Where are all the Jobs?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: 9 good signs for job growth

Posted: 01 Apr 2011 10:08 AM PDT

Every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its monthly employment report, which tracks job market indicators like national employment level, average hourly pay and hours worked. Because the BLS report is also the source for the official unemployment rate, it's often seen as the authority on the U.S. employment situation.
While the BLS numbers are certainly important, there are plenty of other gauges that provide different and supplementary benchmarks about the state of the job market.
So instead of only recapping the BLS numbers, we decided to take a look at the employment situation from a more holistic standpoint. Here's a look at nine encouraging signs … all of which point to job growth.
1. The unemployment rate is down: According to the BLS Employment Situation Report for March 2011, the unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent, a full percentage point lower than it was in November 2010 and the lowest level since March 2009. The economy also added 216,000 jobs this March, beating economist predictions and solidifying a trend toward recovery.
2. The number of online job listings is up: Each month, The Conference Board's Help Wanted Online report looks at the number of advertised job postings online. In March 2011, there were 4.45 million job ads posted, an increase of 208,000 over February 2011 and up from 3.73 million in March 2010. In the first quarter of 2011, the number of job postings online rose by 600,000.

3. Private sector hiring is up: According to the ADP jobs report, which tracks the month-to-month change in private sector job levels, approximately 201,000 jobs were added in March, with small business hiring accounting for about half of all jobs added. The number is especially positive considering that on April 1, 2009, ADP reported the economy had lost 742,000 jobs the month prior.
4. Business owners expect more sales, increased hiring: The Spring 2011 PNC Economic Outlook Survey, which polls business owners on their overall attitudes about the economy, found that 48 percent expect their sales to increase in the next six months, up from 42 percent of those surveyed in the Fall. Twenty-four percent expect to hire full-time employees, a number that is twice as high as it was in the spring of 2009, when only 12 percent planned to do so.
5. Employers are hiring more: Twenty-eight percent of employers surveyed for CareerBuilder's Q2 forecast said they added new, full-time employees in the first quarter of 2011, the highest number in three years. Twenty eight percent of employers also said they planned to hire more full-time workers in the second quarter of 2011.
6. CEOs are optimistic: The Business Roundtable CEO Outlook Index, which tracks optimism among CEOs of some of the nation's largest companies, reached an all time high in the first quarter of 2011. The economic outlook index reached 113 last quarter, up from 101 in Q4 2010, and the highest level since the Business Roundtable Index began in 2002. Previously, the index peaked at 104 in 2005.
7. First-time unemployment claims are dropping: Since new unemployment claims are typically filed immediately following a job loss, the number of initial unemployment insurance filings is seen as a gauge for the pace of layoffs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, initial claims fell by 6,000 to 388,000 the week ending March 26^th. While 388,000 is still a lot of people, at the height of the recession that number was closer to 651,000 applications per week. At the end of March 2010, claims hovered near 450,000.
8. Manufacturing is picking up: According to the latest Leading Indicators of National Employment survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, manufacturing has seen an increase in both hiring and compensation trends. Year-over-year, expected hiring is up 10.6 percent, and compensation is up 5.3 percent. According to the Institute for Supply Management, as of March 2011, the manufacturing sector had expanded for 20 straight months.
9. Layoffs are slowing: A monthly report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, which monitors job cuts, found that the number of announced layoffs in March 2011 was 41,528, 18 percent fewer than the number announced in February 2011, and 39 percent fewer than in March 2010. Overall, the survey found that employers announced 130,749 layoffs in the first quarter of 2011, the lowest first quarter total since 1995, when 97,716 cuts were announced.
While we won't pretend to claim that the job market is exactly healthy, we will say that — based on the above factors — it's clearly improving. And after years of nothing but negative numbers, the positive ones are certainly something worth celebrating.
For more on the job market, see:
The hiring outlook hasn’t looked this good in three years
February job numbers redux

[New Posts] Being a Virtual Employee Means Being Proactive

Being a Virtual Employee Means Being Proactive

Posted: 01 Apr 2011 11:00 PM PDT

Identify your tasks and the expected output as a virtual employee. Regularly update your boss on what you've done so he'll know you're efforts.

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

Can an E-mail Mistake Hurt My Career?

Posted: 01 Apr 2011 10:00 PM PDT

I saw an online article that upset me so badly I sent a nasty note, really nasty. Do you think this person can hurt my career? Did I make a mistake?

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

Friday, April 1, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: The hiring outlook hasn’t looked this good in three years

The hiring outlook hasn’t looked this good in three years

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 10:12 AM PDT

For a year or two, when hiring was seemingly nonexistent, I thought "you're hired" would only be remembered as a billionaire's catch phrase on a reality show. Fortunately for everyone, things have turned around. The first three months were the best for hiring since the start of 2008, according to CareerBuilder and USA Today's latest job forecast. (Remember the first quarter of 2008, when workers were thinking about receiving raises instead of pink slips?)
According to the survey, 28 percent of surveyed employers reported hiring full-time, permanent employees in the first quarter (January-March) of 2011. What makes that news even better is that, when surveyed in December of last year, 23 percent of employers expected to hiring full-time workers. That means they were able to bring on more new employees than they had expected. That was the 7^th consecutive quarter where actual hiring was better than projected hiring. All job seekers should be happy about that.
Looking ahead
It gets better: 28 percent of employers expect to hiring full-time workers in the coming three months. If the past seven quarters are any indicator, they could exceed their expectations once again.
Of course, the rosier hiring outlook is the result of an improving economy, which means workers are also anticipating a more favorable job market. This worries employers who don't want to lose their best employees to another company. In fact, 33 percent of employers are concerned that their top performers will seek employment elsewhere. This aligns with the 31 percent of workers who intend to start job hunting as the economy improves. Bolstering employer woes: 14 percent of managers say their top workers left the company in the first quarter.
Temp workers
Temporary work has been a reliable way to find employment for the past several years, as companies have been skittish (or financially unable) to bring on full-time, permanent employees. This quarter's survey suggests that trend will continue, even as the hiring outlook improves.
In the first quarter, 29 percent of employers hired contract or temporary workers. In the second quarter 26 percent expect to do so. But what's most promising for job seekers is the news that 17 percent of employers plan to transition some contract and temporary workers into permanent employees.
What to expect in your paycheck
So your odds of finding a job between now and the end of June are good, but how will your bank account look? That's the information job seekers care about. And overall your outlook is good – or at least it's not bad. While 39 percent of workers don't expect to alter salaries this quarter, 38 percent do foresee a pay increase of 3 percent or less. Small, but not terrible. However, 15 percent anticipate salary increases of 4 to 10 percent. And for the a few lucky workers, 2 percent of employers predict a boost of 11 percent or higher. Only 3 percent of businesses will decrease salaries.
Other survey results

The best regional outlook is in the West, where 33 percent of hiring managers plan to increase full-time permanent headcount
The South has the weakest hiring outlook (24 percent) but is also the least likely to downsize of all regions
In large businesses (500 employees or more), 36 percent of employers will add full-time workers.
In small businesses (fewer than 500 employees), 23 percent of hiring managers will recruit full-time workers.

Overall, the hiring outlook is better than it has been in three years. And if the past is any indicator, the next three months might be better than we expect. For unemployed job seekers, it means the odds of hearing "you're hired" are better than they have been in a long time. And for passive job seekers hoping to move to a new company, the time seems right for you, too. If you're interested, check out the full outlook here.
Do you have high hopes for the second quarter of 2011? How did the first three months treat you?

Thursday, March 31, 2011

KODA. The Community Blog

Why You Should Put Random Stuff On Your Resume

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 04:32 AM PDT

My first job after graduation was teaching surfing. After that summer, when I was applying to "real" jobs in communications, I ran into a predicament: should I include it on my resume?

On the one hand, teaching surfing was the hardest job I had ever had. Every day, I biked twenty miles to the beach and spent six hours dragging students out to the middle of the ocean so I could push them into the waves and drag them back out again.
Some days after work, I'd collapse on the floor of my scantly furnished apartment still in my bathing suit, still crusted with salt, and eat spoonfuls of peanut butter because I was too exhausted to cook.

I was proud of my hard work, and I wanted to show that on my resume.

But on the other hand, surf instruction wasn't even remotely related to the types of marketing, PR, and communication opportunities I was on the hunt for.
I turned to Google for guidance, and found a slew of top ranked resume experts insisting that I should absolutely not include things like surfing on my resume. It wasn't related to my career goals, and it was a waste of space. Recruiters would hate me for putting random stuff on my resume, and they would toss it out the window.
So I deleted it.
And then one day I was meeting the head of a PR department for a media company that I was interested in working for, and I mentioned that I had spent the summer after graduation teaching surfing.
The PR Director's eyes lit up.
"Really? He picked up my resume and started scanning the page. "I didn't see it here."
I hesitated. "Well, it's not directly related to the job I'm looking for now, so I left it out."
"Oh." His voice dropped, tinged with a note of disappointment.
And that's when I vowed never to trust spoon-fed corporate career advice again.
Of course teaching surfing wasn't relevant on my resume, but it didn't matter. Surfing was interesting. Surfing was a pleasant break from the same buzzwords and resume-speak that employers see all the time. It was something that this PR guy could picture, touch, and grasp.
While my surfing gig alone wasn't going to get me hired, it was going to help me stand out from the other applicants. After all, there was a human reading my resume, and humans inherently are curious about other humans. You tempt a person with an interesting fact about your life, and they want to know more. Maybe that helps you get a call back.
After that meeting, I marched to my computer and inserted surfing back into my resume, and it's been the icebreaker and conversation starter with every employer ever since.
I've learned so much from this experience.

1.) Only take advice that works for you

No advice is ever perfect, especially on page one of Google search results. If that advice was perfect, there wouldn't be 67 million other pieces of advice.

2.) Don't be afraid to be different

I've said it once, and I'm saying it again, hold true to the values you're looking for in an employer. If a company ditches your resume because you had three lines about surfing on the very bottom, forget them.

3.) Be Proud

Your resume is a collection of your life's greatest achievements, make sure you add one that you're proud of. Even if it's not directly related to the job you're applying to, an employer who values the accomplishments and achievements of their employees will enjoy reading about it.

4.) Figure out Mechanics

If you're worried about an unrelated accomplishment seeming too random, then maybe you divide your resume into two sections "Relevant Experience" and "Other Experience."
I don't use more than a few lines of space for my surfing gig, but it's an important part of who I am and the path I have decided to take since graduating.
I also try to figure out the one great transferable skill that came from teaching surfing and highlight that in my work experience.
What do you think? Should you include random stuff on your resume?
Photo by Frédéric de Villamil

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Will Millennials always be preceded by their reputation at work?

Will Millennials always be preceded by their reputation at work?

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 01:16 PM PDT

Every time a generation rises into the workforce, there's a negative stereotype that goes with them. Baby boomers, for example, were authority-questioning, free-loving hippies. The latchkey kids of Generation X, on the other hand, were a bunch of cynical loners.
Millennials (or Gen Y), the newest generation to enter the workforce, are no different. As "60 Minutes" once put it: "[Millennials] were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers, or all winners. They are laden with trophies just for participating, and they think your business-as-usual ethic is for the birds. And if you persist in that belief, you can take your job and shove it."
As a result of their "coddled" existence, when it comes to their careers, the common perception is that Millennials are needlessly impatient, demanding and fickle, and that they come to the workforce with a set of unrealistic expectations in terms of salary, advancement opportunity and flexibility.
Though generational stereotypes are typically exaggerated, they also don't appear out of thin air. Given the following attitudes expressed by Millennials in various surveys, for example, it's not hard to see where the perception of the Gen Y groupthink came from:

According to a report by Johnson Controls, 34 percent of Millennials expect to stay in a job between one and two years. Fifty seven percent expect to stay between two and three years.
The same study reported that 56 percent of Millennials prefer to work flexibly and choose when to work.
According to a survey by Mr. Youth, Millennials cited the No. 1 reason for switching jobs as "I just needed a change."
Seventy-three percent say that a quality of a good workplace is one where managers give "continuous, ongoing and informal feedback," according to a 2010 study by Career Edge.

While all of the above certainly emphasize the Millennial "it's all about me" stereotype, there may soon be a shift in this way of thinking, since thus far the job market hasn’t really lived up to Gen Y’s rosy expectations.
According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 37 percent of Gen Y is currently unemployed, the largest percentage in this age group in more than thirty years; one-in-ten has recently lost a job; and, while 79 percent of Gen Y has completed at least some college to date, 41 percent are currently employed in jobs unrelated to their fields of study.
This recessionary reality check will certainly color the way Gen Y sees their respective career paths going forward, right?
According to a new study by DeVry University's Career Advisory Board called "How the Recession Shaped Millennial and Hiring Manager Attitudes about Millennials’ Future Careers," Millennials might think so, but managers don’t necessarily see a change. It seems there remains a discrepancy between Gen Y's view and the way they're viewed from the outside.
For example, while 71 percent of Millennials reported in the study that "meaningful work" was now one of the three most important factors in determining their career success, only 11 percent of managers said that they felt meaningful work was most important to Millennials. Managers overwhelmingly believed that Millennials were most concerned with money, followed by having a high level of responsibility.
The study also found that older managers tended to have the most skewed perception of Gen Y. For example, 32 percent of Millennials ranked "time spent at work" among their top three priorities when choosing a workplace. In comparison, 52 percent of managers over age 50 believed that “time spent at work” was most important to Millennials, but only 31 percent of managers under the age of 39 felt this way.
The one area where the generation gap didn’t exist? Pointing out Gen Y’s flaws. Both managers and Millennials felt that their top three weaknesses were "inability to receive criticism from leaders," " impatience with established processes," and "ineffective communication."
What do you think about Generation Y? Do they live up to stereotypes in the workplace? Has the recession changed their outlook?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: “Companies hiring this week” plus 1 more

Companies hiring this week

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:41 PM PDT

It wouldn’t be Tuesday without a list of the companies hiring this week, now would it? No.
Good, I’m glad we agree.
So, unless you feel like talking about the new Britney Spears tour (yeah, me neither) or the cobra that escaped from the Bronx Zoo (ewwww, no, it gives me the shivers), let’s get right to the list of 10 companies that are hiring this week!

ITT Technical Institute
Industry: Education
Sample job titles: Sociology Instructor – Adjunct
Blue Rhino
Industry: Transportation
Sample job titles: Delivery truck driver
Westport One
Industry: Construction
Sample job titles: Corporate QC director
Kraft Foods
Industry: Sales
Sample job titles: Sales representative
Sovereign Bank
Industry:Banking
Sample job titles: Branch manager
Pfizer
Industry: Marketing
Sample job titles: Compliance senior auditor
Sprint
Industry: Customer service
Sample job titles: Customer service technician
Morgan Stanley
Industry: Finance
Sample job titles: Private banker
Chipotle
Industry: Food service
Sample job titles: Crew member
McKesson
Industry: Technology and consulting
Sample job titles: Technical engineer

A recap of our first Twitter chat — #cbjobchat

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 12:18 PM PDT

On Monday night, we held our first Twitter chat for job seekers and recruiters under the hashtag #cbjobchat. Therefore, if you're not already following @CareerBuilder, do it now so you don't miss out on future chats. And if you joined in the fun, thanks for participating. It was so fun we’re still cleaning confetti out of our hair and finding balloons under our desks.
For those who missed out on it, you missed some great information. We posed five different questions about résumés to job seekers and recruiters, and then let everybody offer their own advice and thoughts. Job seekers got to see what recruiters think and the two interacted in a way that blogs or articles don't allow.
We'll have the transcript posted soon, but here's a quick recap of what was asked and some of the excellent answers we received. (Believe me, there are many more than can fit here.)
We asked job seekers:

Do you include an objective on your résumé or use a professional summary instead?
"Personally I use a summary. For high schoolers, whom I’ve worked with in the past-I had them do really specific objectives." – @srlaugtug
Do you try to fit all of your expertise on 1 page or are you OK with it spilling into 2 pages?
"If e-mailing directly I do 2 pages. If ATS or online 1 page hitting keywords." – @AshShute
Is your résumé posted online? Why or why not?
"Yes my résumé is online because if I don’t post it then how do I expect recruiters/hiring managers to find me." – @collegegraduate
What does your résumé say about you? Or what do you hope it says about you?
"My résumé says what I want it to say to the employer Im applying to. Meaning, I tailor it to what they are looking for." – @srlaugtug
Do you include hobbies or other personal info on your résumé? Why or why not?
"Possibly include hobbies if related to the position you’re looking for, such as photography, painting, dancing." – @miss_smiley10

We asked recruiters:

What are your thoughts on objective vs. professional summary and which do you prefer?
"Objectives r usually a 2-3 line generic useless summary. Prof. Summary outlines strengths & career goals/interests. More useful" – @AshleyRecruits
Does résumé length matter to you?
"Rules made to be broken. If content is relevant to employer needs, concise & interesting, then forget pg count-go for content" – @DawnBugni
What are your biggest résumé turnoffs?
"Spacing & font should be consistent throughout. It shows lack of attention to detail if not." – @justinhywood
What are your thoughts about including hobbies and other personal info?
"Use common sense w hobbies, personal interests, volunteering > résumés. Relate to job? Include, making sure they point to specs." – @AnneMessenger

If you missed out on the fun, fear not, we'll be conducting these chats in the future. In fact, we'll be talking about résumés again on Wednesday, March 30, at 12 p.m. Central.
In the meantime, make sure you're following us on Twitter, and let us know what other topics you'd like to see us dovote a #cbjobchat to in the future.

About Career Planning: What is Career Planning?

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Career Planning

Career Planning

Choose a Career

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Career Advancement

From Dawn Rosenberg McKay, your Guide to Career Planning

Many people think career planning begins with figuring out what you want to do to make a living and ends when you have your first job. In fact, career planning is a lifelong process, which begins with choosing an occupation, training for it and then getting a job. It continues with growing in your job, possibly changing careers and eventually retiring.

The Career Planning Process

The career planning process is comprised of four steps: Self, Options, Match and Action. Find out how carefully attending to each of these steps can lead you toward career satisfaction.

See More About: career choice career tests self assessment

How to Choose a Career

Learn how to make a career choice when you don't really know what you want to do. While it will require a great deal of your time and energy, it's not an insurmountable task.

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Working With a Career Development Professional

Many people will claim they can help you with your career, but how do you know whom to trust? This article tells you how to make sure you're getting help from a qualified professional.

See More About: career counselors career choice career change

What Do College Career Services Offices Do?

College students, and often alumni, can get career planning help from the career services office at their school. This office usually assists people with career choice, exploration, job searching and sometimes graduate school advisement. Services may be available for college alumni who are making a career change.

See More About: career services career choice career counselors

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Where are all the Jobs?

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Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: 9 good signs for job growth

The Work Buzz's Latest News: 9 good signs for job growth

[New Posts] Being a Virtual Employee Means Being Proactive

[New Posts] Being a Virtual Employee Means Being Proactive

Friday, April 1, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: The hiring outlook hasn’t looked this good in three years

The Work Buzz's Latest News: The hiring outlook hasn’t looked this good in three years

Thursday, March 31, 2011

KODA. The Community Blog

KODA. The Community Blog

I was proud of my hard work, and I wanted to show that on my resume.

1.) Only take advice that works for you

2.) Don't be afraid to be different

3.) Be Proud

4.) Figure out Mechanics

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Will Millennials always be preceded by their reputation at work?

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Will Millennials always be preceded by their reputation at work?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: “Companies hiring this week” plus 1 more

The Work Buzz's Latest News: “Companies hiring this week” plus 1 more

About Career Planning: What is Career Planning?

Career Igniter