So why are more companies not yet hiring?

December 10, 2009 · Posted in Featured, Financial Crisis, Government, Political Issues, Politics, Rant, Social Change, Social Issues, Society, Things to think about, Thoughts on the economy, Topic Blogs · Comment 

unemploymentU.S. Workers are still filing a large amount of unemployment claims and this is after five weeks of declines in this area.

Where are the culprits and which industries are still hurting?  It’s apparent as we have seen over the last year is that a gradual stabilization of the economy does not naturally translate to a increase in the labor market stability.

The gripping effects of the recession have no indications of going into a double dip as economist like to call it, trade gaps are narrowing, imports and exports are up, and yet bottom line profits are not improving.

Where are the jobs going and why even after the influx of billions of dollars in stimulus funds…the unemployment rate still hovers around 9-10%?

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Save your resume from destruction and don’t use these terms, please…

September 16, 2009 · Posted in Featured, Social Issues, Things to think about, Topic Blogs · Comment 

Job_InterviewPlease do yourself a favor and leave these all too common cliche remarks out of your resume according to Yahoo’s Savvy Networker Liz Ryan:

  • Results-oriented professional
  • Cross-functional teams
  • More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
  • Superior (or excellent) communication skills
  • Strong work ethic
  • Met or exceeded expectations
  • Proven track record of success
  • Works well with all levels of staff
  • Team player
  • Bottom-line orientation

    • Just another worthless PSA from us to you in this market of joblessness, despair, depression, and utter lost hope.  Have a great afternoon!

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    Does your professional network actually work for you?

    September 1, 2009 · Posted in Featured, Financial Crisis, Society, Things to think about, Topic Blogs · Comment 

    This is a great informational article I found on the web and a topic I bring up to a lot of people I have discussions with.  The networking craze has, to say the least, become a huge activity for professionals both young and old. 

    However, the networking game has to be played right and you need to manage, massage, and treat your network like a living, breathing thing.   I do not hesistate to mention that I know of individuals who have in excess of 500 people in their professional network, unless you are a small business owner, come on?   These are great tips to professionals on how to evaluate and recontruct your professional network to better serve you.

    According to Margeret Steen of Hotjobs:

    1. How many former co-workers’ contact information do you have?

    Focus particularly on your peers and people above you in the organization.

    The more people you’re in touch with, the better. If you need to beef up the number of people in your network, a tool like LinkedIn can help, both with searching and with keeping up with former colleagues’ job moves

    2. Does your network include a handful of people who could serve as references?

    These people need to be willing to recommend you — and they need to know your work well. “References can’t be vaguely positive,” Civitelli said.

    If you can’t think of four to six good reference candidates, you need to step up your networking to make sure people you work with know about your achievements

    3. How many of your contacts have you communicated with in the past six months?

    This is a measure of your active network.

    “You don’t need to talk to everyone in your network every three minutes,” said Richard Phillips, owner of Advantage Career Solutions. But you should check in regularly, even if you just send a brief email saying you hope all is well. That way, when you do need to ask for job-hunting help, it will be “emotionally much easier” to make the contact.

    4. Have you had lunch or coffee with someone from your network in the past month?

    Make a point of meeting in person with a former colleague or another professional connection every few weeks

    5. Have you attended a professional event recently?

    Attending professional conferences will help you expand your network beyond former colleagues. Becoming active in a professional association will also boost your resume

    6. Have you added any professional contacts in the past month?

    Your network needs to grow in order to stay vital. Try to add new contacts — either by getting back in touch with former colleagues or by meeting new people — frequently

    7. Are you networking “outside the box” — that is, making connections beyond your former colleagues and friends?

    Job opportunities can arise from unexpected sources. Marianne Adoradio, a career counselor in Silicon Valley, recommends expanding your network to include some people outside your industry and at different stages of their careers, who can tell you about trends and opportunities you might not otherwise hear about

    8. When your professional contacts get in touch with you, do you answer?

    “People just kind of steer away from you if you’re not responding,” Adoradio said.

    What if a contact is asking for job leads and you don’t have any? “You do have the ability to offer something of great value,” Phillips said: encouragement. This will also increase the chances that that person will help you sometime in the future

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