Posts tagged with “employment”

The economy appears to be getting better and when you turn on the news the positive thoughts are really starting to outweigh the negative emotions. However, were not out of the deep water yet and there are still a lot of job seekers and still very few jobs.

While employers have decreased the amount of lay offs that we are seeing from major companies, a recent article from the New York Times states that employment prospects are still getting worse.

"Job seekers now outnumber openings six to one, the worst ratio since the government began tracking open positions in 2000. According to the Labor Department's latest numbers, from July, only 2.4 million full-time permanent jobs were open, with 14.5 million people officially unemployed. And even though the pace of layoffs is slowing, many companies remain anxious about growth prospects in the months ahead, making them reluctant to add to their payrolls."

How does it look in your market? Are you seeing any changes that can provide insight, motivation, or a positive thought to other job seekers?

If you're a millennial than you have to start figuring out how you want to position yourself at work. Don't think for a minute that everyone that's older than you doesn't understand technology. Although the younger generations are typically more savvy and adept at utilizing social media, there is still a signifcant amount of "seasoned" professionals on the web.

There's five generations in the workforce, and although millennials will be the majority in the year 2020 (HBS), older workers still have senior positions. Instead of trying to be superior than them, which can get you fired or put you in a corner, try and be helpful by supporting their projects with your tech expertise. Think about how you can use your knowledge of social media or web 2.0 technology to your benefit and teach them, instead of trying to outsmart them. Remember, a built bridge is stronger than a burnt bridge.

Your colleagues are following you on Twitter, trust me. If you're looking for a career move right now or in the future and you want to promote it, wait till after you've moved from your company.

Supervisor references are always important because endorsements rule the world, so if you want to burn your previous employer by not being transparent offline, then you're in trouble. You can tell your friends and family, but once you announce it to the world, it's fair game and you'll be laid off immediately without the chance to ever return to that company. A lot of people don't realize that once you establish a reputation and a network at a company, it can be your safety net in the future if you desperately need a job.

Company cultures are always different and have policies (some have social media policies for workers too). Some block social networking sites, while others refrain because they know that people are doing work at home, so their employment contract is different. Robert Half International found that 54% of companies prohibit use of social networking Web sites during work hours, including popular sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Another survey by ScanSafe, indicates that 20% more companies are blocking social networking sites and that 76% currently block them, which is much more than the Robert half survey. Don't complain that your company blocks these sites. If you're truly obsessed, why not access them from your mobile phone? Otherwise, get fired or quit and go somewhere else (though that is not a great idea in todays economy)!

Other companies realize the potential in good corporate web-citizens. For example, eBillme offers training on how to use social networking sites to spread company information.

Next: Social Media Mistakes Part Four: Brand Association >>

Previous: Social Media Mistakes Part Two: Me Before We >>

People use a lot crazy tactics to try to get a job, and some actually work. Brandishing a gun, however, is not one of them.

According to LoHud.com, a man took the term "Job Hunt" a little too literally. He walked into a Taco Bell in Haverstraw, NY on Monday afternoon, pulled out a gun, demanded money, then continued on to the manager's office.

• Prepare in advance (before you even go to a first interview) to answer uncomfortable questions about your background -- know what you're going to say and how you're going to explain important points.
• Avoid becoming anxious or defensive if/when the subject comes up in the interview (especially if it comes up unexpectedly).
• Be upfront and honest (but don't necessarily bring it up until the interview gets to the background check stage) and don't try to cover it up, pretend it didn't happen, or hope the employer doesn't notice it. You'll only end up looking worse.
• Tailor your list of personal and professional references to show character and to counterbalance any concerns created by your less than perfect history.

• Exercise your personal network to get an internal reference or find out what is going on with the job online.
• Connect with some local staffing firms to see if they work with the company on a contract or permanent basis.

During your job search you are bound to get a call about or discover jobs that are contract positions. Whether 3, 6, or 12 months long it seems that these positions are only temporary fixes to your major problem: finding stable employment in an unstable economy. Maybe you know a little about contract work or maybe you know nothing at all; either way, we're here to describe the nuances of contract work and why it can sometimes lead to something better than you would have imagined.

Working with a recruiter and staffing agency can be a quite daunting task. You never really know the amount of contact they have with the manager, sometimes they are vague in the requirements they have, occasionally you will hear from the recruiter in the beginning and then never again.

How do you distinguish who you should work with and who would be wasting your time?