Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 11:40:39 GMT -5
It's a pretty simple article, but it appears 40% of employers in the U.S report having difficulty filling jobs. www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/top-10-hardest-jobs-fill-2014-n121931So, unemployment is high and many can't find a job, but at the same time, employers report being unable to fill a substantial number of positions. My question is, where's the disconnect between job seekers and employers? Is it a lack of skills on the part of the workers? Employers being unwilling to train? Is it because people aren't moving where the jobs are? What do you think? I was pretty surprised to see teachers on the list. I was under the impression there were more teachers than jobs.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jun 4, 2014 11:49:13 GMT -5
From our perspective it's the lack of quality applicants. They come in with these attitudes and a complete lack of respect for the job. We'll hire them on Monday and by Thursday they are already showing up late, arguing, whining, etc.
We had a guy yesterday that my brother wanted to hire for a driving position. I told him that we needed to have insurance run his license and see if they would insure him first and he needed to pass a drug test. My brother argued with me and said "He says he's fine and has a clean driving record" I sent the MVR to insurance anyway. They emailed me first thing this am and said "please don't hire this applicant as a driver"
His MVR: 3 different "theft of gas" charges 2 failure to pay fines 3 speeding tickets 1 Excessive speeding ticket. And that's all in the past 24 months and he wants to be a CDL driver. No one reputable will hire him. We are all at the mercy of our insurance company. You'd think if you needed to maintain a clean record to be employed as a driver that you'd watch the lead foot, pay your fines and NOT steal gas.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 11:55:38 GMT -5
Good point Shelia.
I wonder how many people out there are disqualified from work, or at least good paying work, by simle things, like a criminal record or just plain not willing to sit down, shut up, and do as you're told?
A lot of people out there seem to have an attitude.
And sometimes I have to ask, was that joint or speeding ticket or DUI really worth it?
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jun 4, 2014 11:57:58 GMT -5
DH's employer has had a few open positions for a year or more.
Their problem (IMO) is that the pay is not high enough. The jobs don't require degrees, but do require certifications (ASE) or other experience that make the applicants somewhat valuable. When someone can make $25/hr at the dealership in the next town, they're not going to settle for $18/hr at DH's employer. The lower-than-average pay means that the applicant pool is, how shall we say, not ideal.
What they've ended up doing is just hiring people straight out of HS and sending them to be certified (about an 18-month process) - but the owner (in his infinite wisdom) doesn't make them sign anything promising they'll stay on for a certain amount of time or pay the training costs back, so usually once they've gotten their certs they're out of there within a few months.
DH has been actively looking for a new job for a couple of months and they are going to be SOL when he leaves, since he and his boss have been covering an empty slot for about 6 months. Oh well.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jun 4, 2014 12:06:11 GMT -5
DH's employer is scrambling now. DH got a big promotion that took him out of the field and put him in an office at HQ. They've been trying to replace him ever since. Plus they were down a tech before he left and another guy quit after DH left. So that's three field tech positions they are trying to fill at one location. It's a great company with good benefits and decent pay but they can't find people to fill the spots. They even offer a $500 bonus to any employee that recommends someone that gets hired.
The VP for that division came to DH yesterday and begged him to agree to field work for the rest of the week. They have this huge high profile job and didn't have a tech to do it. So DH is going in early to get his regular work done and then driving to downtown St Paul to babysit a project there from 9 to 4 every day this week, then back to the office to work on his regular work again. He's fine doing it because A. it's high profile and B. they are super grateful and keep stopping by his office and thanking him so it shows he is a "team player".
For the first year you need to be provisionally certified (one guy signs off on it) and then after that they will pay to send you to all the training you could possibly need. Still have had positions open for over a year.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 4, 2014 12:07:59 GMT -5
I'm guessing that transportation comes into play. And attitudes towards hiring people with felony records.
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greeniis10
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Post by greeniis10 on Jun 4, 2014 12:15:45 GMT -5
I'm glad it was already mentioned so that I don't sound judgy, but around here, jobs are open (entry level, mid-level) due to people not able to either pass a drug test, no driver's license, or some kind of criminal record (or all 3).
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justme
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Post by justme on Jun 4, 2014 12:25:43 GMT -5
Geeze, I sure hope they're right about accounting and finance. There's a decent chance I may have to be looking soon.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 12:28:07 GMT -5
DH's employer is scrambling now. DH got a big promotion that took him out of the field and put him in an office at HQ. They've been trying to replace him ever since. Plus they were down a tech before he left and another guy quit after DH left. So that's three field tech positions they are trying to fill at one location. It's a great company with good benefits and decent pay but they can't find people to fill the spots. They even offer a $500 bonus to any employee that recommends someone that gets hired.
The VP for that division came to DH yesterday and begged him to agree to field work for the rest of the week. They have this huge high profile job and didn't have a tech to do it. So DH is going in early to get his regular work done and then driving to downtown St Paul to babysit a project there from 9 to 4 every day this week, then back to the office to work on his regular work again. He's fine doing it because A. it's high profile and B. they are super grateful and keep stopping by his office and thanking him so it shows he is a "team player".
For the first year you need to be provisionally certified (one guy signs off on it) and then after that they will pay to send you to all the training you could possibly need. Still have had positions open for over a year. Why can't your DH's employer find good field techs? What type of job is it?
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 12:29:19 GMT -5
Well, at my employer, there's been a hiring freeze for so long that we're basically down to half staffing. It's probably not that we can't find people, it's that there's not enough money in the budget to hire folks.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 12:31:14 GMT -5
Geeze, I sure hope they're right about accounting and finance. There's a decent chance I may have to be looking soon. Is that your field of expertise? My sister is an accountant, they're always hiring people.
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justme
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Post by justme on Jun 4, 2014 12:37:48 GMT -5
Geeze, I sure hope they're right about accounting and finance. There's a decent chance I may have to be looking soon. Is that your field of expertise? My sister is an accountant, they're always hiring people. Yes, but not an accountant. Currently a cost/financial analyst for a government contractor. The recompete for the contract I'm on just came out as small business (we are not), our current small business teammate isn't on that particular GSA schedule, and it's LPTA. None of that really helps our odds.
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chen35
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Post by chen35 on Jun 4, 2014 12:38:49 GMT -5
I'm in accounting and we have a horrible time filling positions. The quality of applicants is very subpar, and I think our pay is competitive (at least it is for me, I'm not leaving any time soon). We took a posting down because we didn't get one good resume in. It's been that way since I started 4 years ago.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Jun 4, 2014 12:39:53 GMT -5
Geeze, I sure hope they're right about accounting and finance. There's a decent chance I may have to be looking soon. Is that your field of expertise? My sister is an accountant, they're always hiring people. Getting an accounting degree was one of the two smartest things I did with my life
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2014 12:44:08 GMT -5
From our perspective it's the lack of quality applicants. They come in with these attitudes and a complete lack of respect for the job. We'll hire them on Monday and by Thursday they are already showing up late, arguing, whining, etc.
We had a guy yesterday that my brother wanted to hire for a driving position. I told him that we needed to have insurance run his license and see if they would insure him first and he needed to pass a drug test. My brother argued with me and said "He says he's fine and has a clean driving record" I sent the MVR to insurance anyway. They emailed me first thing this am and said "please don't hire this applicant as a driver"
His MVR: 3 different "theft of gas" charges 2 failure to pay fines 3 speeding tickets 1 Excessive speeding ticket. And that's all in the past 24 months and he wants to be a CDL driver. No one reputable will hire him. We are all at the mercy of our insurance company. You'd think if you needed to maintain a clean record to be employed as a driver that you'd watch the lead foot, pay your fines and NOT steal gas.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our family's business depends on employees being able to drive. It's amazing how many applicants there are who, due to poor driving records, can't qualify for the needed insurance.
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moneymaven
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Post by moneymaven on Jun 4, 2014 12:44:42 GMT -5
Is that your field of expertise? My sister is an accountant, they're always hiring people. Getting an accounting degree was one of the two smartest things I did with my life What was the second thing?
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Jun 4, 2014 12:47:13 GMT -5
Marrying my husband
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Jun 4, 2014 12:47:21 GMT -5
Then there are those who want to follow their "dream" as opposed to getting a degree in a job that is in demand and will pay a living wage. finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/college-costs-unaffordable-for-students-174357548.html;_ylt=AwrBJSAIWo9TLQQA0BeTmYlQ"By the time she graduated in 2013, she had amassed $150,000 in debt. She found her dream job as a music therapist working with with Alzheimer’s patients, but she can’t afford to live on her own and make monthly $1,400 loan payments on her $34,000 salary. So Shippen is planning to move back home with her parents. "Yes folks, 150K in debt to get a job that pays $1.34 more per hour then I pay my interns, and that payi s about half of what I hire a new grad with no experience who has an excellent change of making in the low six figures after 10-15 years in the profession. Because a "dream" is much more important than actually supporting yourself or your family.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jun 4, 2014 12:50:52 GMT -5
My boys will be graduating soon and I hope they have what are considered "good" resumes. One will be graduating in Dec with degree in Finance & Economics, very high gpa, 2 actuary exams (hopefully 3 by end of the year). He was not able to find an internship since he is not at a top level school. The other has 2 more years for degree in Finance from a top level school, hopefully keeping his gpa high.
The hard part is getting your first job, after that you have experience.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2014 12:56:57 GMT -5
I don't know about other areas, but around here people have found ways to live without working. Most are getting by on some kind of government assistance, living with relatives, friends, out of their cars or they are stealing. I was managing a business in a resort town for the Summer a few years ago and I was literally begging my employees to show up for their shifts. So, when I heard people whine about the high jobless rates, I can't help but think BS.
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achelois
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Post by achelois on Jun 4, 2014 13:11:49 GMT -5
I don't know about other areas, but around here people have found ways to live without working. Most are getting by on some kind of government assistance, living with relatives, friends, out of their cars or they are stealing. I was managing a business in a resort town for the Summer a few years ago and I was literally begging my employees to show up for their shifts. So, when I heard people whine about the high jobless rates, I can't help but think BS. Yes, but it is always: the economy the 1%ers Obama/Bush/Clinton "the Man" Wall Street The illegals holding them back. Never THEIR fault. Oh, oh, it makes me long for the good old days when it was just evil banks and evil credit card companies that were the causes of everyone's problems.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jun 4, 2014 13:16:54 GMT -5
Why can't your DH's employer find good field techs? What type of job is it?
It's for a large engineering firm. The field techs do materials, soils and environmental testing. They need people with clean driving records (to be able to drive the company provided trucks to and from the jobsites). Need to be able to pass background checks (they do a lot of jobs for schools and that so they need to be able to work on those jobsites). Ideally someone would come in having field certification but they are willing to get you provisionally certified and then pay you to attend the training and tests during the winter months.
Physically it's not a terribly demanding job but you need to be able to bend, squat, carry buckets full of concrete, etc. Seriously his employer is awesome. They promote heavily from within, offer approx. $7000 per year in tuition reimbursement if you want to get a degree (bachelors, masters, etc.) Excellent benefits. Great pay, etc.
I don't know why they have so much trouble finding people.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 13:20:07 GMT -5
Is that your field of expertise? My sister is an accountant, they're always hiring people. Yes, but not an accountant. Currently a cost/financial analyst for a government contractor. The recompete for the contract I'm on just came out as small business (we are not), our current small business teammate isn't on that particular GSA schedule, and it's LPTA. None of that really helps our odds. Good luck to you. That's why I have avoided working for government contractors, too much instability. Usually the new company who wins the new contract will want to keep at least some of the old staff on though. So not all is lost. What's the alternative, hire all new people? You should try getting in on the inside.
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Jun 4, 2014 13:22:06 GMT -5
I think the reasons could vary - low starting wages, unemployed people with unreal expectations as far as pay or what they're qualified to do and people who are making just as much sitting around on unemployment so why get a job. I know someone who was out of work for over a year on unemployment, got another job for about a year that she lost when they made cuts and has now been unemployed for almost 6 months. She's holding out for a job in a niche industry when she's basically entry level so between that and her inflated sense of self worth she's still unemployed and collecting unemployment. The jobs she's interviewed for end up getting posted again and again so those companies are having problems finding the right applicants. Meanwhile she's been going on vacations and half asses it while looking for jobs. I don't have an ounce of sympathy for someone like her and know of other people who while they aren't as bad are definitely milking their situation. I feel bad for people who are really trying and know some older workers are really struggling but situations like the ones I've seen are why I'm not a fan of them extending unemployment.
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justme
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Post by justme on Jun 4, 2014 13:23:12 GMT -5
Yes, but not an accountant. Currently a cost/financial analyst for a government contractor. The recompete for the contract I'm on just came out as small business (we are not), our current small business teammate isn't on that particular GSA schedule, and it's LPTA. None of that really helps our odds. Good luck to you. That's why I have avoided working for government contractors, too much instability. Usually the new company who wins the new contract will want to keep at least some of the old staff on though. So not all is lost. What's the alternative, hire all new people? You should try getting in on the inside. Maybe. I'm not overly enamored with government work. This was just my first job offer after graduating in a crappy time. My internship at Lockheed doing the same thing is why I got this job, but I only did the internship with them because they saw my resume on the school site and asked for me in addition to the $$$ they paid. So I fell into it all by luck.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 13:23:27 GMT -5
I'm in accounting and we have a horrible time filling positions. The quality of applicants is very subpar, and I think our pay is competitive (at least it is for me, I'm not leaving any time soon). We took a posting down because we didn't get one good resume in. It's been that way since I started 4 years ago. How are the applicants sub par? Do they not have the needed accounting/financial degrees, little or no experience? Or just sloppy resume's in general?
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 4, 2014 13:37:19 GMT -5
Good luck to you. That's why I have avoided working for government contractors, too much instability. Usually the new company who wins the new contract will want to keep at least some of the old staff on though. So not all is lost. What's the alternative, hire all new people? You should try getting in on the inside. Maybe. I'm not overly enamored with government work. This was just my first job offer after graduating in a crappy time. My internship at Lockheed doing the same thing is why I got this job, but I only did the internship with them because they saw my resume on the school site and asked for me in addition to the $$$ they paid. So I fell into it all by luck. So then, what appeals to you? What would be your dream job?
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justme
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Post by justme on Jun 4, 2014 13:41:52 GMT -5
Maybe. I'm not overly enamored with government work. This was just my first job offer after graduating in a crappy time. My internship at Lockheed doing the same thing is why I got this job, but I only did the internship with them because they saw my resume on the school site and asked for me in addition to the $$$ they paid. So I fell into it all by luck. So then, what appeals to you? What would be your dream job? I loved doing the event management of sports for a team I was on in college. That was a lot of fun and actually uses a fair number of my finance skills too. But those jobs are extremely hard to come by in good times and I've been mostly out of the loop of things anyways so no current contacts. I'm ok with sticking in the finance web of the work world - I just am not a fan of being a government employee with the bureaucracy and raises not being based on performance. Being rewarded for doing a good job motivates me to be better - and a pat on the head or a certificate isn't that motivating.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jun 4, 2014 14:06:57 GMT -5
It's a pretty simple article, but it appears 40% of employers in the U.S report having difficulty filling jobs. www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/top-10-hardest-jobs-fill-2014-n121931So, unemployment is high and many can't find a job, but at the same time, employers report being unable to fill a substantial number of positions. My question is, where's the disconnect between job seekers and employers? Is it a lack of skills on the part of the workers? Employers being unwilling to train? Is it because people aren't moving where the jobs are? What do you think? I was pretty surprised to see teachers on the list. I was under the impression there were more teachers than jobs. What's the disconnect? A significant part of the disconnect is unemployment insurance. This safety net allows a number of things to happen. People can delay a decision to relocate to where the jobs are. People can wait for their ideal job, not the job that is available today. People can wait for a job that pays what they want to earn to come along, and not be forced to accept less than they want to earn just to keep food on the table. And some people can delay a serious job search until their UE benefits are ready to run out (funny that some folks who have been unemployed for quite a long time manage to find work just as their benefits come to an end). Another factor might be compensation. The last several years have allowed employers to squeeze compensation rates. In part, this may be the result of more global competition in certain industries. In other cases, the compensation squeeze may be simply because employers could get away with limiting compensation and still hire/retain the folks they needed. Not as true today. Then there is skills issue. Having teachers on the list doesn't surprise me when you start to consider the subject matter. I remember Dad talking about math and science teachers being difficult to find and hire. And that was 50 years ago. There may also be regional supply and demand issues in certain occupations. For example, around here it is difficult for builders to find experienced construction trades people. Ten years ago, most of the area construction jobs were held by Mexican immigrants. Native born people had been pretty much pushed out of the construction trades by immigrants who were willing to work for lower wages. When the economy tanked and the construction jobs disappeared, many of those immigrants returned to Mexico. So there are shortages of experienced cement finishers, roofers, drywall hangers, drywall tapers, stucco applicators, tile setters, cabinetry installers, painters, landscapers, and the like. And, given the challenges of immigration or acquiring years of experience in the construction trades, those shortages are unlikely to be resolved quickly.
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chen35
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Post by chen35 on Jun 4, 2014 14:08:02 GMT -5
I'm in accounting and we have a horrible time filling positions. The quality of applicants is very subpar, and I think our pay is competitive (at least it is for me, I'm not leaving any time soon). We took a posting down because we didn't get one good resume in. It's been that way since I started 4 years ago. How are the applicants sub par? Do they not have the needed accounting/financial degrees, little or no experience? Or just sloppy resume's in general? The biggest thing is lack of experience. I have an easy time getting entry level people in, because if you have the right attitude it's easy to pick up on what to do at that level. Once we get into even a Sr. Accountant level, it's tough to find anyone who has good financial reporting experience. My last open Sr. Accountant position, I re-coded to a staff accountant and moved our admin over. She has a great attitude, and I knew would pick it up quick. It wasn't worth it to try to bring in someone with experience.
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