StepBeyond.com Electronics Manufacturing Job Board and Outsourced Recruiting

Are you Pro or Con? 
On the one hand  working conditions in developing countries aren't up to our standards (ie we wouldn't work there), the "Con". On the other hand...companies like Apple are pushing companies/countries to improve, the "Pro".  
Coming from a Kansas farm I have a rare perspective (very few "farm boys" left in America) . My Dad grew up on a depression era farm. Hard work from birth and no money for underwear or shoes in the summer. I started driving tractors (John Deere 4020) at age 8...all day. 
So, when I see illegal immigrants in Texas or the Chinese worker, I see America of yesteryear. We American's had hard times, and hard work, in America in our very, very recent past. Let's support workers, and keep pressure on our suppliers, around the globe to achieve more humane conditions, and remember the road from the farm to the suburbs starts out dirt, then gravel, before the pavement starts.  
For an interesting view into Foxconn's "iPod City", population 430,000, in Shenzen listen to this. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/play_full.php?play=454 

Please comment.    Is it a magazine? Blog? Trade group? Lead source? Networking group? Bulletin Board? Advertising? Supplier listing?   I have heard all the above what do you say? 

Abstracts Due TOMORROW for Device Packaging 2012   ^ Top
The 8th Annual Device Packaging Conference (DPC2012) will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, on March 5-8, 2012. It is an international event sponsored and organized by the International Microelectronics And Packaging Society (IMAPS). To view the call for abstracts, to submit an abstract, to reserve exhibits, or for other details about the Conference, visit www.imaps.org/devicepackaging.

StepBeyond.com is mobeyond the "old ways" of big fee recruiting. StepBeyond.com now allows employers to post jobs FREE and get applicants free of charge using the internet age growth strategy of "freemium". 
"Recruiting isn't the same as twenty three years ago when I started," says Mr. Myers. "Gone are the days of 20,000 phone calls per year. Today technology, networking, databases, email, skype and more have made my job almost too easy. Corporate recruiters are proving the fact that its not as hard as it used to be, and that big fees just aren't reasonable anymore in most cases. More and more companies are realizing this."  

RPO, or Recruitment Process Outsourcing, is a strategy that StepBeyond.com has implemented. For a Flat Fee of $3,000 StepBeyond.com will fill any job, guaranteed. "It is tough to give up old ways, and the glory of big fees, but its the right thing to do. Our customers need their money to invest in capital equipment and people. Job Seekers needs jobs without big fees blocking them out." In a recent example StepBeyond.com placed a SMT Process Engineer with a Tier 3 EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services), Systronix Inc. in the Houston area. "The real story is this person hadn't been able to find work for a couple years. He said five recruiters were "trying" to find him a job. He had great experience, so he assumed the job market was that bad. He was first person we showed Systronix. They hired him almost on the spot. This proves the effectiveness and efficiency of this system for employers and job seekers."  

StepBeyond.com is a career portal dedicated to helping get great people connected with great jobs. Moved by the massive layoffs announced by Whirlpool, StepBeyond.com founder, John Myers, has made a dramatic move.  "StepBeyond.com will aid in placement of any Whirlpool employee that loses their job at absolutely no cost to employers. In these tough times, the last thing I want standing between a person's life and a paycheck is a recruiting fee. It just seems immoral."

If you are hiring please register and post jobs on StepBeyond.com (click here)

If you are seeking employment register and create a Job Alert (click here)
  


 

The SMTAI show was fun and productive! I met a lot of great connnections, spoke to the Chapter Officers about social networking for their chapters and was on the winning Golf Team!
Okay, so I was the weak link on the golf team, but I still got my picture taken!
The vendors said the show was a success. They paid for their time and then some. Though not Apex, the vendors said doing the smaller shows is a necessary part of the process. 
Fort Worth was a great place to have the show. A lot of fun things to do in "cowtown". One of the few places I could wear a suit and cowboy hat and not get noticed! 

I even picked up a few more clients for StepBeyond.com RPO recruiting : )

This is my thoughts on a post by Charlie Barnhart titled "Risk Factor #2: Fewer resources at OEMs worldwide" http://bit.ly/tuKpD4


The New Trend: Outsourcing Outsourcing
Thanks for sounding the trumpet, but I wonder who cares? Hired gun executives are building a track record and a resume while looking for the next opportunity, (I have headhunted 20 years in this industry!). Certainly not Wall Street. They are seeking sound bites to justify stock trades by driving on emotion. 

In my view, as an Entrepreneur with Farm roots, Capitalism worked best for everyone when the Founder/Owner delivered better products and services. The Owner cares about the legacy of his company and his people. The hired guns are motivated to increase their compensation and stock value, irregardless of the long term consequences. 

There is rising a wave of Outsourcing Consultants. They manage the OEM's outsourcing on the ground in "low cost regions". This saves the OEM a fortune in travel costs and mistakes. Thus what you say is true Charlie, the OEM outsourcing staff can be almost eliminated. 

Perhaps the real question comes down to: What is the real value of an company? Does it boil down to "intellectual property"? 
The Stock Market is NOT rational. It is emotional, and not an accurate representation of risk, profits, or the future. 
Remember the Dot.Com days when IPOs raised billions for companies that were no more than a small office in a San Jose business park.

You raise an interesting point. When will the first Board of Directors decide to outsource executive management?   
10 years ago I envisioned the day when someone would appear on the cover of a magazine, sitting on his/her bed, having conceptualized then next big thing. Then outsourcing design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, logistics, repair...

Unsure of government plans, the defence sector is beginning a cautious retreat. 
"With that kind of uncertainty hanging over the budget, it's beginning to affect the planning of companies in the defense sector," said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow for defense budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. "You're seeing them starting to reposition themselves and downsize in certain areas."  http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-northrop-grumman-layoffs-20111020,0,5953575.story

Royal Philips Electronics NV, the world's largest lighting maker, said Monday it will slash 4,500 jobs after third quarter earnings fell sharply, hurt by a strong euro, weaker margins and more losses at its television division, which it intends to sell. http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/philips-q3-profits-fall-86-percent-to-cut-jobs/1026248361ae4cf6b6ec12f1a65f1171

Panasonic announced the closing of plants and continued restructuring due to tough competition in the TV market. A sign of the shifting in high tech that keeps us all on our toes. 
"A high yen, intense global competition—particularly from South Korean firms—and falling retail prices of televisions have left Japanese manufacturers unable to earn profits by making televisions, the Yomiuri said."
http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/panasonic-to-trim-tv-business-cut-1000-jobs