Southwest Florida Jobing Community Blogs

The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a professional, non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. The primary focus of the organization is to foster a bond among South Asian professionals to unite and support each other locally, as well as to give back and contribute positively to the communities in which we live and work.

Join us this year at:

The 18th Annual NetIP Conference
Held in the Dynamic and Vibrant City of Toronto
Friday, Sept 4th to Sunday, Sept 6th 2009

• Engaging Panels and Workshops (covering finance, healthcare, entrepreneurship, culture, media arts)
• Film Screenings & Community Outreach Events
• Chic & Elegant Parties
• Captivating Entertainment (including a Bollywood-themed gala affair)

Create Memories of a lifetime and gain an opportunity to forge lasting friendships, as you mingle with elite South Asian professionals, network with industry leaders and meet top notch speakers!

For more information, visit www.NetIPConference.org.  

Just a quick reminder to all employers out there that recruiting is advertising!  Back in the day, we used to pay by the line for print ads.  An ad reading “Admin Asst, law firm, comp skills, fx 555-5555” was all we could afford.  Never mind the inability to target your response (we’ve talked about that before) and focus on the notion of advertising.  What in that ad is going to convince a good administrative assistant they should apply to your job instead of the other 50 ads they saw?  Absolutely nothing.

Circle forward to the internet days we live in now.  You have this wonderful ability to take advantage of what you pay for…advertising!  Tell job seekers about your company.  There is always something you can promote.  Company growth, industry leadership, location, benefits, challenge, work environment, income potential, opportunity for advancement, respected coworker, company car, stock options, flexible hours, job security, vacation packages, etc.  Whatever it is you have, flaunt it!

Unemployment is high right now and applicants are relatively easy to find but selling your company to prospects will help you find better people.  Better people mean better results and lower turnover.  Explain the job and the requirements well to counterbalance the increase in applicants you’ll get.  And that my friends, is what it’s all about.  A healthy, targeted response!!

There are lots of resources out there offering resume tips that will help you get that first interview.  Check out this list of common mistakes and make sure you avoid them.  Get in the door for that first interview and show them you’ve got what it takes!

Mistake 1 – Focusing Too Much on Responsibilities – Yes, you should be noting what you did but make sure you also mention the results.  Instead of saying made 60 sales calls per day, say made 60 sales calls per day to establish 5 leads and set 1 appointment.  Instead of saying created an automated billing system, say created an automated billing system which saved the company $500,000 per year in administrative costs.

Mistake 2 – Spelling, Formatting and Punctuation Errors – Right or wrong these errors tell the recruiter your attention to detail is lacking.  Perform spell checks, have friends review it and proof it yourself several days later.

Mistake 3 – Focusing on Yourself and Not the Employer – People tend to get wrapped up in describing themselves and their past work experiences.  Winning resumes indicate to the employer what you can do for them.  Of course you have to include both but make sure you comment on how your skills apply.  This is particularly important on cover letters as well.

Mistake 4 – Having Only One Version of Your Resume – In a perfect world, each resume you submit will be customized and sent with a customized cover letter.  It is amazing how much this will help.  At a minimum have several resumes ready for varying types of jobs.  A friend of mine recently created more than five versions…standard sales, sales job for which he’s slightly under qualified, sales job requiring management experience, sales job requiring travel, etc. 

Mistake 5 – Gimmicks – Rarely will using bright paper, unique layouts or crazy fonts get you an interview you wouldn’t have received anyway.  Recruiters are busy.  Send them a resume and cover letter they don’t have to decipher before getting to the details.

Education is a sure fire way to increase your marketability in the workforce. Yet, if you are seeking a career change, education can be a very time intensive and lengthy process. When considering this change there are many options to weigh.

• How long will the process take?
• Do you need a degree or do certificates or graduate programs exist?
• Is there demand for the job, once you are educated?
• What is motivating your change? True passion or a fleeting interest?

Education is a commitment, and one you must take seriously. When considering the time the program will take, you must be confident you are happy in your current job. Will you have the patience to wait until the end of your program before you are working in your new a career?

Considering the education options, what is truly needed? Is a full 4 year degree necessary, or will a 2 year degree help you get into the industry? Often passion and enthusiasm for the job will set you apart from others who have formal degrees. Using teaching as an example, you must be certified, so you much complete the degree. Yet, going from business to HR may simply require a certification. Investigate what is truly necessary to get your foot in the door.

As you embark on your change, is there a future for it? Fleeting interest fields often see a rise in people in the market and a drop off of demand. This was evident in crime scene investigation, due to the popularity of police shows. Not only ensure that you can gauge a demand for your career once your education is complete, but that you have a true passion for it. A fleeting interest or a fad will not last long.

The resources Jobing.com has to offer to help you find a great educational program include JobingEducation. Additionally, if you are seeking the benefit of a graduate degree, Grand Canyon University offers adults great online opportunities.

Use education to make a career change – for life.

You are a unique, focused person with job experience that would apply to many positions.  You have skills that would be highly prized by almost any employer. 

For these reasons and more, you would not say yes these questions: 

Are you generic?  Do you have no experience that relates to the job you are applying for?   

However, if you use the same general resume for every application – your resume may be saying yes to those questions for you.  

If you find a position you want, take the time to tailor your resume to fit it.  Here are some quick tips to make your resume relevant

1.  If you have a long list of old positions, unrelated to the one you are applying to, remove them.  These positions are clutter and will do nothing to support that you are the right person for the job.  

2.  If you have long lists of duties that are unrelated to the job you are applying to – refine the list to emphasize the skills, knowledge and traits specifically listed in the job description.  

3.  If you were to remove the objective from the top of your resume – would a person be able to tell what it is?  Make sure that your objective is both clear and supported by the every detail of your resume.  Even if you are applying to a new field and the jobs on your resume are not the same as what you are looking for – if you emphasize the skills and traits that are transferable and support your objective, your career goals will be clear.  

If the job is unique, and you are a fit – bring your resume in line and your chances of success will improve!

(Quick Jobing.com Tip – Save up to ten unique resumes using your My Jobing! account so your relevant resume is ready-to-go!)

Your employment brand has a dramatic effect on the employees you hire and the success of your organization.  It starts with recruitment advertising and goes all the way to retirement.  Top notch employers monitor their brand image while shaping it to attract employees who best fit the model.  The most common example is Southwest Airlines.  When people think of them, the notion is always of a fun, hard working company that takes care of their employees. 

Brand in your job postings – The days of paying by the line are over!  Use the unlimited space websites offer to tell job seekers about your organization.  Why do people work for your company?  Do you have a “cool factor” that other employers in your industry don’t offer?  Tell your story to help recruit the right people.

Be consistent – Your employment brand starts with an honest look at your company and the existing employees.  Once you have determined your image it should be promoted in recruitment advertising and by recruiters.  Hiring managers should be an extension of the same brand.  The last thing you want is recruiters and hiring managers telling people different things.

Follow through – The most frequent complaint we hear from job seekers is the lack of follow through.  You’ve designed great ads.  You bring in interviewees and tell them all the great things about your company.  It is very easy to make the hire and forget about everyone else.  A simple email or phone call telling someone the job has been filled will dramatically help your image.  There are so many recruiters that skip this step and job seekers truly appreciate it.

The benefits of an employment brand are far reaching.  You get everyone on the same page.  Your recruitment efforts are more targeted which will help save time.  You become an employer of choice.  You make the right hires and keep people longer.  Everyone wins!

Here’s an invite to employers, community organizations, schools, and employment related nonprofits to utilize the Jobing Community Blogs to create awareness for your organization.  Our blog site is an established trusted part of the community with thousands of visitors each day.  We are working hard to create a true community resource with valuable insight geared toward job seekers.  My goal is to help the employment community further its mission and I know that blogging is a great way to do it.  It’s easier than you think! 

Here are some great reasons to blog.

1.  It increases awareness of your organization.  You provide a valuable resource to local job seekers and more people should know what you do.  Include a weblink in your profile to help drive traffic to your website.  Jobing is a known commodity with a large, smart, and devoted audience of job seekers, employers, non-profit organizations, community resources, and students.  We have the eyeballs.  Get your message in front of them.

2.  It improves your search engine rankings.  Google in particular loves user generated content.  Your blogs may pop up even before your corporate website. 

3.  It's free.  Targeted exposure that's free...it's a no-brainer.  We can afford to offer it free because good blogs bring traffic to our site too.  It's a holistic way of looking at marketing.  We like to call ourselves enlightened. 

Here's what works well...
Employment related advice and tips
Specific industry info, ie "what's it like to be in the insurance business?"
"Day in the life" pieces about a particular job or industry
Employment related community event promotion
Professional association information
Info about employment related community services
Job market news

Here's what doesn't work as well…
Solicitations
Anything "hard sell"
Info unrelated to employment, education, or the local community

Here's how to get started
Send me an email at randy.anderson@jobing.com.  I’ll respond with a few questions and help get you started.  Give it shot!

As people consider their next green career, they usually focus on what they are going to do in their next job. Although doing what you love and what engages you are important to your sense of fulfillment in the job, they aren't the only factor to consider.

Where you spend your day and with whom you spend your time is just as important. If you've ever worked in a bad work environment you know how much it can impact your work satisfaction.

As you consider your options for your next green career, think about the work environment that is going to allow you to be fulfilled, satisfied, and productive. Be ideal in your exploration of the right work environment. Don't limit yourself to what you've experienced in the past. Think outside the box to create a picture of the work environment that's best for you.

Use the following list of work environment characteristics to create a description of the kind of work environment you want in your next job.

Location
Where do you want to go to work? What's the best way to describe the location? Think about the building (or lack thereof) as well as where the building is located. You might also want to consider how green the company building is.

Workspace
Where do you do your work? How would you describe your ideal work space? Is it in one place? In multiple places? How is it furnished? Be as specific as possible in your description of your design.

People
Who do you work with? If you could wave a magic wand, what kind of co-workers, employees, managers, and vendors would you work with? Although some people think it's not possible to "design" your work community, being clear about the kind of people you enjoy working with can give you clues about the field you want to be in and can be a red flag warning if a position is not a good fit for you.

Schedule
What does your workday look like? Your schedule has a lot to do with your satisfaction at work. How would you design your ideal workday?

Benefits
What benefits are critical for you to have? Companies at different stages of development will have different benefits packages. If you know what you need up front, you'll have a better chance of making the right decision about whether a job offer is a good fit for you.

Employee or Contractor
What is your ideal work arrangement? Do you want to work full-time? Do you want to work part-time? Do you desire to be an employee or a contractor? If you are a contractor, do you want to work freelance or through an agency? Or do you want to be an entrepreneur? Although we grew up thinking we'd have a full time salaried position, there are a lot of other options in the current economy. Think about your lifestyle, personal responsibilities, and work style to determine the work contract that's going to be the best match for your life.

One Final Tip
When doing an exercise like this, it's easy to hyper focus on what hasn't worked in past work environments. Although those elements of your work environment are important, they aren't the only ones to consider. As you build your picture of your ideal work environment, be sure to claim the elements of your work environment that have worked for you in the past. For instance, just because you have a wonderful work schedule in your current job doesn't mean that work schedule is going to exist in every job you consider. Articulate what it is that you like about your work schedule so that you can look for that in another position in the future.

Carol McClelland PhD
Green Career Expert
http://www.greencareercentral.com

A person who has completed their high school education has a better employment outlook than a person who has not. But what does that really look like?

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics states is clearly:

Education pays ... Education pays in higher earnings and lower unemployment rates

According to a March 2009 report by the Bureau, the median weekly earnings and unemployment rate of a person with less than school diploma is $426/week and 9% unemployment rate compared to a high school graduate at $591/week and 5.7% unemployment rate.  To put that number into perspective, over a lifetime a person with a diploma will make $ 430,000 more than a person without.

Now there are a large amount of opportunities open to the young adult and adult learner to support the completion of the high school diploma. Please research your high school opportunities on JobingEducation or visit Pinnacle Online High School directly.

Do you have time? Can you afford it? According to the BLS, you can’t afford not to finish your high school diploma. Good luck!

Citation:
Education Pays, BLS

It is always tempting to bend the truth on a resume and in an interview.  Ultimately you have to ask yourself – what is the benefit?  When it comes down to your resume and your interview, what do you gain when you are honest? 

1.  You have a greater chance of getting a job that suits you.  It is a great feeling to work in a job that lines up with your strengths, abilities – one that let’s you shine and build a career! 

2.  If there are some key skills that you lack but are passionate about learning – express that will to learn to the employer (or better yet, show them that you are taking the steps to learn).  A drive to learn and improve is a wonderful trait to highlight in a job search, and could help you get the training you need to succeed. 

3.  You get the chance to look like a star.  If there is a cover-up out there to throw recruiters off the path from a bad end to a job, a weakness in your skills, or any other anomaly in your career – the recruiter you are communicating with has heard it, seen it and has learned to dismiss candidates that use these techniques.  Quickly.  We have all made mistakes and learned tough lessons.  Take every opportunity to show what you have learned from your mistakes, how you overcame your obstacles and how these “anomalies” have helped you become the great employee you are today.  Anyone can make a mistake.  It takes a true super-star to face it and improve. 

4.  Honest, straightforward communication helps employers see what you can do - efficiently.  Recruiters often have great demands on their time and need to figure out if you fit in as quickly as possible.  You can help them if you keep your resume and interviews free of “fluff” and stick to what you know, what you can do and what you have learned. 

Good luck building your career – please let us know what has worked for you!

Here at Jobing.com we believe firmly in professional and personal development.  A colleague of mine has been hooked on webinars.  She watches several per week on a variety of subjects.  Some include a fee, but the majority she watches are free.  They are simply recorded versions of a past event.  Recorded versions frequently include questions and answers.

A few internet searches provided countless webinars for the field of human resources.  You can learn about payroll changes brought about by the Obama administration.  You can learn how people utilize social networking sites to assist with recruiting.  You can learn about the pros and cons of personality testing for applicants.  You can learn about internet searching to conduct a pseudo background check.  Some of the webinars even qualify for continuing education credits!

Be sure to think about webinars as a way to polish you skills or learn about new subjects.  Make yourself more valuable to your employer.  Consider finding webinars for your employees.  Help them polish their skills and contribute more to the bottom line of your organization. 

The American Payroll Association sponsors an annual event called National Payroll Week.  The event is designed to “celebrate the hard work by America’s 156 million wage earners and the payroll professionals who pay them.”  According to their website, these workers contribute, collect, report and deposit $1.8 trillion annually to the US Treasury.  The website offers valuable information regarding payroll deductions and the best way to manage this system.  It is a valuable resource for workers across the country.

Take the Getting Paid in America Survey to speak your mind on the latest issues affecting how you get paid.  Share your opinions on topics like the current status of your 401(k), identity theft and the economic stimulus tax credit.  This survey will be used for research purposes and to promote the payroll profession.  All participants will be entered to win a free paycheck and a trip to Las Vegas.

Thanks to my colleague, Patty Revis, for telling me about the event and the survey!

Summer is upon us!  We pass fewer school buses each morning while commuting to work.  Most of us had to dig out the bottle of sun screen and the box of summer clothes.  Many employers have the need to fill summer jobs.  Each year, Jobing.com places a job category for summer jobs on the website.  We strategically market these jobs to help employers attract the right candidates.  Choose this category when posting jobs for help in filling your seasonal job openings.  Be sure to ask your Jobing.com Industry Specialist for more details…and enjoy the nice weather!!

Call me an optimist but I’ve been reading a lot lately about the economy starting to turn and the job market starting to pick up.  Here is a brief list of industries that are expected to supply a great deal of jobs for 2009 and beyond.

1.        Computers and Engineering – Projected to increase by 20% over the next decade, you can’t go wrong by getting skills in the computer and engineering fields.  Keep in mind, as these companies grow they’ll need administrative, accounting and sales personnel to go along with the techies.

2.        Government – Always a steady field of work.  Make sure you check for local government jobs frequently as they often have limited application periods.  Follow application guidelines closely to ensure you are considered.

3.        Renewable Energy/Environmental – Many initiatives are underway to save our great earth.  Think about solar power, electric cars, recycling and everything green.  Firms in this industry are poised for significant growth

4.        Healthcare – The healthcare field is constantly in need of great people.  It also ranks near the top of every list for jobs during the next decade.  Just like the high tech industry remember you don’t have to be a healthcare professional as these employers hire many different types of people.

5.        Construction – Construction is one of the first sectors to experience a flurry of hiring following a recession.  Many of the stimulus package inclusions are targeted to the construction industry as well.

Keep your chin up and keep digging.  The jobs are out there!

Even if you have already answered this question years ago with a resounding "no" (after all, college takes a time commitment) it may be time to reconsider.  If you have had a significant change in your life, such as the desire to change careers, a recent lay-off, or a child move out of the house - then you may have just the right amount of time or motivation to succeed in school.  With all of the options available to today's career seeker, you may not have to wait for a life-change to make college possible.  Increasingly, schools of all types offer off-campus or online coursework for the student that needs a little more flexibility.  Chances are, no matter what your schedule and needs are, there is a program that matches your needs and provides the type of education you need to accomplish your goals.  It may mean taking one or two classes at a time, but it can be done.

Still not convinced that there is enough time?

Let’s take a minute out of the 10,080 minutes in a week to look at how the average American spends that time.

1680 minutes - Spent watching television (4 hours/day)
2400 minutes - Spent at work (40 hour work week)
3360 minutes - Spent sleeping (8 hours a night)

If you complied exactly to those numbers it would leave you exactly 2,640 minutes a week (44 hours) to do whatever you choose (cleaning, hobbies, exercise, social activities, child-rearing, etc.).  Some schools advocate that for every hour of class you take, you need to plan for 2 hours of study.  With this strategy it would mean devoting 36 hours to school if you took 12 hours of courses.  If that sounds excessive, then maybe it would make more sense for you to take two classes (maybe around 6 credit hours = 18 total hours spent on school work).  18 hours of time spent on college would require the average American above to eliminate television viewing 4 1/2 days a week in order to be successful in school without altering the rest of their free time (the 44 hours a week of "free time" we all have). 

If you are ready – there is time! Research your educational opportunities either at JobingEducation, The Princeton Review or one of our sponsored schools, Grand Canyon University (on-line masters degree programs). Now just might be the right time for you to take that leap of faith.