Face to Face
With Fred Coon

March 30, 2004 - New Jobs

Recently, I read an article by Jeffrey McCracken on the AZ Central Web Site. This was copied from an article he penned for the Knight Ridder Newspapers. I would like to quote extensively from his article since the material really affects job seekers; then I have added my closing thoughts.

Mr. McCracken said, "a national study says the new jobs being created pay 21 percent less than the jobs they replace. …..more people are working part time involuntarily because they want a full-time job but can't find one. Part time means working 34 hours or fewer a week."

"In December, 4.79 million involuntarily worked part time, compared with 3.25 million in December 2000, federal labor statistics show. That's the most since June 1994. Economists say these numbers reflect a U.S. economy that is changing, shifting from a manufacturing economy where people make cars or furniture to a so-called service economy with more people working in health care or hospitality jobs."

"Some jobs are being created in education, health care services or hospitality, but they pay less, have poor benefits, and they certainly don't pay pensions like the old jobs did," said Jeff Chapman, economic analyst with the Economic Policy Institute. The new jobs pay about $35,410 a year, compared with $44,570 at the old jobs."

The transition is painful for workers whose jobs are lost and who don't have skills for the new ones. Many unemployed workers, realizing that new jobs pay less, have lowered their expectations. Even then, jobs aren't plentiful."

To me, this points out, even more, the critical need to target the right companies in a job search. Additionally, it keys us to become better at eliminating the competition when we interview. What good does it do to get to the interview and then blow it?

Recently, I have also noticed that we in the recruiting field are faced with companies who are becoming much more specific in their job description demands for specific criteria. It now seems that only those criteria are looked at or accepted when we present candidates.

In the past, we could smooth over some of the rough edges and missing credentials because of the shortage of good candidates. Now, this has reversed. To add insult to injury, some clients must now accept lower incomes because of the fierce competition for the limited number of positions. This number of limited positions has been caused by two combined events, improved productivity in our workplace and contracting to offshore vendors and suppliers.

Fortunately, our FEC clients have not had to face this issue because of the interviewing and coaching methods we teach them to employ in their interviews. I am happy to report our clients have achieved significant financial increases across the board.

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About the Author: Fred Coon