Have you ever dreamed of ditching that desk job for your dream?  I have!  I’d try to figure out something to do with dogs — a dog day care, go back to school to be a vet tech, a serious dog walker and sitter… whatever works. 

Read Ditching the Office for the Outdoors in U.S. News & World Report about someone who has done just that.  He didn’t ditch the suit for dogs, but he did develop a successful second career that takes him outdoors and keeps him active.

What is your dream?

We heard yesterday that the recession might not be officially over.  I don’t know about you, but the signs definitely seem to contradict that official call — there is job growth and other economic indicators are heading in the right direction.

An end to the recession is excellent news for those who are unemployed.  It might take a while, but the job market will come back and unemployment numbers will moderate.  But is it good news for employers?

We have some contradictory evidence.  According to a recent survey by Manpower, employers feel that fewer than 5% of their workers will jump ship when the economy improves.  But according to Right Management, over 60% plan to leave when the job market loosens up.  60%!!

It doesn’t really matter which data set is right and which is wrong.  The point is, whenever critical employees leave — no matter how many — vital knowledge about your organization leaves with them.  If you want to learn more about protecting that knowledge and making sure it is effectively transferred, read a new position paper by Manpower called Knowledge Retention and Transfer in the World of Work.

I had a few interviews this week and last regarding the latest unemployment numbers.  You’ve heard them by now, I’m sure — but just in case…

• Unemployment remains at 9.7%
• 15 million people are unemployed
• 162,000 jobs were added
• Health care and temporary help added jobs
• Construction remains steady
• Manufacturing is trending up

It all seems like pretty good news, but the media has tended to discount the job growth because many of those new jobs were temporary — 48,000 census workers and 40,000 added to temporary payrolls.  I may be biased, but I disagree that this tempers the positive numbers and I don’t think you can argue with my logic.  These jobs may be temporary, but the numbers are still positive:

• Workers earn money while on temporary assignments.
• While temporary help services place workers on temporary assignments, they often result in a permanent hire.  In fact, at Manpower over 40% of our associates are hired by the clients to whom we send them.
• Workers gain experience and valuable resume material.  The census jobs are definitely temporary with no hope of becoming permanent, but the workers’ work history will be enhanced.

And, temporary help is good for business.  Until business owners and HR departments are really sure the recovery has arrived, they are reluctant to make a permanent commitment.

So don’t discount the temporary jobs numbers.  They all add up to a much more positive outlook than we’ve been seeing!

On the last day of January, there were 2.7 million job openings in the U.S. — up from last month.  The job openings rate of 2.1% is the highest it’s been since February, 2009.

Manpower released our Second Quarter 2010 Employment Outlook Survey today and things are looking up.  Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed throughout the country, 16% anticipate an increase in hiring while 8% expect a decrease.  73% expect no change — which is a record-breaking number for the third quarter in a row and good news for those who are currently employed.

U.S. employers anticipate hiring to inch ahead in the second quarter.  We’re headed in the right direction, but the labor market is still going to take time before it begins accelerating.

To see the details and what is happening in your community, go to Manpower’s Employment Outlook Survey.

These are my favorite two days of the year, but this time there were conflicts.  Olympic figure skating?  Or Westminster Dog Show?  Tough decision — thank goodness for DVR so I got to see both.  But I had two late nights in a row!

About Westminster… gorgeous, fabulous, beautiful and exciting as usual (although the female commentator on USA got on my nerves).  This year there were three new breeds:  Irish Red and White Setter, Pyrenean Shepherd and Norwegian Buhund.  See pictures at the Westminster site.  Way cool dogs but they didn’t advance.  I wonder how the veterans accept these newbies.  My hunch is they are accepted with grace — we could learn a few things from our canine friends.

The best in show line-up was fabulous.  I was cheering for Bru the terrific French bulldog, but the winner was the number one dog in the country — Sadie the Scottish Terrier.  I loved her reaction — sincere, unbridled excitement at being recognized.

Congratulations, Sadie!

Take a few minutes and watch Manpower’s CEO Jeff Joerres interviewed by Hub Culture at the World Economic Forum in Davos.  He has some insightful comments about the recovery:

• Yes.  We are indeed in a recovery now.
• But there are confusing and distracting statistics that make it somewhat difficult to truly understand.
• Companies and employers are feeling cautious momentum but they’re not ready to push unemployment down to normal levels because the consumer isn’t in the game quite yet.
• This appears to be a classic start to the recovery — no surprises.

It sounds much better coming from him — so take a listen.

Last week there was an excellent article on Forbes.com called Three Tips For Getting That Job Offer Now.  The point of the article, written by Jerome Young, is that you might be perfectly suited for the position, but if you don’t have excellent interview skills you won’t be selected. 

Jerome’s three tips:

1. Have an interview plan.
2. Prepare answers for the questions you’re most likely to be asked.
3. Know your interviewers before you step into the room.

If you’re getting ready for some job interviews, read the article for the details.  It just might get you that job!

There was a good piece on Good Morning America yesterday morning — about where the jobs are.  In Finding a Job: Target Areas That Are Hiring, a good case is made for registering with a temporary help service.  A few other areas where hiring is taking place were also covered.

If you follow my blog, you’ll begin to think I sound like a broken record.  And while I am biased, I believe the facts support the suggestion that registering with a temporary help service is a great way to get work.  The temporary help industry created 200,000 jobs last month and according to experts, half of the jobs created during the recovery will start out as temporary.  I say started out, because nearly 40% of our temporary employees are hired permanently.  What a way to go!

No matter your skill set — up to and including high-level professionals — please consider my suggestion.

What are you waiting for?

If any of you feel virtual meetings are not as good as face to face, please read on.

For the past ten years, Manpower has held Global Leadership Team meetings in various places around the world.  Approximately 100 top managers from the company gather at the beginning of the year to discuss strategy and tactics for the year ahead.  It was always a highlight to travel to a cool place to hear from top management and to get together with colleagues.

But this recession changed our approach.  Last year, for the first time, we held the meeting virtually.  Many were skeptical and felt that the value of the meeting would be diminished to the point that it wouldn’t be worth the savings.  Well, were we wrong!

I felt — and I know many of my colleagues felt — that last year’s meeting was the best ever… because:

• No one was jet-lagged or had, had too much to drink the night before.
• We weren’t sitting in a huge, darkened, crowded room listening to talking heads and watching powerpoint slides — trying to stay awake.
• Every voice was heard during our discussion threads.
• Accents did not get in the way of understanding — we could understand those who didn’t speak English very well and they had the opportunity to read rather than hear the very fast, idiom-filled comments from the Americans.

The consensus was we all were more engaged and learned much more than in past years.  And the commitments we made were seen by all so the accountability during the past year was at an all-time high.

This year’s meeting starts today.  I can’t wait!