Hope for Jobs - Employment Training Institute » Unemployment

August Job Numbers Redux

Kate Lorenz — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:27:02 +0000

They say bad news comes in threes, but what about good news?

While the unemployment rate edged up to 9.6 percent, there are a few things that cause us to take a “glass half full” perspective on U.S. employment this month.

Yes, nonfarm payroll employment declined by -54,000 in August, BUT it was better than economist predictions that job loss could be up to -105,000

Secondly, June’s job loss was originally reported to be -221,000; it was revised to -175,000. And July’s number was revised from a loss of -131,000 to a decline of -54,000. (The Pollyanna in me is thinking about what August’s revision will be next month.)

Finally, while Government employment fell by -121,000, reflecting the departure of 114,000 temporary Census 2010 workers from federal government payrolls, private-sector payroll employment continued to trend up modestly by adding 67,000 jobs.

Dean Maki of Barclays Capital told Forbes: “On balance, the upward revisions make the report a bit stronger than we expected. It does not change the recent trend of moderate growth in private payrolls and is inconsistent with fears that a sharp slowdown in the economy is underway.”

Here’s a look at how some of the major sectors fared in August:

Health care increased by 28,000, with the largest gains occurring in ambulatory health care services (+17,000) and hospitals (+9,000).
Manufacturing employment dropped by -27,000. A decline in motor vehicles and parts (-22,000) offset a gain of similar magnitude in July as the industry geared up for its annual retooling.
Temporary help services, which have added 392,000 jobs since a recent employment low in September 2009, added 17,000 jobs.
Construction employment was up by 19,000, partially reflected by the return of the payrolls of 10,000 workers who were on strike in July.
Retail trade was relatively unchanged. A job gain among motor vehicle and parts dealers (+8,000) was essentially offset by losses in building materials and garden supply stores (-6,000).

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Is Going Back to School the Right Move?

anthony balderrama — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:15:35 +0000

Education has become something of a go-to during the Great Recession. Millions of workers have lost their jobs since the end of 2007, and suddenly the job market was filled with education, experienced workers who were usually sought after. Skilled professionals with a decade or more of experience found themselves competing against younger, less experienced professionals who had a better grasp of new and emerging technology and trends. Heading back to the classroom quickly became an attractive – and in some cases necessary – step toward finding a job.

In a recent New York Times article, Steven Greenhouse takes a look at professionals returning to school and their reasons. As you might expect, many workers want to refresh their skills and catch up on the changes that occurred since they graduated. For the unemployed, closing a gap in skill levels is their best chance to get their résumés on the top of the stack. For employed workers, it’s a way to advance in the company and stay ahead of job seekers applying for jobs.

Greenhouse explains:

“Some people have worked at a prosperous company for five years and are eager to move up, or are unemployed and eager to reinvent themselves. Still others are in an industry where successive waves of downsizing have made job security seem shaky. And more of them are concluding that if there is an answer to their problems, it’s more education.”

Returning to school is not as simple as deciding to get any degree or take a few courses and see the job offers and higher salaries pour in. Continuing education students can earn a degree, earn a certification or take only the classes that interest them. The important thing, as Greenhouse notes, is to know what you want and to find and program that gives you the proper guidance. Not every industry is the same, much less every employer. A second master’s degree won’t give every person a boost, and in the end you could end up losing plenty of time and money.

“Any good continuing education program, [dean of the University of Minnesota’s college of continuing education Mary Nichols] said, takes an individualized approach to its students. ‘We’re not in the business of steering people toward things,” she said. “We’re in the business of helping people capitalize on their strengths and put together ways to build on their interests and passions.’

“Cathy A. Sandeen, dean of continuing education at U.C.L.A., suggested, ‘Look at trends in your field. Look at your current skills and what do you need to augment your skills to make you more relevant and more attractive in your field.’”

Greenhouse, Nichols and Sandeen make a good point that many job seekers forget. Education is a serious commitment, and unless you have plenty of time and money at your disposal, returning to school comes with tradeoffs. The time you’ll spending going to class (online or on site), studying and researching means less time with your significant other, family or DVR.

And you’ll need to pay for this schooling, which might be a difficult feat if you’re unemployed. If you are employed, perhaps your employer has a continuing education benefit that covers some or all of the cost. Either way, crunch the numbers, consult the financial aid department and look for grants and scholarships. Education is an investment, yes, but you want to be certain you’ll recover the cost of that investment.

For one of the interviewees in Greenhouse’s article, the cost was less damaging than not returning to school.

“Mr. Torres, who had been laid off from his job as a senior database marketing analyst at Scholastic, said that before taking the course, he had been getting many job interviews.

“’They kept asking me whether I had any Web analysis experience, any experience in search engine marketing, search engine optimization or mobile marketing,’ he said. ‘I had to say no, and that hurt my chances.’”

Fortunately, the time and effort paid off with a new job.

Judging from your responses to a recent post asking what reasons you’ve heard for not getting a job, education is a common response. Have you returned to school, taken online courses, earned a certification or mulled over any other education options recently? Let us know what you’ve done and what worked (and didn’t work) for you.

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How To Calculate Unemployment – Video

Resumark Blog — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:35:58 +0000

Most Unusual Job Search Tactics that Have Worked

Resumark Blog — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:24:46 +0000

Let’s face it - it is not easy finding work these days and some job seekers have no choice but to resort to unusual job search tactics. Companies love when candidates think outside the box and can prove their competency or solve a problem in an original and a create way. However, keep in mind, that an unorthodox tactic could be appreciated in one firm and be seen unprofessional at another. Always use common sense and make sure to show real value to the employer. While stunts may get someone’s attention they quickly lose their sizzle and after a good laugh you would still be without a job.

We have assembled some of the most creative and unique strategies that have left impressions and even got the candidate hired. Enjoy:

• Alec Brownstein bought ads on Google for names of top advertising executives. When those people did their customary search of their own names for press hits, they saw Brownstein’s ad along with a link back to his own website with his resume and portfolio of previous projects.

• A candidate offered a money-back guarantee on his initial six months’ salary if he didn’t perform as expected.

• Jamie Varon created a website Twitter Should Hire Me to gain the attention of hiring managers at Twitter.com.

• A Pennsylvania banker sent a resume in an empty Starbucks coffee cup through Fedex, so that the hiring manager would have to sign for it. Shortly after receiving the delivery confirmation, the banker called and asked if the hiring manager would meet him for coffee to talk about how he could help the company.

• Paul Nawrockiosh found a job by wearing a sandwich board on the streets of New York City, handing out his resumes.

• A candidate brought in a DVD with a recording of his former boss giving him a recommendation on camera.

• Actor Fabrice Yahyaoui featured posters in the New York Subway, with his headshots, name in huge type and a web address, along with a caption: “This man is an actor. He [expletive] wants to act. Cast him.”

• A candidate for a casino dealer position came into the recruiter’s office and started dealing cards while pretending to talk to players, which showed her great guest service skills.

• Robin Stearns launched a website called Hire My Husband to help her spouse find a job.

• An IT professional sent a letter explaining how to solve an issue the company was having with a certain type of technology that they were unable to fix for a long time. Needless to say, that person got hired.

• Jeff Donaldson, an engineer, used a chain letter method by mailing a well-written letter and a resume to all his contacts, asking them to forward it to anyone they knew who maybe in the position to help. He soon discovered that there were many people willing to forward his letter and he eventually got a contract.

• Another candidate wrote a detailed business plan for one of the company’s products and submitted it along with their resume.

• Alec Biednzycki recorded a music video called Hire Me and uploaded it to YouTube.

• A web designer redesigned the entire marketing company’s website and the company loved it so much that the individual got a permanent job as the senior web designer at the firm.

• Pasha Stocking landed a job by advertising her availability by running ads on billboards along a busy highway.

• Many job seekers have been known to contribute articles to popular online blogs, focusing on finding the right contacts, and branding themselves as experts into the process. In fact, we have several such contributors working with us at Resumark.com. Please contact us if you are interested!

Have you heard of other unusual and successful job search tactics? If so, please share them with the readers in the comments!

Photo: University graduate David Rowe walks in London. REUTERS

U.S. Federally-Backed Program To Train 3,000 Offshore IT Workers

Resumark Blog — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:57:09 +0000

Despite President Obama’s pledge to retain hi-tech jobs in the U.S., the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a $36 million campaign to train workers, including 3,000 specialists in IT and related functions, in South Asia, InformationWeek reports. Later we learned that USAID also launched a similar program in Armenia.

After their training, the tech workers will be hired by outsourcing vendors that provide offshore IT and business services to American companies looking to take advantage of the low labor costs.

Under President Obama’s appointee director Rajiv Shah, USAID will partner with private outsourcers in other countries to teach workers advanced IT skills like Enterprise Java (Java EE) programming, as well as business process outsourcing and call center support. USAID will also help them improve their English language skills.

During his presidential run, Obama argued that lawmakers needed to do more to keep hi-tech jobs in IT, biological sciences, and green energy in the country. He also accused the Bush administration of creating tax loopholes that made it easier for U.S. companies to place work offshore. Recently Obama, speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Atlanta, boasted about his efforts to reduce offshoring and said that he has implemented a plan to make our middle class more secure and our country more competitive - so that the jobs and industries of the future aren’t all going to China and India, but are being created right here in the United States of America.

However, this outsourcing program is going to draw the most fire from critics. If US citizens and corporations want to operate in foreign countries, that’s their privilege, but they should do so entirely at their own expense and risk.

July Job Numbers Redux

Kaitlin Madden — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:32:13 +0000

The July job numbers were released by the BLS this morning, and they tell a similar story to months past. For the second month in a row, the unemployment rate held steady at 9.5 percent, and the decline of temporary Census workers contributed to an overall decrease in non-farm payrolls, which fell 131,000 in July.

Private sector employment rose by 71,000 last month, beating out June’s gain of 31,000, but still falling short of the 90,000 jobs that economists predicted would be added in July.

Despite signs of a stagnant job recovery, though, the news wasn’t all bad. Overall, the BLS reports that private sector employment has increased by 630,000 this year. Positive numbers were also reported in industries like health care, which has added 231,000 jobs in the past 12 months, manufacturing, which has added 183,000 jobs since December 2009, and transportation, which has added 56,000 jobs since February.

Additionally, according to CareerBuilder’s own data based on number of job posting on its site, industries like sales, marketing, IT, customer service, skilled labor and entry-level positions have all shown sequential improvements this year.

Other good news from the BLS report:

For the third month in a row, the number of people working part-time because they could not find full-time work dropped.
The average hourly wage rose slightly in July, from $22.55, to $22.59.

The BLS also put out revised numbers for the May and June job numbers, editing non-farm payroll employment for May from +433,000 to +432,000, and revising June’s change from -125,000 to -221,000.

For more information about July job numbers, check out this clip of CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson, from this morning’s Squawk Box on CNBC.

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Why have you been told you’re not getting the job?

anthony balderrama — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:11:55 +0000

A story that the Today show ran this week left me scratching my head. Not because of their reporting, which was a very good read, but because of the stories relayed by the interviewees. See, the article looks at the often discussed but still unsolved dour job situation for Millennials. The title says it all: “Gen Y: No jobs, lots of loans, grim future.”

Well, that’s cheery.

Young job seekers who have graduated from college or graduate school are struggling to find work. Some of these new job seekers are struggling not only to find the perfect jobs in their fields, but also to find any jobs that will cover their living expenses. It goes on to talk about the competition between these job seekers and baby boomers who are deferring their retirements.

“A quarter of workers postponed their retirement in the past year, with 33 percent of workers now expecting to retire after 65, according to a retirement survey by The Employment Benefit Research Institute.

“If they do manage to get hired, younger employees are often the first to be fired in layoffs. And when Millennials do land a job, it probably won’t be as lucrative due to intense competition for jobs. That means that this generation’s potential earning power is likely to lag over the course of their careers.”

Millennials are overqualified, from an education perspective. Yet, many of them lack the work experience needed for many positions so they’re not experienced enough. They can’t seem to win.

If you’ll recall, we recently asked you to weigh in on the overqualified debate. And you weighed in with passionate responses. Judging by your comments on that post, it seems that employers are turning away candidates who have too much education or too many years of leadership or just too many years in the workforce. They’re afraid you’ll jump ship the second the economy bounces back. By their logic, a 40-something year-old job seeker with 20 years of experience is a flight risk. Yet, as you readers have also told us, many baby boomers with decades of experience are being edged out by companies who want younger workers who are in tune with technology. But aren’t these younger Gen Y workers considered too inexperienced, as the Today article explains?

Judging by the comments you leave on the Work Buzz, Facebook, and Twitter, you’re frustrated with what you’re hearing from employers. (Or, in some cases, not hearing.) We want to know what feedback you’re getting and whether it’s helpful to you in your job search or if it only confuses you further.

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Shrinking Middle Class in America

Resumark Blog — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:30:41 +0000

The United States used to have the largest and most prosperous middle class in the world, but now that is changing and the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a blinding speed.

The main reason for such fundamental changes is the side effects of the globalism and “free trade” that our leaders insisted would be so good for us. It turned out that they forgot to tell us that in “global economy” American workers would eventually have to directly compete for jobs with people in other countries with no minimum wage and few other regulations. Over the last several decades the big global corporations have greatly benefited by exploiting third world labor, but more and more middle class Americans have found things to be very tough.

Most people have nothing to offer in the marketplace other than their labor and absolutely dependent on someone else giving them a job. U.S. workers are much less attractive today compared to the rest of the world. They are extremely expensive, and the government keeps passing regulations that makes it even more difficult to conduct business in the United States. Therefore large corporations are moving operations out of the U.S. and, since the U.S. government does not penalize them for doing so, there is no incentive for them to stay.

No matter how smart and educated or how hard working you are, you just cannot compete with people who are willing to work 12 hours a day for less than a dollar an hour. No corporation in their right mind is going to pay you 10 times more (plus benefits) to do the same job. Wealth and power are rapidly concentrating at the top and the big global corporations are making a lot of money while the American middle class is being wiped out of existence as U.S. workers are slowly being merged into the new global labor pool.

There are about six unemployed Americans for every new job opening in the United States and the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks. There simply are not enough jobs for everyone. While people at the top are doing quite well, most Americans are finding it difficult to make it. Even those who are able to get jobs are finding that they are making less money than they used to. More than 40 percent of employed Americans are now working in service jobs, which are often have very low wages.

The top 1% of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America’s corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago. Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States went up 16% last year. The top 10% of Americans now earn around 50% of the national income. The middle class in America is dying and once it is gone it will be incredibly difficult to rebuild.

The Power of Relocation To Help You Restart Your Career

Resumark Blog — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:31:19 +0000

The stats are daunting: millions of Americans have been out of work for 99 weeks or longer. Millions more are about to join them. For every job opening, according to the Department of Labor, there are at least five applicants.

So what’s a body to do?

There are many ways to increase your chances of finding a suitable job. One of them you may not have considered is relocating. The biggest advantage of relocating is that you can pick a geographical area that offers more opportunities in the field, profession, or career you’re pursuing. A secondary advantage is that, since you’re moving in from out of town, you may be perceived as a more interesting and desirable candidate than the crowd who have been interviewed before for previous openings.

But unless you have a reason to move to a specific town, it’s important that you search for good job-hunting grounds before you pick a new place. Looking before you leap also allows you to look for work in several different locations before you commit the time and resources needed to physically move your happy home.

Begin by reading up on locations that seem to offer opportunities that may suit you. Contact local Chambers of Commerce for detailed information on their areas. Check on the cost of living, the climate, and other matters that may be important to you, such as the quality of the schools, the cultural offerings, and the transportation picture (distances from residential areas to work areas, traffic flow, train routes and schedules, bus routes and schedules, the potential to walk or bicycle to work, and so forth). Most important, what type and size of employers are located there, and what job opportunities seem to be available?

Once you find a location that seems promising, check out the area’s major employers. You can get help on this from your local reference librarian, or use the Internet. Chamber of Commerce membership directories will offer you a starting list of potential employers. Many large employers — like banks, insurance companies and telephone companies – have offices in a number of different locations. Other companies are more limited geographically. You can also start looking for jobs in specific locales by using a site like this one: http://www.quintcareers.com/Global_job_resources.html

As you narrow down your list of potential employers, begin researching their employment needs. Try to identify key people you’ll want to contact. But don’t give up on a company just because you can’t find a good contact person; you can always just call their HR departments and start asking questions.

Another worthwhile approach is to locate successful recruiters in your target zone and ask if they can help you find work. (Most recruiters start with a job opening and look for suitable candidates, rather than starting with a candidate and looking for a suitable job. But you may find that you fit the requirements for a job they’re trying to fill.)

Don’t forget to go through local want-ads in your target locations. Keep in mind, though, that a disappointingly small percentage of new hires find their new jobs through classified advertisements. You’ll probably obtain just as many good leads to possible jobs by reading the business news about your target locations. News of businesses that are growing, hiring, moving into the area, and expanding to new locations within the region provide strong clues about which employers might be looking for additional employees.

If you can narrow down to just one or two locations, consider joining relevant organizations there — even before you move in. Lodges, professional associations, and straight-ahead “networking organizations” may offer you unmatched opportunities to communicate with well-connected people in your soon-to-be-new home town, and to tap into their knowledge and contacts to help you land a good job.

Small Businesses Provide Opportunities for Unemployed Workers

Kaitlin Madden — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:49:57 +0000

You know your hyper-ambitious-friend with the start-up scented candle business, who comes to your house once a week to ask your opinion on how her new gingerbread-chocolate-popcorn- scented candles smell? She may be a total pain, but next time she stops by, humor her. She’s doing a good thing for the economy.

According to the U.S. Small Business Association, small businesses (those with less than 500 employees) create over half of our nation’s GDP and nearly two-thirds of all new jobs. Additionally, according to CareerBuilder’s latest survey, unemployed workers have a good chance of being hired by a small business — or starting one of their own — during the second half of 2010.

“Historically, it has been the small business sector that has created the most jobs at the end of an economic downturn, allowing the overall job market to bounce back faster,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “The intellectual capital that companies were forced to lay off over the last 18-24 months was substantial and it is not surprising that many individuals are using their business skills to create their own opportunities.”

According to the CareerBuilder survey, from July-December 2010:

Thirty-two percent of companies with 500 or less employees plan to hire new workers.
Twenty-one percent will hire full-time, 11 percent will hire part-time and 6 percent will hire contractors or temporary workers.
Twenty-four percent of companies with 50 or less employees plan to bring on new workers.
Twenty-six percent of workers who were laid off in the last six-months say they are considering starting a small business instead of looking for full-time work.

The survey also found that there is no shortage of imagination when it comes to small-biz start-ups, either. The following is a sampling of the types of businesses survey participants indicated they have started over the last year (check out lucky #13, that candle-hawking friend story was no joke):

Whether you’re thinking about starting your own version of Merry Maids or you’re looking to give Mrs. Fields a run for her money, below are a few ideas (get more tips here, here and here) to take into consideration before starting your own small business:

Build off what (and whom) you know: Use the knowledge from your past experiences and jobs to develop your business. Reach out to former colleagues, vendors, clients, etc. to let them know that you’re in business for yourself.
Try contract or freelance work first: Taking on contract and temporary opportunities will help you build your portfolio and networking contacts. If you’re in a product-based business, take on small jobs or orders first, to work out any kinks. If you’re starting a bakery, for example, offer to cater desserts for a family celebration, before taking on paying customers.
Promote your business with social media:Promote your personal brand by starting a blog, or using sites like Facebook, Twitter, Brightfuse.com and others. Make sure to include links to past work, testimonials and accomplishments.
Consider a franchise: Going in on a franchise business with others or on your own can be a great way to dip your foot in the water of owning your own business. Franchisees gain access to the names, resources, and marketing materials of well-known companies, in exchange for a percentage of the franchise profit.

Need inspiration? Check out these interviews with successful entrepreneurs: Interior designer, matchmaker, online community builder.

Also, check out:

7 Easy Steps to a Freelance Life

The New Generation of Entrepreneurs

5 Unusual Work From Home Jobs

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