Orlando Business Journal
More employers plan to add full-time, permanent workers in 2011 than they did at this time last year, according to a CareerBuilder survey of almost 2,500 hiring managers and human-resource professionals.
Twenty-four percent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2011, up from 20 percent in 2010 and 14 percent in 2009. Seven percent plan to cut jobs, an improvement from 9 percent in 2010 and 16 percent in 2009. Fifty-eight percent anticipate no change in their staff levels, while 11 percent are unsure.
The survey finds opportunities in sales to be the most prevalent, followed by information technology, customer service, engineering and technology.
“More than half of employers reported they are in a better financial position today than they were one year ago,” says Matt Ferguson, CEO at CareerBuilder. “2011 will usher in a healthier employment picture as business leaders grow more confident in the economy. Our survey indicates more jobs will be added in 2011 than 2010, but job creation will remain gradual. The year will be characterized by steady, measured gains across various industries.”
Florida's unemployment rate hit 12 percent in November, while metro Orlando's rose from 11.3 percent in October to 11.9 percent in November.
The industries gaining the most jobs in Florida are in private education and health services, up 28,900 jobs in the last year, according to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Don't take a holiday from job-hunting
Marcia Heroux Pounds
Sun Sentinel Columnist
Some unemployed workers stop looking for work during the winter holidays, figuring it's futile until January. Instead, job hunters should be angling for openings being posted in the first quarter of the year.
"Don't take a holiday from your job search," Susan Leventhal often reminds her class of job seekers at Broward County's Workforce One. "The seeds are planted for next year." Companies may know there is a merger or acquisition coming in the New Year, or a big contract for which they'll need more employees. Get your resumes to the right people now, she says.
Joan Ciferri, president of David Wood Personnel in South Florida, says it's a "bad idea" to put job search on the back burner because company budgets open up in a new year.
"We're seeing a pickup. Companies that have money, but were afraid to let loose are starting to scout talent. It's encouraging," she says. Ciferri says employers are interviewing job candidates now to fill jobs in January.
Recognize there also will be more competition for jobs as the economy recovers. "People who had jobs, some weren't willing to risk moving. Now candidates are saying, 'I'm really unhappy and I think I'm going to look this year," she says.
Here are some tips for job hunters during the holidays:
Be accessible. "Offer to come in anytime," Ciferri says. Or, volunteer your services for a project or take a contract job to get your foot in the door, Leventhal says.
Socialize. Get out of the house and enjoy holiday parties with family, friends, former colleagues and business networking groups. But remember to ask people what's going on with their employers. "Ask them to make an introduction to someone in their HR department," Ciferri says.
Leventhal recommends asking for advice,or for a resource – such as a networking group someone has found useful or the name of a recruiter. Add those you meet at events to your LinkedIn.com professional networking site connections.
Some job hunters may feel uneasy about bringing up the fact they're looking for work in front of family, friends or business associates during the holidays, but Leventhal tells them to "get over it."
"How can people help you if they don't know you need help?" she says.
Be targeted. Focus on employers, not vacancies, says Rob McGovern, chief executive of online job matching site Jobfox. Make a list of target employers you want to work for and be ready to pounce once jobs are posted.
"Companies don't have their jobs posted now because they don't have the budget to advertise," McGovern says. But those jobs funded by the new budget will automatically start appearing on company websites in January.
Pick 10 to 20 companies to research and track for job openings. Sign up for the employer's career page RSS feed and Twitter profile, as well as checking the company website for job postings. A new job posting will typically appear on an employer's website hours or even days ahead of showing up on major online job sites, he says.
Stress accomplishments. On your resume, make sure your results are highlighted and quantifiable. Instead of "I managed Broward County territory," write "I grew revenue in Broward County 30 percent for three years, which resulted in $3 million in sales," McGovern says.
Employers want to hire a problem solver so stress what you've accomplished rather than what you've done. If your resume says, "responsible for," start over, he says.
Volunteer. If you have extra time during the holidays, volunteer your services for a community organization. It will make you feel good and you likely make good business contacts.
Or, offer to work for an employer on a project or contract basis. That could help you get your foot in the door for a full-time job.
What job hunters should not do during the holidays, or any other time, is focus on the still ailing economy, Leventhal says. "Concentrate on the problem that you have the power to fix," she says.
Sun Sentinel Columnist
Some unemployed workers stop looking for work during the winter holidays, figuring it's futile until January. Instead, job hunters should be angling for openings being posted in the first quarter of the year.
"Don't take a holiday from your job search," Susan Leventhal often reminds her class of job seekers at Broward County's Workforce One. "The seeds are planted for next year." Companies may know there is a merger or acquisition coming in the New Year, or a big contract for which they'll need more employees. Get your resumes to the right people now, she says.
Joan Ciferri, president of David Wood Personnel in South Florida, says it's a "bad idea" to put job search on the back burner because company budgets open up in a new year.
"We're seeing a pickup. Companies that have money, but were afraid to let loose are starting to scout talent. It's encouraging," she says. Ciferri says employers are interviewing job candidates now to fill jobs in January.
Recognize there also will be more competition for jobs as the economy recovers. "People who had jobs, some weren't willing to risk moving. Now candidates are saying, 'I'm really unhappy and I think I'm going to look this year," she says.
Here are some tips for job hunters during the holidays:
Be accessible. "Offer to come in anytime," Ciferri says. Or, volunteer your services for a project or take a contract job to get your foot in the door, Leventhal says.
Socialize. Get out of the house and enjoy holiday parties with family, friends, former colleagues and business networking groups. But remember to ask people what's going on with their employers. "Ask them to make an introduction to someone in their HR department," Ciferri says.
Leventhal recommends asking for advice,or for a resource – such as a networking group someone has found useful or the name of a recruiter. Add those you meet at events to your LinkedIn.com professional networking site connections.
Some job hunters may feel uneasy about bringing up the fact they're looking for work in front of family, friends or business associates during the holidays, but Leventhal tells them to "get over it."
"How can people help you if they don't know you need help?" she says.
Be targeted. Focus on employers, not vacancies, says Rob McGovern, chief executive of online job matching site Jobfox. Make a list of target employers you want to work for and be ready to pounce once jobs are posted.
"Companies don't have their jobs posted now because they don't have the budget to advertise," McGovern says. But those jobs funded by the new budget will automatically start appearing on company websites in January.
Pick 10 to 20 companies to research and track for job openings. Sign up for the employer's career page RSS feed and Twitter profile, as well as checking the company website for job postings. A new job posting will typically appear on an employer's website hours or even days ahead of showing up on major online job sites, he says.
Stress accomplishments. On your resume, make sure your results are highlighted and quantifiable. Instead of "I managed Broward County territory," write "I grew revenue in Broward County 30 percent for three years, which resulted in $3 million in sales," McGovern says.
Employers want to hire a problem solver so stress what you've accomplished rather than what you've done. If your resume says, "responsible for," start over, he says.
Volunteer. If you have extra time during the holidays, volunteer your services for a community organization. It will make you feel good and you likely make good business contacts.
Or, offer to work for an employer on a project or contract basis. That could help you get your foot in the door for a full-time job.
What job hunters should not do during the holidays, or any other time, is focus on the still ailing economy, Leventhal says. "Concentrate on the problem that you have the power to fix," she says.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
10 Smart Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search
By ALEXIS GRANT
Use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to Network Your Way Into a Job.
Everyone’s talking about using social media for job-hunting. But how, exactly, should you do that? Here are 10 smart and strategic ways to network your way into a job using three popular online tools: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Let people know you’re looking.
Whether on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, let your friends and followers know that you’re looking for a job. Even better, tell them what type of job you’re looking for. They may not know of any openings right now, but if they know you’re available, they’ll think of you when a position opens up. That will help you hear about openings before they’re listed on popular job boards.
Don’t be afraid to network on Facebook.
Facebook may be for fun, but don’t make the mistake of overlooking your network there, especially if you already have hundreds of friends. Facebook can sometimes be more useful for job hunting than LinkedIn, because friends who know you personally have more of a stake in helping you. They want you to succeed—so use that to your advantage.
Make sure your Facebook profile is private.
Much of your Facebook profile is public by default, and you probably don’t want a potential employer browsing your personal updates. Under Account, then Privacy Settings, choose “Friends Only.” That way, an employer who Googles you won’t be able to see the details of your profile, your photos, or your personal status updates.
Find information about hiring managers.
Before you submit your resume, look up the hiring manager on LinkedIn and Twitter. (If he’s smart, he’ll make his Facebook profile private.) LinkedIn profiles and Twitter feeds are gold mines of information on individuals. Knowing more about the person who’s hiring can help you tailor your cover letter to their needs and desires.
Hyperlink your resume.
Add the URL for your Twitter handle and LinkedIn profile to your contact information on your resume. (But don’t add your Facebook profile, since that’s private.) Not only does this offer the employer another way of getting in touch with you and seeing how you interact online, it also shows that you’re social media-savvy, a skill valued by many employers.
Be strategic with Facebook lists.
Facebook’s list feature allows you to continue building your network without worrying about professional contacts seeing your personal updates. Under Account, then Friends, create a new list, and customize your privacy settings so professional friends can only see what you want them to see. That way your close friends can still keep up with your photos and personal updates.
Create the connections you need to get the job.
It’s all about who you know, right? Don’t just use the connections you already have. Figure out who you need to know to land a certain job—likely the hiring manager—and make that connection, whether by getting them to follow you on Twitter by retweeting their tweets, or growing your LinkedIn network until they become a third-degree connection. Twitter in particular offers opportunity to connect with professionals who might not otherwise give you the time of day.
Get Google on your side.
If don’t like what pops up when you Google yourself (because you know an employer will Google you), create a LinkedIn profile. Fill out your profile completely and become active on the network. That will help push your profile to the top of Google’s search results, which means a potential employer will see what you want them to see.
Join industry chats on Twitter.
Look for chats that revolve around your industry, or better yet, the industry you want to work in. Joining online conversations helps you keep up-to-date on the industry, meet helpful contacts, and showcase your expertise in your field. You may also want to network with other job seekers through weekly conversations like #jobhuntchat or #careerchat.
Seek out job-search advice.
All three of these networks are great places to find advice on job-hunting and mingle with other job seekers. Join LinkedIn groups that focus on job search. Follow career experts on Twitter, and “like” their pages on Facebook. That way you’ll get tips for your search even when you’re not looking for them. You can find U.S. News Careers on Facebook and on Twitter.
Use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to Network Your Way Into a Job.
Everyone’s talking about using social media for job-hunting. But how, exactly, should you do that? Here are 10 smart and strategic ways to network your way into a job using three popular online tools: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Let people know you’re looking.
Whether on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, let your friends and followers know that you’re looking for a job. Even better, tell them what type of job you’re looking for. They may not know of any openings right now, but if they know you’re available, they’ll think of you when a position opens up. That will help you hear about openings before they’re listed on popular job boards.
Don’t be afraid to network on Facebook.
Facebook may be for fun, but don’t make the mistake of overlooking your network there, especially if you already have hundreds of friends. Facebook can sometimes be more useful for job hunting than LinkedIn, because friends who know you personally have more of a stake in helping you. They want you to succeed—so use that to your advantage.
Make sure your Facebook profile is private.
Much of your Facebook profile is public by default, and you probably don’t want a potential employer browsing your personal updates. Under Account, then Privacy Settings, choose “Friends Only.” That way, an employer who Googles you won’t be able to see the details of your profile, your photos, or your personal status updates.
Find information about hiring managers.
Before you submit your resume, look up the hiring manager on LinkedIn and Twitter. (If he’s smart, he’ll make his Facebook profile private.) LinkedIn profiles and Twitter feeds are gold mines of information on individuals. Knowing more about the person who’s hiring can help you tailor your cover letter to their needs and desires.
Hyperlink your resume.
Add the URL for your Twitter handle and LinkedIn profile to your contact information on your resume. (But don’t add your Facebook profile, since that’s private.) Not only does this offer the employer another way of getting in touch with you and seeing how you interact online, it also shows that you’re social media-savvy, a skill valued by many employers.
Be strategic with Facebook lists.
Facebook’s list feature allows you to continue building your network without worrying about professional contacts seeing your personal updates. Under Account, then Friends, create a new list, and customize your privacy settings so professional friends can only see what you want them to see. That way your close friends can still keep up with your photos and personal updates.
Create the connections you need to get the job.
It’s all about who you know, right? Don’t just use the connections you already have. Figure out who you need to know to land a certain job—likely the hiring manager—and make that connection, whether by getting them to follow you on Twitter by retweeting their tweets, or growing your LinkedIn network until they become a third-degree connection. Twitter in particular offers opportunity to connect with professionals who might not otherwise give you the time of day.
Get Google on your side.
If don’t like what pops up when you Google yourself (because you know an employer will Google you), create a LinkedIn profile. Fill out your profile completely and become active on the network. That will help push your profile to the top of Google’s search results, which means a potential employer will see what you want them to see.
Join industry chats on Twitter.
Look for chats that revolve around your industry, or better yet, the industry you want to work in. Joining online conversations helps you keep up-to-date on the industry, meet helpful contacts, and showcase your expertise in your field. You may also want to network with other job seekers through weekly conversations like #jobhuntchat or #careerchat.
Seek out job-search advice.
All three of these networks are great places to find advice on job-hunting and mingle with other job seekers. Join LinkedIn groups that focus on job search. Follow career experts on Twitter, and “like” their pages on Facebook. That way you’ll get tips for your search even when you’re not looking for them. You can find U.S. News Careers on Facebook and on Twitter.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Standard Job Titles Trump Unique Job Titles on Resumes
by Scot Herrick
Job titles are important to people. They are often used to provide unique recognition to people on the job - usually to provide the title and not the pay. After all, who wouldn't want the title of Chief Technology and Program Officer? My favorite was a database administrator who casually used the unique job title of "Data Janitor II" in his e-mail signature. It was, after all, a better description of what he was doing than his real title.
But unique job titles are killers when it comes to your resume. Resumes are used to get that first interview, so you want it to represent all of your job skills to the maximum amount of possible searches. That means you should junk your fancy, customized job title - "Senior Administrator, Blowhard Division" - and use the standard industry title - "Database Administrator." There are some good reasons why.
Recruiters Search on Standard Industry Titles
This is, perhaps, blindingly obvious, but when a recruiter goes to search Dice for job candidates, he's not going to put "Senior Administrator, Blowhard Division" in the search box. No, he'll put in the standard industry title of "Database Administrator," then limit the search to a geographical area and go from there. If you have the standard title and the locality, you have a search hit. If you have the "Blowhard Division" on your resume, the search engine will blindly bypass your resume and continue on.
Another job opportunity bites the dust. And you didn't even know it existed.
Companies Use Unique Job Titles Internally, Standard Job Titles Externally
Companies need to know where they stand with their competitors when it comes to the market price for people. They do that by comparing their job titles and pay structure to other companies through independent surveys. But it's pretty hard to compare your "Blowhard Division" job title to another if the company hasn't already mapped it to an industry standard. Plus, when your company goes out to look for candidates, they don't advertise the position as a "Senior Administrator, Blowhard Division." No, they post the job as a "Database Administrator" position.
The point here is that if companies are using standard industry job titles when they look at pay and advertise job openings, why shouldn't you be using the very same standard job titles for your resume?
Standard Job Titles Come with Assumed Standard Job Skills
If your resume does get picked up with that fancy "Blowhard Division" job title, the recruiter will have to determine if you have the job skills of a "Database Administrator." If you're fortunate enough to get a phone interview and not rejected in the 30-seconds the recruiter reads your resume, you'll get questioned to see whether you have the job skills necessary for the position.
Now, if you have "Database Administrator" on your resume, that comes with assumed job skills. Instead of questioning whether you have them, the interviewer will assume you do and ask how you've used them. Think of how much further along you are in getting a new gig simply because you have an industry standard job title.
You Are Not Unique, So Use It To Your Advantage
Listen, I hate being labeled as an Industry Standard Dude. I'd rather be a Ninja. I don't like being the square peg fitting into the square hole. I don't like being plug-compatible into a job, or a widget that fulfills a ubiquitous need. I have unique capabilities to bring to the job. I'm a person.
Do you know what I hate worse? Showing that uniqueness on the job title of a resume and never getting the opportunity to show an interviewer what great, unique talents I can bring to the party.
Use the industry standard job titles to your advantage by putting them on the resume so recruiters can find you in a job search. Then party on.
Job titles are important to people. They are often used to provide unique recognition to people on the job - usually to provide the title and not the pay. After all, who wouldn't want the title of Chief Technology and Program Officer? My favorite was a database administrator who casually used the unique job title of "Data Janitor II" in his e-mail signature. It was, after all, a better description of what he was doing than his real title.
But unique job titles are killers when it comes to your resume. Resumes are used to get that first interview, so you want it to represent all of your job skills to the maximum amount of possible searches. That means you should junk your fancy, customized job title - "Senior Administrator, Blowhard Division" - and use the standard industry title - "Database Administrator." There are some good reasons why.
Recruiters Search on Standard Industry Titles
This is, perhaps, blindingly obvious, but when a recruiter goes to search Dice for job candidates, he's not going to put "Senior Administrator, Blowhard Division" in the search box. No, he'll put in the standard industry title of "Database Administrator," then limit the search to a geographical area and go from there. If you have the standard title and the locality, you have a search hit. If you have the "Blowhard Division" on your resume, the search engine will blindly bypass your resume and continue on.
Another job opportunity bites the dust. And you didn't even know it existed.
Companies Use Unique Job Titles Internally, Standard Job Titles Externally
Companies need to know where they stand with their competitors when it comes to the market price for people. They do that by comparing their job titles and pay structure to other companies through independent surveys. But it's pretty hard to compare your "Blowhard Division" job title to another if the company hasn't already mapped it to an industry standard. Plus, when your company goes out to look for candidates, they don't advertise the position as a "Senior Administrator, Blowhard Division." No, they post the job as a "Database Administrator" position.
The point here is that if companies are using standard industry job titles when they look at pay and advertise job openings, why shouldn't you be using the very same standard job titles for your resume?
Standard Job Titles Come with Assumed Standard Job Skills
If your resume does get picked up with that fancy "Blowhard Division" job title, the recruiter will have to determine if you have the job skills of a "Database Administrator." If you're fortunate enough to get a phone interview and not rejected in the 30-seconds the recruiter reads your resume, you'll get questioned to see whether you have the job skills necessary for the position.
Now, if you have "Database Administrator" on your resume, that comes with assumed job skills. Instead of questioning whether you have them, the interviewer will assume you do and ask how you've used them. Think of how much further along you are in getting a new gig simply because you have an industry standard job title.
You Are Not Unique, So Use It To Your Advantage
Listen, I hate being labeled as an Industry Standard Dude. I'd rather be a Ninja. I don't like being the square peg fitting into the square hole. I don't like being plug-compatible into a job, or a widget that fulfills a ubiquitous need. I have unique capabilities to bring to the job. I'm a person.
Do you know what I hate worse? Showing that uniqueness on the job title of a resume and never getting the opportunity to show an interviewer what great, unique talents I can bring to the party.
Use the industry standard job titles to your advantage by putting them on the resume so recruiters can find you in a job search. Then party on.
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