FEATURE ARTICLE
Donīt despair;
itīs a healthy hiring year
By Lolita Villa
According to a recent
study conducted by MRI Worldwide, the worldÕs biggest
search company, about 79% of companies in the Philippines
have plans to maintain or increase current staffing levels
in the next six months.
This ought to be good
news for the struggling workforce, which is currently
suffering from the combined difficulties of a struggling
local economy, and the international backlash caused by
the September 11 terrorist bombings in New York. But hereÕs
a caveat: this good news is only applicable to mid-to-upper
level managers, high-level executives, professionals,
sales and marketing people, and technical workers. These
are the workers that forty percent of the companies surveyed
said they would be interested in hiring between now and
May 2003.
In an Inquirer interview,
Heriberto Santos, head of MRI Worldwide in the Philippines
was quoted as saying, ÒThese figures certainly
donÕt indicate a hiring boom, but they are a clear
sign that the job market for the professional and managerial
segment of the workforce is in healthy shape.Ó
He goes on to say that, ÒCompanies wanting to maintain
or increase current staffing levels are on the lookout
for quality candidates. There is still demand for talented
and experienced people who give companies the competitive
edge.Ó
Given the level of
competition in the job-hunting arena and the kind of demands
hiring companies are making, what can you do to keep up
with the times? If youÕre a new grad, donÕt
fall apart. Often, while the best and most widely sought
out opportunities seem out of your grasp, the best way
to respond is to simply put patience to work. This may
mean waiting it out with a non-challenging, non-appealing
current job, settling for a small position in a small
company with small pay, or simply gaining work experience
in a line of work that may just slightly be off your career
mark.
If this strikes you
as shaky advice, think again. The bottomline is to bide
your time and make the most of a situation when opportunities
donÕt seem to fit. In this case, the most important
thing is that you gain enough experience and know-how
that will let you attain a certain level of experience
and professionalism that will open you to bigger opportunities
and other areas of preferences.
If youÕre a
high-in-demand professional, now may be the right time
to retrieve that shelved plan to crossover to a better
place, shift into your desired career, or move on to greater
heights. The important thing is that, whether you are
a neophyte or a high-level professional, how you play
the game depends on how sensitive you are to industry
trends and forecasts, and using your skills to make the
most out of any situation thrown your way.
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