The "NEW" Job Market... NEW Grads...And I'm Still Old-School
So...it has been a little while since I have put pen to paper --- or in my case -- put furiously fast index finger to dusty keyboard.
And my --- how things have changed....
NEW JOB MARKET
We went right from a mild winter -- into what feels like summer -- and from months of rhetoric about a dismal economy/job market --- to a NYC market rich with job openings. I am puzzled by the "experts" I continue to hear on the local news who speak about how bad the economy is. Here I am --- one Recruiter --- in a big city --- working across several industry verticals --- and I currently am working on 37 active searches.
The greatest indicator of job market STRENGTH is that the demand for TALENT is not restricted to one industry or skill set. My clients in Advertising, Beauty, Entertainment, Public Relations + Fashion are all hiring --- at different levels --- in different areas of their organization.
Currently; my searches are extremely diverse and range from Entry Level Media Planners to Executive Assistants to Vice Presidents of Marketing.
Companies are once again making an investment in "core structure" and "support roles". In times of economic challenge --- positions in Administrative Support, Human Resources and Marketing -- are viewed as "Cost Centers" that do not directly relate to revenue generation...and are usually amongst the first to be downsized.
So...when a Recruiter is going to be paid a fee --- to search for an Executive Assistant --- this is surely a sign that the economy is strong...and that "exceptional" candidates are still HARD TO FIND!
The flip-side to this "new market" is the competition for TALENT. Employers have been accustomed to this being an EMPLOYER'S MARKET. They are finding out recently however; that they no longer "call the shots" -- or have the luxury of taking their time to make decisions. Why? Because "top-tier" candidates have a "shelf-life" of 4-8 weeks once they are ACTIVE in their search. In this time period -- an exceptional candidate is likely to meet with several interested "prospective employers" and IF YOU SNOOZE -- YOU LOSE! I can tell you that I have lost 6-7 candidates to offers that came more quickly from other processes they were involved with -- than my client was able move -- despite having interest.
Now -- along with this competitive market --- comes a NEW ATTITUDE... a sort of puffed up CONFIDENCE/ARROGANCE that comes with being WANTED. I have noticed a shift from the very "bohemian" -- "I am just looking for a better work-life balance... good people... new challenges" to SHOW ME THE MONEY - WHAT ELSE DO THEY OFFER? - WHAT ARE THE PERKS? WHAT ARE THEY WILLING TO GUARANTEE ME? I am not saying I blame these folks. Many of them have been in jobs where they have been working 70-80 hours/week --- without a proper salary bump --- on under-staffed teams... and they are now going to make sure they get theirs... UP FRONT.
I have even begun to hear terms that I have not heard since 2007 like: SIGN-ON BONUS + SALARY NEGOTIATION + COUNTER-OFFER
COUNTER-OFFER (DEFINITION): This is the "mystical" sum of money and/or title change you had been requesting - respectfully --- for some some time --- have worked hard to EARN --- but was not offered --- UNTIL YOU THREATENED TO LEAVE YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER! This is given be-grudgingly and will not soon be forgotten. In addition, this does not dismiss any of the other factors that may have impacted your decision to leave in the first place.
NEW GRADS
Despite being 43 --- I would like to think of myself as a cool --- fairly relevant/current guy. I have to say --- spending the past few weeks interviewing 2010/2011 grads for some entry level roles has made me feel OLD. It's not that I can't relate from a current events, technology, social media, pop-culture, music perspective --- I GOT THAT. It's my inability to connect with what appears to be a group of young people --- who are not the slightest bit MOTIVATED, ENTHUSIASTIC, REALISTIC OR PREPARED to enter the "real world". Somehow --- having "amazing SOCIAL MEDIA skills" has become -- in their minds -- the ticket to a career path. Somehow, the lack of internships related to the field they want to pursue --- just did not occur to them. Somehow... since I graduated --- college has become so stressful --- that these kids need to "just take some to time re-group, chill, travel and perpetually intern" before actively looking to begin their career. The vast majority of recent grads come into my office not dressed professionally --- without a copy of their resume --- not having done any research on the company I am presenting an opportunity to them for...and with a general LACK OF ENERGY & ENTHUSIASM. It's actually so bad --- that when I get a new grad in my office who is HIGH ENERGY... DRESSED PROFESSIONALLY - THAT HAS DONE SOME HOMEWORK ON MY CLIENT/THE JOB THEY ARE INTERVIEWING FOR... I send them immediately for an interview...because they are so rare. This lack luster attitude extends beyond when they come to see me. I see typos on resume REGULARLY (I mean c'mon - spellcheck it) --- no follow up after interviews --- typos on THANK YOU NOTES to clients after interviews...and the list goes on. I know it sounds like a rant --- but frankly --- it's frightening -- that out of MAJOR SCHOOLS --- so many young people are coming out --- SO UNPREPARED --- with such bad attitudes --- and frankly --- no sense of urgency or desire to land a job. I am counting on MAY 2012 grads to turn this around and break the cycle of APATHY. OK... now I'm done.
I'M STILL OLD-SCHOOL
Maybe it has something to do with the way I was raised? I still hold the door open for others --- give up my seat for a lady or elderly person --- address older people with a certain amount of respect/reverence --- and look to treat ALL people regardless of TITLE or RANK with the same measure of respect. This is what makes me vulnerable. I often battle my expectations --- for others to behave the way that I do. However, I know that this is unrealistic -- so I do try hard to accept that everyone is basically --- just doing the best that they can...and realize that MY WAY... is not the ONLY WAY...and may not even be the BEST WAY to do things. All I can hope is that I inspire those I interact with to treat people with the same HONESTY, INTEGRITY + DIGNITY that I show them...to inspire people to maximum effort into whatever they are pursuing... to show kindness and empathy to others... to take pride in the quality of your work... to do the RIGHT THING when nobody else is looking and because it makes YOU feel good - not just because it is the right thing to do.
"I'M A MOVEMENT BY MYSELF - BUT I'M A FORCE WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER" ---FABOLOUS
And my --- how things have changed....
NEW JOB MARKET
We went right from a mild winter -- into what feels like summer -- and from months of rhetoric about a dismal economy/job market --- to a NYC market rich with job openings. I am puzzled by the "experts" I continue to hear on the local news who speak about how bad the economy is. Here I am --- one Recruiter --- in a big city --- working across several industry verticals --- and I currently am working on 37 active searches.
The greatest indicator of job market STRENGTH is that the demand for TALENT is not restricted to one industry or skill set. My clients in Advertising, Beauty, Entertainment, Public Relations + Fashion are all hiring --- at different levels --- in different areas of their organization.
Currently; my searches are extremely diverse and range from Entry Level Media Planners to Executive Assistants to Vice Presidents of Marketing.
Companies are once again making an investment in "core structure" and "support roles". In times of economic challenge --- positions in Administrative Support, Human Resources and Marketing -- are viewed as "Cost Centers" that do not directly relate to revenue generation...and are usually amongst the first to be downsized.
So...when a Recruiter is going to be paid a fee --- to search for an Executive Assistant --- this is surely a sign that the economy is strong...and that "exceptional" candidates are still HARD TO FIND!
The flip-side to this "new market" is the competition for TALENT. Employers have been accustomed to this being an EMPLOYER'S MARKET. They are finding out recently however; that they no longer "call the shots" -- or have the luxury of taking their time to make decisions. Why? Because "top-tier" candidates have a "shelf-life" of 4-8 weeks once they are ACTIVE in their search. In this time period -- an exceptional candidate is likely to meet with several interested "prospective employers" and IF YOU SNOOZE -- YOU LOSE! I can tell you that I have lost 6-7 candidates to offers that came more quickly from other processes they were involved with -- than my client was able move -- despite having interest.
Now -- along with this competitive market --- comes a NEW ATTITUDE... a sort of puffed up CONFIDENCE/ARROGANCE that comes with being WANTED. I have noticed a shift from the very "bohemian" -- "I am just looking for a better work-life balance... good people... new challenges" to SHOW ME THE MONEY - WHAT ELSE DO THEY OFFER? - WHAT ARE THE PERKS? WHAT ARE THEY WILLING TO GUARANTEE ME? I am not saying I blame these folks. Many of them have been in jobs where they have been working 70-80 hours/week --- without a proper salary bump --- on under-staffed teams... and they are now going to make sure they get theirs... UP FRONT.
I have even begun to hear terms that I have not heard since 2007 like: SIGN-ON BONUS + SALARY NEGOTIATION + COUNTER-OFFER
COUNTER-OFFER (DEFINITION): This is the "mystical" sum of money and/or title change you had been requesting - respectfully --- for some some time --- have worked hard to EARN --- but was not offered --- UNTIL YOU THREATENED TO LEAVE YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER! This is given be-grudgingly and will not soon be forgotten. In addition, this does not dismiss any of the other factors that may have impacted your decision to leave in the first place.
NEW GRADS
Despite being 43 --- I would like to think of myself as a cool --- fairly relevant/current guy. I have to say --- spending the past few weeks interviewing 2010/2011 grads for some entry level roles has made me feel OLD. It's not that I can't relate from a current events, technology, social media, pop-culture, music perspective --- I GOT THAT. It's my inability to connect with what appears to be a group of young people --- who are not the slightest bit MOTIVATED, ENTHUSIASTIC, REALISTIC OR PREPARED to enter the "real world". Somehow --- having "amazing SOCIAL MEDIA skills" has become -- in their minds -- the ticket to a career path. Somehow, the lack of internships related to the field they want to pursue --- just did not occur to them. Somehow... since I graduated --- college has become so stressful --- that these kids need to "just take some to time re-group, chill, travel and perpetually intern" before actively looking to begin their career. The vast majority of recent grads come into my office not dressed professionally --- without a copy of their resume --- not having done any research on the company I am presenting an opportunity to them for...and with a general LACK OF ENERGY & ENTHUSIASM. It's actually so bad --- that when I get a new grad in my office who is HIGH ENERGY... DRESSED PROFESSIONALLY - THAT HAS DONE SOME HOMEWORK ON MY CLIENT/THE JOB THEY ARE INTERVIEWING FOR... I send them immediately for an interview...because they are so rare. This lack luster attitude extends beyond when they come to see me. I see typos on resume REGULARLY (I mean c'mon - spellcheck it) --- no follow up after interviews --- typos on THANK YOU NOTES to clients after interviews...and the list goes on. I know it sounds like a rant --- but frankly --- it's frightening -- that out of MAJOR SCHOOLS --- so many young people are coming out --- SO UNPREPARED --- with such bad attitudes --- and frankly --- no sense of urgency or desire to land a job. I am counting on MAY 2012 grads to turn this around and break the cycle of APATHY. OK... now I'm done.
I'M STILL OLD-SCHOOL
Maybe it has something to do with the way I was raised? I still hold the door open for others --- give up my seat for a lady or elderly person --- address older people with a certain amount of respect/reverence --- and look to treat ALL people regardless of TITLE or RANK with the same measure of respect. This is what makes me vulnerable. I often battle my expectations --- for others to behave the way that I do. However, I know that this is unrealistic -- so I do try hard to accept that everyone is basically --- just doing the best that they can...and realize that MY WAY... is not the ONLY WAY...and may not even be the BEST WAY to do things. All I can hope is that I inspire those I interact with to treat people with the same HONESTY, INTEGRITY + DIGNITY that I show them...to inspire people to maximum effort into whatever they are pursuing... to show kindness and empathy to others... to take pride in the quality of your work... to do the RIGHT THING when nobody else is looking and because it makes YOU feel good - not just because it is the right thing to do.
"I'M A MOVEMENT BY MYSELF - BUT I'M A FORCE WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER" ---FABOLOUS
