This is the season for getting fired or being laid off. Its sad but the first and foremost reason HR gives or may be you hear would be performance. Your performance evaluation which comes in picture here, and rounding up everyone who has the low rating or in many case bad ratings is the most common practice. Everyone understands that.. but what if you don't have a performance issue?

        

        

        

        

I am currently hiring for a Sr. Business Analyst in Montvale, NJ and ran across a
excellent resume but in the resume the candidate mentioned in one of the section that he's a "Certified Project Manager.. Pending". What does that mean? Pending? Most of these exams are online and like the PHR (which I have) and you get the results immediately.
So either you are a PMP or you are not ..simple.

This got me to thinking the other certifications online which are easily verifiable

1) Microsoft - MCP/MCSC & 50 thousands others they have

2) CISCO -Cisco Career Certifications Tracking System
        * The Tracking System does not track CCIE lab results. 
  
3) Oracle Certification Program (OCP /DBA Others)
         Please send an email to ocpexam_ww@oracle.com and place "OCP Credential Validation" in your subject line.. blah blah - Read more at Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

4) PMI (PMP) Certification Verifications

5) Verify other Security Certification Like CISA/CISM/CGEIT

6) CompTIA Certifications (A+,RFID,Network, others) 

7) Verify a Red Hat Certificate    

8) Sun Certifications
    
9) QA Certifications

10) Citrix CCEA or CCA Certification


TWO Non IT -

CPA LICENSE VERIFICATION - Cost $45 (Looks Like they are the only One Charging)

And for all those HR and Recruiting professionals out there

HR Certification - GPHR /SPHR/PHR HR Certification - GPHR /SPHR/PHR

Now you dont have excuses; Either your name is in one of this list or you don't have a certification.

        

  

Recently I heard about a new software beta release of LeadResearcher by Egrabber. I have used many of their excellent products  like ResumeGrabber and Resumefinder and this seems to another feather in the cap. 

Why do you need it?

They have a good 2 min demo you can watch at LeadResearcher.

        

        

Strategy for hiring The Disabled

Given a chance would you hire Albert Einstein as your scientist or maybe consider FDR, Beethoven, or Thomas Edison? These and are several of the famous people who had some form of disability 

ADA-Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990- is a civil rights law which prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability.  It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act. Disability is defined as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity."

According to the U.S. Census, people with disabilities comprise the largest minority group, approximately 20 percent of the population 

Everyone agrees that the Economy is bad, so it stands to question, why is the unemployment rate (15 percent ) among disabled workers almost double that of the non disabled population? Especially considering that disabled workers have one of the highest retention rates of 85 percent.

DiversityInc recently published a list of the Top Companies for people with Disabilities. The list may not be perfect; The companies are doing all they could (I am sure they are trying) and it’s especially hard committing to programs during these hard economic time which is why it’s more important not to lose focus.

Disability inclusion is not about being compliant or avoiding a law suit. It is about maintaining a competitive advantage. It’s about becoming the employer of choice.  It’s about sending the right message to your employees and your customers. It’s about enhancing your organization to access untapped talent.

Many believe that there's a shortage of talent and with a large workforce pending to retire in coming years. The Gen Y are coming to the market. They are well versed with ADA. They will not tolerate discrimination and would expect the same of level of understanding they got in their schools, community and college.

It’s very important to know that there are different types of disabilities. Physical Disabilities like Cerebral Palsy or Cystic fibrosis, Acquired Disabilities like AIDS or Multiple Sclerosis and   Developmental Disabilities like Dyslexia, ADD or Learning Disability which are very common.

 According to the United States Social Security office almost 1 in 4 of today’s 20 year-olds will become disabled before reaching age 67.

Hiring disabled employees may qualify your business for additional tax benefits such as: deduction for costs of removing barriers to the disabled and elderly; disabled access credit and work opportunity tax credit financial programs.

 IT’S ABOUT ABILITY.

The statistics and numerous surveys demonstrate that Disabled workers have one of the highest retention rates and the lowest turnover therefore ultimately costing companies less to provide a reasonable accommodation.  

Companies also gain in - Increased employee productivity and organizational performance through a more diversified employee base; Tax benefits; Lower economic costs because of lower absenteeism; decreased employee turnover, and better-than-average safety records

 So what should be your strategy for hiring Disabled workers?

(1) Establish Affinity Groups - resources to raise and share voice which will change the misinformation and attitudes of your staff.  Educate everyone.

(2) Plan - look at your current diversity plan. Does it focus on specific programs for tapping or reaching out to disabled?

(3) It has to be a Top down approach. Not only the leadership and management should be actively involved in the efforts but should make it mandatory

(4) Involve people who are disabled. The best ideas would come from them. For example while creating a new software design or product design which might appeal to someone who is blind (voice recognition) or deaf or hard of hearing.

(5) Have an effective PR campaign in creating awareness. It should be an issue of the entire organization. It’s just not about legality. Is your career page friendly for disable..  Does it show only people who are multi race or is there a picture of a disabled person. (How about someone in a wheelchair?).

(6) Get your mentorship or internship process involved for disability.

(7) Select and external/national/local disability partner to implement programs, events, workshop etc.

(8) Portray your company as one that values the contribution of individuals with disabilities. Disability inclusion should be in your Organization's Value Proposition

(9) Budgeting for the inclusion of people with disabilities should be a part of the overall budget. It should be a centralized resource. Everyone knows the cost of hiring a Foreign worker (H1 B costs $3000 Plus Green Card another $5000). The Average Cost for Employers to Accommodate Persons with Disabilities is less than $500 for more than 60% of People with Disabilities

(10) Create networks (social /professional) internally and externally just for disability candidate pipelines. Do Targeted recruiting

 Employers who hire people with disabilities create a positive corporate image. Hiring people with disabilities is not charity. But bringing them into the organization is an exemplary act that models corporate responsibility. It’s about ABILITY and its time you start doing something about it.

        

Ok, for some of us, the thought of networking is just plain icky, not to mention scary. To be honest, that was how I felt, especially when I was still new to my field and did not have any work experience. I thought networking was just another work for "sucking up." And then I realized, networking is just a means of gathering and sharing information. It doesn't need to be icky. As a college student, if you have questions about an assignment, about a new concept that's been presented in class, or about an upcoming exam, I hope you feel comfortable approaching your instructor with your questions. You'd probably call or email, or you might seek out your instructor before/after class, or during his or her office hours. Likewise, if you have questions about a particular occupation or about working for a specific organization, it makes perfect sense, and is absolutely acceptable, to seek out professionals who can answer those questions during an informational interview. 

        

As you add contacts (or renew old contacts) during your job search, you should ensure that you "refresh" your relationships on a regular basis (at least every 3 or 4 weeks). This is important for everyone, but especially if you are currently unemployed. The approach for each contact will depend on the nature of the relationship. For friends, relatives and business acquaintances, it is as easy as reminding them that you're out there. If they know you they already know that you are looking for a job, so a simple email (or phone call) will usually suffice. For recruiters, a phone call (asking them if they have any leads) or an email (maybe with an updated resume or a brief on any pending interviews) should do the trick. I've included some links to networking which provide a few views/tactics for keeping your network "fresh".

• Riley Guide on Networking - This article from the Riley Guide provides an excellent review of networking. What it is, how to do it and what it isn't. The article provides a number of additional links on associated topics.
• Successful Job Search Networking - This About.com article provides another view on networking (formal versus informal) as well as a long list of additional resources. The article mentions that 60% of all jobs are filled via networking (I've heard as high as 80% as well).
• The Art of Career and Job-Search Networking - Quintcareers also has a page dedicated to networking and they also stress that this is probably the most important part of your search methods. They provide detail on networking on the web, networking groups (like Diversity, Women, Military, etc.) as well as some publications on the topic.
• The Social Network as a Career Safety Net - This NY Times article provides a real-life example of how social networking helped someone find other opportunities. While the current job market environment is likely to make it more difficult than the success of the individual in the article, it does stress the importance of networking.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities. Egrabber