hiring: Architects are back in demand! - 04/15/13 07:27 AM
Similar to other industries, the architectural industry took a severe hit in 2008 along with the real estate industry.  As the housing market has begun to rise again, so has the demand for architects again.
Hawthorne Plunkard Architecture, based in Chicago, is known for the recent transformation of the Chicago Athletic Association building into new apartments, and was one of the firms affected by the downturn in the economy resulting in trimming their staff to 22 employees.  Just this year, the firm has grown back to 39 architects and plans to continue building their team even stronger.    
Mr. Hawthorne, Partner, … (1 comments)

hiring: What does the housing recovery mean for the booming rental market? - 09/01/12 03:01 AM
 
 
The recent housing data reports show that all three major composites ended the second quarter of 2012 with positive annual growth. As the housing market continues to recover, there are those who may wonder what effect that recovery will have on the recently booming apartment sector, which benefited from the housing crash.
 
In most U.S. markets, rent prices have continued to rise and vacancies are down and still falling. The Marcus & Millichap report for the second quarter of 2012 showed that, occupancy levels are near 95 percent on average nationwide, which has encouraged further development in the … (2 comments)

hiring: Chicago Jobs Foreshadow Growth - 03/13/12 09:30 AM
Based on a survey completed by Manpower Inc., Chicago employers plan to hire more workers or at least not reduce current staffing levels for the second quarter 2012.  Manpower interviewed 140 Chicago-area companies and found that in the period from April through June:
• 19 percent said they will hire more employees.
• 8 percent plan to reduce payroll.
• 71 percent plan to maintain their current staff levels.
• 2 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.
Crain's Chicago Business reported that "Those numbers yield a net employment outlook of 11 percent. That compares to the first quarter of … (1 comments)

hiring: It's Hiring Time Again?! - 02/19/12 10:28 PM
According to Gil Cargill, research shows that the vast majority of sales hiring occurs during this quarter.  Additionally, current economic news tells us that the economy is warming up.  Therefore, if you read the tea leaves, you may likely come to the conclusion that that these two facts indicate that many companies will be hiring now or in the future.
So, what are your plans?  Are you hiring or are you rationalizing (getting more done with fewer people)?  Like many firms, we've spent the majority of the past 3 years rationalizing.  Unfortunately, there is only so much that work that can be … (2 comments)