Despite millions of unemployed job seekers desperate for work, many open positions are languishing unfilled. The reason? Not enough candidates.
The 650,000 jobs created or saved by the stimulus package so far make up only a small step toward correcting the gap between the tens of millions of unemployed people and the few openings that those people are fighting over.
Dear Annie: I enjoyed your Sept. 30 column, and readers' comments, about how to decide whom to "friend" on Facebook. I recently joined LinkedIn, which I have heard is a terrific job-search tool, but I could really use some pointers on how to make the most of it. (I lost my old job about six weeks ago and, while my severance pay will last another couple of months, I need to step up my job hunt.)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 36 percent of unemployed people --or 5.4 million -- had been without a job for 27 weeks or more in September 2009.
Getting a job in this economy is tough everywhere, but some local job markets are faring worse than others. And nowhere is it harder to find a job than in Michigan.
From résumés accompanied by shoes to get candidates' "feet in the door," to candidates sending cakes designed as business cards, hiring managers have seen it all when it comes to memorable job-seeker tactics.
After being laid off this summer, Amy Bauer began to contemplate a career switch (from investor relations to corporate social responsibility). But it had been more than a decade since the 37-year-old from the Baltimore area had even crafted a résumé. For assistance, she turned to a career coach.
The résumé is the gateway to most job openings. But even the most qualified candidates have trouble standing out on an 8-1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper.
Is there any worse confidence killer than rejection?
It's not just teens and celebrities using Twitter these days.
Despite millions of unemployed job seekers desperate for work, many open positions are languishing unfilled. The reason? Not enough candidates.
The 650,000 jobs created or saved by the stimulus package so far make up only a small step toward correcting the gap between the tens of millions of unemployed people and the few openings that those people are fighting over.
Dear Annie: I enjoyed your Sept. 30 column, and readers' comments, about how to decide whom to "friend" on Facebook. I recently joined LinkedIn, which I have heard is a terrific job-search tool, but I could really use some pointers on how to make the most of it. (I lost my old job about six weeks ago and, while my severance pay will last another couple of months, I need to step up my job hunt.)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 36 percent of unemployed people --or 5.4 million -- had been without a job for 27 weeks or more in September 2009.
Getting a job in this economy is tough everywhere, but some local job markets are faring worse than others. And nowhere is it harder to find a job than in Michigan.
From résumés accompanied by shoes to get candidates' "feet in the door," to candidates sending cakes designed as business cards, hiring managers have seen it all when it comes to memorable job-seeker tactics.
After being laid off this summer, Amy Bauer began to contemplate a career switch (from investor relations to corporate social responsibility). But it had been more than a decade since the 37-year-old from the Baltimore area had even crafted a résumé. For assistance, she turned to a career coach.
The résumé is the gateway to most job openings. But even the most qualified candidates have trouble standing out on an 8-1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper.
Is there any worse confidence killer than rejection?
It's not just teens and celebrities using Twitter these days.
It seems the longer you've been out of work, the harder it is to find a job.
When microblogging and social networking site Twitter debuted three years ago, plenty of people wrote it off as yet another pointless addition in the overcrowded networking world.
For job hunters, that very first line on your résumé can influence potential employers. Just ask Glenn Miller.
Image is everything in fashion, even when it comes to finding a job.
Dear Annie: I hope you can help me, because I am in a real mess here. I was laid off in January and, after a six-month job hunt, was offered a position similar to my old one. The new job required that I move from the Boston area to Atlanta. So my wife and I sold our house at a considerable loss, my wife quit her job, and we signed our kids up for their new schools in our new hometown. The company paid me a signing bonus and paid about half of our moving expenses. (My understanding is that the other half is tax-deductible, since we moved for work reasons.)
By now you've heard several times that the job market is competitive and it's more important than ever that you stand out to employers through your cover letter and résumé.
A recent college graduate is suing her alma mater for $72,000 -- the full cost of her tuition and then some -- because she cannot find a job.
Marleen Graham has been offered two different jobs in the past few months -- but both offers were retracted.
In the midst of the worst job market in 26 years, desperate job seekers are trying all sorts of extreme tactics to find employment.
Retirement dreams are quickly fading for thousands of older workers, as the severe market losses that ravaged once-healthy retirement accounts over the last year force many seniors to work longer.
In today's challenging economy, odds are you belong to one of two camps: You have already lost your job or you're worried that you could. Either way, you're feeling the stress of the highest unemployment rate in more than a quarter of a century and wondering what you should be doing now to improve your career prospects.
Facebook has become the playground for finding old friends, but for some job seekers, it can also be the key to finding employment.
You know the friend who constantly dates the wrong kind of person? The one who's endlessly frustrated that he or she is going to die alone because all the good ones are taken?
Can't seem to find a job? Maybe you're just not looking in the right places.
The expanded Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, has begun adding staff and plans to hire 800 more personnel as construction projects continue.
Dear Annie: I am worried about my husband of 19 years, who had a successful career in manufacturing project management until this recession hit. He lost his most recent job almost ten months ago, and at first he was doing a lot of networking, applying for jobs online, and even getting a few interviews, none of which panned out.
There are jobs out there, but it might just require a map to find them.
The right words make all the difference in life. Try asking "Wanna get hitched?" instead of "Will you marry me?" for proof.
Even in the current job market, getting a pink slip doesn't always lead to long-term unemployment - especially if you're willing to do the extra legwork it takes to get hired these days. When David Hudson was laid off from his computer programming job, he sharpened his skills, did his due diligence and took full advantage of the resources available to him.
Let's say you've been job hunting for months now, and applied to so many employers you're starting to lose track of them all. One day you get a call from someone in HR at a well-known company. He found your resume on an online job board, thinks it's very impressive, and is looking forward to meeting you, he says. To set up the interview, he asks for your home address, date of birth and Social Security number.
In today's tough job market, it's critical to stand out. So how to make sure your application gets noticed: A flawless cover letter? Killer résumé? Glowing reference from the CEO? Not even. In the worst job market in 25 years, building an online presence is crucial to getting a job. Who you connect to, "follow" and "friend" can be just as important as conventional tools like résumés.
There are many job fairs around the country where job seekers can meet face-to-face with potential employers. Search the list here by date or to find a job fair near you.
Despite what you might tell your boss, you've shopped online at work.
A record number of senior citizens attended a job fair this week in Loveland, Colorado.
Some people go back to school when they lose their jobs. Some spend all day on their couch. Others parlay their situation into a business.
Friends, here's one thing we've all realized by now: This isn't your ordinary garden-variety recession. During one of those - in fact, as recently as last fall - people laid off by one company could often go right out and get hired by a more prosperous competitor. Now, however, entire industries (banking, autos, construction, retailing, newspapers, the list goes on...) are shrinking fast, putting larger numbers of qualified candidates in competition for fewer openings. At the same time, thousands of people are leaving active military service every month. It all adds up to a huge number of job seekers looking for work in unfamiliar businesses - which, for many veterans, means any civilian enterprise.
Holding on to your job can get pretty tough when your industry is crumbling.
Dear Annie: I got laid off from a senior management job in marketing last September, just as the worst of this recession was getting underway, so I'm now coming up on six months' unemployment. As a hiring manager for many years (I'm 47), I always looked askance at candidates who had been out of work this long, so now I'm worried that prospective employers will do the same to me.
Job fairs are getting more competitive. Recent events across the nation drew thousands of people and one fair was so packed organizers had to turn people away.
Dear Annie: I lost my job as an IT manager in a downsizing last November and am still looking for another one. Apart from the fact that the tech job market is pretty flat right now, and employers seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach to hiring, I think my personality is getting in my way.
Unemployed people with disabilities are having increasing trouble finding a job.
With a record 12.5 million people unemployed in today's labor market, it's apparent that now, more than ever before, the people looking for employment must work even harder to ensure that they stand out to employers through their applications.
Dear Annie: I've been looking for a job for three months, putting in eight-hour days of contacting people I used to work with, attending industry events, "meeting" people and joining groups on social networking sites, and putting out every other kind of feeler I can think of. I've had a couple of rounds of interviews, but each time, what looked very close to being a solid offer suddenly turned cold.
In today's tough economy, many people are praying for a job offer. When Michel Butler headed to church, he ended up with multiple offers.
These days, finding a job is all about who you know. But what if you're in a new city and you don't know anybody? Marissa Anshutz, 27, had a blossoming career in public relations in New York City, but the L.A.-native yearned to go even farther east.
The secret to finding a job in a tough market? Put yourself out there, even when you're not looking for work.
Finding a job in this economy is tough, finding two jobs is nearly impossible, unless you know someone who knows someone who can help.
Al Campa, chief marketing officer of Taleo, recently received about 250 resumes for an open VP of Product Marketing position. A year ago when the job market wasn't as frantic, he says he would have received around 50 for the job at the talent management software company.
Rob Sparno recently did something that 12.5 million Americans would kill to do. He did something that has never been attempted by this many people at once in the 60 years the government has been keeping records. He did something that's getting only more difficult with every day.
Looking for an online mirror of American economic woes? Check out the professional social networking site LinkedIn, where activity from Lehman Brothers employees and ex-workers spiked 315% from August to September of last year, when the bank was going through bankruptcy proceedings. LinkedIn's fastest growing region? Detroit.
With thousands of Americans looking for jobs, many businesses are saying: Sorry, we're not hiring. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is sending out another message: Come right this way.
Tax season can be a frustrating and confusing time for those with a spotty employment record and little spare cash. But people who were out of work in 2008 will still have to report to Uncle Sam.
Howard La waited 90 minutes on line for the chance to spend three minutes with a recruiter from Charles Schwab.
A crowd of about 10,000 came to Dodger Stadium on Saturday, but they weren't there for a baseball game.
Robin Stearns, 28, watched her husband apply for jobs day in and day out. She watched him scour professional networking sites in an attempt to contact prospective employers.
If you're unemployed, you know it's a rough time to be on the job hunt.
While most parts of the country grapple with massive job loss and a deficit in new jobs, the South is faring a bit better.
The long lines of parked cars outside Dodger Stadium could have been the typical sign of an afternoon game featuring the Boys in Blue. But the massive crowd of cars at the stadium during the weekend had more to do with income than infield plays.
January was one of the worst months for layoffs ever, with nearly a quarter-million job-cut announcements grabbing headlines.
There's a wealth of career information on the Internet, and these resources are just a mouse-click away for any job seeker.
Friends, let's not sugarcoat it: This is an exceptionally lousy time to be looking for a job. We've all heard by now (repeatedly) that about 2 million of them vanished in 2008, more than 250,000 in the financial sector alone, and that hiring at most companies has slowed to a crawl or stopped altogether.
Renting a billboard, handing out flyers or printing up T-shirts with your contact information used to seem like an outlandish way to get a job but now unemployed workers are going to just such lengths to get attention.
There's a great deal of career information available to job seekers on the Internet. And some of the most important, timely content can be found in blogs.
In 20 years of career consulting, Karen Masullo has seen more job search mistakes than she can remember. There is one mistake, however, that she still chuckles about today:
When Martin P.* was laid off from his job as a marketing vice president, he embarked on a two-year job search and still came up short.
Everyday it seems businesses are laying off hundreds - even thousands of jobs. The unemployment rate is the highest it's been in almost 15 years.
After several long months of unsuccessfully posting his résumé and applying to jobs online, Alex Ballin, 24, decided to take his job search into his own hands.
Certain predicted technological revolutions are more myth than reality.
Employers looking for skilled candidates are feeling the effects of the uncertain economy as much as job seekers are.
Dear Annie: I work for Hewlett-Packard, which, as you probably know, is planning to lay off more than 24,000 people worldwide over the next three years. It seems that most of those on the chopping block are employees who came along with HP's acquisition of EDS. Since I happen to be in that group, I wonder if I should leave now, or wait and see what happens. On the one hand, I like it here, and my immediate boss has told me that he sees a great future for me at HP, so I should "just sit tight." On the other hand, I have two other job offers, one that came from a recruiter, and another from a former EDS colleague who left before the merger. Any advice on what to do? -Dangling Man
Ryan Saale was in a bind. He was planning to move back to St. Louis, Missouri, from Santiago, Chile, earlier this year but, with the job market taking a downturn, it wasn't an ideal to a start a job search -- much less from 5,000 miles away.
Don't talk with your mouth full. Don't talk to strangers. Look both ways before crossing the street.
It's a perfectly natural reaction: You lose your job and, in a panic, you immediately start calling and e-mailing your network and answering Internet job ads. The trouble is that, understandable as that course of action is, it's unlikely to get you where you want to go. Instead, take a deep breath, slow down, and chill. Then, make a plan.
Rules are meant to be broken. Think outside the box. Be an original.
Finding your first job is easy.
When you're job hunting, you can go mad if you think about the amount of factors beyond your control that affect your chances of getting hired.
Dear Annie: My 17-year-old son needs to get a job this summer to help save for college. He says he has been looking, and I believe him, but so far he's come up with nothing. I don't want to be a meddling mom, but I feel as if I should get involved at this point and try to help him, in no small part because the thought of his lounging on the sofa playing video games all summer makes me cringe. Do you and your readers have any suggestions? -Anxious in Attleboro
Starting any new job can be as nerve-wracking as it is exciting. While you're anxious for a fresh start and to meet new people, you're nervous that you won't be able to do the job or you won't fit in with co-workers.
Each year, Weddle's (www.weddles.com), a major U.S. publisher of print guides to Internet job hunting, invites the public to visit its Web site and vote for their favorite job boards. The 30 sites with the most votes at the end of the year are declared the winners of the Users' Choice Awards. It's not a scientific survey, since those polled are a self-selected sampling and tend to feel strongly about certain sites, both pro and con.
Today's Internet-driven world has changed the way we look for and apply to jobs. Gone are the days of handwritten cover letters, typewriter-printed résumés and hand-delivered job applications.
Job hunts are hard work. Looking through job ads, going on interviews and networking take up a lot of your time. So how can you be expected to do all these things and still rewrite your résumé every time you apply for a job?
For some people, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is a guiding principle. During a job search, however, it's hard to tell just what ain't broke and what needs fixing. Looking for work is a time-consuming process that can move -- or at least feel like it's moving -- at a snail's pace.
Résumés are tricky: If done well, they can put you in the running for a job; if done poorly, they end up in the hiring manager's recycling bin. They should be easy since you're just talking about yourself. No one knows your work history, qualifications and skills better than you. Unfortunately, they are hard work.
If you've rewritten that résumé several times and sent out dozens of applications but your job search still shows no promise, you might not be the problem.
With the U.S. economy apparently getting ready to take one of its cyclical snoozes, employers are more hesitant to take on new hires than they were even just three or four months ago - and the recent uptick in unemployment means more competition for each opening. That doesn't mean you need to give up on the idea of looking for a new job. In fact, if your company is going through a merger or seems likely to announce layoffs, your best bet may be to start your job search right away.
When you went to college, you received a welcome package and attended orientation to learn the ropes. Now that you're on the hunt for a new job, an equally life-changing event, no one's holding your hand. At best, a friend pats you on the back and says, "Good luck."
You've made up your mind. You're going to stop procrastinating, update that resume and (finally) look for a new job.
You've made up your mind. You're going to stop procrastinating, update that resume and (finally) look for a new job.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19.3 percent of full-time workers were unemployed for 27 weeks or more in 2006. If you have been looking for a job for a while, there's a good chance you're frustrated with your inability to find one. The longer you're on the job hunt, the more likely it seems that you won't ever be employed.
If you've ever looked at a job listing and thought, "I'd be perfect for this job, if only...," you understand the discouragement a lot of job seekers feel.
Friends provide us many things: love, support, camaraderie. Perhaps the most valuable thing they offer us is advice. They're who we turn to when we need guidance on life, love and everything in between. But there is one subject on which to tread carefully when we're seeking advice: job hunting.
Dream of landing a coding job at an A-list tech company? It might be a good idea to prep for your interviews by pondering how many golf balls can fit inside a school bus. Or how much you would charge for washing all the windows in Seattle. Or why, exactly, manhole covers are round and not, say, square.
If you're over 50 and unemployed, you already know how difficult it can be to land a new job. But there are some ways you can position yourself to get back on the career fast track.
Dear Annie: I am a brand new college grad with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in business, looking for my first paying job in the field, and a friend sent me your May 23 column ("10 great job markets for techies"). You mentioned that a recent survey said that 94% of techies are happy in their work, and 88% would recommend the field to others. Do you happen to know if that is as true for women as for men? When I picked my major, a few people told me that women have a hard time getting promoted in IT because it is still considered a "man's field." -Cybergirl
EAT A MEAL WITH JOBSTER CEO JASON GOLDberg and you'll quickly notice his disdain for menus; the man already knows what he wants. Why waste time on an exhaustive list of options? And it's not just a...
No question about it, technology careers suffer from an image problem. A study by Dice.com (www.dice.com), a leading job board that's exclusively for techies, says that 94% of tech professionals are happy in their work, and 88% would recommend a tech career to others. They're far more concerned with issues like keeping their skills up-to-date (82%) than with outsourcing (41%) or layoffs (37%). Yet, the study says, "those outside the industry don't see technology as appealing when compared to other industries."
The art of the job search has undergone seismic changes in the digital economy.
Eat a meal with Jobster CEO Jason Goldberg and you'll quickly notice his disdain for menus; the man already knows what he wants. Why waste time on an exhaustive list of options?
Dear Annie: I've been very successful as a salesperson at the same company for several years now, but I'd like to change jobs because there's not much chance for advancement here. The problem is that my son was diagnosed with a serious, chronic medical condition about six years ago, and I'm worried that if I change jobs, my son's illness will be flagged as a pre-existing condition and will not be covered under my new employer's health plan. Is it appropriate to ask about this in a job interview? -Stuck Here for Now
The biggest problem with job growth right now isn't too few new jobs. It's too few skilled workers.
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