2012 and 2013 are big years for Intuit Health software, since the company is now rolling out two new mobile apps that are expected to have an impact on healthcare management and administration.

The first, called Mobile Inbox, will allow patients to access their doctors and health information from their mobile devices. The system will be able to handle a wide range of administrative tasks, like making appointments, paying co-pays, and reviewing lab results. The second, called the iPad Patient Check-In, will replace the patient sign-in sheet and clipboard with an iPad accessible app that will accept scans from driver’s licenses. Patients will be able to scan their licenses through a reader and the information blocks on the screen will populate automatically.

These are only two of the new apps coming out this year that may change the way health care managers tackle tasks related to record keeping, patient care, and customer service.

How Will Mobile Apps Impact Staffing?

Apps like the iPad patient check in and mobile inbox will make patient access to information a little easier, but what impact will these developments have on healthcare managers? Specifically, how will these and other mobile utilities affect staffing?

Those who have been in the industry for more than a decade may remember the initial challenges of electronic record keeping systems. When these systems were first introduced, newer, younger and less experienced staff members often adapted quickly, while older and more established practitioners sometimes distrusted the new systems and were slower to make the transition. As in almost every industry, those who are slower to adopt new technologies are often the most valued and experienced employees, which can place healthcare managers in a challenging position.

But in most facilities, the challenges of ERM system adoption are now in the past. And the lessons learned from these adoptions remain with us. First and foremost, healthcare staffing managers have learned to value flexibility and tech-savvy as an appealing trait in new hires. And second, the format and delivery of countless training programs have been shaped around exactly these types of challenges.

To make sure you’re hiring top candidates, and to make sure you’re properly training existing employees as you implement new systems, reach out for guidance. The experienced Seattle staffing experts at Pace are standing by to help you and your teams make the most of new technologies and opportunities.

According to social media thought leader, Jobvite, in their 2012 Social Job Seeker Survey, 75% of US workers are constantly looking for work—a number that is up six percentage points over the comparable count in 2011.  While 1/3 of these job seekers feel less optimistic about finding a job today than they did a year ago, 41% of employed job seekers believe they are overqualified for the jobs they currently hold. 

Jobvite’s Social Job Seeker Survey 2012 polled over 2,100 adults, 1300 of that number were either currently employed or unemployed and considered themselves actively looking for work. 

According to the Jobvite survey, Facebook is the leading social network in the American workforce with 83% participating at some level in Facebook activity.  Both Twitter and LinkedIn enjoyed major increases in 2012 compared to 2011 with Twitter now being used by 46% of the workforce; LinkedIn used by 41%.    

Not surprising, those people considered job seekers were shown to be more social than the overall workforce—88% had at least one social networking profile; 64% had accounts with at least two networks and 44% using three or more.  With 1 in 4 job seekers (24%) indicating that they were asked for their social media profiles as part of an application process, more workers reported they had updated their profile content with professional information in 2012 than they had in the year prior.

In previous studies, Jobvite has found that 86% of recruiters occasionally look at social profiles for candidates they interview, with 48% reporting they always do so.  According to press releases by Jobvite, Dan Finnigan, President and CEO said that “maintaining an online presence and keeping employment top-of-mind at all times are vital to professional success.”

Facebook Stats

• 52% of job seekers use Facebook to help find work, up from 48% in 2011
• 14% searched for jobs on Facebook
• 17% provided their Facebook profile on a job application or during an interview
• 70% of Facebook-using job seekers are male, 63% are under the age of 40, 40% earn more than $75,000 and 36% are college graduates

LinkedIn Stats

• 38% of job seekers use LinkedIn to help find work; up from 30% in 2011
• 19% had a contact share a job on LinkedIn (vs. 8% in 2011)
• 11% searched for jobs on LinkedIn
• 9% provided their LinkedIn profile on a job application or during an interview
• 60% of LinkedIn-using job seekers are male, 62% are under the age of 40, 51% earn more than $75,000 and 50% are college graduates

Twitter Stats

• 34% of job seekers use Twitter to help find work; up from 26% in 2011
• 11% had a contact share a job on Twitter (vs. 7% in 2011)
• 10% searched for jobs on Twitter
• 10% provided their Twitter profile on a job application or during an interview
• 67% of Twitter-using job seekers are male, 69% are under the age of 40, 46% earn more than $75,000 and 44% are college graduates

Jobvite is a leading recruiting platform for the social web, providing companies with applicant tracking, recruiter CRM and social recruiting software.  Information on their press release was provided by the American Staffing Association.  For more information on Jobvite and their 2012 Social Media Survey, visit www.jobvite.com.

Here at the Pace Staffing Network, we often hear the same lament from job seekers over and over again: “I was turned down for a position I really wanted…What did I do wrong?”

Nine times out of ten, a closer look at the applicant’s resume and cover letter will reveal a similar problem, and that problem has to do with what the marketing world calls a “value proposition.” Your resume is a proposal of sorts, or a request, and all effective requests and proposals can be summarized in ten words or less. For example, a company selling a car will research its target audience and present a simple message that appeals to that specific audience, as in “This car will keep you safe”, or “This car will make you look cool in front of your friends.”

Your resume needs a value proposition. And as you put your simple message together, you’ll need to focus on your target audience. Ask yourself what your customer wants, NOT what you want. Don’t think of this as a two-way dialogue, or a negotiation in which you both gain something you need (in reality, that’s what it is—after all, you’ll work hard in exchange for your pay, and you’re not asking for a favor. But before you negotiate the terms of this agreement, you’ll have to edge out twenty other candidates in order to receive an offer.) Instead, figure out exactly what your potential employer wants and make it clear that you can offer this specific service, skill, talent, or attitude.

Focus on Your Value Proposition: What do you have to Offer?

Before you sit down and start typing, think. Read the job posting very carefully, then read it again. Visit the company website and think like a detective. Use your instincts, study the way this company’s business model works, and put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager who will review your application. If you were in her position, what would you be looking for above all else? Remember these four truths that are very likely to apply to her situation:

1. She’s busy. She’s not going to spend an hour trying to figure out why you’ve suddenly decided to give up your retail career in order to pursue a job in IT. If you’re making this switch, clearly tell her why, and do so within the first three sentences of your cover letter and resume summary section.

2. She has a pile of resumes on her desk from candidates just as qualified as you are.

3. She needs something done that she can’t do herself. That’s why she’s in hiring mode.

4. Her reputation is on the line. If her chosen candidate does well, then she’s done well.

Keep these things in mind as you formulate your value proposition. This simple, short, elegant statement should provide the central framework that supports your entire application. For more guidance on assembling and fleshing out this framework, turn to the Seattle job search experts at Pace.

While accountants have suffered from the recent economic slowdown just as much as professionals in other fields, laid-off accountants with great job search strategies don’t tend to stay on the market for very long. If you’ve recently been turned loose by your employer, dust yourself off and get back in the game as quickly as possible by keeping these considerations in mind.

Job Search Tips

1. Take on private work. If you specialize in tax management or any other aspect of the field that you carry with you, reach out to potential private clients while you search for a new employer in order to keep your track record current. Licensed CPAs are always in demand, so stay busy until you find a new full time position.

2. Don’t gather moss. If you need to take a few days to decompress and deal with the emotional aspects of your transition, do so, but don’t let your wheels start to spin. As soon as you feel up to it, start scanning your list of contacts on LinkedIn, Facebook and your private address book. When you see the name of someone who can offer you guidance and advice, pick up the phone and make a lunch date.

3. Get resume help. Of course you’ll need to update and polish your resume, but this time, get some real outside assistance. A professional resume editor can take you through the process, clean up the mistakes you can’t see, and provide vital perspective.

4. Think about expanding your range of options. If you see a job posting in another state, are you in a position to move? Make these kinds of decisions now, so you can buckle down later and keep your eyes and typing fingers aimed only at the realistic jobs you really want.

5. Get face time. A flawless resume might get your foot in the door, but even better, try to show up at the conferences and networking events where your potential employers may be making an appearance.

6. Reach out to others in the same position. Were you laid off with a large group of peers? If so, stay in touch and find ways to help each other. Share leads, ask for leads, and turn to one another for conversation and support when the going gets rough.

A layoff isn’t the end of the world, especially for finance professionals and certified CPAs, who are still in demand in many areas of the country. Just stay positive and keep moving and you’ll put this chapter behind you as fast as possible. If you are looking for accounting staffing agencies in Seattle, contact Pace for job search tips and a list of available accounting positions in your area.

When recruiters reach out to potential candidates in the financial field, they keep a few characteristics in mind that can help them identify applicants with the strongest chances of success. Some of these traits are general and signal talent in almost any business—traits like ambition, determination, and social skill. But there are a few characteristics that spell success specifically in finance. If you’re searching for a position as a CPA, financial manager, or CFO, at any level from entry to executive, keep the following questions in mind. These are the questions recruiters are likely to ask themselves as they review your credentials and speak with you in person.

Candidate Specifics: Finance

1. Can this candidate handle the job in question?

This primary question can be broken down into sub-questions. For example, can this candidate handle every challenge of the job from day one, or is she likely to require on-job-training, which she’ll probably pick up fast? High potential and quick learning skills are a plus, but recruiters also like to see the kind of experience that makes learning potential less of an issue. In either case, they’ll need to see someone who can handle the tasks in front of her.

Signs of job skill include relevant resume experience, of course. But they also include traits like mathematical sensibility, a love of organization, a flair for research, and meticulous attention to detail.

2. Is this candidate a match for the company?

Even the most experienced candidates with the strongest skill sets aren’t always right for the job. In addition to handling the work, the new employee will have to adapt to the company’s specific culture. If the company is staffed by driven, competitive loners, friendly outgoing clowns, young parents, urban strivers, old school nerds, or a mix of multiple, diverse personalities, the candidate will have to fit in. While happy employees tend to form strong connections, thrive, and stay, unhappy employees tend to leave. And an employee who leaves within the first year or two can be very expensive for the firm.

3. Is the candidate ready for both the company and the job right now?

This question helps a recruiter determine the level of distance between what the employee wants and what the company has to offer. If the candidate’s short-term and long-term ambitions line up perfectly with the company’s needs; that’s a win. But any compromise on either side will come at a cost down the road.

Impress recruiters by demonstrating the ways in which your skills, cultural aptitude, and future ambitions match the position in question. For more help on how to do this, reach out to the Seattle staffing and job search pros at Pace.

The following list of 11 leadership attributes have been extracted from a variety of leadership manuals used by the US military.  Sound familiar?

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement – By properly evaluating your own weaknesses/strengths and looking to improve those areas daily, you will continually improve your ability and performance.  Be the role model, but help your staff do this as well.  

2. Be technically and tactically proficient – Keep current with the latest technical developments in your field of expertise and know how to deploy your resources for the best possible return on your investment—another great development principle for your employees to see in action.

3. Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates – Drive accountability down to the base level among your staff.  Make sure they are aware that you will hold them accountable for their actions and assignments.

4. Make sound and timely decisions.  Make sure that your decisions are well thought out and take into account all relevant information.  Don’t act too quickly or out of defensiveness.  

5. Set the example.  Lead from the front.  Make sure that your staff sees you as the role model.  Be visible in your daily activities—hold yourself to a higher standard—this will motivate subordinates to improve themselves.

6. Know your people and look out for their welfare.  Only by demonstrating that you are interested and concerned for their welfare will you win their loyalty.  A good leader is a compassionate listener and understands what motivates his/her staff.

7. Keep your people informed – Information is the life’s blood of any organization and only good if it is shared across the widest possible spectrum.  Share your ideas and knowledge with your staff—this will make them feel included and valuable.

8. Seek and take responsibility for your actions – Be prepared for your next assignment and take charge in all areas of responsibility.  If a mistake is made, stand up and take the heat, demonstrating a key principle of leadership.  We all make mistakes, we are all fallible, but it is how we respond to our mistakes that separate the professionals from the pretenders.

9. Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised and accomplished.  You need to trust your people, but you also need to verify what they say.  Trust your employees to do their job, but verify it has been done to your standards.  By doing so, you will make sure that you are involved, accountable and creditable with your own bosses.  

10. Train your people as a team – Have your staff work together as a team and cross train everyone on each other’s responsibilities.  This allows them to utilize each other’s strengths and to feed off of the team synergy.  Teamwork develops a sense of shared responsibility and commitment to the objective.

11. Employ your team in accordance with its capabilities – Know the limitations of yourself, your people and your department.  Don’t look to take on more than you should.  As Donald Rumsfeld said, “fight the war with the army you have, not the army you wish you had.”  By knowing your limitations, you’ll know when to call in the reinforcements.

Are you about to enter into a fulfilling career in IT and looking for ways to hit the ground running? Are you already an established IT pro trying to edge up the ladder and strengthen your standing with your current managers? Maybe you’re just trying to hold onto your job as your company scans the payroll looking for ways to make strategic cutbacks. If any of these three scenarios look familiar, make sure you’re actively acquiring the skill sets and showcasing the talents that will keep you on your company’s A list. Keep these tips in mind.

IT Employees: Elevate Your Value

1. Connect to the business. If you want to stand out, don’t just be one trick pony or an IT cog in the machine. Learn as much as you can about your company’s overall business model, including what they sell, who their partners are, and how they identify and approach their target audience.  Don’t just show up every day and do your job. Widen your perspective beyond the sphere of IT.

2. Think forward motion and growth, not just maintenance. As an IT pro, your role is to keep the company running and keep the network sound. But as a company team member, it’s in your best interest to think about ways to help the company grow. Do what you do, but always keep one eye on potential ways to do it better. Focus on cutting costs, improving service delivery, and generating faster communication channels between the company and its customers.

3. Keep up with your moving cheese. IT pros were once hired in great numbers to troubleshoot in-house servers, patch systems and install upgrades. But now businesses are moving toward the cloud, and these skills aren’t experiencing the same level of demand. Don’t worry, just adapt. Your years of experience and training now allow you to recommend providers, catalog services, and help your employers negotiate contracts with IT vendors. Make the transition seamlessly into your new niche.

4. Keep learning and keep teaching. Break down the walls between business talk and tech talk by opening up and offering informal IT training sessions to your coworkers and bosses. Be generous with your knowledge. At the same time, keep adding to your expertise by aggressively staying on top of new platforms and tech trends.

5. Finally, free yourself from crowd that holds you back. Your friends in the IT department may be great, but if they tend to take long lunches, cut corners, or leave the office early, put a little distance between their habits and yours. These minor behaviors can leave big impressions in the minds of your managers.

Need a few more tips on getting ahead in the IT field? We’re here to help! Contact the career development and staffing experts at Pace for more tools and resources that can help you increase your standing with current and future employers.

Every month the same fight breaks out between Democrats and Republicans—the true numbers behind the published rates of unemployment.  Democrats point to the 4.6 million new private-sector jobs that have been created since 2009, while Republicans contend the unemployment rate is falling only because millions of frustrated employees have been unable to find work and are therefore leaving the job market.   

The truth is likely somewhere in between—jobless rates are down because some people are finding work and others have stopped looking.

We think the bigger question is who are the people who have given up?  What groups are we leaving behind? 

Labor data suggests we can look at the dropouts in three sections:

1. Young people who can’t find a job because they don’t have much work experience.
2. Older workers who have decided to retire.
3. The tweeners who can’t find a job and are sitting on the sidelines.

According to Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, there are both some strong demographic trends in play, along with a trend that speaks more to the social tragedy that has been created post recession.     

Demographically, the data shows:

• We’re an aging society and have more people retiring—we’ve all known that for a while.
• Our young people are less inclined to work between periods of schooling than they have been in previous eras.  That might be news for some of us without college students in the house. 
• There is a long term trend in play which is slowing down the relative number of women joining the workforce.  The percentage of women in the workforce reached a peak around 2000 and has been slowing ever since.  We didn’t know that, did you?

Chairman Bernanke goes on to emphasize both the short and long term impacts of the personal tragedies that have occurred when people have been forced to leave the job market involuntarily.  He is referencing the millions of people who have drifted from a place of having achieved middle class comforts to a place where they are near poverty—in some cases, homeless.  Even more importantly, these people have and will continue to turn to their government for help, placing them in positions of dependency.  If these dependencies are long term, the impacts on our society and culture could be considerable.

Our Younger Drop Outs

Tom Porcelli, Chief U.S. Economist with RBC Capital Markets, has described the stagnation of employment in the so-called millennial generation, considering it pivotal to our long term prospects.  Not only are teens and 20-somethings working less and staying in school longer, the overall representation of employee’s ages 25-34 in the marketplace is at a 40 year low.  Porcelli goes on to say that “the improvement in the unemployment rate is nothing but a head fake”—because it does not reflect the severe underemployment problem among our youth. 

Who’s Left?

A study by the Economic Policy Institute, a labor-funded think tank, provides an estimate.  Taking into account the underlying demographic trends discussed above, it concludes that about two-thirds of the missing workers, about 4 million people, are discouraged workers who would be working today if there were jobs available.  The reason we are experiencing so many “removals” now is that many people laid off during the recession have just now reached the end of their extended unemployment benefits.  Without benefits they are no longer required to look for work but simply find other things to do. 

With a proper accounting for the missing workers, the labor force participation rate would increase from 63% to 65%, but the unemployment rate would increase to 10%.   

Some economists make the claim that the current worker-participation rate should not be of concern because it is consistent with a bigger picture trend that has been in place since 2001—more Americans working less.  Their claim is that if there is an aberration in the trend, it occurred before the recession when the economy was growing so robustly that it drew retired workers back into the job market.  Current labor participation rates are simply adjusting for that increase now.

For those of us in recruiting, the market has been relatively easy to navigate for some time—other than the routine need to screen for only the top talent and to get comfortable working in the very targeted, hard to find job categories where specialized training and internal staff development has to do the heavy lifting.  As we view the demographics of the future, however, we see a time when this landscape will change dramatically. 

For information about the job market and the solutions we provide to customers to help meet the challenges of a changing labor market, contact infodesk@pacestaffing.com.

Currently, almost all of our healthcare clients have several new temp-to-hire position openings in various call centers throughout the Puget Sound.

Congratulations to 3 new team members who were part of a large group who began work at Group Health Cooperative last Monday!  Healthcare is an up and coming field and these jobs offer great opportunities to start a career in healthcare services.

This position requires candidates with a great customer service background and skill level.  Patience, empathy and compassion are just some of the characteristics that our call center representatives possess.  If you are interested or know someone with this type of background, please visit the Job Seekers and Employees section of our website.  We feature current job openings as well as our online application.  Part of our registration process includes a full background check for all employees entering the healthcare field.  

Group Health Cooperative is a long time PACE client who has been serving the Pacific Northwest since 1947.

If you’d like to learn more about jobs within the healthcare field, please visit our website at www.pacestaffing.com.

According to a 9/26/2012 press release by the American Staffing Association, US Staffing companies employed an average of 2.91 million temporary and contract workers each business day during Q2, 2012. 

“Even in the face of a very stubborn jobs recession, staffing and recruiting firms continue to provide the way to work for millions of people each day,” says Richard Wahlquist, ASA President and Chief Executive Officer.

This represents a 5.4% increase over Q2, 2011, and the 10th consecutive quarter of year-to-year staffing industry job growth since the recession ended mid-2009.

“As the economy continues to slowly improve, businesses are turning to staffing firms for flexible work force solutions and access to qualified talent,” Wahlquist says.