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BARRYSTAFF Springfield office to extend hours

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SPRINGFIELD, OH – BARRYSTAFF announced today that its Springfield office will extend its hours in order to accommodate job seekers with busy schedules.

The office, located at 1992 N. Bechtle Ave., will close at 8pm starting on April 2.

“We realize folks folks have busy lives and can be tied up throughout the day,” said BARRYSTAFF president Doug Barry. “Now job seekers in Springfield and Clark County will have more time to get to our office and get the ball rolling on finding a new job.

“Our entry-level jobs come with a path toward management positions,” Barry said. “The companies we work with like to promote from within, and we work with them to make sure that happens.”

The office will continue to open at 8am.

“Some people may be wondering if the grass is really greener over at BARRYSTAFF,” Barry said. “We believe it is. It never hurts to talk.”

BARRYSTAFF was founded in 1980 and opened its Bechtle location in 2014. It provides staffing for companies throughout Clark and Champaign counties. The office specializes in manufacturing and light industrial positions.

The manager of the Springfield location is Pam Bartee. The office can be contacted at (937) 327-0025. 

About BARRYSTAFF:

The job search can be a pain. That’s why we’re here. 

BARRYSTAFF has been putting people to work for over 30 years and remains the most successful locally-owned staffing agency in Dayton. With offices in Dayton, Piqua and Springfield, we specialize in industrial, clerical, and permanent placements. If you are looking for a new career, or if you are an employer looking for new talent, you are in the right place. 

Welcome to BARRYSTAFF. Let’s go to work.

MEDIA RELEASE: US added more than 150,000 jobs in November

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US added more than 150,000 jobs in November

 

 

DAYTON, OH – This morning the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics issued employment data for the month of November. For the third month in a row, the national unemployment rate was 3.7 percent. That’s the lowest rate in almost 50 years. A year ago the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.

Manufacturing outpaced retail, warehousing and transportation in terms of job gains. Manufacturing added 27,000 jobs in November and 288,000 over the year, largely in durable goods.

BarryStaff is an award-winning employment agency that hires workers for more than 100 employers throughout the Miami Valley. The majority of them are in manufacturing.

“You’re looking at an incredibly competitive job market,” said BarryStaff president Doug Barry. “That’s certainly the case here in the Dayton area.”

The new jobs report comes amid a slumping stock market.

“The report next month could be very interesting,” Barry said.

Health care – another substantial employment base for the area – rose by 32,000 in November.

 

About BARRYSTAFF
BARRYSTAFF has been putting people to work for over 30 years and remains the most successful locally-owned staffing agency in Dayton. With offices in Dayton, Piqua and Springfield, we specialize in industrial, clerical, and permanent placements. If you are looking for a new career, or if you are an employer looking for new talent, you are in the right place.

The company won the Better Business Bureau’s prestigious Eclipse Integrity Award in 2017.

A Steady Job Beats a Higher Paycheck

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Workers feel good about the economy because they value stability over wage growth.

Businesswomen discuss work over digital tablet

By Conor Sen

 

One of the anomalies of the current U.S. economy is that workers seem more satisfied with it than economists are. It comes down to their view of the labor market: Workers are right to welcome its stability, and economists are right that wage growth is lacking.

Economists have two main data points in their favor. Wage growth is currently at about  3 percent, compared to 4 percent during the strong parts of the past two cycles. And the employment-to-population ratio for workers aged 25 to 54 still hasn’t returned to its high from the last cycle, let alone the all-time high from 2000.

Despite this “hard economic data,” the “soft economic data” — public sentiment — shows that the economy and labor market are perceived to be about as good as they’ve ever been. Gallup has been asking the public every month since 2001 what it considers the nation’s most important problem, and in November only 13 percent responded with an economic problem. The just-completed midterm elections were largely a referendum on health care and President Donald Trump, not on the economy.

Job market sentiment continues to outpace the hard economic data as well. The Conference Board’s monthly consumer confidence survey in November showed that 46.6 percent of respondents say jobs are “plentiful,” compared to only 12.2 percent who say that jobs are hard to get. The last time that differential was so great was during a two-year period from 1999 to 2001.

Given the choice between today’s labor market and 1999’s, I would take today’s. The labor market of the late 1990s was hot, but it was also unstable, fueled by speculative technology companies and investments. Today’s labor market may not be quite as robust, but what it lacks in strength it makes up for in stability.

As a worker, I’d rather be in a labor market with lots of job postings, a low level of jobless claims and a sustainable level of wage growth. It’s certainly preferable to being in one fueled by speculative excess, where I have to constantly worry about when the mania is going to collapse. I’ll take 3 percent wage growth today with good prospects for being employed tomorrow over 4 percent wage growth today and unemployment tomorrow.

There remains an unresolved debate about what central banks should have done in response to the dot-com boom of the late 1990s and the housing boom of the mid-2000s, two cycles marked by excessive speculation but acceptable levels of inflation. Were there ways to curb the excesses without harming the labor market or the economy at large? Given the lack of above-trend inflation, should the Federal Reserve have run looser monetary policy, supporting the labor market even if it meant even wilder, potentially destabilizing levels of speculative excess? In cycles like that, policy errors may have been unavoidable.

The good news for workers today, and perhaps why their optimism is higher than some economic data might suggest, is that there’s no reason why this labor market can’t continue for at least several more quarters. The excesses of the past couple years have been in financial markets, not in the real economy. Bubbles in cryptocurrencies, cannabis and private technology companies should not lead to a heavy-handed response from the Fed. Household leverage remains low, and business investment remains modest.

In 2019, a labor market with an unemployment rate below 4 percent and slightly higher wage growth may not be enough to satisfy those who are fixated on the economic performance of 1999. But most workers would probably take it.

9 Things to Never Say in a Salary Negotiation

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You’re 96% sure that you are ready to schedule a meeting with your boss to ask for a raise. Or perhaps you’re nearing the end of the job interview process and an offer is in sight. However, if you’re like me, you have definitely put your foot in your mouth a time or two saying the wrong thing at the absolute worst moment. Doh!

Don’t mess up. 

Don’t mess up.

No matter how many times you rehearse what to say, there’s always that risk of fumbling right at the five-yard line. Instead of panicking, get prepared.

To coach us along in the salary negotiation process, we turned to Josh Doody, author of Fearless Salary Negotiation. “A salary negotiation is a collaboration, and a key ingredient of a successful collaboration is good communication,” says Doody. “It’s important to be very clear with what you communicate to avoid ambiguity, which could complicate things and slow the negotiation process.”

Instead of Doody simply sharing the things you should say, he’s here to warn you about the potential negotiation landmines to avoid when angling for the salary you deserve. Here are 9 things to never say in a salary negotiation:

1. “Currently,” as in “I’m currently making…”

The most common question recruiters will ask a candidate is something like, “So where are you right now in terms of salary, and what are you looking for if you make this move?” Don’t fall for it.

“I call this The Dreaded Salary Question and it’s tricky because it usually comes up early in the interview process, and most candidates don’t think of it as part of a salary negotiation even though it is,” says Doody. “Answering this question by disclosing numbers can make it very difficult to negotiate effectively later on because it can box the candidate in. Once they disclose current or desired salary, the offers they get are very likely to be tied to those numbers. That can be very expensive if the company might have offered them a much higher salary than they disclosed.”

2. “Desired,” as in “My desired salary is…”

Don’t disclose your current or desired salary! “Recovering from this mistake can be tricky and each situation is unique. But one way to untether from those original numbers is to review the benefits package for deficiencies,” says Doody. “If the health insurance offering, paid vacation, target bonus or other aspects of the benefits package are underwhelming, the candidate can use those as reasons to ask for a higher salary to compensate.”

Instead, try something like :

I’m not comfortable sharing my current salary. I would prefer to focus on the value I can add to this company rather than what I’m paid at my current job. I don’t have a specific number in mind for a desired salary, and you know better than I do what value my skill set and experience could bring to your company. I want this move to be a big step forward for me in terms of both responsibility and compensation.

3. “Sorry”

According to Doody, “negotiating is uncomfortable, and our natural tendency is to try to smooth the edges on a difficult conversation. Saying sorry could signal to the recruiter or hiring manager that you might be willing to back down, and that could be expensive. Don’t apologize for negotiating.”

4. “No” and other negative words

“You want to continuously improve your situation throughout the negotiation and you do that by avoiding negative language and focusing on positive language. Instead of “No, that doesn’t work for me.” (two negative words) you can say, “I would be more comfortable with…” (positive words). Negative words slow things down and may put up walls that make collaboration difficult. Using only positive words is difficult at first, but you’ll get better with practice.”

5. “Yes”

While this may sound like the exact word to use when speaking to a recruiter, Doody insists it should be used with caution. “You’ll often get a job offer that seems really appealing, and it might be far more than you expected. Your instinct, in that case, might be to just accept the offer because it’s so good.”

But is it too good?

“It’s possible you underestimated your value in this situation. Instead of “Yes”, formulate a counter offer to see how much you can improve it. The negotiation should end with the company saying “Yes” to you. Once they say “Yes” to you, or you run out of things to ask for, then you are finished negotiating.”

6. “Later,” as in “I can deal with that after I start.”

Procrastinators, this one is for you. “Sometimes it’s easier to avoid uncomfortable parts of a negotiation by deferring those parts of the conversation until after you’re hired. That can be a very expensive mistake because you won’t have the same latitude to negotiate and improve your position once you’re in the door. Push through the discomfort and get the best possible result now,” Doody advises.

7. Try, as in “Can we try…?”

“Try is a passive word that leaves a lot of wiggle room, and you don’t want that,” insists Doody.  “It’s easy for someone to say — honestly or not — “We’ll try…” and reply with, “We tried and it just didn’t work out.” Don’t ask them to “try” to do something. Instead, use more positive language like “I would be more comfortable with.”

8. More, as in “I want more…”

While this word seems counter-intuitive because you are negotiating to get more, it’s a word that is too general for a successful negotiation. Instead of asking for “more” salary or “more” vacation, this is your time to get specific.

“Don’t leave things to the imagination once you’re negotiating. Instead of “Could you budge on the salary?”, say, ‘I would be more comfortable with a base salary of $105,000.’”

9. Want

Lastly, the word “want” can tank negotiations. Using it can undercut the entire premise of your argument that you deserve to be paid more and you deserve a more competitive salary. Go into a negotiation with facts and figures, making a compelling case. Start with printing out the results of your personal salary estimator, Know Your Worth. See what you base salary should be and see what the industry norms are.

“You could talk about what you want, which just isn’t all that important. Or you could talk about what the company wants, which is not as potent as talking about what the company needs, which are the most important thing,” adds Doody. “Focus on the company’s needs and how you can help meet those needs so they can easily see your value and work to compensate you for it.”

Read the original post here.

From DBJ: 17,000 open jobs in Dayton region

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This was originally published by the Dayton Business Journal on Oct. 30, 2018. Click here for the original link.

 

By DBJ Staff

For those seeking employment, the Dayton region is a fine place to be. That’s the word from the latest figures from the state of Ohio.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reports 16,800 job openings were posted in the 14-county Dayton and west Ohio regions from Aug. 14 to Sept. 13. This marks a jump of 190 jobs from the previous period, and a boost of 1,025 job adds from last year.

The data sheds light on the large number of open jobs and the companies and sectors seeking workers.

Topping the list was Kettering Medical Center with 900 job postings, followed by Lowe’s with 187 listings and Crown Equipment (176).

Other top job seekers included Dayton Children’s Hospital (175), Northrop Grumman (162) and Mercy Health (156).

(Note: The data comes from research via nonprofit The Conference Board and may not include all sources of data for open jobs.)

In terms of salary, 14 percent of these open positions pay less than $30,000 a year; 19 percent pay up to $50,000 a year; and 42 percent pay up to $80,000 a year. About 25 percent pay more than $80,000.

About 33 percent of the jobs posted require a GED or high school-level education; while 42 percent require an associate’s degree. Twenty-two percent require a bachelor’s degree, and about 4 percent require graduate education.

The Workforce Revolution That’s Long Overdue

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Virtual-reality technology can open a new frontier in job training.

Mark P. Mills

July 24, 2018

In these contentious times, perhaps it’s heartening that Ivanka Trump and Silicon Valley’s potentates have at least one thing in common: concern for the future of America’s workforce. As the White House point person on a new jobs initiative, Trump wrote in a recent op-ed that it’s high time “to deliver better workforce training.” That’s where Silicon Valley comes in. We’re overdue for something revolutionary to ameliorate “unfair” outcomes from technological and economic disruptions to the workforce. For too long, we’ve met every cycle of technological dislocation with the same unimaginative policies: financial aid and PR for vocational schools and community colleges, retraining grants, corporate pledges and private-public “partnerships,” or just old-fashioned welfare.

The big problem is that there are far more openings for skilled employment than there are people with the requisite skills to fill them. Contrary to received opinion, technology is not eliminating work so much as it is changing the skills landscape. And there won’t be enough robots to do those skilled jobs for years—if ever. President Trump’s new White House National Council for the American Worker proposes to “facilitate the use of data to connect American businesses, workers and educational institutions.” At the White House initiative last week, 15 major corporations pledged to hire and train workers. All this constitutes a necessary, but far from sufficient, step. The missing ingredient is a revolution in skills training.

Up until now, the best that the Internet could do was enable online learning for job functions like accounting or coding. But that’s a cakewalk compared with mastering welding, plumbing, or machine repair/maintenance online. Fortunately, technology is opening a path to superior skills training via realistic virtual simulators that can be accessed remotely. Remarkably realistic virtual reality (VR) environments are now available in medical and military applications. Microsoft’s HoloLens may be the most sophisticated VR simulator so far, presenting realistic life-size simulacra of human organs for doctors to practice surgery and simulated rescue operations for soldiers. It’s still too expensive for everyday use, and truly immersive verisimilitude remains over the horizon. But near-perfect visual, tactile, and other sensory inputs will soon emerge. AI, virtual and augmented reality, and high-speed network connectivity to supercomputing in the Cloud are merging with the budding revolution in sensors and materials to enable “haptics” that allow a sense of touch and the reality of a “tactile Internet.” The latter will be key to skills training.

It’s time to emulate Edwin Link, who introduced the first aircraft simulator in 1929. Flight simulators revolutionized the skilled trade of flying. While hands-on training remains essential, the simulator accelerates the acquisition and refinement of the aviator’s skill set. Creating VR training systems is squarely in the Silicon Valley wheelhouse; skills-centric VR won’t be easy or cheap, but Silicon Valley’s disruptors can afford it, and they should volunteer to fund it. Developing sophisticated virtual training systems would be far less expensive—and more productive—than imposing new taxes to fund welfare programs like universal basic income. And retraining people is self-evidently more moral than assuming that they should be put out to pasture, with a stipend.

As both history and current trends show, advances in technology mean that fewer people end up working per unit of good produced or service created. But increasing productivity is the point of new technology and has been the engine of prosperity over millennia—and it has always meant more net new jobs. Technological innovation does tend to alter the nature of work and the kind of skills required, though, leading to job losses for an unlucky minority. Today, as in the past, most Republicans and Democrats believe that we should do something to smooth out the technological dislocations thrust on that minority. As always, the devil is in the details of what constitutes “something.” Nearly two centuries ago, we saw a revolution in the means of production. A half-century ago, the first commercial computers triggered a revolution in the means of management. Now we’re on the cusp of a revolution in the means of job training. It’s time for Silicon Valley to step up.

Click here to read the original article.

The terrible job advice parents give to their millennial kids

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By Corinne Purtill

This article originally appear on Quartz at Work. Click here to read.

Parents: the advice you’re doling out on how to seek and secure a job is bad. It’s really bad. It’s outdated and counterproductive. If you love your adult offspring and would like to see them succeed, you must cease and desist immediately.

Alison Green, a consultant who writes the popular blog Ask a Manager, has heard cringingly bad stories from adult children of misguided (but well-intentioned!) parents who don’t realize that some tactics that worked decades ago are likely to backfire now. Quartz At Work talked with Green to learn the most common pieces of advice that job seekers can (and should) ignore.

Regarding that resume

Parent says: You know what you should do? Get some nice paper, print out your resume, and have it sent overnight. Or just go in there and hand it to the boss yourself!

Green says: “It used to be an impressive move, but it’s no longer true that you should “pound the pavement” and show up in person to apply for jobs.

“First, nearly all applications are electronic these days. Many employers have no easy way to get hard copy materials (resume and cover letter) into their electronic application processing systems; they’d have to scan them in, and they don’t want to do that for you. They want you to apply online using their system there. So showing up to hand someone your resume comes across as out of touch. (There are some exceptions to this, like restaurants, but for the most part this is all done online these days.)

“Second, job openings on average get far more applicants these days than they used to. That’s probably a function of how much easier it to apply for jobs online now that you don’t have to mail out resumes individually. And since employers are fielding hundreds of applicants for each position, they really don’t want to deal with random applicants showing up in person and expecting to talk to someone; it would end up being hugely time-consuming. Employers have a system for screening applications, and they don’t want you to circumvent it.”

Following up

Parent says: Did you call to follow up? Well, call them again!

Green says: “This idea that you should show “gumption” to impress a hiring manager—things like call every few days to ask about your application or try to buy the hiring manager coffee—that stuff doesn’t work. To the contrary, it alienates most hiring managers—and it can be really frustrating to be on the receiving end of that advice from insistent parents.”

Carving a path

Parent says: You’re making how much? As an assistant? Don’t you know how many loans you have?

Green says: “There’s a particular misunderstanding these days of how hard it can be for newer grads to find work in their field, and how so often you have to start at the bottom and work your way in however you can. Parents see their kids doing low-paying entry-level jobs and because they don’t realize that will eventually lead to much better positions in the field the kid wants to work in, they sometimes panic and try to push them in a totally different direction.

“I also hear about a lot of parents doing a hard-sell on grad school, figuring that the kid will come out significantly more marketable—and not realizing that in a lot of cases, grad school will make the job search harder, if the field the kid is in doesn’t place particular value on graduate degrees.”

So then what?

Parent says: Fine, I’ll butt out. But what’s your plan?

Green says: “Really, the best way to show enthusiasm and fit for a job is by having a resume that shows a track record of achievement in things relevant to what the employer is looking for, and writing a personalized, engaging cover letter that truly speaks to why you’d excel at the job (i.e., not one that just repeats the contents of your resume). It’s a boring answer, but it’s really the one that works the best, at least with good employers.”

Hear an employee talk about how BARRYSTAFF set him up for success

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When David came to see us, he made no bones about the importance of landing a job.

“It’s very important,” he said. “Bills cost money. Without money, you don’t live.

“I’ve got to live,” he said.

Click on the video to hear how BARRYSTAFF took the necessary steps to set him up for success.