David meets U.S. Secretary of Labor Solis
This past Thursday, September 27, David was able to participate in U.S. Secretary of Labor’s visit to Northern Virginia, who in turn announced a new $12 million TAA grant to Northern Virginia Community College. David, as well as others in the SkillSource Group staff, were able to meet and chat with Secretary Solis. Below, a picture of David and Secretary Solis, which will be included in the Group’s 2012 Annual Report.
THE SKILLSOURCE GROUP, INC. AWARDED $1.1 MILLION TO DELIVER JOB TRAINING AND WORKFORCE SERVICES TO AREA VETERANS
August 26, 2012 – The SkillSource Group, Inc. (SkillSource), the non-profit arm of the NorthernVirginia Workforce Investment Board (Workforce Area #11), serving over 1.0 million residents in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, was awarded $1,103,940 through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP). The Northern Virginia Jobs 4 Veterans (J4VETS) Initiative will deliver employment and training services to approximately 395 eligible veterans over a three-year period, resulting in veterans earning industry-recognized credentials and employment in high demand local businesses. SkillSource and Northern Virginia was one of eleven (11) sites selected in the United States for this initiative.
Dr. David C. Miles, the Chairman of the Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board and the Miles-Lehane Companies, Inc. said, “Veterans face a number of challenges upon their return home, with stable employment being a critical need. The public workforce system has a responsibility to work together to help connect our veterans to training and to work with our Northern Virginia business owners to identify and hire talented veterans.”
J4VETS will transform the current system of veteran workforce and employment service delivery by establishing a coordinated partnership among veteran-serving organizations that will create a pipeline of skilled veteran job seekers. Of the 395 veterans enrolled, 150 (30%) are expected to have a service-connected disability. The program plans to enroll 80% of participating veterans into training, including on-the-job training and entrepreneurship training, and placing at least 277 veterans into employment. Project partners include the Fairfax County Department of Family Services, ServiceSource, Inc., Monster Government Solutions and its Military.com website, Manpower, Inc., the Business Development Assistance Group, the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Employment Commission. Approximately 147,000 veterans live in Northern Virginia, or nearly 20% of all veterans residing in Virginia. Roughly 11,200 are veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns, with those numbers projected to grow over the next several years.
For more information, please visit the SkillSource website.
The Glenfiddich House is proud to be hosting two upcoming events, raising funds for worthy causes
David and Melanie Miles will be hosts to the annual Sticky Wicket Croquet Tournament and Lawn Party Sunday, May 20, 2012 at the Glenfiddich House from 12P.M. to 5P.M. The event is open and free to the public; participants must pay $60 per person to play. The proceeds benefit the Rotary Club of Leesburg Foundation. For more information, please call 703.732.1542.
Also, save the date for “The Best of Loudoun Wine Tasting”, taking place on Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 3P.M. to 7P.M . Bid on trips and getaways, sports and entertainment, children’s items, jewelry and more, benefiting The Loudoun Museum. More details to follow.
5 Ways to Reach for the Perks You Want
Vickie Elmer, a freelance writer for the Washington Post, recently wrote an article for the Glassdoor blog with the help of Dr. David Miles. The full text is below; the article can be found here.
Good news: Companies are starting to worry so much that their talented workers may walk away that they’re employing various retention tools – including tuition reimbursement and higher salaries – to keep their best people.
More good news: Two-thirds of companies in the last year have created programs to retain talent, according to a new survey by OI Partners – The Miles LeHane Co. They are offering the top talent coaching programs, better benefits and better orientation and training, among other things.
Now for the not-so-good news: You can’t just order them up, like you do lunch at your favorite food cart. It’s more like getting into a hot nightclub; you have to show up in your finery, or know something or someone to make the list.
Before you are presented new perks, you may be measured and ranked, and compared against others, so your employer can determine who are the high-performance people who merit some extras. “They may have instituted a performance management system to decide who qualifies for retention perks”, said David Miles, managing partner of OI Partners Washington, D.C. office. “They’re the top performers; they feel the person has a future with the company.”
So for starters, you need to know how your company is measuring its people, and what benchmarks count – and whether you are on or likely to get on the high performance list.
Then you have to understand that companies are tailoring their retention programs to suit their needs, and also the level you’re at in the company. So the popular retention programs for middle managers, according to the OI survey of 174 employers, are coaching or tuition reimbursements, while front-line workers are more likely to be given exit interviews or better orientation and training ahead of better pay or tuition reimbursements.
Remember: Your perspective on this matters. Show that you’re looking to grow so that you can help the company grow. “Somebody that has a mindset that they deserve it – it’s the wrong mindset”, said Miles.
If you’re confident you’re a standout, here’s five more ways you can make yourself more likely to receive some retention relish:
- Start a career conversation with your boss. Start discussing your goals, and plans, and make it clear that you see your future at the company.
- Ask for training and development. Some employers like to see workers who are aggressive and engaged enough to seek out growth opportunities and learning. So speak up and ask for what you want.
- Match your career training to corporate goals. “Make sure that anything you request relates to the company’s growth, your enhanced performance or some upcoming need for your department”, Miles said. Technological and social media changes are good areas in which to make requests. Say something like “With this, I could make a better contribution” to the new initiative or new technology.
- Be selective. Even though companies are starting to offer retention pay and other things to key people, this is not the late 1990s, when bonuses flowed like beer at a bar on Saturday night. “There’s not enough money to give it to everyone,” said Miles, “and companies want to use the handouts strategically”.
- Show results. If your boss signs you up for a leadership coach for three months, come up with some outcomes that you can measure or highlight. Companies want to see that their investments in you are successful, and showing the payoffs could be a powerful way to make yourself even more of a high-performance staffer.
Retention tools will become more common if the U.S. economy continues to warm up, yet workers will still need to earn them. Consider them a recognition of your value, and make sure that you talk about “your contributed value to the company”, said Miles.
Tips on Job-Searching with Small Employers
Frederick and Rockville – February 28, 2011 – People searching for a new job or to change careers this year should “think small” – as in targeting smaller businesses, according to OI Partners-The Miles LeHane Companies, a global talent management firm.
Several recent surveys have painted a brighter employment picture for small businesses in 2011. However, job-seekers should know which qualities and attributes to stress in interviews with smaller employers, according to OI Partners-The Miles LeHane Companies, Inc.
“It is important to establish during interviews that you can make an impact on smaller employers and deliver results right away, particularly increases in revenue and profits. Chemistry with the boss and co-workers is going to be more critical since the workforce will be smaller and closer. Personal qualities such as a sense of humor and easy-going style will be beneficial to get across in interviews. In addition, candidates with experience at large companies must be convincing in the interview that they can adapt to a smaller environment,” said Dr. David C. Miles, managing partner for OI Partners-The Miles LeHane Companies.
Among the recent surveys forecasting a better hiring outlook for small businesses in 2011 have been the following:
21% of small businesses that have 500 employees or fewer plan to hire full-time workers this year, up from 15% in 2009, according to a survey by CareerBuilder. Also, 26% of small businesses anticipate hiring contract or temporary workers, and 31% expect to transition some of them into full-time employees, according to the CareerBuilder survey.
23% of small-business owners with at least one worker other than themselves expect to hire employees in the first quarter this year, up from 18% in the 4th quarter last year, according to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index.
54% of CEOs with small- to medium-sized businesses plan to add employees in the next 12 months, up from 46% last September. This is the first time in the past three years that a majority of the CEOs indicated they are going to increase their staff, according to the quarterly Vistage CEO Confidence Index.
OI Partners-The Miles LeHane Companies offers this advice when seeking a job with smaller employers:
Emphasize the immediate value you can bring. Achieving results quickly and making a swift impact on sales and profits are especially vital to small businesses. “Focus on what you can deliver right away and during your first three to six months on the job. Prepare a variety of examples from your career that fit their situation to demonstrate how you can solve current problems,” said Miles.
Personally connect with the interviewer. Chemistry with your boss and co-workers is essential for a small business, where working relationships are closer.”Show that you are easy to get along with and the type of person people want to be around. Display qualities that can be a plus in the decision-making process, including humor in good taste, warmth, and understanding,” said Miles.
Step up your face-to-face contact. Smaller companies will be less likely to advertise openings or post them on Internet job boards. These are the kinds of opportunities that normally surface at in-person meetings of networking, trade, and professional groups, and when volunteering with charitable, civic, and religious organizations.
Acquire key referrals. Referrals play an especially central role in small businesses. “A good referral from a valued employee or someone close to the owner or manager will go a long way. Scour your networking contacts and use social media websites such as LinkedIn and facebook to obtain a referral or two,” said Miles.
Be receptive to contract or temporary work. If a potential employer says they don’t have a position at present, find out what they do need to get done – and negotiate to do that for them. Many employers are adding contract or project workers before deciding to hire full-time staff. You may be able to transition this into a full-time job if you achieve superior results.
Prepare to overcome objections that you are over-qualified and/or will leave for a better job later. Smaller businesses may be more sensitive that you have held higher positions with larger companies and earned greater compensation than they are able to pay. “Address interviewers’ concerns you may leave for a better job by countering that your experience will solve problems and create solutions that will help increase revenue and salaries,” said Miles.
If you have worked for a large employer before, demonstrate that you have the drive, flexibility, and initiative to work for a smaller company. Confirm that your past experience will enable you to bring all your skills forward with a focus on results.
Show interest and excitement in the opportunity. “Smaller companies want people who are enthusiastic about working with them, and can motivate and inspire co-workers and direct reports. Communicate this in a variety of ways and express your enthusiasm for hitting the ground running,” added Miles.
About OI Partners OI Partners is a leading global talent management firm that helps individuals find new careers and employers to improve the performance of their employees and organizations.
OI Partners is comprised of certified career management professionals who specialize in executive and group outplacement, executive coaching, leadership development, workforce planning, and talent management.
Dr. David C. Miles, Chairman
Employers Resolving To Retain Valued Workers In An Improving Job Market
Note: Even with a disappointing jobs report that was released on 1.14.11, the number of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs has surpassed those being laid off for 8 out of the last 10 months, including the past four straight months. The number of job openings is up 20% over that period compared to a year ago, according to today’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.
January 11, 2011 – More employers are resolving to show employees how valuable they are in a stepped-up effort to retain top talent amid an improving job market, according to OI Partners-The Miles LeHane Companies, a global talent management firm.
That’s because employers are more often hearing “I quit” from workers, even with a high unemployment rate.
- The number of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs has surpassed those being laid off for 8 out of the last 10 months, including the past four straight months (February-November 2010), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
- The number of job openings rose 19.7% over the same 10-month period as a year ago (February-November). However, the number of job openings in November 2010 was still off 26% from the number of job openings before the recession began in December 2007 (3.3 million vs. 4.4 million).
- The unemployment rate fell to 9.4% in December as the economy added 1.1 million jobs in the past year, or an average of 94,000 per month.
- It’s becoming more expensive to replace departing employees. It costs an average of 2.5 times an executive’s salary, and 2 times a manager’s pay, to replace them, including costs for recruitment and training, lost business, severance pay and benefits, according to a survey by OI Partners.
- About two-thirds of employers are concerned about losing managers and almost half are worried about losing executives, according to the survey of 262 employers by OI Partners.
“Many companies are leaner than before the recession, so when valued employees leave, it’s tougher to replace them. It takes a higher toll on the workplace, where average workloads have increased,” said David C. Miles, managing partner of OI Partners-The Miles LeHane Companies.
“Departing employees take with them not just their skills, but their knowledge, experience, and relationships with customers, compounding the damage,” said Miles.
“More employers are making it a priority to demonstrate to workers how valued they are. It’s no longer enough to say ‘be happy you have a job.’ Companies need to be intentional about engaging and retaining top talent. People who have been treated the same as lesser-performing employees will be looking to go where they feel they are a better fit,” Miles added.
Among the ways employers are demonstrating to employees how much they value them are:
- Developing “career paths” for top performers and providing them with coaching to help them achieve these future positions. “More companies are concentrating on their ‘A-team’ players and those they want to develop into top-tier employees,” said Miles.
- Sharpening their knowledge and skills. Supplying inside and outside coaches and on-the-job training to polish employees’ management and interpersonal skills are the top ways companies in the OI Partners survey are using to retain managers and executives. “Coaching in management and interpersonal skills also helps people become better bosses, improving the retention of their subordinates,” said Miles.
- Improving compensation and benefits. “Although higher pay is not the top reason why employees leave, companies that have recovered sufficiently to make up for past wage and benefit freezes, pay cuts, or small raises, will be expected to provide some financial reasons to stay,” said Miles.
- Teaching employees new skills. “Even if you don’t have an opportunity to promote good performers, challenge them with projects that will enable them to learn new skills and take on new responsibilities,” said Miles.
- Making sure they are in the right jobs. “Some employees are not fully engaged in their work because they are not in the right jobs. They may be looking to leave not because they don’t like their employers, but because they don’t like the work they are doing. Discover which roles they can play that are mutually beneficial,” said Miles.
- Communicating company goals and strategies and each worker’s part. “Employees want to feel involved in what’s going on and inspired by what’s ahead so they can remain engaged and motivated,” said Miles.
- Recognizing their contributions. “People want to feel appreciated for the work they do and the value they bring. Design low-cost ways of keeping people motivated, including expressing appreciation through face-to-face meetings, personalized e-mails and notes, and tokens of thanks,” said Miles.