So, You've Had Enough!

Making A Job Change

You've come to the end of your rope.  You've taken all you can from your manic Manager.  You're tired of picking up the slack from lazy co-workers.  You're commute is getting so bad that you barely see your kids any more.  You strongly believe that you're overworked and underpaid.

Whatever has lead you to this point, you feel it's time for a change.  Let's take a closer look at making a job change.

Where To Start

A good place to start making a job change is to ask yourself if this is really what you want.  Am I just have a bad day?  Am I in line for a promotion that may take me to another unit or relieve me of my boredom?  Am I really ready to take on a new environment, new clients and co-workers?

If you still feel "trapped", start preparing your resume.  You're going to need it.

A Good Resume

Your resume, in most cases, is your calling card.  It should give the reader information about you, but not too much.  It should include all of your basic information and achievements.  Most functions are routine so think about some aspects of your job that were either above the call or outside of the norm.  These will help you to stand out among the many other candidates most Managers recieve.

Make absolutely sure that there are not any typographical or composition errors on your resume.  This is the quickest way for your information to end up in the "B" pile.

If you can, target your resume towards the particular job you are submitting it for.  This will help your reader visualize just how good a fit you might be.

Here at WORK FORCE, we edit every resume before we submit it to a client.  We do this for a number of reasons, most of which are listed above.  Moreover, we have distilled a resume format over time that has proven to be very successful in getting our candidates recognized and interviewed.  Take the time to do it right!  You won't get another chance.

Call A Good Recruiter

This may sound like we're "tooting our own horn" but a good recruiter can take a lot of the "leg work" out of your job search.  It's their job to know where the openings exist and who the real decision makers are.  They can really compress the time between your research and getting noticed.

A good recruiter will do more listening than talking.  If they don't know why you want to leave your present position and what will make you happy in a new one, how could they possibly represent you appropriately.  Don't shy away from being open and honest.  After all, you don't want to "jump from the frying pan into the fire".

Don't let your resume be "wallpapered" all over your marketplace.  There are some "headhunters" who will fax or email your resume to all of their clients in your area.  It virtually puts a lock on you because they submitted you first.  It also suggests to everyone, and quite possibly your boss, that you are desparate and willing to consider anything that comes along.  Don't let anyone submit your resume anywhere without first obtaining your permission.

Talk With Friends

Just like anything else, a lot of the good jobs travel by word-of-mouth.  Speak with people you may know in the industry.  Quite often, their company has a Referral Bonus Program where they would be compensated in some fashion for bringing you on board.  You will also get an "insider's view" of the company, good, bad or indifferent.

Be careful, however, when the word gets out that you're looking to make a change.  The last thing you want is for someone within your own company to find out.  It takes time to find the right, new job and you may compromise that timeframe if a "leak" should occur.

And Last But Not Least

Keep an open mind!  If an opportunity appears pretty close to being right for you, check it out.  An interview is a two way street.  It not only gives a propspective employer the chance to meet and see who you are but it gives you the chance to see their environment, meet and speak with some of their existing employees.  You'll see what the commute is like and you'll probably get the opportunity to meet your direct supervisor.  The more you know, the better decision you will make.

Check back often as we post new articles, stories and news of interest.  And every so often, you'll discover some real life "horror stories" that we're oh so fond of telling!

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Interpreting SB 899

The Government's Opinion

To ensure quality care for injured workers, SB 899 allows workers to obtain immediate medical attention from a pre-selected pool of qualified doctors. Workers will be treated according to nationally recognized and objective medical standards. Furthermore, benefits will be structured according to American Medical Association guidelines, ensuring injured workers receive the compensation they need and deserve.

The Skeptic's Opinion

SB 899 is filled with ambiguities that no doubt please lawyers for whom “ambiguity” means a gold vein of lawsuits. Experts predict major suits over key provisions starting in about a year--just when big reductions in premiums should be kicking in. And rather than simplify far-too-complex rules and slash red tape that fuels the high costs, SB 899 complicates things. This deeply complex law clearly is biased against small proprietors, who can’t employ experts and could be laid bare to fat cash liabilities they won’t see coming. Moreover, SB 899 offers new loopholes for so-called applicants’ attorneys--trial lawyers who jack up awards for workplace disabilities and who have helped ensure that California’s workers’-comp costs are double those of the next-most-expensive state, Florida.

My Opinion

SB 899 is an attempt to reel in the extraordinary costs associated with providing for worker's safety within the State of California.  As with all legislation that aims at sweeping reforms, adjustments will need to be made down the road.  As these reforms "settle in", it will become obvious where the loopholes are and how the should effectively be plugged.  The true validity of the new laws will be judged by how quickly and directly this will be managed.

It's a start.  Certainly the race is still being run.  Will the participants demonstrate the stamina to win?  I would settle for at least a respectable finish.

How To Negotiate Compensation

I wish I had a nickel for every time someone has "shot themselves in the foot" during salary negotiations for a new job.  I'd be sipping Pina Coladas underneath a palm tree on some exotic isle.

Leaving money on the table is the most common mistake potential employees make when confronted with the question, "How much are you looking to make?"  Every good interviewer will ask.  Many candidates dread having to answer.

So, let's take the stigma out of compensation negotiations!

First, you obviously know what you currently make.  Normally, a change in employment comes with a bump in salary.  You've toiled for a while and have received the gratuitous 3% to 5% annual raises.  Expect more when taking a new position!  This will put you in a position of strength when that fateful moment arrives.

Secondly, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!  Find out what other people with your skills and experience are making in your industry and locale.  There is plenty of information available from compensation web sites to people you know within your industry with similar time in.  Also, if you're working with a recruiter, ask them.  They will at least be able to give you a range for what the position is paying.

Third, believe in yourself!  You bring value to the table.  If you've gotten to the point where money enters the interview conversation, you've arrived at the juncture where managers and/or supervisors are interested in you enough to ask.

Fourth, and most important, DON"T JUST BLURT OUT A NUMBER!  The gun is loaded.  It's pointed at your foot but it's still your choice whether to pull the trigger.  When asked, "What are you looking for in terms of compensation?", take a deep breath and say, "I'm here today because I'm very interested in your company and the position you have to offer.  I will gladly entertain your best offer."

Now, the shoe is on the other foot.  Respectfully, you have deflected the question, you haven't left money on the table by undercutting yourself and you have left the door open to having the interviewer determine what you're worth.

It could be that they still "low ball" you in which case you'll have to decide whether or not this opportunity is worth it.  But in most instances, they'll come back with a number that is in line with your expectations.

Keep in mind that most good recruiters will help you negotiate.  The higher the compensation figure you receive, the larger their fee.  It's in their best interest to get you as much as they can.

So, stay strong, stay informed and utilize the information and resources around you in order to keep that gun from firing.  Your feet will thank you for it!

Come back to this page periodically for more stories about Life In The Jobs Lane.  You'll always read some good stories and also some "horror stories", as we are all fond of telling.

How To Work As A Recruiter

There are some people who believe that professional recruiters have the easiest job in the world.  These "Headhunters" just make a few telephone calls and then sit back and watch the money pour in.

Well, take it from me, nothing could be farther from the truth!  The following is a typical day in the life of a recruiter.

We rise at 6:00 AM, not because we want to but because we haven't slept all night, worrying about whether "John" received the email or "Mary" is still interested in the opportunity you presented to her.

We immediately check our email because there may be someone who stayed up later than you or got up earlier.  Who knows!  There could be a client who received your email from yesterday about a wonderful candidate that wants to work only for them.  It's the prospect of a new day.

Strong coffee is poured down your gullet as you scan for something good.  You discover that if you wanted to cure a sexual dysfunction or make money on EBay, you'd be in business.  But after numerous deletions, you find that once again, you'll have to work for your results.

OK!  Life is still good!  You're awake and alive, you're phone is working (this you know because you checked for a dial tone) and you're ready once again to set the world on fire.

8:00 AM rolls around and you're ready to make some calls.  Let's try "Kathy" who you thought may have been avoiding you yesterday but today is a clean slate.  "Kathy's" voicemail says the same thing as yesterday.  "Hi, this is Kathy.  Today is Wednesday, April 14th and I am in the office today BUT currently away from my desk or on another line.  Please leave a detailed message and I WILL BE SURE TO RETURN YOUR CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE".  "As soon as possible?"  You have renewed hope.

After your twentieth call, and your twentieth renewed hope, you're ready for a touch more coffee.  By this time, you're eating it with a spoon because that 6:00 AM pot has been smoldering on the warmer for about four hours by now.

OK!  It's time to shoot out a little email campaign.  The one that tells your clients how for the next thirty days, you will be dropping your fees to the bare minimum so they will trust you with some orders.  After you reconcile all the "Undeliverable" messages, you come to the realization that none of your contacts are staying in the same place for longer than six months.  So, you get on the phone and call their former companies to see if you can find out where in the heck they went!

It's noon by now and you're still in "good shape".  You still have a half-day to make something happen.  An email arrives letting you know that the terrific candidate you had lined up for a full-time position interview has taken a contract position and will be unable to make your previously scheduled meeting.

And what went into scheduling this meeting in the first place?  I'm glad you asked.  You received the initial request from the client.  You begged them for some of the particulars of the position.  You scoured your database for appropriate candidates.  You made the introductory calls.  You found someone who is qualified AND interested. 

You asked for permission to submit their resume.  You edited their resume because it was virtually written in crayon.  You compiled a brief bio to submit to your client along with the resume.  You convinced your client that this person was the second coming.  They gave you some dates and times for an initial meeting.  You run the dates by your candidate but it turns out that they're dog has worms and they have to take them to the vet on those days.

You call back the client to ask for additional days and times.  Finally, you arrive at some common ground.  You prep your candidate with all the pertinent details such as confirmation of the date and time, the contact information, the driving directions, the dress code, the employment application etiquette, and on and on.

You've done it!  The client AND the candidate are finally on the same page.  You have structured the initial stage of a typical placement.

I probably don't have to tell you how many ways this can "come off the tracks" from here.  Use your imagination.  After all, we're human and the most valuable asset to any company.  At the same time we're volatile, subject to the "push and pull" that our lives present.

Please don't get me wrong.  The value in what we do is to finally make that match and set someone in motion to do bigger and better things.  Recruiters become responsible for a very significant aspect of people's lives . . . their financial livelihood.  That certainly gets me up in the morning, whether I've slept or not!

The job is certainly not easy but the reward is immense.  Good recruiters are dedicated to the outcome and realize that the money will come as a result.  "The Middle" is always a tough place to exist.

So, the next time you have the opportunity to work with a recruiter, show them the respect that they deserve.  You never know!  They may just set you up with the job of a lifetime!

Come back to this page periodically for more stories about Life In The Jobs Lane.  You'll always read some good stories and also some "horror stories", as we are all fond of telling.

May The Work Force Be With You!

Your comments and questions are ALWAYS welcome.

rick@yourworkforce.com

415-261-1633