Career and job-search news, trends, and scoops for job-seekers,
compiled by the staff of Quintessential Careers.
August 30, 2004
The latest edition of our content-rich e-zine, QuintZine, is now available online. This
issue features articles on workaholism and work/career/life options for job-seekers beyond
retirement.
As the debate over new jobs, quality jobs, low-wage jobs, and minimum wage goes forward,
the U.S. Census Bureau announced that for the third straight year, there are more
Americans living in poverty.
Approximately 35.8 million people lived below the poverty line in 2003 -- an increase
of 1.3 million from 2002;s figure of 34.5 million. In terms of percentages of the population,
in 2003, about 12.5 percent of the population lived below the poverty line, up from about 12.1 percent
in 2002. And the number of children living in poverty swelled dramatically to 12.9 million.
In other income news, the median household income in 2003, when adjusted for inflation, remained about
the same as 2002 at $43,318.
More than 80 percent of recruiters recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources
Management said cover letters are a "necessity." Doing a cover letter poorly, however, is worse
than not doing one at all. A whopping 76% of recruiters surveyed said they would not consider
applicants who had errors in their cover letters.
If you are searching for a concise and detailed review of job-hunting, check out this new book
by Chandra Prasad.
Outwitting the Job Market: Everything You Need to Locate and Land a Great Position
(Lyons Press). It's a solid, well-written, and easy-to-read book packed with good advice and tips
for job-seekers, covering the whole gamut of job-seeking -- from identifying a career path and potential employers to negotiating a job offer.
It is especially useful for college students and other job-seekers new to job-hunting, as well as a refresher for others.
Read our full review.
August 12, 2004
Do the employment numbers -- jobless claims and new jobs created -- seem like an on-going
see-saw of good news-bad news? Well, here's the latest: The U.S. Labor Department reported that
the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to a five-week low in early August.
The Department of Labor reported that the number of people filing
initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to 333,000 in the week ended August 7,
down from 337,000 the previous week -- and a sign that the labor market in August
may be improving after a disappointing July.
The four-week moving average, which smoothes out weekly fluctuations,
fell to 339,250 from 343,500 from the previous week. And
a number below 400,000 typically indicates employers are adding jobs;
we just do not know how many, where, and the quality of those jobs.
If you feel you have exhausted your local network of friends and contacts, have
you tried online networking? There are quite a few online communities where people
get together to meet and network. Go to: Tools
for Career Networking on the Internet.
August 10, 2004
According to a recent report in Business Week magazine, 12 million Americans are
employed by charity, advocacy, and religious groups -- up from 7.7 million in 1977 --
which is about 9 percent of the U.S. workforce.
If you are interested in volunteer work or working for a non-profit organization, check out
this section of Quintessential Careers: Volunteering
and Nonprofit Career Resources.
August 6, 2004
More bad news was reported today for job-seekers hoping the economy and new
job creation had turned a corner.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported that new job creation in July 2004 was
extremely weak -- and the smallest increase in 2004. Economists had estimated
that anywhere between 200,000 and 300,000 new jobs would be created -- but
only 32,000 were in fact created in July.
July marks the second straight month of jobs growth far below forecasts. In June,
112,000 jobs were created (though 250,000 were forecast).
For job-seekers, this news means either a longer wait to get that new job or a
much a more intensified effort is needed to get that new job. There are jobs
in some parts of the U.S. (more than others), and you must not get
discouraged, but keep networking, keep applying, and keep following-up all job leads.
August 1, 2004
Just about everyone agrees that networking is the tool that all job-seekers need to master
to be successful in your job-search. Some people shy away from networking because of the
view you are taking advantage of others, but it is better to think of networking as
relationship building.
And networking can happen anywhere -- at professional meetings, while volunteering, at
a summer beach party, at wedding receptions.
One neat networking tool is the idea of networking cards. Like business cards,
networking cards are easy to carry with you everywhere and include key information
about you and your career goals.
Job Stuff, A Blog for Your Career, from Stephen Harris.
Stephen's blog is a great resource for those job-seekers who find yourselves in transition, searching for guidance
and reassurance.
The Occupational Adventure Blog, from
Curt Rosengren, a Passion Catalyst. Curt's blog is great for finding encouraging ideas (and resources) for moving forward with your career... a career
that lights your fire.
TrueCareers Career Blog, from the career and job site
dedicated to professional and college-educated job-seekers... where they say you get the real scoop on how to get the job you want faster --
with insider tips and more.
