Face to
Face
With Fred Coon
March 30, 2004 -
New Jobs
Recently, I read an article by
Jeffrey McCracken on the AZ Central Web Site. This was copied
from an article he penned for the
Knight Ridder Newspapers. I would like to quote extensively
from his article since the material really affects job seekers; then I have added my closing
thoughts.
Mr. McCracken said, "a national study says the new jobs being created pay 21 percent less than
the jobs they replace. …..more people are working part time involuntarily because they want
a full-time job but can't find one. Part time means working 34 hours or fewer a week."
"In December, 4.79 million involuntarily worked part time, compared with 3.25 million in December
2000, federal labor statistics show. That's the most since June 1994. Economists say these
numbers reflect a U.S. economy that is changing, shifting from a manufacturing economy where
people make cars or furniture to a so-called service economy with more people working in health
care or hospitality jobs."
"Some jobs are being created in education, health care services or hospitality, but they pay
less, have poor benefits, and they certainly don't pay pensions like the old jobs did," said Jeff
Chapman, economic analyst with the Economic Policy Institute. The new jobs pay about $35,410 a
year, compared with $44,570 at the old jobs."
The transition is painful for workers whose jobs are lost and who don't have skills for the new
ones. Many unemployed workers, realizing that new jobs pay less, have lowered their expectations.
Even then, jobs aren't plentiful."
To me, this points out, even more, the critical need to target the right companies in a job
search. Additionally, it keys us to become better at eliminating the competition when we
interview. What good does it do to get to the interview and then blow it?
Recently, I have also noticed that we in the recruiting field are faced with companies who are
becoming much more specific in their job description demands for specific criteria. It now seems
that only those criteria are looked at or accepted when we present candidates.
In the past, we could smooth over some of the rough edges and missing credentials because of the
shortage of good candidates. Now, this has reversed. To add insult to injury, some clients must
now accept lower incomes because of the fierce competition for the limited number of positions.
This number of limited positions has been caused by two combined events, improved productivity in
our workplace and contracting to offshore vendors and suppliers.
Fortunately, our FEC clients have not had to face this issue because of the interviewing and
coaching methods we teach them to employ in their interviews. I am happy to report our clients
have achieved significant financial increases across the board.
About the Author:
Fred Coon
Why Shouldn't We Hire You?
Effective Personal Marketing