Where are all the Jobs?: Jun 26, 2011

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: A day in the life of the average American

A day in the life of the average American

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:25 PM PDT

There's nothing like waking up on a Saturday morning and realizing that it's the weekend, knowing that you have the entire day ahead of you to do whatever it is you feel like doing. Unless, of course, you wake up on Saturday morning and realize that you have to work all day.
While working on the weekend may sound like a bad dream to many of us, it's actually a routine reality for a fairly large part of the U.S. population. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' "American Time Use Survey," more than one -third (35 percent) of the U.S. population is working on any given weekend (this accounts for jobholders who usually work on weekends, as well as those whose work occasionally carries over onto weekends).
Making the weekend workday slightly more bearable is the fact that, while the average workday during the week is about 7.9 hours, jobholders put in an average of just 5.5 hours per day on weekends.
So what else did the survey tell us about a day in the life of the average American? Below are some of the more interesting findings about how we spend our time.
Work

Among full-time workers, men worked about .4 hours more each day than women — 8.2 hours compared to 7.8 hours.
On the average workday, 24 percent of jobholders did at least some work from home. Eighty-three percent did some or all of their work at their workplace.
Self-employed workers were more likely to work from home than wage or salaried workers — 64 percent compared to 19 percent.

Home and leisure

On an average day, women were not only more likely than men to do household activities like cleaning, cooking and lawn care — 84 percent compared to 67 percent; they also spent more time each day on these activities — 2.6 hours for women, compared to 2.1 hours for men.
Overall, Americans spent the most leisure time watching TV (2.7 hours), followed by socializing — visiting with friends and attending social events — (about 45 mins).
Men were more likely to participate in exercise, sports and recreation than women — 22 percent compared with 16 percent.
In households with children under the age of 6, adults spent an average of two hours each day providing primary child care (where child care was the main activity) and 5.6 hours providing secondary care (where child care was done at the same time as a leisure or household activity).

How do these stats compare to your life? Let us know in the comments section.

blogging4jobs

Monster Unveils Facebook Based Social Media Tool BeKnown at SHRM

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 06:45 PM PDT

Minutes ago Monster Worldwide, most known for its dominance in the job board industry unveiled its Facebook based social media engagement tool BeKnown at the SHRM 2011 Annual Conference. BeKnown is a professional network building platform that integrates with the Facebook API. Users can log in and share connections, build relationships, and search for jobs using the new online tool. Monster's new tool is live and operating in 35 countries potentially reaching more than 460 million Facebook users almost immediately.

The rate of penetration by Monster and its ability for their product to be translated into more than 19 language puts them at a huge advantage against competitiors LinkedIn which has more than 100 million profile users and BranchOut, a Facebook style platform and tech startup that recently acquired 17 million dollars in venture capital funding.
I had the opportunity to get a sneak peak at the new tool and was surprised at how similar the platform is to BranchOut. BranchOut also uses the Facebook API to where job seekers can relationships and apply for jobs. Recruiters have the ability search for candidates and post openings within the network, similar to BeKnown. Monster taps into their 6Sense Semantic Search Technology to offer what they say is better search and integration for their human resources and recruiting clients who are looking to integrate social media into their hiring and candidate recruiting strategy.
Individual platform users and job seekers can choose to share their information with their personal Facebook contacts or keep a separation between personal and professional, which is a growing concern among candidates and companies. Like BranchOut, connections within the platform are not required to be your personal friend allowing for users to showcase their skills, abilities, and experience without worrying about companies viewing their personal photos or private protected information.

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From the company and recruiting point of view, BeKnown offers a one-stop shop where positions can be posted and advertised on the site as well as their extensive network of websites and job boards. Company profile pages similar to those on LinkedIn will be an important part of the program and part of Monster's sales pitch to employers about building their employment brands with social media. The reporting features integrate along with their already establish reporting capabilities making it easier for companies to add social recruiting data into their Affirmative Action Plans per OFCCP guidelines and better protect themselves in future social media discrimination employment law cases.
I was particularly intrigued about the referral feature where companies reward influential and connected members of the BeKnown community by offering them referral bonuses paid out to the referrer. This, my friends could be a very lucrative opportunity for other recruiters or connected persons looking to make additional income in different ways. Referrals are tracked by Monster through their reporting and analytics systems. Companies offer referral incentives and once a candidate is hired, the referrer is paid by Monster and not the company itself. I'm assuming that Monster will send annual 1099's to those individuals, as these bonuses should be taxed as income accordingly.
Monster's new product , BeKnown is certainly expected to shake up the social media marketplace as well as SHRM's Annual Conference making the hype almost SXSW-like. While it's no secret that a social media platform that integrates and provides HR reporting and analytics is needed, time will tell if and when companies are eager in taking advantage.

All Your SHRM 11 Blogs in One Pretty Package

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 04:16 AM PDT

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The SHRM 2011 Annual Conference is upon us, and you are overwhelmed. It’s hard to follow the Twitter stream these days with the number of noise from vendors, bloggers, random hash tag thieves, and friends who are tweeting along the way. Or maybe you don’t tweet at all and you are looking for a place to find coverage of the conference straight from the fingers of conference attendees, bloggers, and video bloggers.
I have designed a website page specifically for those bloggers and traditional media who will be tweeting and blogging at the conference which starts officially on Sunday, June 26th. That place is HR Blogger. Think of it as a blog & media content collector. The site highlights and features bloggers, practioners, recruiters, talent management, and HR pros who are developing and creating great blog articles and content brining it together all in one place. We have two special SHRM conference pages — one dedicated to the bloggers and media who are attending the SHRM 2011 event (hrblogger.info/shrm-11) and a separate page that organizes and displays the #shrm11 Twitter stream (hrblogger.info/shrm11).
At HR Blogger, my goal is to bring the best HR, Recruiting, and Talent Management Blogs in one place for the bloggers that are my friends, colleagues, and clients I work with and train them. You may remember that in 2009, I created the first ever HR Blogging Directory featuring some of the best HR, Job Search, and Recruiting blogs throughout the world. And in 2011, HR Blogger is the next generation of that directory.
Looking for some more resources to help you at SHRM 2011? Take a look at some great resources below:

HR Blogger’s Guide to SHRM 2011.

Unofficial SHRM 2011 After Hours Guide.

6 Ideas to Impress Me with Conference Swag.

Photo Credit Going Home to Roost.

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How to Fix a Drab Cover Letter | Career Rocketeer

How to Fix a Drab Cover Letter

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 03:30 AM PDT

Finding a job is a process. First you need ample experience, then the right contacts, an online presence, and a tailored resume.
Lastly, you need a cover letter that represents you and your brand. Your cover letter could be your only chance at getting the attention of a potential employer.
After all, it may be the first thing they see, so it needs not only be an accurate portrayal of you, but also stand out from the sea of competition.
So, how can you fix a drab cover letter and get noticed by influencers?
Make it short and sweet. Cover letters don't need to be five pages long. In fact, many cover letters and resumes are not read if they are excessive. Think about it. Would you read 30+ cover letters, all of which are like short stories? Probably not. Instead, why not make your cover letter short and to the point? That way, an employer will be able to understand what you're all about without having to plow through tons of text.
Use a different layout. If you've been sending out tons of applications and not getting many responses, it may be time to spruce things up and use a different layout. Leave your boring, uncustomized layout behind. Here is your chance to put your spin on a cover letter through design. Further, you could also use this as an opportunity to merge your online life with your offline materials by using the same fonts or color scheme. Just make sure to keep it clean and not too cluttered. There's nothing worse than viewing a cover letter that's all over the place.
Show why you will be an asset. Just like your resume, your cover letter is an opportunity to show results and tell a story. What can you do that's different from the rest? How will your experience and knowledge help move the company forward? Why should an employer pick you over the next guy?
Your cover letter may be the only chance you get to answer the questions above, so make it count by showing why you are an asset. Tell your own unique story by showing how you got to where you are today. Further, think about using real numbers, especially percentage growth, number of clients gained, conversions, etc. It all boils down to this: How did you make a difference?
Link to your social networks. These days, social networking platforms are the place many employers learn more about you. Why not give them the resources they need upfront? Think about including links to your blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or even a combination of your search results with a free Vizibility SearchMe link or QR code. This way, you give a potential employer all the tools they need beforehand, making their lives a lot easier and your online brand the platform it needs.
How do you spruce up your cover letter?

Guest Expert:
James Alexander is Vizibility's founder and CEO. He's the guy with two first names. If you 'Googled' his name in 2009, you would never have found him. Now, he ranks within the first few results of a Google search. Find James in Google at vizibility.com/james.

[Web TV Schedule] Every Job is Temporary!

[Web TV Schedule] Every Job is Temporary!

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 10:00 PM PDT

CAREEREALISM TV is a social television network dedicated to providing job seekers with career advice for finding professional satisfaction.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

[BREAKING NEWS] Facebook Career Wars Are ON!

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 06:33 PM PDT

Last week, I was contacted by the PR folks at Monster.com and told they had a top secret project they wanted me to know about before it went live. I must admit, I was intrigued and took the bait. You see, they asked me to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and attend a private webinar...

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.