Back at Work – an update from Bounce Back St. Louis

Dear Colleagues:

If you’re reading this before 5 pm, you may be thinking it’s too early in the day for a toast.  Maybe so, but we are in a time of Special Circumstances, so let’s do it anyway.

Here’s to the experienced people, the seasoned talent, the workers who were broken in before they were escorted out. Wherever you may be on the bumpy road from shell-shocked to sanguine, you are walking the talk of what the new economy is all about: resilience.  May our community pay attention.

Here’s to the employers, the enterprise leaders, the entrepreneurs – the ones who value human capital above all other kinds.  We know what you know:  the future generation is very important (we love them), but 90 percent of the talent that will carry us out of the Great Recession is already in the workforce today. And nine out of every ten of them is looking for a new place to land.

Here’s to the educators, the faculty and staff, the deans and department heads who are working to re-align huge systems in order to deliver graduates prepared for today’s continuously-changing market. They realize that developing a creative workforce requires creativity on their part, with policies, procedures, and programs that can flex on a dime.

Here’s to the St. Louis economy, dissected and much discussed in the Post-Dispatch this week.  Yes, we still love beer and baseball, but we know that our community’s future will be built on something different: information and ideas, a willingness to let go and risk something new, the persistence and passion of experienced people (some of the best of whom are still looking for a new place to land).

Did I say that already?  Enough, then — time to put down our glasses and get back to the tasks at hand.  Hear, hear!

If you’re into IT, don’t miss this week’s Emerging Economy Career Forum.  The topic is very timely and the panel is just outstanding.  We’ll be learning about how companies are using IT to achieve greater efficiencies and competitive advantage in the emerging economy, and what this means for the way in which they source IT talent.

Careers in Strategic IT Sourcing

Thursday, April 1, 2010
8:00 am until 10:00 am
City Place One Auditorium, Creve Coeur

Hosted by Daugherty Business Solutions

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So what are economic developers doing to help bring jobs back to the St. Louis region in this difficult time?  Do they have a strategy, and can we be a part of it?

The answer is ‘yes,’ and we’ll be talking all about it on April 7 at the second of our three-part series.  Hear from economic developers about what’s up for the future, and let them hear from you.

Our panel includes Jim Alexander, Vice President of Business Recruitment for the St. Louis RCGA; Mike Kearney, Manager of Economic Development for Ameren; Jay DeLong, Vice President for New Ventures and Capital Formation for the St. Louis RCGA; and more.  We’ve invited members of the Greater St. Louis Economic Development Network to join us in a series of economic development simulations in which you will help develop new talent-centered approaches to business attraction, business retention, foreign direct investment, and new business starts.

Calibrating the Emerging Economy

Part 2: Economic Development Tools and Strategies in the New Marketplace

There is no charge to attend, but pre-registration is requested at http://rcgasurvey.stlrcga.org/registrations/.

Bounce Back in IT: Focus on an IT Audit Position

Tuesday, April 13, 6 – 8:30 pm
Washington University West Campus Conference Center, 7425 Forsyth in Clayton

Our April Bounce Back in IT session will highlight another growth area, the IT Auditor.  Find out why this continues to be a growth area in the IT profession, explore the details of what an IT Auditor does and how to know if you have what it takes to pursue these positions.  Joining us will be Randy Hirsch, Sr. Associate at KPMG Advisory; Crystal Dees, CISA and IS Project Leader at Edward Jones and Ron Schmittling, Practice Leader – Security and Privacy at Brown Smith Wallace.  Randy and Ron will share their personal story of working in the IT Audit arena and provide insight on the day-to-day activities of an auditor.

Our breakout sessions this month will include personal one-on-one review of your resume by individuals from the Missouri Career Center,  a focus on your interview techniques, delving deeper into leveraging LinkedIn and a special breakout for our first time attendees.

If you are not interested in an IT Audit position but are pursuing other IT positions, feel free to join us anyway.  The networking will be great.

Please pre-register at http://bouncebackstl.org/wordpress/home/event-registration/

Bounce Back into Administrative Manager Positions – Part II

Administrative Manager Jobs are expected to grow significantly between now and 2018.  These positions span the ‘business end’ of all industries: health care, retail, transportation, manufacturing, government, and education.  Some of the job titles seen on missouricareersource.com include Customer Service Manager, Procurement and Logistics Sr. Director, Sales Credit Manager, Regional Manager of Warehousing, Assistant Food Service Manager, Operations Manager and Rental Manager.  Our May 19th session we will delve into how to network, interview and utilize social media to land these opportunities.

This session is led by Sheila Burkett of Tuxedo Park Management.

Click to REGISTER for this free event.

Trinity Presbyterian Church

6800 Washington

University City, MO

9 – 11 a.m.

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