Sanford Rose Associates^® - Amarillo

Sanford Rose Associates^® - Amarillo is committed to helping professionals of all levels, whether client or candidate, to find talent, find positions, and provide information throughout the workplace. We have published multiple articles and our publications, SRA Update and Candidate Chronicles can be found below.

SRA Updates are provided to clients and candidates to help manage the day-to-day challenges of corporate life.

November 2011 SRA Update
Silver Linings
Despite Economic Uncertainty, There are Opportunities Out There
As 2011 draws to a close, there is a lot of angst, uncertainty, frustration, and negativity regarding the economy. With so many negative headlines dominating the media lately, it is easy to become pessimistic. However, it is important not to lose sight of some of the positive events of 2011, such as strong corporate earnings, increased M & A activity, emerging global markets, and an increase in hiring both in the United States and abroad.

September 2011 SRA Update
Interviewing Tips for Employers
An interview is part of almost every hiring process. Interviewing can be expensive and time consuming for a company. Typically, the interview is one of the final evaluations of a candidate. Yet, many people believe that they can just “wing it” when conducting an interview, and many organizations do not take the time to prepare or train their interviewers. Improving the interview process can lead to higher quality new hires, which will certainly pay dividends for the company.

July 2011 SRA Update
Why Employee Engagement Matters
Engaged employees can make a difference
The May/June 2011 edition of the SRA Update explored non-monetary factors that motivate employees in their career decisions. These factors may also play an important role in combating another problem facing many organizations worldwide – disengaged employees. Beyond increased turnover, apathetic and disengaged employees create a host of other issues for companies, like decreased productivity and employee morale.

May 2011 SRA Update
What really motivates employees?
By understanding what is important, companies can attract and retain talent
There are numerous local and national surveys naming the “Top Places to Work” or “Most Admired Companies”. These publications are usually fun to read because the focus tends to be on the perks offered by employers. Unusual or unique perks make for interesting conversation and allow companies to grab the spotlight momentarily, but do they result in improved employee retention long term? Other organizations take the approach that monetary rewards are the only real motivators. Consistently, employees list certain nonmonetary factors as primary motivators in their career decisions, and this edition of the SRA Update focuses on several.

March 2011 SRA Update
Always Available, 24/7 Connectivity
Do smartphones, laptops, and other wireless devices really increase productivity?
Many executives believe that the 24/7 connectivity and accessibility that comes with their smartphones, PDAs, laptops, tablet computers, and other wireless technology increases productivity. Increased responsiveness and availability and the ability to work effectively when outside of the office are benefits that these modern devices afford. However, recently, there have been a growing number of articles, blogs, and studies in which the authors question whether the 24/7 connectivity and increased work hours that frequently accompany wireless devices actually decrease the productivity and negatively affect the overall performance of the employees using the devices.

January 2011 SRA Update
Due Diligence or Discrimination?
Pre-employment background checks are under increased scrutiny
Conducting a background check on prospective candidates is considered part of the normal due diligence in the hiring process by many employers. Reviewing a candidate’s criminal record and credit provides the hiring manager with more information on that candidate and may identify potential “red flags”. The practice has, however, come under increased scrutiny by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), state and local legislatures, and Congress.

November 2010 SRA Update
Talking About the Baby Boomer Generation
Are fears of a coming "labor shortage" and "knowledge drain" well founded?
Despite the recent economic downturn, many experts believe that within 10 years there will be a labor shortage in the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of Western Europe resulting from the retirement of many workers from the Baby Boomer generation (those born 1946 – 1964) and the lack of qualified replacements in the generations that follow, Generation X (born 1965-1980) and Generation Y or “Millenials” (born after 1980). In a study entitled After the Recovery: The Coming Labor Shortage and How People in Encore Careers Can Help Solve It, the authors, Barry Bluestone and Mark Melnik from the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, estimated that by 2018 there could be more than five million unfilled jobs in the United States. That projection, however, assumes that the current labor participation and immigration rates remain the same and that the economy grows at a healthy rate. Therefore, the labor participation rate of the Baby Boomer generation will be a major factor in determining whether a labor shortage actually occurs.

September 2010 SRA Update
Extreme Commuters, Virtual CEO’s, and Other Mobile Executives
Doesn’t Anyone Just Relocate Anymore?
In the not too distant past, the climb up the corporate ladder for many executives included a couple of strategic relocations. Most companies assumed that for the right position, executives would move their families wherever the job required. That assumption is no longer accurate. Over half (56%) of the respondents in the Atlas 2010 Corporate Relocation Survey reported instances of employees declining opportunities that required relocation. A variety of factors are contributing to the unwillingness or inability of many executives to relocate. In order to attract the top executive talent, companies have been forced to review their relocation packages and, in some cases, to consider alternatives to relocation such as “extreme commuting” or executive telecommuting.

July 2010 SRA Update
A Rising Tide?
Employees Begin to Explore Their Options
More employees are beginning to take a course of action that was unthinkable a few months ago. They are quitting their jobs. As reported by many media outlets, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of workers who voluntarily left (quit) their jobs outnumbered those who were laid off in February, March, and April. Prior to February, the number of layoffs exceeded the number of “quits” for 15 consecutive months. CEO turnover has also increased during 2010 after falling to record lows in 2009. According to a report by Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc (a global outplacement firm), there was an almost 30% increase in the number of CEO’s leaving their positions in April 2010 versus April 2009, and year-to-date there has been a 14% increase in CEO turnover compared to the same period last year.

May 2010 SRA Update
Corporate Matchmaking
Personality Testing in the Employment Process
Like singles using dating services, many companies try to find their “perfect match” through the use of personality tests and other psychometric testing. It has been estimated that 30% of all companies have incorporated some sort of personality testing into their hiring process.1 The potential “cultural fit” of a candidate within an organization is a very important consideration, but it is difficult to measure. Personality testing is marketed as a tool that can be used to determine the potential fit of a candidate. Despite the claims of many of the test providers, however, companies should not rely on the results of such tests too heavily. If used, psychometric testing should be one of many tools used to evaluate candidates during the hiring process.

March 2010 SRA Update
Time to Focus on Talent Management
How will you attract and retain the best executive talent?
Ask a CEO about the number one thing that keeps him up at night, and you might be surprised by the answer. For many senior executives, the biggest cause for concern is talent management, not the competition. In an informal survey of more than 450 executives conducted last fall by Right Management, 94% of the executives polled said that talent management would be a top priority for their organization in 2010.

January 2010 SRA Update
The Recovery Has Begun
What to expect in 2010
The good thing about 2009 is it has ended. It was an extremely difficult year. The “global economic crisis” or the “Great Recession,” as it has been called in the United States, is finally over. Most economists agree that the global economic recovery that began at the end of 2009 will continue throughout 2010. As we enter the year 2010, it is important for executives to take some time to survey the new economic landscape in order to move their organizations forward during the recovery.

Candidate Chronicles