Seasonal Jobs

I know that it is getting late in the Christmas season; however, there are many organizations seeking seasonal workers.  The good news is that many of the seasonal hires may convert to permanent jobs.

Cheryl Casone of Fox Business cable channel posts jobs on her website    -  http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2013/12/17/hired/ lists a number of job openings from organizations she has contacted.  Here are a few of our recommended companies:

FedEx -  http://fedex.hodesiq.com/careers/job_search.aspx?Locale=en&User_ID=

Sterling Jewelers - http://www.sterlingcareers.com/

ToysRUs - http://www.toysrusinc.com/careers/

Domino Pizza - http://www.dominosbiz.com/Biz-Public-EN/Site+Content/Secondary/Careers/

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/jobs/ref=gw_m_b_careers

Container Store - http://www.containerstore.com/careers/index.html

H  & R Block - http://www.hrblock.com/career/

David Bridal - http://www.davidsbridal.com/OnlineHelp_help-company-info?leftNav=true#careers

Limited Brands - http://careers.lb.com/

Please share contact information for other organizations that are hiring with others by commenting in this blog or emailing me at glynjordan@gmail.com.

Thanks, Glyn

10 Best Places for Veterans to find Jobs

As a USAA member, I receive the USAA Magazine, and the Winter 2013 issue on page 10 contains a very interesting article about the best cities in the U.S. for veterans to find jobs.  I am thinking that if these cities are the best places for vets to find jobs perhaps it is true for other job seekers as well.  Here they are:

1.    Houston – Population 5.9 million, unemployment rate 6.1 percent, recent job growth 2.6 percent.  Houston offers a vibrant economy and jobs and industries that best fit the skills of transitioning military members.

2.    Dallas – Population 4.4 million, unemployment rate 6.2 percent, recent job growth 2.9 percent.  Job growth stayed healthy over the last year, while average home prices remained at an attractive $124,000.

3.    Minneapolis – Population 3.3 million, Unemployment rate 5.3 percent, recent job growth 1.7 percent. Careers in education and health care are particularly here.

4.    Oklahoma City – Population 1.2 million, Unemployment rate 4.6 percent, recent job growth 1.7 percent.  The Oklahoma City metro area has the lowest cost of living on the list. As a state capital, Oklahoma City benefits from government employment opportunities.

5.    Austin – Population 1.7 million, unemployment rate 5.3 percent, recent job growth 3.4 percent.  Austin is the state capital and home of The University of Texas and many high tech companies

6.    Norfolk – Population 1.7 million, unemployment rate 5.7 percent, recent job growth 1.7 percent.  The largest concentration of military bases and facilities and is home to sites for NASA and the Commerce, Veterans Affairs,Transportation and Energy Departments.

7.    Tampa – Population 2.8 million, unemployment 6.9 percent, recent job growth 4 percent.  Home prices are a low $107,000 and area’s job growth ties for the highest among the 10 cities listed here.

8.    Salt Lake City – Population 1.2 million, Unemployment rate 4.5 percent, recent job growth 4 percent.  Salt Lake City has the lowest unemployment rate with the greatest job growth over the last 12 months. 

9.    Orlando – Population 2.1 million, unemployment rate 6.6 percent, recent job growth 2.5 percent.  Orlando has the lowest median home prices and given its proximity to many major attractions and theme parks, it has a large leisure and hospitality industry.

10. Fort Lauderdale – Population 1.8 million, unemployment rate 5.7 percent, recent job growth 3.1 percent. The cost of living well below the national average while the economy shows strong job growth. The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean drives the two major industries: marine commerce and tourism.

Please share with readers of this blog if this information is helpful to your job search by posting your comments or emailing me at glynjordan@gmail.com.

Thanks, Glyn

December 7, 1941- A Day to Remember

Do you remember this tragic day?  I was only 4 years old so I cannot recall any specific events, but I found this article from the American Thinker, December 7, 2013, edition:

It's been 72 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, but for survivors, the events of that day are seared into their memory, making the experience fresh and vital.

This is important because the number of those who lived through the attack gets smaller every anniversary.

Each of us probably has some tie to that black day of American history, to Pearl Harbor, although the lines may be faint and the chances of tracing it directly dim with each year.

On the day Japanese bombers struck the battleships lined up like sitting ducks in Pearl Harbor, my then 16-year-old father was hunting on the farm on Sunshine Bottom (a narrow strip of Missouri River valley just south of the South Dakota line).

"I came home about dark and Dad told me the news," my father said.

Eventually, he would join the other 16 million Americans who served in World War II.

On that same day about a hundred miles or so away, my then 12-year-old mother looked up to see her mother react to the announcer over the battery-powered radio in the sitting room. She remembers my grandma running in tears to the field to tell my grandpa.

And just like the terrible news delivered to so many other American families throughout the way - 416,837 killed or missing - it hit close to home.

The Pearl Harbor disaster was one of the first truly national tragedies. The technology of radio helped spread the news so that within hours, virtually everyone in America knew what happened. That sense of sharing stood us in good stead as the tremendous sacrifices demanded by victory were borne with remarkable equanimity.

It was a different America then:

My family's connections back to the war that defined the "Greatest Generation" in Tom Brokaw's phrase don't carry with them remarkable and harrowing tales, although I believe the evidence of valor is implicit. The tales may be there, in shadows of history or memory, I don't know.

But that's OK, for these are my connections to great events.

What I think is important is for each of us to remember the sacrifices great and small that the "Greatest Generation" made, and to honor those who served then and in each of the other times the country has called.

We owe them to never forget.

We are losing 2,000 World War II veterans every day. By remembering Pearl Harbor, we grant each of those who pass on a little bit of immortality. They, and their accomplishments will remain alive as long as we keep faith with history and remember them.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/12/never_forget_december_7_1941.html#ixzz2mu0mJHbX 
Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

I hope that you will find these words thought-provoking and make you appreciative of the ones who were there on that fateful day.

Please share with readers of this blog your thoughts about December 7, 1941, by posting your comments in this blog or emailing me at glynjordan@gmail.com.

Thanks, Glyn

Post-Military Career Transition

Many individuals departing from the U.S. military are having difficultly adjusting to civilian life and finding meaningful employment. Fortunately, there are many sources to assist with this transition.

As contained in my book on page 178, it is recommended that service veterans emphasize their special qualities including:

·        A disciplined approach to work

·        An ability to work as part of a team

·        Respect and integrity

·        Problem-solving skills

·        An ability to perform under pressure

·        Communication skills

Further, as discussed in the book is American Corporate Partners (http://www.acp-usa.org/), a nonprofit organization based in New York City dedicated to helping recently separated members of the armed services transition to the corporate environment.

An article the December 1, 2013, issue of The Dallas Morning News, “Making A Smooth Transition to a Post-Military Career” on page 1J by Brandpoint describes the website TAONLINE, http://www.taonline.com/skills-translator/, as an example of translator tools that relates MOS codes to civilian occupations.

The U.S. Department of Labor hosts a Transitional Assistance Program, http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/tap/ , that provides soon-to-be discharged or retired service members helpful educational and workshops on job searches, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing techniques, as well as decisions that need to be made relating to career choices.

Please share with readers of this blog your suggested sources of assistance for ex-military seeking employment.  You can post your comments in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com.

Thanks, Glyn

Validate Your References

Frequently, hiring organizations request applicants to provide references from previous employers.  When I am counseling job seekers, I encourage them to develop a list of references to be provided when applying for jobs.

A word of caution is in order, however.  An article the November 14, 2013, issue of The Dallas Morning News, “Reference Letter Not Worth the Paper It’s on” on page 1J describes a situation when a boss gave an ex-employee a reference letter to be shown to potential employers.  After showing the letter to a prospective employer, the hiring manager called the company for a verbal confirmation of the reference letter. The writer of the reference letter would not give the OK on the phone. Such a situation is at best embarrassing and probably disqualifying for the job.

I suggest that job seekers negotiate what a previous employer will say about them.  One should never give contact information for a reference to a potential employer without first getting approval from the contact.  Even if the employee had been discharged, the employer may agree to provide a positive job reference.

If there has been a major disagreement between a job seeker and his/her previous employer resulting in a dismissal, I suggest that the job seeker use the name of a co-worker who understands the situation as a reference.  Of course, the co-worker must agree to provide a positive reference.      

Please comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com with your experience with obtaining positive job references.   

Thanks, Glyn

Good to be Home!

We always enjoy returning home after being away on a cruise or other extended trip.  Visiting other countries gives us a chance to compare our lives with those in other countries.  Many peoples in other lands while proud of their countries do not have the wonderful life style which we frequently take for granted. 

For example, for older adults such as me, The Americans with Disabilities Act provides us many mobility issues with aids such as hand rails on stairs and convenient elevators.  I might add, however, that the airports we used provided welcoming assistance with wheelchairs and directional assistance.

Discussions with citizens in the Black Sea region indicated that the unemployment rate especially among younger adults was very high, in the 20 percent range.  However, from personal experience with our grandchildren, I know jobs are also scarce in the United States for recent college graduates.  Some of the cities we visited seemed very active with commerce while others not so much.

We have returned home with a greater appreciation for the advantages that the United States affords us and are committed to be contributors to our wonderful society. 

Please comment in this blog or email me at glynjordan@gmail.com with your experience with travels to other countries.   

Thanks, Glyn

Coming Home

We are leaving Venice, Italy, today and will be back in Dallas and blogging this week.
Glyn