So what if you make a hiring mistake? Here’s how to beat analysis paralysis.
By April Joyner | Nov 1, 2011

Any job seeker knows from experience how much first impressions matter. In fact, they probably matter too much. A single interview, after all, rarely uncovers enough information to determine whether someone would be a good employee. To compensate for this shortcoming, many entrepreneurs follow the adage to hire slowly, fire fast. But hiring too slowly can be just as counterproductive as making a snap judgment, especially when entrepreneurs tack additional steps onto the interview process without clear objectives in mind.

Gary Jaffe, CEO of The Booksource, a St. Louis-based distributor of schoolbooks with 135 employees, made that mistake last fall when he began looking for a new sales director. The search ended up taking five months—two months longer than the contract period for the recruiter he enlisted. Each candidate was required to go through two personality assessments and about four hours’ worth of interviews, meeting with each of the company’s three managers. After sitting in on each interview, Jaffe privately questioned the candidates he found promising. His impressions of candidates would often start out positive but deteriorate as the interviews dragged on. “In the first two hours, I would have absolutely hired this person,” says Jaffe. “By lunch, he was questionable.”

There are many reasons entrepreneurs prolong the hiring process. For starters, adding employees at a small company is tricky. “Once you insert a new person into the mix, you change the team’s dynamics completely,” says Lanny Goodman, CEO of Management Technologies, an Albuquerque-based firm that trains entrepreneurs in management techniques. Previous hiring mistakes can also cause entrepreneurs to drag their feet: Because they second-guess their opinions, entrepreneurs add extra rounds of interviews and assessments.

That was the case for Jaffe. After firing two of the company’s executives, he had begun to doubt his ability to make good hiring decisions. “It’s so frustrating when you get it wrong,” says Jaffe. “It takes so much effort to fit this person, and you say, ‘Why is this not working?’ ” He was determined to get it right this time.

One of the most promising applicants for the sales director position was referred by a trusted source. Jaffe’s father, Sandy, who founded The Booksource and had been its CEO, had met the candidate in a business mentoring group. But despite the family recommendation, personality tests, and rounds of interviews, Jaffe was still unsure. So he invited the candidate out to dinner. After an evening of polite small talk and Southwestern cuisine, Jaffe finally made an offer.

But even after all that, Jaffe is again trying to fill the position. Less than three weeks after the sales director joined the company, Jaffe fired him.

No matter how many times you interview candidates, there’s no way to accurately predict how well they will perform. Entrepreneurs who drag out the hiring process put off the ultimate test of a candidate: time on the job. Plus, as the months pass and pressure mounts to fill critical positions, entrepreneurs sometimes find themselves making the same hasty decisions they sought to avoid in the first place.
Treatment:

Set clear objectives for each stage of the interview process. Make sure follow-up interviews aren’t rehashing the same discussions from previous meetings.

Limit the number of people evaluating candidates. It’s wise to seek a second opinion, but involving more than two or three other managers can make it difficult to get a clear assessment.

Trust your instincts. As the hiring process drags on, you are more likely to ignore red flags.

“If you love somebody, set them free.”
I don’t know if the phrase is one we should adhere to when it comes to
romantic relationships, no matter how convincingly Sting sings it. But I do
think that if we were to tweak it, and say instead, “If you’ve prepared
somebody, set them free,” the phrase would certainly be one we should
adhere to as leaders in the hospitality industry.
I don’t mean we should train people and then kick them out of the nest to
see how well they can fly. In my book—or pop song, if I were to sing one
(which, trust me, you don’t want me to do)—on-the-job training is just as
important as initial training. What I mean is that once you’ve given your
people enough training and tools to get the job done, it’s important to give
yourself permission to step back, let them put into practice what they’ve
learned, and coach from the sidelines.

Reinforcement coaching

By now, the terms reinforcement coaching and corrective coaching are
commonplace in our industry, and yet, as a result of the myriad demands
put upon leaders and managers, many of us neglect to put them into
practice consistently. We think of them as things we should do when we
have time instead of as an integral part of our everyday operations. When
they’re not a part of our regular in-house interactions, it can be easy to
forget their value.

Part of being a leader is being a strong
communicator with a positive attitude.
A strong communicator who believes
people can achieve far beyond what
they think is possible for themselves is
going to have a much better chance of
getting her people to gain an
understanding of the vision, mission and
big-picture goals of the organization.
Through reinforcement coaching, you
can inspire people to keep doing a job
well done, share your vision and show
by example it is possible to go
throughout your day with your
organization’s end goals in mind—and
that doing so makes a real
difference.

When I find myself talking about reinforcement coaching with hotel
managers, or with anyone for that matter, I usually wind up mentioning
Stephen R. Covey. The author’s idea of creating an emotional bank
account can be applied to all kinds of relationships, and yet I can’t think of
a relationship to which it can be applied to more transparently than to the
one between manager and employee.

When you engage in reinforcement coaching, you are essentially making a
deposit into someone’s emotional bank account. What if all you did was
point out the instances in which people were doing things wrong? How
receptive do you think they would be to your comments? If you correct
people without making regular deposits into their emotional bank accounts,
they’re going to become withdrawn pretty quickly when you try to correct
them. If, on the other hand, you’re the type of leader who regularly looks
for things employees are doing right and praises them along the way, odds
are you’ve built up substantial emotional bank accounts, and, as a result,
your employees are more receptive to correction.

Toolbox Ad Will Appear Here

The two most powerful words a leader can offer during reinforcement
coaching are “thank you.” Simply saying thank you, however, is not
enough. Real reinforcement coaching is stopping what you’re doing,
Copyright © 2004-2011 Smith Travel Research /DBA HotelNewsNow.com (HNN).
enough. Real reinforcement coaching is stopping what you’re doing,
addressing the employee by name, making eye contact, and taking the
time to be clear about what it is that you’re praising and why you’re
praising it. Be specific rather than general. State your observation, relate
it to one of your standards, and then explain how the employee’s actions
are benefiting the employee, coworkers, guests or organization as a whole.
Say something like, “Thank you for using the guest’s name at each checkin,
Maria. Meeting that standard really helps the guest feel a personal
connection and makes them want to come back.” This example lets the
employee know what she’s doing right and how her behavior is benefiting
the guest and the organization. It doesn’t just pat the employee on the
back, but presents her with a bigger picture and makes her more likely to
repeat the performance that meets the standard.

Reinforcement coaching is all about trying to catch people doing something
right. As a leader, you should constantly be looking for the little wins, the
things employees are doing well and according to standard, so you can
reinforce correct behaviors and develop an effective, efficient team that
produces better results.

Corrective coaching

The first thing leaders have to decide whenever employees stray from the
proper path or away from the end goal is not to ignore it. This is often
easier said than done. Acknowledging behaviors that don’t meet standards
can be uncomfortable, particularly if a manager is new or has been newly
promoted and is now responsible for staff members they consider peers.
Many managers simply believe they’re too busy to point it out each time
an employee’s behavior doesn’t meet the standard.

Solid corrective coaching techniques can make correcting behaviors that
don’t meet the standards less stressful and less time-consuming. Some of
these techniques include:

• using the employee’s name;
• making eye contact;
• acknowledging the behavior that didn’t meet the standard (without
putting the employee on display);
• asking a “What is the effect?” question in order to get the employee to
consider the consequences of their actions;
• acknowledging the things the employee is doing right; and
• letting employees know how a change in their behavior will have a
positive impact in the big picture.

The next time you see someone engaging in a behavior that doesn’t meet
the standard, pull them aside. Then, state what you observed them doing
in the form of a question. Good questions force employees to consider the
effects of their actions. Don’t ask, “Linda, what do you think you just did
wrong?” Instead, say, “Linda, could you step over here for a minute? I was
watching you check in those last five guests. When you don’t use the
guest’s name during check-in, what do you think is the effect?” Pause and
let the employee answer.

Whether you do it at the beginning, middle, or end of a corrective
coaching moment, you should also acknowledge the things that the
employee is doing correctly. You might say something like, “Thanks for
meeting our timing standard and getting those guests checked in
efficiently. I can see that your coworkers take cues from your example in
that regard. If you remember to use the guest’s name every time, I know
your coworkers will remember to do it, too.” A comment like this lets an
employee know you appreciate the things they’re doing right. It also
makes clear that even though you’re seeking to correct a certain behavior,
you’re not doing it because you want to harp on them, but because
correcting the behavior will have a specific benefit.

It’s been said the wisest leaders are those who make the most of the time
they spend with their people. Set your people up for success through a
structured training program, but once that’s in place, step over to the
sidelines and become the coach. There’ll be no limit to the potential you
and your team can fulfill.

It’s difficult to be optimistic about the bleak job market when , unemployment is stuck at around 9.1 percent but a survey just released by employment services firm ManpowerGroup offers hope for job seekers in many places around the country.

The survey reveals that the metropolitan area with the most optimistic forecast of all for hiring this fall is San Antonio, Texas, and there’s also the good news that employers in 45 states expect the bleak employment picture to perk up. In fact, hiring managers in dozens of metropolitan areas anticipate considerable increases in hiring, while others present a darker forecast.

ManpowerGroup surveyed more than 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas to find out who’s hiring, who’s firing and who plans to maintain their current staff levels in the fourth quarter of 2011, October through December. Of the surveyed employers, 16 percent anticipate an increase in staffing levels in their hiring plans, while 11 percent expect a decrease in payrolls. The difference between those numbers provides what ManpowerGroup calls a net employment outlook of 5 percent–or 7 percent when seasonally adjusted, which is still up from 6 percent for the same period last year, but down slightly from last quarter. Seventy percent of employers expect no change in their staffing, and the final 3 percent of employers are uncertain.

Forbes.com slideshow: The best and worst cities for jobs right now While the outlook is positive overall, the one-point drop from the third quarter is the first decrease in nine quarters. “The numbers are not going in the right direction this quarter, and they are not as robust as we would have liked them to be,” says Melanie Holmes, a vice president at ManpowerGroup. “Employers are hesitant about hiring in this economic climate. They are remaining guarded, and that is reflected in these results.”

Still, “We do see some bright spots in hiring, especially in San Antonio, which has the most promising hiring outlook for the fourth quarter,” says Jonas Prising, president of the Americas at ManpowerGroup. “Employers in other markets in Texas, including El Paso and Austin, are also anticipating strong hiring increases.”

The San Antonio metro area enjoys a 17 percent net employment outlook, the percentage of employers that expect to add employees (25 percent) minus the percentage that expect to reduce their workforce (8 percent). Another 64 percent said they anticipate no change, and 3 percent didn’t know.
Forbes.com: 20 businesses you can start now “San Antonio has continued to see new jobs created, and new jobs brought to the region,” says Richard Perez, president and chief executive of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. “I would say that San Antonio is well positioned to come out ahead in the future as well because our cost of living remains low, making it a good environment for companies to increase their investment in jobs here, plus we have a very talented labor pool because we graduate more than 30,000 from our colleges and universities each year.”
The industry with the largest economic impact and largest number of employees in San Antonio is health care and biosciences, with more than 142,000 employees, Perez says. “This surprises a lot of people who think we are only a tourism town. One of every five workers is in the health care sector, and it has an estimated $24 billion economic impact here. We also have large manufacturing and financial services sectors. And yes, we have a significant tourism industry in San Antonio, with approximately 106,000 employees.”

The largest employers in the San Antonio area include the Department of Defense, whose workplaces include Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base and Randolph Air Force Base. Combined they employ over 70,000 individuals. The largest corporate employer is San Antonio-based financial services firm United Services Automobile Association, with 14,800 employees. H-E-B Grocery Company follows close behind with 14,600 workers. AT&T, Toyota, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Valero Energy, Harland Clarke and Citibank are some of the area’s other major corporate employers.
Forbes.com: Best business quotes from the silver screen“San Antonio’s list of large employers is long and diverse,” Perez says. “We do not rely heavily on one area and that is by design. San Antonio has many industries that together keep us a resilient economy. We are fortunate to have many strong industries, and many strong companies with large employee bases.”

Employers in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Baltimore-Towson metro areas also anticipate a significant upswing in hiring for the next quarter.
Nearly a quarter of Cape Coral-Fort Myers employers reported positive forecasts, while 6 percent drew a bleaker picture. Sixty-nine percent said they won’t be changing their employment levels, and the remaining 3 percent are unsure of their hiring plans. With a net employment outlook of 16 percent, the southwest Florida metro area is the second best place for finding a job this fall.
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Baltimore-Towson employers are expressing similar sentiments. Twenty percent of that metro area’s hiring managers anticipate a bright fourth quarter. Meanwhile, 7 percent expect to decrease their payrolls, 71 percent anticipate no change and 2 percent are uncertain. This yields a net employment outlook of 13 percent and positions the Maryland metropolis as the third best place for finding a job this fall. Greensboro-High Point, N.C., St. Louis and Tulsa enjoy the same rank.

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Unfortunately not all cities are as confident about hiring. The net employment outlook in Spokane and Las Vegas is a far weaker -4 percent–and those metropolitan areas aren’t even the worst. The Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla., metro area yields a net employment outlook of -5 percent for the quarter.

The worst area of all for finding a job this fall is Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.
Only 12 percent of surveyed Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metro area employers plan to hire between October and December, while 19 percent expect to reduce their staff levels. Sixty-nine percent expect to maintain their current workforce. This yields a net employment outlook of -7 percent for the Connecticut metropolis.

“Although this quarter we are seeing relatively stable hiring compared with last quarter and even the year before, we are way below the double-digit employment outlook numbers we saw prior to the end of 2008,” Prising says. “With daily fluctuations in the market and mixed news reports about housing and consumer sentiment, employers are just plain uncertain about the future. Until they see a sustainable demand for their products and services, employers will not commit to hiring in big numbers.”

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Seth

If you would have asked me the answer to the question contained in the title to this article in the year 2000, you would have received a confident “command” response. I was fresh out of my 4 year stint in the military and was thoroughly ingrained with the chain of command do as I say mentality. I knew how to take orders and felt anyone in a position below me should know how to obey orders.

Over the past 11 years I have had a great deal of time to grow into a more mature outlook. I have learned that while there are times when command is necessary, more often than not coaching will help me to get further with my team members. In return the team members being coached are not dejected as a result of being chided, and I am able to give them the reasons why certain processes are used.

As I sit here writing this post I have just realized I actually used both of these methods today. This morning I arrived at a store to drop a few items off and talk to a manager about some cash handling issues. Upon a bit of investigation I revealed several deposits in the location that should have already been deposited. I lost it. I have not really freaked out on anyone in a long time, but today was one of those epic moments. I used language I shouldn’t have, and continued on for several minutes. I finally stopped and asked the manager if he understood why I was so upset and the reasons that this issue should not occur. He acknowledged my concerns and promptly left for the bank.

Later this afternoon, I had the opposite experience. I received a text message from district manager stating she had to take tomorrow off due to feeling that she was going to have a nervous breakdown. I called her to figure out the issue and found that she was trying to handle many issues at one time without the consultation of any peers or superiors. I took the time to explain to her that it is my job to help her deal with the issues she is having and she has to call me. This will help her to decompress occasionally which will in turn keep her slightly less stressed.

Do I think each situation was handled correctly? I could go either way. I do not feel my reaction to the bank issue was completely warranted, but I did have to make a point. This was a serious issue and I wanted to ensure he would handle it as such in the future. As for the DM, I do believe this was handled appropriately. If you are of a different opinion I would love to hear it.

Thanks….Seth

The entrepreneur backing Umami Burger and Katsuya speaks about risks and opportunities

August 25, 2011 | By Lisa Jennings

Sam Nazarian, founder, chairman and chief executive of SBE.

As it approaches its 10-year anniversary next year, Los Angeles-based SBE is emerging as a deep-pocketed and diverse multi-concept operator of restaurants, hotels and nightclubs across the country.

Founder, chairman and chief executive Sam Nazarian has assembled a mushrooming collection of concepts, from José Andrés’ restaurant The Bazaar in Beverly Hills, Calif., to the first West Coast franchise operation of New York hot dog icon Papaya King.

Currently, SBE is taking its five-unit, upscale-casual Asian restaurant Katsuya national, with up to 20 locations planned for the next five years. And earlier this year, the company became an equal partner in Adam Fleischman’s five-unit Umami Burger.

Nazarian spoke with Nation’s Restaurant News about re-invention and the perils of sitting stagnant in the restaurant business.

What does your partnership with Adam Fleischman [pictured left] and Umami Burger bring to SBE?

It will be a separate entity, a separate company. But we have committed the equity and are very excited about Adam as a brand and Umami as a brand.

The difficulty in our business is that lightning in a bottle is very hard to catch. And what Adam has been able to do with Umami is to create a brand that resonates in a space that’s very crowded, and also to create scalability. With our partnership, we can help guide a guy like Adam to go from five to 50 stores.

What is the goal for Umami Burger’s growth?

Our goal is to get to 60 [restaurants]. That’s a function of time, finding the right locations and the right markets. We have a healthy pipeline already. The response is tremendous.

It’s an emotional brand … It’s not necessarily white tablecloth, or how many Michelin stars you have. It’s the connectivity of the product with the end user.

Culinary awareness is at an all-time high. Shows like Top Chef have made it that much more a part of the culture today. You see people really wanting to know about their food, their wine, the eco-friendly buildings they’re in. They want to know about the designer, the inspiration. I did not see that when I was growing up.

What are your plans for Katsuya?

I think it could exist in any major urban center. We have four versions of it now that we think touch all different kinds of consumers. We could hit 15 to 20 units within the next four or five years, just domestically. We’re looking at international opportunities too, but it’s still too fresh of a brand to go international right now.

Is The Bazaar restaurant in the SLS Hotel and your partnership with José Andrés growing?

Yes. SLS Miami opens in the first quarter next year and José is culinary director of the SLS brand.

One of the things we can be good at as a company is to be a really good platform for these amazing rock stars to flourish, whether it be an Adam, or a José or a Katsuya or Danny Elmaleh.

The restaurant space to me is a paradigm right now. Anybody today who says they know what will happen 10 years from now doesn’t know what they’re saying. This is an ever-changing business. You have to take risks. You can’t cookie-cutter anymore.

I think the institutional companies are at a big disadvantage to the companies willing to take risks. At a time of economic uncertainty, this is the best time to take risks. You’re taking risks when most people aren’t, and that’s what we’ve been able to do.

Tell me about your new concept, Mercato di Vetro.

At Mercato, for the first time that I’ve seen within a 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot restaurant, we’re putting the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant, where everything from the entrecote, to the mozzarella and salamis, to the pasta is being made.

Everybody comes in and you sit around and watch these “performers,” or chefs, and you see what you want to order. If you like it, you take it home. It’s a very simple philosophy.

What are your plans as the first franchisee of Papaya King in Los Angeles?

It’s a brand with unbelievable history and connectivity to a lot of people. A lot of people have tried to replicate it in New York. It has so much brand equity. It’s a specific experience of a juice and a hot dog cooked in a specific way with specific integrity. From Babe Ruth, to Julia Child to Martha Stewart, you name it, everyone’s eaten there.

We’ve talked about doing six or seven a year for the next three or four years.

What’s next for SBE?

It’s not something new, but it’s an evolution. I’m obsessed with communicating with clientele in the way they want to be communicated with. That, to me, is a game changer. The shotgun approach of advertising and blast emails and how to put butts in seats is so archaic.

The people that are doing it right are smaller operators with 20,000 followers on Twitter. The new aspect of SBE is culturally changing the process internally of embracing technology and at the same time maintaining originality. It’s working with social media and our marketing department, asking them to forget everything they’ve learned and to listen to the customer.

“Who does she think she is?”

I’m sure that ran across your mind as you read my headline.

“We pay good money to agency recruiters! THEY should be asking the question…How to provide a great service to US!”
Believe me, we think about that all the time. Most of us are consumed by that question! We have attended dozens of motivational seminars, logged multiple webinars, and read countless books on how to provide a great value to our clients.

In spite of our earnest endeavors, however, frustration can develop in the Recruiter/Client relationship. Maybe you consider us over-enthusiastic. Or not enough. Maybe you hear from us every day. Then we disappear. Maybe it seems we aren’t acting with urgency. Maybe we ask “Why?” a little more than you’d like. You don’t want to completely sever the relationship with us, because the next candidate we provide could be your next hire! But we are doing things you consider perplexing.

I believe I can help you with that. I recently surveyed Third Party Contingency Recruiters with multiple agencies, in several markets, and across various disciplines…and I captured their thoughts on relationships with clients. It’s a glimpse into the world of the Agency Recruiter. It is my hope that reading a sampling of their answers below could only strengthen the bond between you and those you choose to work with.

It’s no secret that we Recruiters are handling multiple positions with multiple companies in a given time period. And it’s also no secret that some of our clients get the red carpet treatment, while others don’t. So I asked my Survey Group…”What motivates you to give certain clients 110%?” Surprisingly enough, the answer was *not* “the client who pays the best fee.” Instead…

-A client who views, and treats me as a partner, not a vendor or commodity.
-A client who works with me exclusively or as part of a very limited number of recruiting firms.
-A client who takes the time to get to know my background and qualifications.
-A client who listens to me when I say to them: “Just trust me. Even though this resume is not your ideal profile, I believe you need to interview this person.”
-A client who gives me repeat business…of course when I’ve earned it.
-A client with a consistent message…rather than changing their position regularly.
-A client who continues to communicate as they move our candidates through the interview stages, and provides honest feedback.

So I followed up with this question: How does a client fall into disfavor with you?

-When the client sends out mass emails to a dozen different recruiting firms with their needs list. It signals that I’m just a vendor to these companies, and not a partner in talent acquisition.
-When they only want to communicate via email, and never by phone. This doesn’t permit me to ask relevant questions about their projects and get a ready answer.
-When they take a pass on my candidates and will not explain why. I need this information so that I may redirect my search or narrow my focus.
-When they give me “urgent” job orders. Then they take several weeks to schedule interviews with my candidates. I worked extra hours to respond to this “urgent” need. What changed?
-When they give us a job order, interview our candidates, and decide to fill the position internally. We are willing to accept that our candidates may not have been as good as their internal. However, we also suspect we are being used to “comparison shop.” That’s not fair.
-When the client changes the criteria of the job order so many times, it feels like a moving target.

So then I became even bolder, and asked my Survey Group: “What one thing do you want a client to know…but are a little scared to tell them?”

-Don’t ask us for a discount without a reason. If you want a certain amount, or percentage off my going rate, be willing to agree to an exclusive. Or volume orders.
-We are inclined to give priority to clients who use us frequently and take our work seriously.
-If you ask for a dramatically reduced fee arrangement, and if I agree to it, you will not get the best talent in the market from me. The best candidates will be directed to clients who honor the work I do with a fair rate.
-There’s no reason not to return my messages. I am working for free out here, until I find the right candidate for you. The least you can do is return my calls.

I turned the tables on my Survey Group, by asking them to take some responsibility for client relationships that have gone awry. So I posed this question: “What one thing did you do to a client that you regret?

-Didn’t return their calls/messages quickly enough. They found another recruiter who did.
-Didn’t cover the search adequately, and the client found their candidate on their own.
-Didn’t respond with urgency. I thought I had the exclusive and all the time in the world.
-Didn’t replace candidates who had been eliminated from the search with more candidates. I thought I had my superstars the first time.
-Didn’t check in on my client after submitting four candidates. Just thought he/she could take it from there.
-Tried to read the client’s mind. I should have just called or emailed and asked the question.
-Wasn’t sensitive to the hiring authority’s schedule and demands. I kept calling him in the middle of the day when he was busiest and couldn’t concentrate. I should have asked which time of the day worked best, or set up a standing appointment.

People get fired every day. It’s not often when a Recruiter fires their Client, but it does happen! So I asked my Survey Group, “Have you ever fired a client, and why?”

-I caught my client in a mistruth more than once. I couldn’t trust them after that.
-The client was passing on my candidates. I found out a year later that they were called directly and hired outright.
-The client was looking for ways to avoid paying my invoice. Gave me a lot of excuses.
-The client waited a whole year to pay the invoice. We had to call collections.
-The client didn’t disclose to me that they had already known about my candidate. But they watched me go through the process, scheduling interviews, checking references, negotiating the package, without this disclosure. And in the end, I was told I would not be paid for the placement.
-Never making the hire. The client gave us multiple positions to fill. Lots of talking and talking. But no traction. No results.

I acknowledge that I have shone a light on very real and very raw observations and experiences of a sample group of Third Party Contingency Recruiters. And after reading this, you might be tempted to wave the white flag, retreat to the corporate office, and just do this recruiting thing yourself.

That was not the intention. You just got a rare glimpse into the world of the Agency Recruiter. Now you know how we tick, and how your behavior can affect our results. Therefore, I encourage you to continue to use our services, and remind yourself why you originally engaged us in your recruiting efforts. Your reasons will likely match the answers to my Survey Group’s final question: “What value do we provide our clients?”

-We give our clients their jobs back! When they are not screening, scheduling, checking references, networking, and asking for referrals, they are attending to the rest of their responsibilities. Let us do the footwork!
-During the recession, Human Resource Departments were decimated. But Recruiting real talent cannot stop. View us an extension of your HR Division!
-We provide industry (or market) specialization, and a network to go with it! What may take the client months to place…we might be able to accomplish within weeks.
-Empty positions cost a company money and customer loyalty! Rather than settling for someone that you could find in a short time…use a Recruiter to produce a larger selection of qualified and interested candidates.
-If the client is uncomfortable calling desirable employees from their competitors, reach out to me! I’ll do the calling!
-If the client is at the end of his/her rope…and if they’ve looked everywhere for the perfect candidate…
I might be the solution! I might be aware of the person for which you have been combing the earth!

Sit in front of laptop. Lie on couch. Eat pickles for lunch. Back to laptop.

Feel sorry for self. Feel sick of self. Tear hair out in frustration. And … back to couch.

If this is your 9-to-5 routine, you’re probably like 14 million other Americans: unemployed. And in addition to the frustration of looking for work, you might find yourself feeling a little lonely.

Sure, you chat with friends online all day. And you may have a family or significant other who comes home in the evening. But good old fashioned, face-to-face contact with another human being before dinner? Kind of rare these days.

In running my unemployment blog, I’ve received plenty of emails from readers. And although many of them were lighthearted in nature, a number of them were quite the opposite. One of the saddest read: “You’re the first person I’ve spoken to in days.”

Unemployment can make a recluse out of even the most social of butterflies. After all, you want to spend as much time as possible looking for work. And where do you look for work? Online. And where do you go online? At home.

But spending too much time alone can be detrimental, not just to your emotional well-being, but to your job search too! Staying connected with the rest of the world is not a luxury. It’s a necessity!

Work from a coffee shop.
Find a coffee shop with WiFi in your neighborhood (even better if it’s free WiFi!). Grab your laptop and go. You may not be striking up conversations with fellow coffee shop patrons, but it’s nice to be in the presence of other human beings. It’s also nice to have a change of scenery; one that doesn’t include Oprah on mute and swag from your previous employer.

Team up with other jobseekers.
Chances are, you know others who are unemployed. Instead of each working alone in your respective homes, why not team up? Agree to meet at someone’s house, and look for jobs together. After all, misery loves company. Not only will you have others to talk to who are in the same situation, you might just find that your jobless friends make good leads. You never know who might know of a job that isn’t quite right for them, but fits you perfectly.

Go to networking events.
Whatever your industry, there are probably relevant networking or trade association events taking place locally. Not only will you keep abreast of changes in your field, you’ll get to rub elbows with living, breathing, hiring members of the work force. We all know that spending hours and hours online every day is not the most efficient way to get hired. The majority of job seekers find work through a contact. You need to get out there and network!

Get a (night) life!
Spending eight dollars on an Apple Martini may be the furthest thing from your mind right now. And rightly so. But maintaining and growing your social network (and we don’t mean Facebook) can be a valuable part of your job search. And you don’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of money (or borrow cash from friends) to go out. Especially right now, there are plenty of extended happy hours and recession specials.

Volunteer
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: You can’t spend all day, every day, looking for work. Volunteering a couple of days a week will give you something else to do, a fresh perspective and a chance to spend time with others who share your passion for a cause. And depending on the type of volunteer work you choose, it may even help keep your career on track (and your resumé strong). I know a laid-off writer who started volunteering in the communications department of a non-profit agency. She says it’s keeping her busy, helping her develop her writing skills, and preventing her from sticking her head in an oven. Not bad for a dozen or so hours a week, which would have otherwise been spent obsessively surfing the web.

By Ruchira Agrawal

The times we live in today are very different from just 10 years ago. Job security and staying in the same career for your entire life are almost a thing of the past. Most people will change careers between 5-7 times in their lifetime according to recent studies.

Why would someone want to change or reinvent their career?
1.Losing enthusiasm for the work – After you spend a number of years working in one field, you begin to feel a loss of connection with your work. This sometimes happens with high-achievers
2.Need for personal fulfillment – Your work just doesn’t feed your soul; it doesn’t bring any fulfillment or satisfaction. You may be good at it but it doesn’t align with who you are. This mostly happens around mid-life for people.
3.Personal aspirations aren’t aligned with work anymore – People grow and change and so do their desires, goals and aspirations. Ten years ago, perhaps something else was important and now your needs have changed. Work can then starts to become a barrier rather than providing fulfillment.
4.Circumstances – Perhaps the industry you were involved is stagnating or even dying. Or you have crossed a certain age and jobs are tough to come by. Circumstances such as these may also put somebody in a position where they think about reinventing their career.

Reinventing your career is really about your personal journey of self-discovery. Whatever your reason for wanting to make a change, the desire to do it must come from within. The desire to take charge of your career and life should be there as well.

Here are 6 important steps to bear in mind that will give you a head start:

An open mind – An open mind–like a blank slate with no pre-conceived notion of what you can or cannot do–serves very well as you look for a career that’s new and different. Explore your options by reading about them and talking to people, try to just absorb everything instead of judging things right away. Don’t be afraid of the “New”. This will help you expand your mindset.

What will I be when I grow up – If you had a childhood dream, something that you always wanted to do and couldn’t, this is a time to connect with it.

Passion, abilities, needs and values – Often running our lives on auto-pilot, we forget what our interests are, and this is a great time to remember them. What really grabs your interest? The best way to reinvent your career is to first discover what you really want to do and then excel in it by becoming good at it. Pay attention to everyday things and events however miniscule they may seem–your answer may be hidden there. Do people come to you for advice automatically? Are you good at organizing things neatly and effectively and love working with people? There could be things you are already doing and enjoying, but you may not have paid attention.

Don’t forget to use your intuition – Your intuition is such a versatile tool and it can be easily used in both personal and professional situations. As you are trying to look for answers, let your instincts guide you.

Applying the same discipline as your corporate job – Once you’ve identified what you would like to do, start learning so you can move into it. Don’t be afraid to take courses or get help from experts in the industry. Speak to those who have already blazed the trail before you.

Fear is not your friend – Once you’ve identified your likely choices, then it’s time to take action. This can be frightening and often makes people freeze and stay in one place. You have to identify your fears – failure, the unknown, and so forth, and realize that they are not realistic. It’s true that there is no guarantee for the future but that shouldn’t stop you from taking forward steps.

Change and reinvention should be an exciting prospect as you are looking towards your bright future.

By Dee Adams

If you’ve ever dreamed about starting your own business, you are not alone. There were almost 9 million self-employed workers in 2010, according to statistics compiled by Challenger, Gray, & Christmas. Each year, a percentage of the workforce trades in their 9-5 jobs for the entrepreneurial life, but some workers start a sideline business to supplement their salaries.

Business startup cuts across all socio-economic groups; from managers, executives, and professionals to blue collar workers. Success stories include:
•A Harvard graduate with a degree in mathematics and economics who left management consulting to pursue her passion for desserts. She started a bakery and Café, and began writing cookbooks.
•A Ph.D. in political science from University of Chicago who opened a motorcycle repair shop. He wrote a book about the value of working with one’s hands.
• A web designer and consultant fired from her job because of her personal blogging. She built a lucrative home-based empire with her mommy blog.
•A firefighter who invented better fire safety equipment for the consumer and industrial marketplace, and created a multimillion-dollar venture.

But, for many other would-be entrepreneurs finding the right startup is challenging.

Many issues may cloud the process, and certain questions asked and answered in the pre-planning stage can pinpoint conflicts and problems, and their solutions.

Here are several important questions:

Do you know how many aptitudes you possess?
Aptitudes are inborn natural talents and should not be confused with acquired skills. Each person has an average of six innate skills, some unused and some hidden.

While a percentage of the population may be able to determine their own aptitudes by self-assessment, most people are not aware of their full potential, according to writer Margaret Broadley. Over a 40 year period, Broadley documented the work of the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization specializing in the scientific research of human abilities.

What are your least favorite skills?
Create a checklist of work tasks that you dislike and have trouble executing.

What feels more comfortable, introverted or extroverted personality traits?
Make a checklist of your actual patterns of behavior in work and social interactions, not what you believe your traits are.

Note: Some people adapt their personalities in order to fit into social or working situations and may have an opposite personality from the traits that they often exhibit.

What is your motivation for choosing self-employment?
Using a single sentence, describe why you want to be your own boss.

What is your history with money?
Your money history includes your family’s relationship with financial issues, the messages you learned as a child, and your pattern of behavior and attitude toward money as an adult, which may be reflected in your current credit history.

Summarize your answer in two or three short sentences.

Socio-economic factors, like the state of the economy, the ability to borrow money, or to easily relocate have an impact on the number of people who pursue entrepreneurship each year, but many aspiring entrepreneurs ignore national economic trends in pursuit of their dreams. Those who succeed keep their risks low, and instinctively review their personal development homework beforehand.

What other issues are standing in your way?

By Natalie Grigson and Melissa Reese

“…I am not unemployed, I’m on sabbatical.”
“Hey, don’t get religious on me, okay?”

So say Ross and Joey in one of my favorite episodes of Friends. I’m not going to lie, that episode was how I actually learned what the word “sabbatical” means. It’s not that I am sheltered, uneducated, or not a dictionary-reading, word fanatic (because I am), it’s just that words like “sabbatical” weren’t used so often when that episode first aired.

This was in 1998, and oh what a difference thirteen years can make. Now it seems like everywhere I turn, someone is talking about how they are going through a “developmental retreat,” or they are “temporarily unemployed,” or, yes, “on sabbatical.” Of course these all are pretty little euphemisms for one thing: being in between jobs.

Whether you’ve recently been laid off or you’ve been “on sabbatical” for several weeks or even months, being in between jobs is nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, everyone is doing it, right? And with these eight simple time and money management tips, being in between jobs is nothing to be afraid of either. In fact, it might even be a good thing.