Tesar-Reynes

Everything I have read talks about the change in the buyer behavior of this country. That our savings rates are back up and that spending is way down. I have tended to believe this until I heard an ad the other night for buying foreclosed real estate.

The ad intimated that whatever your credit, they could get you into the house of your dreams. Note to self: re-check the DVR, were you watching a new episode of CSI or was it one from early last year?

On a fairly regular basis I’m asked by senior management about whether there should be a great deal of space devoted on their resume to their corporate summary or the bullet positioning of their experience and accomplishments. In most cases, these people have agonized over this piece of real estate. They’re unsure how many words to use and how all the key words will be scanned by recruitment software.

My position on this is pretty simple. I never read this part of their resume until after I’ve read the meat and potatoes down below and I feel that this candidate belongs in our database or that they fit a search that I’m working on. Only then will I go back and read a summary and only then will …

I was interviewing a very successful lady who had an outstanding resume but was out of work for five months. Her husband was just laid off three weeks ago. As we talked about the lack of potential jobs out there for either of them, she became increasingly agitated. At one point there was a tear in the corner of her eye.

I tried to lighten the conversation and get her on a more positive note. I flashed back and remembered the feeling when I was out of work and the checking account was getting dangerously close to zero. I remember the desperation, fear and isolation that set in.

From my point of view, the worst thing to deal with is the sense of helplessness and of being alone. When I started thinking about the sense of isolation, …

A few weeks ago, in article in ADWEEK, “The New Reality Facing Job Seekers,” addressed the thought that wages will be lower for some people looking for jobs. Thus far I have not seen it in the recent searches we have been retained upon.

The whole digital area seems to remain hot and the social media side is even hotter. Both the people in our database and the folks on my Linked In network seem to be very busy and even frazzled. There are a number of new agencies forming, strategic alliances coming together and small agencies being bought by larger ones. Salaries are definitely escalating in the mid to senior level.

Good …

Call me old fashioned, but don’t throw out all the old to achieve the new. At the end of all the recessions that I have been through, there is “The Great Re-hiring Phase”. Companies start to back-fill vacancies and then selectively grow staff. The hiring managers, who have lived through all the cutbacks and re-orgs, see these raw troops as Manna from Heaven. The newbie’s are thrown into the fray. If they complain, the response often is: “You are damn lucky that you have a job; we can talk about it later when there is time.” There will never be time.

It is up to senior management to initiate a program to address this problem: re-instill the concept …

Six weeks into my first position at a marketing/PR agency, I find myself working with clients more often. The task can seem intimidating at times. For a rookie, managing the client relationship can be like sitting at the dinner table with your rich uncle you only see a few times a year. You’re eager to impress, but don’t want to seem overly try-hard.

Last week, Kevin Donnellon, a friend and former VP at PR agency giant Golin-Harris, sent me this newsletter on client relationships. It was a welcome read. I mentioned the important lesson Kevin taught me on handshakes in a previous comment on one of Tony’s posts.

If you’re new to the industry like me, you probably don’t have much client relationship experience to draw …

When I wanted to move to Chicago from New York, I did it all the wrong way! I did not keep my wife up to date on the firms I was looking at, whether they required relocation or what their status was. My rationale was that why jerk her around with possibilities when there was nothing certain.

The only thing certain was the mushroom cloud in the kitchen when I mentioned the probable offer from Chicago…she had never even been there.

Now I am not the brightest star in the sky, but I am not alone. There are a number of candidates that I have talked with that have said, “Don’t worry, my wife is cool.”

In reality, I don’t know if they are cool. Because I’m a recruiter, I could be dealing with a prideful candidate or a fearful one.

One …

In tough times, job cutbacks are inevitable.  Having lived through some myself,  here are some suggestions to keep your job.

1.  Follow the money.

If possible try and work on an account or brand that has relatively consistent spending.  Areas such as health care, manufacturing and certain business services fall into this category.

2. Work for a winner.

There are certain golden people in the office that everyone knows are the stars.  If cutbacks occur, they will not be affected nor will the people who work for them.

3. Get credit for your work.

It is wonderful to be a team player, but make sure that people know what are the individual contributions you have made to the organization.

4. Nurture your network.

Make sure you grow and contact your network of friends, …

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I don’t think most of us go out of our way to create enemies. But many people constantly poison their well for the future. Here are some recent stories that have been related to me.

“My boss is an idiot.”

Maybe these aren’t the exact words, but people email or text this to a trusted friend. The friend could forward it where it is benignly at the bottom of a forward to someone else. I also know of a lady who was out of the office and needed an address off her computer and asked her boss to find it for her. He found more that just the address.

“Let me tell you how bad my company is.”

On an interview situation, some people can’t shut up. When asked why they are leaving, they tee off on their current employer. …

I have a confession to make. As a graduating senior, I am paralyzed with fear at the thought of getting a job.

I hear bad stories about this whole category for entry-level positions: lower pay, 10-hour workdays, cutthroat coworkers, not to mention, GULP, the recession.

I’m wondering if our resident guru can provide some advice to all of us dealing with the same fears.

Tony, can you help us out here? We’re kind of freaking out.

Tony’s response:

The pressure and the anxiety of landing the first job are amazing. Everyone handles this differently. I was fortunate to be able to defer the process for a while. After I graduated from college, since I was NROTC, I went into the Navy. When my time was up I extended for 6 months to figure …