Mystery shopping is a tool used by market research companies to measure quality of retail service or gather specific information about products and services. Mystery shoppers posing as normal customers perform specific tasks—such as purchasing a product, asking questions, registering complaints or behaving in a certain way – and then provide detailed reports or feedback about their experiences.
Shoppers are often given instructions or procedures to make the transaction atypical to make the test of the knowledge and service skills of the employees more stringent or specific to a particular service issue (known as scenarios). For instance, mystery shoppers at a restaurant may pretend they are lactose-intolerant, or a clothing store mystery shopper could inquire about gift-wrapping services. Not all mystery shopping scenarios include a purchase.
While gathering information, shoppers usually blend in to the store being evaluated as regular shoppers.
The MSPA is the largest professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality using anonymous resources. With over 150 member companies worldwide, our diverse membership includes marketing research and merchandising companies, private investigation firms, training organizations and companies that specialize in providing mystery shopping services. Our member companies work with their clients to establish mechanisms to measure and improve levels of service.
Search for Mystery Shopping Opportunities at http://www.jobslinger.com/mspa/exec/sfs/jobboard/
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Manpower survey: Employers struggle to find qualified job candidates
Talent shortages continue despite the economic downturn, according to Manpower Inc.’s annual Talent Shortage Survey.
The employment services company (NYSE: MAN) said that 30 percent of employers worldwide are struggling to find qualified job candidates — especially skilled tradespeople, sales representatives and technicians. Manpower surveyed nearly 39,000 employers in 33 countries and territories in January to gauge employers’ ability to find the talent they need.
The 10 hardest jobs to fill, as reported by more than 2,000 U.S. employers in 2009, are:
• Engineers
• Nurses
• Skilled/manual trades
• Teachers
• Sales representatives
• Technicians
• Drivers
• Information technology staff
• Laborers
• Machinist/machine operators
Even with unemployment at or near record levels in many communities, Manpower’s research highlights the problem many employers have finding individuals with the right combination of job-specific skills, experience, training and soft skills.
“In the four years we have performed this research, the same positions appear on the list again and again,” said Jonas Prising, Manpower’s president of the Americas. “Despite the current economic instability and high unemployment, there are still skills that the U.S. work force seems to lack.”
Positions in the skilled trades, sales, technical work and engineering remain the most difficult for employers to fill globally.
The employment services company (NYSE: MAN) said that 30 percent of employers worldwide are struggling to find qualified job candidates — especially skilled tradespeople, sales representatives and technicians. Manpower surveyed nearly 39,000 employers in 33 countries and territories in January to gauge employers’ ability to find the talent they need.
The 10 hardest jobs to fill, as reported by more than 2,000 U.S. employers in 2009, are:
• Engineers
• Nurses
• Skilled/manual trades
• Teachers
• Sales representatives
• Technicians
• Drivers
• Information technology staff
• Laborers
• Machinist/machine operators
Even with unemployment at or near record levels in many communities, Manpower’s research highlights the problem many employers have finding individuals with the right combination of job-specific skills, experience, training and soft skills.
“In the four years we have performed this research, the same positions appear on the list again and again,” said Jonas Prising, Manpower’s president of the Americas. “Despite the current economic instability and high unemployment, there are still skills that the U.S. work force seems to lack.”
Positions in the skilled trades, sales, technical work and engineering remain the most difficult for employers to fill globally.
NY: Stimulus-related jobs available
Companies hired by New York state to work on economic stimulus-related projects are being required to make public all job openings created by those developments.
Available jobs must be advertised by the contracted companies on the state’s Job Bank Web site, www.labor.state.ny.us, in order for each contracted company to receive payment via stimulus money. In turn, the state Labor Department will help match job-seekers with available jobs created by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
Gov. David Paterson announced the new regulations Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the state Labor Department said companies already are posting open positions.
“It’s up and running,” spokesperson Michelle Duffy said. “There aren’t a lot of postings yet, but with today’s announcement, we’re hoping more and more people start to post.”
Here are step-by-step instructions to access available ARRA jobs:
• Go to the Web site, www.labor.state.ny.us.
• Click on “Job Seekers” tab.
• On the next page, click again on “Job Seekers” tab, which takes viewers to the New York state Job Exchange page.
• Make sure menu bar on the left says: All areas within zip code.
• Type ARRA in the Keyword section.
• Type zip code.
• Select the number of miles for travel outside zip code.
• Click “search” to get results.
The state is expected to receive about $26.7 billion in stimulus funding. Currently, about 507,000 New Yorkers are collecting unemployment checks, the state Labor Department said.
Available jobs must be advertised by the contracted companies on the state’s Job Bank Web site, www.labor.state.ny.us, in order for each contracted company to receive payment via stimulus money. In turn, the state Labor Department will help match job-seekers with available jobs created by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
Gov. David Paterson announced the new regulations Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the state Labor Department said companies already are posting open positions.
“It’s up and running,” spokesperson Michelle Duffy said. “There aren’t a lot of postings yet, but with today’s announcement, we’re hoping more and more people start to post.”
Here are step-by-step instructions to access available ARRA jobs:
• Go to the Web site, www.labor.state.ny.us.
• Click on “Job Seekers” tab.
• On the next page, click again on “Job Seekers” tab, which takes viewers to the New York state Job Exchange page.
• Make sure menu bar on the left says: All areas within zip code.
• Type ARRA in the Keyword section.
• Type zip code.
• Select the number of miles for travel outside zip code.
• Click “search” to get results.
The state is expected to receive about $26.7 billion in stimulus funding. Currently, about 507,000 New Yorkers are collecting unemployment checks, the state Labor Department said.
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