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Compensation is King on Main Street

August 20, 2012 in Business, HR Advice, hr fundamentals, HR principles, SHRM, unemployment by newresource | No comments

The other day after leaving the park, I noticed an extremely long line of people stretching nearly 3 city blocks. At first I thought it was a visitor’s convention and a bunch of out of towners but after further examination, I determined it was something else. I pulled over and asked one of the people in line what was going on, she said it was the line for a job fair. Here’s an image from Main Street.

Humbling

Humbling because that was a line full of people looking for entry level positions. There were no big time corporate jobs, these were hotel industry, mostly service positions. Nothing that you would consider doing because let’s face it, you’re too good for that sort of thing right?

The harsh reality, is this line of potential employees was like looking at your credit score or your weight; it’s something you don’t necessarily want to do. You’d rather not see so many people competing for so few openings. Remember when job fairs used to be fairly opened; you could walk in and walk out, talk with the companies and get a little face time. Well no more of that.

That line was the reality or IRL to what millions of us do virtually every day; look for new jobs, opportunities or clients. We identify perspective clients and source for a chance to make a better living.  That’s why we blog, speak, write, present, promote and contribute; it’s why you go in everyday, and put up with your co-workers’ mess.

Maybe all of them aren’t all that skilled or very talented. It is said that extremely gifted, well sought after talent doesn’t need a resume or to stand in lines, they are sourced, tracked and located. If that’s happened for you, well LA-DI-DA but that ain’t going down on main street.

On Main Street they stand in lines, they fill out applications, they send resumes, they swallow their pride and they do what they have to do because they know that above all other benefits, compensation is king.

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Complacency Kills

May 14, 2012 in HR Advice, hr fundamentals, SHRM, unemployment by newresource | No comments

Complacency can be a killer. Often times when we think of complacency we associate it with laziness. It’s taken on a new definition today, in our elevated sensitivity to the economy. There is a sentiment of unemployment discrimination in this country; many people feel that joblessness is a form of complacency.  I want to examine the question of complacency especially as it relates to those that are in the workforce.

My granny was a caterer; she used to tell me “Son, you work harder for yourself than for someone else.”

I’ll be honest here and admit that in the past I had allowed myself to become complacent. But guess what? I was working at the time. That’s right kids; I was at my most complacent in life when I was working in corporate America. Working was easy. It was like a pair of sweat pants; comfortable and forgiving.

I decided to stop making excuses, honestly examine myself and address my failures and make changes immediately. I was not engaged, involved, active or productive which was not fair to the company or myself.

I understand that you may not like HR and only work in the field to make ends meet. You may go to work every day but privately, you absolutely hate it and wish you were doing something more rewarding. You hate your job, and from time to time you take it for granted. You think that there is no way this company can operate without you and you feel that they are never going to replace your position, so you get comfortable with the status quo.

Never again.

If you really explore it, complacency is quite diabolical. It can cause you to be hateful, resentful and even violent. It’s a dream killer and if you allow it to consume your life without taking responsibility for your actions, you’ll never know what you are capable of.

I’ve seen people come to work in tears because they hate their jobs so much but they can’t leave, because they were trapped by bad decisions and life’s unexpected pitfalls.

Ultimately I don’t see at it as an employed versus unemployed trait; complacency occurs when you are mailing it in, lacking passion and direction in whatever you do or don’t do. No Excuses folks, stop being complacent.  To quote a line from the movie Shawshank Redemption “Get busy living or get busy dying.”

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The Resume Crusade

February 20, 2012 in HR Advice, hr fundamentals, HR principles, unemployment by newresource | 1 comment

It started as a favor. A friend asked me to help someone with a resume, so I did. She was so pleased she referred two others. Each of them referred at least one additional person. I was happy to do it; the work was not beneath me. Resume writing is a million dollar industry; there are certifications, conferences and awards presentations.

I quickly noticed a few things. The clients were extremely grateful. They were re-energized, excited and had saved some money. Some of them had paid for or were about to pay a resume service hundreds of dollars to update their resume. In my research I found that some resume writers charge anywhere from $600 to $5000. Resume writing is a valuable service.

When a person is proud and confident with their resume they can then attack the job market with zeal. The people I’ve helped are getting calls and interviews that they weren’t getting before.

One evening, I was looking over the resumes I’d created and I noticed something; all these folks had some valuable skills. They were all college educated and had valuable skills, but they all needed updated resumes. This caused me to think about two things; 1st, how many other people have outdated resumes? 2nd, the skills gap is part myth.

The majority of my friends on Facebook are not in HR.  They are not in the “know” about such human resource related things. And that’s not a knock on them, I have friends that are lawyers, firemen, analysts, policemen, teachers, managers and I wouldn’t know the first thing their jobs. Remember “People Who Suck Don’t Know They Suck” same rules apply, if you don’t know, you just don’t know.

I was starting to post updates regarding my resume services and slowly my “friends” were stepping forward. They had old resumes, with generic objectives, high school graduation dates, skills from the 90’s and template resumes formats.

I knew immediately I could help them.

Problem Analysis and Process Improvement

Resume writing allows me to analyze a situation, find the problem and improve it. I often tell people no matter how good they think their resumes are it can be improved. Like any technology device, there are ways to make it better.

Confidentiality 

I realize that it is not easy for people to step forward and ask for help with their resume. It’s personal and private like their credit score or weight. No one wants to share that information.  Here’s something else, some people are reluctant to pay for resume services. That surprises me because it’s an investment.  If you could get a chance to interview for a better job, which could earn you more money, why wouldn’t you?

Return on Investment (ROI)

Bottom line, you spend time and money on the things that are important to you. (period)

Consultancy

Resume writing is only part of my skillset and talent. Take time to read more CostofWork, you’ll find I’m kinda knowledgeable. Check out the “Performance I Create” blog where I’m a regular contributor and read my “About Me” page, I’ve worked with some great HR folks and they know talent.

The Resume Crusade continues; contact me, who doesn’t love referrals, right? You can email me at chris@costofwork.com . Let’s get you updated.  Let’s talk about your HR Consultancy Projects.  Let’s get going.

So far I have a 100% satisfaction rate.

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Tidbits & Hotness

January 20, 2012 in Business, Diversity, randomness, unemployment by newresource | No comments

It’s time for the latest edition of Tidbits & Hotness. New to CostofWork.com? Well every Friday, I bring to you some interesting things that I’ve come across with sharing with my different networks and connections. So let’s get it going, and happy weekend by the way.

It’s a big American Footabll Weekend, the New England Patriots will face the Baltimore Ravens, even if you’re not a football, this story about Chad Ochocinco and what he did to make up to a Twitter follower is really cool. Check it out.

Chad “No.85” Johnson aka Ochocinco

Ever wonder what happens to your resume when you fill out an application on line? Well check out the Infographic…Amazing stuff. (you may have to zoom in on it)

Where’s my resume

Alright is a big movie opening this weekend titled “Red Tails” it produced by George “StarWars” Lucas and it’s about the black fighter pilot unit in World War II. Lucas put up $100M to get the film made and it took 20 years for Hollywood to say yes to it. Here’s a good article on the struggle

Red Tails

Hey that’s it folks. Check other articles on CostofWork like “People Who Suck Don’t Know They Suck”, “Corporate Hoes & Tricks” and “Not a Perfect Fit.” Also I’m always looking to work on new and interesting things so contact me, chris@costofwork.com or on Twitter @new_resource.

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Changing Gears

October 17, 2011 in randomness, unemployment by newresource | No comments

It’s come to my attention that there are a lot of us jobseekers out there reading this blog. The road can be tough and naturally you tend to get a little upset. It happens to us all; working or not. So when things get hectic for me I take a moment and reevaluate the situation and focus on things I can control.

Often times we focus on the negative aspects of our life rather than the positive. But now we need to be more grateful than ever, because it could be worse.  It’s frustrating at times and that frustration boils over into other areas of our lives. Then it manifests itself through our actions; including our communication, body language, health and self-esteem.

Job identity is a big part of our lives; titles and statuses are import symbols of success.  And with so many unemployed, under employed or unhappy at work, it’s hard to maintain a positive attitude, especially if you can’t meet your financial responsibilities.

Look at the glass as half full instead of half empty. Try to be more optimistic. This is something I am working on as well. I’ve had to rewire my mentality and thinking to focus on what I can do and what I have instead of the opposite.

Check it out; I can’t change…

The hearts and minds of the haters- Unfortunately there will always be some sort of discrimination i.e. race, age, sex, orientation. If someone doesn’t want to hire me because of discrimination I can’t stop that.

Social Economic Culture-The financial and economic tough times are beyond my control. For example I live in the distribution center of the South. Cheap labor force and promises of a lower cost of living attract corporations. The majority of the labor force here is under educated and inexperienced, thus giving the job owners the justification to offer low compensation. Most of the top talent native to the area leaves for greener pastures. Relocation is always an option.

I can…

Use my education- Plus my experience and know how to help others, which will help me. Helping people with HR related business principles keeps your skills sharp. Volunteering is a great way to show value, stay sharp, and network.

Make connections – Concentrate on building a community of professionals that communicate and assist each other.

Hustle harder – Excel on current projects and develop future ones.

Use your education and experience; volunteer your time, set some goals, make a plan of action and execute them. Remove your excuses and roadblocks. Remember there are many things you can control.

 

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