I was reading a blog by Bob Ulrich over at the Modern Tire Dealer magazine the other day about the state of unemployment and how it affects the independent tire dealer.  Go to:
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/Blog/B-O-B/Story/2012/04/Job-shortages-Unemployment-Not-in-our-industry.aspx

 Of course he is trying to promote their job board and that’s understandable.

 I would agree with his statements and I concur that the tire industry is 99% employed. At this time it is very hard to find qualified skilled applicants for many job descriptions.

When it comes to sales and management positions they are even harder to fill. I attribute the biggest hurdle to three specific issues.
First, is the decline in home equity. Many are just not ready to relocate for another position and take a beating on their personal gains from the sale of their home.
Second, the employers are making their employees sign non compete clauses as a condition of employment.
Third, many are just not looking for new jobs!
So, if you are an employer looking to fill a position you have a problem. The local folks can’t make a change and the ones that would relocate are not willing to accept a risk unless it’s worth more than the reduction in personal equity. Or, they just don’t know about your job opening because they are not looking.

I can assure you that this dilemma is true. Are people really happy with their jobs or are they kind of being forced by the dynamics to stay on? Employers with low turnover should not be too confident that their team is really as satisfied as it appears.
Whenever I list a job for a territory manager that the jobseeker is not required to relocate I get an avalanche of inquiries. When I’m asked to find a jobseeker that requires the person to have keys and arrive at the business every day the jobseeker pool drops dramatically.

Jobseekers: If you are looking for a job and one does come up locally you are in a good position to get attention. But don’t be fooled. The employers are still being very finicky about making a perfect hire. You still need to present yourself very professionally.

In summary:
A large majority of workers are not seeking new positions. If you are an employer that needs talent you will need to go after the passive jobseekers.

Jobseekers: Do I have your contact information? Have you signed up for my job alerts through email and tweeter? Go to the TireJobs homepage to signup. www.tirejobs.com

Employers have enjoyed an unrecognized stroke of luck these past few years, employee turnover has been very low.  It appears that the under satisfied stable of reliable workers is coming to an end. The dam has broken! What caused the slowdown of job turnover? I think you can look at a few key contributors:

• Reduced home equity has forced people to stay in their communities
• The lack of turnover itself created fewer opportunities
• Slow business growth
• Continued consolidation
• Fear – employees knew what they had and that was better than risking a new  job failure

The workforce has had to absorb a lot of concessions these past couple of years. Things like stagnant salaries, reduced benefits & longer hours on the job to compensate for smaller work teams. Plus the added pressure of that company issued Blackberry in your pocket or purse going off at all hours of the day and night. And let’s not forget the lack of upward mobility for career advancement due to older workers staying on the payroll. During recent years the large majority of job seekers were persons that had been laid off due to consolidation, had their job eliminated due to downsizing or had just been let go for reasons identifiable to themselves.

But, things are changing! I’m getting a lot of jobseekers looking for opportunities that are currently employed. This is a significant change! They are ready to make a move, seize an opportunity and accept more risk. Many feeling that their employer has taken them for granted by thinking they will never leave regardless of the conditions.

What does this mean for you? There is a job shuffle about to take place in 2012 which means that there will be more and more job opportunities opening up this year. As people that are working make a change companies will be scrambling for replacement talent. The employer bench strength is weak and depleted. They will be looking for you!

Now don’t be thinking that you will not need to be polished and presentable to get a new job. We have not hit the “are they breathing?” stage yet. Employers are more than willing to wait and seek the most talented applicants and they have not lower their hiring standards. They are willing to leave a job unfilled rather than just plug in a body. 

Don’t get left behind. Get out that resume and dust it off. Take some time to analysis your goals and try to articulate them in a professional cover letter. You will not get the job that you want by just attaching your resume to a blank email. Give the hiring manager a compelling reason to want to call you. In other words….Why you??

How do I know things are changing? Traffic on the TireJobs website is twice the daily average as it was this time last year. Plus I’m getting many more job search requests from employers.

I checked my placement results from last year. It was disappointing that I could not help more jobseekers. But of the ones I did place 25% of them went to jobs that were never advertised. Another 25% came from my resume bank of previous jobseekers that I reached back for and notified them of the opportunity.

Do I have your resume? Are you on my mailing list?

Hello Everyone!

A non scientific observation by me would conclude that the tire industry workforce is nearly 100% employed. Especially with regard to positions that require the employee to carry keys and open the office or shop daily. But, are they happily employed?? Why would I make such a statement? Many employers have expressed to me that they are having difficulty finding talented individuals with the proper skill set to do the job and they also say the flow of applicants seeking employment has slowed to a crawl. There are many issues adding to this dilemma. Let me name a few.

• Consolidation of the industry – less places to work in their community
• Housing crisis – folks can’t sell their homes to relocate for a better job
• Fear – what happens if I move, take a job and it doesn’t work out?
• The workforce is aging out and the tire industry is not attracting younger job seekers
• Non-compete – can’t change jobs in the same market

I like to brag that I do more exit interviews then anyone else in the tire industry. Plus, I’m speaking to a number of persons monthly that dislike their jobs and just can’t leave.

So, the question is??? Do employers really want employees that have quit working hard but have stayed on the payroll or, employees who are doing just enough to keep their jobs? Both the employee and the employer have a problem.

Employee’s problem:

You don’t like your job and you have a non-compete. You can’t quit your job because you can’t work for the few remaining employers in your market. You can’t sell your house so that you can move to a different geographic area to find a better job. You feel trapped!

 Employer’s problem:

You need help but all the job seekers in your market have non-compete agreements. You can’t hire from other areas because job seekers can’t sell their houses. Or, if they do they take a huge loss in equity and want more compensation.  You have employees working for you that don’t like your company but they stay and perform at a marginal level. 

Does that employee that you have locked in with a non-compete really have the power to hurt you outside of your company? Take for instance a sales person. There was a day when the salesperson had great control of accounts. They sold tires! But, more and more the relationship between you and your customer is much more involved. You now sell programs that include many of your added value services. Customers will be very reluctant to switch suppliers just because your salesperson leaves your company.  If by chance you are not selling added value you may be behind the curve.

Is the non-compete helping or hurting you? I recently had a conversation with an executive at a large independent tire dealer about non-competes and why they have them. He was quick to tell me that they really won’t hold someone back but they didn’t want someone to have a bad day and just leave without thinking and allowing for a cool down period. That really makes sense to me. But, is the overall effect still worth it?

Employee:

Okay, you don’t like your job but you are stuck. What are you going to do?  Many jobseekers contact me and say the non-compete they are working under isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. And truthfully many states have laws that make the agreements hard to enforce. I quickly inform them that that is not the real problem .The real problem is other employers will not hire them because they don’t want the hassle of dealing with a problem later down the road if the previous employer should decide to challenge your right to work in a competitive situation.

Suggestion for employers;

Would it be possible to limit the non-compete clause to three months? This would deter the “bad hair day” quitters but possibly let the real dissenters out of your company while reducing the damage.

I understand, you do have the right to protect your proprietary information. You could add on a clause protecting trade secrets, customer lists, prices, copyrights and product information for a period of up to three years. Lastly, why not add a clause that prevents solicitation of your employees for a year or two?

Really want to fix the problem. Go to low performers and release them from their non-compete agreements.

Suggestion for employees:

Thinking that you want to move on? Do you have limited advancement opportunities at your current place of employment?

Take your non-compete agreement to a labor attorney to find out exactly what you can and can’t do. A reading can cost as little as a one hour labor attorney consultation.

When you resign explain your intent to respect your previous employers need to protect they’re business and that you intend to honor the terms and conditions of the non-compete.

Some companies do not have non-compete agreements. They are few and far between but I am aware of a few that are very successful and they are pretty certain that they have a workforce that really wants to be there….not cornered to be there.

 Suggestions and comments welcomed!!!

Hello Jobseekers – you are not alone!
Are you getting no or slow responses from employers after submitting your resume or after your interviewed? You’re not alone! Don’t take it personally.
Seems there is a new “normal” going on in the hiring process.

I can remember back in the old days before the convenient email communication options were available. Typically I would list a job in a local newspaper and wait for the resumes to arrive by mail. Much was learned from those hard copy resumes. Remember this was before spell check and the ability to delete lines and copy and paste. It was the first clue into the character of the applicant. Even in those days we would send every applicant a letter acknowledging receipt. Then we would contact the best to conduct interviews and make a hire. Everyone that was interviewed and not hired was sent a rejection letter.
Today’s jobseekers have some real advantages and some disadvantages. We now have spell check and the ability to apply for multiple jobs in just minutes.

Let’s take a look at this for a minute.

You send your resume to an employer and there is no return email notifying you that your resume was received. Now you’re left to wonder if your resume was actually received. So you give it about a week and you start to get annoyed. You know you have the qualifications…why no reply? This is the norm, not the unusual. Or, let’s say you have already had the chance to have your phone interview. Wow, that interview went well! But, days and weeks go by and there is no follow up call from the employer. You are never informed you didn’t get the job and you are left to wonder if a hire actually took place. Your interaction with the employer is left to what amounts to a slow death. It happens all the time.

This is not true for all employers. Many do it right but, they are the minority.  I have a lot of very good employer clients that follow a more courteous set of standards.   

So what’s going on???

Let’s give the employer the benefit of the doubt. As I mentioned it’s very easy for jobseekers to apply for multiple jobs. Pity the poor hiring manager that is swamped with resumes. And, they are most likely working with a reduced staff. Additionally, they are required to perform many more procedures with a jobseeker before they can make a hire. There are so many applicants that it becomes impossible to respond to all. I understand their predicament and we’ll give them a pass. Yep, it’s the new norm.

I will not however give them a pass after they have conducted any part of the interview or made contact with you in any way. They owe you a response. An up or down vote so to speak. A “play me or trade me response”. But, you didn’t get one….you are not alone. Yep, it’s the new norm

What do you do?

The first urge is to fire off an email every few days asking politely “what’s going on” please answer me. Don’t do it. It only annoys the hiring manager and makes your odds at getting the job worse. As frustrating and  infuriating as this might be, you may just need to move on. You already know you are dealing with a procrastinator or a company that procrastinates. Or even worse, they don’t respect your inquiry. Do you really want to work for this organization knowing all of this? Now the hiring party is giving the first indictor of character. They have showed their hand! Most likely you will see that same job posted again within the next year. No need to wonder why!

What’s the best strategy?

In most situations the longer it is between the interview and the next correspondence the least likely you are to get the job. There is no amount of pestering emails that will change the situation. I know, it’s your dream job and you know you would do fantastic but, get over it and move on.

I have actually had to fire employer clients, more then you might think. Why would they contact me to find a person with the right skill set and then never contact them or respond to my inquiries? Frankly, I have no idea. I just know I have to get out of the situation fast and move on.

Rules:

• Send your resume and wait – if you never hear back assume your resume didn’t impress
• Okay, maybe one follow up email in 10 days – if no response move on
• If you had a phone interview and you don’t hear back – it’s over, move on
• Get busy finding a job with a company that appreciates your inquiry
• Never get any responses? Review your resume – Did you include a cover letter?
• Get a professional to write your cover letter and resume
• Accept the fact that you will need to apply for multiple jobs
• Never stop looking while an employer decides – they may never decide!
• Network – but don’t abuse your contacts
• Never give up and broaden your horizons- never beg, so to speak.

That’s right, it’s not just happening to you. It’s the new normal.

I know, there have been thousands of blogs written about how to get a job. I’ve been doing this TireJobs recruiting thing for 10 years now and I’ve seen a whole lot of emails, cover letters and resumes.
I just have to say that we as an industry are lacking when it comes to expressing ourselves professionally while looking for a new career. Please understand that I’m not implying that everyone falls into this category. But way too many do. I’ve spoken to many a person that has told me they have worked for 30 years and never had to write a resume. Well…good for them! I understand that years ago we went to tire stores and filled out applications in the waiting rooms. Or, we just went by the store, shook hands and started the next day. I remember when I was in college and I quit a tire job in the morning and punched into a new job that afternoon. Background checks…what the heck are they??
I’m stunned by the outstanding professionalism of resumes I receive that come from persons outside of the tire industry. The good news is you can polish up your approach and get in front of the competition fast.
It’s a new game out there today. You may never have an opportunity to have a face to face meeting with the hiring party. It all starts with your email, cover letter and resume.
Let’s talk about emails for a minute. Most email hosting companies allow you to have more then one address. Email signatures to avoid:

• Names with references to your previous company
• Political or religious agendas
• Words that are a little naughty

Why not just get a new email address specifically for your job search?

Cover letters:
Let’s face it. It’s hard to get anyone to read a long cover letter. But, you have to say something. If you don’t have a formal cover letter you should at least write something about your intentions in the body of the email. I get way to many emails without any words and just a resume attached. It then becomes my job to try to figure out what the applicant really wants. Providing information that includes your intent gives the hiring party a much better understanding of what’s going on before they read your resume. Plus the cover letter can be used to explain the conditions that put you in the position to be job hunting in the first place.

Resume:
Name the document!!!! I get attachments named “Dad’s resume or Charlie’s resume. I wonder who wrote those emails and attached the documents??? Or ones that simply say “Resume”. Can you imagine how many of those there are floating around in cyberspace? The best practice is to use your name such as “John Doe Resume”. If you don’t know how to rename a document be sure to ask someone how to do it. Avoid putting the date in the name of the document. Find another way to keep your current resume identified. I get resumes all the time that are dated over a year ago. That’s sending the wrong message before the document is even opened.

Here are a few other tips:

• Forget about listing your hobbies unless they are work related – If you’re a scratch golfer….what are you saying?
• Don’t include starter jobs that you had in high school or college unless you are a recent graduate
• Stop listing tasks instead of accomplishments – what did you actually get done on your previous job?
• Goals: It’s not what the company can do for you; it’s what you can do for the company. Listing your accomplishments is much better then presenting your goals
• Two pages max – There is no wiggle room with this rule
• Be honest – Background checks are the norm
• Do not use fancy fonts
• Check for spelling mistakes
• Have more then one resume – Be specific about the job you are seeking. I get tons of resumes for management positions that have sales listed as an objective. Or, vice versa. It happens more often then you would think.

Just a couple of other things;
If you choose to paste your resume to the body of the email you should also attach a copy. Otherwise the employer has to copy and paste it back into a document for storage and easy reference. Employers prefer resumes written in Word format.
If your message machine or voicemail plays music…..get rid of it ASAP!
Put a personal message on your answering machine or voicemail. People are very uncomfortable leaving messages when only the number is repeated.

Lastly, if needed, get a professional to write your resume. I know it’s the worst time to be spending money after you have just lost your job. But it might be the best money you ever spent. Most people can find someone on Craig’s list or the like to do it for under $200.00 Believe me when I tell you it could be the deal breaker….or maker!

Writing a good resume is harder then you think. And why would you think you can do it??? That’s not what you have been doing the past 10 or 20 years. You’re a tire person….not a professional resume writer. Have you ever watched someone without tire experience try to change a tire or even describe a tire?

Good luck with your career search. TireJobs is here to help you.

First of all it’s very challenging! You’ll have a great opportunity to put your skills to work and earn more pay.

Great OTR Techs are becoming increasing hard to find. But that’s not an open door to getting a great OTR Tech job. . You need to do your part. Many forces from within a company and rigorous government regulations create a lot of strain on a hiring manager.

Why is that good news for you? If you are a qualified OTR/Mine Tire Technician you are in great demand. As the saying goes “The bigger the tire the small the workforce”. Companies can’t just run down to the local labor pool and make a hire. Credentials are required.

Let’s look at some of the reasons why you are a special person if you are qualified to be an OTR Tech.

DOT Regulations:

• You must be medically approved to drive the truck
• You must have at least a Class “B” CDL
• A 10 year reference check is required
• You must be able to pass random drug and alcohol testing
• You must understand the Federal Motor Carrier Regulations
• All combined you are required to be a certified truck driver before you even think about changing that first OTR tire.

If you would like to learn more please visit this website: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov

Wait a minute you say!

I understand there are many working very experienced Mine Tire Techs out there that do not have CDL’s. I know, I speak with them everyday. But, they are limited to working in only “off the highway” situations. They have no way of getting a large OTR tire to a site. These are very good high paying jobs but you are limited if you want to expand your horizons. If the mine closes….what are you going to do?

Mine Safety and Health Administration – MSHA

Back in 1977 congress passed laws to protect mine workers. You are now required to understand the safe operating procedures at a mine site.  You will need to attend training and pass the certification test.

A current MSHA certification is a ticket to being hired.

For more information go to: http://www.msha.gov

So, here we are and we still haven’t even gotten to actually changing a tire! You have to be a truck driver, MSHA certified and know how to change tires. Just what is that worth in compensation and the ability to get a great paying job?

TIA Certification:

The Tire Industry Association offers training for OTR Tire Techs. Most of these programs will be sponsored by your employer. You might just want to ask your employer to be included. For more information go to: :http://www.tireindustry.org/default.aspx?id=1028&LangType=1033

Add it up!

Recently I had an applicant searching for a new career with the above mentioned licenses and certifications…including a clean driving record.  I sent a request for hire to six different employers. The applicant was offered six jobs.

In addition a fully certified OTR/Mine Tire Tech can earn as much as $10 per hour above that of a Truck Tire Tech.

Who’s responsible for you getting qualified? You are! You need to do everything possible to keep your driving and criminal record clean. One DUI and you are out! You must seek out employers that offer OTR tire service training and ones that operate trucks over 26,000 lbs GVW so that you can take the CDL driving test after passing the written test.

Get busy….there is serious money to be made in the OTR tire industry.