Annual Recruitment Survey will Reveal the State of the Nation

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) in association with sponsors
Ernst & Young will be unveiling the findings of its Annual Industry Survey at a
breakfast seminar in November.

The event will reveal data on the recruitment industry turnover and also
additional research that will offer new insights into the current state of
recruitment. The latter looks at the key issues facing the industry and examines
current confidence levels and strategies for growth and diversification.

Overviews of the findings and expert views on the major challenges and
opportunities currently facing this dynamic industry will be delivered by
keynote speakers including Brian Wilkinson of Vedior UK.

Commenting on the purpose of the seminar, Roger Tweedy, the REC Director of
Research explained: here is real value in an annual seminar at this time of
year that brings together key metrics and industry experts to assess the state
of the industry. I hope this event will become a key date in recruiter
planning cycles ?

Gordon Cullen, Director at Ernst & Young added: his seminar provides an
excellent opportunity for both Chief Executive Officers and Finance Directors of
the UK top recruitment industries to gain a real understanding into what is
happening within recruiting.

The breakfast seminar is being held at sponsor Ernst &Young More London Place
offices on Friday November 3rd.

For more details about the launch, call Gordon Cullen at Ernst & Young on 020
7951 4611 or gcullen@uk.ey.com.

How to Avoid Blunders During Job Interviews

What are the most common mistakes job candidates make during interviews? Talking too much and revealing that you didn’t do your homework about the company or position lead the pack, according to a global recruiter survey of consultants at Korn/Ferry International, a global executive-search firm.

WHAT TO DO: Read about recruiter code words identifying typical blunders made by job candidates. Remember that screening begins the minute a candidate enters the door. Use this prep tool with sample questions that you might be asked during an interview. If you’ve been asked to interview by phone, review these tips first. Note that behavioral-based assessments are becoming more common, as are personality tests and role-playing exercises; find out how to prepare for them. Consider that you may be asked to discuss personal topics or your weaknesses. Find out how to project self-confidence, not arrogance during interviews, and follow this advice on how to sharpen your mental game.

Fumbling the Interview
Common mistakes job candidates make during interviews, based on a recent global recruiter survey.

Talking too much
Lack of knowledge about company or position
Over-inflated ego
Appearing overly confident
Inquiring about compensation too early in the process
Unkempt appearance

In Search of the Perfect Boss: Workers Weigh in on the Best and Worst of Their Managers

In a response to the negative public opinion about the boss, DDI unveils an interactive Web program to give global workers a chance to build their own boss.
Is there a perfect boss? Maybe, but ask anyone what it is, and you¡¯ll get a different answer every time.

In a recent survey conducted by Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global human resource consulting firm, and Badbossology, a bad-boss protection resource site, workers offered insights on what makes a good leader and where their current boss falls short.

So what topped the list? Of 21 potential ¡®leadership¡¯ sins, respondents selected ¡®being everyone¡¯s friend¡¯ as their number one choice with ¡®micromanagement¡¯ right behind it.

Male bosses rated high on ¡®arrogance¡¯ and female bosses were criticized for not delegating. And reinforcing the stereotype of men as thrill-seekers, male workers also found their bosses to be four times more risk averse than female workers.

What didn¡¯t make the list? ¡®Brown-noser,¡¯ ¡®defensive¡¯ and ¡®volatile¡¯ were at the bottom of the list of sins for all respondents.

This Boss¡¯s Day (Oct. 16th), DDI is giving workers around the world a chance to create a boss from scratch ¡ª with only the characteristics they want ¡ª and audition what they think could be the perfect boss. Build-A-Boss (www.ddiworld.com/buildaboss) is an interactive Web program that allows users to select four characteristics from a list of 25 positive and negative traits to build their current or ideal manager.

¡°People complain about their bosses endlessly and we¡¯re challenging them to see if they can do better,¡± Rich Wellins Senior Vice President, DDI said. ¡°We see the Build-A-Boss as an engaging way for employees to really get a handle on those traits they want in their ideal boss ¡ª or to use it to profile the strengths and weaknesses of their current boss.¡±

Build-A-Boss will let you try out a new boss by picking your favorite characteristics, honor your boss with a portrait of all their best traits or give your boss feedback on their management style in a less threatening forum. And the research showed that workers really had a lot of opinions on their boss¡¯s performance.

Significant observations from the survey of more than 900 in the workplace include:

Trust is at the top of their wish list. If workers could give their boss a gift of a character trait this Boss¡¯s Day, they would wrap up ¡®trust in employees¡¯ and ¡®honesty and integrity¡¯ and ¡®team building skills¡¯ as the three top choices. ¡°Everyone wants to feel that they are trusted and valued in their jobs ¡ª these selections relate to these very fundamental human needs and how they transfer to the workplace,¡± Wellins said.

The stereotype of the male boss prevails for some. More than three-quarters of males would prefer to work for a male boss, while female workers are split down the middle in their preference. The majority of respondents (70 percent) between the ages of 34 and 45 said their ideal boss is male, showing that the more traditional view of ¡®boss¡¯ continues with this specific generation. ¡°This helps to address why women are still having trouble breaking into the leadership ranks,¡± Wellins said. ¡°This perception needs to change because women are equally competent in leadership roles.¡±

Older workers want to work for their peers. Workers 45 and up would prefer to work for a boss their own age, instead of an older or younger manager. However, nearly half of respondents in this group actually work for bosses younger than them. ¡°With the expected mass retirement of the baby boomers, those older workers who want to hang around need to get used to younger bosses,¡± Wellins said.

Smarts matter for the boss. One in seven workers says their boss is just not smart, when asked if their boss had book smarts or street smarts. But not everyone saw their boss in a dunce cap ¡ª nearly half of respondents respect their boss¡¯s intellect and think their boss has both book and street smarts.

Career development slows for older generations. While 35 percent of respondents gave a resounding ¡®yes¡¯ when asked about the boss advocating for career development and advancement, responses progressively decrease as employees get older and more advanced in their careers. ¡°As workers get older and become more self-sufficient, it gives the impression that they needs less development, and managers focus more on 20-something workers,¡± Wellins said. ¡°Some of this disparate focus makes sense, but at the same time, with a continued war for talent, we need to find ways to motivate our aging workforce.¡±

Leadership skills were the most serious deficit. Almost one third of bosses were considered bad because of ¡®lack of leadership skills¡¯, and more male bosses were criticized for their poor leadership skills. Females, on the other hand, were considered bad bosses because of their lack of ¡®sound business judgment/acumen¡¯ with 14 percent of the votes (male bosses had 9.6 percent).

About Badbossology.com: Difficult bosses are a costly problem, and surveys indicate that approximately 40% of employees have had to deal with a bad boss. Badbossology.com is a free resource site that provides news and resources on bad boss protection strategies to help both individuals and their companies. It takes a responsible balanced approach and references material from sources such as The Chicago Tribune, CNNMoney.com, Fast Company, The Harvard Business School, and US and international government sites. Visitors can raise questions, participate in discussion forums, and save key resources along with personal notes for fast future reference using the site¡¯s secure repository. For further information, visit www.badbossology.com

Top Ten Guidelines For Working With Executive Recruiters

1. Select the right type of recruitment partner

Determine whether you would be best served by a retained, contingency, contract or research based partner at a global, national or local level.

2. Interview recruiters to find the appropriate fit

Effective partnerships are built on mutual interests, opportunities, values and performance.

3. Treat an interview with a recruiter with the same care and professionalism as a job interview

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

4. Develop an exclusive relationship with your recruiter

More is not better. Being presented for an opportunity by more then one firm can get you knocked out of consideration.

5. Have well developed job search criteria

Know what you want in a new position and be able to clearly articulate your interests and needs.

6. Understand who the real client is

You?re the ?solution? not the client. The real client is the company that has engaged the recruiter.

7. Do not pay for services

The employer has the responsibility for paying the recruiter?s fee, not you. Do not agree to payment for services.

8. Establish strong communication

Open, honest communication and feedback is key. Look for compatibility in work-style, personality and values.

9. Be your professional best

A recruiter may help you get in the door, but only you can win the job.

10. Actively pursue all other methods of job search while working with a recruiter.

Take a pro-active approach to your career transition with on-going use of networking activities, referrals, job postings, research and interviews throughout the duration of your search.

Jeannette Kraar, president of Performance Management International is the Breakthrough Career Coach and a highly-acclaimed trainer, speaker and consultant. Hundreds of PMI clients have succeeded even in the most turbulent times. Jeannette is the author of BREAKTHROUGH, The Hate My Job, Need A Life, Can?t Get No Satisfaction SOLUTION.

Investment in China increases

Recruitment companies have increased their investments in China, according to a new study by the1, the M&A specialists for the human capital sector.

The study identified a cumulative total of 156 investments in China by 106 foreign recruitment or human capital groups over a 20-year period.
China as a whole, including deals made in Hong Kong, has seen a 70% boost in investments, from 40 transactions in the 1995-1999 period, to 68 in the post-2000 period.

Director Mark Dixon says: ¡°China is the human capital sector¡¯s number one opportunity long-term, with a population of 1.3 billion, you don¡¯t have to be a rocket scientist to do the maths. It¡¯s a numbers game, with some very big numbers.¡±

The growth was fastest (132%) for investments in Mainland China (58 post-2000 versus 25 in the prior period), the first empirical evidence that foreign human capital companies have stepped up their investment on the Mainland.

Recruiter Survey Points to Perfect Storm in ‘War for Talent’

In 1997 Mc Kinsey’s coined the phrase “War for Talent”, the following few years were characterised by critical shortages of talent fuelled by economic expansion, the emergence of the dot-com sector, recruitment and expansion in the Technology arena, growth in consulting fortunes and the rise of the service industry. As we entered the era of the “Generation Y” worker there was a shortage of key skills available. Recruitment agencies saw the boom coming, advised clients accordingly. Many client companies struggled to secure the talent required, wages spiralled. Exuberance in packages offered took the war out of reach of many firms. Companies were forced to compromise on talent, those who did not act were weakened and when the exuberance abated in 2001 they suffered further.

International executive recruiters Antal International are calling on all Line Managers & Human Resource professionals to make a diary note for January 2007. A decade on from its origination, Antal predict that 2007 will see the return of the War for Talent, however, there will be some significant differences, according to the results of a survey undertaken by EMEA, CEE & Asia specialists. This time it will be global, affecting all levels of employee and functions, a “Perfect Storm” in talent terms.

Tony Goodwin, Antal’s Chairman & CEO stated, “The 1997 War was largely localised, contained within a few skill functions and didn’t affect every business sector. Firms were either feeding grounds for the boom enterprises hiring in the late 90’s or were trying to stay out front. This time, driven by a number of additional factors, the second war for talent will be truly global and more far-reaching.”

A confidential survey Antal undertook of mid to senior executives in firms across diverse markets in Europe, Russia & China shows that 34% would consider a move in 2007 due to increased market confidence and greater awareness of their appreciating market value. When added to expected levels of staff turnover, competitor hiring and those addressing satisfaction issues, the result is expected to be a turnover storm of epic proportions. The Antal survey found that:

Up to 72% of employers forecast more than 12% new job growth in 2007. Alone, this job creation won’t start the war, but combined with the other factors, it will exacerbate it.

Recently published data across EMEA & Asia shows that well over a quarter of employees are not fully satisfied and would actively seek a move as evidenced in employee feedback, increased workplace stress and work-life balance issues rising on the agenda.

Companies held the power in the “employer market” of the last five years and some paid less attention to employee motivation, retention, engagement and work-life balance than perhaps they should have.

Salaries stayed relatively flat in recent years and fewer promotion opportunities have been widely available. Many businesses have reported productivity gains against a backdrop of falling morale.

It is much easier today for employees to appraise themselves of their market value and review positions on job boards & corporate sites. Discrete job surfing remains a popular web pastime and can be done without contacting a recruitment consultant until one is ready to step into the “available” zone.

The rise of jobs-by-email functionality on job boards means they don’t need to publicise their resume and jobs come to them direct, over 42% of executives regularly received job information by email from online recruitment sources.

Increasing numbers of senior managers have started to leave the workplace and as this generation ages further it will lead to critical shortages of experienced managers, creating an experience gap. Antal’s survey found that over 25% of senior managers were considering retirement within five years.

Generation Y workers (born in the 70’s to 90’s) are increasingly likely to change jobs more often. They have grown up in a world of immediacy and fast change and view a change of employer as a positive way of increasing their worth, advancing careers more quickly. Many see a position lasting up to 2.5 years as sufficient. Average tenure in firms is dropping in the under 30 age ranges.

Picture this – It is early 2007, your own new headcount needs to be filled, as does that of your competitors, employee confidence in the market place grows, they’re more comfortable looking externally for opportunity, “job security paralysis” becomes less of a factor and a large section move, some of your senior managers retire or seek more work life balance, your generation Y’s begin their quest for the “next best thing” and move on, the best executives have moved early and are already locked-in to new firms, new entrants open in your market trying to attract your talent¡­ and what’s more, this happens in all your locations.

With recent increased investment in boom markets like Russia, Eastern Europe, China and Latin America, Antal predict that companies wont just be fighting for talent in their domestic market, they will be engaged in a battle on all fronts. Employers will face the same issues of attraction, recruitment, retention, motivation and leadership development in every location they have expanded into around the globe.

Graeme Read, Antal’s COO commented, “Over the last decade, firms have internationalised far more than ever before, sourcing and production has moved to different countries such as China or Eastern Europe, massive new B2B and consumer markets have opened in emerging markets like Latin America and China. All this leads companies to expand sales and operations internationally to tap this lucrative market opportunity and often the easiest route into a new market for others is to target experienced people at competitor firms, buying in valuable local knowledge and experience.”

He added, “In 2007, the cost imperative of globalisation and the faster pace of opening operations internationally will further the boom in emerging markets. FDI, new office and manufacturing facility openings are set to grow exponentially in 2007, fuelling the storm in even remote locations.”

Alongside the survey, Antal polled a selected number of clients in its key markets to see how they are preparing to head off the storm. Some areas highlighted by those taking action include:

• An increase in availability of remote access allowing staff to work remotely on selected days.

• More use of “golden handcuffs” to lock in top talent and more benchmarking of salaries to market.

• A sharper focus on the individual, identifying and nurturing “Rising Stars” in every corner of their global businesses.

• Greater use of recruitment technology and web sourcing and more use of diverse sourcing methodologies.

As salaries and packages start to rise and talent pools dry up, companies are turning to flexible workers and an increased use of contractors in IT, Accountancy, HR and Marketing is envisaged in many markets.

Firms focus more on the core aspects of the business, outsourcing non-core activities in areas like IT, Call Centres, Customer Service, Recruitment, Media Management.

Far more focus on retention, with increased line manager input and reworked retention plans.

Greater emphasis on the “sell” of the company and opportunity to potential employees at interview.

More HR time spent on areas like Talent Development, Leadership Development, and Compensation & Benefits with less focus on administrative tasks.

Early search activity – many firms are starting to look for talent now – acting before the market heats up, enabling the best.

A reader’s toolbox:

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Tax Tips for Job Hunters:When Deductions Are OK

The tax man is on your side when you’re job hunting. Search expenses are deductible as long as you are looking for a new position in your current field — even if you’re still working.

Job hunters may be eligible for can take the following deductions, says Jackie Perlman, a senior tax-research analyst at H&R Block, in Kansas City, Mo.:

travel expenses

employment-agency fees

resume-preparation fees

career-counseling expenses

the cost of advertising your services

newspapers and other periodicals purchased for their help-wanted ads and

legal fees paid to an attorney to review an employment contract.

To take advantage of these deductions, you need to itemize, rather than take the standard deduction. Job-hunting expenses are reported as miscellaneous itemized deductions on line 20 of Schedule A. And you can only take them if the total of your miscellaneous deductions exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income. In other words, taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of $50,000 can deduct miscellaneous expenses exceeding $1,000 (2% of $50,000). This applies whether you file as a single or file jointly with your spouse. If such a taxpayer spent $1,500 to land a job last year, he or she could deduct $500.

It’s important to keep good records. For instance, by scrupulous tracking the time you spend online to job hunt, you can deduct that percentage of your online hook-up and Internet access fees. Ditto for your home phone or cellular phone. Whatever percentage you use for job hunting can be deducted from your monthly bills.

Travel Expenses

Unreimbursed travel costs to meet with employers are among the most costly job-search expenses. In many cases, these are deductible, but “travel is the thorniest point of contention” with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), says Ms. Perlman. That’s because the IRS allows taxpayers to deduct the cost to travel to interviews only if the main purpose of the trip is to meet with an employer and secure a job.

In other words, if you fly to Boston to interview with one or two companies, stay overnight in a hotel, have breakfast with a recruiter in the morning and then fly home, all the costs associated with your trip are deductible. That includes airfare, the hotel bill and 50% of the cost of your meals.

However, if you visit Hawaii on vacation, decide you want to live in Honolulu and arrange a job interview while there, you can’t deduct those expenses because the main purpose of the trip is vacationing. It’s possible you could deduct the cost of using a rental car to travel to the actual interview if the rental was strictly for the purpose of getting to the interview, but you can’t write off the flight or your meals, according to Ms. Perlman.

What Else Doesn’t Qualify?

New clothes to wear to interviews aren’t deductible. Nor are your dry-cleaning bills between interviews. The IRS allows taxpayers to deduct only the cost of work uniforms that aren’t suitable for any other purpose. Other items that have to be worn as a condition of employment also are legitimate expenses.

If you’ve had a substantial break between your last job and your current job search, job-hunting expenses cannot be deducted. This is because the I.R.S. considers them as a business expense, and if you’ve been out of work for a long time, you’re technically not in business at the moment, says Martin Nissenbaum, national director of income tax planning at Ernst & Young in New York. Alas, the Internal Revenue Service doesn’t provide clear guidance on the length of time that you’d have to be unemployed before you aren’t allowed to take these deductions, he says.

About to graduate? Most first-time job-hunting expenses aren’t deductible. However, if you secured an internship and then sought a full-time position in the same field, expenses related to your search are deductible, says Mr. Nissenbaum. Again, you would have to itemize expenses on your tax returns and only those job-search costs exceeding 2% of your adjusted gross income would qualify.

Moving Expenses

Job hunters who move because of a new job can deduct moving expenses that they pay out of their pockets. To qualify for this deduction, your new job must be at least 50 miles farther from your home than your old job was. If your old job was three miles from your home, your new job must be at least 53 miles from your home. You also must work at the new location for at least 39 weeks during the 12 months after you move to get the deduction.

The good news is that there’s no cap on moving deductions. Moving expenses are reported on line 29 of Form 1040.

Trips back and forth to scout out a new area cannot be itemized, however, Ms. Perlman says. So any trips to a new location to look for a home or open a bank account aren’t deductible. Review IRS Publication 521 — Moving Expenses — for more detail.

Corrections & Amplifications:
Moving costs can be taken as tax deductions whether or not a job seeker itemizes; they are reported on line 29 of Form 1040. In an earlier version of this story, moving costs had been listed among job-hunting expenses that could be deducted only if a filer itemized.

— Ms. Byrnes is a free-lance writer in Wayne, N.J.

China Begins Annual Recruitment Drive for University Graduates

China’s Ministry of Personnel on Saturday began its annual national employment service for millions of university graduates, with more than 480,000 positions up for grabs online and at job fairs around the country.

A total of 121 local human resources departments and job service websites and 26,000 employment units will take part in 126 job fairs across the country including those held over the Internet.

Employment experts will be invited to university campuses and job fairs to offer job seeking tips to students due to graduate next July.

According to the ministry, the most sought-after positions are in marketing, administration, computer science, machinery, architecture, finance, chemistry, human resources, foreign languages and medicine.

Statistics show that 4.13 million students graduated from higher education institutions this year, 750,000 more than last year.

About 1.24 million Chinese college students will graduate next year without immediate job offers.

The ministry encourages university graduates to work in the rural areas in West China region with favorable policies such as guaranteed salaries and medical care, and subsidies for those who go to undeveloped and remote rural areas,

Statistics show China is facing a severe employment crisis with 34.5 million people expected to come on to the labor market from 2006 to 2010.

About 25 million new job-seekers would enter the market this year, of whom 11 million might find jobs in the urban areas, leaving 14 million unemployed.

The unemployed in China are mainly composed by laid-off workers, college graduates, redundant rural laborers and those returned from overseas study, or “haigui” which means a “sea turtle” — a Chinese pun for overseas returnees.

A random sample survey of 1,500 Chinese returned from recent overseas study shows that more than 35 percent of them have employment problems, said Lin Zeyan, researcher with the human resources study training center of the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Lin said their job difficulties are mainly resulted from their high expectations of salaries as they want their huge overseas educational investment pay off by finding a “lucrative” job.

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2006)

Interviews to pick future teachers

East China Normal University will begin recruiting education majors next year based on personal interviews instead of scores on the national college entrance exam in order to train students who really want to become teachers, school officials said yesterday.

The university will recruit 200 students next year using the pilot admission plan, making it the third university in the city to accept students without looking at exam scores, following Fudan and Jiao Tong.

High school graduates who are interested in teaching jobs are eligible to apply for the teacher training courses.

Applicants will be selected on the basis of interviews to see if they have the communication skills and other abilities to become a good teacher.

“Our point is to make sure that we put the most elite and suitable professionals into elementary education positions,” ECNU President Yu Lizhong said at the Second International Forum on Teacher Education yesterday.

The country’s existing teacher enrollment relies solely on national college entrance exam scores. That system encourages many students who did well on the exam but aren’t interested in becoming teachers to enroll in education programs, said Wang Jianpan, an ECNU professor.

The school said a large number of education students apply to change their major at the end of the first year, and many graduates end up taking office jobs instead of teaching positions.

“The loss of trained education majors is a punch to the country’s teacher quality,” Yu said.

One Thing Wrong With Recruiting Today

Hiring Manager: And that sums up what you’re looking for.
Staffing Account Manager: I think we can find what you’re looking for. Let me ask you, what salary range are you looking at and do you already have an approved budget for this position?
HM: We’re looking for someone in the $60-70,000 range, preferrably the 60 – that’s what we start people out at in this department, and they’ll need about five years of experience.
SAM: $60,000-$70,000 is a bit low for this position – especially if it’s as important as you say. Do you have any flexibility?
HM: My best developer is making $70,000 right now and he has 12 years of experience. If I bring someone else in higher, my whole team will be at my door hollering for a raise.
SAM: What about someone with good potential but maybe not the degree of experience you just detailed. Entry level programmers are making $50,000, and that’s just with an IS Degree.
HM: I don’t need entry level – I have to have someone with real experience who is going to stick around and finish this project. Send me what you have.

**Back at the Staffing Office an hour later**
Staffing Account Manager: And that’s what we need – in the $60-70,000 range.
Recruiter: Does this one have to walk on water or would the trick with the fishes and loaves do it?
SAM: Let’s just send him what we have.

That little scenario is fictitious, but it plays out at staffing firms across the country every day. Salaries and job skill lists are written for positions and sent out to third party firms with the hope that a firm will turn up the diamond in the rough who has perfect skills and doesn’t know their own worth. Recruiters out of desperation send what they have, and hiring managers, desperate themselves, often hire whatever they can get.

It’s a bit like a woman asking you if she looks fat in her pants. If you’re a contingency recruiter (dating), you’ll be booted out the door. If you’re in house (married), you can’t be honest without taking the blame for the nice dinners and never going with her to the gym.

Honesty. Is that what we really want in business and life, or do we just want everything to magically work out?