Denver Staffing and Employment Blog

As if the keen and scrutinizing eye of employers poring over your resume isn’t enough, potential candidates also have to worry about an ATS. An ATS, or applicant tracking system, is “a software application that enables the electronic handling of recruitment needs.

Employers utilize an ATS when there are too many applicants and not enough time to sift through each resume.

ATS’s definitely help employers save time and energy, but they can be dangerous for your resume. You could be the best fit for a position, but if your resume doesn’t convince the ATS, the job will go to someone else.

Sean Weinberg, the COO and co-founder of RezScore, (a free Web Application that reads, analyzes and grades resumes) provides some tips on what you can do to beat the ATS with your resume:

Choose Your Words Carefully:

“Your word choice is, by far, the most important key to beating the ATS. Just like a blog, keywords matter. Pick keywords that are in-demand in your industry along with ones that you find in the job posting.”

Count it out:

“Words are great, but numbers are even better…Numbers are solid, persuasive evidence of your qualifications. There’s no disputing when you sold XX% in X months. Most employers are about the bottom line, so numbers help make that connection.”

Make it Readable:

“One monkey wrench that comes with ATS is that the first reader of your resume is a computer. Technology is moving in leaps and bounds, but even today, your resume might not be readable…Selecting a universal font like Calibri, Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman, or Helvetica can help circumvent this obstacle.”

To polish up more on the resume process visit RezScore. It will grade the quality of your resume and provide tips on how to improve it.

The workforce in North America say they want to find different jobs, according to a recent survey by RightManagement.

An online poll of more than 1,000 employees in Canada and the U.S. showed that 84 percent of respondents said they plan to look for a new position in 2012. Nine percent said they might seek a new job in 2012 and are preparing by networking. Another five percent of the respondents said they intend to stay in their current positions.

The findings, while unscientific, may indicate some employee dissatisfaction. However, it could also mean workers have more confidence in the economy to test the job market. During the recession, job mobility has been down because of economic uncertainty.

Employee restlessness could also mean more opportunities for staffing agencies.

Legal experts anticipate the lateral market to continue rebounding in 2012. 2011 also saw growth in the lateral market after some slow years due to the recession.

Law firms are expected to add more laterals in 2012 in hopes of expanding existing services. Firms seek lawyers that will bring a fresh book of business (new clients) in sectors that need developing.

A September survey from Altman Weil Inc. found 91.6 percent of law firms said they were trying to hire laterals last year. Of the 240 U.S.firms surveyed, most of them said they expected to yield high returns on the new hires.

The increase in lateral hiring is linked to a need for lawyers with established clients, not the need to fill jobs that were lost during the recession. So, while this is good news for experienced lawyers, the job market for young associates is still expected to be fiercely competitive.

Here is more information on the survey, as well as comments from legal experts on the current job market.

According to CareerBuilder’s annual job forecast survey, 23 percent of employers plan to hire full-time permanent employees in 2012.

Here are some interesting findings from the survey:

• Seven percent of employers anticipate decreasing their staffs, the same percentage as 2011, and an improvement from nine percent in 2010.
• Fifty-nine percent of the employers expect no change in staff numbers, while 11 percent are unsure.
• Compensation is getting more competitive for skilled positions.
• Sixty-two percent of employers plan on increasing compensation for their existing employee base.
• Thirty-two percent will offer higher starting salaries for new employees.
• Voluntary turnover will rise — Employers reported that the desire for higher compensation and feeling over-worked are the top two reasons employees gave for resigning in 2011.
• Employers are bridging the skills gap by training current employees.
• Employers are targeting more focusing on diversity in their recruiting efforts—29 percent said recruiting will be diversity-focused to expand their employee demographics.

Employment data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that staffing firms added 22,300 new jobs—a one percent increase—from October to November. A year-to-year comparison shows temporary help employment for November was nearly eight percent higher than last year at the same time.

 U.S. nonfarm payroll employment tacked on 120,000 jobs in October, which was driven by employment increases in the private sector. There were 50,000 new jobs in retail trade, 22,000 in leisure and hospitality and 33,000 in professional and business services.

 The overall unemployment rate is down to 8.6 percent, a 0.4 percent decrease.

 Non-seasonally adjusted BLS data, which predicts the actual number of jobs in the economy, indicated an increase in staffing jobs. Temporary help firms employed approximately 22,200 people from October to November. There were 7.3 percent more staffing employees in November compared to the same month in 2010.

Companies should know by now that they need to transition to work environments that will support a global, mobile and remote workforce.

Workforce mobility has increased dramatically over the past several years. It touches everyone directly or indirectly. Odds are you have a friend or acquaintance who works as a mobile, remote or at-home worker with little time spent in a corporate office. These work places are fueled by high speed networks and WI-Fi technology in wireless devices (think smart phones, ipads, etc…).

Employee demands for a balanced work/life ratio add to the rising number of at-home workers.

IDC, a leading IT market research firm, recently issued a report suggesting 75 percent of the United States’ work force will be mobile by the end of 2011 and this trend will continue to escalate.  IDC estimates that the increase from year to year of mobile workers spending 20 percent or more away from their desk will grow more than 15 percent annually.

This rapidly moving trend confirms that companies need to manage a smooth transition to work environments that support a global, mobile and remote workforce.

Employers are always looking for ways to attract, retain and get the most out of their workers. A lot of forward thinking employers are starting to get creative when it comes to creating appealing benefit packages.

At first glance, these ideas might seem illogical or impractical. However, some are producing desired outcomes, and generating a lot of positive and productive employees.

Here are a few practices and benefits popping up:

Standing Work Stations – Studies have shown that workers who spend extended periods sitting at a desk are at a higher risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In response, various workplaces have converted to standing work stations. These stations are designed to improve posture, lower BMI and lower cholesterol.

Standing Work Stations also might increase productivity, creativity and concentration.

The optimum work environment would be to have both a standing and sitting option for the employees.

Workplace Nap Time – Wait, so you should let employees sleep to IMPROVE productivity?!?

This claim might seem far-fetched, but a recent study in Psychology News Today found that a short nap can be beneficial to cognitive functioning, workplace productivity and overall mood. Numerous employers have implemented a workplace nap time, even designating rooms for napping. Some have gone as far as purchasing specialty napping chairs to accommodate employee needs.

Unlimited Vacation Time – This one sounds even crazier than nap time.

But the reality is many companies are experimenting with the idea and/or offering flexible vacation options. Some companies actually offer unlimited vacation time with the expectation that employees still complete their workload on time.

This generous benefit has been reported to increase productivity in the right work environment. Workers have to be engaged for it to be effective. The theory is that giving employees the control over their vacation time and workload instills trust and confidence. And employees feel more loyal and dedicated to the success of the company.

In an excellent piece in the Los Angeles Times, the authors examine how corporations increasingly demand more from employees. Often times workers are being asked to complete tasks outside the scope of their job descriptions.

“To keep profits climbing in tough times, corporations have laid off staff and piled more and more work onto the remaining employees,” the reports says.

Americans are actually putting in an average of 378 more work hours than Germans. Throughout the world, nearly everyone except Americans have a right to at least one day a week off, paid vacation and paid maternity leave.

It is certainly true that some of these corporations are just “tightening their belts” and trying to survive the economic downturn.

However, in the big picture the data demonstrates “a more insidious pattern.” The U.S. economic output swiftly bounced back after a sharp dip in 2008-09. But U.S. workers did not benefit. During the recession, far more people lost their jobs in America than anywhere else.

Increasingly, the article notes, American workers are falling prey to offloading: cutting jobs and dumping the work onto the remaining staff.

Incomes for 90 percent of U.S. workers have fallen or remained stagnant over the last three decades, while the wealthiest 0.1 percent are making 6.4 times as much as they did in 1980. And corporate profits are up 22 percent since 2007, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute.

Are corporations right to be asking more out of employees in an uncertain economy?

Or

Should they be cutting costs elsewhere since profits, in general, are up across the board?

Let us know what you think, and read the full article here.

In our most recent newsletter, we examined some resume words that are overused and out-of-date. Frankly, a lot of hiring managers are put off after reading another cliched resume.

Mark Milian, of CNNTech, says “peppering resumes with tired or empty buzzwords probably isn’t the recipe for becoming a standout job candidate.”

And he is right.

Milian takes a look at some other commonly overused words in this piece. They include:

• Innovative
• Dynamic
• Team-player
• Fast-paced
• Problem solver

So, instead of using words that will make decision makers cringe, put some extra time in and rebuff that resume. Use examples to prove that you are a team-player; don’t just say you are.

It will certainly pay off in the long run

Take a look at our last newsletter to see other commonly overused resume words.

Don’t forget to visit our facebook page!

Welcome and thanks for visiting!

This is the Rossi Staffing Blog, where we hope to educate job seekers and employers about the latest employment trends and keep them up to speed on the local market here in Colorado.

We hope to provide information detailing salary trends, employer concerns, current events and more. But most of all, we want this blog to be a resource to our clients and candidates who need questions answered.

Please check back in the coming days and weeks to see how we’re coming along.

Thanks for the support!

Peter Rossi, Client Services Manager