March 5, 2003
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-- Test Your Interviewing IQ
-- Praying for a Miracle -
-- Five forces converging to create The Perfect Labor Storm
-- Our aging population
-- Stop Guessing, Start Knowing Seminars
-- Shifting Occupations
-- New! What makes a good employee?
-- Unprecedented growth for education and skills
-- Growing Workplace Diversity
-- JANUS Competencies
-- NOW OPEN! The SPS Bookstore
-- New! CriteriaOne - Situational Interviewing

Greetings!

Of the 16 million new net jobs created between 1992 and 2002, more than 99% went to persons with at least some college level training. College degree holders filled 14 million new jobs - 87 percent.

Employment of persons with only a high school diploma increased by less than 1% in 10 years, jobs for persons with less than a HS diploma fell by 500,000.

Test Your Interviewing IQ
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Interviewing is still the most commonly used selection tool even though the traditional interview is only 7% effective. Take this test and determine how well you know the ins and outs of effective interviewing.

Click here to test your Interviewing IQ.

Praying for a Miracle -
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- seems to be the strategic plan of choice these days for many organizations, especially when it comes to filling positions with dependable and skilled employees.

The good news is that miracles do happen along with some occasional good luck. The bad news is that miracles are in short supply and skilled labor is becoming more scare.

Five forces converging to create The Perfect Labor Storm
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(1) Continued job growth - The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an increase in job growth of 15 percent. The labor force will grow by just 12 percent. Despite an unemployment rate of approximately 6 percent, the unemployed population - 15 years and older- accounts for less than 2.5 % of our population.

The Perfect Labor Storm: Why This Labor Shortage Will Not Blow Over is a must-hear keynote. Don't wait. Schedule Ira Wolfe for your next presentation today.

Our aging population
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(2) Aging population - In 1900 the average life expectancy was 47. In 2003 it is 76. Fifty-one percent (67.5 million) of employees are age 40 or older while the number of employees under age 40 is only 64.6 million.

By 2012, the number of employees over age 55 will increase by 60 percent to over 25 million, one-sixth of the total workforce. The ratio of entry-level wage earners to retirees has fallen from 9:1 in 1955 to 4:1 in 1995 to 2:1 by 2020.

Stop Guessing, Start Knowing Seminars
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HRD Press and Training House is pleased to announce a a FREE half-day seminar: Stop Guessing, Start Knowing. How to Accurately Assess Personality and Competencies. The seminar will be presented in Atlanta (GA) on April 9 and Lancaster (PA) on April 30, from 8:30 AM to Noon. Consultant? Contact us about TotalView and Job Analysis Certification scheduled for April 10-12 and May 1-3.

Attendance is limited to the first 20 participants and is FREE to HR and sales managers, COO, CFO, CEO, plant managers, and general managers. To register for this seminar, click on the link below.

Yes, register me today for the Stop Guessing, Start Knowing Seminar.

Shifting Occupations
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(3) In 1973, 60 percent of the American workforce were blue collar workers. In 2000 only 10 percent of the workforce was blue collar.

Managers, professionals and technicians make up 35 percent of the workforce. These positions require significant education and training. The core skills for these positions include independent judgement and self- direction on the job. Three out of five new jobs are in these high tier jobs.

New! What makes a good employee?
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Good hires are not happening by accident or luck anymore. In this slow economy, employers are finding a large pool of available workers. But finding a qualified employee is a challenge that's bigger than ever.

Read more from the column written by Ira S. Wolfe and published in the Business and Legal Reports e-zine on February 26, 2003.

Click here to read "What is a good employee"

Unprecedented growth for education and skills
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(4) In 1950 60 percent of all manufacturing jobs required unskilled labor. by 2005 less than 15 percent fo all manufacturing positions will be unskilled.

18 million jobs will require individuals with baccaluareate degrees in the next 10 years. At the current level of graduations, we will have a shortfall of 6 million. In addition, 50 precent of the U.S. population 16 to 65 years of age are considered functionally illiterate.

To read more about illiteracy in our workplace, click here.

Growing Workplace Diversity
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(5) in 1948, 38 percent of the workforce were women. Today 75 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 54 are employed.

In 1965, 20 percent of married women with a child under the age of three worked. In 2003, 67 percent of married women with a child younger than two worked.

JANUS Competencies
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Janus, the ancient Roman god with two faces, was originally considered to be the benevolent creator and god of gods. He later came to represent change and transition, such as the progression of past to future or one vision or condition to another. Janus was chosen as the ideal symbol for this performance management system because it, also, is about looking back and looking forward.

Janus is designed around a core set of thirty-six generic competencies that apply-to some extent-to all job roles. Managers and individuals select up to ten of these competencies based on their particular job role. This functions as a personalized performance management system.

To order your Janus competencies including descriptions and development recommendations, click here

NOW OPEN! The SPS Bookstore
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The Situational Leader by Dr. Paul Hersey. Only $19.95

The Situational Leader is more than a story. It is the compelling summary of key behavioral science concepts and the Situational Leader® model. The book will help you effectively: *Develop the skills required when leading people *Diagnose the competency and commitment of others *Differentiate influence styles *Select appropriate leader behaviors and more.

Click here to visit the new SPS bookstore and scroll down to The Situational Leader

New! CriteriaOne - Situational Interviewing
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You don't want to miss the program that one participant described as "a common sense approach that is so accurate, it's scary." Learn to assess competencies and personalities in just two days. Learn a step-by-step technique for behavioral and situational interviewing plus how to use the right assessments that will increase your success in identifying high performing employees up to 10-fold.

Consultants, owners and HR specialists from PA to CA attended this program in 2002. There's still time for you to register for the March 14-15, 2003 workshop to be held in Lancaster, PA. Register before February 27 and save $150!

To register or receive more information, click here.