October 2006

Job Seekers: Don't sell yourself short
Abridged: Star Tribune.com NEW YORK, NY -- Think of a resume and cover letter as a personal marketing campaign. Your mission is to create something that stands out from the crowd and allows you to earn what others want - the coveted interview - and a chance to sell yourself as an employee of that company.

Putting together that marketing campaign may be as easy as simply fine-tuning your resume and making small changes that could reap big rewards. Considering resumes are reviewed in seconds, not minutes, the more that jumps out at the reader, the better! Keep in mind most employers hire for selfish reasons - to benefit their company, not your career.

That's why it's important to show your value as quickly as possible in the 'beginning' of your resume (the top third of the page). In this pivotal region employers are seeking value and ask: 'What can you do for my company? What is in it for the company? And ultimately, why should I care about the name on top of the page?' A resume is like a brochure, your personal advertisement. Make it stand out. You are selling yourself, and anything less than perfect won't fly in a most corporations.

Looking for a job when you have one
Abridged: RutlandHerald.com RUTLAND, VT -- Many people are stuck in jobs in which they feel underpaid, underappreciated or in situations they outright hate. So, how do you look for a job when you have one without drawing attention to the fact that you're looking? Two basic ways to look are by being discreet and daring! To be discreet, means looking quietly and subtly for a job, and to be daring means looking under the nose of your employer.

Begin networking by letting people know you are interested in making a career move. Keep in mind that changing jobs doesn't necessarily mean changing employers. Talk with employees at your present employer, and inquire if any positions are opening up in the future. You should also set up a resume that doesn't use your name or home address. Label it "confidential." If you apply on the internet, utilize the confidential resume choice provided by many job boards and employment websites.

The best way to be successful in finding another position is to develop an appropriate strategy. Then follow it while keeping your eyes and ears open at work and outside. Your own initiative can provide you with the results you seek in finding another job.

Balancing your work and personal life
Abridged: StarTribune.com SACRAMENTO, CA -- Success comes in different forms for different people. Some professionals base success on making as much money as possible. For others, it's about working less, and spending more time doing things they enjoy outside of work.

It's important to remember that you were hired and are being paid to do a job. When you work, do a good job and follow through on your responsibilities. Be respectful of others, and listen to and try to understand their concerns and support their goals whenever you can. Don't spend time explaining or apologizing for your priorities - focus on making a contribution when you are at work, and your outside life won't even be brought up.

When you are not at work, focus on the things you enjoy and come back refreshed and ready to go. It's also important to keep in mind that what works for you might not work for others. Don't judge an individual because of his or her professional or personal lifestyle or choices. Bottom line, behave like a professional. The notion of an honest day's work for an honest day's pay doesn't change just because someone wants to have an outside life.

Get your foot in the door
Abridged: StarTribune.com MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Going after a job with a company that has no open positions can be challenging. But it can be done, often using unconventional methods. If you are interested in an employer that keeps a low profile or closed door, you need to be assertive, professional and persistent.

Use caution when considering taking lower-level jobs just to get a foot in the door. You have to know the culture of the organization - will you be perceived as lower level and prevented from moving forward? Or is this an organization that will value you for getting your foot in the door and getting your hands dirty and then reward you by opening the way for you to get where you most want to go?

If you get a meeting with a representative from your dream company you want to come away with three things: being favorably remembered, the names of others within the organization, and a sense of what's happening in the field, industry and organization. If your dream-job company is not hiring now, continue to build your resume with additional work experience and professional development. Groom yourself for a future opportunity and be realistic.

Dream job - wrong salary
Abridged: StarTribune.com INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN -- You've finally been offered your dream job. You would be doing exactly what you want in the field you desire, the commute is perfect, the hours are just right, and the company is a solid, reputable organization. Everything's perfect - except the salary. Now what?

Before any job offer is accepted, you must have an idea of the type of salary you can accept in order to survive. If the job is great but the salary doesn't meet your needs, then you have to carefully evaluate the job offer, no matter how great it is. If you can survive on the salary offered, then take the job with hopes your work and effort will garner a raise in the future.

Tell the truth to the potential employer. Everything is perfect except the salary offer, and ask how the salary was determined. Perhaps you have something in your background that would justify more compensation. Keep in mind some organizations budget for a position and don't take into consideration experience or work ethic. They simply want to hire someone to fill the position. If that's the case, then maybe this just isn't the dream job you thought it was.

Employers being creative in filling job openings
Abridged: Associated Press MILWAUKEE, WI -- Antoinette Lucero figured she'd never find a job. Unemployed and on welfare for five years, she wondered who would hire a deaf woman with little training. But the 29-year-old single mother learned about a free-program sponsored by staffing company Manpower Inc. to earn certification in electronics assembly. She's now an inspector and assembler at Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, living in her own apartment and saving for her daughter's college education.

Companies are starting to get creative when it comes to filling jobs, looking to hire people who may be underemployed, sometimes disabled like Lucero, or luring back retirees by offering flexible hours. Staffing companies like Manpower and others say it's already tough to find skilled labor. Things are only going to get worse with the nearing retirement of the baby boomer generation, they say.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 10 million jobs will be unfilled in 2010, when the first wave of boomers retires. Shortages are expected for sales representatives, engineers, carpenters, plumbers and other jobs, according to Manpower, which last year placed 4.1 million people on permanent, temporary and contract positions in 72 countries.

Production Manager – East Coast
Direct and manage operations of a $10M PCB manufacturing facility to meet the following metrics: On time delivery, damage/yield, productivity, safety, customer satisfaction, cost budget. Develop people: Customer focused ongoing means of involving and developing all employees; continuously improve employee relations. Drive TQC/Continuous improvement: Prioritize and improve processes, improve product quality. Provide leadership: Vision, communications, motivating others, expect, inspect and enforce. Must have five plus years of PCB manufacturing experience. Offers a competitive benefit package.

Product Engineer – 2^nd & 3^rd Shift
Overview of Core Responsibilities: Assist in building complex hire product under the guidance of senior personnel. Ability to carry a project through to completion. To train in all aspects of PCB manufacturing and bring enhancements to the process from that experience. Maintain detailed training log. Expedite jobs to maintain adherence to predetermined schedule. Submit ideas to support and improve process and product development.
Analyze the cost of specific R&D type work, and prepare recommendations as to the viability of certain product types.
Critical Success Factors: Interpersonal skills, attention to detail, team player, and materials science background or prior high performance PCB manufacturing experience (exotic materials, heat sinks, metal core PCBs, sequentially laminated PCBs)
Education Required: Engineering or Technical degree
Special Skill(s) Required: Willingness to learn, strong work ethic, self-motivator and basic computer skills

Manufacturing Engineer – Improve overall product quality and manufacturing efficiency by developing production processes and improving existing processes. Identify changes to products that will improve the overall manufacturability of the product. Develops manufacturing processes and identifies and implements improvements to existing processes by working with Manufacturing Supervisor and CVT teams to evaluate, define, and implement improvements to reduce cycle time and production variances. Initiate, maintain, and train on process control requirements and ensure that the Control Plans are created and maintained. Identifies and resolves potential manufacturing problems by working with project engineers, quality, manufacturing and customers. Evaluate current equipment and processes and offer suggestions as to how they can be modified to improve quality, efficiency, and safety. Work with new product introductions to identify issues and problems before units are built and work to implement processes up front on these assemblies. Identify issues from 1st article builds that require changes to processes and design and work to implement changes. Generate technical reports for engineering, manufacturing and customers in a timely manner. Designs, replaces and improves general manufacturing tooling. Develop and lead evaluations/experiments (Design of Experiments) to validate improvements and changes to processes and equipment.

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