How to Make the Career Fair Work for You

September 12, 2011 under Articles

Some people cringe at the thought of going to a career fair, and they might not be totally to blame for this sentiment. You dress nicely, bring some resumes, and then you are herded like cattle into a large building full of prospective employers to be scrutinized under their magnifying gaze. It can be nerve-wracking, time-consuming, and a lot of the times results in you going home empty-handed, discouraged and confused. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

One should never enter through the doors of a career fair unprepared. You cannot simply expect to show up and be handed a job. Unfortunately that’s just not how it works. One of the most important things you can do to prepare for a career fair is to check out which companies will be there. It always pays to do your research.

Once you have found out which employers will be attending the career fair, you can then look into who is actually hiring, how many positions are open, and exactly which jobs they are looking to fill. Some employers might show up and not even be hiring at that moment. This does not mean that you should pass them up, because they will always take your resume, and you never know when something will open up.

When you do your research, you can check out which positions are open and which ones you think you maybe suited for. This will give you a target instead of just wandering around aimlessly, hoping that somebody picks you up like a divorcee in a singles bar. After you figure out which companies and what jobs you want to go for, you can then prep yourself on what you want to say upon meeting them. Highlight your skills and interests pertaining to the job, and talk about your past experience and education that could be useful to the company. This is a lot better than simply stating, “I’m here and I want a job.”

As always, networking is very important This is true in the career fair world, before and after. By some stroke of luck, if you do your research, you may find out that you actually know someone in one of the companies at the job fair. It always pays to know somebody – a foot in the door. At the same time, when you are at the career fair, you should look at it not just as a chance to find a job but as a chance to meet new people and add to your list of contacts for the future. The more people you know the better. This is not just in terms of employers and recruiters but also for fellow job-seekers and career professionals. Once someone gets hired in, you never know, they may just call you up and inform you of an opening.

Career fairs can be stressful and may even seem like a waste of time, but that’s only if you’re looking at it all wrong. You have to prepare yourself, be confident and seize the opportunity. And even if nothing comes of it, at least you met new people and gained some experience for next time. And don’t forget to wear something nice!

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Construction Employment at 15-Month High

September 6, 2011 under Articles
Building construction

Image by Toban Black via Flickr

There’s good news from the job front, if you are in the construction industry. According to a recent study by the Associated General Contractors of America, construction employment hit a 15-month high for July this year. For those workers hit especially hard by the recession, this is music to their ears.

TheUnited Statesadded 8,000 construction jobs last month, and unemployment rates in the industry fell from 17.3% from a year ago to 13.6%. This does not necessarily mean that anyone who knows how to wear a hard hat and wield a hammer is in the clear.

In comparison to other sectors of the workforce, the construction industry is still lagging. According to a recent article in the LA Times, workers in other trades may be faring much better than construction workers. The retail industry added 26,000 jobs last month, and the manufacturing industry added 24,000 jobs. These numbers dwarf the mere 8,000 jobs added by the construction industry last month.

Even in relation to its own industry, construction still has a long way to come. For the month of July, employment in construction was at 5.5 million, which is 28% lower than its peak level in April 2006. Even though overall construction employment is up, some areas of the industry are struggling while others are booming.

Construction workers in nonresidential building and specialty trade are doing especially well, with 10,200 jobs added in July. This is a strong indicator that factories, power projects and hospitals are being built, whereas the fall of the housing market is still impeding new house construction.

Residential building lost 1,600 jobs in July. It’s no surprise to anyone that the housing market is still struggling, and therefore building new houses is not a top priority. More than 25% of the homes sold last year were foreclosures. Why buy a new house when you can get one from the bank for a fraction of the cost? Unless you are a McMillionaire, this idea makes a lot of sense.

According to a recent survey conducted by Trulia.com and RealtyTrac, the housing market may not fully recover until 2014. As of last December, they had predicted that 2012 would be the year for housing to bounce back. After extensive research done this year, the numbers show that the market is a little more downtrodden than originally presumed.

Of course every silver lining has a touch of grey, to quote the Grateful Dead. You have to take the bad with the good. The construction industry may be doing a little better than last year, but there is a long path toward full economic recovery in all industries. Either way, it’s good for everyone to read the news and see something positive in terms of hiring and the job market.

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Salary Negotiations

September 2, 2011 under Articles

Negotiating a salary can potentially be the most important thing you do during a job interview. After all, despite everythnig you say, you’re really just in it for the money, right? So you want to get as much as you can.

There’s been a lot written on the subject, but we ran across this article that had a nice spin on it and wanted to share it with you.

Strange Salary Negotiation Strategies

 

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College Graduates: How Much More Do They Earn?

August 26, 2011 under Articles
The 2009 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, ...

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All throughout high school, you hear from teachers and parents alike that you should be thinking about where you want to go to college. What is your next move? What are your plans after school? At this point you should have already clocked in long hours filling out applications to the top schools of your choice. Is college really that important though? For some this is a matter of opinion, but it’s a lot more helpful to simply look at the facts.

A recent article that appeared in the LA Times discussed a study done byGeorgetownUniversity’s Center on Education and the Workforce about the relationship between education level and lifetime earnings. The research showed that people who earn bachelor’s degrees make, on average, 84% over their lifetime than high school graduates.

In terms of dollars and cents, the college graduate makes an average of $2.3 million in a lifetime compared to the $1.3 million earned by a high school graduate. For those who go even further to obtain their doctoral degrees, they will earn an average of $3.3 million over a lifetime. Even within the same industry, employees with a higher education level typically make more than the rest.

These findings make it pretty clear; if you want to earn more in your lifetime, get a college degree. Although there is never any guarantee that you will be able to land a high-paying job fresh out of school, over a lifetime the college grad will usually end up making a lot more than the high school grad. TheGeorgetownUniversitystudy also estimated that by 2018, 63% of American jobs will require some sort of post-secondary education or training.

When you think about going to college, you cannot just simply think about all the money you will make after you graduate. It’s also extremely important and necessary to factor in how much you will end up spending on school. Tuition rates have been rising, and unless you’ve got a rich uncle, a trust fund, or can ride out that basketball scholarship, this is something you will have to worry about.

For the 2007-2008 school year, the average cost for tuition at a four-year private institution was around $22,000. This is just for tuition. Add in room and board (around $8,000 per year), and you will end up paying an average of $30,000 annually for that good private schooling.

Public universities are a nice option for people that don’t have money coming out of their ears, but they are not cheap either. On average, tuition at a four-year public institution was listed at around $6,000 per year. Room and board costs around $7,000, so that adds up to a total of $13,000 per year.

Of course, if you don’t have the money there are always the options of grants, financial aids and student loans. Do your research and spend the time filling out the forms; it will pay off in the long run.

So if you want to make more money in your life, go to college. Just keep in mind that it won’t be cheap or easy.

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In College? Visit you Career Center

August 19, 2011 under Articles
NEW YORK - JUNE 24: A job seeker works the ph...

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Though it’s easy to get distracted from this amongst all the frivolity, the primary goal of college is to prepare students for their careers, i.e. move out of their parents’ house, which is the only reason parents pay for their kids to go to college in the first place (I kid). That’s why it’s surprising, but common, that the career services office is typically an underutilized service on college campuses. They provide basic services — or extensive if you wish — career guidance and placement services for students, services that are only available to current students and will be immensely helpful upon leaving school.

Counselors at your college career center can help you choose a first job and career path that’s right for you. They use self assessment tests to determine your personality, interests, motivations and abilities and help you decide on an major of study designed to meet your career goals. It’s a good idea to see combine and coordinate the advice of both your academic and career counselors, if they’re not the same person.

The college career center will also help you research various occupations for when you get your degree. Counselors will provide resources to find information and organizational contacts. Career services centers have libraries full of career and job-related information. They will also maintain connections with staff and alumni who are willing to discuss their career paths and experiences with students.

They will also help you with the job hunt; advising you on your resume and cover letter, suggest internships during summers that will pay-off later, and even, in some cases, provide job placement services. The dividends are endless.

College career centers are a valuable asset to college students, and they are helpful at every academic stage. Explore your college career center at the first opportunity and take advantage of the powerful resources available you as a college student.

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Job Hunting is Expensive

August 12, 2011 under Articles
SAN MATEO, CA - JUNE 07: A representative wit...

Remember the days when people would get a job right out of high school or college, stay with the same company for 30 or 40 years, then retire with a pension and a gold watch? No? That’s because those days are long gone. Even families that saw generation after generation work at the same auto manufacturing plant have had to change their way of thinking, and possibly even their locations because of our changing economy, and the ensuing upheaval in the auto industry. People are much more mobile now than ever, and for many, picking up and moving to a new city for a job is a viable option.

But even if you’re lucky enough to find a job just a few miles down the road from where you live, you’ll still incur expenses during your job search. From the 50 cents you spend on a newspaper to peruse the classifieds, to the four bucks per gallon you’ll use up in gas driving from job interview to job interview, a job search comes with real costs.

If you’ve ever been on the other side of a job interview, you probably have some stories about people showing up for their interviews in some questionable attire. You would think job interview attire would come down to common sense, but for some reason, not everyone seems to understand that there are just certain things that shouldn’t be worn to a job interview. A good rule of thumb is, if you’d wear it to a club, you shouldn’t wear it to a job interview. But if it’s been a while since you’ve been to a job interview, or you worked in a casual environment at your previous job, your wardrobe could be lacking in good interview options.

Anyone can perform their own job search these days. Between newspapers and the Internet, there are more resources than ever before to help people find jobs. But if you really want to cover all your bases, a job placement agency can be a big help. Some companies work exclusively with placement agencies, not advertising open positions anywhere else. Recruiters also have extensive networks and connections they can use to help their clients find the best jobs. The best thing is, placement services are usually paid by the companies that contract them to find candidates, so you’ll get a great service without having to pay out of pocket.

A serious job search may take you all over town, or even into neighboring cities, and that can add up in gas costs. Try to schedule interviews at companies that are near each other to take place on the same days. This will mean less driving for you, and that you can also schedule more interviews in one day because you’re spending less time getting from one to another.

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“Sorry, but you’re over-qualified…”

August 5, 2011 under Articles
My LinkedIn network, visualized

LinkedIn

If you haven’t been on the receiving end of that line, consider yourself lucky. For many suffering through unemployment, that has sadly become all too familiar of a refrain.

Some of the hardest hit in today’s job market are people that had been in upper-management roles. Often, after many salary-less months, they are more than willing to step-back in their career and take a position below what they had before. And when they do, they’re told they are overqualified. In frustration, they might wonder aloud how they are supposed to “unlearn” what they know. If they can do the job better than a merely “qualified” person can, and are willing to do it for less money, why shouldn’t they be allowed to do the job?

Well, there are a few reasons. Primarily, most companies expect the economy to improve and more jobs to start opening up. When that happens, you’ll more than likely take your over-qualifications with you to a better job. They don’t want someone in the position who will be surfing their LinkedIn network all day, they want someone who will be devoted to both the company and the position.

Alternately, even if the economy doesn’t improve and you stay in the position a good many years, you’ll more than likely get bored or tired with it and your productivity will suffer.

But something a lot of people in this position tend to forget is that the person hiring you is mostly terrified that you may have your sights set on their job. The last thing they want is for you to impress their boss who might give you their corner office. It’s easy to forget that you’re not applying to work at a company, but you’re applying to work for someone and that person has foibles, fears and anxieties just like the rest of us do.

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Taking on a Second Job

August 4, 2011 under Articles
McDonald's

Image by Gerard Stolk

As gas prices keep rising, and the food in the grocery stores gets more and more expensive, one thing seems to remain the same; wages. Something is wrong with this picture here. We are all victims of inflation, but our salaries and hourly pay are not increasing to compensate with the higher prices.

Some people resort to sitting around moaning and complaining about this sad fact. Others demand raises from their employers. And some of us just go out and get a second job to deal with the higher cost of living.

Taking on a second job is not for everyone. It can be exhausting, both mentally and physically. Getting off of work just to go home, change and get ready for your second job is not exactly the American dream we all envisioned growing up. But sometimes you have to make things happen, and taking on a second job might be the best solution in doing so.

Before you go out and apply for any and every part-time opening, it’s important to really think through your decision to work more. Can you already handle the job that you have? Will your second job affect your primary source of employment? If your moonlighting is going to have you staying up late at night, and waking up in the morning so physically drained that you will not be able to function at work, then it might not be the right job for you.

In choosing a second job, you should ideally find something that suits you and interests you. If you are already not wholly enthusiastic about your first job, the last thing you want to do is have two jobs you do not like. This will make you miserable and therefore a less valuable employee.

Some other things to look for in a second job are good pay, flexible hours and opportunity to advance or achieve. Some positions that possess most of if not all of these qualities include bartending or waiting tables, data entry, landscaping or other side labor jobs, and tutoring. These types of jobs can be part-time positions, sometimes paying mostly in cash, and do not require a highly specialized skill set.

These days about 5% of Americans (about 7 million people) work more than one job. About half of these moonlighters work one full-time and one part-time job, a quarter of them work two part-time jobs, and about 5% work two full-time jobs.

Once you have attained that second job, balanced out your schedule and managed not to faint from exhaustion, the next thing to think about is what to do with the extra money. Chances are you did not get that second job out of boredom, so most of the money will probably go toward paying off bills you already owe. But if there is any extra income left over, pay off some debt or set it aside in a savings account. You might need that money for a vacation after burning the candle at both ends for a while.

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It’s Time to Complete your LinkedIn Profile

July 29, 2011 under Articles
Image representing LinkedIn as depicted in Cru...

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If you’re like me, every time you log in to your LinkedIn profile you’re faced with that dreaded completion percentage (mine is 85%). Since I’m not actively looking for a new job, I never feel the need to complete it. But if you are, you want to slide that bar all the way up to 100%.

A complete profile will include your current or latest position, at least two past positions beyond that, your degrees and certificates, a profile summary and current photo, specialties, and at least three recommendations from others.

Then, personalize your LinkedIn URL (e.g., www.linkedin.com/in/yourname) to make it easier for employers you’ve interviewed with find you and do their research. Many employers love to check up on you after an interview, and LinkedIn is a primary tool they use for that purpose. So make it easy for them.

And make it even easier by adding links that point to your other professional ventures.  Whether you’re linking to a blog, your Twitter page, or your professional Web site, it’s important to show visitors that you’re more of a dynamic prospect than what is seen on your LinkedIn page.

When you showcase yourself as a professional in your field, first impressions mean everything.  So if you have typos in your profile or get a company name wrong, you’re asking for someone to correct you—pretty embarrassing, right?  To prevent this from happening, be sure to proofread, proofread, and proofread again until you’re sure there are no errors.  The good news is you can change the profile anytime you like, so feel free to proofread often!

LinkedIn is such an amazing tool that you want to try your best to use everything it has to offer.  If you don’t, you’re cheating yourself out of the great opportunities a well-crafted profile could provide.

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Careerbuilder Review

July 20, 2011 under Reviews
Image representing CareerBuilder as depicted i...

Sometimes the hardest thing about a job is finding one in the first place. Sure you can go around to all the career sites out there and throw your resume at hundreds of different positions, hoping that it will stick somewhere. This can be tiring and discouraging when you don’t hear anything back.

Not every job board is the same. Some offer a lot more useful and effective services than others. Some sites are flooded with scam jobs and false postings, while others tend to weed out the riffraff and only offer the best of the best.

In determining which career site might be the best fit for your needs as a job seeker, it’s a good idea to take a look at what’s out there. What does each site bring to the table? And which one will work for you? Today, let’s take a look at Careerbuilder and check out what they have to offer.

Careerbuilder is the largest online job site in the United States. They list over one million different positions and host more than 23 million unique visitors every month. Careerbuilder lists jobs in pretty much every industry out there and is a useful site for both the job seeker and the employer.

Careerbuilder was founded in 1994 as NetStart Inc. They started out selling their own brand of software geared towards helping companies to list job openings on their websites. After receiving $2 million in investment capital, they transformed their business and created the Careerbuilder website. The name was officially changed from NetStart Inc to Careerbuilder in 1998.

With the economic recession hitting hard across the country this past decade, Careerbuilder suffered some setbacks just like everyone else. In 2008 they announced layoffs which affected the jobs of about 300 Careerbuilder employees.

Today Careerbuilder employs more than 2,500 workers. They are headquartered in Chicago and provide their online career services to 1,900 different partners across the country. These clients include about 140 newspapers and portals such as AOL and MSN.

Careerbuilder believes in matching the right people with the right jobs. According to their website, they help companies to attract what they believe to be their most important asset; the people. By using advanced technology and data analysis, Careerbuilder continues to help people find jobs and companies find good workers.

There is a lot to think about when applying for a job. The stresses of finding employment are substantial these days, and the last thing one should have to worry about is which career site to use.

Careerbuilder may not be the best career site to fulfill your job seeking needs, but hopefully this review has helped to enlighten all you job seekers out there as to what they can bring to the table. Good luck and happy job hunting!

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