The Art of Inerviewing Applicants

InterviewI often read articles giving tips on how to "ace" interviews and am left to wonder if the people writing the articles have actually interviewed an employment candidate. There are so many academics who spend their time studying and teaching the art of interviewing, but nothing is a better teacher than experience. In my career as a police office and police commander I have interviewed hundreds of people over a 25-year career. One can argue that interviewing a witness or suspect is not the same as interviewing an applicant. However, I have done both many times and the end results are the same. Interviewing is the art of asking questions in a way that gets you truthful and accurate responses. The interviewer must be able to tell when the responses are not accurate or incomplete. Like most things in life, some people interview well and some don’t. This is both the person doing the interview and the person being interviewed.

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Health Care Law Limits Brain Procedures For Patients 70 and Older

I received an email with an audio file from the Mark Levin Radio Show that is most alarming. The caller reports that he is a brain surgeon and had just returned from a seminar in Washington where they were told how the new health care law will affect patients 70 and older with brain emergencies (like a stroke). It is quite startling and I urge you to listen to the file attached below.

Radio Talk Show Host Mark Levin Call from Brain Surgeon

Increased Job Opportunities Coming in 2012

The closer we get to the 2012 presidential election the better the economic news we seem to be hearing. Does this mean job opportunities will increase in 2012? I believe the answer is yes. 

In my area (Tampa Bay Florida) housing sales of existing homes is looking up and there are predictions that values will increase this year. We hear almost daily reports that consumer confidence is up and that we are borrowing more money to purchase cars or buy holiday gifts this past holiday season. One report stated that consumers charged almost as much on holiday gifts as they did in 2007 which was the beginning of the recession. There have also been a number of reports that first time unemployment claims are down and overall unemployment has decreased fractionally.

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Does Improved Consumer Confidence = New Jobs?

I have read several articles indicating that consumer confidence is rising. Speculation is that we feel better about the economy which gives us more confidence about the job market. Supposedly, if you have a job, you feel less stress about losing it. Likewise, if you are unemployed, you feel better about your prospects of getting a new job. But does increased confidence mean that more jobs are on the horizon?Consumer Confidence

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Unemployment Compensation, Good or Bad?

Like most of you I know several people who are on unemployment. One person received 99 weeks of unemployment and when the money ran out, he still did not have a job. In this particular case, I know that he did not begin looking for a job until his unemployment benefits ran out. His reluctance to look for a job did not start out that way. When he was first laid off, he was frantic about finding new employment. He had bills that needed to be paid and the thought of getting behind made him very nervous. As time went on, he trimmed his expenses to where he was able to live on the money he received from unemployment. He also found side jobs where he could earn money under the table. In a matter of a few months he became more comfortable with his living conditions and stopped looking for work.

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Employment Survey Most Promising For 2012

GraphManpower Employment Outlook Survey Reports Most Promising U.S. Hiring Outlook Since 2008 | Manpower U.S. Pressroom.

Above is a link to a survey by ManpowerGroup that reports hiring will increase by 9% in the first quarter of 2012. The survey size was over 18,000 employers around the country. The industry sectors surveyed with a positive outlook are as follows:

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Weekly Jobless Claims Hit Lowest Level in 3-1/2 Years | Fox Business

Weekly Jobless Claims Hit Lowest Level in 3-1/2 Years | Fox Business.

Above is an article about a reduction in first time unemployment claims. Jobless claims for last week were still over 350,000 so I am not sure what there is to be happy about. This is apparently an indicator that the economy is improving. I still know a lot of people who are on unemployment and have been for a long time. I knew one person who received 99 weeks and when it came to an end he still did not have a job. His profession as an electrician and there just were no jobs out there for him. When is unemployment ran out he went to a day labor office spending three or four days there without getting a job. He has since relocated, so I don't know what is going on with him now.

Hopefully, we our economy is on the mend. I hope this report gives someone comfort. If you are out of a job, I wish you all the best in finding new employment. For those of you interested, please read the article.

Help Wanted, Come and Write About Your Employment Stories

Help WantedMy Blog is new and my hope is that it will become a resource for the employer and employee on issues that are important to them. I know that in order for my Blog to be successful, I need people to participate in the discussion. So I am looking for people who would like to contribute and perhaps author some articles. There are a lot of people who are affected by the economy.  Some of you are unemployed. What has been your experience while looking for new work? Are you receiving unemployment compensation? What kind of adjustments have you had to make in order to get by? What are your frustrations and how could things change to help people in your situation? There are many areas that you could submit an article about. Sometime venting your frustrations helps. I am willing to give you a forum to do that.

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What Employees Should Know Before Making a Complaint

ComplaintWhen an employer has an issue with an employee it is to their advantage to discuss the issue with the employee and get it resolved. But what happens when an employee has an issue with a co-worker or their employer? Most employees need their jobs to support themselves and their families, thus the power sits with the employer. However, it is important for an employee to be free to complain about things that affect them, even if it is their employer whom they need to complain about. The key is to communicate your concerns in a constructive manner.

No employer wants strife in the organization. Being in business is hard enough without having employees upset with their co-workers or management. Time spent on employee complaints is time taken from making or keeping their business successful. It is important that employee complaints are addressed as soon as possible. As an employee, you need to understand the dynamics of the employment relationship you are in. Management styles vary from managers who are very engaged and actively manage to managers who ignore what is going on around them so they don’t have to address issues.

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How to Resolve Employee Behavior Issues

No employer or employee wants turmoil in their work environment. However, there are times when circumstances dictate otherwise. This article will explain how to solve employee behavioral issues.

We hire people with the expectation that they will be good employees and contribute to making the company successful. Most employees will work as we expect with little or no employee issues. However, no matter how much effort we put in to finding good employees an employer is likely to hire some with issues that must be corrected. An employer can also expect that from time to time an employee, who is generally not a problem, may develop issues that must be addressed.

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