So we are in a recession and the news just seems to get bleaker and bleaker by the day. As we all know, on Friday (3/6/09), the U.S. Labor Department released jobless figures showing the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent for February which is the highest it has been in 25 years. Last month alone, 651,000 Americans lost their jobs.

The recession isn’t leaving any industry out as it is hitting home pretty hard here in Steamboat Springs. Most of the hotels we work with have cut staff, implemented mandatory unpaid time off and/or salary decreases. Locals are tightening up a bit - not frequenting our local restaurants as much, holding off on renewing their health club memberships, staying away from Starbucks…and quite a few are looking for work elsewhere.

Our team of recruiters has been busy helping job seekers re-access their current situations, job skills, talents, passions and encouraging them to take advantage of the free time they have to explore new careers within the resort industry. Even with our current economic situation, it is estimated that by the year 2020, more than half of all employed people in the world will be involved directly or indirectly with the tourism industry.

Jobs will return…..now is a GREAT time to obtain that Hospitality degree or additional certification that you have been thinking about the last few years.

If you are seeking a degree in the Hospitality industry, below are a few options to consider:

• The Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management requires a minimum of 120 units for graduation. This interdisciplinary program prepares students for careers in the hospitality industry and includes basic core courses and an area of concentration.
• The concentration in Commercial Recreation and Resort Management prepares graduates to be entrepreneurs, managers, planners, and program supervisors in the commercial recreation, travel tourism, and resort management career areas.
• The concentration in Hotel Management prepares students to manage and operate hotels, motels, and other lodging business.
• The concentration in Restaurant and Institutional Foodservice Management prepares students for management positions in various branches of the food service industry.

For more information about making career changes in the resort industry come to our Job Search workshop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado on Thursday, April 2nd where we will have some fun, interactive worksheets and information about tapping into your strengths, passions and what the next step may be to help you move into a new resort career.

I just returned from a two day trip to the big city of Denver for a conference on developing strategies for Colorado’s talent across regions. Much discussion was made about the recession, about re-tooling many of the state’s construction workers and how best employers can equip themselves for the next wave of lower unemployment numbers and baby boomer retirement numbers that are still to come.

Yes, our state unemployment numbers have hit 6.1% and are forecasted to hit over 8% and our recruiters are receiving 10-20 resumes a day from applicants outside of the resort area looking for work of any kind…but employers still need to focus their strategic efforts on retention and recruitment.

We will still see 79 million baby boomers retire in the next 12 years and now is the time to work on succession planning, generational differences training, recruitment strategies and retention efforts. In order for resort employers to be successful, now is the time to find the time to work on these efforts–no excuses.

Moving forward we have created some training programs for resort employers. Check out some of our featured programs at http://www.resortrecruiters.com/events.php as well as learning about our upcoming webinars for job seekers in resort environments. Let us know if you feel you need any other additional training that we may not have listed and we would be happy to work with our resort trainers and consultants to create a program for your specific needs.

As I sit here sniffling into my second head cold of the winter and not motivated to ski on my one day off tomorrow…I’m thinking I’m hitting the mid-winter season blues. Seems like I’m cold all the time and sick of wearing socks and three layers of clothing every day. I yearn to see green grass and walk around in flip flops. Seems like many “Steamboaters” are heading off to Mexico for long weekends and I have asked several if I could pack myself in their luggage, yet they decline due to the fact that most airlines charge extra these days for checking bags. I’ve been working way too much (“you gotta make hay while the sun shines”) and I really want to get my mountain bike out of storage and go for a long, warm, uphill climb.

To survive the next few months I have a few creative outdoor winter activities I hope to accomplish:

1. I’m going to create a snow couch. My plan is to build a snow coach right outside our patio door and bring our outdoor summer fire pit out of storage for some unique outdoor winter BBQ’s. Not sure if anyone would come over for a BBQ in mid-January but what the heck…something new and different.
2. Play a game of snow golf. After my couch is made, I’m going to smooth out the greens (whites?!?) with my hands, shovel, or butt and use a tin can for the cup for a few pre-spring rounds of golf.
3. If I’m motivated enough after all of this…..perhaps I’ll build a snow fort which I’m sure McKinley the doggie would love to hang out in.

Hopefully, this adds some smiles onto our neighbors and friends faces and better yet gets me through another few weeks of winter.

Happy January to all!

Karen Goedert
.

It is that time of the year again…time to make those New Year’s resolutions. My typical New Year’s resolution (which lasts about 2 weeks) is to work out at least three times a week. I always kick butt (and my butt gets kicked) the first few weeks and then…well life gets in the way (or at least that’s my excuse:-)).

Since I’m not a good New Year’s resolution keeper….perhaps I can help you by giving you some tips for taking control of your career for 2009.

1. Reflect on your current position

Does your current position utilize your professional abilities and talents? Are you maximizing your earning potential? (I know this is a delicate question as we all live in resort towns where most of us aren’t able to maximize our earning potentials as we are here for the “quality of life”.) If you aren’t maximizing your earning potential, are you at least passionate about what you do? If your answers are “no” assess your situation and work towards a new position/career that might help highlight them.

2. Meet with your boss

Instead of guessing at your strengths and weaknesses, gain the input you need directly from your boss. Schedule a lunch or sit down over coffee to get their opinion on skills that will boost your advancement possibilities. Try to make regular meetings to re-evaluate goals and set priorities.

3. Establish a plan of action

Think of the required steps you need to take to get your 2009 career goals going and put them down on paper. Try to make deadlines to follow, but keep them realistic.

4. Get organized

Take time in the slow holiday weeks to rearrange your files so they are more organized and efficient. Archive all your 2008 documents into your file cabinet further from your desk, leaving the files used daily closer and less cluttered.

5. Boost work relationships

Strong relationships with people you work with can develop in small ways. Try to keep a positive attitude when working with others. Maintaining good relationships with colleagues will not only make the office a place you want to be but can boost work productivity…and, you never know who may get promoted and become your next boss.

Karen Goedert
Executive Recruiter, CIR

What a difference a year makes. This time last year our local Steamboat Springs newspaper listed 500 available jobs. 500!! Most employers that we worked with at that time were receiving 1-3 resumes per local newspaper ad. Not a strong cost-per-lead value that’s for sure. Our recruiters were able to increase that number to a average of 5-8 applicants per job which helped increase the quality of candidates for our clients.

One year later…..our local Steamboat newspaper is listing 60 open jobs. Most are seasonal and very entry level (shuttle drivers, night audit, front desk staff). Our employers are receiving 15-18 applications per advertisement. We are now busy helping employers shift through their applications to pre-screen, test, and pre-qualify candidates for them.  We also have been busy assisting job seekers with interview tips and jazzing up their resumes.

We are very accustomed to change here in Routt County as resort towns bring about a lot of transition and uncertainty….and it is important to go-with-the flow. To maintain our sanity and avoid the daily reports of doom and gloom….our recruiters…well…we find a patch of snow and go skiing.

Living in a resort town, businesses are a bit worried about how their winter business may be with the economy heading south. We have been talking to long-time locals whom are getting laid off from their local jobs and assisting many job seekers in re-vamping resumes, cover letters and interview skills (check out our latest tip of the week about tax deductible items during your job search).

Most are a bit concerned about where they might secure their next job and not super excited about being in the job searching market…yet we try to help them use their time to re-develop new skills, change industries, go after that life long dream…or even take a week or two off and go enjoy the beaches of Mexico. Really…don’t panic…things will turn around and the rollercoaster of life will level out. Nothing is certain and change is always good.

I am a big fan of on-going learning. As soon as we stop engaging our brains I think we fall into stagnation and that’s not good for us or anyone around us.  This summer one of my goals and learning experiences was to ride my Mountain Bike down “mini-moab” here in Steamboat. Just a little rocky, steep, intimidating area on top of one of our mountains. After many attempts and mental blocks I rode up there Tuesday by myself. Cranked up my tunes and just told myself (and bike) to do it! Well…..guess what…I did it. Kinda half-assed….but did most of it.  It wasn’t nearly as hard as my mind made it out to be…and I’m heading back tonight for more.

Some up-coming trainings that might help you avoid the “stagnation” are:

For those of you that are needed some re-freshers on Human Resource issues…..sign up for our November 7th HR 101 course. Here at Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs.

To learn a bit about your co-workers and folks you manage…check out our Generational Training on October 3rd at Trappeur’s Crossing Resort—again here in Steamboat Springs.

More information about these upcoming trainings and registration can be found on our event page on our website http://www.resortrecruiters.com/events.php.

If you’ve ever wondered what it is like…really like..to live in a Resort town let me give you a little snippet. Last Friday evening I attended the FREE Michael Franti & Spearhead concert here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This sentence it itself should be enough for anyone to leave their city lives—FREE Michael Franti concert??!! So, as I’m weaving my way through the crowd grabbing hands and getting hugs from fellow “locals” squeezing my way up to the front to get a better view…..I’m noticing that everyone is there. My yoga teachers, my doctors, my ex-co-workers, my Spanish teacher, my business consultants, my best friends, my family, my clients and long-lost (not so far-Steamboat is small) lovers. Everyone was bouncing to the beat, feeling the love with amazing smiles from ear-to-ear.

This community sure does come together to help out it’s own (like the gals at the entrance of the show collecting donations for a local woman’s ill son) but I have never, in my 16 years of living here, felt such a large sense of “one” then I did that night. As we were dancing our way out at the end of the show, we ran into a friend who moved away for a few years. He stated that “returning back to Steamboat enabled him to get his groove back” he just couldn’t seem to find it where they went…….that my friends is precisely why we live here. We are all able to live in this paradise dancing to our own individual groove.

Well..we are two weeks into Spring here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and as I type the ground is covered in fresh white powder and the skies are grey. I wonder if we will ever see grass and blue sky. Spring is a transitional time for everyone. Time to clean out all the closets and dust behind all the furniture. Open the windows and finally get some fresh air in the house. Ahhhhhh…….it will feel good (once it warms up a bit). We also see a lot of folks searching for new opportunities in Resort locations. Many professionals whom are feeling a bit stagnant with their current positions start to keep their eyes open for new opportunities. Lot’s of new graduates head our way to fulfil their dream of living in a Resort location. For employers, we recommend expanding your current recruitment efforts to find these folks. For applicants……we recommend that they continue to work towards connecting with that perfect balance of lifestyle and workstyle here in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado!

The Resort Recruiters Housing Connection is a new fantastic tool to help in your rental search! The Housing Connection lets you search for a rental units by property type, city and monthly rent. This website allows you to view how many bedrooms, bathrooms and if pets are allowed. Whether you are looking for short or long term rentals the Housing Connection is the place to look! Our recruiting team is happy to assist you in your search.