Keep Learning and You Will Increase Your Chances of Getting a Job

Learning continually is essential to ensuring your success in the job market. You can find a lot to help you grow your skills through free videos and podcasts online and through free classes at the library. Your library card will also allow you free access (often from home) to expensive databases that you can use as resources in your job search. Your librarian is also a valuable source for finding information. One of the most valuable things I learned is college is that the only stupid question is the one that goes unasked.

Consider taking university classes. You can take many of these online.

Join Toastmasters or take Dale Carnegie courses to hone your public speaking and sales skills.

Keep abreast of current events and new advances in healthcare, business, and technology no matter what your field.

If you are in a technology field by the your third year of college much of what you learned in the first year will be obsolete.

Never stop learning and you will be much more marketable.

Great New Book for All Job Hunters - Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door

Since most people have 3-4 careers and 10-12 jobs by the age of 40 according to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics, it is important to continue building your job-finding skills. Proactive preparedness is a much better plan than reactive panic. This week, I read the perfect book to add to your library if you are an X Generation, Y Generation, or Baby Boomer – Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door – Job Search Secrets No One Else Will Tell You by Harvey MacKay.

This book is an easy read with short chapters, anecdotal stories, and great tips to boost your skills in planning and conducting an effective job search. Harvey MacKay reinforces much of what I have been telling my clients for over 15 years, including:

• The best method of finding a job is through networking by phone and in person (66% of all jobs are found this way).


• The best online network is Linkedin.com.


• To remain marketable, you must continue learning.


• Be willing to offer assistance to others.


• Anger is only one letter away from danger. It can be destructive if it isn’t dealt with.


• Believe in yourself. You are never a failure until you think you are.


• Don’t take rejection personally and remember, all you need is one yes!


• Use your computer for researching industries, companies, employers, and specific individuals but don’t spend valuable time that you could use for networking in person on the computer.


• Take extra copies of your resume to the interview. (I say at least 6).


• Be prepared to answer and ask specific questions at interviews.


• Dress professionally even if you are told it is casual Friday. First impressions really can make a difference and casual is only for after you are hired.


• The last candidate interviewed has a greater chance of being offered the job.


• Send a handwritten thank you note within 24 hours after the interview, including one to the gatekeeper. This can be the deciding factor.

Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door also provides lists and tools to help you maximize your chances to capture a job in this competitive market in which there are 6-8 candidates for every position.

I recommend this as a must read book and a great gift.

For more information visit http://www.aresumes.com/

Please Don't Text, Talk, and E-Mail While Driving

I watched a television program on the horrific effects of texting and talking on cell phones when driving. It is a terrible distraction that has increased the senseless deaths of countless lives. According to one source, the effects of these actions are 80% worse than driving while under the influence of alcohol and / or drugs. Nearly 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year because drivers are talking, texting, and e-mailing behind the wheel. "I witnessed a neighbor who pulled out of his driveway without looking, stopped in front of me for a long period of time, drove on the wrong side of the road, and crashed a stop sign while talking on a cell phone. Fortunately, no cars were coming from the other direction. I know that cell phones have become a part of everyday life and that many use them as part of their business, but can’t these calls be completed in parking lots, coffee shops, and restaurants before driving off to your next appointment? We are talking about people’s lives – children, parents, brothers, sisters, and friends. Once you have lost someone to such a tragedy, your life is never the same. And, to have been the reason for a lost life is an unbearable burden to live with. So please text and talk on cell phones before and after you hit the road – not while driving. The life you save may be that of someone you love, or your own.

Where the Jobs Will be Found in the Next Four Years

The March 29th issue of Time Magazine has an article,“JOBS, Where They Are and How to Find Them by Barbara Kiviat. It describes the following:

WHERE THE JOBS WILL AND WILL NOT BE FOUND

• TEXAS – Population growth and steady home prices will set the stage for new jobs.


• WEST – Job gains will seem robust partly because the losses were so severe during the recession.


• NORTHEAST – Finance employment has not fallen as much as was feared, so there are fewer jobs to add back.


• RUST BELT – Manufacturing continues to decline. Green tech is looked to as a savior.
  

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE PER JOB OPENING IN INDUSTRY

• Education and Health 2.3


• Government 2.3


• Professional and Business Services 3.5


• Information 3.8


• Financial 4.0


• Wholesale and Retail Trade 6.4


• Leisure and Hospitality 7.2


• Manufacturing and Nondurable Goods 7.5


• Transportation and Utilities 11.3


• Oil and Gas Extraction and Mining 14.2


• Manufacturing of Durable Goods 16.0


• Construction 34.8

Metro areas expected to increase annual growth in employment over the next 4 years by over 3% include:

• Austin, TX
• Dallas, TX
• Riverside, CA
• Las Vegas, NV
• Nashville, TN
• Atlanta, GA
• Tampa, FL
• Orlando, FL
• Charlotte, NC
• Raleigh, NC

Those projected to increase annual growth in employment by 2% - 3% include:

• Columbus, OH
• Indianapolis, IN
• Kansas City, KS
• Memphis, TN
• Birmingham. AL
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Baltimore, MD
• Washington, DC
• Virginia Beach, VA
• Jacksonville, FL
• Miami, FL
• Houston, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Phoenix, AZ
• Tucson, AZ
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Seattle, WA
• Portland, AZ
• Sacramento, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• San Jose, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• San Diego, CA

WHAT JOBS WILL BE ADDED AND SUBTRACTED IN THE NEXT 4 YEARS

EDUCATION AND HEALTH +1.2M

• Educational Services –42,000

BUSINESS

• Professional, Scientific, and Technical +1.1 million


• Real Estate +135,000


• Finance and Insurance +44,000


• Management of Companies –63,000


• Retail – Motor Vehicles +116,000


• Retail – Food and Beverage –13,000


• Retail Gasoline –111,000
  

DURABLE GOODS MANUFACTURING

• Transportation +395,000


• Machinery +164,000


• Wood Products +162,000


• Computers and Electronics +89,000


• Primary Metals +83,000


• Furniture and Related Goods +68,000
  

NONDURABLE GOODS MANUFACTURING

• Food +59,000


• Paper and Paper Products +24,000


• Chemicals +22,000


• Beverages and Tobacco -9,000


• Petroleum and Coal Products -9,000


• Apparel -19,000


• Printing and Related Support -44,000

LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY

• Accommodation and Food Services +522,000


• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation +74,000

OTHER

• Construction +685,000


• Transportation and Warehousing +600,000


• Publishing -14,000


• Utilities -32,000

GOVERNMENT

• State and Local +439,000


• Federal -123,000

NATURAL RESOURCES

• Logging +9,000


• Mining -50,000
  
  Source: IRS Global Insight – projections are based on a large scale macroeconomic model of the US, its regions, and its industries.
  
  
  

E-Cover Letters and More

• Electronic cover letters are used in the body of e-mails when you send your resume and cover letter as an attachment.


• Electonic cover letters should be brief, to the point, written in bullet style format, and generally sent in response to a specific advertisement or posting.


• You have less time than in a traditional cover letter to catch the attention of the reader.

• Your e-mailed cover letter must capture your unique qualifications, highlight your most significant accomplishments, and request an interview.
  

Tips for making your e-mail cover letter work:

• Use the e-mail subject line to let employers know your reason for contacting them. Mention the title of the position and your subject line or referred by Tom Sullivan for the position of regional sales manager. Resume of Jim Thornton, Sales Manager, referred by Tom Sullivan.


• Bulleted cover letters often work best because they are easier and faster to read.


• Do not include the employer or recruiter’s full mailing address. Use only Dear Mr. Green.


• Make sure that your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct. Your e-mailed communication sets the tone and is your first impression. Don't ruin your chances!


• In response to an advertisement, you may address salary history, salary requirements, ability to relocate, citizenship or residency status, foreign language skills, and technology proficiency questions.


• You may include your longer cover letter in the body of a file with the resume that you are sending as an attachment.


• Be aware that it is very easy to automatically delete e-mailed communications.


• When possible, follow up, with a hard copy of your resume mailed to the employer or recruiter.


• Follow up by telephone to make sure that the attached resume was received and read. Sometimes e-mailed resumes can be caught in spam filters. This is a good reason to make that follow up phone call. At the same time, you can try to arrange a meeting.

IT Jobs Available at The J.M. Smucker Company

If you are looking for an IT job with a successful, growing company you can check out smuckerscareers.com. They are interested in filling the following positions:

• Applications Developer - Oracle HR / Payroll
• User Support Analyst
• Applications Developer - Sales and Marketing
• Applications Developer - Supply Chain / Order Management
• Applications Developer / Analyst - Enterprise Business Intelligence
• Lead System Administrator - Infrastructure
• Senior Siebel Developer

A Bachelor's degree and experience is required.

Good News - Green Manufacturing Jobs in Ohio

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, recently announced that they have have signed a world-wide licensing agreement to mass produce and market Argonne’s patented composite cathode materials to manufacturers of advanced lithium-ion batteries.

The agreement includes a proposal for the the construction of a world manufacturing plant in Elyria, Ohio that will create hundreds of high paying green jobs. When completed, the facility is expected to be the largest cathode material production facility in North America.

The impact of such a facility is anticipated to be significant as the facility construction and staffing will have a positive economic impact for Ohio and will attract further businesses to North America.

Should You Put Your Photo on Linkedin and Other Sites

I have been thinking about the risks vs. benefits of a photo on online networking sites when you are looking for a job. It is illegal for an employer to hire you based on your age, race, ethnicity, or religion but I keep thinking about Susan Boyle. Susan has the most beautiful voice and I have listened to her more than once on You Tube. She shocked everyone on Britain's Got Talent because she wasn't young and beautiful. Once she was heard, she won over the crowd. But before she started singing, the audience was laughing at her. It was awful.

So, do you really need to put a picture on your LinkedIn site in order to connect with others? I don't know the answer. If you do upload a photo, I think it should be a professional looking head shot. Contrary to what you may think, many employers are still pretty conservative.

If you have any ideas about putting photos on the Internet make a comment or send me an e-mail at aresume@roadrunner.com

Top 10 Best Metros for Business and Careers

1. Raleigh NC
2. Fort Collins CO
3. Durham NC
4. Fayetteville AR
5. Lincoln NE
6. Asheville NC
7. Des Moines IA
8. Austin TX
9. Boise ID
10. Colorado Springs CO
    

View the complete list at Forbes Best Places for Business and Careers

Avoid Fluff Words on Your Resume

Employers and recruiters see so many resumes with fluff or meaningless words that these words really turn them off. Some words to avoid on your resume are:

• Visionary
• Insightful
• Inspirational
• Interface
• Innovative
• Impact
• Synergy
• Synchronize
• Thought Leader
• Scalability
• Buy-in
• Drill down
• Utilize

Remove responsible for and duties included from your resume and from your interview vocabulary. Employers don't want to know these things, they want to know what you accomplished. If you know your resume well and can expound on the statements in the resume using numbers and percentages to show how you benefited your previous employers and the value that you added to their companies, you will ace the interview.

Remove the fluff and add the substance to your resume, and your will optimize your chances of getting the interview, doing well at it, and being offered the job.

For more information and to newly added audio tips visit http://www.aresumes.net/

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