I receive periodic job opening notifications via email. One particular position caught my eye. It was for a Human Resources Clerk paying only $12,000 per year. The position, being filled by a local staffing company, is located in Boca Raton, Florida requires 2 years of administrative experience. The duties include: providing administrative support to the HR department, creating new employee files, maintaining records, photocopying, answering phones, and other duties as they come about. This looks like what a receptionist would do. What are some of these business people thinking? Is this just another way to take advantage of their employees?

I called up this staffing company pretending to be interested in this position. I questioned the duties and the salary. They confirmed that it was in fact $12,000. I said, “are you serious?” The girl said, “yes.” That is $1,000 per month for a full-time employee with two years of administrative experience. Your kidding, right?

I became curious on what the starting salary for a receptionist with two years experience in Boca Raton, Florida is. The salary range is $22,000 to $34,000. No business owner is going to attract a qualified candidate at $12,000 per year while requiring two years experience. That is peanuts! It makes absolutely no sense!

The staffing company on the other hand should have refused the job order. As recruiters, they should have known what the starting salaries are for Boca Raton, Florida for the that position. Then, they should have said, “Mr. Customer, because the starting salary for this position is $22,000 we are not accepting job order. We recommend that you revise your salary for this position and resubmit your job order.” It would not be worthwhile for any qualified recruiter to even waste their time trying to fill a position that pays $12,000 per year while requiring two years experience.

JobCentral helps with your job search online.

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An article in the Wall Street Journal discussed a growing number of white-collar workers (i.e. engineers, salespeople, management trainees, etc.) who lost their jobs during times of economic downturn. Many white collar workers are those that are recruited right out of college and are typically touted as the next big thing in their respective companies. However, these college graduates are the first to go when their companies fall on hard times.

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The web can vastly expand an organization’s ability to search for talent and present itself as an employer. The web has enabled us to put more company information and job information in the hands of job seekers. Just has job seekers want to present themselves in a favorable way towards employers, so do the companies.

Is the web being used effectively for recruiting and staffing by employers? Employers are complaining that the web has dramatically increased applicant pools with the misconception that the entire nation is the relevant labor market, which it is not. Bigger is not always better, and many authors pride themselves on telling employers to post jobs in more than one job board and to process thousands of applicants. The key to effective recruiting is to use the Internet as the enabling technology as it is. Not to rely on it.

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The Career Planning and Job Hunting Online report by eMarketer analyzes how the Internet is changing the way job seekers find employment—and employers fill jobs. There was a 28% increase in the number of online job ads in October 2006 from one year ago. The largest number of online job ads was for management and professional positions, such as sales. The typical visitor to a career web site has annual household income exceeding $60,000. The demographic of the typical Internet user, which has been holding steady since the birth of the Internet, has been higher educated white people with higher incomes. 

For lower level positions that require less skill, temporary staffing agencies are being utilized more. People with incomes of less than $15,000 per year are utilizing staffing agencies to find a job. Companies are finding it much more cost effective to recruit online for managerial and professional positions since the cost per hire is dramatically higher for these positions. It is only a matter of time that all recruiting will be done online.

You’ll find physician jobs on The Recruiter.com.

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Here is a great podcast that is produced for salespeople working in the business to business environment. This is perfect for those that rely heavily on telephone prospecting, such as those in fast paced call centers. Whether you are an experienced sales professional or a beginner in sales, Mike O’Hara and Greg Grimer of ColdCallingPodcast.com cover a wide range of topics around how to maximize the effectiveness of your cold-calling activities.

Human resource practices in call centers are focused on cost minimization. As a result, call centers are known for having high turnover. The reason could be due to the cut throat, set up to fail environment that exist in these establisments.

Until call centers begin to realize the value of their employees, trainees should take it upon themselves to get as much training as possible. Trainees in call centers who typically start off as cold callers could benefit from these podcasts. Listen to these podcasts, take notes, and then try to apply what you learned when you are on the phone.

List of Episodes in The Cold Calling Podcast

Get the latest on diversity issues in the workplace at Diversity Jobs.

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