June 2007

Job market improving, absorbing workers
Abridged: Axcess News HOUSTON, TX -- The U.S. job market continued to absorb more workers last week, giving rise to speculation that the economic slowdown isn't as bad as imagined. Last week's unemployment figures marked a four-month low in the jobless rate and gave a spurt of confidence to the market, with the Dow finishing the week's trading session up 1.75 percent.

In the week ending May 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 293,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 298,000. The 4-week moving average was 305,500, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised average of 317,500, the U.S. Labor Department said.

The number of people continuing to collect state unemployment benefits fell by 78,000 (from 2.551 million to 2.473 million) in the week that ended May 5, the lowest in almost four months. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits, which tends to track the U.S. jobless rate, held at 1.9 percent in the week ended May 5.

Interview tips from a professional interviewer
Abridged: Houston Chronicle HOUSTON, TX -- Tom Vane works as a national recruiter for the IRS. He's pretty much seen it all when it comes to interviews. Here are a few tips from he has to offer:

Come prepared. Know the basic information about the organization and the position. Wear business attire, preferably a suit. Have specific examples ready. Vangen said many interview questions regard behavior, such as how a person handles conflict. Think of examples beforehand and be ready to explain them. Vangen suggests using the acronym CAR: describe the Challenge; explain your Actions; describe the Resolution.

Use 'I' statements. Starting sentences with 'we' doesn't tell a potential employer much about you. Convey confidence. Potential employers want to see people who are sure of themselves and confident that they can handle the job.

Don't ask questions that are either basic or aimed at the wrong person. The person hiring you for the job knows about the job and the company, but probably not the ins and outs of the organization's benefit plan. Save these for HR. Lastly, Don't make employers prod you for information. Listen to the interview questions. If you don't understand, ask for a clarification. Then give as complete an answer as possible.

Describe your ideal job
Abridged: Lockergnome LLC. LOS ANGELES, CA -- This is one of those general questions that interviewers often throw at potential employees. There is no right or wrong answer to this question. It just gives an interviewer a glimpse at your personality and the responses can be used to weed out potential candidates. Your answer will also indicate to an interviewer whether your goals are in line with those of their company.

The best thing you can do is prepare for this question before going for into the interview. Answering this question does require you to take a look at what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you have liked and disliked about your current and previous jobs, and where you would like to go with your career in the future.

Keep in mind though that this is not the time to rant about all the things you disliked about previous jobs. Once you've thought about the things you have disliked, you can then describe an ideal job as the opposite of what you have disliked. Although this seems like a lot to tackle, the best thing you can do is be honest and of course professional.

Office romances become more commonplace
Abridged: Knowledge@Wharton PHILIDELPHIA, PA -- In a study conducted by the Society of Human Resource professionals and the Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal.com, 40% of employees surveyed said they had had an office romance at some point in their careers -- a finding replicated by three other recent surveys conducted by private companies. One of those studies, by career website Vault.com, also reported that 19% of employees admitted to having office "trysts," with venues ranging from "the boss's office" to "in my car driving to meet a customer."

While that last finding might raise some eyebrows -- and prompt you to knock next time you open the supply closet -- the overarching frequency of office romance should not come as a surprise, says Deborah Keary, director of human resources at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). "The workplace is the new neighborhood. People spend an enormous amount of time in the office, and if romance is going to happen, it will happen there," she says.

Demographic trends feed the phenomenon, note Keary and others. With the average age of marriage increasing, young employees are more likely to be single. As women continue to join the workforce and rise through the ranks, they are more likely than ever to be working shoulder to shoulder with men. Employees have become more confident about pursuing office romance and less careful to some degree about concealing it. In fact, 76% of employees surveyed in a joint Lawyers.com/Glamour magazine survey, said workplace relationships were more common than they were 10 years earlier.

Business schools teach the art or persuasion
Abridged: The Washington Post WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ever come out of a meeting wishing that you, too, could persuade people the way that silver-tongued co-worker of yours can? Many workers assume that their powers of persuasion are innate. But recent research shows that these skills can be learned. And not only can they be learned, but they should be learned for today's workplace.

The workplace has changed from a hierarchical structure to a more horizontal one, with teams of people of various positions. Workers are expected to be involved in many decisions and help push a company's agenda, no matter their title. In the past, "you could give people orders," said Robert Bontempo, a professor at Columbia Business School who will teach a course on persuasion in the school's executive MBA program. "Now, even in the military, you have to work in cross-functional teams."

More business schools are building soft skills such as persuasion into their curricula. "There are those who are going to be gifted in certain things," said Scott Koerwer, associate dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. But even if people aren't naturally persuasive, they can learn to be more so. "In order to have an effective, valuable society, you need these skills," Koerwer said.

We need your help; listed below are five very rewarding positions that we need qualified referrals for. If the person you refer for one of these five positions is hired we’ll send you a $100.00 gift card. For a complete list of all open jobs please visit us at http://www.greenlinegroup.net/jobs.htm

Quality Engineer – EMS – Midwest US
Reviews quality assurance standards, studies existing Industry policies and procedures to evaluate effectiveness of quality assurance program within the company. Develops, evaluates, and improves quality procedures, utilizing knowledge of manufacturing processes, production equipment capabilities and assembly techniques in support of the company. Compiles statistical data and writes narrative reports summarizing quality assurance findings. Holds Quality meetings to discuss data and improvements.
Experience in any combination of Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, (in EMS) would be a definite advantage. Knowledge of ISO Standards and some experience in Quality System auditing. Excellent communication skills are required.

Technical Support Engineer – China
We are seeking a Technical Support Engineer, for a consumable supplier to PCBA and EMS companies in Asia. The individual should have a strong background in the support of solder assembly products and there applications for SMT and wave soldering. Must have 3 + years of SMT and wave solder experience.

Supervisors and coordinates the activities of all personnel engaged in the manufacture of printed circuit boards in their department. Take action to resolve technical and/or personnel problems that may adversely affect schedule/quality performance. Enforce shop rules and safety practices in accordance with Company Policies. Assure product quality goals are met or exceeded.

· Advanced degree preferred – Polymer Chemistry is ideal or equitant discipline

Managing Director is responsible and accountable for the coordination of the operational activities associated with the manufacturing of Printed Circuit Boards to meet or exceed requirements of quality and delivery performance to the end user.

· Achievement of production goals through managing improvement in production output, including researching and developing methods to ensure and increase efficiency and productivity.

· Analyzing the manufacturing process and developing, staffing and scheduling routines within the process to meet output requirements and analyzing and eliminating non value added activities.

· Establish, monitor and maintain performance measurements in yield, manpower and throughput, ensuring they are visible throughout.

· Working with counterparts in Engineering and Quality through participation in daily Materials Review Board (MRB) to review process performance measures and discrepant material reports and develop corrective action plans to reduce manufacturing costs and improvement through-put

· Participate in quarterly quality reviews, in addition to the continuous collection of data on problems and issues to be prioritized and solved.

· Sign off on process deviations and Engineering Change Notifications (ECN’s)

· Maintain positive rapport with all support groups through a teamwork approach

· Actively participate to ensure compliance of quality programs throughout manufacturing

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