We’ve talked about how the hiring process works on the other side of the corporate desk. Now it’s time to focus on another aspect of the U.S. job search — job seeker confidence.

The national unemployment rate went down from 8.3% to 8.1% in August, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the drop was not due to increased hiring — but rather to more discouraged workers dropping out of the job search process altogether.

While not an economist or a statistician, I have an alternate take on why monthly numbers for hiring were down: For most of us, July and August are by far the most popular months to sit by the beach, cook out, and take a vacation (paid or unpaid). Parents often schedule family time. Members on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. House and Senate traditionally take a five week recess — creating countless vacancies in parking garages across D.C. and a remarkably easy morning commute on the Washington beltway.

If you are looking for a job, it’s a similar situation to December: It can be a challenge to keep your job search mojo up when everyone around you is taking some time off! Especially given that many search committees may postpone or delay interviews or hiring decisions since “not everyone is in the office” or around to check references and sign-off on job offers. But don’t get discouraged! Typically, those who take off August return in full-force and a mission to hire in September.

At StartWire, we work hard to provide you with free time-saving tools that allow you to maximize your job search results while minimizing your effort. We only share job listings of opportunities that have been posted within the last two weeks — because who wants to apply for a job after all the interviews are finished? Our new ExpressApply feature speeds up the time it takes to apply for jobs. We provide you with an easy way to track your job applications and work search activity — and enable access to automatic updates on the status of your candidacy from over 7,000 companies across the U.S. To learn more about these features and how you can make them work for you, visit us at StartWire.

Now that the days are growing shorter, it’s a perfect time to dust off that resume and apply again — optimally, within seven days of a job posting since our research tells us that the early bird gets the job. So go ahead, what are you waiting for?

Good luck!

While big openings and companies hiring in volume make for good press, there are many great opportunities posted or available which get little or no airtime at all, even on corporate career sites. The number and frequency of hidden job opportunities is a topic of great debate. Today, we’re focusing on the back story of how these individual jobs get created. (This is the first post in a series of six designed to take you behind the scenes as employers advertise for positions and make hiring decisions.)

As we’ve mentioned before, searching for a job can be very much like looking for the right life partner: To create a sustainable long-term relationship, you both have to be open and willing to make a commitment to one another!

The first step in the hiring process at most organizations is deciding to hire: There must be a current opening, and a recognized need to fill the job. Just as companies don’t hire a recruiter unless they need to make enough hires to have a recruiter, there has to be enough work to do for the job to exist.

Here are some of the reasons employers create jobs:

1. To fill vacancies created by employees who leave for new opportunities or get promoted
2. They have enough work that they need to hire more people,
3. The organization is re-structuring and/or in growth mode to achieve new or aggressive company goals

The second step in the hiring process is nailing down the specifics of the job description.
What will the new hire do? Who will they report to? And what skills are most important?

The third step in the hiring process — what happens after you’ve applied and while you are waiting to hear back — is largely unknown to all but a select few inside the organization.

One of the biggest challenges in the hiring process is the chaos of the hiring process during the actual search. As Tom Brokaw once quipped in a commencement address to new college graduates,

Real life is junior high…filled with adolescent pettiness, pubescent rivalries, the insecurities of 13-year-olds and the false bravado of 14-year-olds.  Forty years from now, I guarantee it, you’ll still be making silly mistakes, you’ll have a temper tantrum, you’ll have your feelings hurt for some trivial slight, you’ll say something dumb and at least once a week you’ll wonder, “Will I ever grow up?”

Inside companies, it’s not uncommon for an employer to re-advertise a job weeks after it has been posted because they thought of additional “must-have” skills for candidates — after they’ve listed the position. It’s not unusual for employers to move a long-time employee into a job he isn’t trained for — simply to keep him on staff if his old job has been eliminated. Employers frequently extend their own hiring timelines — or downgrade their position requirements — when the money doesn’t come in as fast as they expected it to.

Bottom line: If you’re on the candidate side of the hiring equation, it can feel like it did in middle school when your date for the dance bailed on you…But it doesn’t have to feel that way.

Brokaw says you can counter the petty problems of the real world, if you are “always a grown-up” in your relationships with others. Next week, we’ll show you what employers look for, how to get noticed, and how to follow-up gracefully when you see signs of adolescence in your job search. Until then, share what’s feeling awkward to you in your job search: What makes you feel most in the dark when you apply for jobs?

There’s no getting around it: Applying for jobs can be a lonely and frustrating process. If you’ve ever experienced any of the following events, you are not alone:

1. You submit your job application and receive a perfunctory “don’t call us, we’ll call you” e-mail back.  You’re still waiting…

2. You get invited to interview. They tell you they will be making a decision next week. You’re still waiting…

3. You get asked for your references. Your references are called. You’re still waiting…

No matter how far you progress in the process — whether you’re asked for references or never even hear back on your application process — the silence of not hearing back from employers is difficult: It is ego-bruising, frustrating and most decidedly un-fun. In fact, StartWire was created to give you access to more information on your job application status where it’s available. We believe you have the right to know what’s happened to your application — throughout the job search process. Through our Application Connect program and sponsorship of the Candidate Experience Awards, we’re encouraging employers and hiring managers to treat job applicants like customers — not like the worst blind date they’ve ever had!

We’ve interviewed many companies who “get it” and who treat applicants like guests who deserve to be communicated with throughout the employment application process — from when you apply to when, and if, you are not selected. Smart companies, recruiters and hiring managers roll out the red carpet for every applicant — not just the ones who get the job. They recognize that even if they don’t have the right job for you now, they may need you later. They treat you as you wish to be treated, even if they don’t have the job for you now. Companies who are particularly good at this include Adidas, General Mills, Google, and Herman Miller.

Starting today, we’re kicking off a series designed to give you more than a glimpse on what happens behind the hiring curtain. Our goal is to demystify the process: From why it takes so long to get a job offer even when a company is ready to hire you to what it means when a job ad disappears and reappears with the same title, but a different job description.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be delving into specifics of what happens behind the curtain. Today, we begin with the job search equivalent of the dating aphorism, “sometimes the reason you don’t hear back has nothing to do with you — it’s all them!” Got a question? Please write a comment below or send us a private message through our Feedback channel.

It’s hard not to take it personally when you don’t hear back about a job, but often, there are a host of reasons you aren’t called that have nothing to do with you. From different perceptions on “what the ideal candidate should look like” inside an organization to changing corporate financial performance, goals, and even nepotism, hiring can be complicated.

We’ll delve into this, but as always — one of the best ways to ensure you stay in the game is to continue putting yourself out there — even when you haven’t heard back as you hoped. So even if you think a job offer is a virtual certainty, don’t be afraid to pursue more opportunities in the short term — having an abundance of options is rarely a bad thing! So get out there in the application pool, let us know what you’d like to know more about, and hold your head up high.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has announced that 3-D design and software firm Autodesk will hire 75 as part of office expansion in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The company has expanded office space by 16,000 square feet.  With all the talk recently of shrinking cubicles in many office workspaces—16,000 square feet to accommodate 75 leaves us wondering what else Autodesk plans to ad?

You can find job listings here.

Tip: You may want to think in 3-D when applying for a position that requires skills in 3-D. Work portfolios and samples are likely appreciated. If you don’t know how to do something, search YouTube for training videos.

Raytheon’s got over 2,000 jobs posted nationwide. They need folks from Boston to San Jose, and many places in between—especially in Dallas, Indianapolis, and Centennial, Colorado.

Raytheon specializes in developing and manufacturing products for defense, homeland security and other government markets. Many of these positions require engineering, so they love hiring people with strong skills in math, science, and engineering.

As today, 3/14 is the mathematical equivalent of Pi (remember PI = 3.14 from high school math), Raytheon’s celebrating the numerical arts and sciences: the company is sending pies to heaps of high school math and science teacher as a thank you—and a friendly reminder: they need more applicants who like math and science.

Zensar Technologies, an IT software and services company headquartered in Pune. India with offices in 18 countries, plans to hire 1,000 new employees within the next year—200 of these jobs will be in the U.S. You can see a few of them here.

Positions range from Tech Lead and Data Architect to Sales with locations from San Jose to Princeton, NJ.

Source: Economic Times

P.S. Here’s a tip for applying for jobs with a multi-national: If you have work authorization in other countries, say so on your resume. Any experience speaking foreign languages is also worth mentioning.

Mike Walton has over 15 years of recruiting and talent management experience with companies including Towers Perrin, Edward Jones, and Citi.  He currently works for Mercer Consulting and resides in St. Louis with his wife Julie and his two children Grace and Jack.  Here is his perspective on best practices in working with a recruiter.

You work for Mercer, a highly ranked consulting firm. How do you find potential applicants for jobs?

We find candidates in two ways: through active candidates who apply to openings and also by identifying passive candidates. We use a proprietary methodology to source candidates on and offline.

What makes it easy for you to work with a candidate? In other words, can you describe how a “good candidate” works with you?

It’s all about communication. I want to know past history—why you took jobs, why you left, the rationale for each position. I want to know successes. I want to see a high level of communication throughout the process. I don’t want to leave anybody guessing, and I don’t want surprises from candidates, either. I encourage candidates to be transparent with me about their search.

What makes a great candidate?

Someone who is able to build the bridge between their experience and the requirements for a job. If you are going for a sales job and you are a recruiter, you need to show me how your past experience ties into your future job. The candidate has to build the bridge for others to see the similarity of experience; don’t assume others can see it for you.

Someone who can quantify everything. I want to know that you can make the company money and that you save the company money. You want to be able to show your competence; you want to be able to back that up with facts. Quantifying information is huge. It all starts with the resume.

Do you have any “never do” tips for individuals in working with recruiters?

Don’t be transactional; think of your recruiter as a resource and a relationship to be developed.

Let the recruiter be your advocate. Don’t leave them guessing.  If you take advantage of my services and my company simply to get a better job offer that you can leverage in negotiating a better salary at your current job—don’t expect me to work with you again.

Do you have any success stories to share of job seekers you’ve worked with? Anyone who you couldn’t help “right now” but were able to help later?

I stayed in touch with a former colleague for ten years after we left a common employer; we kept each other informed about openings and our own career goals.  When a job came open at my current employer, he started working side-by-side with me again.

Lesson: Stay in touch with your former co-workers.

Are there any questions I haven’t asked that I should be asking? What’s the question, and what’s your answer?

What blind spot do you see in candidates?

A lack of understanding of the hiring process. If you’re looking for a new opportunity, become a student of the process. That means talking to recruiters, talking to hiring managers. Figure out what happens on the inside when you submit your resume. Seek to understand why you didn’t get the call back so you can position yourself to get the offer the next time you apply.

Use it now—actionable—advice for job seekers (in 140 characters or less): 

The competition for openings is fierce. Apply to jobs, but seek traction inside. Get an internal advocate.

Add Brokerage firm Edward Jones to the list of employers who are actively scouting for employees—and who have trouble finding enough candidates. Last week Edward Jones announced plans to hire an additional 600 advisors nationwide with an emphasis on California, Utah and the Northeast.

Based on the firm’s 2010 employee attrition rate of 15%, Investment News estimates that Edward Jones may need to “recruit 2,400 advisers this year to hit it’s aggressive growth requirements.”

Edward Jones is ranked 11th on Fortune ‘s 2011 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, and currently has over 1,500 active job postings with an estimated salary of $70,000 or above.

It has been less than seven months since Cortview Capital Securities opened their Richmond, VA headquarters but the firm has already raised $58M. They’ve opened offices in New York, Charlotte, and Florida, and have their eyes to expand. Here’s the party line from their website:

We shall open additional offices across the country as we attract additional experienced middle-market sales and trading, securitization and advisory talent to serve our growing customer base.

Cortview is also backed by a $125M capital commitment from New York private equity fund Warburg Pincus.

If you want in on the hiring, you may want to search your LinkedIn contacts and Facebook friends and scout for a contact at Warburg Pincus.

YouTube is celebrating the company’s 5th birthday, and like many five-year-olds they are boasting how big they will be next year. In a celebratory blog post, the company announced plans to grow by 30%. The Wall Street Journal estimates 30% equals 200 new employees.

You can see the jobs here. Most of them are in California.

Here’s an idea: consider including a video resume when you apply…show off those editing and production skills. You can find plenty of examples on—where else—YouTube.