You want to be the best you can be in 2012 … so how do you do that?  Here are a few thoughts …

1.  Decide what ”being your best” looks like … eg. perhaps you want to be seen as a professional, accomplished, career oriented employee.

“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear” … Socrates.  (Clearly this is not a new concept!)

2.  Ensure that your actions always support that “brand”  … so that others will associate your actions to the type of person you want to be.  The following might be examples that support the “professional, accomplished, career oriented” brand.

a.  Dress professionally;

b . Invest in training … always be learning;

c.  Take on more responsibility;

d.  Always take accountability … do not look for excuses;

e.  Be a cheerleader at work … glass half full attitude;

f.   Look after your health … stay relatively fit (don’t need to be an athlete); eat (relatively) healthy (don’t need to be a model);

g.  Look for ways to give back … to charities, to the industry, to colleagues;

h.  Be a team player.

3.  Ensure that any actions of yours do NOT upset that image.  Following the same concept, that you want to cultivate the “professional, accomplished, career oriented” brand … here are some don’ts!

a.  Don’t use abusive language in the workplace … especially never in writing.

b.  Don’t let your communication style be “un-business like” … you may use IM shorthand with your friends, but business communication should be understandable to everyone;

c.  Casual work days should not mean ratty jeans and well worn sweat shirts … adopt a smart casual approach (always dress just a little better than you need to);

d.  If you write “stuff” outside of work (blogs, facebook posts, articles etc) you might want to be sure that if your boss read them they would not raise their eyebrows;

e.  Don’t compromise your own principles … work somewhere that has your kind of principles;

f.  Don’t let your personal life encroach unduly into work … its OK to be proud of your kids, but most co-workers don’t need a blow by blow of their lives, they certainly don’t want to be dragged into your personal “dramas”.

Some other thoughts on this subject …

1.  I wrote a blog entry called Create and Protect Your Image about three years ago.

2.  Accountability is one of the biggest areas that people can differentiate themselves … this blog entry references a story from Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence.

3.  I wrote a blog entry called Be True to Yourself back in April, that was designed to make you think about this stuff.

4.  Walk Fast and Smile!

5.  Read a book on the subject … maybe the brand called You by Peter Montoya.

Many of you will have some time over the holidays away from work, relaxing and recharging the batteries.  Take a few minutes to think about how you can set yourself up to have a GREAT year in 2012.  Consider (a) what you can do to position yourself for success and (b) what you can avoid (or stop doing) that might be hurting your chances for success.

Have a Wonderful Holiday Season and I wish you all every success in 2012! 

—————————————————————————————————————————————– 

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

General Observations: 

The Summer months generally result in a slowdown in the job market.  Decision makers and hiring managers take time off, getting approvals is a little tougher and often everything just takes longer.  That is reflected in the unemployment numbers, with July and August being relatively flat after three months of growth.  Canada’s unemployment rate in August was up very marginally 7.3% from 7.2% in July.  Overall Canada has added 223,000 jobs in the last twelve months.

At time of writing, the Canadian Dollar remains strong against the US dollar, and is still above par at close to $1.01 US … although the markets continue to be very volatile.  While Canada’s economy continues to perform better than most, it is not immune to events around the world.  Europe in particular continues to struggle with sovereign debt issues, particularly with the PIIGS.  The US unveiled another stimulus package to try and keep interest rates low, and stimulate some spending.  The results can be seen in the stock markets where the TSX is down about 100 points from last month, currently at 12,131.  The oil patch continues to be somewhat strong, but certainly lower than the highs of just a few months ago … current price per barrel sits at about $86.90, up almost $3 from last month. 

Here at Eagle, the August volumes were very similar to July volumes, but we have seen increases beginning late August and early September.  Judging from that, we would expect September to reflect a moderate uptick in demand for labour, continuing to improve as we hit October … barring the effect of any world catastrophes.

More Specifically:

Anecdotally, when speaking to my peers in the staffing industry, the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) remains the hottest job market in Canada.  We have our fingers crossed that world events will not adversely affect this, and look forward to a robust labour market through the Fall.  The buzz in the city may have heated up during the film festival (TIFF) but the job market buzz has been pretty constant for some months now.   We are definitely moving to a market where more and more candidates are getting multiple job offers, increasing the demand for clients to move quickly when making hiring decisions.  The Ontario election campaign is in full swing with voting early October, following which the Ontario government will likely be more decisive in its mandate, and thus hiring plans. 

Calgary is still very much the engine of growth in Western Canada and is almost as busy as the GTA.  A reasonably strong price per barrel of oil plays a large factor in the demand, and that sector affects many other ancillary industries too … all of which create their own demand for labour.  That would include industries serving the oil and gas companies, system integrators and even government … which creates demand in Edmonton and other Western capitals. 

In Eagle’s Eastern Canada region, comprised of Ottawa, Montreal and the Maritimes it is still Montreal that is the busiest market.  In recent years Ottawa has become much more dependent upon government business due to a shrinking high tech sector, particularly with the demise of Nortel.  So, word of major downsizing in the ranks of the federal government, and the pending large shared services initiative has created an air of uncertainty, resulting in a slow-down in demand for labour in Ottawa.  The Maritimes is typically a smaller and more diverse market, and we do not ever see big demand among those provinces.  Our expectation is that Ottawa will get busier as the Fall unfolds, bringing more certainty about what the future holds for the public service.

 The following are some facts/indicators we are watching as of time of writing:

 > the price of oil was up about $3 from last month at close to $87.

> The TSX lost a whopping another 100 points this month, following 1,000 points lost last month, and currently sits at 12,131.

> The Canadian dollar is about the same as last month at close to $1.01 US.

> Prime remains at 3% and is expected to remain steady until the markets stabilise.

> Canada’s unemployment rate dropped a little to 7.3%, from 7.2%.

> Eagle continues to be busy in its largest markets Toronto and Calgary with steady business in most other markets.  August saw a slight increase in volumes over July and early signs in September would suggest that trend is continuing.
 

 Summary:

Canada’s economy is strong in comparison to most of the world, but we operate in a global community and get caught up in the issues affecting the EU and the US.  Stock markets remain volatile and the price of oil is affected by world events, so adverse conditions will affect employment here in Canada.  Our economy remains vulnerable to the sovereign debt issues of the EU, the political & economic instability of the US, plus the risk of natural disasters that might occur (hurricanes come to mind this time of year).  The willingness of some unions to threaten action during this fragile time could also hurt our ability to create jobs.

At face value, looking at the demand from our clients I expect a continued increase in demand for skilled labour over the coming months.  As mentioned earlier, the hottest markets are even experiencing some skills shortages, therefore hiring managers need to keep this in mind, despite the doom and gloom around the world!

As has become my recent practice, I will end this write-up with my “standing advice” to ANY company needing people:

(a) Start the process now with a strong PLANNING phase;

(b) Develop very clean processes to find, screen, choose, hire and onboard these new resources;

(c) Know that you will have a lot of competition and therefore speed in decision making will be critical;

(d) The job doesn’t stop there … retention becomes the next challenge! 

That was my monthly look at the Canadian job market and some of its influences.

Yesterday’s blog entry had a title that Words Are Easy … and in the context of THAT blog entry it made sense.   The basic message was that it is people’s actions that define them, not their words. 

However … in a different context I find that words are not as easy as I might have assumed.  There are an amazing number of people who can’t string two sentences together to save their lives.  When you compound their lack of writing skills with a propensity for “text speak”, our future ability to communicate effectively is in question.  Will future CEOs only read shortened sentences, gleaning context from the shorthand of the instant message world?

Communication is complex, and the use of the written word is one of the key ways in which we deliver our ideas, describe our offerings, our feelings and thoughts.  If people are unable to write effectively, and hence communicate effectively, it will create real problems.

Perhaps a good command of your language, and the ability to use it effectively, will be a great differentiator for the future employee.

Here are a few thoughts for anyone who wants to get serious about improving their written skills, and hence their employability.

1.  Read more … and it should be “meaty”, “wordy”, “thought provoking” content, not just “trashy novels”.

2.  Practice your writing … compose messages that are more than just a couple of sentences.  Decide what your are trying to communicate; create an opening that leads the reader into your message; then create a body that explains your message; and finally finish with a conclusion that ties it all together.

3.  Always use spellcheck.

4.  Add to your vocabulary … do crossword puzzles, read books that use a varied vocabulary (and understand them).

5.  Always re-read your message before sending … ensuring that your words will be read the way that you intend them to be read.

6.  Understand and learn the rules of your language … in English do you know when to use their, there and they’re?

7.  Subscribe to a newsletter from someone who writes … I get Ron Jette’s very informative newsletter which gives some great tips for the prospective writer.

8.  Read blogs of people who write well.  Seth Godin is able to communicate interesting and intricate ideas, effectively and in a few words!

There is a real opportunity for people early in their career to leap ahead of their peers, merely by improving their use of the written word!

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” … George Bernard Shaw

________________________________________________________________

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?

________________________________________________________________

I am a big fan of my PDA … I happen to have an iPhone and it keeps me in contact with my world.  It gives me access to my mail and all of my key contacts, it manages my calendar AND its a phone.  By way of bonus there are a number of “apps” that I find useful, such as maps, banking information, text messaging, online reservation systems, alarms etc.

It is incredible to think about what life used to be like before tools like this existed  … I can still remember my first “mobile phone” which was a transportable phone from Radio Shack which probably weighed 10lbs!

Having extolled the virtues of this “tool” I also have to point out some of my peeves about pdas and how people use them …

1.  I don’t really think it is necessary for people to be “reading and walking” … it is almost an epidemic.  How do all of these walk/text walk/read people avoid each other?  How do they avoid being killed crossing the street?  I am always sidestepping some idiot intent on the little screen in front of their face!

2.  I don’t really think it is cool to stand in a lineup yabbering away on your mobile device … I don’t need to hear about your love life, how your date went last night, your complaining about your job or any other conversation that should be taking place in private!  This goes for any place where you have an audience captive … sitting at the airport, on a bus, in a restaurant (that might need its own rule), in the food court etc.

3.  Just because I have  a pda does not mean that I need to provide instant answers; 24 hour coverage; even answer the thing if it rings.  It is a tool that needs to fit into my world not the other way around.  It helps me be more efficient, but it should not force me to deal with tasks that are not on my plan.

4.  Voice levels … for some reason certain people think they have to shout louder when talking into a hand held device!  I just love it when one loud voice on a mobile device out-noises a crowd!  I am always reminded of a fairly old, fairly deaf uncle of mine in Ireland who will listen to the phone and then when he wants to talk, he holds it in front of his mouth and talks loudly.  Very effective way not to be interrupted I expect!

5.  Mobile devices in the movies, the theatre etc. … ringing, buzzing, clicking keys, sudden illuminations around the place are ALL very distracting.  Turn it off and put it away!

 6.  Meetings.  I assume that when you are in a meeting it is to focus on that subject … when half the participants are on their pda guess how productive that meeting will be?  Meetings should be run efficiently so as not to waste time … but pdas are a big part of their inefficiency!

So …  that brings me to TWO RULES for PDAs!

Rule Number 1.  Your pda is a (fabulous) tool to help you … you should not be driven by it! 

Rule number 2.  Be courteous to those around you when you need to use it. 

________________________________________________________________

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?

________________________________________________________________

Almost three years ago I wrote a blog entry called Now is  Great Time to Count Your Blessings.  The premise being that by focusing on what is RIGHT in your world will automatically make you feel better, that “glass half full” approach to life.

Three years later and there is still talk of market downturns, a slower than expected recovery from the GREAT Recession and high unemployment.  Almost every day our “instant-on news” gives us word of terrible plane crashes, weather woes around the world or news of war and strife in different parts of the globe.  On top of that, at this time of year we are reminded of the terrible events of 9/11 … that happened 10 years ago!

It is enough to drag anyone down!!!

So … I am tasking you with doing two things to accomplish tomorrow, (Friday), to finish off your week.

Task Number One:

Create a list of ten things that YOU can be thankful for … and keep the list somewhere that you can read it whenever you are feeling sorry for yourself!

Task Number Two:

Make it your mission to brighten up the lives of two other people … if just for a minute.  It could be as innocuous as buying them coffee, doing them a small favour or giving them some positive feedback.  You might buy a friend a small present or take your spouse to dinner unexpectedly.  Anything, a little over and above the normal, designed to bring a smile to someone’s face.

If everyone did this, then Friday September 9th 2011 would be a GREAT day!!!

Walk Fast and SMILE!!!

________________________________________________________________

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?

________________________________________________________________

You have heard it before, but at the risk of nagging I am going to say it again … GET OUT AND VOTE. 

It is your democratic right to vote.  Oppressed people around the globe have given their lives for this same right, so on October 6th … VOTE!  Last time around 4 million eligible Ontario voters (of a possible 8.4 million) did NOT vote.  That is sad!

The SECOND message is UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES … read, listen and learn.  That way you can make an informed decision about what is best for Ontario.

The THIRD message is to the senior people in business across the province … GET OUT AND MEET YOUR CANDIDATES, tell them about your industry/business and the value it brings to Ontario.  The last thing you want is for a misguided government to introduce legislation that hurts your industry.  Your candidates want to hear from you, so get out and educate them.

The LAST message is to USE COMMON SENSE WHEN FOLLOWING THE ELECTION.  Each party will try to discredit the others, they will attack the leaders and they will do all in their power to sway the voters based on emotion and rhetoric.  Understand which party best serves your needs and vote for them with your head … not your emotions.

People come up with all kinds of reasons not to vote … but when you are tempted, just think about the cost of democracy paid by millions of people who fought in World Wars and who continue to oppose tyranny to preserve our rights.  There are NO good reasons not to vote.  Here is the Elections Ontario website with all the information you need about the election.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company) Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

I was looking at some old documentation lately and was reminded that in September this year I will celebrate the 40th anniversary of my entry into the workforce.  September 1971 I joined the Royal Navy as a Junior Naval Aircraft Mechanic second class … you don’t get any lower on the totem pole than that!  Today I own and operate my own company, which I have been doing for the last fifteen years.

With 40 years of work experience I have learned a few lessons about working:

1.  We spend a lot of time working … we might as well be proud of what we do.

2.  We may not be defined by our work … but we can take pride in our work, which will affect who we are.

3.  If you have a good attitude you will get ahead … even if that is sometimes hard to foresee.

4.  If you have a lousy attitude people will treat you accordingly … and you can expect your career to reflect that.

5.  If you think you are getting away with something … you are wrong, it is amazing what people know.

6.  If you think your hard work is not noticed you are likely wrong too.

7.  A good boss will give you feedback, good and bad … but it is what you do with that feedback that will determine what happens next.

8.  There is always someone worse off than you.

9.  If you go looking for disparities that you believe are unfair, then you will find them … and they will make you bitter.

10.  Focusing on doing the best job that you can will bring the best returns … in what matters most self-respect, as well as money! 

Some time ago I wrote a blog entry called You Get Paid to Do a Job … So Do It!   It is another perspective on why you should do a good job!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

I was at an industry event this morning with two senior technology executives talking about their “world”.  In response to some pre-determined questions they were both very open about the kinds of activities/behaviors that they see from vendors … what works and what doesn’t.  It seems almost unbelievable to me that people in their position would even have to articulate it, but it came through loud and clear that people waste their time!  Vendors come to meet with them unprepared, with little understanding of their organizations and no real value proposition to offer.

Both of these executives work in the public sector, so there is no excuse for not knowing their world … it’s all available publicly!

So … here are some basic things to remember if you are going on a sales call …

#1.  Do your homework.

• If there is publicly available material about the organization then read it.  Strategic plans, budgets, org charts, priorities are often available in the public sector.
• If the organization has been in the press recently then understand the issues.
• Understand if your company has any history there.
• Understand any relationships that exist and what they are.
• Understand how their environment fits with what you sell.  If you have examples of how your company helped a similar project or client then come armed with that relevant information.

#2.  Do NOT Waste Their Time.

• Have a true business reason for your call.  Getting an update from them about what might have changed in the last 2 months is NOT a valid business reason. 
• Have SOMETHING to offer.  Knowledge about similar accounts, industry information, the results of a recent survey, anything that can be useful to the person you are meeting.
• Be respectful of time … if it should be a 20 minute quick meeting don’t take an hour.  Be punctual, be clear with your agenda, watch the clock to ensure you don’t overstay your allotted time!

#3.  Find Ways to Bring Additional value

• If you know there is a particular interest … could be a technology, a discipline, a hobby, a geographic region … look for related articles and forward them.
• If there is a chance to share information the do so.
• If you can make a connection for them then do it.
• Look for little ways to help, with no expectation of something in return.
• Make small commitments … and keep them!!!  I will send you a copy of … by end of the week;  I will set up that meeting by … ; I will get back to you with that name by end of business today!  Etc.

 Some other things to remember …

• Your client will EXPECT you to be good at what you do.  Do everything possible NOT to let them down, when you do win some business.
• Things happen … IF something goes wrong, be visible, accept blame, do whatever you can to fix it!  Very often the BEST relationships come out of a tough situation.
• Too many salespeople see their clients as a “walking wallet” … they look at them and just see dollars.  That is very transparent.  Anything you can do to make their lives just a little easier will go a long way to your success.

It is strange to an old sales guy like me that I even need to write this stuff down … but I listened to two clients this morning, both of whom had that same message.  Don’t waste my time!   What a GREAT opportunity for those hard working, professional salespeople to differentiate themselves!!!

________________________________________________________________
Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
________________________________________________________________

I just read an interesting, fairly short, article about the purpose of a cover letter on TechReplublic.

It got me to thinking about the parallel between (a) a cover letter from candidate, and (b) the submission information from a recruiter … they are very similar.

Toni Bowers in her TechRepublic article does emphasise the need for a cover letter, despite some naysayers, she suggests that it should “put your experience into a perspective for the job being filled”.

I whole heartedly agree … but I think I might even emphasise the importance of the cover letter more than Toni.

To me, like the submission email, a cover letter is a “selling document“.  (a) It tells the reader exactly why you are the right person for the job; and (b) It makes it EASY for the reader to understand why!  Like ANY good selling document it takes all of the relevant information and presents it in a format that is designed to suit the reader.

What do I mean by that?  If you are an experienced consultant in the IT space it is likely your resume is quite long, listing many different projects and roles over a number of years.  To read through that chronologically will take a while … AND it is easy to miss some of the nuances.  The cover letter (submission email) takes exactly what the reader is looking for and matches it to the resume … presenting itself in a way that is compelling!  The resume then just becomes a supporting document!

A former sales manager of mine once told me that  you MUST make it easy for the buyer to buy!   Do as much of their work for them as possible … and you have done your job!  THAT is what a cover letter should do! 

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
—————————————————————————————————————————————–

I have written several times about the need to support the less fortunate and the other good causes within our society.  I reviewed a book by  John Izzo called, The Five Secrets You Must discover Before You Die … the 5th secret being to Give More Than You Take!  I wrote a piece in November last year asking people to dig deep because it has Been a Tough Year Charities.

It sometimes feels like I am always asking for money … but I am also acutely aware that I need to do my bit or our charitable organizations would be in a mess. 

So … I am the guy who is always asking people for money, and I decide to take part in the Becel Ride for Heart.  A 50 km bike ride, for which I am sorely (pun intended) prepared.  My intention was to write a $100 cheque myself, perhaps send out an email to “the usual suspects’ and see if a few more dollars came in.

It has been amazing, and the generosity of people has blown me away!!  If you visit my personal pledge page today you will see that my friends have donated more than $3,250 to this cause already!  All the result of one email asking for a few dollars!!!

It is times like this that I am reminded of the good in people, of how lucky I am to know such people and that the vast majority of people are basically good.  It is easy sometimes to be a little cynical and forget that … but it is a lesson worth remembering, and times like this teach it.

THANKS!!!! 

PS.  If you want to donate a few dollars yourself, here is my Donation Page

________________________________________________________________
Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
________________________________________________________________