Cindy

How can we help one another in these economic times? Well how about reaching out and seeing how your colleagues are doing? Are they able to buy food and make their bills? How can we as a collective of unemployed HR professionals assist one another and others to help them acquire new positions.

I am very fond of Peter from the Challenger Group but due to not having any cash cannot afford the gas to drive up to Woodland Hills. It would be nice if we had a forum where we could request a car pool to events such as these.

I have had some of my colleagues and friends offer help via paypal just so I can get by. I would like to know if we could set up a page in which colleagues can donate a $1.00 and up to help those who are not receiving any unemployment  compensation due to have exhausted their benefit? This fund would help out professionals with gas to get to interviews and other incidentals like pet food, paper product and other items not covered under the food assistance programs. I realize that everyone is struggling but if you can donate a $1.00 to paypal account it would help those of us who cannot afford gas, pet food, or bathroom products.

If you would like to donate please contact me at cindykooy@yahoo.com.

Thank you and have a great day!

Cindy

So if I have not said it directly to each person. I have enjoyed the time I have shared with each and every one of you during certain time periods of my life. I look forward to the times that will come in the future. Every ones life shifts and changes with a blink of an eye. We move, change careers, become unemployed but the one thing that never changes is the true friendship that were built. May I say that I have enjoyed the friendships that I formed with my Drais and Santa Monica Amusements family. As well as the friendship that were formed during my school years at Indianola and Selma High School. Getting back in touch with friends who I have lost touch with has been very inspiring. I am very excited about the high school reunion.  I hope that I have expressed love, kindness and support during our times together. 

“Poem”
Friendship

Instead of different words, however, we’re stuck with simple adjectives. Close friend. Best friend. Childhood friend. Intimate friend. Trusted friend. Beloved friend. But whether you use adjectives or different words, few could deny the nearly infinite meaning in such a simple word.Friends are special people.
 
We can’t pick our family, and we’re sorely limited in the number of them at any rate. Society and mores (and often our own conscience) dictate we select a single mate. But our friends can be as diverse and infinite as the adjectives we choose. Our friends, in a very real sense, reflect the choices we make in life.

Although the job may not be the perfect one make it your own. Create lemons out of lemonade. Take the position and run with it so when the job you truly want comes around you will have what they want and have proven yourself in the meantime.

Never give up on old relationships with past employers. Always be the cheerleader. If you are struggling with recruiters or companies who are not responding to your follow up request. Remember that this may not be your opportunity. It hurts like Hll but that just means that your opportunity is around the corner. Find networking opportunities that do not cost and you can find these via www.meetup.com.

I am finding that this time is very retrospective. I am 43 going on 44 and only look 34 so life if fantastic.  Both my son and I are healthy. He brightens my day and makes me strive to have a better life everyday. We must get through this difficult time and learn that less is more sometimes in life.

So as I close another week and wonder will next week be the week in which I obtain a position. I think to myself how bad others may have it. I am going to my bff tomorrow for a bbq and a little wine.

Always turn negatives into positives.. My friend recommended that I go to a wicken shop and get a  job candle. She said it worked for her. I say why not..Going to grab some sage while I am there and clear out the negative vibes that have been floating in my house. Have a good weekend. Hug a family member, friend or stranger just because.. Just BREATH and SMILE.

Caio,

Cindy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVOFfHugjr8

So enjoy your weekend and a glass of Cab, Pinot, Pinot Grigio or Sangria on me!!!!!!!

Caio

Cindy

Contact information:
7028919002 work
9738680499 cell
christina.pellegrino@cancer.org email

   Cautious Optimism: One in Three HR Managers Say Their Company Will Hire in Third-Quarter 2010 

Alexandria, Va. – The third-quarter 2010 hiring outlook is subdued but improved compared to this time last year say HR managers surveyed in the SHRM Labor Market Outlook (LMO), a quarterly report published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Though widespread hiring is not expected, more HR professionals report optimism than pessimism. Fifty percent of respondents are somewhat optimistic about job growth and seven percent are very optimistic. The numbers mark a sharp increase from the third quarter of 2009 when a combined 37 percent of respondents expressed some level of optimism. 

Roughly 31 percent of HR managers surveyed expect their companies to hire in the third quarter of 2010, up from 21 percent who said so one year ago. A majority (52 percent) will maintain staffing levels while eight percent cite plans to cut jobs. Nine percent were unsure at the time the survey was fielded.

“The third quarter of 2010 is looking much better than the same time one year ago but it’s relative — one year ago marked a very dismal hiring environment,” said Jennifer Schramm, manager of workplace trends and forecasting at SHRM. 

What size companies will hire?

When examined by size, HR professionals in small organizations (36 percent) said they were likely to increase staff during the third quarter, closely followed by medium-size groups (35 percent), and large organizations (30 percent). 

The biggest trend continues to be maintaining staff levels, with 58 percent of HR professionals in small organizations reporting such plans for the third quarter followed by 57 percent in medium-size organizations, and 55 percent in small ones.

The SHRM LMO defines small organizations as those with fewer than 100 employees and medium-sized organizations as employing 100 to 499 employees. Large organizations are those with more than 500 workers. 

Will your sector be hiring?

A look at third-quarter SHRM LMO data by organizational sector shows that nonprofit organizations (42 percent) plan to conduct the most hiring followed by publicly owned for-profit companies (35 percent). Closely following in those sectors expected to hire are privately owned for-profit organizations (34 percent). The government plans the least hiring (22 percent) among those sectors surveyed. 

Hiring will remain largely flat with 58 percent of publicly owned as well as privately owned for-profit organizations reporting plans to maintain staff current staff levels. In the government, the number is higher with 64 percent of respondents reporting no changes in staffing levels. Among HR professionals responding for nonprofit organizations, 48 percent will maintain staff levels.

Are there regional hiring trends?

Regionally, optimism among HR professionals varied slightly. While 12 percent of respondents in the Southeast reported being very optimistic about third-quarter 2010 hiring, only seven percent in the Midwest reported such. Five percent from the West reported the same as did four percent in the Northeast.

Many HR managers are at least somewhat optimistic with 51 percent in the Northeast reporting such closely followed by 50 percent in the Midwest, 49 percent in the West, and 46 percent in the Southeast.

Will you be laid off?

During the third quarter of 2010, only eight percent of HR professionals say their organizations will decrease staff — managers and professionals (55 percent) will be those most affected by layoffs while senior executives (four percent) will be the least laid off group. In between the two groups are: hourly service workers (29 percent); contract/temporary employees (24 percent); laborers/unskilled manual workers (20 percent); and skilled manual workers (14 percent).

The SHRM Labor Market Outlook launched in January 2009. The SHRM LMO examines hiring and recruiting trends based on a quarterly survey of more than 400 HR professionals managing company staffing issues from a broad range of public and private entities. Visit: www.shrm.org/lmo.
]]> http://cindykooy.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/cautious-optimism-one-in-three-hr-managers-say-their-company-will-hire-in-third-quarter-2010/feed/ 0 cindykooy http://cindykooy.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/job-searching-during-summer/ http://cindykooy.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/job-searching-during-summer/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:45:09 +0000 Cindy Morrison http://cindykooy.wordpress.com/?p=17 Continue reading →]]> As I scan through the very scanty postings for HR positions. I am wondering if I will be able to continue my dream career. Working in Human Resources is not work but passion that fills my soul.  How often do you have the opportunity to find a career that makes everyday exciting.  Having the experience of working with entrepreneurs whether it be in on-line, hospitality, or retail. As an entrepreneur myself working on businesses that I have formed over the years. First one was a house cleaning business  when I was in high school. Second was house and dog sitting during college. Third is a bookkeeping business for small businesses who only need someone once or twice a week. Being able to fill niches in areas that were usually done by a full-time person. But due to the economic slow down companies wanted save money and only have a bookkeeper on a contract basis.

Now I am using my marketing skills to get my next job in HR. Branding my experience in HR and how like a “Truffle” I am a rare find in the mountainous piles of resumes.   Learned alot about marketing from working at Drai’s Hollywood nightclub. That is gorilla marketing at its best. Creating an environment where everyone wants to go too but only a few get in!! Got to create that buzz!!!!!!!!!!! Not only job searching but also studying for SPHR exam in December of this year. Researching to keep up on current trends in HR and new job markets. Having worked with on-line media company.. That is a huge area of growth. Very casual atmosphere and margarita fridays…  Going to work on my buzzz! Get that resume noticed…

U.S. salary increase budgets remain historically low, but projections for 2011 show a modest increase, according to The Conference Board annual salary increase budgets survey report, released July 13, 2010. For the second straight year, the median salary increase budget in 2010 is 2.5 percent. Projections for 2011 show a modest increase to 3 percent.

Salary increase budgets refer to the pool of money that an organization dedicates to salary increases for the coming year. It is represented as a percentage of current payroll and calculated using a predetermined total percentage of base pay (excluding overtime, bonuses, etc.).

“This less-than-robust increase is an indication that the economic recovery has not yet picked up enough strength to significantly raise salary budgets to a level consistent with a healthy economy,” said Christopher Woock, human capital researcher at The Conference Board, a business membership and research association. “But the news is not all grim,” he added. “There appears to be little risk of inflation eroding the real value of the increase.”

Across all industries, the 2011 forecast for salary increase budgets showed little variation, with no employee group in any industry projected to exceed the overall median of 3 percent.

The projections for 2011 salary increase budgets are up from the actual 2010 increases, according to the report. The largest year-over-year projected increases are in the diversified services industry—where the projected 2011 median salary increase budget is 0.5 to 3 percentage points higher than the actual 2010 budget—and in the diversified financial services industry—where the projected 2011 median salary increase budget is 0.5 or 0.63 percentage point higher than the actual 2010 budget. Among other sectors:

• The transportation industry is expected to have the lowest median salary increase budget for 2011—2.25 percent for exempt employees and executives.

• The insurance industry also is below the 3 percent median overall forecast increase for non-exempt salaried, exempt, and executives.

• The banking sector reported the lowest projected 2011 increase for non-exempt, hourly employees.

More Pay for Performance

Pay for performance continues to be the common approach for the allocation of salary increase budgets as companies remain focused on high-performing employees and growth businesses. While most companies have not budgeted general increases, overall merit increase percentages for 2010 actual and 2011 projected budgets mirror the trend of those of total increases.

The information for the report was gathered from 313 U.S. companies surveyed April 7-30, 2010.

Forecast: Imminent Growth Slowdown in the U.S. “As the rebound effects from the recession have almost entirely dissipated, a growth slowdown starting in the summer of 2010 is becoming increasingly apparent,” says Bart van Ark, chief economist at The Conference Board. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the second quarter of 2010 “might turn out to be the highest for the year, and even here there is a downside risk of the consumer data coming in lower than currently forecasted, despite an uptick in April (and March),” according to van Ark. There are no signs of a “double dip” recession, however, he notes, as The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the United States points to continued, though slower growth for the rest of this year. “Weak consumer confidence, slow job growth and flat confidence levels among CEOs, just to mention some of the latest data points, all support the slow growth scenario,” according to van Ark. “We also find that there has been a significant re-pricing of credit risk suggesting that financial markets are also weighing lower growth prospects. “Altogether we expect GDP growth in a range of 1.5 to 2 percent in the second half as a result of slow consumer spending, weaker investment growth and a significant cutback in government spending.”

Stephen Miller is an online editor/manager for SHRM.

Quick Links:

SHRM Online Compensation Discipline

SHRM Salary Survey Directory

SHRM Compensation Data Center

SHRM Metro Economic Outlook reports