CareerBuilder is proud to be working with MAXIMUS, where finding qualified jobs for qualified candidates is the ultimate goal. We help MAXIMUS find the talent they need to position both clients and candidates for success in today’s workforce. CareerBuilder believes in doing our part to contribute to a stronger economy, and we believe helping companies like Maximus empower employment is the way to get there.

We recently got the opportunity to talk to Mark Andrekovich, chief of human capital for MAXIMUS, on how his organization works to empower employment.

CareerBuilder: When you hear the term Empowering Employment, what does that term mean to you?

Andrekovich: At MAXIMUS, we operate several workforce services projects across the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and we just recently launched a new project in Canada. When we staff these operations, we look for employees who are passionate about helping others. We primarily serve welfare-to-work clients, many of whom have never even held a steady job, much less a sustainable career. Our case managers recognize the barriers faced by workforce services program participants, but they provide encouragement and connect them to resources that will help them obtain a lifestyle of employment.

In our Tax Credit and Employer business line, we help organizations maximize available tax credits through programs that support hiring from targeted populations, including veterans, individuals with disabilities, and long-term welfare recipients. Our MAXOutreach® solution links employers and community-based organizations to help uncover hard-to-reach, tax credit-eligible applicants. So MAXIMUS empowers employment by helping job seekers obtain the right combination of skills and connecting them to job opportunities, while also assisting businesses and other organizations identify new tax-eligible candidates.

CareerBuilder: What areas of your business do you believe are the most important to invest in in today’s market?

Andrekovich: Our investments in people, process and technology have led to our company’s success today and will help drive our growth in the future. Our people support critical public programs – helping low-income families obtain health insurance coverage or supporting them as they transition from welfare into sustainable employment. The work they do requires a level of familiarity with government programs that are constantly evolving, so we make investments in training and re-training programs, as well as the necessary knowledge development needed to execute our business model.

At the same time, we are investing in the processes and technology that make our operations run smoothly. We place a high value on business process management strategies, which we use to operate more efficient government programs. We make regular refreshes to our internal technology systems and look for ways to leverage shared services across the organization.

CareerBuilder: There’s been a lot of discussion lately around “hiring for culture (or attitude) and training for skills.” Is this something you practice at your organization? Why or why not?

Andrekovich: MAXIMUS certainly takes cultural fit into account when we hire new employees. However, we also look at subject matter or technological expertise, depending on the position. The common thread we look for in new hires is the willingness to work hard and a shared commitment to our founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®.

CareerBuilder: What skills – both technical and soft – do you see most valuable to today’s businesses?

Andrekovich: We look for candidates who have a level of technological expertise relevant to the position, but also the adaptability to learn new technologies and processes. Since we are a service-orientated Company, we seek trustworthy candidates who demonstrate personal pride in their work and a strong work ethic.

CareerBuilder: Where do you see your workforce in five or 10 years in terms of growth?

Andrekovich: MAXIMUS is experiencing growth in all our operations, in the US and abroad, so we definitely anticipate a more global workforce. As governments continue to seek more efficient public programs, we believe we will grow more technology-focused as well. MAXIMUS has experienced steady growth in recent years, so we anticipate this trend will continue in the years to come.

If you are proactively taking steps to drive economic growth in your local community or nationwide, we want to hear about it.

We may contact you about participating in our Empowering Employment series. Visit www.empoweringemployment.com for more information.

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About Mark Andrekovich: Mark Andrekovich serves as the chief of human capital for MAXIMUS and president of the company’s Tax Credit and Employer Services business. Mark leveraged his human capital expertise to introduce innovative I-9, E-Verify and OFCCP Compliance services for hundreds of large and small employers for the Tax Credit and Employer Services business. Mark is an active member of the Human Resource Policy Association and the National Industry Liaison Group, and serves on the Business Advisory Council of Clarion University’s Dana Still School of Business. He is a highly sought after speaker on topics of Human Capital Strategy, OFCCP Compliance and Diversity Recruitment.

Prior to joining MAXIMUS, Mark worked for Banister International, a private human capital and executive search firm in Philadelphia. He has more than 20 years of comprehensive human resources experience with multi-national companies such as General Electric, Nordson Corporation and Cytec Industries. Mark holds a B.S. in business administration from Clarion University and an M.B.A. from Monmouth University.

About MAXIMUS: For nearly 40 years, MAXIMUS has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®. The company delivers administrative solutions for Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, welfare-to- work programs, child support services, as well as specialized consulting services. MAXIMUS offers a single-market focus and a unique understanding of how to deliver high quality, cost-effective solutions tailored for all levels of government.

Today, CareerBuilder announced its commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York, which brings together leaders from all over the world to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The commitment is part of CareerBuilder’s ongoing effort to educate job seekers on where to find opportunities and put Americans back to work.

Hope Gurion, CareerBuilder’s Chief Development Officer, is going to be at the annual meeting this week to speak on behalf of CareerBuilder.  She recently answered a few questions for me about the mission and history of the CGI, CareerBuilder’s involvement in the initiative and what she hopes all of us can gain from this meeting.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Clinton Global Initiative?
President Bill Clinton established the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2005. Over the years, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion.

What role does CareerBuilder play in the CGI?
CareerBuilder is a full member of CGI, and I represent the company at the numerous meetings throughout the year.  I actively participate on the “workforce development” committee, and this week I am in New York City for the annual meeting. The key focus area for the first day of the meeting is jobs, and I’m particularly looking forward to a healthy discussion around the opportunities to empower current and future workers with new skills.  This is an area where there is a lack of transparent and current data to inform both students and workers, and where we are focused to illuminate and inform people in making good choices that will provide them with income and opportunity.

What do you hope to accomplish by participating in the CGI?
CareerBuilder’s commitment provides CareerOneStop centers, sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, with complimentary access and usage of CareerBuilder’s online Supply & Demand Portal. The Supply & Demand Portal was designed to help employers zero in on the best markets to recruit hard-to-find talent as well as enable CareerBuilder to help job seekers discover occupations that are in high demand and hone skill sets for areas with great growth opportunities. CareerOneStop Center staff can use information from the portal to assist job seekers in the retraining and “re-skilling” they need for opportunities available today and in years to come. The commitment runs for 12 months starting on October 1, 2011 and offers a single annual license for CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand Portal, available at no charge, to the 1,819 Comprehensive CareerOneStop centers and 1,095 Affiliate CareerOneStop centers across the U.S.

Want to know more about the Clinton Global Initiative? Follow @ClintonGlobal on Twitter or check out the CGI Facebook page for news and updates; visit live.clintonglobalinitiative.org to view and share session webcasts; or visit CGI’s Flickr page to see photos from the sessions.

Anyone else feel like they were just handed a Jelly of the Month membership – a la Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation – right about now?

I suppose we expected too much, what with last month’s BLS Employment Situation Report revealing better-than-anticipated job growth in October and setting our hopes high for a similar outcome in November. But apparently, triple-digit job growth two months in a row is too much to ask.

I’ll just say it: the findings from November’s employment situation report suck. Maybe not November 2008 suck (remember those numbers? Those numbers sucked…), but the economy definitely lost momentum in the past month. By a lot.

After adding a whopping 172,000 jobs in October, the economy only added a fraction of that number in November: 39,000 new jobs, to be exact.  Not only did this figure fall short of the 150,000 added jobs economists predicted, but it also fell short of the 120,000 jobs needed to keep the unemployment rate steady, which explains why it rose to 9.8 percent (up from 9.6 percent in October). 

Some more findings from the report: 

• Private employers added 50,000 jobs, the smallest gain since January.
• 15.1 million people were out of work in November.
• The number of underemployed (people working part-time who would prefer full-time jobs and those who have given up looking for work) was 17 percent.
• Job losses included retailers with 28,100 job cuts; factories with 13,000; financial firms with 9,000; and construction companies with 5,000. The public sector eliminated 11,000 positions, mostly reflecting cuts from local governments.

A Few Bright Spots
While this month’s report likely necessitates a new word for “disappointing,” there were some bright spots: health care industry added 19,000 jobs last month, and the mining sector added 6,000 jobs. Temporary jobs continue to show strong growth, with 40,000 added jobs in November and an overall increase since September of last year.

It’s also worth noting that the unemployment rate is a lagging indicator, and that job growth typically slows in November anyway. What’s more, consider the remarks from financial research firm Baird, in a statement released today: “The weight of evidence from the ADP report, initial jobless claims, both ISM reports, and the Beige Book (not to mention multiple contacts with recruiters) continues to point to an improvement in the macro economy and in employment,” and, “We think this report will be revised.” 

So that’s something…right? *Sigh* Oh, Cousin Eddie, if only your heart “that’s bigger than its brain” could help us through this one.

Till next month, readers…

Resilience is not only found among the Oceanic 815 survivors of “LOST” — who returned to TV last night after five seasons of battling hostile island dwellers, a mysterious smoke monster, and the bounds of space and time  — but in taking a look at CareerBuilder’s updated survey among more than U.S. workers, it’s also evident among many workers who have been laid off in the last 12 months.

Although Bureau of Labor Statistics job loss numbers could be in the negative range for January, unemployed Americans continue to be steadfast in their job searches, and, according to CareerBuilder survey results, many workers laid off in the last 12 months have found new employment.

The Results

1. New Employment
Your company may even be among those who have brought on laid off workers this past year, as over half (58 percent) of those laid off in the last twelve months have found new jobs. Fifty-one percent have found full-time positions (up from 48 percent in June 2009) and 7 percent have found part-time positions (up from 3 percent in June 2009).

“Despite one of the most competitive job markets in decades, nine-in-ten workers say they have not given up on their job searches, and the amount of workers who have found work is evidence that their drive and determination are paying off,” said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America.  “The number of laid-off workers who have found new full-time and part-time jobs rose in the last six months.  Although this good news reflects a healing economy, it also shows that job seekers are exploring career options in new industries and locations.”

2. Higher Salaries
Of those workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and found new jobs, 61 percent reported they were able to negotiate comparable or higher pay for their new positions. Thirty-nine percent of workers took a pay cut.

3. Greener Grass
More than half (51 percent) of laid off workers who landed new jobs said they found work in a different field than where they were previously employed. One-third of workers said they really enjoy their new positions.

4. Movin’ Out
It appears from survey results that fewer unemployed workers would consider relocating for a job opportunity; on the other hand, the number of workers who actually took an out-of-area opportunity when it arose increased in comparison to June 2009 results.

• Twenty-six percent of workers who were laid off in the last twelve months and found jobs relocated to a new city or state, up from 20 percent in June 2009.
• Of those who are still looking for employment, 37 percent reported they would consider relocating for a job opportunity, down from 44 percent in June.

5. Entrepreneurship
Consistent with June 2009 survey results, many job seekers, unable to find jobs,  are considering creating their own job.  Twenty-nine percent of workers who have not found jobs are considering starting their own business.

6. Expanding the Search
How did workers who were laid off in the last 12 months have since gained employment find their jobs?

• Personal referrals (22%)
• Online job boards (21%)
• Newspapers and other print classifieds (11%)
• Recruiting/staffing firms (8%)
• Career fairs (5%)
• Social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn (4%)

You can read the full press release here.