What if you could select and retain “Front Line” / Hourly staff who would grow your employee and customer base?  Now you can with Predictive Profiles and iSelect.

iSelect is an online (SaaS based) candidate application and screening system to help your franchise, multi unit operation better source, recruit and retain employees. This web‐based screening tool sources top candidates, tracks and manages candidate applications, provides hiring recommendations, and streamlines the process of hiring top candidates.

Predictive Profiles will also provide an ROI analysis using annual turnover ratios that shows how you are saving on you’re your hiring costs and Predictive Profiles will also provide annual validation reports to prove our performance.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions, discuss how easily iSelect can be deployed as well as provide case scenarios.

Jeff Schonberg

jjs@predictiveprofiles.com

215.283.9799 x385

Prepare:

Think of resignation as you would a job interview. Put time and thought into it. Prepare what you are going to say, in what order, and to whom. You can do serious damage to working relationships if you tell the wrong people first (even in confidence) and somebody influential finds out second hand.

Be honest:

Don’t withhold the truth from your employers and colleagues. Tell them up front that you are leaving.

Be succinct:

Whether telling your boss in person or in writing, get straight to the point. Explain why you are leaving, but try to avoid expressing negative feelings.

Be flexible:

If you can, negotiate a finishing date that suits your employer as well as you. Cooperate fully in handing over the files, documents, projects and clients you are working with prior to leaving.

Be realistic:

If your resignation is coming “out of the blue,” expect a reaction from your employer. Allow time for the reaction to your news. If your manager becomes aggressive, confrontational or upset, don’t respond with similar behavior. Revert to your prepared comments.

Be diplomatic:

If you think it is important to express your negative experiences, do it face to face. Don’t do it in writing. Again, use your prepared comments rather than doing this off the cuff.

Be appreciative:

Thank your employers for past training and other opportunities. Thank your colleagues for what you have learned from them. Accentuate the positives – find something good to say.

Follow up in writing:

Always send a letter of resignation to confirm – in writing – when you are leaving the organization.

Don’t burn your bridges:

You might need to rely on your previous employer for references, advice or even a job! You also never know where people from your current place of work may end up in five or ten years’ time.

Look after number one:

Make sure you know what you are entitled to when you leave, such as unused vacation or sick time. Get someone senior in the company to give you a reference.

Keep in touch:

Be proactive about keeping in touch with the valuable contacts and friends you have developed in this role.

Dealing with a counter-offer:

If you receive a counter-offer, take time to consider it. Has anything really changed? Is this what you really want? Think about the reasons you decided to take the new position in the first place. Given that you have already resigned, will it be easy for you to continue working in the same company? If you are seriously considering accepting the counter-offer, think about the impact it may have on your relationship with your new employers – you may deal with them again in the future.

During tough economic times, it might be uncomfortable to ask your employer for a raise, but if it’s well deserved, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask. 

Knowing how to approach your boss and successfully present your case is essential to scoring a pay raise you’re hoping for.

 It’s all about the preparation, experts say. 

“Take stock of what you’re providing and being able to create a vision to the leadership,” says Jim Camp, CEO and founder of Camp Negotiation Systems and author of two negotiation books. 

Here are four expert tips for a raise:  

1. Plan Ahead 

Frances Cole Jones, president of Cole Media Management and author of How to Wow, recommends arranging a review with your boss 90 days prior to negotiating a raise.

“At no point in this review do you need to mention a raise,” Jones says. “It’s about you working toward being your best self. This shows your boss your willingness to be responsible for your career and gives you room for improvement.”

2. Evaluate your Productivity 

Evaluate your contributions at work and ready a list to present to your boss, suggests career coach Dr. Adele Scheele. 

You can’t expect the system to promote you and this list will show why you deserve a bigger paycheck. 

“You have to ask yourself questions regarding history and future at the company,” Camp says. “Have you met the requirements of the positions and then gone above and beyond expectations? Can you continue to grow in this environment?” 

3. Make YOUR Case 

Set up an appointment with your boss to discuss your performance and future at the company; don’t just walk into his or her office. 

Plan your presentation, anticipate questions and come up with thorough answers. You want to be prepared, yet conversational during the review. 

“Look at the current salaries and revenue at the company,” Scheele suggests. “Outline your case for the leadership in your office and list your accomplishments, total revenue you brought in, deals you closed, etc. Ask for more than you are hoping for to make room for negotiations and create a list of additional duties in return for the raise. ” 

Jones says employees’ needs to be armed with specifics on any claims and accomplishments listed during the meeting. 

“Throughout, it is critical to keep the conversation factual, not feelings-based,” Jones says. “A comment comparing someone else’s pay raise or personal situation in comparison to yours undermines your professionalism.” 

4. Remain Cool…Even When Things Get Heated 

Jones said before you sit down with your boss, anticipate the worst three comments your boss might have. 

“For example, ‘I’m glad you asked to speak about your performance– there are a number of issues we need to address’; or, ‘as you know, money has been tight the last year,’” Jones says. 

In this situation, Jones suggests to answer with a “yes” and acknowledge you understand the situation. She recommends sitting up and forward in your chair to avoid looking “sulky or too-cool-for-school.” 

If your boss makes suggestions for improvement in your performance, taking notes is a great way to physically demonstrate you are paying attention. 

Meanwhile, the experts say to anticipate your boss’ rejections. Stay calm and ask for an explanation, remain understanding and suggest another meeting in the coming months. 

“Understand the situation, but ask, ‘when can I expect it?’” Scheele says. “Don’t threaten to quit and learn from the experiences. Stepping up to the plate to ask is a great success skill.”

Not all unemployed are created equal. There are those who recently graduated from school and haven’t held a job yet. There are those who have made horrible mistakes and have been terminated. There are those who have been working hard every day but had to be let go when their company fell on hard times. There are those who have done nothing wrong at all, but find that their positions just aren’t as essential today as they were five years ago.
 
While unemployment rates remain high, that last category seems to be one whose importance is increasing, especially with hiring beginning to pick up as nearly 300,000 jobs were added in April. As we saw in both the 2000 recession and the most recent one, employers took advantage of the slowdown in business to eliminate obsolete positions, which were unnecessary even before the downturn. The increasing pace of technological advancement is enabling many positions to be replaced by automation that saves companies money.
 
“When a 9.9 percent unemployment rate is being reported, that just doesn’t reflect what we are seeing both in the volume of professional candidates and in the talent demand from companies,” says Tony McKinnon, president of MRINetwork.
“Over the last six months, companies have increased both their hiring and their speed of hiring, with top candidates remaining on the market for an even shorter period of time.”
 
In today’s job market, there is a striking dichotomy between the short-term unemployed–those with potentially a better chance of landing a job sooner than later–and what are now considered to be the chronically unemployed, those without a job for more than 27 weeks. In fact, the percentage of workers unemployed for that period of time grew to 46 percent in April, a level never before seen since records started being kept.
 
Right click here and save to view the full version of the First Friday Preview of June
 

Beating expectations averaging a gain of 190,000 jobs, the Labor Department this morning estimated that 290,000 jobs were added in the United States during the month of April. The unemployment rate in the month rose from 9.7 to 9.9 percent, topping estimates. However, the growth is attributable to a large increase in labor market participation. While the U.S. noninstitutional population rose by only 170,000 in April, labor market participation increased by 805,000 edging to within only 3,000 of its size in April 2009.
 
Since February, there has been a rise in job leavers from 866,000 to 938,000 people. As more workers voluntarily leave their jobs, this indicates both an increase in job market liquidity and growing candidate confidence in the market.
 
Right click here and save to view the full version of the Employment Report for May
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

~ March - payrolls were up for the 3^rd time since the recession began in late 2007, that’s good news, the unemployment rate is at 9.7%.  As we continue on the road to recovery, this will begin to come down. 

~ March – housing starts and building permits were higher for the month;

~ February – period home sales rose sharply by 8.2%;

~ April – consumer confidence in April rebounded from a one year low on hopes that an improving economy will continue to create jobs. 

THE MARKET AND LEADERSHIP

As of the beginning of March the market has begun trending upward. March 1^st was a follow through day which was the kick-off of the current rally. It is a very broad based rally meaning there are a number of industries participating on the upside.

Interestingly enough, there are a few industries that are standing out, which are the ….

                        -  Retail industry

                        -  Technology industry

                        -  Internet content

With signs that the economy is coming back these are the companies planning to increase spending because they feel better about the economy.

Some of the technology companies are Apple (the Ipad sure helps!), Intel, SanDisk, SalesForce.com, and Cognizant.

The retail industry is seeing signs of the consumer coming back.  Stocks such as Decker’s, Guess, Chipotle, McDonalds, Cheese Cake Factory, and Dress Barn have risen as well.

Internet content firms that do the majority of their business online such as Baidu, Amazon, and Priceline have been leaders in their segment.

Even leisure industries that depend heavily on the consumer have been rising — stocks such as Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts.

Let’s hope that whatever “bumps” in the quarters ahead are minimal and the economy continues to get better!

If you can’t make the show and would like for me to do some scouting for you, give me a call / email so we can discuss more specifically.

I look forward to seeing “old and new faces” on April 9th, 2010.  For information to the show and my site please click here.