The post Answering “Your Weaknesses” appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>I’ll begin by saying: This is a terrible interview question, but it is one you will be asked during your career, so it’s best to be prepared with some type of response. For starters, absolutely do not humblebrag when asked this question. It is incredibly trite. As ubiquitous as the interview question may be, imagine how many times an interviewer has heard the following answer, “I can be too much of a perfectionist.” Even just typing that, I almost threw up in my mouth a little bit. A close runner-up in the “humblebrag about my weakness” category is, “I take on too much responsibility and don’t delegate.”
I want to make it clear that not delegating and being a perfectionist are absolutely real weaknesses. Failure to delegate can lead to balls being dropped and inability to prioritize tasks or be a team player. Perfectionism can be debilitating and cause severe procrastination. But neither of these are answers you should give when discussing your weaknesses, and here’s why: You must always start from the end goal when assessing your answer to an interview question. The interviewer is asking you this question to gain valuable signals about your self-awareness.
Understanding your gaps is important, and an employee who doesn’t know his or her own weaknesses is a walking liability. So when it comes to weakness, there is nothing that displays a greater lack of self-awareness than humblebragging. Maybe perfectionism is your real top weakness. Skip it. Go to your second top weakness, or even your third. This should be easy. Personally, I have an entire list of areas I can improve on. Show the interviewers that you realize what they’re getting at, and give them the answer that allows them to get appropriate signals. If you can’t rattle off some gaps in a matter of moments, what exactly are you working on to improve yourself?
Everyone has flaws—some we’re aware of, and others are blind spots. I sometimes wish candidates would get over the fear of looking bad, and instead share a true weakness in an interview with confidence. Be a little vulnerable. No one’s asking you to admit that you can never deliver projects on time. That might cost you the job. But knowing your strengths and weaknesses shows that you’re self-aware, and you are developing yourself as an employee or expert in your field.
When people use this question to insert a humblebrag, I find it very inauthentic. Afraid it could backfire and be used against you after the interview? Frankly, I’d be very wary about working for any employer that didn’t offer me the job because I candidly shared one of my weaknesses. I’m not sure that’s a job I’d really want.
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]]>The post Unemployment at 4.4% ! appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>The 4.4 percent unemployment rate matches a decade low. Many people who had stopped looking for jobs are coming off the sidelines to find them. More part-timers are finding full-time work. About all that’s still missing is a broad acceleration in pay.
On Friday, when the government releases the jobs report for May, that pattern is likely to extend itself. The consensus expectation of economists is that the Labor Department will report that employers added 176,000 jobs, according to a survey by FactSet, a data provider. That’s right in line with the monthly average of 174,000 over the past three months.
All told, it’s evidence of an American economy that is running neither too hot nor too cold, with growth holding at a tepid but far from recessionary 2 percent annual rate. Few economists foresee another downturn looming, in part because the recovery from the recession has been steady but grinding, with little sign of the sort of overheated pressures that normally trigger a recession.
The jobs report will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Separate reports Thursday solidified expectations that job growth for May was healthy. Payroll processor ADP reported that in a private survey of companies, it found that a hefty 253,000 jobs were added in May, mostly among companies with fewer than 500 workers.
Nor are layoffs much of a concern. Weekly applications for unemployment benefits, which tend to reflect the pace of layoffs, averaged a low 238,000 over the past four weeks, according to the Labor Department.
The government’s monthly jobs report produces a net gain by estimating how many jobs were created and comparing that figure with how many it estimates were lost.
The unemployment rate is expected to have remained in May at 4.4 percent, a low figure that historically has reflected a healthy job market. If hiring maintains its current pace, it would exceed population growth, and the unemployment rate should eventually fall even further.
Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, estimates that monthly job growth above 80,000 or so should cause the unemployment rate to fall.
“I think 4 percent unemployment is dead-ahead, and we’ll probably go past that,” he said.
Still, the jobs report produces several different measures of unemployment, and the broadest gauge might be most critical to watch Friday. This particular measure includes not only the officially unemployed but also part-time workers who would prefer full-time jobs and people who want a job but aren’t actively looking for one and so aren’t counted as unemployed.
Known as the “U-6” rate, this measure is one of the favorite metrics for Trump administration officials. The U-6 has plunged since January to 8.6 percent in April, a 0.8 point decline.
The decline in that measure is an encouraging sign that jobless people who had given up hope of working are now being hired. If that trend continued in May, a falling U-6 would point to a strengthening economy despite weak growth during the first three months of the year.
But the influx of job seekers can also inflict a drag on pay growth. As more people start seeking jobs, employers begin to have less incentive to raise pay. It’s only when employers face a shallow pool of job applicants that they tend to feel compelled to raise pay in hopes of hiring people who fit their needs.
Annual growth in average hourly earnings was a so-so 2.6 percent in April. And whatever meaningful pay raises that exist are going disproportionately to managers and supervisors. For workers who aren’t supervisors, average hourly pay has risen just 2.3 percent. In a healthy economy, average pay gains would typically grow roughly 3.5 percent a year.
Of the 211,000 jobs added in April, more than a quarter were in the generally lower-paying leisure and hospitality industry — hotels, restaurants and amusement parks. Health care and social assistance added nearly 37,000 jobs and professional services 39,000.
The Trump administration has designated the pace of hiring for good-paying skilled jobs in construction, manufacturing and mining as among the key categories it monitors for economic health. Those three sectors were relatively weak in April.
The construction sector added just 5,000 jobs in April and 1,000 jobs in March. A rebound could occur in May because construction activity has been improving. The government has reported that housing starts are up 5.3 percent year-to-date, while construction spending has risen 5.8 percent year-to-date.
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]]>The post Its 3/24/2017 and still going strong!!!!! appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>Reports this week show Oregon’s unemployment rate drops to 4%, a record low with Illinois dropping below 6% which is the lowest since the last recession.
Jobs are still plentiful and many candidates are making the brave decision to make a job change and relocate across state lines.
Automotive seems to be the strongest its been in a very long time as we are seeing clients post multiple jobs with us at one time.
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]]>The post February 3rd, 2017 – Employment appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>We are still seeing a lot of new job orders (job requisitions) from new and old clients. Employment is still strong. One of my clients gave me an assignment recently due to lines being closed in Mexico and moved back home. A nonpolitical move, I was told, but due to the lack of cost savings they had expected. So, it seems to have naturally worked its self out.
Seeing an increase in jobs in all sectors. From Automotive to Food.
Lines are still long at local resturants on the weekends which is a poor man’s barometer on how strong consumer confidence is holding.
The fed held off raising the interest rates this week which keeps investors from going nuts and selling off.
All in all, seeing a strong first quarter emerge in employment. Fingers crossed this continues.
Dennis Cupp
Austin Allen Company
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]]>The post Practical Resume advice from a Recruiter in the trenches appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>This is just a few ideas to get you on your way to a fantastic resume!
Dennis Cupp
Sr. Recruiter / Managing Partner
The Austin Allen Company
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]]>The post Looking For a Job and YOUR Social Media Presence – Observations from a Recruiters Perspective appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>Do you Tweet or Facebook? Are you looking for work?
These two things may be incompatible if you are a professional looking for work. Let me explain.
We live in a world where your resume gives a bit of information that’s legal to share. Your social media may fill in the blanks and not in a positive way. How about that picture at the class reunion where you are three sheets to the wind and holding a beer bong? How about that photo of Tommy Chong someone tagged you with and says “Hey bro, remember our Amsterdam trip last year?” or even a few political rants done in 140 characters or less?
ALL of these things CAN and WILL be used against you in the court of employment. Employers get your resume, copy and paste that name into the all-powerful wizard of Google and BAM you appear all over the place. Many Facebook pages have enough introductory information for a hiring manager to see a shirt you are wearing that has a whole LOT of skin showing when you snapped that selfie and maybe an unflattering picture of you at a tail gate event. Some of the silliest stuff I have seen as a recruiter is finding people with a video rant blog on YouTube.
Just know decisions are being made at speeds that boggle the mind. They are looking at you and asking themselves “How do I reject this person”. Don’t give them a reason to!
The job market is tricky enough when the playing field is level don’t give a hiring manager a reason to hit the delete button on your resume sitting in their inbox.
What you SHOULD do is IF you have decided to have a LinkedIn page?
As for Facebook (Facebonkers, I call it!) make sure ALL questionable or semi-revealing photos are gone. Keep posts light and fun.
Just think to yourself: “Is this something mom or dad would want to see?”. That can be a pretty good guide.
Dennis Cupp
Senior Recruiter & Managing Partner of The Austin Allen Company
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]]>The post Employment is Strong with the United States! appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>Its mid-2016 and the employment market is showing NO signs of letting up. Our own office has a ton of clients seeking help and our affiliate recruiters are sending request for help with their clients nonstop. Its not a geographical bubble either. From San Francisco to the east coast. As far south as the gulf coast all the way to Canada we are having clients give us assignments for recruiting assistance and begging for help.
There have been many recruitment experts say this bubble is due to bust but on the other hand they say it should stay strong till first quarter of 2017.
The highly controversial election season may have some impact but as we have seen already nothing is following predictable patterns so its anyone’s guess as to what to expect with the elections and employment. I clearly remember the impact of ‘counting chads’ had in the 2000 election. That type of uncertainty devastated my desk and I saw tons of job orders disappear overnight.
Oil & Gas were hit really hard this year as they were ‘fat’ with talent during the big boom years. We are also seeing some companies do smaller reduction in force but that’s the normal ebb and flow of employment that I have seen over the 22 years I have been recruiting.
Recent articles about large companies “Bringing the Jobs Home” has employment confidence really high as well.
My goal for the remainder of this year is to do more personal blogging about employment than just posting articles I see about the subject. I think you’d appreciate hearing from the soldier in the trenches versus some writer at some website far removed from the day to day.
In the wake of the heartbreaking Orlando tragedy, be sure to hug everyone you love twice as much and make sure they know you love them!
Best,
Dennis Cupp
Managing Partner & Senior Recruiter
Austin Allen Company
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]]>The post MORE great news about the Job Market! appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>
Across US job market, layoffs are becoming rare
By The Associated Press Published: Yesterday
WASHINGTON (AP) – The risk of losing your job is getting smaller and smaller.
As the U.S. economy has improved and employers have regained confidence, companies have been steadily shedding fewer workers. Which is why applications for unemployment benefits have dwindled to their lowest level since February 2006 – nearly two years before the Great Recession began – the government said Thursday.
The trend means greater job security and suggests a critical turning point in the economic recovery. It raises the hope that workers’ pay will finally accelerate after grinding through a sluggish recovery for the past half-decade.
When the economy sank into recession at the end of 2007, employers cut deeply into their staffs. And then during the recovery, they hired only hesitantly. Instead, they sought to maximize the productivity of their existing employees.
But in recent months, the picture has brightened. Employers have added 200,000-plus jobs for five straight months, and the unemployment rate has reached 6.1 percent, the lowest since 2008.
Now, the steadily declining level of layoffs suggests that employers may have to hire even more aggressively and raise pay if they want to expand their businesses, said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisers.
“They’ve been continually working their workers harder and longer,” Naroff said. “As a result of that, we have consistent growth and you can’t lay off people anymore.”
The shortage of laid-off workers searching for jobs means that more companies may need to pay more to attract talent. Thus far, wage growth has essentially only kept pace with inflation, and household incomes remain below their 2007 levels.
Most businesses have so far been hesitant to raise wages, so there may be a lag before workers see higher paychecks.
“But when the dam breaks, it’s really going to break,” Naroff predicted.
Some firms say they’re already dealing with wage pressures.
Cleveland-based Applied Medical Technology has raised hourly pay for warehouse employees from $8.25 to $10. It did so both to attract new hires and because it heard that some of its employees had quit for raises elsewhere, said Jeff Elliott, the company’s chief financial officer.
The company also started holding pizza parties and summer cookouts. Elliott said it’s cheaper and easier to keep existing employees than to find and train new ones.
Throughout the economy, layoffs have fallen so much that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits plunged last week to a seasonally adjusted 284,000, a low last achieved in February 2006. And after accounting for U.S. population growth, the number of people applying for unemployment aid has reached its lowest point since 1999.
The four-week average of applications, which smooths out week-to-week fluctuations, has dropped to 302,000 from 348,500 when the year began.
“In the weeks that follow,” said Michelle Girard, chief economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland, “claims look likely to hold at or below the 300,000 mark.”
The sharp decline has paralleled healthy monthly employment reports. Employers added a net 288,000 jobs in June, capping the first five-month stretch of gains above 200,000 since 1999 at the height of the dot-com boom.
The consensus forecast of economists is that the government will announce next week that employers added 225,000 jobs in July, according to a survey by the data firm FactSet.
Not every company is avoiding layoffs. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that it would cut 18,000 workers – the biggest layoffs in its 39-year history. But layoff announcements now mainly reflect strategic changes within individual companies, rather than broader economic conditions, Naroff said.
Other data confirm that across the economy, job cuts have reached unusually low levels. Total layoffs in May dropped below pre-recession levels, the government said in a separate report that reveals how many people were hired, fired or quit jobs.
Just 1.58 million people were laid off in May, according to the Labor Department. That was the third-lowest monthly figure since the government began tracking the data in 2001.
Still, while layoffs have fallen 7.5 percent this year, actual hiring has increased just 3 percent. That’s a big reason the job market might not seem as healthy as the series of strong monthly net job gains might suggest.
Even so, more people with jobs means more people with paychecks, which tends to boost consumer spending and growth. After a sharp contraction in the economy in the first three months of the year, most economists expect growth to exceed a 3 percent annual pace in the second half of 2014.
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]]>The post Interviewing 101: The first impression counts appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>By Jim Pawlak
Special to the Palm Beach Post
You control every job interview. Think about it. When you meet any interviewer, you make a first impression. Whether it’s positive or negative, the interviewer will look for things in your responses that support that first impression.
How do you make a positive first impression? Start by remembering that an interview is a fragrance-free zone. You don’t know if an interviewer is allergic to, or offended by, strong scents. In my corporate VP days, I remember interviewing Joe, whose résumé shouted “Superman Salesman.” That was just what I needed. His after shave hung like a cloying shroud around him. Before he shook my hand, I created a first impression: His after shave was Kryptonite and he had no clue. My boss stopped by an hour later and asked who had bathed in after shave.
Chuck, another “Superman Salesman” (at least according to his résumé), had another form of Kryptonite — body odor (and real dirt under his fingernails). His stockyard odor, though different from Joe’s after shave, had the same effect: No Sale!
Then there was Connie, a candidate to replace my assistant; her handshake included a flowery-scented lotion that transferred to my hand. I had to wash my hands twice to get the bouquet off. Jangly jewelry needs to stay home, too. It can be a distraction. Connie earned “Strike 2” when she was gesturing with her hands; the bangles she wore clanged like cymbals.
I could have hired any of them and then tried to talk with them about “issues”. But why should an employer hire people that it would have to counsel when there was pool of candidates that “fit” immediately. Why take a risk that they would change?
You also don’t know if the interviewer has a “thing” about smokers. So if you’re a smoker, make sure your clothes don’t reek of smoke. Spray them with a non-scented deodorizer – like the kind used to vanquish pet odors from furniture and carpeting.
Even in this day of business casual, how you dress creates a powerful first impression. A suit always makes the best impression. Shine those shoes, too.
Now you’re dressed and ready to go. Or are you? 1) Have you checked out the route so you won’t be late? I know an HR manager who scheduled interviews at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. because she knew that a train crossed the road in front of her plant at 9:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. If you were late, you didn’t even get an interview. Her reasoning spoke to the “planning” attributes of a candidate. 2) Do you have some questions that you can ask the interviewer about the company? You’ll need them to shift an interview from interrogation to conversation. Good questions show that you’ve done your homework – that always scores point in an interview. The questions are important for another reason: you’re interviewing the company to see if it fits you.
When you are introducing yourself, smile, make eye contact and make a firm handshake. When you take a seat, don’t slouch. If you have “happy” hands or feet, quiet them by opening a portfolio across your lap to take notes. Added benefit: Taking notes scores points.
Now it’s time to reinforce that positive impression. In Round 1, many of the questions you’re asked relate to your résumé, your marketing brochure. You need to know it backwards and forwards. Listen closely to the questions; if you have ANY doubt about what’s being asked, respond with a clarifying question. When you answer, continue eye contact and smile as you talk. The smile keeps you talking slowly.
Stay on point, too. If the interviewer’s body language tells you that he/she wants more information, ask: “Is there a specific area you want me to address?”
Leave the way you entered: a smile, eye contact and a firm handshake.
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]]>The post The 5 Best Things You Can Say in a Job Interview appeared first on Austin Allen Company.
]]>By Hannah Hamilton
Interviewing for a new job can be incredibly nerve wracking and it’s natural to feel nervous about it. But if you take a deep breath and focus on preparing to say the things recruiters want to hear, you’ll be fine.
Just take these five tips from experts.
“Let me tell you about a time that I solved that problem.”
Even if an interview question could be answered with a simple “yes” or “no, ” you want to be sure to say more so you highlight the value you’d bring to the organization if you’re hired for the position.
“Always have an anecdote or story about your previous experience that relates and can give more insight into yourself on the job, ” suggests David Morgan, President of IT and Engineering at Addison Group.
“Can you clarify?
Asking follow-up questions such as “does that make sense, ” demonstrates to an interviewer you’re intent on communicating thoroughly and accurately, a skill most employers appreciate.
“Checking-in with the interviewer by asking him or her whether things are clear and establishing a common understanding is a good way to not only engage, but also demonstrates a certain amount of care, both of which do wonders in getting that follow-up interview, ” says The Workforce Consultants Managing Director Lynda Zugec.
“I read about that project on your web site.”
When two people meet for the first time, it’s polite to ask questions and express an interest in each other. In a job interview, though, you demonstrate your interest in the company by doing research before you show up, so don’t have to ask basic questions and can move on to having an intelligent conversation about it.
“I don’t mean memorizing the About Us page on the company website. I’m talking about doing your due diligence (read: research!) and knowing the company you’re applying to, ”
says Human Resources Manager Jessica Campbell.
“What made you decide to work here?”
Well-thought answers to an interviewer’s questions demonstrate your knowledge, experience and communication skills. But companies also want to see you’re curious about what they do.
“One of the best things you can do at an interview is come prepared with thoughtful questions for the interviewer, ” says Cheryle Palmer, owner of Call to Career. Doing so demonstrates an interest in the company and the job, and shows you did your homework before the interview.
“I’d love the chance to join this team!”
There’s a huge difference between begging for a job and expressing a genuine desire to work for a company and fill the role you’re interviewing for. Recruiters are looking for people who are excited about the company and have a real interest in their prospective role.
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