Supply Chain

Help Wanted: Must Already Have Job

July 1, 2009

As if being laid off wasn't enough of a burden, it turns out that many employers prefer to only interview people who already have jobs, the thinking going that if you've managed to hang onto your position this long into the recession,you must be a top performer. According to an executive recruiter interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, many companies say they "prefer to fill positions with 'passive candidates' who are working and not actively seeking a job." How's that for a Catch-22?

I guess that's good news for those of us who still have jobs -- our companies think of us as having "significant value," at least if the WSJ is to be believed.

Meanwhile, for those who are out of work right now, USA Today has put together an interactive map that highlights exactly when jobs in a number of sectors, including manufacturing, are likely to rebound in every major city. Unless you're living in Rust Belt city dependent on automotive (sorry, Flint, Mich.), the prognosticators believe that manufacturing jobs will start coming back within a year, i.e., third quarter 2010. Exactly how the unemployed will be voting in the mid-year elections of 2010 will, of course, be a cause for concern for both political parties.

About the Author

Dave Blanchard Blog | Senior Editor

Focus: Supply Chain

Email: [email protected]

Follow on Twitter @supplychainDave

Call: 216-931-9794

Contributing Editor Dave Blanchard provides the IndustryWeek audience his expertise in lean supply chain, reporting on topics from logistics, procurement and inventory management to warehousing and distribution. He also specializes in business finance news and analysis, writing on such topics as corporate finance and tax, cost management, governance, risk and compliance, and budgeting and reporting.

Dave is also the chief editor of Penton Media’s Business Finance and editorial director of Material Handling & Logistics.

With over 25 years of experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Dave is an award-winning journalist and has been twice named one of the nation’s top columnists by the American Society of Business Publications Editors.

Dave received his B.A. in English from Northern Illinois University, and was a high school teacher prior to his joining the publishing industry. He is married and has two daughters.