In celebration of “Fat Tuesday” – one of our dedicated applicants, Kendra brought our VP Heather Hooper and the Arlington Office Mardi Gras cookies! 

These look good…enjoy Fat Tuesday everyone!

Beginning next week, Burnett’s will be rolling out video interviews, which allows their clients to view job seeking candidates in a video, before committing to an interview. “We felt that our clients would appreciate the ability to see and hear candidates answer questions specific to their openings, before meeting in person,” said company President Paul Burnett. “The first interview is always awkward for both parties. By using video technology there are no surprises – the clients knows what they’re getting, and our candidates have a much greater chance of being hired,” said Burnett.

Now that the Texas job market appears to be improving, forward thinking companies are introducing new technologies. The internet continues to be a powerful medium for companies to source talent and fewer job seekers are relying solely on paper. Today, job seekers are connected to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, which serve as a gold mine for recruiters and HR professionals. However, many candidates fail to recognize that what they post on their social media sites could be seen by anyone, including a possible employer. For reasons such as this, Burnett’s recruiters continually advise candidates to be mindful of what they post on line.

Through an industry contact, Burnett’s was introduced to TalentRooster, a video technology service. Over the past year Burnett’s leadership had been watching video interviews become more mainstream. Ultimately they felt that TalentRooster technology offered the best solution for their candidates and clients. “We are really excited to be in Dallas with Burnett’s,” said TalentRooster CEO David DeCapua. “Texas continues to be a fantastic market, ripe for video technology.”

 Sharon is a Staffing Coordinator for Burnett’s Staffing in our Fort Worth Office and as you can see,  we are excited it’s her birthday! 

Sharon is a fabulous woman, a great friend, and collegue.  We wish her a happy day and a successful and productive year with us! 

 Special wishes Sharon from your Burnett’s Staffing family!

While less than a quarter of employers reported plans to hire full-time employees in 2012, 36 percent said they planned to hire contract and temporary workers this year, a new survey from CareerBuilder and the American Staffing Association reports.

Looking for a permanent home? A temporary job could turn into a full-time role. Of the employers that plan to hire temporary workers in 2012, 35 percent say they eventually plan to make the roles permanent.

“Temporary jobs from staffing and recruiting firms are playing an increasingly important role in the economic recovery,” says Eric Gilpin, president of CareerBuilder’s Staffing & Recruiting Group. “Our studies have pointed to a rise in these positions post-recession as companies address growing market needs. Employers are relying on temporary and contract workers to support leaner staffs, and in many cases will transition those workers to permanent roles.”

The benefits of taking on a temp job extend beyond the possibility of transitioning into full-time employment. If you’re unemployed, a temp job could help you close the gap on your résumé, let you learn new skills and provide opportunities to network with people in your industry.

“Candidates [who accept temporary jobs] will find good pay, flexibility, opportunities to change careers, valuable skills training and a bridge to permanent employment,” says Richard Wahlquist, president and CEO of the American Staffing Association.

Opportunities for contract and temporary jobs can be found in any industry. According to data from CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand Portal, the following staffing and recruiting positions are in-demand.

Health care
1. Occupational or physical therapist
2. Speech language pathologist

Industrial
1. Maintenance technician or mechanic
2. CNC (computer numerical control) machinist

Information technology
1. Java or .Net developer
2. Network engineer

Office-clerical
1. Administrative Assistant
2. Customer service representative

Professional-managerial
1. Business Analyst
2. Marketing assistant

Check out the following articles for tips and advice on turning a temp job into full-time employment:

Turn a temp gig into a full-time job

Looking for a permanent job? Consider starting with seasonal work

True stories: “I went from temporary worker to full-time hire”

Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz.  She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2886-Job-Search-A-temp-job-could-be-the-key-to-finding-permanent-work-this-year/?SiteId=cbmsnjm42886&sc_extcmp=JS_2886_jobmod

I care about whether you like me. I want you to like me. When I come off like a hard-ass who doesn’t care about your opinion of me, it’s an act. My business is an extension of myself. I want you to like it. And me.

I don’t think I know everything. A few people stepped in, without being asked, and made a huge difference in my professional life. I will always be grateful to them. I don’t offer you advice because I think I’m all knowing or all-powerful. I see something special in you, and I’m repaying the debt I owe to the people who helped me.

I think it’s great when you’re having fun. You don’t have to lower your voice and pretend to be working hard when I walk by. I know it’s possible to work hard and have a little fun at the same time. Before I got all serious, I used to work that way.

When you enjoy what you do, it makes me feel a little better about my company and myself. I get to feel like I’ve created something more than just a business.

I want to pay you more. I would love to be the employer of choice in the industry or the area.  I can’t, mostly due to financial constraints but partly because the risks I’ve taken require a reasonable reward. If I go out of business tomorrow, you lose your job. That’s terrible, I know. But I lose my business, my investment, my credit, my house… sometimes I lose everything.

Someday, when you start your business, I promise you’ll understand.

I want you to work here forever. Job-hopping may be a fact of business life, but as an owner it’s a fact I hate. I don’t see you as a disposable part. When you leave, it hurts. A part of me feels like I’ve failed.

I want to own the kind of business people hope to retire from.

Sales don’t appear by magic. I know you despise filling certain types of orders. They’re aggravating, they cause you to fall behind… they’re a pain. You wish we would sell other work. Unfortunately (from your point of view at least) sometimes the orders that take the most time are actually the most profitable.

And even if they aren’t, sometimes those orders are the only thing we can sell.

Sometimes I even take terrible work because it’s the only way to keep the lights on.

I would love to turn you loose. You can’t stand to be micromanaged. That’s good because I hate micromanaging. But freedom is earned, not given. Show me you can fly on your own and I’ll gladly focus on something or someone else.

In fact, if you feel I’m micromanaging you, step forward. Say, “Jeff, I can tell you don’t quite trust me to handle this well. I understand, so I’m going to prove you can trust me.”

Do it and I’ll get off your back and respect you even more.

I notice when others don’t pull their weight. I’m not blind. But I won’t discipline those individuals in front of you. No employees, no matter how poorly they perform, loses their right to confidentiality and privacy.

And sometimes I won’t discipline them at all, because occasionally more is going on than you know. You wouldn’t realize that, though, because oftentimes…

There are things I just can’t tell you. Even though I would love to, and even though you and I have become friends.

Ownership is the smorgasbord of insecurity. I worry about sales. I worry about costs. I worry about facilities and employees and vendors and customers and… you name it, I worry about it.

So occasionally I’m snappy. Occasionally I’m distracted. Occasionally I’m tense and irritable and short-tempered. It’s not your fault. I’m just worried.

More than anything, I’m worried about whether I can fulfill the trust you placed in me as your employer.

Jeff Haden learned much of what he knows about business and technology as he worked his way up in the manufacturing industry. Everything else he picks up from ghostwriting books for some of the smartest leaders he knows in business. @jeff_haden

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/10-things-bosses-never-tell-employees.html

If you want to work for the senior home-care organization Visiting Angels in Ann Arbor, Mich., be prepared for a thorough background check. “I wouldn’t even consider hiring an employee without one,” says owner and director Angil Tarach-Ritchey. “Employees not only need to be trusted by the employer, they are a reflection of our business. The check brings peace of mind and less risk for future problems, and I use it as an educational and marketing tool so the elderly, their families and our referral sources know that we value their safety.”

Tarach-Ritchey is not alone. A variety of employers are turning to background checks as a way of ensuring applicant suitability. And while certainly not a new phenomenon, it is one that is on the rise.

“The trend toward greater use of background checks could be driven by several factors, including technological advances that make the screening process easier, faster and more economical,” says Mary Massad, vice president of talent acquisition and retention strategies for Insperity Recruiting Services in Houston. “Also, there is greater awareness by employers that candidates may not always be completely honest about their background and employment histories.”

According to Massad, a complete background check often includes the following:

• Review of work history. The applicant will typically be asked to provide first and last pay stubs to confirm length of employment and salaries at previous jobs.

• Verification of Social Security information. Federal databases will help verify that a candidate is providing accurate information and has a legal right to work in the United States.

• Criminal background check. Local criminal records, as well as those in jurisdictions where the applicant has lived during the past seven years, will reveal information about an applicant’s criminal background.

• Confirmation of education. Schools or universities listed on the applicant’s résumé will be contacted to verify the applicant’s attendance, degree and graduation year.

• Review of driving record. Employers typically obtain motor vehicle records on candidates whenever a job requires driving, such as deliveries or sales calls.

Increasingly, employers also are performing credit checks. According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, 47 percent of companies run credit checks before hiring for select positions, and 13 percent do so for all positions. While searches are most common for applicants who will have financial responsibility (handling cash, banking, accounting, technology), checks are becoming more commonplace for those seeking senior executive positions and for anyone who has access to highly confidential employee information, such as salaries, benefits and medical records.

So what should an applicant do when confronted with an employer who wants to run a check? Don’t lie, and know ahead of time what the hirer will find.

“As far as preparing for an employer running a background check, there is very little the applicant can do. He cannot influence the outcome, so our advice is to be totally honest and upfront about any criminal past and be able to articulate a reasonable story about either how it happened or what has transpired since that makes the applicant a good risk,” says Dan Chaney, director of human resource advisory services at Employers Resource Association, a nonprofit serving small and medium businesses in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. As for a credit check, he suggests job seekers obtain a free credit report and be prepared to explain the results if necessary.

Guidance policies from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission deter companies from discriminatory practices. Results from a criminal background check must be approached with fairness, taking into account such factors as the nature of the offense, the age of the offense and the relationship of the offense to the job. A poll conducted by the SHRM reveals that the majority of employers comply with EEOC expectations.

Thus, job seekers subjected to checks should not think a company is attempting to dig up embarrassing dirt. Most employers are just trying to run a good business, and verifying a new employee’s background can be in the organization’s best interest. As Massad notes, “Few businesses boast perfect records on hiring decisions. Mistakes, such as blindly trusting candidates to provide honest information on their résumés or during interviews, can have long-term repercussions for employers that may include work disruption, lost revenue, low employee morale, litigation or even damage to a company’s reputation. Background checks have become an essential hiring tool that can help protect a company.”

Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2660-Job-Search-Why-do-employers-do-credit-and-background-checks/?SiteId=cbmsnjm42660&sc_extcmp=JS_2660_jobmod

It was more than a pleasant surprise then, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly employment report showed that 243,000 jobs were added in January, the largest monthly gain since April 2011. The increase was significant enough to drop the unemployment rate to 8.3 percent, a three-year low point. According to the New York Times, today’s report is “the strongest signal yet that an economic recovery [is] spreading to the jobs market.”

Other signs that the job market recovery is picking up speed?

1. According to the Conference Board’s monthly Help Wanted Online report, the number of advertised job openings online increased by 61,300 in January, to 4,383,400. Online job postings increased by 207,118 year-over-year.

2. Yesterday, the U.S. Labor Department reported that the number of first-time filings for unemployment insurance fell to 367,000 last week. Economists consider fewer than 400,000 new filings per week to be a sign of strong hiring trends.The four-week filing average, a more stable indicator of UI claims, fell to 375,500 — the second lowest four-week average since June 2008.

3. CareerBuilder recently released a list of 22 companies that are currently looking to hire a total of more than 38,000 new employees around the country.

http://www.theworkbuzz.com/news/job-market-recovery-off-to-a-great-start-in-2012/

Employers admit rejecting applicants based on online information

Most screening of social media profiles occurs after an application is received or after an initial conversation with a candidate occurs, meaning that even before you hit apply, you need to have your online profile buttoned up — even if you don’t intend to use it for professional purposes.

The top reasons that employers rejected candidates had to do with content found on their social media profiles, with the top 5 reasons being:

1.  Lied about their qualifications (13 percent)

2.  Demonstrated poor communications skills (11 percent)

3.  Posted negative comments about a previous employer (11 percent)

4.  Posted inappropriate photos/comments (11 percent each)

5.  Made discriminatory comments (10 percent)

Other reasons included that candidates posted content about drinking or using drugs or sharing confidential information from a previous employer. Only seven percent of respondents said they had not rejected a candidate based on information from a social networking site.

Your personal profile still needs to be professional

We asked our Facebook fans if they used their profile for professional reasons and most didn’t, saying that they kept their profile under lock and key. (Sidenote: You may want to double-check your settings, because I saw more than you think I did.) But even if a potential employer can’t get to your full profile to see what you’re posting, he/she may be judging you based solely on your profile photo. Therefore, if you look slovenly or your artistic photo could be viewed as risque or vulgar, a recruiter probably isn’t going to call you. Put up a clean, clear head and shoulders photo just to be taken seriously. The same goes for your Twitter account, which leads me to how you’re branding yourself and how you’re coming across online.

Staying positive is work in and of itself

It’s so easy to be a Negative Ned or Nancy in social media. Typically, you’re joining a community of people who are in the same boat, or you can easily access other people who validate your feelings. I’ve been unemployed, and I know that it’s an awful experience. You typically feel directionless, worthless, as if you have no desirable skills and that you’ll be unemployed until the end of time. And it’s okay to be angry, disappointed and upset about all these things and to express all of those feelings in a healthy way to friends and family — even through social media outlets. But be careful about how negative you get and how the company you keep can reflect upon you in the eyes of others.

Incessant complaining or persistent negativity can send potential employers running once they’ve found you, because they don’t want someone with that kind of attitude coming in to their work environment to spread dissent among the other employees.

Think about it: If someone you’re connected to could possibly line you up with a job or refer you, would they if they see you’re constantly negative in posts or tweets? I’m also amazed at the people who actually go to social network sites of companies that they’ve applied to and they STILL have the audacity to post negatively. Do they think that will help their chances?

My suggestion is to always verbalize the negative thought if you have one and then, as Bethenny Frankel suggests, get to a place of yes. Switch around your attitude and turn your negative comment into an opportunity for a question about how to improve your chances or your skills or what else you can do to alleviate the pains of your job search.

Cleaning up your online brand can make a difference

Kaitlin wrote two articles on personal branding, and I think most people need to review these two pieces. Your marketable brand is you. Your job is not your brand. It’s your skills, personality, intelligence, aptitude to change and evolve and be a self-starter, etc. This should be reflected in your social media channels.

Other things to consider:

• If you’re not in social media, what does that say about you to a recruiter or employer?

• If you infrequently post to social media every three months, what does that say about you to a recruiter or employer?

I participated in a job chat the other day that discussed what to do when you’re unemployed. Recruiters agreed that a robust social media presence demonstrated that a candidate wasn’t just sitting around doing nothing and was a self-starter, had an appetite to learn and engage in dialogue and discuss issues. Even if you’re at square one, here are tips for how to utilize social media for your job search.

Your homework — think about these questions:

• How often are you utilizing social media as part of your job search process (even if you’re employed and looking for another opportunity)
• What do you think your social media profiles say about you to a potential employer if he or she reviewed it
• What changes would you make in your social activity knowing that recruiters are now looking for your content?

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2780-Job-Search-Negativity-gets-you-nowhere-in-a-social-media-job-search/?SiteId=cbmsnjm42780&sc_extcmp=JS_2780_jobmod

Boy, wouldn’t the ability to read minds come in handy during the job interview? At the risk of stating the obvious, who wouldn’t love to know what hiring managers really think about your qualifications or what they consider the perfect answer to a certain question? Armed with this information, you’d be a step ahead of other job applicants.  Unfortunately, none of us have this skill. But you can get a peek into the minds of most hiring managers. Read on to find out what they’re likely thinking but won’t admit.