Mar
18
2013
Ask Jen Recruiting Q & A: Wearing blinders equals disaster. Sudden loss of a key employee, now what?
Jennifer Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
… I mentioned in a previous column that we all have a tendency to wear blinders about certain aspects of our jobs or businesses, usually that which we regard as uncomfortable or distasteful. But sometimes we fail to see something because it is completely unthinkable. Let me share a recent message I received from a client (with her permission), who owns and runs a small company: “Jennifer, if I wasn’t sure before what you meant about having blinders on, it is painfully clear to me now. I just lost the most senior member of my team. She quit very abruptly
Feb
04
2013
Ask Jen: Recruiting Questions & Answers: What do you want to accomplish in 2013?
admin Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
‘What are you avoiding … or failing to see out of complacency or fear’ The beginning of the year is a natural time of transition. Now that the frenzy of the holiday season has passed, it’s a time of re-focusing and getting back down to business. Whether or not you’ve made (or already broken) New Year’s resolutions, this is a good time to re-assess your goals for your business or career and perhaps set new ones. Did you meet your goals for last year? Did your business grow? If not, why? What do you want to accomplish this year? How
Jan
25
2013
UCLA economist: Sonoma County job growth tops California, nation
admin Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
UCLA economist: Sonoma County job growth tops California, nation ROHNERT PARK — Sonoma County’s economic recession that led to more than 25,000 jobs lost is mostly over, as job growth through most of last year outpaced that of the Bay Area, state and nation as well as nearly matching national growth leader North Dakota, an economist with the closely watched UCLA Anderson Forecast told an annual gathering of civic and business leaders in the county. Jerry Nickelsburg Surprising job growth in the county is in the industry sectors that are growing nationwide, according to Jerry Nickelsburg, Ph.D., senior economist of
Jan
21
2013
Sonoma County extends lead in region’s job growth
admin Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Friday, January 18, 2013, 12:30 pm Sonoma County extends lead in region’s job growth Sonoma jobs grow 4.7% in 2012 By Dan Verel, Business Journal Staff Reporter Print Friendly Unemployment rates in the six North Bay counties edged upward or remained unchanged in December, according to state figures released this morning, as lower employment in farming and processing winegrapes after the harvest helped offset hiring in retail for the holidays. Sonoma County Sonoma County jobs vs. job growth, January 2001-December 2012 (click to enlarge) While Sonoma County’s jobless rate remained unchanged between November and December, at 7.7 percent, it was
Jan
15
2013
Self-evaluations can help people advance
admin Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Self-evaluations can help people advance More than just another management chore to be checked off By Jennifer Laxton Print Friendly Whether or not you believe in making New Year’s resolutions, there’s something about the year coming to a close that triggers a need for reflection and assessment. What did you accomplish over the past year? What did you learn? Where do you see gaps or the need to change or improve? The holiday season is all about celebrating, spending time with loved ones, and appreciating those aspects of our personal lives for which we are thankful and grateful. Why shouldn’t
Oct
30
2012
Attracting top talent may require above-market pay, perks
admin Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Q: We are a financially solid North Bay company looking to build our company’s engineering team to prepare for new market opportunities. When we do manage to find qualified applicants, they express enthusiasm about joining us. But several times after making what we believe is a strong offer, they accept positions with other companies. This is taking far longer than we anticipated. Do you have any advice for us? A: Even though the economy certainly seems to be in recovery mode and people are hungry for work, the hunt for technical talent is turning out to be more challenging than
Aug
11
2012
Before making hire, know who you are. Are you collaborative, controlling, creative or competitive?
Jennifer Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Are you collaborative, controlling, creative or competitive? Q: My company just lost a long-time senior manager. She was a very effective, successful, and well regarded leader. A member of her team has taken the management role on an interim basis. He’s a very capable “company man” but not necessarily the strong leader our company needs for this strategic leadership role. How can we make sure we find the right fit? A: I have to answer your question with another question. How will you know who is the right fit for your company? This is a question with many layers. Whether you look
Aug
02
2012
‘Re-recruiting’ people is time well spent’
Jennifer Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Q: After a couple of years of cutting back to minimize losses, our company is leaner now and we’ve discovered that our leadership team and key staff are more critical than ever to our success as business starts to pick up again. You’ve addressed how to attract top talent but what can we do to keep ours? Losing any one of them right now would be a major setback for us. A: First of all, I want to commend you for having the foresight to think about this. I’ve seen more than a few thriving companies blindsided by the sudden departure of a
Jul
25
2012
United Way West County Achievements 2011-2012
Jennifer Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Good news!!! There has been an increase in donations to the United Way of the Wine Country which benefits our local community through programs such as Schools of Hope – Education Program that is helping children and youth achieve their potential. Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Income Program helping families become financially stable. Family Wize and Healthy Kids – Health Program that improves peoples health and well being. Consider being a part of improving the education income and health of the people living and working on the North Coast of California – Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte
Jul
12
2012
Women In Business Awards Gala
Jennifer Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Missy Parks, Title Nine CEO, delivered the keynote presentation at the “Women in Business” awards dinner hosted by the North Bay Business Journal. Missy launched her business in 1989 out of her house and 23 years later has grown the business into a successful web/catalog/retailer of women’s athletic gear. Her presentation was entertaining and inspiring, she had everyone out of their seats playing competitively with tableware. Missy spoke of lessons of failure and the importance of resilience on the path to success. “Lessons of failure is not learned in the classroom but can be learned in sports and competition.” “Fear
Jun
18
2012
‘Re-recruiting’ people is time well spent
Jennifer Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Q: After a couple of years of cutting back to minimize losses, our company is leaner now and we’ve discovered that our leadership team and key staff are more critical than ever to our success as business starts to pick up again. You’ve addressed how to attract top talent but what can we do to keep ours? Losing any one of them right now would be a major setback for us. A: First of all, I want to commend you for having the foresight to think about this. I’ve seen more than a few thriving companies blindsided by the sudden departure of a
May
15
2012
Do you have a strategic plan for attracting talent?
Jennifer Business Professionals, employee, job search, recruiting 0
Q: As a longtime North Bay company, we are fortunate to be emerging from the economic downturn with a stronger than ever business position and we need to expand our management team in anticipate of rapid growth. With all the downsizing of the last few years, we assumed we would have our pick of top, highly experienced candidates yet we’re struggling to attract the right people who are willing to relocate. What should we be doing? A: Even though it appears to be an employers’ market right now, finding and keeping the specific talent your company needs is more challenging than ever.