job hunting

The Hired Guns Poll: Where’s the Job Market Headed?

The Hired Guns on February 9, 2012

This past couple of weeks have brought some hopeful signs for the economy. Last month, the U.S. gained 243,000 jobs. The unemployment rate is now “only” 8.3% — the lowest it’s been in three years, and that doesn’t seem like a fluke — it’s the fifth straight month of decline. In fact, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s first-quarter Survey of Professional Forecasters predicts that the economy will add an average of 144,100 jobs a month in 2012.

We’ve been here before — in fact, in the first quarter of last year it seemed as if the economic wind was at our backs, but it didn’t pan out. We’re wondering whether or not you think this one’s different. It’s worth noting that the rate of “long-term unemployed” (those unemployed for over 27 weeks) did not change, and that the worse and worse economic news from Europe isn’t likely to encourage much hiring.

With all this uncertainly, we wanted to turn to you, to see what you think the job market will do in the next 6-9 months. Pull out your crystal ball…

Poll not showing up? You can take it here.

[Image: Pablo Alvarado/Flickr]

Bullet Points: “I am a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor.”

The Hired Guns on February 8, 2012

bullet points, David Ogilvy, job hunting Comment

Letters of Note reprints a key letter from advertising legend David Ogilvy. “I am terrified of producing a lousy advertisement. This causes me to throw away the first 20 attempts.”
30 Tumblrs to Remembr [Time]
8 Outdated Gadgets You Must Toss [Inc.]
Money.com rounds up 25 companies that each have at least 700 openings and talks with their recruiters to find out what qualities they want to see in candidates.
In the rigorously bro culture of today’s Silicon Valley, patterned socks are a major fashion statement. [NYT]

Twitter’s Ultra-Cheesy Recruiting Video

The Hired Guns on January 31, 2012

recruiting, Twitter Comment

They wanted to make the “best/worst recruiting video of all time.” Mission accomplished?

[via TLNT]

Bullet Points: Stop the HR Bashing!

The Hired Guns on January 20, 2012

bullet points, HR, recruiting Comment

Is it time to stop picking on Human Resources? The consultant Ron Ashkenas blames the problems on changing times — the instability that’s resulted from putting new computer systems into place, for instance, as well as the ways that HR functions have begun to overlap with management. “HR’s evolution… does not just concern changing HR. It’s also about helping managers take more accountability for people and culture, and eventually blurring the rigid distinction between ‘HR’and ‘management.’” [HBR]
Candidates hoping to be assistant football coach of the University of South Carolina should probably not be smokers or “fat, sloppy guys” if they want to get hired, advised the team’s coach, Steve Spurrier, at a press conference. [Steve Boese's HR Technology]
11 useful tips for marketing your brand on LinkedIn [The Next Web]
This year’s just-released list of the 100 best companies to work for might not be full of surprises, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still learn some things from it. [The Business of HR]
Mercer gives the infographic treatment to a survey that asked men and women how they felt about their pay, performance goals, and benefits. [HR Bartender]
BBC Radio 4′s Michael Rosen speaks with Chris Anderson about the “new wave of public-speaking events, including Ignite and TED, and asks if the culture of ‘Show & Tell’ in American classrooms produces better public speakers” than methods in Britain.

Bullet Points: HR and Recruiting

The Hired Guns on January 12, 2012

bullet points, HR, recruiters, recruitment Comment

You might be doing it wrong: 10 misconceptions about social recruiting.
–Sirona Says Blog
How do you tell the boss his fly is down?
–Barbara Pachter
Why Googling job candidates isn’t going away. A cautionary tale.
–Kris Dunn, HR Capitalist
“NOT THE PRECIOUSSSS!!!” All that amazing institutional knowledge you’ve accrued through hard experience? You should be sharing it, not hoarding it.
–HR Fishbowl

Six Mantras for a Rock-Solid Resume

Kenneth Hein on January 11, 2012

job hunting, resumes Comment

In his new series for us, Kenneth Hein will survey the best ways that job seekers can promote themselves and their brands, both with the tried and true and with newer methods. Either way, Kenneth will be drawing on the hard-won experience and knowledge he gained, first as a journalist on the marketing and advertising beat and then working as a marketer himself.

As the “writer” among my friends, I have always been on the receiving end of “Dude, what do you think of this?” From love poems to term papers (back in the day) to cover letters and resumes (today), I am the go-to guy. And, of course, my experience with resumes has only grown more after having looked at hundreds of them over the course of my career in communications.

Lately, a month hasn’t gone by without an acquaintance reaching out to me to doctor their resume. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve found myself repeating the same mantras. Whether it’s someone who works in politics, production, or public relations, there are some very basic facts about resumes that most people tend to forget. Don’t be one of the forgetful. Here are six mantras to remember:

“Job Creation” in 2012: What You Can Do

Allison Hemming on December 22, 2011

New Year's, The Hired Guns, unemployment Comment

Dearest Guns,

Here at The Hired Guns, I love ending the year with an offer letter going out to a deserving Gun — that just happened about five minutes ago.

This candidate did what seemed impossible: against all odds, she got hired in December. She did it by being extremely patient and a smart negotiator. She’s getting to go on her holiday break with a deal in hand and a great new job for January. And as her agents, we had her back.

I don’t know about you, but I find it deeply distressing that these days hardly anyone seems to have the back of the American worker. Congress was supposed to extend the payroll tax cut that would put a few extra greenbacks in our wallets and extend the number of weeks of benefits to our unemployed brethren. That didn’t happen.

Helping Friends Find Work During the Holidays

The Hired Guns on December 13, 2011

job hunting Comment

Ornate bicycle rickshaws and iPads and other fancy presents are all well and good, but for lots of people right now, what they really want is a job. Lenroy Jones of the Lexington Herald-Leader has some ideas on gifts to help job hunters stay inspired during the holidays, which can be a rough time if you’re out of work or just at the wrong place in the career.

As our own Allison Hemming puts it in the article, “even the smallest rejection or setback can knock the long- and even short-term unemployed off their game.”

Some of the ideas: gift cards for the salon or the all-important coffee shop, volunteering your time to help them fine-tune interview techniques or even helping pay for coaching to help your friends get their work life back on track.

[Photo: Gabriela Pinto/Flickr]

Job Hunting But Feel Like Sloughing Off? Use the Holidays to Your Advantage.

The Hired Guns on December 12, 2011

holidays, job hunting, resume Comment

With all the other distractions at this time of year, it can be hard to keep going strong on a job search. But the consultant Lynn Taylor has some compelling reasons why this time of year can actually benefit those gunning for a new job, especially if they’re willing to be a little clever in how they go about their hunt.

Just like that hard-to-take lull in mid-summer, the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s requires a little more patience and persistence when it comes to waiting for people to return calls, take meetings, and make decisions.

And even if you don’t end up with a new job to celebrate exactly when January 1 rolls around, this period is still a great time to revise your resume, dust off your website or Twitter account, and get some good plotting in before 2012 rolls in.

Bullet Points: White Lies, Stress Interviews, and Other Job-Hunt Dangers

The Hired Guns on November 22, 2011

bullet points, job hunting, job interviews Comment

We already covered what speakers can learn from Gov. Rick Perry’s recent flub. Brazen Careerist has more on what political debates in general can teach about successful job interviews.
Don’t be the first interview of the day and other tips on selling yourself effectively to potential employers. [USA Today]
It has to be said: a hat reading “Take this job and shove it” should never be part of your job-interview wardrobe (yes, that really happened). [Thomas.net]
Daniel Bukszpan of CNBC takes on a touchy issue: telling white lies during interviews.
Dealing with so-called “stress interviews,” during which candidates face a panel of interviewers. [Post and Courier]

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The Hired Guns Poll: Where’s the Job Market Headed?

Bullet Points: “I am a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor.”

Twitter’s Ultra-Cheesy Recruiting Video

Bullet Points: Stop the HR Bashing!

Bullet Points: HR and Recruiting

Six Mantras for a Rock-Solid Resume

“Job Creation” in 2012: What You Can Do

Helping Friends Find Work During the Holidays

Job Hunting But Feel Like Sloughing Off? Use the Holidays to Your Advantage.

Bullet Points: White Lies, Stress Interviews, and Other Job-Hunt Dangers

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