Micro Tech Staffing is on the move

The Staffing View

On business, the workplace and employee relations

_November, 2010

 

Micro Tech’s Featured Jobs Openings for November

NET/JAVA Software Engineer - Boston and Providence

This is a Permanent position with a salary of $95,000 Candidates should be versatile and willing to learn new technologies They should be experienced in either NET or Java

Application Integration Software Engineer - Boston, MA

Responsible for designing, developing and maintaining backup and disaster recovery strategies using industry standard backup applications and client’s disk based backup solution  This is a great opportunity to learn about all popular backup applications and become an expert in disk based backup and disaster planning

Mortgage Underwriter, Chelsea, MA

This is a temp to perm opportunity that pays $22-$25/hr  Candidates must have experience in Mortgage Underwriting, preferably in a bank or credit union

Permanent Direct Endorsement Underwriter, Worcester, MA

Qualifications include a minimum of three years experience with secondary market mortgage underwriting, FNMA & Freddie Mac, as well as Federal Housing Administration and VA lending experience Applicants should be capable of completing a thorough analysis of loan files to determine compliance with company, investor and FHA/VA guidelines Requirements also include the ability to evaluate the entire credit package and collateral of loan applicant, as well as having a sound knowledge of automated underwriting and guidelines Salary for this position ranges from $60,000 to 65,000 depending on experience

Job Search Blunder: Trying to Fit Into Every Opening

Imagine you’re an HR manager with two resumes before you At the top of the first resume is a job objective that states “a challenging position in a growth oriented company” The second resume includes a job objective that states “senior design specialist in cloud computing” Which one will get your attention?

The job objective, that statement you place at the start of your resume about the position you seek, can determine whether an HR person continues to read your resume or sends it to the slush pile As Pam Lassiter, author of The New Job Security points out, an unfocused job objective tries to be “all things to all people” But one that is precise about function and industry gives the HR manager a clearer understanding of you and how you can meet the company’s needs

“The job objective helps communicate to them how to think about you,” Lassiter said recently from her Boston office “If you are changing functions or industry, the objective statement is critical, because your last job title isn’t going to show it Job seekers are helping HR people think about where they’re qualified and HR appreciates the self awareness about what you want to do”

Lassiter says the objective is the same as the topic sentence in a paragraph and it requires a lot of forethought before it goes on to the paper

“It’s the intersection of four forces: your goals, your values, the marketplace and your experience,” she says “As your topic sentence, everything else in the resume should support it”

Don’t be afraid to be focused or to target markets Your goal is not to avoid missing out on jobs that you might be qualified for, assuming the HR person considers your resume long enough to match it against all available openings Rather, think about the job you want, research the needs of your target company, then craft your opening statement to connect your goals with their problems

“If you have experience in manufacturing and want to continue that experience, what type of manufacturing are you talking about?” asks Lassiter “What are their needs and what does the market want to hear? Then package yourself in their vocabulary showing how you’ve delivered against their needs”

Writing a statement that answers what a market wants to hear involves doing your research on a company A manufacturing firm filling a financial position might want someone with a background in cost accounting, taxation or importing and exporting Or an HR manager might be stopped by an objective statement that recognizes the pressure points for a company in his industry sector

“HR people love those resumes because you are clearly interested in their industry and you’re knowledgeable about their industry,” says Lassiter

Considering the hundreds of resumes hiring managers often receive for a single job opening, the easier you can make their job by having a clear, sharp objective statement, the better your odds of getting a second look That’s particularly important when trying to leap from one industry to another As Lassiter points out, you may know that you sales skills will work in a coveted financial services position, but if you don’t communicate that the HR person will move on She certainly has resumes from people already in financial services and she knows they have the skills Package yourself in a way that saves the hiring manager the effort of trying to figure you out

Are You a Builder or a Climber?

If you follow college athletics you’re aware of the view that many basketball or football coaches are careerists who hop from one school to the next, touting their achievements in the success of the team and then jumping ship when rules are broken and scandals emerge

In the management world they might fall into the category of “climbers” They climb the ladder of success on the backs of others, taking credit for how well their department is doing, rarely mentioning the contribution of other managers or employees They contrast with business leaders that are “builders” These are the people who build up their employees and in the process create a strong team Together they reach common goals

Dan Bobinski, a behavioral analyst and management consultant and author of the book Creating Passion-Driven Teams, says that where you fall on the spectrum between climbers and builders has a lot to do with your effectiveness as a manager In fact, says Bobinski, it could be the largest factor in determining you ability to create a “passion-driven” team Do you inspire people or are you seen as self-centered?

If you’re a builder you display these characteristics:

• You invest in people


• You spend time training others


• You point out how the team’s work contributes to the company mission and values


• You offer clear advice to your co-workers


• When problems arise, you take responsibility

If you’re a climber, you’ll have more of these traits:

• You want the limelight


• You’re quick to take credit for the work of others


• You regularly talk about your role in the company’s success


• You don’t offer guidance to others


• When problems arise you look for others to blame

Many managers take management assessments to get a better understanding of their own style These exams help to evaluate executive skills, leadership abilities, and how effectively you communicate with others You may think you know yourself, but an assessment could open your eyes to habits, weak areas or attitudes of which you were unaware

With or without an assessment, any management expert will advise that the first step to building team success is to treat people fairly You can do that by being a “builder” and not a “climber”

Micro Tech On The Move

As the economy slowly recovers from the Great Recession, Micro Tech Staffing Group continues to grow Along with our newest office in Worcester, MA, we’ll soon be opening locations in New Bedford, MA and Amesbury, MA on the New Hampshire border That will bring us to 17 offices in eight states from Maine to Georgia

As for business, employers are still reluctant to add permanent employees and continue to turn to Micro Tech Staffing Group for qualified temporary personnel October was the best month in our 25-year-history and we’ve added more than 1,250 jobs during the past 12 months It’s a strategy that allows companies to maintain payroll flexibility and react quickly to any unexpected downturns that might occur or sudden sales increases

Coming soon is the new Micro Tech Staffing Group mobile app You’ll be able to check out our latest job openings from your iPhone, Blackberry or other mobile devices

Holiday Hiring

Tis’ just about the season when retailers ramp up their hiring in anticipation of all those holiday shoppers they hope will be roaming their stores For seasonal job seekers, the good news is that many forecasting firms are expecting this to be the strongest Christmas season since 2006 The International Council of Shopping Centers, for example, expects a 3 percent to 35 percent increase in year-to-year sales

As for hiring, in 2009 the nation’s retailers brought on more than 500,000 seasonal workers, according to consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc This year, Challenger is predicting more hiring, though not enough to match the more than 700,000 temporary jobs added in the fall of 2006 and 2007

The industries in which there will be the most demand for workers typically include retail; customer service; shipping and delivery; hospitality and administrative/clerical support

The uptick in hiring has been prompted by small gains in sales of late for many businesses, convincing retailers that consumers are more willing to open up their wallets this year The National Retail Federation agrees, though it doesn’t anticipate a nationwide spending spree It expects shoppers to spend an average of $68887 over the holidays, up from $68183 last year

Seasonal job seekers will find their best opportunity for work at large discount retailers, according to Challenger, because they’ll be favored by cost-conscious consumers Department store operator Kohl’s Corp plans to increase its seasonal hiring by 21 percent this year, which translates to about 35 new employees for each of its 1,089 stores  Toys "R" Us Inc plans to hire 45,000 seasonal workers, doubling its work force across the country That includes about 10,000 more hires than in recent years to staff the 600 temporary Toys "R" Us Express stores it plans to open