Knee Surgery

I am scheduled for knee replacement surgery on April 24, 2014.   Consequently, I will be absent from my blog for a few days and perhaps weeks.   

I look forward to returning to gjbygj.blogspot.com as soon as I am able.  

Please continue to post comments in this blog your suggestions for job seekers.

Thanks!
Glyn

How to Find a Job in 2014

 

An article in the Parade supplement in the April 13, 2014, edition of The Dallas Morning News on page 6 by Kate Rockwall, “How to Find a Job in 2014”, provides many helpful suggestions for job seekers.

Since the article is packed with many excellent ideas for job seekers, I have tried to highlight some of them below.  I suggest that individuals who are serious about finding a job read the entire article at http://www.parade.com. 

1. Link up with hiring managers – 94 percent of recruiters use the career networking site LinkedIn to search for applicants. “If you don’t have an up-to-date profile (on LinkedIn), you’re wasting an opportunity,” says Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s career expert.

2. Broadcast your ambitions – “When job hunting, you want to sprinkle your bread crumbs on the water, and Facebook gives you a much bigger pool of water,” says Brad Schepp, author of How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

 

3. Hunt beyond your zip code – “If you’re serious about moving, make a trip and meet people in person” suggests Pamela Mitchell, founder of the Reinvention Institute and author of The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention.

 

4. Network in 140 characters – The best networking opportunities today are happening on Twitter.  “Hiring” was tweeted 1 million times more in 2013 than in 2012 says Rachael Horwitz, the site’s communications director.

 

5. Build experience – Forty-one percent of hiring managers consider pro bono work as legitimate as a job.  If you’re unemployed or have free time, consider putting your expertise to work as a volunteer.  “Designing efficient systems is something we at Toyota do well,” says CEO James Lentz, but “but there are many ways you can help charities.”  Take a moment to think about the skills you’re developed through your career and how you might contribute to local projects.  By giving back, you could gain the sort of real-life experience and concrete results that stand out to employers.

Please post a comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com your suggestions for serious job seekers.   

Thanks!

Glyn

March Madness Disappointments

I have been glued to the TV, as perhaps many of you have been, watching the many basketball playoff games.  Both the NCAA and the NIT basketball tournaments match the best team in the U.S. in winner take all battles.

Everyone showers congratulations on the winners; however, what about the losers?  These teams have invested many countless hours of practice and competing in numerous games leading to these championships games.  

So what about the losers?  What is their take away from these contests?  Will they give up the game?  Will they become sad and remorseful?  I am suggesting that they will return to their colleges with a renewed energy to return next season using valuable experiences gained from this year’s contest ready to compete in next  year’s March Madness.

I am thinking that perhaps there is a similarity between the losers of the March Madness and job seekers who have been rejected from a job which they sought.  Taking a clue from the losers of the March Madness games, they should learn from their job search experience, rework their game plan, and return to the court (job market) with a renewed energy and dedication to find a job.  

Please post a comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com your suggestions for individuals who have been rejected from jobs they sought.   

Thanks!

Glyn

Welders, America Needs You

An article in the March 24 – April 6 issue of Bloomberg Business Week, “Welders, America Needs You”, by Matthew Philips highlighted the shortage of skilled workers particularly welders.

The article states that welding seemed like a dead end job for most of the last 30 years when the manufacturing sector was contracting.  But since 2009 the manufacturing sector has grown faster than the rest of the economy.  Consequently, decades of attrition have left the U.S. with a shortage of skilled welders. The number of welders dropped from 570,000 in 1988 to fewer than 360,000 in 2012.

According to Doug Gregory of BMR Group “we have welding jobs and cannot find people to fill them.”  Other companies quoted in the article included Stillwater Technologies, General Electric, and Caterpillar that are in need of skilled welders.

The article discussed welding training provided by Hobard Institute of Welding Technology, Troy, Ohio. There numerous welding schooling located throughout the U.S including  Lincoln Tech - http://www.lincolntech-usa.com/?source=lti-google-college%20welding%20technology-local-match-tx-devtype-c&cr=36575048317&kw=college%20welding%20technology&mt=b&pl=&dv=c&rpltssid=533b0a7cd9422&gclid=CJyY46X6v70CFUtk7AodrD8ABA

In addition to welders, there is a great demand for other technically skilled workers throughout the U.S. 

Please post a comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com your suggestions for individuals seeking employment with organizations seeking technically skilled workers.   

Thanks!

Glyn