Business & Tech

What You Need To Know Now About Finding A Job, Or The Right Candidate For That Job

There are jobs out there, you just need to know where to look, how to do it, and to keep your spirits up. For employers, who are often faced with a glut of candidates, it often comes down to finding the right fit for the company culture.

 

When it comes to looking for a job in these bleak economic times, Wayne Rigney likes to remind people that recessions and high unemployment are cyclical; economic conditions come in waves and cycles.

“We’re in a very challenging situation,” he said. “But we’ve been here before.”

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And while the immediate forecast is grim, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, even if it is a ways down the road.

December jobs numbers garners mixed reaction

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Last week, there was what appeared to be good news when the U.S. Department of Labor reported that employers added 200,000 jobs in December, which pushed the national unemployment rate down to 8.5 percent.

Still, some experts said the seeming gains were a "statistical fluke." Dean Baker, from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in a discussion hosted by the Washington Post, cautioned against being overly optimistic just yet.

But Rigney says, down the road, there is hope for improvement.

"We'll have a ton of pain ... until we get there"

“It is definitely hopeful; by the beginning of 2015, we’ll be at 6 percent (unemployment.) It’s promising, but we’ll have a ton of pain, 3 ½ years of it, until we get there,” Rigney predicted, pointing to the data from a desk full of economic flowcharts and graphs.

Rigney, executive recruiter for Talent Mindset Resources, a Madison-based national employee recruiting and assessment firm--he’s a head-hunter and doesn’t shy away from the term–described a bleak forecast for the state; “it’s a pretty sad state of affairs.” The unemployment rate in Connecticut was 7.9 percent, 12 percent in nearby New Haven, and 5 percent in Madison, in November 2011.

There are countless industries that are dying and with them, jobs, in paper and textiles, for example. But the good news is that there are fields where the need is great.

Growth in healthcare and IT encouraging

“Nationally, and here in Connecticut, the growth is in IT (information technology) and the  healthcare field and that doesn’t just mean health workers it means all the support staff that goes with it,” he said. Like marketing, clerical, management, customer service, technical careers and the like. “That’s where the demand is now. So people ought to focus on companies providing IT, tech services. That’s the niche.”

Talent Mindset helps its business clients from across the region and the nation to get the right person for the job; “That’s our job.”

Rigney, whose background is in human resources, said his firm advises candidates for those jobs “what’s hot and what’s not.”

More important than ever to get the right candidate for the job

“Everybody’s looking for an answer” what’s out there? And hiring managers (his clients) want to make sure they have the right person for their job. We know that tech is hot and anything temporary or contract is hot,” he said.

Rigney said that it’s the “culture” of the company, or specific department, or even the job itself that dictates who will get any particular job.

Candidates for jobs should learn what they can about the company and make a connection inside, if possible to get a feel for a job, not just a list of duties. Candidates who can convey that they are a good fit for the specific job and workplace will have an edge, he said.

All about doing the homework, make that call, make a contact

“There are a lot of jobs out there,” he said. It’s about doing the homework: checking job boards, checking out what companies and businesses are close and going directly to their websites, making sure the resume is well-done – here he said there are a number of common mistakes like failing to include why you left a job–and ultimately, “making contact.”

“Make the call,” he said. “If you don’t call and make yourself known then your resume will get lost in the shuffle.”

Visit Talent Mindset Resources for more information, direction and resources.  

For additional resources from the state of Connecticut, see this web page.


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