Headhunters For The Trades
Mar 10th
A lot of guys come in to the office for our initial conversation with a CAN-DO! attitude. In other words they “can do” anything. They try to sell their skills for all jobs from turning flapjacks to raising the Empire State Building to flying a B52 Bomber and anything in between. They are ernest and excited about this pitch and they want our help in getting them any job at all. I have to start asking questions to get beyond this, to finding their real skills and their real passions. Usually the same guy does not want to turn flapjacks and also fly bombers. Usually.
Some folks come in, however, and they are more direct. They have some skills. They do not have others. As they chat with me they are honest about their lacks as well as their plusses. They know that not having a car is a stumbling block. They know that certain skills are important and they are proud to have them. They know that other skills are not important and they will say so: “I can not do roofs, but I can lay floor tile. I do not have skills in asbestos work, but I am certified in lead abatement.”
That second type of applicant impresses me. She knows she has made choices in her life and that choices open some doors and close others. This applicant does not want CPGworks to get just any job: he wants his job, one that fits and furthers his own journey. I’m happy to talk to this applicant because his application will be filled with direct answers to direct questions.
Jan 31st
Most of our clients require you to have your own reliable vehicle before they will consider you for employment. Experience tells us that this is usually a good policy. But it is unfortunate because so many folks are hard-working and talented ..basically very employable if only they had a car.
Child & Family Services Ways to Work Loan Program will loan between $500 and $4,000 to help you get back to work. From their website:
Our program provides loans from $500 to $4,000 to be used for the following:
- To purchase a vehicle or make needed repairs;
- To make your security deposit, rent, or mortgage payment or for housing repairs;
- To pay for child care;
- Business loans; or
- To purchase needed equipment such as computers or tools for employment or school, or necessary appliances for the home.
Jan 18th
See also:
I mentioned earlier that working in an industrial setting for a large block of time might actually serve to stigmatize you. In this example Joe worked as a welder for Ford for twelve years. He took an early buyout on his retirement package just before the job market took a turn for the worst. Joe is still young and has tons to offer, however he doesn’t have much to show during the last few years since Ford.
This is difficult because the experience he has the most of is not very marketable in the construction industry. Therefore, if he really wants to move forward, Joe may have to take a step back first. Since he can no longer sell his skills, he will have to sell his related experience, his potential, and his soft skills. In Joe’s case he is positive, friendly, well spoken, he can think and make decisions, he can be part of a team, he is smart enough to have an impressive list of certifications – and these things are all proven! He has decided that if he cannot get a job as an industrial welder, then his next greatest value to an employer is as an electrician. So we go from there.
1. Target trade: Electrician
2. Experience: At Ford his welding skills were used largely for machine repair. It is impossible to be responsible for machine repair without thorough knowledge of electrical. He has twelve years of this.
3. Skills (technical): Journeyman certification in machine repair; certified in stick, mig & tig
4. Achievements: Volunteer for Extreme Makeover
5. Skills (soft)/personality: positive, friendly, helper, can think, leadership potential, well spoken, team player
So we put all this together and we come up with….
I am a journeyman in machine repair with 12 years of experience in industrial settings. I put my skills to the test on extreme makeover! I will bring my positive attitude to your repair, welding or electrical team
Or how about?
I am pursuing a career as an electrician after 12 years of machine repair. I have ability: my certifications and experience prove that! My positive attitude will make me one of the best electricians helpers you have ever hired.
Jan 15th
See also:
Let’s work through another example of a targeted objective statement. This person gained most of his experience from working as a plumber, steamfitter, and later as an inspector at a very large industrial plant in his city. The market is flooded with ex-employees from this giant and quite honestly his time spent there could possibly serve to stigmatize him.
Over the last thirty years he as always been able to generate some additional income by using his credentials to work with some of the local contractors and even some of the public addressing their plumbing service and install needs. This is probably more valuable to your average construction company than his industrial experience.
It was fairly easy to determine that his greatest value (to whomever he works for) is as a plumber. He is about as talented as they come so we shoot for a “lead” position.
My combination of 30 years of freelance plumbing along with my many certifications including master plumber, green plumber, and city inspector give me an ideal foundation to work with most companies as a lead plumber.
Or this
I am a plumber with thirty years experience. With my combination of skills and certifications – from master plumber, city inspector, green plumbing – I am well prepared to offer you the best value as a lead on your team.
More on this subject:
Dec 9th
Don’t give up! Better days are coming – I can feel it.
Let me tell you how the construction jobs market looks from my perspective…. There are jobs out there. But the game has changed.
Most companies are not growing right now. So if a position opens up, it’s not a new job: someone got complacent. Now their employer is looking to upgrade – because he can. It is an employer’s market. Owners and managers are demanding more for their dollar.
And here’s some hard news.. there are no more “entry level” positions. The reason for this is that there are a whole bunch of folks with lots and lots of experience (and used to making a lot of money) that are willing to dig ditches by hand just to put food on their table. More >
Dec 3rd
The purpose of this article is to explore the best way to compose a targeted objective statement. If you want to compete with the masses, then I do not recommend using an objective statement. A summary statement may be more appropriate.
If you’re submitting a resume to an agency (eg: CPGworks) or to a specific company for a specific position then you are more than likely dooming your resume by using a general, summary statement.
We see thousands of objective statements and you know what? They all pretty much sound exactly the same. Most say nothing more than, “My objective is to get a job with a good company who appreciates me.” Really?! This is your moment to shine! Someone is reading your resume and they are likely not going to spend very much time on it unless you give them something worth reading.
It should be brief. You should be able to recite it on cue. Three or four lines are all that is necessary.
It needs to be simple enough to understand. The average person reading your resume is no smarter than you or I. If they have to read your statement more than once to figure out what it is saying to them, then you have failed.
You should use proper grammar. Enough with the run-on sentences already! Again, can you recite it back to me?
Your statement should contain the following five elements:
Doing this exercise will likely take some time. You might even want to revisit it more than once. Go through each of the items listed above and write down everything that comes to mind. You can (and should) filter it later. Here is an example of someone I consulted with recently.
1. Job title: Operations Manager {This person ran his own successful business and as a business owner wore many hats. His target job could be any one of a dozen different things. We chose operations manager because that is where he felt he could really, really deliver value to an employer. And it does not rule him out for jobs such as estimating, sales, or project management.}
2. Experience: Ran his own remodeling and home improvement business for ten years. {Keep in mind that although you probably have all kinds of experience, you want to keep this very relative to the job title and where you are most valuable. The person has experience running commercial projects so he knows he can do it. But he does residential remodeling better!}
3. Skills (technical): Takeoffs, negotiate, sales, project management, dispute resolution. {He also has skills of swinging a hammer, and building walls – but we want to keep the focus on Operations Manager – and we only have about three lines to do it}
4. Accomplishments: Designed and built homes, additions, kitchens, decks, garages, light commercial up-fits and commercial interior office space. Designed the curved ladder hoist system for the roof of the HSBC area during construction. {Make a grand list of your accomplishments. Be sure that they are your accomplishments and not the organization that you worked for. I honestly don’t care that it was a multi-million dollar organization. I want to know what you did with those dollars. The accomplishment (singular) that you put into your statement will say something about you. Is it a summary of the position you are trying to land?}
5. Personality (Soft skills): Engineer, inventor, designer, CAD, with a splash of sales. {Like it or not, personality is a major part of landing most jobs. Personality is what most hiring managers subconsciously look for. So show them the part of you that you want to highlight. In this example, we did not say “attention to detail”. We said engineer and inventor.}
Engineer, inventor, and CAD designer turned residential and light commercial contractor. Ten years self-employed spent acquiring and using skills of project management, sales, negotiating, dispute resolution, and take-offs prepared me for work as an Operations Manager.
Or how about this?
Engineer, inventor, and CAD designer honed skills of project management, sales, negotiating, dispute resolution, and take-offs as a home improvement & light commercial, contractor over the last ten years. Owning and growing this business was fantastic preparation for a job as an Operations Manager.
Or:
I own a successful contracting business; honing my skills of project management, sales, negotiating, dispute resolution, and take-offs through the last ten years. I’m an Engineer, an inventor, and a CAD designer. I bring all this experience to the table as your next Operations Manager.
Or:
I’m an Engineer, an inventor, and CAD designer turned Contractor. I’ve completed countless remodels, additions, and several new homes while honing my skills of management, sales, dispute resolution, and estimating. I bring all this experience to the table as your next Operations Manager.
The point is – you’re not going to get it right the first time. Or even in the first sitting. Play with it. Come back to it later. Recite it to somebody.
More on this subject:
Sep 7th
More than likely your objective statement tells your prospective employer that you are looking for a job. And more than likely it implies that the job you want is in the same category as his company.
Consider stating your objective in your initial email. Make it clear and honest. Ditch the cliche textbook crap! Many employers or hiring managers have read thousands of cover letters and here’s the hint – most cover letters read exactly the same! The guy who applied before you read the same how-to book in high school.
When your strategy is to blanket the planet with your resume, custom cover letters may feel like a burden. The solution: send less but put more into them.
Here are some Do’s for cover emails to guarantee that you get noticed:
There is certainly a lot of competition for the position you are trying to obtain. Do the things I’ve listed above and I promise your results will be better.
Feb 6th
This article is excerpted from Squawkfox and is useful in locating work. Note that #8 of these steps is using headhunting/placement agencies. That’s US!
Here it is….
This article is part of a four part series on the ways to kick start your job hunt. To start this series from the beginning, read the introduction.
Now that you’ve walked a winding career path, it’s time to hit the pavement and find yourself a job. Finding work is a lot easier with a career direction in focus. Knowing where you want to go is the hard part. Getting there is a matter of finding a map and heading off onto the hunt.
Depending on your desired career direction, there are countless places to look for work. Some opportunities may be obvious, others can take some effort to uncover. Either way, job hunting involves dedicated time and patience. My mom used to tell me “Finding a job is a full time job,” and I’m inclined to believe her. So get your hunting shoes on, and let’s look at some places to find your perfect job.
Job Hunting Series:
1. Choose Your Career
2. Find Your Job
3. Research the Employer
4. Make Your Match
Here are ten places to look when hunting for a job:
1. Your Network
Your network is a loose term to define your social, business, community, and professional connections. Opportunities come from people, and the more people who know you the better your chances of future success. I’ve found my greatest job hunting success by contacting and speaking with various groups of people. I’ve written a whole detailed article on ways to build and nurture your social network:
* Ten tips to nurture your network
Here’s a list of people and a gaggle of groups that may comprise your social network:
1. Family: Chances are your family can lend a helping (and familiar) hand. Your biggest job break may come from a relative who wants to keep employment in the family.
2. Friends: Be sure to contact your chums and and tell your pals you’re in the market for work. Word travels fast within a circle of friends.
3. Colleagues: The breadth and diversity of jobs available though a network of past colleagues is astounding. Do dial-in to the depth of this network by calling past colleagues and finding out what prospects are in the works.
4. Alumni Associations: Many alumni associations offer services to match graduates with jobs.
5. Professional Clubs: Professionals like to hang out together and are likely to hire from within their peer group. So join clubs like Toastmasters to help in the job hunt.
6. Local Networking Clubs: Every city and town boasts clubs to help foster business connections and growth in your area. Joining your local Chamber of Commerce is a great way to find people with your business passion.
7. Past Employers: If they hired you once, will they hire you again? You never know until you call a past employer to see if there’s an opportunity in the works for you.
8. Social Media: Like to network online? Then try social networking resources like Facebook or LinkedIn.
2. Professional Associations
Are you an Engineer? A Teacher? A Medical Professional? A Writer? Or someone in a profession with an association of club? Many professional associations offer members access to valuable job banks and seek to foster relationships with employers. These job banks are like gold mines to those looking for a golden job nugget. Be sure to ask for a membership discount If you’re unemployed, a new graduate, or looking to enter a new career. Many of these associations will offer deep discounts for those who ask, so don’t be shy.
3. Universities or Colleges
Got a fancy piece of paper? Then use it by calling up your alumni association and asking about alumni job banks and employer contacts. Both of my alumni associations provide online access to awesome job boards for past students. Since I got my degrees from these schools, they are more than likely to boast connections to jobs that match my qualifications. So dig out your old student card, find your student number, and login to an often forgotten source of jobs – your university or college.
4. Search Online
Boot up your browser and start searching for jobs online. For the computer savvy this is a common way to find work. To be honest though, I’ve had more success landing work by consulting my social network or joining a professional association. But I have managed to source some cool jobs by searching job banks online. Some sites offer access to all industries while other provide targeted information to specific careers. Here are some of the bigger, more reputable sources:
Canada:
General Industry Job Boards:
* Canadian Chamber of Commerce
* Canadian Tourism Commission
* Monster Canada
* Eluta
* Working Canada
* GoodWork Canada (environment friendly jobs)
Media Jobs:
* CBC Radio Canada
* Jeff Gaulin (a job for every journalist)
United States:
General Industry Job Boards:
* Monster
* Career Builder
* Yahoo Hot Jobs
If you have a favorite online job site, please comment below and I’ll be happy to add it to this list.
5. Local Newspapers and Radio Stations
I s$it you not. In today’s fast paced high tech environment, fabulous jobs are still to be had by tearing open a local newspaper. I found my current contract by getting dirty with a little newsprint and consulting the Careers Section. If you live in a smaller city or town, I’ve found local newspapers to be the main source for advertising work. Many local companies and organizations rely on the local radio station and paper to get their voice heard, and haven’t started using the internet or corporate web pages to boast their opportunities as of yet. So don’t forget to consult your community paper to see what’s available in your area. You may just be surprised, I know I was.
6. Job Fairs
Many cities, schools, and industries boast job fairs to match job hunters with employers. Job fairs can provide general information about career options and specific information about job openings. Job fairs can be an awesome way to look for job, research an employer, and collect a network of job contacts. I’ve attended job fairs both as a job hunter as as a member of a company hiring team. As a job hunter I’ve always attended dressed professionally and with my resume in hand. As an employer looking to hire I’ve attended in the hopes of finding exceptional talent to join my team. Job fairs can be found through newspaper advertisements, professional association newsletters, or university alumni associations.
7. Government Jobs
Governments are huge organizations needing lots of employees to make things run. Government work can be found at multiple levels, including: federal, state or provincial, municipal, and local. Since there are multiple industries that work within the government and many tiers of jobs available, why not consult your government office. Here are some quick job board links to get you started:
Canadian Government:
* Federal Government
* Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC)
* Canadian Municipalities
United States Government:
* United States Federal Government (official site)
8. Headhunters or Placement Agencies
Headhunters, or placement agencies, are professionals who place job hunters in a position for a fee. This fee is usually paid by the hiring company. Many placement agencies work within multiple industries and with numerous companies to help place job seekers with hiring companies. These agencies can have valuable sources and contacts to help you find the perfect job.
9. Libraries
My local library has this neat thing called a job board. This job board is made of cork, uses thumb tacks, and provides a direct way for employers to post jobs and for hunters to post resumes. It’s an old fashioned solution to modern problem – connecting job hunters with employers. Your local library may just have your dream job advertised on cork.
10. Pound the Pavement
Get your job hunting shoes on and your address book ready ’cause the final method for finding a job involves pounding the pavement. I’ve been known to get dressed for success and knock on a few employer doors with my resume in hand. This form of job hunting takes some confidence and a little bit of might to get right into a prospective employer’s space and say, “Here’s my resume, I’d love to discuss your employment opportunities.” I’ve actually landed two jobs by using this ballsy approach. You never know when an unadvertised job becomes available to you by simply knocking on the door of opportunity.
Have you found job hunting success by using any of these methods? Do you have a job hunting secret you wanna share? Where did you find your last job?
Feb 4th
The following article appeared in Buffalo First:
Grant helps jobless get back to work
Business First of Buffalo – by Tracey Drury
A Buffalo nonprofit agency has received a $320,000 grant to expand a program that helps individuals get back to work. Child & Family Services received the new funding for 2009 through the national Ways to Work program, designed to help provide loans up to $4,000 to enable individuals to maintain employment, complete college or purchase a reliable used car to provide transportation to work. The Milwaukee-based organization is funded by the McNight Foundation and the Alliance for Children and Families, of which Child & Family is a member agency.
The Ways to Work program also provides loans for business purposes, such as funding the purchase of carpeting or fencing for an in-home day-care provider; or to acquire equipment for a snow plow or landscaping business. Often, the education orientation session alone makes a difference, helping participants develop a spending plan or learn how to address or negotiate delinquent credit and access free tax preparation, says program director Laurie Schaller. “Because there’s no income limit, I think the working families are not aware of the availability of this loan program,” Schaller says. “Employers, as well – this is a service that can help to retain their workforce.” Since 1999, the local agency has made nearly 1,000 loans worth more than $2.25 million through the loan program, with a 90 percent repayment rate.
The loans also serve to help families build or improve their credit rating. Nationally, the agency is in the top 88th percentile for loan
volume. Local funders for the program include M&T Bank and HSBC Bank. All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
Feb 3rd
The following article was posted in BUFFALO FIRST today. It’s an opportunity to get more training for job placement!
“Erie County, the city of Buffalo and Erie Community College are teaming up to assist displaced workers by offering free training opportunities.
Officials have announced two locations hosting “One-Stop Career Centers.”
The centers will offer a wide range of employment and training services to individuals who are unemployed, looking to change careers, or seeking advancement in their current field.
Those seeking assistance can go to the Buffalo Employment & Training Center, located at 77 Goodell Street in the city, and the ECC Employment & Training Center, 3176 Abbott Road in Orchard Park.”
