More Job Openings than Qualified Candidates!

I attended the 5^th Annual Technology Trends Conference at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre Hotel on October 7, 2011.  Many knowledgeable executives, educators, and professionals discussed what the future may hold for new developments in technology.

One speaker stated that there was no shortage of jobs today, but there is a shortage of qualified candidates for the open jobs.  I have been thinking about this statement all week and am wondering if the statement is actually true.  As a job counselor at the North Dallas Shared Ministries, I visit with many unemployed that have been unsuccessful in finding jobs.  Where are these job openings I wonder?

I have spent much of my business career with organizations that focused on increasing the productivity of workers by automating routine tasks such as answering telephones, posting payments to accounts, storing and retrieving business records.  Many of the remaining or restructured jobs required specialized skills and/or critical thinking. So what is the take-away message to job seekers?

I encourage job seekers to take maximum advantage for their experience and knowledge.  If there are no jobs in their field of expertise, then they need to find fields in which their experience can be transferred.  Many departing military personnel face this situation. Another point is that if you have no specialty, you should seek the training to build your own specialty.  For example, there are many jobs available for driving commercial vehicles.  Why not attend drivers training and secure a commercial drivers’ license.   As an information systems person, I suggest that you become proficient in commonly used software products including the Internet.

Do you think that there are many jobs not being filled because of the lack of qualified job seekers?   Please share suggestions to job seekers how to secure these unfilled jobs.

Thanks.

Glyn

Doing What You Love?

An article in The Dallas Morning News – October 2, 2011, issue edition on page 1J, “Is ‘Doing What You Love’ Good Advice?” provides an example an out of work person who has a hobby of building wooden outhouses.   The person, after several false starts, draws over a million viewers and $ 100,000 of ad revenue from a YouTube posting.

I am sure that there are many examples of hobbyists who have converted their passions into money making endeavors.  Probably there are even more examples of individuals who have tried and failed to make a commercial go of their hobbies. So what is the message from this idea?

I think that if you have a passion for a craft, musical talent, or technical skill perhaps you should try to leverage your passion into a money making enterprise or job.  If you dream of success, you will never achieve your dream if you do not take the risk.

The Internet has proved to be fertile ground for planting seeds of innovation.  Who knows, you may be able to reap an abundant harvest of your hobby or passion?  I hope this metaphor encourages you to action!

Please share your ideas about “making hay from your hobby” with readers of this blog.

Thanks.

Glyn

Internet Job Search Engines

Below is an updated list of Internet Job Search Engines:

http://www.beyond.com/

Beyond.com claims to be the "largest network of niche career communities" on the Net. It essentially hooks together different organizations like PRJobForce.com and PhillyJobs.com all in one place, which makes it easy to find leads in your community.

http://www.careerbuilder.com/

As the Web's biggest job site, CareerBuilder gets more than 23 million visitors a month. The company has been around since 1995, and has developed an incredible network of listing sources and job search centers since that time.

http://www.craigslist.org/

The granddaddy of online classifieds gives those who are focused on searching for jobs within their communities an easy way to look. It might be one of the least-polished entities listed here, but the sheer number of local job listings makes up for it.

http://www.hound.com/

Hound's search engine shows jobs from employer Web sites only. In theory, this cuts out duplicate listings and shows opportunities that are not posted on other job boards.

 http://www.indeed.com/

Indeed works as an aggregator for listings from major job Web sites, company Web sites, associations, and other online sources. Its simplicity and ease of use are its best features.

http://www.jobcentral.com/

JobCentral is a service formed by a nonprofit consortium of U.S. corporations like IBM and Dell, which makes it ideal if you're looking for corporate job listings.

http://www.jobserve.us/

JobServe claims it was "the world's first Internet recruitment service." In 2008, JobServe advertised more than 2.5 million jobs across 15 industry sectors.

http://www.linkedin.com/

Best known for being a social network for professionals, LinkedIn also has thorough job listings, some of which are exclusive to LinkedIn.

http://www.monster.com/

In addition to being arguably the best-known global job-listings site, Monster also offers advice on resumes, interviewing, and salary information.

http://www.oodle.com/job/

oodle, which specializes in online classifieds, includes a job classifieds section that finely cuts job opportunities down to job title, category, industry, and company. Did you know, for example, that Best Buy has nearly 10,000 openings?

http://www.ontargetjobs.com/

onTargetjobs owns a lot of smaller niche sites like BioSpace.com and MedHunters.com. Its expansive niche database allows users to find compatible job listings more easily than with general sites.

http://www.simplyhired.com/

SimplyHired is similar to Indeed, as it also aggregates listings from major job Web sites, newspapers, company Web sites, and associations. However, the site goes a little deeper and allows users to send their resumes out for posting on five other sites for free.

http://www.snagajob.com/

SnagAJob is basically the antithesis of sites like TheLadders and Execu|Search, as its focus is on hourly employment only. The site has partnered with companies like 7 Eleven, Red Lobster, and AMF, to bring the most up-to-date hourly job openings.

http://www.theladders.com/

This job site has branded itself as the place to look for $100,000+ jobs only. Job seekers have to pay $30 per month to fully take advantage of the site's services.

http://www.trovix.com/

Trovix's free search engine makes the job-search process more personalized. Users input their work experience and qualifications and the site matches results to what info they have given. Trovix also has an innovative feature called Job Map, which allows you to type in your location and see on Google Maps how many jobs are available in your area.

http://www.tweetmyjobs.com/

One of the newest sites to take advantage of social media, TweetMyJobs supplies Twitter users with instantaneous job listings that are derived from TweetMyJobs' Job Channels.

http://www.usajobs.com/

USAJobs is the official job site for the U.S. government. With the government looking to significantly increase spending during the next few years, looking at federal jobs might not be a bad move if you're in a tough place.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/

As one of the biggest job sites on the Web, HotJobs distinguishes itself by focusing on features such as status (which shows how many times one's resume has been viewed) and the ability to block companies from seeing your resume.

You can access the following link for more information about the above sites:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342783,00.asp#fbid=R0kuJ7iUl8e.

Please post comments about any of these sites on this blog.

Thanks.

Glyn

Jobs Opportunities in North Dakota!

Recently I become aware of the many job opportunities in North Dakota primarily because of developments in the oil industry.  An article in the September 18, 2011, edition of The Wall Street Journal on page C1, “There Will Be Oil” includes the following statement:

“In 2003, the Bakken formation in North Dakota was producing a mere 10,000 barrels of oil a day.  Today, it is over 400,000 barrels, and North Dakota has become the fourth-largest oil-producing state in the country. Such ‘tight’ oil could add as much as two million barrels a day to the U.S. oil production after 2020 – something that would not have been in any forecast five years ago.”

Another article in same edition of The Wall Street Journal, “State Jobless Rates climb As Governments Pare Back” states:

“North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation – 3.5% - thanks to a small population and booming industries tied to natural resources. Nebraska and South Dakota also have rates below 5%.”

At dinner with some friends last Saturday, I asked my friend, who is purchasing oil leases in North Dakota, about the economic climate there, and he confirmed the boom that is well underway.  He also cautioned about the approaching cold weather season which will slow things down a bit.  A cursory review of job postings on the Internet finds many job opportunities.  

I recognize that many folks do not want to leave the comfort of their present surroundings; however, if you need and want a job or you have to go to work, I suggest that you consider investigating employment opportunities in North Dakota.

Please share with other readers of this blog information or experience you have concerning job opportunities in North Dakota.

Thanks!

Glyn    

911 Job Opportunities!

Where were you on Tuesday, September 11, 2001?  I was completing my workout at the Cooper Aerobatic Center in Dallas.  I remember being drawn to the TV in the locker room which displayed pictures of New York City and the World Trade Center.  At that minute I had no idea about the significance of this event.

I was wondering during this day of remembrance what new jobs have been created as a result from the 911 events.  As you would expect many of the new jobs are related to public security and our protection including police forces and the US military services.  In addition, new products are now in the market including alarms and security devices.

To locate more jobs and product opportunities, I suggest  you use the following search arguments on Google, Bing, Yahoo, or other search engines:

911 jobs, 911hotjobs, 911 products and the like

Please share your ideas about locating 911 jobs and products with readers of this blog.

Thanks!

Glyn

Jobs for Military Personnel Seeking Civilian Employment Opportunities

An article in the USAA Magazine – Fall 2011 Edition on page 13, “On the Job Front” by Greg Campbell provides a great deal of advice for military personnel who are seeking civilian jobs. I am sure that you can obtain a copy of this magazine by contacting USAA by calling 800-235-1898.

Below is a list of selected websites that have employment opportunities:

1.    Amazon – Online retailer: www.linkedin.com/in/militarytalent

2.    BNSF Railway – Railway: www.bnsf.com/careers/military

3.    Capstone -  Defense contractor: www.capstonecorp.com

4.    Chesapeake Energy – Energy: www.chk.com/Careers

5.    Cintas – Corporate apparel: www.cintas.com/hr/military.asp

6.    Concurrent Technologies – R&D: www.ctc.com

7.    CSX Transportation – Railroads: www.csx.com

8.    DaVita – Health care: www.careers.davita.com

9.    Dollar General – Retail: www.dollargeneral.com/careers

10. Fluor – Engineering and construction: www.fluor.com/military

11. General Electric -  Diversified financials: www.ge.com/military

12. ManTech International – National security: www.mantech.com/careers

13. Northrop Grumman – Aerospace/defense: www.careers.northropygrumman.com

14. Schlumberger – Oil field services: www.careers.slb.com

15. Schneider National – Trucking:  www.schneiderjobs.com

 

16. Sears Holding Corp. – Retail: www.searsholdings.com/careers

17. Sprint – Telecommunications: careers.sprint.com

18.  Transocean – Offshore drilling: www.deepwater.com/fw/main/career-222.html

19.  URS, Federal Services – Engineering and construction: www.urscorp.com/careers

20. USAA – Financial services: www.usaa.apply2jobs.com/profext/careers.html

21.  Verizon Communication – Telecommunications: www22.verizon.com/jobs

22.  Waste Management – Waste: www.wm.com/careers/index.jsp

Even if you are not a job seeker returning from the military, these sites are a good resource for locating employment opportunities.

If this information is helpful to your job search, please post a comment for others to read.

Thanks!

Glyn    

Questions for the Interviewer

In an article in The Dallas Morning News – August 28, 2011, edition on page 1J, “What’s in a Question” by Cliff Garinn, he responds to this question posed by a reader: “What kind of question should I ask during an interview?”

Here are the suggested questions provided by Garinn:

1.    What exactly does this company value the most and do you think my work for you will further these values?

2.    In what area could your team use a little polish?

3.    Can you describe the company’s culture?

4.    Who will I report to?

5.    How will you measure my success? What will have happened six months from now that will demonstrate that have met your expectations?

6.    This job sounds like something I’d really like to do – is there a fit?

7.    What attracts you to this company and what brings you back?

Personally, I am not sure that questions 1, 2, 6, and 7 are appropriate, but that is just me.  However, I do think that it is important for an applicant to exhibit genuine interest in the opportunity by asking questions. 

  

Please share your suggested questions for an interviewer with readers of this blog. 

Thanks!

Glyn