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7/4/04
WORKPLACE As US workers celebrate July 4th today, many are also exercising greater independence on the job. A survey of 608 working adults by Ajilon Finance, the national staffing firm, reveals that 93 percent are free to decide how to do their jobs or accomplish workplace tasks. What elements of independence are important in choosing a job or career? Ninety-five percent say it's important to have a supervisor who allows them to voice their concerns openly and honestly. Flexible work hours or schedules were key for 90 percent of those surveyed. Employers who allow workers to operate independently tend to have smoother operations and more cooperative and productive workers, said Neil Lebovits, president of Ajilon Finance. ''American workers thrive in environments where parameters are set, yet plenty of freedom is granted for employees to contribute ideas, demonstrate creativity, and make decisions,'' Lebovits said. DIANE E. LEWIS
HIRING Job seekers beware: Vague language on a résumé could negatively impact your ability to get the job. ''Employers are rewarding honesty with respect to résumés these days,'' said Joseph D. McCool, the editor of Executive Recruiter News. ''That means being direct, honest, and succinct. They don't want vague résumés and they don't want juiced-up résumés.'' McCool said that as the economy improves and more US employers increase hiring, workers most likely to find new employment will be those who are forthright and honest about their experience. Hiding dates, exaggerating compensation, and providing vague descriptions of work habits will hurt an applicant's chances, he said. Nevertheless, when ResumeDoctor.com reviewed over 160,000 résumés recently, it found that nearly half -- 49.6 percent -- used vague phrases to describe their workplace skills and experience. Brad Fredericks, a partner at the online résumé service, said the phrases are hackneyed and offer little information about the applicant's true skills. ''Many job seekers fail to realize that phrases like 'team player' and 'problem solver' have become cliches,'' he said. ''On your résumé, you actually need to state what team you played for and which problems you solved.'' Of those polled, he said, more than 12 percent used the term ''communication skills'' and failed to fully describe those skills or how they were used. Seven percent said they were team players but did not mention the type of project involved or what their contributions were. The survey, released last week, listed 10 of the phrases that most often appeared in the résumés surveyed. 
Jeff Goro, a recruiter with Graphic Resources and Associates Inc., said that inexact phrases have little impact on the reader. ''I prefer résumés that are more specific to the individual's accomplishments and experience in 'their' industry,'' he said. ''In turn, this information is what clients want to see in the résumé.'' He said that each résumé should be unique and designed to meet the needs of ''specific opportunities.'' That means an accountant who is being interviewed for a position in academia should tailor a résumé that spotlights experience working for universities or other institutions. The same applicant should prepare a different résumé for an investment firm, with greater emphasis placed on audits, federal regulations, and other matters that are of interest to corporations. Chris Shoulet, of Top Dog Recruiting Inc., said employers are not interested in ''fluff. What a hiring manager wants to see is quantitative information,'' he said. ''What does this candidate bring to the table? What is his or her track record? Show, don't tell what you've accomplished.'' McCool said applicants who use vague language might also arouse the suspicions of cautious employers. He believes that a lack of due diligence with regards to résumés by recruiters and hiring managers over the past few years have made companies especially concerned about bringing on the wrong candidate. Failure to be direct and to the point could cause some employers to back away, he said. DIANE E. LEWIS
CHILD LABOR Child labor laws and teenage injuries and fatalities were among the top concerns for The National Consumers' League and the Massachusetts Legislature last week. The consumers' group, in a call for nationwide child labor reform, issued a list of the worst jobs a teenager could hold this summer. Topping the list: agricultural jobs. According to the league, the risk of dying on the job is four times as high for farm or agricultural workers between 15 and 17 years old. Other bad jobs include late night shifts at retail stores, where youths are more likely to encounter robberies; and working in construction or at jobs that require climbing ladders, roofs, scaffolds, or staging. The fourth most dangerous job involves operating forklifts or tractors. The league said teenagers who work on traveling sales crews that sell candy, magazine subscriptions, and other items door-to-door or on street corners are often exposed to dangerous conditions. In Massachusetts, the Legislature voted earlier this month to approve changes to the state's laws that govern the length of time teenagers can work, the type of work they can do, and the penalties assessed employers who fail to abide by the provisions. For the most part, workplace safety advocates hailed the changes but were disappointed some were not as stringent as they had hoped. The reforms were proposed by Representative Peter J. Larkin, a Pittsfield Democrat who is also assistant vice chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. Under the legislation, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly can issue a warning or civil citation against employers who violate the law. Under current law, only criminal charges can be issued. However, the penalties associated with such charges are weak. For example, those who violate the law are subject to a criminal penalty of between $10 to $50, or up to a month in prison, for a first offense, and between $50 and $200, or up to two months in prison, for second and subsequent offenses. The reforms call for civil penalties that require payment of up to $500 for the first offense, $1,000 for the second offense, and $5,000 for a third and subsequent offenses. A problem with the state's legislation is that it increases the time that 16- and 17-year-olds can work on nights that are not followed by school days to 11:30 p.m., up from 10 p.m. Restaurants and race tracks are exempt from that provision and can employ 16- and 17-year-olds until midnight on such nights. Larkin was disappointed by those changes. He said he would propose an amendment to make the time 11 p.m. rather than 11:30 p.m. ''These exemptions for 16- and 17-year-olds are extremely troubling, especially in light of the fact that exemption from the 10 p.m. rule potentially places more inexperienced drivers on the commonwealth's roadways at the most dangerous hours of the night,'' he said. DIANE E. LEWIS
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