Thursday, July 30, 2009

Finally, the market has turned!

After ten months of steadily declining numbers of both job orders and clients in need of employees, we at Steffan & Co. are happy to report that July marked the end of the recession and the beginning of the recovery. May and June were flat months as far as growth, but July has brought 11 of our old and dear clients back to us looking for their first new hires on 2009. And we have has an abundance of new clients calling us looking for new placements as well.

We are happy to be working with some of the area’s most stable and growing businesses. But even with the economy finally taking a turn for the better, it is just as difficult as ever to find the perfect candidate who is needed to help a business grow and succeed. This is a fact that agencies are happy to hear, for this means that they are still a necessity.

We are noticing salaries are a bit lower and job orders are more specific. Many firms are looking for more entry to mid-level candidates because they have the time to train them and the workload is lighter, for now. Firms are still looking for people with great tenure, who are currently employed or recently laid off. As always, great skills, clean backgrounds and strong references are plusses that will not be ignored. Most importantly, employers are looking for dead-on skill sets and years of relevant experience. Unlike in 2007 when a waiter could be hired as a paralegal and trained from the ground up because the market required it to be done, in 2009, firms want it all, and frankly, they have that luxury right now.

One more trend we have seen is that clients are looking for bargains, deals, lower fees, and longer warranties. Here, at Steffan & Co. they are getting what they want. As one of our service manager’s jokingly said to one firm who asked for the moon,
“I’ll give you the moon today but please remember this when I ask for it in a year.”
So enjoy our August special and even if you are not looking to hire today, call and introduce yourself and your firm, and get to know us. For you will need us in the future as we need you today (and forever).