February 2014 |
Transition-e-news Volume 3 Issue 91 |
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Transition Insight
"So when it comes to the attitude and experience needed to thrive in construction jobs, our men and women in uniform are second to none."
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Construction Industry Makes Veteran Hiring Pledge100,000 new jobs over the five yearsSource: U.S. Department of Labor The construction industry is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years — outpacing the steady growth of the economy as a whole and helping to strengthen local communities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that construction is one of the fastest-growing industries in the nation, with job growth of more than 1.5 million jobs between now and 2022 — an annual growth rate of 2.6 percent. And, for the first time an entire industry is making a pledge to hire veterans. More than 100 American construction companies came together to announce the plan. Previous veteran hiring pledges came from individual companies or a coalition of companies, like the 100,000 Jobs Mission. "All men and women who have sacrificed for our country in our armed services deserve opportunities for good jobs worthy of their character and their achievements," said U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez. "The Department of Labor will do whatever it takes to help our veterans translate their skills and leadership into jobs, and I am inspired by the commitment displayed today by the construction industry and all our partners in helping to achieve that mission." Last month, the construction industry had its strongest single month of job growth in the past four years, adding 48,000 jobs. Nearly 180,000 construction jobs were created in the past year, Perez said, and about 1.5 million such jobs are forecast to be added through 2022. Average wages are about $20 an hour, not including benefits, he said. Construction companies large and small — from national firms like Jacobs and Bechtel, to regional firms like Cianbro Construction, to local contractors and subcontractors across America — are stepping up to ensure their industry welcomes home the nation's heroes with good-paying jobs. More than 80 additional companies are committing their existing training and employment programs to fill new construction jobs with veterans. "Veterans are invaluable to the construction industry. Men and women who serve in the military often have the traits that are so critical to our success: agility, discipline, integrity, and the drive to get the job done right," Larry Melton, project executive for Bechtel and Marine Corps veteran said. "Bechtel is passionate about supporting veterans and we continue to expand our efforts to hire transitioning military members." Lori Sundberg, senior vice president of human resources at Jacobs also stated: "We are pleased to support programs that provide career opportunities for our military veterans. Many of the skills and abilities gained during military training and service are highly transferable to the skills we require to successfully serve our clients around the world. We are proud of the veterans working at Jacobs and appreciate their military service, their dedication, and the value they add to our company." |
Interview FatigueReprinted with Permission: HRNASTY.com I have been using the term "Interview Fatigue" around our company for a while and because I am a firm believer that Interview Fatigue keeps candidates from landing jobs, I thought it would be good to articulate this idea. If you consistently find yourself with multiple interviews for the same position but are not able to land an offer, this may shed some light as to why. I am not trying to take credit for this term. Interview Fatigue is just a phrase I find myself using on a regular basis. Out of curiosity, I Googled it to see if others were using it, and yes, the term does exist, but the definitions I found were not used in the same context. From my quick Google research, Interview Fatigue relates to a candidate going through a full day of interviews and becoming physically tired. Over the course of a day of interviewing, the candidate becomes tired, lethargic, and their energy level decreases. Although this is not my version of Interview Fatigue, I provide advice below to avoid experiencing this show stopper:
The Interview Fatigue that I am referring to is a little different. I find that some candidates get tired of answering the same questions over and over and their answers become abbreviated and less enthusiastic as the day wears on. The great answers that I heard during the first interview are a far cry from what the 4th interviewer hears when asking the same questions later in the day. 1st interview: I am usually the first person to interview a candidate that is interested in working here at Acme Publishing. A standard question I ask is some version of "Why do you want to work at Acme Publishing". This question gives me an idea about how excited the candidate is and gives the candidate an opportunity to show off how much homework they did. A good answer could last 3 full minutes and spawn multiple topics of conversation. The candidate tells us what they like about the company, who they have talked with, friends that work with us, our new products, our blog, and some of the great things they have heard about our company culture. They may talk about the industry, the upside of the position, how much impact they feel they can make. . .you get the idea. They are excited! They are energetic and full of smiles as they deliver their answer. This is all good stuff. I get excited about a candidate when I hear this kind of answer and I can’t help but imagine how excited the hiring manager will be as well. Thinking I am going to look like a hero for uncovering this hidden gem of a candidate, I am excited to pass this candidate along to the hiring manager or hiring team. Interview #2 The candidate is asked the same "Why work at Acme Publishing" questions in their second interview because everyone wants to hear the answer for him or herself. What happens with Interview Fatigue is that the 3 minute answer I just heard becomes a 2 minute answer in the second interview. Although not as animated as their first answer, the answer passes the litmus test and everyone is "excited enough" to pass the candidate to the third interview but no one is doing the Happy Dance like I was. Interview #3 This could be the hiring manager. Of course, this manager wants someone that is sincerely interested in the company working on their team so they ask the same question. "Why do you want to work for Acme Publishing". The answer that I heard in this candidate’s first interview was 3 minutes and on a scale of 1-10, rated a 9. The answer that was delivered in the second interview was 2 minutes and rated a 7.5 on our scale. Decent enough answer, but isn’t showing the passion that I heard. The hiring manager asks the same question and hears a 1-minute answer with very little emotion and none of the pomp and circumstance. There were no jazz hands in this number and this lands the candidate in hot water with a solid 6 out of 10. The candidate just answered the same question 3 times in a row and the third deliver was just "Meh". Now remember, I asked 10-12 questions in the first interview. Interviewer number 2 is asking 10 more questions of which we can be sure that 2 or 3 of these will be repeats.
Our third interviewer is the hiring manager. The hiring manager is also asking 10 questions and will be asking a couple of the same questions which were asked in interview number 1 and number 2. The Hiring manager just heard a 1 minute "Meh" answer. The candidate just delivered 2 answers to questions at the beginning of the interview which for lack of a better term "suck". They delivered the Cliff Notes on the Iliad of answers. Our hiring manager is NOT impressed but presses on. The hiring manager is wondering, "Why am I wasting my time? The gatekeeper and hiring team just passed the candidate along so there must be something here...keep pressing forward." The candidate doesn’t realize it but they just shortened their first two answers to such a degree that they are NOT going to win any favors let alone land the job. What the candidate also did was subconsciously put themselves in the mode where they are not giving the hiring manager full answers FOR THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW. All of the answers moving forward are shortened and less enthusiastic. The candidate became lazy, tired, and "fatigued" of answering questions that they aced just 2 interviews ago. The depth, detail, and enthusiasm displayed in their answers in the first interview is now non-existent. The hiring manager in later stage interviews sees a VERY different candidate than the one that was presented in the first interview. This is too bad. Had they stuck with what they were doing earlier, they probably would have had a shot at an offer. The good news for the hiring company is that if you do not possess this discipline, if you do not possess the "stick with what got you the win" gene this will probably carry over. If you cut corners in your answers, you are probably going to cut corners in other factors of your work life. This is why I like multiple interviews before making a hiring decision. Multiple interviews will weed out those without the foresight. We have all heard of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection. This is the HRNasty’s theory of natural selection in the hiring process. True Story: I interviewed in corporate America back in the day. I wore a grey pin stripe suit, white shirt, leather soled shoes, and conservative tie. I had made it past the first interview and was invited back for what would be a series of 6 interviews and lunch. I asked the recruiter at the time what I should wear to the second interview. Although I had a number of suits, they told me to — "WEAR THE EXACT SAME THING TO THE NEXT INTERVIEW. STICK WITH WHAT GOT YOU TO THE NEXT STEP. DON’T JUST WEAR THE EXACT SAME SUIT, WEAR THE SAME UNDERWEAR AND WEAR THE SAME SOCKS." Do not take any chances. Yes, I landed the job. I always remember this story when I hear back from the hiring manager that the answers they heard were much shorter and incomplete than what I heard. The candidate should have worn the same underwear. |
Turning Today's Rejection into a Job Offer Next Month: It's in the Stars!
© Copyright, 2013, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved. The job sounded great. The interviews went well. You liked the people, and they seemed to like you. The job, the organization, and the people felt like a "good fit." You were one of the finalists, and you were almost positive that this one was IT! But you didn't get the job offer. Dang! Being rejected for a job you really wanted, working with a group of people you liked and felt some connection with, can be very disheartening and discouraging & often a major, and seemingly very personal, rejection. And a very big disappointment. Unfortunately, being rejected is a big part of a job search. Let's try to keep it in perspective. Simply Stated: Not This Job at This Time The rejection was most likely limited only to that specific opportunity and that specific point in time. This is very important to remember! A job search often feels like a courtship/dating situation. But, it's not! It's only business. In a courtship, when someone turns you down, it is usually personal, and, unless they give you a lot of encouragement, it's usually a permanent rejection. On the other hand, when you get turned down for a job, it is not a personal rejection, even though it usually feels that way. Nor is it a permanent rejection, although employers seldom are smart enough to encourage you to apply again. The rejection you receive from a potential employer is usually simply a business decision based on minimizing risk to the organization at that point in time. Maybe they really liked you, but the person they hired was referred by another employee (so more of a known quantity than you in this specific situation) or possibly an employee took the job. As Ronnie Ann pointed out in this post, "NO" Isn't Always the End of the job search story! Recovering Job Opportunities Rather than doing what most of us do automatically (take that rejection personally), take these steps:
Continue with your job search, as usual. Reaching for the "Stars" with the Next Opportunity When the next good-fit-for-you opportunity appears with that employer, reach out to those people you had starred in your list, particularly if they are in the right department associated with the new opportunity. Depending on how your professional relationship has progressed since you were turned down, you could call or simply email them with a question about the new opportunity. If you have gained new experience or education since you last spoke with them, give them a quick update. Perhaps you wouldn't have qualified for the new opportunity without these added skills or experience, so let them know that you are qualified now. If there is a formal "employee referral program," it typically provides a monetary reward for the employee who refers a successful candidate (and employers are three to five times more likely to hire someone referred by a current employee). So your contact may be rewarded for referring you. Even if no formal employee referral program exists, staff members can gain credibility as well as a larger internal network by helping people get hired into the organization. This next opportunity may be a few days or several months (or longer) after you were turned down. Don't worry about that. Just reach out!
About the Author… |
Small Business Tax IssuesBy James Scott, CPA and Kristina Dickinson, CPA The endurance and perseverance that served us well in our military careers translates well into the business world. Veterans make great entrepreneurs and are 45% percent more likely to be self-employed than individuals with no military experience. You are so successful in fact, that the SBA, VA, and DoD, are offering entrepreneurial training to individuals transitioning from active duty to civilian life through the "Boots to Business" program. So the good news is that we are a successful group. But, in working with hundreds of business owners, there is still something they almost universally dread; Taxes. The rules are complex and bloated. Compliance is a drain on resources and a barrier to expansion. So, what can a small business owner do to help navigate the complexity? First, if you don’t already have one, you need to find a good tax professional to work with. Get referrals from your banker or attorney. You can also find a peer reviewed accounting firm through the AICPA website. Once you find a good professional, remember that tax matters are best dealt with in advance. The time to start planning for 2014 is now. Will your business be expanding, purchasing major capital assets or real estate? What are your long term succession and retirement plans? What states are you operating in? Many business owners are surprised at what activities can create a filing requirement and states are hungry for revenue. Second, go to the IRS website and subscribe to their small business newsletter by clicking IRS Subscribe. This will provide direct information on tax changes and updates that apply to your business. At the end of 2013 many tax breaks expired and you need to be aware of the potential impact on your 2014 taxable income. For example, many businesses take advantage of the section 179 deduction. In 2013, businesses could deduct 100% of the cost of new fixed assets in the year acquired up to $500,000. For 2014, that limit has been reduced to only $25,000! Other tax breaks such as the hiring credits for veterans and disabled veterans also expired. It is possible that these breaks will be restored, retroactively, for 2014. But with the current climate of budget cuts and congressional gridlock, there is no way to be certain. Subscribing to the IRS newsletter will help to keep you up to date when and if these provisions are restored. Third, the economy has been tough on small business owners, and many have fallen behind on their income and payroll tax obligations. If you owe less than $50,000, the IRS has an initiative called the Fresh Start program, providing individuals and small businesses a streamlined approach to an installment payment agreement. If you owe more than that, there are options for you as well that you can explore with your tax advisor. Begin the year by taking control of outstanding obligations and correspondence. Finally, don’t ignore income and property tax benefits for yourself. For example, in Virginia, 100% disabled veterans are exempt from real property taxes, regardless of assets or income. And, in Maryland, there is a $5,000 exemption on military retirement income. Talk to your tax advisor regarding benefits that may be available to you in your particular state. Taxes are a necessary evil for all of us. Remember to tackle your tax concerns early. Find a trusted tax professional who can guide you through the complexity so you have more time to focus on running your business. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at Penan & Scott, P.C. 301-838-0803. |
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