Friday, May 23, 2008

Strengthening Relationships and Building Networks with Thank You Notes



I am a strong believer in showing appreciation to co-workers, friends, family, and acquaintances who help and support you along the way.


Strengthen relationships that are critical to your career success by taking the time to express sincere gratitude whenever you receive help, says Robert Thompson, author of "The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable" (Jossey-Bass, 2008). It's a simple way to garner your peers' respect and ensure their future support. For instance, if your colleague stays late to help you with an important presentation, say thanks in a handwritten note, he suggests.


So few people take the time to say thank you and it can reap huge rewards.

For help with writing thank you notes visit Thank You Notes

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Fewer Mass Layoffs

U.S. employers took 1,308 mass layoff actions in April -- 263 fewer than in March -- seasonally adjusted, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Industries most involved include:

  • Temporary help services
  • School and employee bus transportation
  • Automobile manufacturing
  • Food-service contracting
  • Tax-preparation services.

Meanwhile, for the week ending May 17, initial unemployment claims dropped by 9,000 to 365,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to a separate announcement from the Labor Department.

Don't Waste Too Much Time on the Internet


Exploring job opportunities on Internet Job Boards is easier and less effective than networking your way into a job. Thousands of people are responding to jobs posted on the Internet. Instead of blasting your resume to posted jobs, you can:
  • Plan to make 3, 5, or 10 telephone calls a day to professional contacts, business associates, people who would be your immediate boss at companies that you are interested in and have researched on the Internet.

  • Keep your resume in front of you when you conduct your phone calls and be prepared with a 1 minute enticing description of yourself (including skills and abilities).

  • Always speak in terms of what you can contribute to, not what you hope to get from an employer.

  • Send out 3-5 resumes a day (or a goal that works best for you) to the person who would be your immediate boss at targeted companies for which you believe that you are the perfect fit; don't send out hundreds of resumes blindly.

  • When you can, send a hard copy of your resume after you send an e-mailed Microsoft Word attachment, ASCII file, and / or PDF file.

  • Follow-up with a phone call within a week after sending the resume.

  • Send thank you notes to anyone who is or has helped you with your job search and ocassionally follow up with phone calls.

Getting a job is a job but if you put forth the effort you may achieve faster and better responses and gain the position you hope to secure more rapidly.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Try LinkedIn JobsInsider To Help You With Your Job Search



LinkedIN JobsInsider downloads in to Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox browsers. After you download it you can:


  • Go to some of the top job boards, access a job, and find contacts from you LinkedIN network who work for the company

  • Contact those people for informational interviews

  • Find out more about the employer and the company culture

  • Bypass the Human Resource Department

  • Network your way to the hiring manager

You can find a link at the bottom of your LinkedIn home page that will provide you with the information needed to load the Insider widget into your browser.
The icon will be near your tool bar.

LinkedIN JobsInsider currently supports CareerBuilder, Monster, Hotjobs, Dice, CraigsList, SimplyHired, and Vault. When you go to these sites, a sidebar will open and any relevant connections will be viewed.

You are invited to join my network at http://www.linkedin.com/ or contact me at aresume@roadrunner.com and I will send you an invitation.
Arlene Schwartz Personalized Resume Service

Thursday, May 15, 2008

America's Top 10 Recession Proof Cities

Some cities have lower unemployment; strong and affordable housing markets; and industries that are continuing to grow, improving, or holding steady. Forbes top 10 recession proof cities are:

1. Oklahoma City, OK

2. San Antonio, TX

3. Austin, TX

4. San Jose, CA

5. Raleigh, NC

6. Salt Lake City, UT

7. Houston, TX

8. Seattle, WA

9. Charlotte, NC

10. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX



Forbes.com examined the country's 50 largest metros and looked at several key measures:

  • Unemployment data supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the year ending in February 2008 to see which areas are most adding or subtracting jobs.

  • BLS data on job growth in non-farm payrolls, through February 2008, for construction, education and health services, financial activities, information, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, natural resources and mining, professional and business services, trade, transportation and utilities, and the BLS's catch-all category, "other services."

  • Median home price data from the National Association of Realtors--from the fourth quarter of 2006 to the fourth quarter of 2007--to see which areas posted the largest annual gains. This data doesn't account for the impact of declining sales in the first several months of this year.

  • Rankings were adjusted using data from a November 2007 report, "U.S. Metro Economies: The Mortgage Crisis," by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. It lists each city's estimated gross metropolitan product growth by projecting how rising foreclosures and falling home prices would affect overall levels of productivity in local economies

Monday, May 12, 2008

10 Tips for Being Selected for a Leadership Position

If you are interested in advancing your career and being seen as having great leadership qualities you might want to develop and enhance the following skills and attributes:
  1. Listening and communicating effectively
  2. Exuding energy and enthusiasm
  3. Remaining calm under pressure
  4. Taking responsibility for your actions
  5. Acknowledging the contributions of others
  6. Being comfortable outside your area of expertise
  7. Showing willingness to take risks
  8. Building coalitions and teamwork
  9. Influencing others
  10. Reflecting comfortably on your strengths and weaknesses
  11. Adapting effectively to change
When employers see these characteristics in you, they will be more inclined to select you for grooming for leadership positions.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Forbes Best and Worst Cities for Commuters



Forbes lists are always of interest to me because they often provide an element that can be used in the process of selecting a new job or influence the decision to relocate. This years's list of the Best and Worst Commutes in the United States might have an impact on your decision. The worst commutes are effected by rapid expansion, urban sprawl, and lack of rapid transit systems among other things.

Best Cities for Commuters
  1. Buffalo, NY

  2. Salt Lake City, UT

  3. Milwaukee, WI

  4. Oklahoma City, OK

  5. Pittsburgh, PA

  6. Cleveland, OH

  7. Hartford, CT

  8. Kansas City, MO
  9. Cincinnati, OH
  10. Richmond, VA

Worst Cities for Commuters

  1. Atlanta, GA - the fastest growing city in the U.S.
  2. Detroit, MI
  3. Miami, FL
  4. Orlando, FL
  5. Dallas, TX
  6. Tampa, FL
  7. Washington, DC
  8. Houston, TX
  9. Los Angeles, CA
  10. San Francisco, CA

Five Best and Worst Commutes in Small Cities


Best

  1. Corpus Chrisiti, TX
  2. Eugene, OR
  3. Anchorage, AK

  4. Fresno, CA
  5. Rochester, NY

Worst

  1. Birmingham, AL

  2. Raleigh, NC

  3. Cape Coral, FL

  4. Allentown, PA

  5. Oxnard, CA

Best and Worst Cities for Commuters

For more job-finding information visit www.aresumes.com

Monday, May 5, 2008

10 Emerging Careers

In this rapidly changing global world, no matter how educated, skilled, and accomplished you are, you need to continue to grow and be open to change. Obsolete jobs are being replaced by new ones all of the time.

The 10 hottest emerging careers are:
1. Nursing Informatics - educated in both nursing and health information technology, these professionals bridge the gap between IT and patient care--an essential part of healthcare in the future. Many of them make over $100,000 a year.

2. Experience Designer - prepared in retail and merchandising management, these professionals do everything from selecting colors and fabrics to determining the scents or sounds of a room, to create the ultimate shopping experience. They average around $60,000 a year.

3. Viral Marketers - savvy marketing or advertising pros with multimedia design training, create "contagion" about products or services through word-of-mouth. And the more sophisticated audiences get, the more sophisticated tactics by well-trained viral marketers will be needed. In big cities, marketers average roughly $80,000.

4. Bloggers - freelance writers, marketers, Web designers, finance professionals--even tea-drinkers--can draw people from around the world to read what they're thinking. Businesses are often hiring people to blog about their products, and some bloggers can actually sell ads on their personal blogs. Top bloggers can make six figures, and a handful are said to make millions.

5. HVACR Technicians - heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration may not be new, but what these technicians do now is. Energy-efficiency and indoor air quality are hot topics, and those who know how to work with ever-more-sophisticated HVACR systems are few and far between. Salaries may range from $35,000 up to the triple digits.

6. Carbon Management Consultant - usually MBAs in an engineering or project management specialty--are an integral part of helping businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, which everyone's concerned with these days, thanks to climate change and tough legislation. These specialists might earn between $60,000-$100,000--or more while making the world a safer place.

7. International Logistics Manager - usually having degrees in logistics or supply chain management, these professionals ensure that materials and products are transported safely, on time, and within budget. Global trade is projected to increase by 9% in the coming years. Average salaries exceed $60,000 a year.

8. Conservation Scientists - formerly called "forest rangers," these environmental jobs are among the nation's fastest growing because there's more to protecting our national wild lands than preventing forest fires. A diploma in wildlife and forestry conservation can lead to this career. The median annual salary of over $56,000.

9. Welders - newer, cleaner methods and the need for welding in high tech industries have revolutionized welding. The Bureau of Labor Statististics predicts that 250,000 welding jobs will be open in 2014. Those willing to travel can earn as much as $50 an hour.

10. Personal Chef - one of the fastest growing culinary careers. People who are interested in letting someone else cook, don't have time to shop, and prefer to eat at home are relying more and more on personal chefs.

If you prepare for one of these emerging careers, you may be helping the future and building a rewarding career for yourself.

10 Great Careers You've Probably Never Heard Of

Friday, May 2, 2008

20,000 Jobs Lost in April

The U.S. economy lost 20,000 jobs, not 75,000 jobs as had been expected and the unemployment rate went down to 5%, not up, in April.

This is the 4th consecutive month of job losses, but an improvement from the 81,000 reductions in payrolls in March.

Businesses are handing out pink slips as they cope with an economy that is on the edge of a recession, or possibly in one already. A severe housing slump, harder-to-get credit, and financial turmoil have forced people and businesses to be more cautious in their spending. And that has hurt the economy.

Jobs cuts in April include:
  • Construction - 61,000
  • Manufacturers - 46,000
  • Retailers - 27,000

Goods-producing businesses cut 110,000 jobs in April, the largest number of job reductions since January 2002, after trimming 88,000 in March.

Those losses were eclipsed by gains in:

  • Health Care
  • Professional and Business Services
  • Government
Service industries added 90,000 jobs - the most since last December - with most of them coming in the health care and professional technical services sectors.

The weak labor market is making employers feel less generous with compensation. Average hourly earnings for jobholders rose to $17.88 in April, a tiny 0.1 percent rise from the previous month. That was less than the 0.3 percent rise economists were forecasting. Over the last 12 months, wages have grown by 3.4 percent.

Meanwhile, increasing energy and food prices are taking a bite out of paychecks. If the job market continues to falter, wage growth probably will slow, too, making people even less inclined to spend. That would spell further trouble for the economy.

Job losses for both February (76,000) and March (83,000) turned out to be greater than previously reported.

U.S. Job Losses in April Not as Deep as Feared

US Unemployment Benefits Rose Last Week

The Labor Department's report on jobless claims is not good, but is not surprising. The number of newly laid off workers rose by 35,000 to 380,000 last week. Economists had expected that the number would be less than 18,000. C0ntinued unemployment insurance claims from those already receiving benefits rose in the week ending April 19 to 3,019,000, up 74,000.

The unemployment report for April will be released tomorrow and is expected to show the unemployment rate is 5.2%, up from 5.1% in March.

Jobless Claims Surge