Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Where has the time gone.  Pools are closed, leaves are raked, snow has fallen, and Christmas lights are shining.  Although difficult times are still upon us, the end of the year brings reflection and resolutions.  Congratulations to those of  you that have weathered the storm and have found your “dream job”, or are gainfully employed.  To the job seekers, use this holiday season to network, network, network.  Do not be discouraged that your calls are not returned and your resumes are not reviewed.  It’s Christmas.  It’s the season for time off,  leaving work early, vacation, family, and in many cases, shut-down time.  Instead, get out, introduce yourself, and toot your horn at those holiday gatherings.  Ask where other guests work and what their positions are.  Remember names, titles, and companies for future reference.  Then, as the new year begins, be ready to spring into action.  Follow-up with the new contacts you have made and re-acquaint with the old.

Whatever your situation, we hope you can take the time to truly enjoy this wonderful season.  From our family to you and  yours…. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Job Searching Tips

Whether it’s a home office, your own business, or working for a small or large corporation, there is no big secret or magic crystal ball to finding your “perfect job”.  There are, however, a few points to keep in mind while job searching.

• Networking

You’ve seen this word here before and you will see it again.  It is a crucial element to a job search.  Opportunities often show themselves because of whom you know and when/where you meet.

• Strengths

You have them and it is necessary to identify them.  Knowing what you like to do and what you do well delivers a strong value to a potential employer.  Have confidence and focus on a position that fits your strengths.

• Education

Not only a college degree or trade certification, this includes continually developing a plan for your own professional advancement.  Attend seminars, read trade journals, seek an advanced degree, and join career groups.

• Assistance

Take advantage of government programs, nonprofit agencies, job search groups, alumni career centers or faith-based missions.  These groups can provide a different perspective on your personality, strengths, weaknesses and skills, which can be beneficial.

Unemployment Low

It seems it is time once again to report on the areas unemployment rate. Headlines tell us “Lowest point since 2008”. This is certainly good news.

According to data released by the Illinois Department of Unemployment Security, the unemployment rate in Boone and Winnebago counties was 11.9% in April. That is 20,094 people and down 1.4% from March. Also down 3.8% from April 2010.

Companies added 1,500 jobs from March to April this year, and 1.800 jobs from April 2010 to April 2011. The breakdown in specific industries is as follows:

Manufacturing: 900 employees added
Business/Service Field: 700 employees added
Trade/Transportation/Utilities: 600 employees added

The Business/Service Field includes staffing firms that provide employees to a variety of organizations.

Nevertheless, this is a positive indication of organizations feeling profitable and confident enough to hire, even if it is a temporary basis. Hopefully these will transition to permanent employees, however, at this time let us be encouraged by this hiring trend.

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go!!!

Uncommon Job Titles

One never quite knows what they will glance over when reading the Internet.  While partaking in my usual morning browsing, this caught my attention enough to share.  Although we have not specifically seen any of these unusual titles on any resumes, we did chuckle over a few.

President & Chief Imagination Officer is what the New Holland Brewing Co. has dubbed their President along with a Director of Chaos, a Beervangelist, an Ambassador of Great Beer, a Beer Beast from the East, a Regional Spirits Ambassador, and, not to be left out, a Chief Sparkle Officer.

Head Worm Wrangler is responsible for collecting food waste, feeding it to worms, harvesting worms, setting up worm bins, and bottling worm juice.  Somebody call “Dirty Jobs” on this one.

One company employs a Chief Fun Officer whose job is…. You guessed it, looking for fun things the company can do together.  Qualification:  Must be happy and energized.

We found a Derma-Pigmentation Technician for Permanent Cosmetics.  A person who tattoos faces and performs areola re-pigmentation.  Say that fast 3 times.

Here’s one job we should all practice.  Chief Fitlosopher.  Responsibilities include positively influencing the lives of others and embracing the fit of life.  This person will assist people in living a healthy, active lifestyle motivating them with innovative products to redefine how to integrate fitness into their lives.  “Change the shape of the world”.

Last but not least, a company changed their receptionist’s title to Director of First Impressions.  Hope this position received a salary increase also.

If you’ve noticed some unusual or uncommon job titles in your browsing, please let us know.  We’d like to hear from you.

New Year, New Everything?

New year, a new attitude, new clothes, a new you, a new job???

What’s in store for us in 2011?  We can only hope a changing economy and a turnaround in the job market.  When is a good time to ask for a promotion?  Always.

In this job market, it is understandable that workers perform their duties to the best of their abilities simply to hold onto their jobs.  Most feel fear for their economic well-being.  It is important to remember your job may be your career and for every crash there is a rebound.  What goes up must come down theory.  Positive thinking.  Putting yourself in position for a promotion is important in surviving the recession successfully.  How is this accomplished during these times of fewer jobs and more people looking for employment?  Taking on more responsibilities, developing a new skill or furthering your education, or adding extra work to your existing workload.  These methods make good business sense for both you and the company.  Now, for the important part of this equation; it is imperative that management notices the reason for these methods.  They must be conveyed as promotion bound, so not to appear as an “over achiever”.  This is accomplished by expressing your goals to management in a positive manner.  Divide your skills and abilities into “what I can do now” and “what I can and would like to do when we grow as a company”.  This establishes your loyalty to the company while stating your personal goal, which is ultimately a promotion.

No one really knows for sure what’s in store for us in 2011, however, thinking and being positive while focusing on both your personal career goals and the company will help prepare for the turnaround.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  May your holiday be filled with goodness and your New Year prosperous with good health.  During this holiday season it is difficult for some to face the reality of our economic situation.  The Rock River Valley is seeing unemployment like it has never seen before.  For some, participating in a federally funded job training program is the best solution.  The Dislocated Worker Program has submitted statistics and we thought it might make for an interesting post.

Since 2008, 66% of enrollees in the program found jobs with the average salary earned at $12.70 per hour ($26,416 per year).  Rock Valley College has seen 68% of the enrollees become employed.  The college is the largest of the 29 training providers.  Another popular provider is Eagle Training Services, a truck driving school, which has had 80% of its 45 trainees find jobs.  Participants in this program are required to fill out applications in class, which are then faxed right to the companies.  This gets the process started, and the participant is responsible for following up.

There are people of all trades and professions.  They have seen pilots, factory workers, construction workers, and tradesman enrolled.  Some are on their second careers and trying something totally new.  If you have found yourself unemployed, training assistance might be a solution.

We can only hope 2011 brings employment opportunities, wage increases, tax decreases, and a solution to healthcare for all…. And to all a good night.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Good News

News headlines read “Firms ready to hire, buy” and “Unemployment claims drop while job openings increase”.  This is good news for our area.  The 2010 International Manufacturing Technology Show (McCormick Place in Chicago) appears to have been successful.  One Rockford company reports obtaining 700 leads from the weeklong show.  With more than 1,700 exhibits and over 82,000 people in attendance, this show brought plenty of activity as manufacturers found themselves ready to shop.

Home sales for our area were also up in September with 274 homes sold, which is up from August of this year, however, still down 25% from September of 2009.  The 3-month average price at the end of September was $121,271, which is nearly 6% below the average at the end of September 2009.  Keeping optimistic, Sales have increased locally in each of the past 2 months as the market struggles to find its actual level without the federal income tax credits.

Fewer people applied for unemployment, companies are laying off less and are advertising more job openings.  Private sector employers advertised the largest number of jobs available since November of 2008.

Now for the good news / bad news…. We’ve got jobs, just not big salaries.  Newly created jobs pay less than they used to.  More than three quarters of the private sector jobs created between December and July are in the $15.00 per hour range.  The other quarter pay less than $10.83 an hour.  Job creation this year has been in industries such as manufacturing, wholesale trade and hospitals.

Overall, these headlines indicate… as we like to say, ” Our glass is half full!”  Thanks for visiting.

 

Tough Times

Job seekers over the age of 55 have had a more difficult time than most during this recession.  The national unemployment rate for this group is at a historic high and seekers have been ending their job searches.  Despite their years of experience, many older unemployed job seekers fear they may not find work again.

Convincing potential employers that age is not a detouring factor in job performance can be difficult.  It seems, employers fear the older candidate has not kept up with technology, is going to retire soon, or has an unwillingness to learn.  There is no way around this, so the advice here is to “hit it head on”.  Address the issues in the first means of communications, email, cover letter, or phone interview or personal interview.  Explain your technical skills with your current education and experience.  Let them know how many years you feel you have left in you, so to speak, and express your willingness to learn, preferably without the “old dog new tricks” routine.

Along with work skills, the skills needed to perform a job search can be difficult.  The older candidate has probably not had to look for a job recently.  It’s a whole new world.  Hopefully this blog has some helpful information.  Good luck and thanks for visiting.

Tips for the Female Professional in a Male Dominated Career

There are increasing numbers of female professionals in male dominated careers nowadays more than ever.  With this occurring, we thought there might be a few tips helpful to women entering these careers, or maybe to help some who are having difficulties in this situation.

• Be Professional

This is especially to be noted if you are a new grad.  Leave your sorority days behind you and keep your college experiences to a minimum, specifically important if they do not involve your education or profession, if you get the drift.  As for the seasoned professionals, keep your weekend activities private and your work activities off your social networking sites.

Also included under this tip is your attire.  Dress the part.  This doesn’t mean you have to wear a suit and tie, or dress manly, but understand companies have dress codes for a reason.  Good “rule of thumb”:  just don’t show too much skin.  Dresses and skirts are fine, but you don’t want to stand out by dressing inappropriately; you already stand out being a woman.  Now, a subject many dare to mention but should be addressed…. the thongs you might wear?  Men CAN tell you have them on and they are best left for the weekends.  Pearls are considered a classy accessory you cannot go wrong with investing in a strand.

• Always Do Your Best

Typically, in male dominated careers, women have to work harder to prove themselves.  There are companies required to make their offices diverse, so women are hired.  This may negatively affect the male perception of a woman’s qualifications and performance.  Sexist… yes, but it is reality at times.

• Don’t Gossip

Steer clear of the office rumors and understand that when men do it they are just “B.S. ing” but when women repeat or start these rumors it is “gossip” and it’s not good.  Nobody has respect for an office blabbermouth.

• Hold Your Own

Gender discrimination does not occur everywhere and all the time, however, if it affects you, how you deal with it will determine your future success.  Be strong and confident.  Stick to your guns.  If it is not in your personality to boost your own ego, this is the time to at least pretend you have one.

• Watch The Attitude

Sometimes “overly aggressiveness” takes over as if to prove yourself.  You are just as worthy as a male (or any other) co-worker, but having a bad attitude can appear abrasive and fake.  If you are a smart and confident woman, your intelligence and work product should speak for themselves.

• Don’t Give Up

Do not doubt your ability, performance and potential because of harsh conversations or feeling like you are being discriminated against.  Keep things in perspective and remind yourself of the positive projects you have been involved in.

• Don’t Allow Yourself To Be The Secretary

If you are the one to always set up the meetings, take notes, or book the conferences, you will be stuck playing secretary for the rest of your career.  If you don’t mind this, ignore this tip.  If you do, just keep it in mind.

Resume Bloopers

Senior Executives from large companies were interviewed and asked about resumes with mistakes.  The response concluded 40% indicating they would eliminate the candidate for just one typo on the resume, while 36% said it would take 2 mistakes before placing it in the “no” pile.  As for the other 24%, they were not mentioned.  But that’s not the purpose of this post.

The purpose is to entertain you with some favorite resume bloopers.  Spell check obviously isn’t always something to be depended upon.

Objective: Seeking a party-time position with room for advancement

Professional headline: 1 year old marketing executive

Achievement: Planned new corporate facility at $3M over budget.

Explanation of employment gap: career break in 1999 to renovate my horse

References: Referees available upon request

Skills: I am a rabid typist

Strengths: Impersonal skills

Hobbies: Enjoy cooking Chinese and Italians

Education: College: August 1880 to May 1984

Cover letter: I would like to assure you that I am a hardly working person.

And just how much information on a resume is too much?

Objective: To have my skills and ethics challenged on a regular basis

Personal Information: Married, eight children, prefer frequent travel

Language Skills: Exposure to German for two years-but many words are inappropriate for business

Reason for leaving last job: the owner gave new meaning to the word paranoia

Achievements: Nominated for prom queen

Education: Finished eighth in a class of ten

Interests: Gossiping

Awards: National record for eating 45 eggs in two minutes

References: Bill, Tom, Eric – but I don’t know their phone numbers

Salary: The higher the better

Cover letter: Please disregard the attached resume; it’s totally outdated

As amusing as these are, you do not want your resume to end up in the “no” pile so here are a few tips on avoiding typos:

• Print out a copy of the resume to proofread. It is easier to catch mistakes on the printed page than on the computer screen.
• Set the resume aside for a few hours and come back to it later. This may help you spot new typos.
• Ask three people to read the resume. Among the three of them, one is bound to catch an error.
• Err on the side of caution and use common sense. A resume isn’t a data dump of everything you have ever done or a window into your soul. It is a marketing tool that should put your best foot forward.
• Your resume may very well be the single most important document you ever write. Pay attention to every detail and be memorable for the right reasons.

Hope you found this entertaining as well as helpful.  Good luck, and as always, thanks for visiting.