Uncategorized

Booming market helping to create more jobs for real estate agents

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The recovering housing market is helping to create more jobs for real estate agents across the country.

“Real estate agents have definitely weathered quite a financial storm over the past few years, but right now, rates are between 2 percent and 3 percent and inventory is low, making it a real estate agent’s dream as new homes hit the market and are getting multiple offers in the first week,” Heidi Golledge, chief executive of CareerBliss, told Forbes. “Right now, it is a seller’s market, so the real estate agent’s cost of advertising and marketing is very low and commissions are high. Happy times.”

It appears as if most of the real estate openings are cropping up in California. A recent survey found top housing markets in San Jose, San Francisco, Ventura, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles.

According to Redfin’s “Fastest Real Estate Markets” report, there are 26 percent fewer homes for sale across the U.S. now than there were in April of last year. In addition, advances in technology are making it easier for people to view homes with agents and make offers within hours.

US News

Stronger than expected retail sales in April pushed by the auto industry

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Retail sales were stronger than expected in April 2013, bumping up 0.1 percent, according to figures released by the Commerce Department. Economists had widely predicted a 0.3 percent decline, reports to Reuters.

“The increase certainly isn’t anything to shout about, but it was better than the consensus forecast of a decline,” said Capital Economics economist Paul Dales. “Overall, it doesn’t look as though January’s payroll tax hike put much of a dent in consumption in either the first or second quarters.”

A one percent increase in car sales drove most of the increase, as sales figure minus the auto numbers demonstrate a month-to-month decline in retail transactions of 0.1 percent.

Building material and garden supply sales were up 4.7 percent, likely driven by strength in the real estate market. Department stores sales saw a very slight increase of 0.3 percent

Home goods and furnishing sales were essentially flat while grocery store sales fell 1.2 percent, which indicates lower food prices. A drop in price was also reflected in gasoline sales, which were down 4.7 percent during April 2013.

Retail sales are closely watched by economists as they represent 30 percent of consumer spending.

Chemical, Engineering, Manufacturing, Metals and Minerals, Mining, Placement Annoucements

Zach Price & TRG Chemicals Division Complete Successful Search

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(Richmond, VA) May 10, 2012 – The Richmond Group USA is pleased to announce the successful completion of a search for a Product Marketing Manager in the North Mid-Western U.S. Our client, a pioneer in the oil and gas industry, required a well versed marketing professional who could help the company grow its by-product portfolio through the agricultural and fertilizer industries.

The company’s products are in demand and they are expected to significantly increase production over the next several years. This person is slated to become a key member of their sales and marketing team, thus it was critical to find a well-rounded marketing professional with proven knowledge and experience to support the company’s on-going growth in that region. 

By working closely with the client we have developed a deeper understanding of their corporate culture. Zach Price and his team were able to identify and attract an outstanding candidate with the personality and project management expertise to make a positive impact on their entire operation. 

As your business continues to grow, so does your need for talented individuals. What are you doing today to secure the future talent needs?

Should you desire additional information about this search or our firm please contact Zach Price & TRG Chemical Technology division at 804-285-2071 or email Zach at zachp@richgroupusa.com

Healthcare Insurance, Insurance, Managed Care, US News

The Bull’s-eye Candidate

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The unemployment rate has dropped to 7.5% while the economy continues to improve. Companies are looking to hire more employees and things are starting to feel “normal” again. The problem is, we are in the largest candidate driven market we have even seen. Is it realistic to find the 100% qualified, center of the bull’s-eye candidate?
 
The short answer is yes. They do exist. However, every one of your competitors are also looking for that as well. Are you prepared to wait for the “perfect candidate”? If so, how long? If your need is truly urgent, you will need to make some concessions to the make-up or background of the candidate. Here are some things to consider:

  1. Are there other industries that this person can come from?
  2. What are the transferrable skill sets that can be used from another area?
  3. Can the position work virtually or remotely instead of having to relocate someone?
  4. Is there flexibility with the compensation?

Remember, even with some of these concessions in the candidate background, you still need to move quickly and be decisive and make decisions quickly. You can bet that the candidates you are interested in have 2-4 other opportunities that they are looking at.

Manufacturing

Everything keeps moving steadily forward

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All of the lasted economic data show that the economy continues to ease forward, which caused the Dow to flirt with 15,000 today after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported better than expected employment numbers for April.  While manufacturing slowed a bit in April, new orders were up and inventories were down.  This points to continued positive growth for US manufacturers heading into the summer.  Last month it was reported that there were a record number of jobs advertised in March, but only a fraction of them have been filled in the last two months.  Companies are also still seeing a higher than average number of job offers being turned down.  This is resulting in positions staying open longer, and salaries are on the rise as companies are racing to attract the talent they need and keep the talent they have.

Engineering, Life Sciences, Quality Assurance, US News

The Danger of Delay

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Currently, economic signs for the Life Sciences are mixed at best. On the one hand, the economy added 165,000 jobs in April and revisions of previous months made February 2013 the largest single month net job gain since mid-2005 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). On the other hand, the National Venture Capitalists Association found that VC money flowing into the life sciences was at an 18 year low for Q1 2013. Regardless of the data that you look at, one common theme remains: those life science companies that are looking for qualified candidates continue to struggle to find the talent that they need. As this article states, it may be as much a product of client behavior as the market itself.

We continue to find that given feelings of marketplace uncertainty, hiring authorities have become more cautious and deliberative in their decision making processes. As hiring processes drag on, the talent that clients truly want, those that aren’t actively looking, become disinterested over time and are more apt to turn down offers if too much time elapses from the initial interview until the offer. Furthermore, lengthy processes can often result in other employers swooping in with other opportunities or counteroffers from their current employer. In any case, with the passage of time, no benefit to the client from a hiring perspective can come of it. 

So, let us work with you to streamline your hiring processes so that they can be thorough yet expeditious, and allow you to capture those impact players before your competition does.