Newsletter April 2021

Recruiters for the Copier Channel® for more than 30 years, Copier Careers® has been the only recruiting firm exclusively dedicated to connecting Copier Channel employers with experienced service technicians, copier sales representatives, sales managers, service & operations managers, controllers, support staff, and MPS/MNS experts. Start your month off right with Newsletter April 2021: Copier Channel news and career advice. Search copier jobs now.

IN THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER

The Top 5: Ways to Prep for the Next Workday
News from Konica Minolta & Toshiba
Sound Off: Who is your company currently hiring?
Monthly Poll: How do you prep for your next workday?

SEARCH COPIER JOBS

Featured Post

Haven’t given much thought to your end-of-day routine? Maybe you should. “How you finish the workday is very important,” says Michael Kerr, an international business speaker. “It can set your mood for the rest of your day; it may impact your personal relationships, overall level of happiness, and how well you sleep that night; and it will set the stage for the next day.” Here are five ways to set your next workday up for success.

1. Stay focused. Whether you’re working from home, in the office or in the field, you already have plenty of potential distractions – don’t add watching the clock! Use your work or phone calendar to alert you when it’s time to wrap start your workday wrap up.
2. Update your to-do list. Why wait until morning when you can set your priorities today? Taking time to assess what needs to be done tomorrow allows you to end your day knowing tomorrow’s game-plan. When you start work the next day, you don’t have to waste time figuring out what needs to be done: you’ve already decided.
3. Reflect on your accomplishments. “Taking even one minute to review what you achieved can give you a sense of accomplishment, and on a particularly trying and busy day it can remind you that you got more done than you realized,” says Kerr. “Happiness research tells us that doing a simple routine like this, and taking the time to reflect on what you accomplished, is a key way to boost your overall level of happiness.”
4. Say goodnight to your colleagues.While it may be tempting to quietly sign off or slink out the door, don’t underestimate the power of goodbye. A quick “goodnight” conveys friendliness and accessibility, and it also gives your coworkers a heads up that you’re calling it for the night.
5. End your day at a reasonable time. Working long hours doesn’t necessarily make you a better worker, but it will tire you out and potentially make you less productive tomorrow. We all know to take the risks of burnout seriously after 2020. If it isn’t truly necessary to work late, go rest. You’ll thank yourself tomorrow.

In the market for a new job? Our job board features hundreds of copier jobs with top employers, updated daily. Search jobs now.

Konica Minolta to Transfer Select Sales Offices

On April 1st, Konica Minolta announced it plans to “transfer select sales offices to its independent dealer channel.” This move is intended “to further foster business growth for the company’s dealer partners.”

“The multi-channel approach allows for greater exposure to Konica Minolta services and products in markets that would otherwise be underserved. Creating greater alignment across our entire distribution model is paramount to our transformative growth strategy,” stated Sam Errigo, COO.

“We believe that there is still much potential for the core business, despite claims that other manufacturers have made,” continued Errigo. “Our industry, in particular, is perfectly positioned to help companies of all sizes with their digital transformation.”

Stay tuned for more details as they are released!

Toshiba Offered $20B Buyout From British Equity Fund

Toshiba confirmed it received a nearly $20 billion buyout offer from British private equity fund, CVC Capital Partners. The Japanese conglomerate stated neutrally that it would “ask for further clarification and give it careful consideration.”

Toshiba’s chief executive and president, Nobuaki Kurumatani, was formerly employed by CVC Capital in 2017.

The confirmation forced a temporary halt to Toshiba’s shares on Tokyo’s stack exchange. Similarly, the firm’s US shares jumped almost 20%.

Stay tuned for more details as they are released!

Sound Off

Last month we discussed reasons to hire managed IT professionals in all departments right now. So we were curious to hear what specific positions your company is currently hiring. We had a solid turnout of 16,633 votes this month!

Most respondents said their company was currently hiring sales representatives, taking 62% of the vote. Service technicians were the second most sought after candidates with 31% of the vote. This tracks with what we’re seeing in the current job market. Companies are looking to boost their sales more aggressively while more cautiously building their service department bench to support their products. Sales rep positions also generally have the highest turnover so they are the position that most often needs to be filled.

Next we had service and operations managers (6%) and sales managers (1%). There are a few factors that we’re seeing at play for open management positions right now.  As we discussed in 2020, some managers opted to retire earlier than planned to make way for new leadership to handle the global disruption. So some companies are still looking to fill those gaps. Other companies found their managers were too inflexible and unable to pivot and evolve during the crisis – those companies are looking new leaders to help them grow in exciting new directions.  But companies aren’t just looking to replace managers, many are expanding their departments, especially to offer more managed IT services.

Lastly we had office support professionals and executives taking less than 1% of the vote, each. These have always been the least common job openings in our experience. As we see more offices reopen and increased sales and service calls, there will likely be a bump in these positions as well.

POLL QUESTION: