Thursday, July 16, 2009

Only the Employed Need Apply


White Chocolate Grill
Bobby Fitzgerald prefers to hire
the already employed even though
he gets two dozen or more unsolicited
résumés each day at his White Chocolate Grill.


With unemployment at 9.4% and rising, it’s a buyer’s market for employers that are hiring.
Even a recruiter said many of his clients would rather look at "passive candidates," those not actively seeking a job because they have one already.

This practice assumes that hanging onto a job assures one's quality, aptitude, and leadership. I disagree heartily. Most of us can think of the person who was still in the office after 25 lame, unproductive, and in most cases whining, years. We don't know why they're still there. Do they have something on the boss, we speculate?

Probably not. They just forgot -- or refused -- to stay home when they quit. And someone else didn't notice.

On the other hand, I've known and worked with plenty of energized, engaged, and productive people who have had departments disappear beneath their feet, a job description change, or a merger move their job to St. Louis.

No, not all the best people are working, and not all of those unemployed are second stringers.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

You can contribute to Millennials employment survey

A researcher who is concerned about the very high rate of unemployment among the Millennials (17.8%) is looking for people to contribute to her research.

Consultant Stacey Randall is conducting original research called "The Impact of the Recession on the Millennial Generation." She is looking for people under 30 who were laid off in 2008 or 2009.

The impact she is researching carries some alarming statistics:
  • Unemployment among young Americans is nearly 9 points higher than the national average.
  • Two-thirds of college students graduate with over $20,000 in debt, twice as much as a decade ago.
If you are or know of a Millennial who has been laid off since January 2008, please visit www.surveymonkey.com/recessionsurvey.