Connecting the Right People with the Right Careers
It never ceases to amaze me at how much I can learn from conversation with others. Think of all the times you saved yourself a trip or hours of misdirected research just by talking to someone who was able to give you the right answer for your situation or challenge.
If you happen to be looking for a career in your community or searching for the right person for your business, try talking to the right people first. Just like a real estate agent can tell you where the best homes are based on your preferences, a top notch employment recruiter can help to connect people with the positions and companies that match their professional and personal goals.
As a former recruiter for one of America’s top employment recruitment firms, I can tell you that working with a recruiter can save you a lot of the frustration associated with a career search.
Remember most career positions are not publicly posted.
Important facts for job searchers and small business owners:
- The workplace is aging
- Skilled baby boomers are retiring
- To succeed employers need experienced and knowledgeable workers and they don’t have the time for long searches
- Employment recruiters are not just for CEO positions – they are ideal for workers with experience and the skills that reflect today’s high tech environment. For example: If you have social networking experience, knowledge and ideas there are many firms interested in what you may have to say and offer…
Don’t do your employment or candidate search alone – contact a reputable recruiter. There is no cost to you if you are a candidate.
For employers, the nominal fee you are required to pay may end up being one of your best investments. Professional recruiters provide current and informed advice – just like any other trained adviser. Can you really afford the risk of hiring the wrong person? Reputable firms also offer exceptional guarantees so if the match doesn’t work you have choices from getting your money back to looking at other candidates.
Following is a brief list of some of top employment recruiters and also employment agencies in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.:
www.adecco.com – with over 7,000 offices Adecco has an extensive network placing people in all kinds of jobs from warehouse positions to marketing to high finance.
www.agencycentral.co.uk – for those of you interested in working the UK.
www.bernhart.com – senior level positions in direct marketing employment.
www.marketingtalentnetwork.com – this firm (The Cambridge Group) is based in Kansas and specializes in finding candidates for consumer product companies and small entrepreneurial firms. If you’re a small business in need of employees look here…
www.heidrick.com – Heidrick & Struggles (Worldwide) is one of the leading search firms in the world. They specialize in top management positions in advertising, communications, consumer goods and media and entertainment.
www.mrinetwork.com – Management Recruiters International is one of the largest recruitment firms in the world covering everything from contract office staffing to top management positions. I worked here as a recruiter at the beginning of my career. They are located in almost every major city and region of the United States.
Train Initiative Can Help Struggling Communities and the Environment
I just read a blog written by real estate professional Carole Cohen about a lobbying effort to bring high speed rail to her state. I mention her profession because often some of the best cheerleaders for strong and sustainable community life are real estate agents.
Financial incentives aside, sometimes real estate agents are the most informed community advocates and when they use their marketing skills to help promote and protect the best that a community has to offer it can be beautiful! Tip: work with those kinds of agents and invite them on your PTA and fundraising committees.
Anyhow, what got my attention was a new railway initiative highlighted on her site. I lived as a student and later as a mother in two Midwestern states – Ohio and Michigan. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to travel throughout and between those states both as a struggling college student and later as a new mom.
Without a railway system with schedules that are regular and that allow you to arrive at your destination at times other than 3 o’clock in the morning, you are stuck paying outrageous sums for airline flights that have 2 connections or choosing the environmentally unfriendly alternative of driving over state thruways.
Not to mention you end up turning off potential new residents to your state who are skilled and educated and that’s not good for many small and struggling communities.
Well now it appears Amtrak is looking at proposals from a few states. Ohio’s proposed 3′C high speed rail corridor plan (Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati) would serve among some of the most populous cities in the country currently without a high speed rail system.
I couldn’t believe it. One of the countries largest universities, Ohio State University, is in Columbus–a city which also happens to be the state’s largest and growing.
Now that I have a daughter potentially attending college next year in this region I’m really concerned about his initiative.
What better way to help struggling cities and small towns throughout Ohio and other states than to install clean, energy efficient high speed trains. Think of all the cars we can take off the road if business people and families start taking comfortable high speed trains to cities and small towns within their state or out of state.
Where I live and work we often meet with individuals who are hundreds of miles away but are able to come in to our city on the morning train for a 10:00 a.m. meeting and be home that night before 9:00 p.m. Our high speed trains provide an affordable, clean choice that enhances business life here and helps support our regional communities and towns.
Look at the Railroad News Blog widget on my sidebar for more information and support high speed rail initiatives where you live. It’s what our environment needs and will help to make our communities more sustainable.
TV’s “Real Housewives of…” – Not Real AND Boring
Apparently “Real Housewives of New York City” is a new reality series about the luxe and fabulous lifestyles of some wealthy New York city women who happen to be married. I must have been on Mars recently because this show follows some other popular show I’ve never heard of called Real Housewives of Orange County.
Snooze.
I’m not alone in my opinion which I guess is no surprise and that got me thinking. Life is just too full of its own twists and turns to make watching this stuff bearable. No sooner do I put on one of these reality shows or even some of the better dramas these days and my eye lids drop…almost immediately.
I haven’t always been this way…I use to watch mindless drool like Dynasty and Falcon Crest (dating myself).
I think now that I have teens, a career that keeps me hopping, great long-time friends (offline and online), a wonderful communitiy life and of course that fellow I married 20 years ago, I just don’t have the time or interest to watch TV these days. Life is just too full. I’m not saying my life is a fantasy land–just that it is full…full of excitement, successes, failures, anxiety, sadness, joy…and I as I get older, peaceful moments that I really relish.
To my friends that pop in from time to time (Elizabeth T., Angela, Michele, Sandra B., Annette, Lynette, Aurelia, Alyssa, Tiffany, Chele, Kelly, Latara, Alice, Darina, Treece, Vera, Nell, Marie, Cara, Carrie AND Kristine) - I think you guys are far more interesting then any fur clad, script-operated housewife of New York.
Great List for Entrepreneurs and Job Seekers
It’s getting very difficult to keep track of all the great biz/career websites I refer to on a regular basis. I don’t think I’m alone so I thought I’d do a quick and handy business/career reference list today. It is by no means inclusive but it is a great start.
A few sites of interest to those starting or managing their own business:
www.myownbusiness.org - this site provides great free services like business templates for business plans, letters, start up kit information and even a free internet business course. The U.S. Small Business Administration uses the online course as a resource for small business owners.
www.mommasterminds.com – a great online based organization for networking with other women who have started businesses or in the process of doing so. I’m a member of this group and I can tell you it is one of the best internet based networking/business resources anywhere. Not only is there a very active forum used by serious and knowledgeable business owners but the learning resource center is phenomenal. NOTE: there is a fee associated with joining this group but the 7-day free trial offer helps you to get a better understanding of the value of this membership.
www.iamawahm.com – Are you a mom in Ireland or the UK? Then you likely already know about this site. If not you’ll want to visit soon as it’s a great site for work at home moms in the UK or anywhere!
www.internetbasedmoms.com- another great online resource geared to women looking for not only networking but great educational resources too. This resource is free!
www.assistu.com- an online educational service for individuals who want to develp the skills needed to be a virtual assistant (independent “virtual” contractor who uses the internet to provide administrative and other related services to businesses).
www.thevacoach.com - another educational service for individuals who want to learn how to become a virtual assistant in a more one-to-one type environment. The “VA Coach” is Erin Blaskie–an up and coming young and successful entrepreneur. I spoke to her a few months back and discussed her services with a few others – consensus is she’s done the work and she’s visionary! That’s a good start. According to Erin’s sales page she’s the person to contact if you “Would like to learn How to Create a Six-Figure Virtual Assistance Business.” If you succeed at earning a six-figure income give me a call!
For those women who want to network to build their business or find their next new job/career:
www.needlestackjobs.com – NeedleStack Jobs is a job board for professional, flexible jobs. Perfect for working parents or baby boomers striving for their ideal work/life balance.
www.workitmom.com – Work It, Mom! describes their group as “an online networking community for professional women, features career advice from top leaders, skill-building tips, and access to Power Contacts and other resources.”
www.iabc.com - The International Association of Business Communicators is a professional network of more than 14,000 business communication profesionals in over 70 countries. They have one of the best job boards anywhere. I’ve got to toot my own horn here to say that I received an IABC Vision award for best internal communications (membership magazine).
www.diversityworking.com – This group provides a link between corporate America and professional job seekers from the African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Women, Gay and Lesbian, Veteran, and Disabled Communities.
www.aswa.org – The American Society of Women Accountants was formed in 1938 to increase the opportunities for women in all fields of accounting and finance.
www.bpwusa.org – Business and Professional Women/USA is a multi-generational membership organization for working women that provides career advancement resources, work-life strategies and personal and professional connections.
In Business or Career Community is Key
So many of us are trying to build a business or career right in the communities where we live. We want to enjoy our homes and neighborhoods and we want to be close to our kids while they’re at school. So…to kill the commute or abolish daycare we try to find jobs near home or start our own businesses close to home.
Part of the strategy to reaching those goals ought to include your community. Look to both your online and offline communities as resources. Where you spend a bulk of your time can be both enjoyable and productive – if you choose it to be. A conversation or chance meeting can literally turn into a contract, sale or job opportunity.
And it’s not about exploitation it’s about choosing to make our communities livable and sustainable. When you succeed your community succeeds because you invest in where you live…for the long term.
Take note of your neighbors and the people you see in your towns, at meetings and in stores. Pay attention to those who post and contribute to your online social and professional groups. It’s actually fun getting to know people of like mind and interests who might also benefit your business and be able to lend a hand in connecting you to your next career!
My current Mary Kay representative got me as a client as we were searching through the vegetables at our local supermarket. She spoke out in a friendly way about some food item in the store and that caught my attention. I followed her voice and we struck up a conversation.
Five minutes later I had her card and now 5 years later I’m a loyal client.
The same applies for those looking to change careers. Your daughter’s soccer team might be the best place for you to start marketing your job skills and availability. I’m not suggesting you harass a fellow soccer mom about a job rather I’m suggesting you not discount or take others too lightly just because you don’t know them. Just getting to know other people in your environment is a way of making your abilities and interests known on a wider scale – without undue and unnatural effort!
That soccer mom sitting on the lawn chair next to you might own a business down the street and might be interested in hiring someone like you!
That’s one of the great things about living in “active” community with others. By active I mean getting involved in activities that are focused on your community. Whether it be a local environmental initiative, a new urbanism planning meeting, school board issue meeting, spring festival gathering, youth group initiatives, community theater or an online web chat. Those kinds of events attract positive, action oriented people who might be the best resource for you as you seek out that next contract, client or even new job!
Living in conscious community with other people can be a gift…if we choose it to be.
Are You an Override Mom?
What’s an override Mom? According to Boston Globe writer, Erica Noonan they are “politically powerful suburban women who lobby for property tax increases to pay for teachers, new schools, and better classroom gear for their school-aged children.”
Well no one WANTS to pay more in taxes, but as moms and citizens who WANT services and resources that make for better living and better citizens, I don’t have much problem with these override moms.
In some states like Massachusetts there appears to be a real need for these soccer mom advocates. In 1981, that state apparently passed legislation that prohibits towns from raising property taxes more than 2.5 percent per year without voter approval.
I can imagine the frustrations some families with school aged kids experience in that state if they happen to have a school in need but a city majority that is, let’s say “older” or disengaged from education issues. It would be highly unlikely that they’d win a referendum and the schools, or perhaps even other necessary municipal services would suffer. Sounds like the situation in many struggling urban centers. It’s odd to read about suburban communities being affected that way as well.
In today’s stalled-out economy – with municiipal budget cuts and shrinking state aid – these mothers are leveraging their social connections, technical savvy, and professional skills to help bail out town budgets. They have protest placards mingling with sports gear in the back of their station wagons. Many work full-time jobs, then rush home to e-mail, organize, and raise money – sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars – in an effort to keep local schools ranked high on the MCAS.”
More power to them. If you want to read the full Globe article click here.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is this Saturday, March 8. The background on the origin of this day was actually news to me. IWD in fact honors an important event in American History.
Our industrial roots are pretty magnificent in some respects and sad in others. Turn of the century industrialists helped to make the American economy the largest and most successful in the world, but at a cost. Many workplaces were far from equitable and far from safe – especially for women.
International Women’s Day was established in honor of the 15,000 women who in 1908 marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and workers’ rights.
This year marks the 100th Anniversary of that march. You can find out more about events being held in the USA, Canada and other countries by visiting the website.
Thinking About a Career or Job Change?
For several years now career counselors have proclaimed the end of the notion of a job for life (or at least until retirement). This of course isn’t news. But what many aren’t so sure of is how and when they should start upgrading their skills and looking elsewhere for self employment or another competitive career position.
That’s really a question only you can answer after doing some research and inventory. Research your career and those positions that interest you and do some inventory on your skills and what you need to take that next fresh step in your career.
As urban/suburban women we tend to have a lot of choice in that regard which is yet another reason to appreciate and nurture the new urban lifestyle.
Local universities, colleges and private institutions often offer an array of continuing education options to help you brush up on those skills you want to improve or develop. Even if your community isn’t one with much in terms of local colleges, universities, etc., most of these kinds of schools offer long distance learning opportunities online. Spend some time at your local library to find out which higher learning institutions are close to you or offer some long distance learning opportunities that would suit your schedule.
Even if you’re quite satisfied in your career or job, it never hurts to see what competing firms are offering in terms of job flexibility and compensation. ALWAYS glance at the career section in your newspaper and let people know what are your career interests and strengths. Trust me…you never know who’s looking for someone with your abilities and experience.
If you’re feeling like now is the time to branch out on your own as an entrepreneur or an outside contractor for a firm, remember to visit your local chamber of commerce. Talk to them about upcoming networking opportunities and what is available for non-members. When you’re ready then you can look into joining.
Another great resource for career inspiration and job search leads are professional associations. Contact the professional association representing people in your field to find out more (for contact info trying searching for your groups using Google). There are all sorts of trade groups covering a wide range of professions. Here’ s a sampling of the kinds of professions with groups that provide continuing education, certification, job boards, networking, etc:
- Public Relations Managers
- Marketing Professionals
- Market Researchers
- Engineers
- Nurses
- Home builders
- Hospitality Professionals (caterers, hotel sales)
- Meeting Planners
- Apartment managers
- Insurance professionals
- Advertising Sales Representatives
- Real Estate Agents
- Internet Marketers
- Writers
- Film directors
- Film Industry Technicians
- Graphic Designers
- Administrative Assistants
- And hundreds more…
At the very minimum look at this research as a kind of career spring cleaning – throw out old mind sets about work and career and keep a fresh and open perspective about your job, who you’re working for and where you might like to work in the future.
Keeping it Together with the Signs of Spring
To all my northern friends: Are you going a little stir crazy from all the snow that’s getting dumped on us this year? Sure when I was 10 I would have had a ball with the amount of snow we’ve had already. But my patience is wearing thin and I’ve done all the forced winter activities that I can stomach this year.
I’m ready for SPRING!
Just this morning my husband and I had a great talk about all the things we’re going to do with the back yard this year. One of the things I want is a really comfortable patio set. No more cheap-0 sets… I want to be able to work outside in comfort and entertain guests there more often than not – especially when the family room is overrun with my messy teenagers.
The one good thing I can say about winter is that it makes us so unbelievably thankful for our spring and summer seasons. It’s like all is right with the world when those first spring buds start to open up.
It’s probably nature’s way of trying to keep up sane. Push us to the brink with never ending snow, gray skies and more snow, with some freezing rain thrown in for good measure. Then just when we’re about ready for the straight jacket…tease us with some sunny blue skies and warmer breezes…
Even now, just a few steps behind me, my big, burly husband is about to break into tears of joy because he’s just spotted a beautiful red cardinal feeding from the bird feeder out back. Note to self: take husband out for a drink tonight.
Not quite straight jacket time yet…but spring better get here soon!
I’m Also Here…
