Why Most Job Searches Fail and How to Prevent It

Why Most Job Searches Fail and How to Prevent It

What do YOU think? Why or Why Not Do YOU think you succeeded or failed at your last job search?

What constitutes a failed job search? Specifically it's a job search that was prematurely ended or did not end up resulting in the goals that you originally set for yourself. This is the same as letting discouragement and disillusionment lead us to settle for much, much less than we deserve and are capable of. In order to uncover exactly why this happens, it's important to understand how a job search is often unintentionally set up for failure.

To paint a picture of a typical scenario goes something like this:

You start out with a lot of excitement and a dreamy abundance of possibilities for your next career move. With a hearty enthusiasm you dive into activities such as updating your resume, searching job boards and perhaps talking confidentially to a couple of trusted friends. In the days to follow perhaps you contact a recruiter source that you know of or that may have been referred to you, connect with one or two industry peers and maybe answer a few on line job postings.

Then the following week you continue to answer several more job ads online.

Week three finds you with a certain apprehension about the lack of response you have received so far. You double check your resume for typo's and check to make sure your phone line is working.

And because these efforts above rarely produce any significant results, week four finds you feeling a range of negative emotions and the downward spiral really begins.

And since we are on the subject here are some underlying issues associated with job search failure:

Fear of the unknown and that you don't know *how* to do something

Waiting to do something or suspending action until you are ready because you want it to be *perfect* Over thinking your actions and others reactions to you

And finally, fear of actually reaching your goals (fear of success)

Combined, negative thoughts and feelings mixed with a poorly executed job search strategy is a true recipe for failure.

So, here are three tips you can use to avoid job search failure:

Tip One: Your Personal Plan

Your successful job search truly begins with a simple yet very clear plan. You need to know where you are going and you need to know specifically what your ultimate goal is. Then you need to commit to moving forward. Not taking action simply leads no where, while those who are focused, positive and committed to taking action succeed.

Tip Two: Have the Best Tools

These are the tools that you invest in that will help and support you in your job search efforts. They include (a combination of) but are not limited to: recruiters, the right job boards, networking, associations and trade journal research and involvement, social networking sites and capitalizing on your companies of choice as well as companies in growth mode. Growth mode companies can be a really critical component to your success because 80% of key positions are filled before they are ever advertised.

Tip Three: Create Your Courageous Goal

This is your personal weekly goal for the actions and activities you want to complete and the time you want to complete them in. You want your goals to be "courageous", meaning they will stretch you to achieve goals just a little bit out of your comfort zone. You also want your goals to be simple, crystal clear and motivating. This will create consistency in your activity which will bring you an abundance of positive job search results!

Pioneering a results oriented and successful job search is a combination of timing, common sense strategies and the right resources. Knowing how to avoid traps that lead to a failed job search will put you on the right path to achievement of your career goals.

by Mary Elizabeth Bradford - Career marketing expert and nationally certified professional resume writer, Mary Elizabeth Bradford is "The Career Artisan". Mary Elizabeth delivers simple ways for career seekers to focus on, find and land the job they want. For free articles and to sign up for her free tele-seminar "5 simple steps to focus on, find and land your dream job - starting today" visit http://www.maryelizabethbradford.com

Get a Job in 5 Minutes!

Get a Job in 5 Minutes

by James E. Challenger -James E. Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., is in his fourth decade of job search counseling after pioneering outplacement as an employer-paid benefit. He has authored three books, including Secrets of the Job Hunt and his most recent Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals.

James E. Challenger is right "on the money"! Read on! What do you think?


The first five minutes of any job interview are critical in the selection process!


For candidates seeking employment at a job fair, an initial interview with a company may last only five minutes. A job seeker has to be qualified in order to get the job but there will always be several other people who are equally qualified as far as the interviewer is concerned.


In the end, you will be hired because the interviewer personally likes you the best, not necessarily because you are the most qualified in the field of candidates. And many interviewers, especially in a job fair situation, will know whether or not he or she likes you the best within the first five minutes!


First impressions are vital, knowing that the interviewer will be speaking with several candidates within a short period of time. If you do not make a good impression immediately, the chances are that you will not be able to recover, however excellent your qualifications are for the job. It is a sobering thought to the average job seeker.


It means that you have little margin for error in presenting yourself. If you do make a mistake or present yourself in an unfavorable manner in the interviewer's opinion, you have erased your likability factor.


If you wish to sell any product successfully, it is necessary to know all you can about the product. In respect to the job search, the selling is done at the job interview and the product you must know so thoroughly is yourself. To maximize your chances of having a successful interview, you should keep the following points in mind:



1. Look the interviewer directly in the eyes and smile when you meet, with a firm, but not hard, handshake. You may be surprised how important those initial gestures are to the interviewer's impression of you.



If you avert your gaze, you may give the interviewer the impression of being shifty or unsure of yourself. If you give the person a "wet fish" handshake instead of a solid one, the impression may be that you are timid and ineffectual. If you crush the interviewer's hand, the pain will dim your luster.


Smiling sounds simple but is one of the most important rules of the interview. It sets the tone for the entire session, projecting you as a pleasant person. Make it a point to look at the interviewer directly when you are answering his or her questions.



2. Body language is also important. Do not fidget. Assume a comfortable posture from the outset and avoid shifting your position or crossing and re-crossing your legs. If you do, it may give the interviewer a message that you are uneasy or nervous, it can be translated into the perception you are trying to conceal something that you do not want the employer to know.


3. Know your resume thoroughly and be ready to elaborate on any point contained in it. Resumes do not get jobs; interviews do but you have to be in mental command of all of your important accomplishments.



You cannot take the chance of trying to ad-lib an unprepared answer to a pivotal interview request such as, "Tell me about yourself." Interviewers are after specific information about job candidates, not generalities. That is why you should commit your major accomplishments to memory before going into any interview.



4. Always try to be "up" psychologically for the interview. That is often the most difficult thing to do, especially if you have been job hunting for some period of time, but it is very important for the success of the interview.



If you appear downcast or depressed, or are unresponsive to the interviewer's questions or listless in your approach, you will rule yourself out of consideration for that job. Interviewers want enthusiastic, happy people who show a strong interest in the job. If you do not, another candidate most assuredly will.



5. You must do everything you can within moral bounds to get a job offer, and then evaluate it. Do not be overly concerned about what the job is in the beginning. Get the offer and then decide if you want it! You should listen for clues as to what the interviewer wants and try to be the person he or she wants you to be, within the scope of your own skills, desires and talents.



Anticipate the interviewer's questions as much as possible and be ready with all of your homework done. Then let the interviewer pick and choose what is to be discussed in the interview.



6. Bear in mind that your potential employer is operating within a limited amount of time, and will talk about what is important to him or her.



Therefore, you should be non-directive: allow the interviewer to choose exactly what he or she wants to talk about. Most interviews last 20 to 30 minutes at the maximum, so that is no time for you to interject with an agenda of your own or discuss points that you think should be covered. Doing that is an invitation to an early exit.



7. Be relaxed: it relaxes the interviewer. Focus all of your attention on the employer. You want him or her to feel witty, charming, urbane. Why? Because it makes the person feel good and the better the individual feels in your presence, the more likely you are to be making a favorable impression.


8. Respond to the interviewer's hospitality; accept anything that is offered. Even if you do not drink coffee, if the interviewer offers it, take a sip or two and then just leave the cup. Let that person be the host and you be the gracious guest.


9. Dress appropriately: conservative business suits, shirts and ties for men; suits or conservative dresses for women. Avoid any excesses such as long hair, heavy jewelry or earrings for men, flashy dresses or excessive makeup for women.



If you handle all of these matters well, you should make a favorable impression on the interviewer - but do not forget to ask for the "order" before you leave.


By James E. Challenger -James E. Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., is in his fourth decade of job search counseling after pioneering outplacement as an employer-paid benefit. He has authored three books, including Secrets of the Job Hunt and his most recent Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals.

The Right Way To Terminate Employees

It's NEVER fun to be terminated, it's NEVER fun to be the employer who has to terminate the employee either, but it is important to remember to be sensitive and keep things legal. Read on! TrainingSys.com has it right!

What do you think?

How to Terminate Employees Smartly

from October 2001 Recruiting, Inspiring & Retaining E-zine
Courtesy of http://www.trainingsys.com


• Work out all the details of any severance package before the termination meeting. You may want to ask the employee to sign a severance agreement with a litigation waiver if you are providing assistance above and beyond what laid off employees typically receive. (For employees 40 and older, make sure the agreement includes conditions and language consistent with the older Worker Benefit Protection Act.)


• Have a plan for retrieving any money or equipment the employee needs to return.


• Be prepared to answer the employee's questions about departure, references, unemployment, COBRA, and any assistance in finding another job.


• Strongly consider providing some outplacement assistance. This often redirects any employee anger into constructive efforts.


• Carefully craft your opening statement, clearly communicating that the employee is being terminated and why. While showing compassion, convey that all relevant managers agree with the decision, that all factors have been weighed, and that the decision is final--not open to discussion or negotiation. You may want to rehearse this statement or write it out.


• Cite reasons for the dismissal briefly and factually. don't make value judgments or attempt to analyze.


• Don't apologize, and don't take responsibility for the failure. You may want to just express regret that the opportunity did not work out.


• Don't talk about "how difficult this is for me." You still have a job, and the employee may resent your indulging in your discomfort.


• Have documentation of transgressions or poor evaluations on hand, but don't use them unless necessary. Make sure that the documentation is 100 percent accurate so you aren't compromised in any future legal proceedings.


• Aim for a 5- to 10-minute meeting. Maintain control of the session and don't stray from the central issue. If the employee gets argumentative, keep your responses measured and factual.


• Hold the meeting in a private area. If no neutral area is available or appropriate, the supervisor's office is fine.


• The ideal number of people representing the firm is usually two. (You want a witness, and you don't want someone to be alone with an employee who could get combative.) The person who evaluated the employee should participate, and the other representative might be from human resources.


• Arrange for the employee to remove personal effects in private.


• Terminate employees before Friday. Most experts prefer this timing because you're not ruining someone's weekend; the employee can immediately consult with a counselor, attorney, or other helpful professional; and fellow employees aren't building questions or anger over an entire weekend.


• Terminate employees at the end of the day. Letting someone go earlier can imply severe wrongdoing and "defame by innuendo."


• Try to avoid terminating employees around holidays or birthdays.


• Determine what will be said to remaining employees. The best route is usually to be quite general ("It just didn't work out") while avoiding dishonesty.


• Offer a delayed telephone exit interview, if appropriate, to demonstrate respect for the employee's observations and ideas.


• Try to end the termination meeting on an upbeat note, such as your organization's willingness to provide transition tools to the employee.


• Document the termination conference.


• If you need to terminate some employees and layoff others, try to do the terminating first. If you let everyone go at the same time, the laid off employees may blame their departures on failure to get rid of the poor performers.


Talking pains to terminate employees sensitively is the humane thing to do, and it is good business. You want a reputation for fairness and compassion throughout your industry and community, and you want to minimize any risk of litigation or charges of discrimination within your organization.


Remember that employers with 100 or more employees are covered by WARN--the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act. Effected nationally in February 1989, the act required employers to provide at least 60 days notice of plant closings and mass layoffs.

NOOSE in the NEWS!!!!!!

WHAT?

It's TRUE! Can U believe this still happens? SHAME ON Crom Companies!

FLORIDA CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES SUED FOR RACIAL HARASSMENT, THREATENING BLACK WORKER WITH NOOSE

EEOC Says Crom Companies Subjected African Americans to Racial Insults, Physical Abuse
MIAMI – The Crom Corporation and Crom Equipment Rentals violated federal law when they allowed the racial harassment of black employees, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today. The EEOC also says the Florida-based construction companies unlawfully suspended an African American employee for complaining about severe racial insults, threats and physical abuse.


According to the suit, a white employee at Crom’s Holly Hill, Fla., location locked a black coworker in a tool shed and then spray-painted the shed door with the word “Jail.” The EEOC said that the same white employee also put a hangman’s noose around the black employee’s neck, hung the noose in his work area, and threatened to decapitate him. Another African American employee was offended when he saw the noose hanging at the Holly Hill site. Crom was aware of the harassment but didn’t stop it, according to the suit. Instead, the EEOC said, Crom suspended the black worker after he complained about the noose and rewarded the white offender with a higher-paying position.


“It is shocking and sobering that such cruelty can still occur at an American workplace,” said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. “The EEOC will not falter in its quest to put an end to such injustice.”
Racial harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida (EEOC v. The Crom Corporation, Case No. 1:09-cv-00128-SPM-AK) after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.


EEOC Miami District Director Jacqueline McNair said, “Even in 2009, nooses still make their way into work environments. The EEOC will vigorously prosecute cases with this sort of workplace terror.”



EEOC Miami Regional Attorney Nora E. Curtin, added, “The nightmarish abuse endured in this case is appalling. The hangman's noose is a haunting symbol of racial hatred and must never be tolerated. Employers must take swift and meaningful action to punish those responsible for such outrageous conduct.”


Crom Corporation and Crom Equipment Rentals sell concrete water tanks and scaffolding and operate throughout Florida and in at least nine other states.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

Would YOU hire you?

Darlene McDaniel hits the nail right on the point! Think about it; if you wouldn't hire YOU, why would you expect someone else to?!!!!!

Would You Hire You?

May 31, 2009 by Darlene McDaniel
courtesy of www.bizzia.com

So many of you are out there in the market competing for jobs. Prior to the unemployment rate increasing, HR departments were very good at communicating rejection to job seekers.


If you applied, received an interview, typically you received a phone call or letter to let you know the status of your application. Today, not so. Many job seekers interview for a job, and then go home and wait by the phone. Unfortunately, the waiting may seem eternal when you don’t hear back from the organization one way or theno other. So my suggestion is to prepare for rejection. It is inevitable if you are seriously pursuing job opportunities. Here are three ways to help you prepare for rejection.


First, as you work your job search strategy, plan for “no”. In a perfect world, you would get a job offer every time you meet with an organization, but that is unrealistic. You are not going to get a job offer every time. So plan for it. Prepare yourself mentally so that you don’t allow discouragement to creep in. Every “no” is an opportunity to make an adjustment and keep moving forward in your search.


Second, keep your pipeline full of potential job opportunities. Don’t allow yourself to put all your hope on one job. If you have an opportunity to interview for a great job that you believe was tailor made for you. Find another one. Give yourself options so that if the opportunity doesn’t work out, you still have other opportunities where you are competing.


My third recommendation for you as you handle rejection in your job search is to learn how to self correct. If you are not getting job offers and no one is willing to give you feedback, than you have to learn how to assess the interviews, get input on your resume/cover letter, make minor or major adjustments and stay in the game. Self correction takes the anger and frustration out of the rejection.


Look at your self with an objective eye and ask yourself of you would really hire you based on your responses, your resume, your experience, etc.? If you wouldn’t hire your self than why should anyone else?

Sodermeyer More Experienced Judge When Nominated to Supreme Court

What do you think of Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice? WOW!

Judge Sotomayor nominated to high Federal Court
First Hispanic nominated to Supreme Court


WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice on Tuesday, praising her as “an inspiring woman'' with both the intellect and compassion to interpret the Constitution wisely.


Obama said Sotomayor has more experience as a judge than any current member of the high court had when nominated, adding she has earned the “respect of colleagues on the bench, the admiration of many lawyers who argue cases in her court and the adoration of her clerks, who look to her as a mentor.''


Standing next to Obama at the White House, Sotomayor recalled a childhood spent in a housing project in the Bronx as well as her upper-echelon legal career: “I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government.''


Barring the unexpected, Senate confirmation seems likely, given the large Democratic majority. If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current court, the third in history. She would succeed retiring Justice David Souter.


Senate Republicans pledged to give her a fair hearing. Given her background, any decision to filibuster could carry political risks, since Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the population and an increasingly important one politically.


Sotomayor would be unlikely to alter the ideological balance of the court, since Souter generally sides with the liberals on key 5-4 rulings. But at 54, she is a generation younger that Souter, and liberal outside groups hope she will provide a counterpoint to some of the sharply worded conservative rulings.


Introducing his choice, Obama said, “Along the way, she's faced down barriers, overcome the odds and lived out the American dream that brought her parents here so long ago.''


The president called on the Senate to confirm Sotomayor before the court begins its new term in October, and noted pointedly that she has already won Senate approval twice in her career.


She was nominated a federal judge by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then elevated to the appeals court by a Democrat, Bill Clinton. Senate Republicans slow-walked her confirmation more than a decade ago, in part because she was viewed even then as a potential pick for the Supreme Court.


The White House announcement ceremony was a picture of diversity, the first black president, appointing the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, who is white.


Sotomayor's nomination opens a new phase in the drive to replace Souter, as liberal and conservative groups alike scour the record she has compiled in 17 years on the federal bench.


In one of her most notable decisions, as an appellate judge she sided last year with the city of New Haven, Conn., in a discrimination case brought by white firefighters. The city threw out results of a promotion exam because too few minorities scored high enough. Coincidentally, that case is now before the Supreme Court.


That ruling has already drawn criticism from conservatives, and is likely to play a role in her confirmation hearing.


In one of her most memorable rulings as federal district judge, in 1995, Sotomayor ruled with Major League Baseball players over owners in a labor strike that had led to the cancellation of the World Series.


Obama referred to that in his remarks, then joked he hoped her support for the Yankees would not unduly influence New Englanders to oppose her in the Senate.


Among them is Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said, “The American people will want the Senate to carry out its constitutional duty with conscientiousness and civility.''


The Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, issued a statement that said: “Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly. But we will thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law evenhandedly, despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences.''


In his remarks, Obama made no mention of his earlier statement that he wanted a justice with empathy, although his remark that compassion was needed came close.



Sotomayor grew up in New York after her parents moved from Puerto Rico. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted to be a judge.


A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992. She became an appeals judge in 1998 for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers New York, Vermont and Connecticut.


At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, “I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it.''


Obama's nomination is the first by a Democratic president in 15 years.


One conservative group did not wait for the formal announcement. Wendy Long of the Judicial Confirmation Network, issued a statement calling Sotomayor a “liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important that the law as written.''


Abortion rights have been a flashpoint in several recent Supreme Court confirmations, although Sotomayor has not written any controversial rulings on the subject.


As a federal appeals court judge in 2002, she ruled against an abortion rights group that had challenged a government policy prohibiting foreign organizations receiving U.S. funds from performing or supporting abortions.


In her opinion, Sotomayor wrote that the government was free to favor the anti-abortion position over a pro-choice position when public funds were involved.


Sotomayor has spoken about her pride in her ethnic background and has said that personal experiences “affect the facts that judges choose to see.''


“I simply do not know exactly what the difference will be in my judging,'' she said in a speech in 2002. “But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage.''

From the moment Souter announced his resignation, it was widely assumed Obama would select a woman to replace him, and perhaps a Hispanic as well.


Obama came to office at a time when several potential vacancies loomed on the high court. Justice John Paul Stevens at is 89, and Ginsburg recently underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer.



By Ben Feller - Associated Press Writer

Advice: How to Get Feedback from an Interview

Alina Dizik cuts right to the heart of the matter of how to find out if you actually interviewed well! And that is NO easy task! Read on! What do YOU think?

Advice: How to Get Feedback from an Interview
By Alina Dizik

Getting interview feedback from a recruiter can help build your interview skills, but it’s important to use the right approach when asking–so you don’t harm your chances of landing the job, says Bill McGowan, founder of Clarity Media Group, a New York-based training and communications firm. Mr. McGowan offers advice on how to gather feedback during the job search.


What should you keep in mind when asking for feedback?
Don’t ask for feedback in a way that makes you sound defensive or insecure. Rather than say, ‘I’m afraid I might have come across unsure of my credentials,’ try, ‘I hope I was successful in thoroughly and clearly establishing why my credentials make me a good fit for this position.’ Remind them that this feedback is something you welcome in an effort to evolve and improve your own abilities, since you put a premium on effective communication skills. Do not give them the impression that you’re asking for feedback just to create more work for them. Keep your request for feedback professional, focused on your experience, expertise, recommendations from others and your ability to effectively convey what makes you a good candidate and distinctive from the other applicants.


How do you approach getting feedback–what are some of the logistics?
An email the following day thanking them for their time is the best vehicle in which to request feedback. But don’t ask for feedback with a tone that assumes the feedback is going to be negative. So perhaps saying, ‘I know you have a number of candidates to consider, and each of us likes to think we performed well in the interview. But there’s tremendous value in receiving feedback from your objective viewpoint. Embracing feedback as an opportunity to learn is how I’ve managed to grow and improve my skills in all of my previous positions, so thank you in advance for sharing any observations you feel would be constructive.’ If you do not get the job, it might be useful to send a follow-up email asking if the position went to someone else based on experience, or was the interview the determining factor.


What should a job seeker not ask when requesting interview feedback?
Try not to ask for feedback in areas that would make employers feel uncomfortable. For example, don’t ask if they thought you were dressed inappropriately, or whether your age was a negative. If you have a strong speech impediment or accent, do not ask if that torpedoed your chances.


How does feedback from an interviewer help in the job search?
Three themes must come through in any job interview and you must ask the interviewer to give you feedback as to whether you were clear in making these points: How your specific previous experience has given you the skills and tools that would allow you to excel in the job you’re seeking, how your advance research of the prospective employer revealed a number of project areas that dovetail with what you’re professionally passionate about, and what makes you distinctive from the other candidates they’ve interviewed.


After what type of interview should you seek feedback?
Any type of job that requires client relations and the skills necessary for successfully interacting with people on a regular basis will make it all the more important that you perform well in a job interview: public relations, marketing or sales. Many people do not ask for feedback for fear they’re going to hear criticism. Improving job interviewing skills requires a thick skin and a determination to improve through critical self examination.


What should job hunters avoid?
Do not let your request for feedback stand alone. It should be couched in a broader thank you note–otherwise, it’s as if you’re giving the interviewer more work to do. Don’t approach the request from a standpoint of insecurity, like, ‘I’m afraid I might have come off as lacking confidence.’ Dont’ ask simplistically, ‘How did I do?’


Who else besides a recruiter can you ask for feedback?
Visiting a job interviewing coach can be a useful way to spar with a professional communications analyst in advance of your interview. Short of that, videotape yourself role-playing through a job interview with a family member or friend, and then examine the video with a mentor for constructive criticism. Even without a mentor, looking at yourself on tape is an amazing learning tool.


Readers, do you find feedback from past interviews are valuable learning tool? How have you obtained feedback from previous interviews?


You can comment here on this blog or at http://blogs.wsj.com/laidoff/2009/05/19/advice-how-to-get-feedback-from-an-interview/

'When Is It OK To Lie in a Job Interview?'

'When Is It OK To Lie in a Job Interview'

courtesy of www.Glassdoor.com

Check out their Q & A on Job Interviews Cheats! This is GREAT STUFF!

What do YOU THINK?

Why do you want the position? What relevant skills do you possess? What's your biggest weakness?

You've probably been asked these questions many times in job interviews. But here are a few you probably haven't heard:

When is it OK to lie? What would you do with 100 Christmas trees in July? If you were a cereal, what kind would you be?

All of the above were asked in recent interviews in the U.S., and a new company aims to help prospective workers prepare for such bizarre questions, not to mention other aspects of difficult interviews.

Glassdoor.com is an online jobs site that launched this week, and one of its features is an area for interview reviews. Users submit their interview experience anonymously and in exchange they receive access to other people's stories.
So far nearly 2,000 job interviews have been reviewed and posted, from more than 1,000 companies.

The information includes general descriptions of the interview including whether it was one-on-one or a panel, unexpected or difficult questions, and whether the overall experience was positive or negative.

For example, one candidate for a position at a senior centre in Arizona warned others against the job, saying that not only did the company lose his application, an executive who scheduled an interview with him took that day off.
Glassdoor also lists salaries and reviews of jobs, and companies use the information for feedback.

So, wondering what companies asked the off-the-wall questions above?
The question about lying was asked of a project manager applicant at Integer Group, a marketing agency. The cereal query was asked in an interview for a financial analyst at Cisco Systems, and the Christmas tree question came up in a marketing interview at Visa Inc.

The company with the easiest interview ranking was Bank of America. Amazon was scored as the most difficult; PricewaterhouseCoopers received the highest positive rating; while Google was rated the most negative experience.

Sample Harassment Complaint Form

Whether your an employer of a small business or a big one, every HR department knows the importance of operating withing ODEP and EEOC laws. Here is a suggested harassment form from the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).

This is useful even if you are an employee and in need of filing a complaint. You can use this form as a good starting point to document your harassment complaint!

What do YOU think?



Sample Harassment Complaint Form

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says any complaint procedure where the only person an employee can complain to is his or her supervisor is an ineffective system-especially, of course, when the supervisor is the harasser. EEOC advises employers to set up multiple avenues of recourse for a complainant.

EEOC further advises that employees who wish to make a complaint of harassment should have the option to complain to someone who is outside of their chain of command, to place confidence in the complainant that the complaint will be handled with impartiality.

Therefore, designate at least two people in the company who employees can approach with an initial complaint, and be sure that they are not in the same chain of command. (Two is a minimum; large companies will surely have to increase the number.)


Sample Harassment Complaint Form

Here is a sample of what you might use for employees to file complaints. It should help you collect
enough specific information to determine what course of action is necessary.

Name: _____________________________________
Department: ________________________________
E-mail address: ________________________
Phone: Home: ____________ Work: ____________ Cell: _____________

Date: _______________

Please provide a detailed description of the behavior or incident (s) about which you are making
a complaint or attach the description to this form. Include the following information and anything
else that would help management understand your complaint:

What happened:

Who was involved:

When the incident(s) took place:

Where the incident(s) took place:

Who (if anyone) witnessed the incident(s):

Please also attach any documents, e-mails, or other materials that support your claim of harassment.

What would you like the company to do to resolve this issue?


____________________________
Signature
____________________________
Date

Submit this form to: ________________________________

A few questions you shouldn’t ask in a job interview

Here's some good advice on job interviews!

What do you think?


A few questions you shouldn’t ask in a job interview
PERSONAL FINANCE
By Erin Conroy (AP)

NEW YORK — You may think you know what it takes to nail a job interview — how your cover letter should look, what to wear, how to make your greatest weaknesses sound like strengths. But just before the parting handshake, what will you ask your prospective employer?

Crafting the right questions for the interviewer will display confidence and knowledge about the company. Asking the wrong questions can make you appear unqualified or even desperate.

We spoke with staffing professionals and hiring managers who weighed in on what queries will impress interviewers as job competition intensifies. The unemployment rate, now at a 25-year high, is expected to hit 10 percent by year’s end.

It’s important to note that the worst thing you can do is decline to ask questions, said Stephen Tryon, senior vice president of logistics and talent management at Overstock.com. It could show laziness or, worse, a lack of interest. You want to avoid asking questions that can be researched on the company’s Web site, or about pay and benefits packages — at least in the initial interview.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK: It’s a good idea to ask very specific questions that demonstrate your knowledge about the company and show you’ve done your research, said Doug Arms, chief talent officer for Ajilon Professional Staffing. This can be about products, competitors or the company’s strategic plan.

“It’s important how you phrase the questions and cite things you’ve already learned. A good question might be about how the company has poised itself for growth in the past. You might be able to use that response to help formulate your own answers during future interviews.”

You should limit yourself to three questions, Arms said, and make sure they’re short and to the point.

LEARN ABOUT THE JOB: Finding out why the position is open is great for insight about the job itself and what the employer would like done differently, said Jennifer Warne, recruiting specialist for consulting firm Towers Perrin.

You’ll also want to ask about how performance is measured, and whether your interviewer sees potential gaps in your experience, she said.

Arms and career coach Jo Singel give these examples of strong questions to ask:

• How long have you been trying to fill this position?

• What does daily life in this job entail?

• How do you evaluate success?

• What are you expecting from me in the first 60 days I’m working here?

• What kind of orientation program do you have for new employees?

• What have others who’ve worked with you said about your leadership?

• How much confidence do you have in your team?

• What’s more important to you, productivity or creativity?

“At the end, don’t forget to ask for the job,” Singel said. “Tell them you want it. A lot of people forget to do that.”

TIE IN YOUR QUALIFICATIONS: It may be a good idea to thread five strengths into questions to use as emergency backup in case they haven’t already surfaced in the interview, said Bob Daugherty, U.S. head of recruiting accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“You’re going to need a game plan, but you’ll still need to customize your questions based on what’s happening during the interview,” he said. “What’s most important is that you stay on your toes and get those qualifications and strengths out on the table — no matter what.”

AVOID SALARY AND BENEFITS: Managers agreed that the last thing they want to hear is, “What’s in it for me?”

“The function of asking questions isn’t so much about getting information about the company as it is about conveying your own talent,” Tryon said.

QUESTIONS YOU SHOULDN’T ASK: Avoid questions that are aggressive and can display a “lack of emotional maturity,” said Kristen Weirick, director of talent acquisition for Whirlpool Corp. Some of the questions on her forbidden list:

• Are you going to hire me?

• When will I be promoted?

• How much does this job pay?

• Am I more qualified than the other applicants?

• Can I call you tomorrow?

The worst question Weirick has heard from a job candidate: “That’s a really good question. What do you think the answer is?”

National Return to Work Week

Disability does not mean no ability. Look at these statistics! National Return To Work Week is May 10th - May 16th. Does Hiring Just ONE disabled person make a difference? Read this article and SEE!

What do you think?

The Grim Statistics are that 80 Million Lost Workdays Due to Occupational Injury or Illness.
Lost Work Days - is a billion dollar crisis hidden in the American workforce! The National Safety Council estimates that there are more than 80,000,000 lost work days due to occupational injuries or illness. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics indicated that, 1.2 million employees lost an average of seven days due to their injury or illness.


National Return to Work Week

Press Release
www.nationalreturntoworkweek.org

National Return to Work Week is an opportunity for everyone involved in the workers compensation and disability management process to demonstrate their commitment to helping injured, disabled or ill employees stay-at-work or return-to-work. This week highlights the importance of employee retention and employee ability. What can the employee do? Verses what they can not do - Disability does not mean no ability.

“The stakes have never been higher” said Margaret Spence, founder of National Return to Work Week. “Every day we hear disturbing information about layoffs and downsizing – when company’s layoff employees, what happens to employees who are injured on the job or have illness that prevent them from find new employment. What do we do with these individuals? Are they just forgotten?”

Annually, 4.1 million employees sustain occupational injury or illness – 1.2 million have lost work days directly related to their injury or illness. Employees who are off work for more than sixteen weeks seldom return to the workforce. Employees with permanent work related disabilities are more likely to become unemployable. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 14.0 percent according to the Office of Disability Employment Policy. These statistics prompted, Margaret Spence to submit National Return to Work Week to Chase’s Calendar of Events last April, to her surprise it was accepted and added to the 2009 Calendar.

From a Workers Compensation standpoint – when employees are injured in the workforce there is a monetary reward mindset, a feeling that money is better than a job. This is the only system that rewards employees to stop working – even when they are capable of returning to some employment. “We allow people to join the ranks of the unemployed for the price of a pick up truck” says Spence.

While most employees who are injured immediately return to work and continue their regular job – there are far too many who we settle out of the system. These employees either move on to a new employer, sometimes repeating the cycle, or they move to the ranks of the unemployed. There is also another subset that move into the Social Security System and become permanently disabled – adding a new burden to an already over taxed system.

From a non-work related disability standpoint – once an employee becomes eligible for long term disability, there may be few options to help the employee return to gainful employment or to encourage the employer to explore job or task modifications that would allow the employee to return to work in some capacity.

“Are there other options? says Spence. “Why can’t we make an effort to implement return to work programs that retain injured or ill employees rather than discarding them from the workforce?” she added “even in a challenging economic environment return to work programs are vital. Employers are not conducting a thorough evaluation of the long-term cost of workers compensation and disability coverage in their termination or retention decisions. Many companies may emerge from the economic downturn is dire financial situations because of the decisions they are making about ill, injured or disabled employees today.”

National Return to Work Week 2009 will bring together employers, employees, treating physicians, vocational experts, insurance, legal professionals and disability providers from around the country to share best practices and exchange information to increase return to work opportunities for ill, injured and disabled employees. Together we can highlight the importance of Return to Work, Stay at Work or Transitional Duty Programs.

The NRTWW Motto - Disability does not mean no ability – injured, ill and disabled employees should not be discarded from the workforce. Nor should we create a system that rewards and allows them to discard themselves from the workforce.

For details and more information about National Return to Work Week, becoming a partner, or participating in a our virtual conference, please visit www.nationalreturntoworkweek.org


About National Return to Work Week – This week highlights the impact of not implementing proactive stay-at-work or return to work programs for ill, injured or disabled employees. It is a full week of national educational and best practices presentations aimed at bringing disability management to the forefront of the national employment retention discussion. National Return to Work will be celebrated annually during the second week of May. Visit our website: www.nationalreturntoworkweek.org for more information and to get involved.

About Margaret Spence, CWC, RMPE – Margaret is the author of From Workers Comp Claimant to Valued Employee – and the founder of National Return to Work Week. She is an injury management expert on a mission to help employers understand the importance of implementing proactive return to work or stay at work programs. Learn more about Margaret Spence, visit her website at www.margaretspence.com

Chase’s Calendar of Events - Brothers William D. Chase, a journalist and publisher from Michigan, and Harrison V. Chase, a university social scientist from Florida, founded Chase’s Calendar of Events in 1957. Chase’s Calendar of Events today is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference available on special events, holidays, federal and state observances, historic anniversaries and more. Each spring, thousands of new entries are submitted to join the more than 12,000 items that make up each year’s book. Each event listing (where applicable) contains contact and mailing information. There is no charge to be listed in Chase’s. Each new edition appears in late September preceding the year in question. Visit their website – www.chases.com

Black Employees Targeted With Racial Slurs, Fired for Complaining, EEOC Says

It still happens?!!!



What DO YOU THINK?

MARJAM SUPPLY COMPANY TO PAY $495,000 TO SETTLE EEOC RACE DISCRIMINATION SUIT

Black Employees Targeted With Racial Slurs, Fired for Complaining, EEOC Says

Courtesy of www.eeoc.gov

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Marjam Supply Company, Inc., a building materials supplier, will pay $495,000 to five former employees to settle a race discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC’s lawsuit (Civil Action No. 03-cv-5413-SCR in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, White Plains Division) charged that Marjam discriminated against African American employees in its Newburgh warehouse facility on the basis of their race by subjecting them to differential discipline and termination, creating a hostile work environment, and retaliating against employees who objected to the discrimination.

The EEOC charged that a Marjam supervisor and other Marjam employees made unwelcome racial slurs and comments. The racially hostile workplace included repeatedly calling an employee the N-word, talking about the Ku Klux Klan and referring to burning crosses in front of African American employees. An employee who complained was fired, the EEOC’s lawsuit charged. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

“Egregious racial harassment still occurs in the 21st century workplace, even though some people may think such discrimination can only be found in history books,” said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. “Hostile work environments are unacceptable. The EEOC is committed to vigorous enforcement of the employment anti-discrimination laws to ensure that every worker has an equal opportunity to reach his or her full potential.”

The consent decree was submitted to the district court judge for approval after the parties reached a settlement agreement in mediation. In addition to the $495,000 in back pay and compensatory damages to be paid to five former employees, the three-year consent decree includes the following injunctive relief:
* Adopting non-discrimination and complaint procedures;
* Appointing an Equal Employment Office Coordinator;
* Establishing a toll-free number for reporting discrimination complaints;
* Providing anti-discrimination training;
* Issuing a memorandum to all employees on Marjam’s commitment to abide by all federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination;
* Posting a notice about the EEOC, the lawsuit, and Marjam’s non-discrimination and complaint procedures; and
* Monitoring and reporting on carrying out the settlement terms.

“Employers must recognize that they have a responsibility to prevent racial harassment in their workplace and to take swift action to correct any discrimination when it occurs,” said Spencer H. Lewis, director of the EEOC’s New York District Office. “In addition, retaliating against employees for complaining about discrimination is unlawful and taken very seriously by the Commission.”

During Fiscal Year 2008, the EEOC received 33,937 race discrimination charge filings, up 11% from the prior year. Of the total, approximately 8,600 race charges alleged racial harassment, up 23 percent from nearly 7,000 such filings in FY 2007.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.

Further information about the federal agency is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

Charging 'Retaliation,' HUD Takes Case of Disabled Renter

Is it a REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION to be allowed to pay rent late without incurring a late fee or have the rental contract change the date when rent is due WHEN YOU ARE DISABLED AND ON A FIXED INCOME (SOCIAL SECURITY)?

Charging 'Retaliation,' HUD Takes Case of Disabled Renter

Harry Tyus wanted to pay his rent. The problem was his Social Security check didn't come on time.

Each month he was a few days late, and the apartment management company for the Fairway Trails Apartments in Ypsilanti, MI, charged him a $50 late fee each time.
Tyus asked property manager Nicole Morbach if he could please pay his rent a few days late, without incurring the late fee. Morbach refused.

Tyus brought his problem to the Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan, which contacted Fairway Trails, asking that they make a "reasonable accommodation" for Tyus's disability.

Nope. "Doing so would result in extending a preference," they said, and denied the request.

This was back in 2004.

From HUD's news information service:

In July 2004, when rent was not paid on time Fairway Trails Apartments started the process to evict [Tyus]. Despite the rent and the late fee being paid on July 22, Fairway continued the eviction process.

In October 2004, a Michigan court agreed that Tyus should have received the rent reset as a reasonable accommodation. The judge also ruled that Fairway Trails Limited L.P. was not entitled to a late fee for the previous two months and that the pay date would be reset.

Unhappy with the court ruling, Fairway Trails Limited L.P. informed Tyus in October 2004 that they would not renew his lease when it expired in January 2005.
Last week, HUD announced that it has charged Morbach, the management company Benchmark Management Corporation and Fairway Trails Limited, L.P. with a violation of the Fair Housing Act, for retaliation against Tyus.

According to HUD's press release, "Housing discrimination charges heard before an administrative law judge carry a maximum civil penalty of $11,000 for a first offense, in addition to actual damages for the complainant, injunctive or other equitable relief, and attorneys’ fees. Sanctions can be more severe if a respondent has a history of housing discrimination. If either party elects to go to federal district court, either party may request a jury trial, and punitive damages may be awarded."

Read HUD press release.
Posted on April 03, 2006 | Permalink

New Dolls on the Block

By William Lee Adams Thursday, Mar. 19, 2009

CONTROVERSIAL: Toymakers argue their dolls normalize disability, but some parents say they pigeonhole kids. What do YOU think?

Emily Keegin

Ever since Barbie and her reality-defying curves stepped into the playhouse, parents have complained that dolls promote an unattainable image of beauty. It's a particularly piquant point for Lexington, South Carolina mother Mary Ann Perry, whose 23-year-old daughter Valerie lives with Down Syndrome. "Dolls represent real people in the imagination of a young person," Perry says. "I don't want Valerie to think she has to be conventionally beautiful to be loved."

So when Valerie asked for a doll at Christmas, her mother bypassed buxom Barbie and purchased Elizabeth (retail price: $175) from S.C.-based retailer Downi Creations. Featuring 13 physical characteristics of Down Syndrome, including almond-shaped eyes, low-set ears, a horizontal crease in her palms and a slightly protruding tongue. Elizabeth, says Perry, is "different but beautiful at the same time." (See pictures of Barbie's 50 years.)

She's also one of a new breed of dolls targeted at special-needs kids. Parents in the U.S. and Europe are snapping up Down Syndrome dolls, blind babies, paraplegic dolls in wheelchairs and dolls wearing scarves as if undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

"There's a therapeutic impact," says Helga Parks, who sells more than 2,000 Down Syndrome and Chemo Friends a year through her online Helga's European Specialty Toys. Parks believes her products boost a child's self-esteem by normalizing their condition, and foster understanding among peers: "They take away the fear and sense of alienation for both parties."


While toy sales have been hit by the downturn, special-needs dolls are doing well. Sales at Downi Creations remained steady in 2008, while Kids Like Me, a U.K. retailer, sold 25% more dolls last year than in 2007. Among its hottest items are the Disability Set — which comes with two dolls, a guide dog, dark glasses and leg braces; and Tilley, who uses an electric wheelchair. "She's jazzy, she's modern, she's now," says company director Emmanuel Blackman.


Or is she? Special-needs dolls, and Down Syndrome dolls in particular, have come in for criticism from parents who believe they pigeonhole their children and rely on stereotypes. "It's a scary image for a lot of families," says Sheila Hebein, the executive director of the Chicago-based National Association for Down Syndrome. "They're highlighting differences that do not exist in all of our children. Certainly most do not have their tongues hanging out." In fact, she says, many work hard in therapy to improve muscle tone so they can better control their mouths. (Dollmaker Parks offers a nonprotruding option.)


Annette Hames, a British psychologist and an expert on how children conceive disability, says that anyone, special needs or not, would struggle to identify with these "odd-looking" dolls. Besides, she says, "Down Syndrome isn't about what you look like. It's about what you can and cannot do."


Despite such criticism, dollmakers remain unfazed. Peter Laudin, owner of the New York-based Pattycake Doll Company, says offended parents bring their own prejudices to the dolls, perhaps because of their personal difficulty accepting a child's situation. "Nothing we respond with satisfies their hurt," he says. But for kids who receive the dolls, that's beside the point. "Children love all dolls unconditionally whether it's special needs or not," Laudin says. Retailers hope adults share that openness, too.

TWO MAGIC QUESTIONS TO HIRING?

Steve Wunderlink gives us TREMENDOUS INSIGHT into the reality of what we are REALLY looking for when hiring...how we choose WHO WE HIRE, and maybe most importantly, he gives us food for thought...on who WE ARE!

He breaks down hiring into JUST TWO QUESTIONS...(based on experience and skill)...read on to figure out just WHERE YOU FIT IN.....and WHAT THOSE QUESTIONS ARE!

And as always, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Hiring

from http://themoralbusiness.blogspot.com/2009/03/hiring-part-one.html

by Steve Wunderlink

The nervous twenty-something sat down at a chair I offered him in the break room of the factory where I was hiring. Within a few seconds of meeting him I had a pretty good idea of whether I was going to hire him or not. Some had resumes and ties, some had torn jeans and a ratty shirt, but most had a scared look on their faces.

I set them at ease with an offer of something to drink before we sat down and began the interview. After doing hundreds of interviews and hiring dozens of new employees into the company I got pretty good at getting to know people quickly. Let me give you a few quick observations about hiring for jobs.

Resumes are for pinheads. Any good manager can tell more from a handshake and a look in the eye then they could ever from a resume. Only in the MOST technical of jobs do you even need to know any kind of proficiency in tech stuff. You can ALWAYS teach someone to fix and maintain but you can RARELY teach guts, brains, perseverance and interpersonal skills. I know a lot of idiots with great resumes and there “ain’t no fix for stupid.”

Never trust educational background. With less than 50% of our high school graduates knowing how to read and most universities teaching you political views instead of calculus; I would never trust education. Most people learn to take tests. “Will this be on the exam?” And they forget as soon as the last paper is handed in. How much education and where you got it isn’t important. My degrees are more a testament to my perseverance and patience than they are to my knowledge.

Be prejudiced. Hire based on certain prejudices. I am NOT talking about skin color or gender, which makes no difference. I am talking about hiring the RIGHT people for the RIGHT job, whoever that may be. I have felt pressures from every front to hire people who were not right for the job but they were “right” for some other reason. I was asked to hire a person because their family worked in the company, because they came from a certain school, because I needed more minorities in my departments, because they had seniority, and even because they just needed a break. Resist the pressure against hiring the RIGHT person for the RIGHT job, be prejudiced.

Get under their skin. So many interviews I have been in, on both sides of the table, never get under the skin at what the person is really like. How do you get to know a person in that short of time? They walk in. Are they late, RIGHT on time, or early? You see how they are dressed. Are they OVER dressed, appropriate, or UNDER dressed? You shake their hand. Is it strong and confident, wimpy fish-like, crushing, or Monkish where they wipe after they shake?

You look them in the eyes. Are they scared, averted, piercing and deep, or bloodshot? You offer them a drink. Do they graciously accept and thank you, decline and thank you, offer to pay, or have their own and pull out a JB from their pocket. You sit down with them. Do they slouch, sit at attention, cross arms and legs, lean towards you or lean away from you?

You haven’t said a word yet but you probably know whether you are going to hire them based on the first few minutes of meeting them. I am now ready for the interview. Sometimes they surprise me and wipe out my first impressions but usually I have only two questions for them ...

I am now ready for the interview. Sometimes they surprise me and wipe out my first impressions but usually I have only two questions for them...

When I was interviewed and trained to DO interviews I was given a book of questions to ask or choose from. I started with the book and the interview took over and hour and I would dutifully write down their answers so I could consult it later and remember why I hired them in the first place ... how stupid is that.

Here are some stupid questions to ask in an interview:
- Are you a self starter?
- Do you consider yourself a people person?
- Are you a leader?
- Are you a Green Bay Packers fan?
- Do you have a problem with overtime?
- Did you get good grades in school?

All of these questions will get only one response. They are basically an intelligence test and not interview questions. If ANY ONE answers "no" to these questions don't hire them. These are leading questions and don't get under the skin of the person.

Here are some good questions:
- Define integrity.
- What is on your bookshelf right now?
- Who needs you?
- Tell me about a time when you got in over your head and what you did about it.
- What is the greatest event in your life so far?

When I was a rookie I had the first set of questions and wondered why I really didn't know my new employee. When I became a little seasoned I evolved to the second set of questions and enjoyed the people I worked with. After hundreds of interviews I broke even those questions down into just two. Two questions told me what I needed to know about the person beyond the non-verbal's described in the last column. Two questions to get below the surface:
- What do you expect from me, your boss?
- What can I expect from you, my employee?

Confused? Not really, you can find out a lot about a person from those two questions. See if you can tell which I would hire based on the following answers.

What do you expect from me, your boss?
- A paycheck
- A chance to prove myself
- Two weeks paid vacation
- A company car
- Experience, guidance, and knowledge

What can I expect from you, my employee?
- My best, everyday
- Eight hours, minus breaks of course
- My support of you, to make YOU look good
- Loyalty
- The extra mile
- 40 hours a week, with time and a half for more

Which would you hire? Maybe the more important question is: Which are you?

Steve Wunderlink
themoralbusiness.blogspot.com

Bill would require Oregon universities to interview at least one minority football coach candidate

Rachel Bachman wrote this article for the Oregonian, (at www.oregonlive.com), and I have to admit...I think she hit the nail on the head with this one.

Since this is a blog - I can safely tell you (hopefully without losing you to boredom) that this morning on my way to work I pondered JUST THIS QUESTION...What then, if affirmative action isn't "fair" to qualified minority applicants....then what is the alternative?

And I thought, "How about a LAW that companies must INTERVIEW minority applicants?!" I was Oh, So Proud.....until....

Alas, I don't have an original idea, but it is HOPEFUL, is it not, that Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, drafted JUST THAT measure at the behest of constituent Sam Sachs, a former college football player and minority-rights activist.

I LIKE IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?


Bill would require Oregon universities to interview at least one minority football coach candidate

by Rachel Bachman, The Oregonian

www.oregonlive.com, rachelbachman@news.oregonian.com

The Oregon Legislature plans to introduce a bill this week that would require universities to interview at least one minority candidate before hiring a head football coach. If it passes, Oregon would become the first state with such a law.
House Bill 3118 is patterned after the NFL's Rooney Rule, which helped transform the league's head coaching ranks after being implemented in 2003.

Oregon's bill aims to diversify hiring in major college football, where seven of 120 head coaches are minorities.

Richard Lapchick, founder and director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics In Sport at University of Central Florida, said the bill could push the NCAA to drop its resistance to enacting a similar rule.

"I think it's very significant and very welcome by people who have been fighting for this for a long time," Lapchick said.

Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, drafted the measure at the behest of constituent Sam Sachs, a former college football player and minority-rights activist.
"It seems to me it only makes sense," Greenlick said. "Because (the Rooney Rule) has had an effect and because I don't think minority coaches have been given a fair shake in Oregon, certainly in football."

Oregon's bill would cover the six state universities with football teams: Oregon, Oregon State, Portland State, Eastern Oregon, Western Oregon and Southern Oregon.
The bill contains an exception for a school "bound by contract to promote a member of the institution's current coaching staff." Call it the Oregon Out: In December, the Ducks promised their head coaching job to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly when Mike Bellotti becomes the school's athletic director.

The bill grew out of Sachs' frustration over the speedy hire of Jerry Glanville in 2007 as Portland State's football coach. Sachs said he has nothing against Glanville but decried the lack of a more inclusive search for such a prominent job.

Ironically, Portland State hired one of the nation's first African American head football coaches: Ron Stratten in 1972. But since he resigned after the 1974 season, most of the state's head football coaches have been white. Neither Oregon nor Oregon State has had a minority head football coach.

Rob Cashell, athletic director at Eastern Oregon, said the bill might help his department.

"I think if qualified minorities knew that they were going to have a possibility to interview, they might take a closer look at schools such as ours -- that Oregon has this law and there's an opportunity there. It might strengthen the pool of candidates."

Sachs, who has a black studies degree from Portland State and teaches about diversity at the Oregon State Police Academy, lobbied administrators and wrote letters to the editor about the need to open head-coach searches. But the former fullback at Western Oregon didn't get much traction.

Sachs said he thought about suing to push the issue. But, he said, "I'm not black and I'm not a coach."

So Sachs approached legislators about writing a bill, using his 2005 experience as an intern in Oregon Sen. Avel Gordly's office.

If passed, the measure could slow down and open up football head-coaching searches, which are often quick and secretive. Sachs said he got friendly receptions, though no endorsements, in meetings with OSU athletic director Bob De Carolis and UO athletic director Pat Kilkenny.

"I've been very surprised and pleased," Sachs said, "at how most people I have reached out to, whether it be athletic directors that I've talked to, or coaches, or legislators, they already seem to mentally be there. And they think, 'Yeah, this is a no-brainer. Of course.' So to me, that's encouraging, and it just reinforces my belief in people."

Unlike the Rooney Rule, which levies fines for teams that don't comply, Oregon's bill includes no penalties.

The ranks of minority coaches in the NBA and men's college basketball, sports with high numbers of African American athletes, have increased to the point where race is rarely discussed in hiring.

The NFL's minority hiring lagged until the 2003 adoption of the rule named for Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and chairman of the league's diversity committee.

Three years later, seven of the league's 32 head coaches were minorities -- 22 percent. In 2007 and 2009, African American head coaches led teams to Super Bowl victories.

Advocacy groups have decried the lack of similar progress in college football, where about 47 percent of players are African American but six percent of the coaches are. In January the New Jersey Legislature introduced a bill urging the NCAA to adopt the Rooney Rule. Oregon's bill would take that a step further and make it state law.
Greenlick said the bill has a good chance of passing.

"I don't see what should stop it," he said. "I mean, who's going to come in and oppose it? All you're asking them to do is when you're hiring a new coach and you're doing interviews, interview at least one minority candidate."

-- Rachel Bachman; rachelbachman@news.oregonian.com

Movie Production Companies Resolve Pregnancy EEOC Case

So, it's NOT "stranger than fiction" that Hollywood makes mistakes. You would think by now.....but that's why we have the EEOC! All employees should be aware of the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This government agency exists to ensure that all employees are treated fairly, regardless of age, disability, national origin, veteran status, pregnancy, race, religion, retaliation, sex and sexual harassment.

There is no cost to file a charge or talk to an EEOC representative. You can call 1-800-669-4000, or go online to www.eeoc.gov. You can send email to info@eeoc.gov.

The EEOC is ready and able to help.

Do YOU think the majority of employee's KNOW ABOUT THE EEOC?

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
PRESS RELEASE 2-12-09
www.EEOC.gov

MOVIE PRODUCTION COMPANIES RESOLVE PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION CASE WITH EEOC
“Stranger Than Fiction” Production Companies to Pay $75,000 to Pregnant Job Applicant

CHICAGO, Crick Pictures, L.L.C., and Mandate Pictures, L.L.C., will pay $75,000 to settle a federal pregnancy discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC’s suit had charged that movie production companies Crick and Mandate refused to hire a pregnant job applicant, Cynthia Castillo-Hill, for a position as an extras casting assistant after they learned that she was expecting a baby. Castillo-Hill sought work on the film Stranger Than Fiction, which stars Will Ferrell.


The EEOC’s evidence in this case which included an e-mail from the hiring supervisor showed that the defendants believed that Castillo-Hill’s pregnancy would prevent her from being able to handle the stress and long hours associated with the job though her own doctor had indicated that the job was appropriate, explained EEOC Chicago District Office head Jack C. Rowe.


EEOC Regional Attorney John Hendrickson, who oversees all litigation for Chicago District Office, added, “It is just this sort of stereotypical decision making by an employer that is prohibited by federal law, and for good reasons.” Pregnancy discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.


The consent decree settling the suit, signed by Judge Gottschall of U.S. District Court in Chicago today, provides that the defendants will pay the pregnant applicant and her attorneys a total of $75,000, less applicable taxes. The decree enjoins the companies from future pregnancy discrimination and retaliation. It also requires the defendants to provide training to their managers about the obligation to avoid discrimination. The EEOC suit was originally filed and captioned EEOC v. Crick Pictures, et al., Case No. 08 cv 5005, N.D. Illinois E. Div.


EEOC Trial Attorney Deborah Hamilton, who worked on the matter, said, “The Pregnancy Discrimination Act makes clear that pregnant job applicants must be judged on the basis of their job skills and abilities, not on the basis of their pregnancy. We are pleased that the defendants have joined in a voluntary resolution of this suit. All parties thus have saved further time and expense”.


EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney Gregory Gochanour, who managed the agency’s litigation of the case, added, Ms. Castillo-Hill will receive meaningful compensation, and through the consent decree, protections are in place to ensure that future discrimination is avoided.

Federal Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole in Chicago had presided over a settlement conference that led to the resolution of this case.

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, gender (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), religion, national origin, age, disability and retaliation. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

Recession hitting minority job rolls

Have you been wondering how minorities are faring during this recession? What solutions does the federal stimulus package offer?

What do you think?

Chris Casey, a reporter for the Greeley Tribune has a finger on the pulse of the unemployment rate and what's in store for minorities...read on...

Recession hitting minority job rolls
By Chris Casey
Greeley Tribune
www.greeleytribune.com

Minorities rank disproportionately high on U.S. unemployment rolls, and without innovative programs to connect them to jobs, the gap could worsen under the massive federal stimulus package, according to a national Latino advocacy group.

Much of the $787 billion package’s job-training and educational investments are for existing programs, and those don’t always reach Latinos or other people with limited English-speaking skills, said Catherine Singley, a policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza’s Employment and Economic Policy Project. Job training targeted directly at these populations, including English as a Second Language classes, should be an emphasis in the stimulus package, she said.

“We want to make sure all workers are prepared to compete for worker opportunities, and make sure the disparity blacks and Latinos face in the labor market [is] not exacerbated by the new stimulus package,” Singley said.

Since the recession began, unemployment among minorities has outpaced the rest of the population, according to a study by the Center for American Progress, a labor and civil rights-oriented think tank.

Representatives from the National Council of La Raza and the Center for American Progress hosted a national teleconference this week called “Latinos and the Economy.”

Some unemployment figures, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, of the American Progress report:

» 9.7 percent — unemployment rate for Latinos in January 2009, an increase of 3.5 percentage points from December 2007 and the highest level since 1995;

» 12.6 percent — unemployment rate for blacks in January, an increase of 3.7 percentage points since December 2007 and the highest level since 1994;

» 6.9 percent — unemployment rate for Anglos, an increase of 2.5 percentage points since December 2007 and the highest level since 1983.

The report also highlighted earning gaps between groups:

» $535 — median weekly earnings of Latinos in fourth-quarter 2008.

» $593 — median weekly earnings of black workers in the period.

» $748 — median weekly earnings of Anglo workers in the period.

Singley said the Council of La Raza also is concerned that in the rush to get stimulus money out “we might sacrifice the chance to get new stakeholders to the table.” The package, she said, is a broad-reaching investment that might not reach the communities most in need.

She also said that Latinos accounted for 54 percent of the new labor participants in the U.S. labor market in 2008. “So if the success of the package is slowing the growth of unemployment, what happens when you add new workers? … That hasn’t been addressed.”

John Brick, spokesman for the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform, said he views language skills as a “small barrier” to unemployed Americans of all races seeking work.

“If you’re talking about stimulus package meat and potatoes — putting jobs on the table — I think most Americans, and those in the state of Colorado, have adequate language skills to get these jobs,” he said.

He said the alliance is disappointed that E-Verify, a program that checks workers’ immigration status, wasn’t required to be used by businesses receiving funds in the stimulus bill.

“I frame it, and CAIR frames this, more as a class problem rather than a race problem,” Brick said. “I think you’ll find there is a class of business that’s looking for cheap labor, has looked for cheap labor and anything along the way will look to bring in labor for the cheapest cost.”

Will Straw, associate director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress, said the stimulus package directs $4 billion for job training to help people who’ve lost jobs get retrained for new work options. He noted that the stimulus also boosts money for Pell Grants to help low-income people attend college and improve their marketability in the high-skill-oriented economy.

Singley, of the Council of La Raza, said the infrastructure piece of the stimulus — $150 billion will be directed to highways, bridges and other building projects — is where Latino workers can see the biggest employment boost.

“Our concern is where the jobs are going to be created and the types of skills required to link up to the new jobs,” she said. “Our emphasis is on targeted training to those with multiple barriers to get jobs, including a language barrier disparity.”

Chris Casey is a reporter for the Greeley Tribune in Greeley, Colorado. He can be reached at ccasey@greeleytrib.com.

Top 10 Reasons Why People with Disabilities Should Work

IF you think it's a good idea for people with disabilities to work....If your disabled and you think it's a good idea to work or your looking for good reasons to work....Here's Some GREAT information on WHY PEOPLE WITH DISABLILITIES SHOULD WORK!

Plus I think Mr. Lavin opens the door for us to gain a broader understanding of what results we see from affirmative action programs and he has some practical advice for companies on how to hire people based on SKILLS instead.

Do you think WORK should allow you to invest your abilities for pay? Do you think hiring should be based on skill and talent? What do YOU think?

Top 10 Reasons Why People with Disabilities Should Work
by Don Lavin

Don Lavin is Vice President of a private, non-profit corporation that specializes in customized employment for unemployed and underemployed youth and adults with varied disabilities and employment challenges. His very informative and interesting blog is located at donlavin.blogspot.com.

Recently, I accepted an invitation to speak at a Statewide video conference entitled: The Meaning and Value of Employment of People with Disabilities in Minnesota. This video conference is being planned and sponsored by Pathways to Employment (PTE), Minnesota’s Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG). The mission of PTE is to increase the competitive employment of people with disabilities and meet Minnesota's workforce needs by bringing together people with disabilities, employers, businesses, government, and providers.

This upcoming conference is dedicated to a discussion on real values of employment, beyond wages, from the perspective of workers with disabilities. The target audience for the video conference is people with disabilities and family members, County staff, providers of disability-related services, and advocates from all around the State of Minnesota. Appropriately, the event will include perspectives and views of people with disabilities as well as advocates working to promote competitive employment for working age adults with disabilities.

I will share my viewpoint and conclusions with the audience based on 32 years of management experience with employment and workforce development programs. And I intend to keep the discussion light and fun so I’ve decided to use a "David Letterman Top Ten" approach as I present the main reasons why youth and adults with disabilities should choose work as their first option. Here they are–

10. Work makes you feel good.
American author and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, said it best- "What exercise is to the body, work is to the mind." Thoreau’s observation is not only correct but supported by employment related research. In the area of mental health, for example, supported employment has been identified as an evidenced-based practice (EBP) in recovery from a serious mental illness. New research tells us that people shouldn’t wait until they recover before they go to work. Rather, the opposite is apparently true– people tend to recover BECAUSE they go to work! There is little question that having an occupation is fundamental to human wellness and for so many reasons.

9. The workforce needs you.
Numerous workforce studies forecast labor shortages in the next decade including warnings about how impending baby boomer retirements will deplete the American workforce of critical talents. Also, studies document the challenges business are having finding skilled and unskilled labor across a spectrum of economic sectors. To illustrate, a recent study by Manpower, Inc. revealed 41% of American companies surveyed were having trouble filling jobs. Clearly, changing workforce demographics and dynamic economies in America are creating new opportunities for partnerships with private businesses. Now is the time to engage the employability of all interested and available workers with a wide range of skills and abilities.

I am a member of an employment leadership team in Minnesota that recently crafted a value proposition to communicate the importance of including everyone in our local workforce. Minnesota’s value proposition says this– "We need everyone in the workforce for businesses to thrive and communities to prosper."
And including everyone means tapping every available citizen who wants to work.

8. Work is a part of your identity.
Whenever we meet new people, a ritual of getting to know one another commonly ensues. Generally speaking, people are initially interested in asking us questions about who we are and where we live. And the third most likely inquiry is this– "What do you do?"
Indeed, having an occupation is highly valued in our American culture. A job becomes a central part of the fabric of who we are and contributes to how others see and relate to us. Kate Stepkin, a U.S. baker, put it this way– "Work is an essential part of being alive. Your work is your identity. It tells you who you are."

"What do you do?" And how should chronically unemployed individuals answer this question? Further, how does their answer shape self-esteem or contribute to valued roles in their community?

7. Work gives you a chance to meet new people.
Many national studies validate that people with disabilities experience high and chronic unemployment separating them from the social and economic fabric of their communities. To illustrate, the National Organization on Disability (NOD)/ Louis Harris Poll conducted a study in 2004 and found people with disabilities were more likely to experience high unemployment (65%) and discrimination. Conversely, they were less likely to socialize, eat out, or attend religious services than their counterparts who don’t have disabilities. In addition, this study found people with disabilities were less likely to report overall satisfaction with their lives with only 34% saying they were highly satisfied verses 61% of their counterparts.
To say it simply, social similarities attract and differences repel.

A working life gives people with disabilities an opportunity to meet and connect with others in their community. And this experience of friendship and collegial team work educates the public about the competence of people with disabilities to work and live in the mainstream of community life. Social integration is critical to widening opportunities, battling stereotypes, galvanizing human rights, and ensuring the American public’s support of universal design policies so no one is left behind and everyone is included.

6. Work provides life structures.
Work gives a fundamental purpose and meaning to our lives. It offers life structures and regular routines such as:
· how we spend our time
· what we spend our time doing
· where we spend our time
· who we spend our time with
· why spend our time in the way we do.

Work offers consistency in our schedule and fills structured time with challenges, social relationships, and activities that nurture personal growth.

5. Work allows you to invest your skills and talents for pay.
Contrary to stereotypes, myths, and half-truths, people with disabilities are real economic assets. And work enables people with disabilities to invest their time, skills, and talents to the economic gain of employers and themselves. As it is for all people, the real challenge is identifying, unlocking, marketing, and employing innate talents or acquired job skills.

Like the unique color of our eyes, texture of our hair, or other physical attributes, we are all born with individual gifts and talents to contribute. Sadly, potential contributions of individuals living with significant disabilities are often overlooked, dismissed, or underestimated. Individual talents, however, can be examined through creative processes such as "discovery" or "person-centered career planning."

Discovery and career planning are designed to study and assess potential economic contributions of youth or adults with significant disabilities. These procedures are not assessment tools for screening the appropriateness or suitability of working. Rather they are strategies for identifying and determining how talents, assets, and potential contributions can be marketed to private industry. Once these possibilities are identified, they can be marketed to prospective employers through traditional job placement approaches. Or, customized employment practices can be used to build job opportunities around the unique interests and skills of individuals receiving the employment assistance.

In my view, it seems like such a waste of talent when no clear effort is made to employ the skills or innate potential that virtually everyone holds. Why not exchange these talents for real pay?

4. Work contributes to greater independence and self-support.
Unless people work or happen to be independently wealthy, most rely on someone else or the government for their keep. For chronically unemployed individuals, gaining a measure of economic power in their lives increases autonomy and choices about many personal matters. Earning a competitive wage and other employment benefits contributes to one’s self-support and provides discretionary income empowering people to set short-term and long-term goals.

3. Work contributes to higher productivity and achievement.
Competitive employment enables people to use their strengths and practice their skills. This leads to higher levels of individual competency and achievement. In addition, work enables people to pool their talents with others to achieve something greater than themselves. When people reach tangible personal goals they've set for themselves, it fuels higher self-esteem and personal competence. And when people with disabilities contribute to attainment of a company’s business accomplishments, it educates and breaks down social and economic barriers to success.

2. Poverty sucks!
I remember a politically incorrect poster many years ago by Micheal O'Harro. The poster portrayed a rich man standing in front of his Rolls Royce sipping on a cocktail. Inscribed above the photo was a sarcastic message– "Poverty Sucks!" Well, it sure does. Money may not buy happiness but it sure helps people pay the bills and live a minimum standard of life that brings comforts and pleasures.

A colleague and friend of mine, Joe Maronne, said it best– "If you think working is stressful, try a lifetime of unemployment and poverty." Right on, Joe!
1. Why work? Because you CAN!!

If you live with a disability, there is no better time in history than now to consider work. Almost anyone can work if he or she chooses to, has a good plan, finds an interested employer, and has access to essential work and community supports. Today, we have improved work incentives and public policies, amazing technologies to increase accessibility and functionality, better public and private transportation systems, and more effective employment practices to customize jobs and deliver the job supports people need to contribute in the workforce.

Is "going to work" really that easy for most people with disabilities? Of course not. If it were, there would be more people working. There are still significant barriers to employment for many Americans with disabilities because of low expectations and lack of access to responsive services many people need to meet presenting challenges or overcome individual circumstances.

If you really want to work and you’re getting the run around, I highly recommend seeking out educational and adult service providers who observe an "employment first" philosophy and believe in your abilities to work. These are the providers who are most likely to deliver on your potential. And yes, it may take some time to find the right employer or develop a job that is good match to your abilities, but it will be well worth the wait.

There is a place in the American workforce for anyone who chooses to work. We need to find it, develop it, or if necessary, create it.
For all of these reasons, I say-Choose work!

Blacks, Hispanics more likely to be stopped in W Va

"Although nearly 94 percent of the drivers stopped were white, the study found that blacks and Hispanics were at least 1.5 times more likely to be stopped by police. And once stopped, the study found, they were more likely to be arrested or receive a citation."

Surprised? Do YOU think this is "racial profiling"? If it's not, what else is it! Please FEEL FREE to click on "Add Comments" and TALK TO US (link located at end of story)....this article and MORE at our website - www.minorityjobs.net.



Original Article: Feb 10 2009, 18:52 Eastern Time


By BRIAN FARKAS
Associated Press Writer


CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) A study commisioned by lawmakers on alleged racial profiling by West Virginia police shows black and Hispanic motorists are more likely to be stopped and searched than whites.


Lawmakers authorized the Division of Criminal Justice study to resolve racial profiling accusations against law enforcement officials. The study presented to lawmakers Monday was based on 301,479 traffic stops recorded by police across West Virginia between April 2007 and September 2008.


“It doesn't answer the question of whether racial profiling is taking place,'' said Stephen Haas, director of the division's statistical analysis center. “It does answer the question of disparity of whites, blacks and Hispanics.''


Although nearly 94 percent of the drivers stopped were white, the study found that blacks and Hispanics were at least 1.5 times more likely to be stopped by police. And once stopped, the study found, they were more likely to be arrested or receive a citation.


Also, blacks and Hispanics were at least twice as likely to be searched.
However, the study showed that once searched, whites were more likely to have drugs and other contraband on them than either blacks or Hispanics.


“The fact that they are being searched at higher rates then whites, but less contraband is being found, it raises questions as to what were the reasons for the stop and search,'' Haas said.


Franklin Crabtree, executive director of the state's American Civil Liberties Union chapter, said researchers might not be able to say racial profiling exists, but circumstantial evidence suggests it.


“This study indicates we civil libertarians have a lot of work to do in West Virginia,'' he said.


The ACLU sued the city of Charleston in 2002 after city police stopped a vehicle with three black students who were participating in a leadership program at West Virginia State College.


West Virginia NAACP President Kenneth Hale said in a statement that the results aren't surprising. But Hale said it's disappointing to see “that people of color are still being disproportionally singled out to be stopped and searched when they travel on the state's roads.''


The Legislature has been debating racial profiling since 2002. Lawmakers adopted the Racial Profiling Data Collection Act in 2004 and approved rules governing the study in 2006.


The study required officers to note the type of violation the vehicle was stopped for and whether the officers issued a citation, warning or took no action. They also must note the time and day of each stop, how long the stop lasted and the patrol area and county where the stop occurred.


Information was collected by city police, county sheriff's deputies and state police troopers.


Speeding was the most common reason for a traffic stop. And only 4.6 percent of all stops resulted in a search, the study found. Contraband was not found in 53.6 percent of the searches.


The study said disparity ratios were highest in Barbour, Berkeley, Hardy, Jefferson, Preston and Summers counties. Minority drivers were two-and-a-half to six times more likely to be searched in Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Hardy, Mason, Mineral, Mingo, Pleasants, Randolph and Wirt counties.


Among cities, Parkersburg recorded the highest disparity with blacks more then twice as likely to be stopped then white drivers. Charleston led in searches with blacks being nearly five times more likely to be searched.


Despite the higher search rates for black drivers in Charleston, Beckley, Huntington and Wheeling, the report said the contraband “hit'' rate for blacks was lower than for whites.
Among county sheriff's departments, Putnam County led the state with blacks nearly 2.5 times more likely to be stopped and 3.5 times more likely to be searched.
Blacks were 4.5 times as likely to be searched by state troopers assigned to the Parkersburg detachment, and three times as likely by troopers attached to the South Charleston detachment, the study said.


Officials the state sheriff's association and fraternal order of police did not immediately return calls seeking comment.


State Police Sgt. Michael Baylous said Tuesday the agency had not seen the report, but troopers stopped filling out the forms on Jan. 1.


Haas said it will be up to the Legislature to decide if additional studies are needed.


House Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha, co-sponsored the study legislation in 2006.


Webster said Tuesday night said law enforcement agencies outside the State Police objected to the data collection over concerns it was redundant and time consuming.
“There was quite a bit of resistance,'' she said.


In the meantime, Crabtree said the study is a “really good step. At least we have a good idea of what we're dealing with.''