PROFESSIONAL PLACEMENT’S JEFF SEIFERT INTERVIEWED BY ABC15 NEWS

By Angie Holdsworth

PHOENIX – Despite large numbers of people looking for jobs, many employers are having a hard time filling open positions.
Arizona’s unemployment rate sits at 9.4 percent. A Manpower Inc. poll showed that 14 percent of employers nationwide had a hard time filling positions last year.

“I think the skill sets in the pools out there are a little mismatched with the demand,” said Jeff Seifert of Professional Placement Pro-Tem in Phoenix.
Seifert, who is a job recruiter, said many clients have very high expectations when filling the open positions in this economy.

He said some of the qualified candidates they might be wanting are currently employed and reluctant to leaving a secure position.

Seifert also said however that part of the problem could be how job seekers are selling themselves or possibly selling themselves short. “As far as a resume is concerned one size does not fit all,” he said. “It should be tailored as it related to the specific company or the specific position.”

Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 3.2 million job openings in November.
It’s estimated that some 288,000 people are unemployed in Arizona in December, down only slightly from the month before.

Seifert said that despite the challenges of the job market he is seeing some slow but steady movement in the job market.