industries and jobs as well as job categories with candidate shortages. These are the candidates that you should recruit day-in and day-out instead of wasting precious time trying to fill random job orders that sales efforts are generating.

Candidate-centric selling is simple as doing what you do now and adding one degree of strategy to generate job orders that you can fill with candidates you already have. Most Staffing Industry branches have a selling strategy that is made up of a target list or a zone approach—this remains the platform upon which you build your Candidate-centric business. You enhance this process by adding to your “contact names” associated with the companies that you are pursuing. The key is to add hiring manager, department manager, office manager, executive office contact names that are likely to have a direct need for the job category/title within your established core-competency. At the same time develop a way to track for the company (or hiring-manager level) record, AND the candidate profile the following important values that will superpower your searching and marketing activities: industry, job title, software and any other key need/experience that will match a candidate and a company perfectly. You then can do candidate-based reverse searches to identify companies to which to market them and search your database of available candidates to market specific companies.

You can develop additional sources to market your candidates by reviewing job board postings for core-competency positions—who needs your candidates? You can automate this by acting as a job-seeker (it is free to do so) and set up Saved Searches/Search Agents (employer searches, keyword searches) to automatically notify you of new core-competency positions as they are posted. Additionally review thoroughly the application/profile submitted by your candidates. Their job history, job search activity, and references are abundant with hiring manager names that have, and will again; hire the kind of person sitting across the interview table from you. Save copies of these leads to have ready when you are making sales telephone calls to qualify new leads and market candidates.

You bring these practices together by making candidates marketing calls the center of sales activity. Make it a practice to have a daily meeting to ensure all selling members of the branch are well-versed regarding core-competency candidates available—their background, experience and reason for being in the job market—these are the candidates that are highlighted for marketing efforts. Come together as a team to strategize how to place every qualified candidate with a company and make marketing calls until you do so. In other words, all sales calls are candidate marketing calls. When you make enough of these calls, you will receive job orders…job orders that you can fill with available candidates.