Get personal, get a job

Mused by Nick

Much of this blog’s attention is focused on the environmental changes that are occuring around us. At this moment in time, it’s also equally noteworthy to mention the labor market changes that are happening as a result of the financial fallout on Wall Street (and increasingly Main Street). The NY Times ran a wonderfully written piece that explains all that’s wrong with job seeking in the 21st century. It pointedly noted that things had changed: “I feel like they’re a waste of time and money,” [a 15 year recruiter] said of job search sites. “I’ve seen a decline over the past two years of qualified candidates. It used to be that we would get 300 résumés. Now you are lucky to get one. I think qualified people are much more savvy.” At BGT, we focus on customer service–it’s a deteoriating thing in a reputationally-based industry, and easy to forget. Email and the like make things so impersonal. But at a time when folks are genuinely getting engaged with their careers for the first time (in some cases) decades, we think it’s important to meet this enthusiasm to join the green economy with equal vigor and add a personal touch. We’ve still a long way to go–recommend improvements to our service online if you’ve got ‘em–but we’re fighting to make finding a career a meaningful journey for all involved.