As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the so-called “youth magnet” cities have hit a mid-life crisis. Portland and Austin continue to attract the young and hip, but increasingly, folks are landing on the doorstep with no job and little prospects. But, they keep coming, and mostly they keep staying.

Long term this bodes well for the Portland creative job scene, but for now, we just have to hope this young talent does indeed stay put and enrich our city. Article posted:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124242099361525009.html

Creative staffing will remain an emerging trend throughout the year. As companies pared workforces at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, things are now moving in the positive direction. As the work continues to flow, the need for talent begins to increase. Firms are now finding themselves short of staff and short on resources. 52 has seen a marked increase in hiring activity in the last couple of months. Creative staffing and staffing in a creative manner, will continue trending upward.

In light of the troubling economic climate and tightening job market, what is the one thing that job-seekers must do in order to be successful in landing a good job in 2009?

Exhaust All Options

Tell everyone you know about the type of position you are looking for, network online and at industry events, go on informational interviews, work with a recruiting firm, take on temporary assignments, and be flexible when meeting with prospective employers.

When developing your cover letter and resume, quantify the value of your contributions to previous employers, including how you helped cut costs, reduce inefficiencies or improve profitability. There are opportunities available, but job seekers will have to work harder to find them and cannot afford to leave even one stone unturned.
- DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International

Network With Smarts

Candidates must be building and strengthening their network - ideally before it’s needed. Find networking events to go find other like-minded individuals and connectors. Build your online presence through your social networks and be an active participant in the community. And remember to give more than take - share your knowledge, help others be better, and invest time in building strong, long-lasting relationships. These are the relationships that could turn into future job leads.
- Lindsay Olson, partner, Paradigm Staffing

Flexibility Is Key

Stay open to opportunities in new or related industries, companies of a different size, or in a different location; and be aware that with the advent of technology, a new location just may be your home office.

Be flexible. You may or may not have to travel a bit more, take a different title, or give up some of the perks you’ve had in the past to assume your new role. All things being equal, if you’re flexible around these topics you’re chances of getting hired increase considerably.
- Cheryl Ferguson, recruiter, The Recruiter’s Studio

Diversify and Listen

My advice is two-fold: Be ready to diversify the ways in which you communicate your experiences AND listen well.

First, make a laundry list, just for yourself, of all the projects, contributions, ideas, etc., from your last three positions. This is what’s not on your resume. It jogs your memory about how you have differentiated yourself. You’ll recall and distill examples of your success, and you’ll be ready for more questions.

Second, listen closely to what the recruiter and/or hiring manager is asking you. They are looking for something very particular, whether the opportunity is leadership or entry-level. Walking someone through your resume or citing examples that they’re not seeking could hinder your ability to seem specific to their job. You want to be very clear about your transferable skills and your willingness to adapt to their environment.
- Ross Pasquale, recruiting/sourcing consultant, Monday Ventures

Tailor Your Resume

The most important thing that job seekers must do in 2009 to be successful is to diversify the content of their resumes based on the roles that they are applying for. For example, a job seeker may have worked in the past as a Java engineer, and also obtained project management along the way. However, a resume that is oriented strongly toward being a Java engineer has only a slight chance of being considered for a project-manager position.

For job seekers to increase their chances at success, they should shape their resumes to reflect relevant matching skills with the job posting(s) they are applying to. By doing so, a recruiter and/or hiring manager will more easily understand how a job seeker’s past experiences apply to the posted role. This method increases the chance of being considered a strong candidate, receiving an interview, and, ultimately, a new position. 
- Joanna Samuels, senior account manager, GravityPeople

52 is excited to announce the addition of two new members to our team, Claire Sullivan and Heather Jones.

Claire Sullivan joined 52 Ltd. as a talent manager after three years in recruiting for IT staffing company ATSI Group. Claire previously worked in the non-profit sector, including a stint directing fund raising strategy as Prospect Research Manager at Lewis & Clark College.

In Portland six years, Claire considers the Northwest “home.” However, this native Mississippian still has an accent and a love of Southern food.
When not schmoozing and recruiting, Claire loves riding her bike around town, writing bad poetry, reading books at places such as Opposable Thumb and Powell’s, scouting weekend brunch spots for the one with the shortest line, taking her dogs to Willamette Park and going out for theater and music.

She says she chooses to work with 52 Ltd. because it has a stellar reputation and affords her the opportunity to mingle with creatives. Oh, and also because she couldn’t turn down a job at an office that is home to a large stuffed unicorn.

Heather Jones joined 52 Ltd. as talent manager after a stint at Opus Creative, where she was project manager and resource manager.

Previous occupational incarnations enabled Heather to sharpen her juggling skills (literally) and to master the fundamentals of the printing industry.

In her capacity at 52 Ltd., Heather is drawing on her extensive experience in the service industry. “I’m excited to be part of the momentum that has been building in Portland’s creative sector. I love helping great people connect with great companies,” she says.

Work stuff covered, the most important thing to know about Heather is that she is a dancing machine. Heather claims to be a forever friend to anyone who ever indicates even the slightest interest in any kind of dance. Salsa, swing, hip hop—all styles are welcomed by Heather.

52 is excited to welcome Gabrielle Morgan to our staff as talent manager. Gabrielle studied design at
Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where she graduated with honors. Her first design
job was working on the Andy Warhol Retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, where she came face to face with Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, to name a few. She stayed in Los Angeles for another 3 years continuing to freelance with MOCA, and adding others such as Sony, Disney, and The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising to her client list. A former bike messenger with a laugh that stops traffic, Gabrielle fell in love with the people at 52 Ltd, the powerful
possibilities in becoming a talent manager, and the idea that there’s a place at the office for her boston terrier!

The world of Flash design and development has come full circle in the last 1-2 years in Portland. Flash was hot during the dot com boom as it seemed every web design company had to show off their ability by including long Flash intros to their websites. Quickly bored and un-impressed, people just defaulted to the skip intro button. Then something happened. Companies began thinking strategically about their sites rather than just using them as promo pieces. Soon they began to incorporate Flash into the sites to improve and enhance features and navigation. The use of gratuitous Flash slowly went away. This  Core Thinking has spurned a huge need for Flash designers and developers in Portland. Talented Flash designers and developers have felt the crunch and freelance rates have increased. Full-time Portland flash jobs have gone unfilled as local flash designers have more flexibility and bargaining power as independent contractors. But often times these are cycles, and while up now things could change in the years ahead.

52 lured Elfe Cimicata from the slopes of Bend to join us as talent manager.

Elfe hails from the state of New York and is oddly a Boston Red Sox fan. She has managed everything from a 7th grade classroom to an international travel company to a homeless shelter. Most recently, she managed The Shop Design & Advertising, a boutique agency in Bend. This sealed her love for working in ethical, innovative and creative environments. Her management experience coupled with her ability to carry on conversations for hours made her a perfect fit at 52 Ltd. When left to her own devices, Elfe loves to snowboard, see live music and watch Battlestar Galactica.

Overcoming the Resume Gap Taking Time Off to Raise Kids Shouldn’t Dead-End Your Career By Lisa Morgan

June 23, 2006

Dedicating a few years to raising children shouldn’t hinder your career path, but it very well might. According to the Center for Work Life Policy, women lose 18 percent of their earning power when they leave the workforce. The figure rises to an unbelievable 37 percent if they leave for three or more years.

How many women does this wage decrease affect? A lot. According the same report, 93 percent of women who take time off want to return to work, but only 74 percent succeed in rejoining the workforce and only 40 percent return to full-time jobs. Because The Betty Report is here to help, we asked recruiters and job experts what it takes to land a job after time away from the professional world. Here’s what we learned.

Whenever possible, keep one foot in the professional lane. Whether you take a class, attend a workshop, read periodicals, volunteer, or just stay in contact with colleagues, knowing what is happening in your field while you are away will demonstrate to potential employers that you are committed to your profession.

Try to keep one foot in the game, so to speak, advises Steve Potestio, managing director of 52 Limited, a Portland-based agency. If you check out completely, an employer may feel it will take you longer to ramp up.

Whether you stayed involved professionally or were merely lucky to catch the news once a week, you’ll want to shine up your resume and prepare for the interview. Linda Meric, director of The National Association of Working Women, recommends a skill-based resume that includes those skills developed during your break classes, personal projects, and volunteer work. Potestio also suggests including an objective that outlines your goals and preparedness.

In either case, always emphasize the skills needed for a particular position. This may mean editing your resume for each job, but it will pay off. And, get ready to answer the hard questions. Though an employer may notice your skills first, he or she will inevitably ask about your employment gap.

Be prepared, says Potestio. An interviewer will likely ask why you took a break, how you stayed engaged, and what areas you feel you are going to have to ramp up in.

Everyone we interviewed agrees: rehearse your answers to these questions and keep them short. After one or two minutes, move on to your current skills. Be honest if you stayed home because you felt it was important while your children were young, but also emphasize the ways in which you kept up-to-speed in your field and your eagerness to dive back into your profession.

And, don’t be cute about multitasking raising five kids if it doesn’t relate to the job, says Potestio.

Harsh, but true. An employer’s primary concern should be how well you will perform, not how many kids you have and what your marriage is like, all of which brings us to the dirty word: discrimination. What if a prospective employer asks about your family situation: kids, marriage, etc. and you suspect he or she will dismiss you based on the answer?

We encourage women who are interviewing to focus on their qualifications for the position, says Meric. If there are inappropriate questions, ask the employer how it’s relevant to the requirements of the job.

Do everything right, and you still might not get the job. If this happens, Meric recommends contacting the person who interviewed you or your recruiter/agency to ask for feedback. Perhaps there are skills you will want to update before your next interview. Be polite and don’t call twice. Many interviewers are unable to provide feedback for a variety of reasons. If the worst happens, and you feel you have been discriminated against, file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. For more information on filing a complaint, visit www.9to5.org or call the Job Survival Hotline at 1-800-522-0925.

Happy job hunting!

52 added to our internal staff with the addition of Heidi Shelton as client relations manager. Heidi has been working with 52 as project manager and as an information architect at clients Overland Agency and CMD. Heidi has extensive experience in interactive and print design, project management, and information architecture. She has worked for Microsoft, stockcharts.com, Werkhaus Creative and BBFM Creative in Seattle. Heidi will be working with 52’s clients to manage their business staffing needs, and working with our talent to develop their career goals and find opportunities for placement. Heidi can be contacted at heidi@52ltd.com or 503-517-0052.

We’ve made a few welcome additions at 52, including adding a new Director of Operations in Sherri Armstrong Wilson.

Sherri is a veteran of the fashion business industry, having elevated several start-up companies to prominence within the industry. After graduating from the California State University at Hayward with a degree in Business Administration – Marketing, Wilson found her calling in fashion, going through the “grad school of retail” at The Gap. She then traveled extensively as the National Sales Director for Dax & Coe before becoming the Vice President of Operations of start-up J.D. Fine & Company, where she helped grow sales to $23 million within five years. From there, Wilson started her own company, Dolce Crew Corporation, a San Francisco maternity wear manufacturing company. Wilson and her family ultimately decided to move to Portland for its quality of life and a chance to take her career path in new direction, one that will help 52 Limited expand its business. Wilson now lives happily in Portland with her husband Scott and her two year old daughter, Mia. When she’s not working Wilson enjoys running, watching basketball as an avid Laker-hater, and mixing up a mean vodka martini, though not all at the same time.

- 52