May 29, 2005

In the U.S., Memorial Day weekend begins the great summer adventure.

This year, the question is how will the summer job and employment scene play out? Traditionally, job-hunting slows as the heat rises and hiring managers are more interested in planning family vacations than planning interviews.

But given the oddity of the job market over the last few years (and even the last few months), no one is really sure whether the summer will be a good time for job-hunting or not.

Be prepared... continue building your network of contacts -- both personally and online. And to help you, we've recently updated our Tools for Career Networking on the Internet.

May 23, 2005

Will your cover letter stand out? Here's a tip: write it yourself...

Write it yourself -- or hire a professional to write it -- but whatever you do, don't lift a sample cover letter and make it your own.

A New York Times article written by David Koppell and featuring Quintessential Careers founder Dr. Randall Hansen.

Read the entire article.

May 20, 2005

So, maybe grades in college aren't as important to employers.

According to a recent study, the most important criteria to employers hiring new college grads was college major (at 35 percent), followed by interviewing skills (24 percent), and then internship and work experience (21 percent).

Amazingly, grades were only listed as most important by 5 percent of respondents, and only 3 percent said the school you attend is the most important.

CollegeGrad.com, a job site for recent college grads, commissioned the study.

May 15, 2005

More workers feel secure in their jobs. Do you?

According to a recent survey of full-time workers, more than half (52 percent) said they feel there's no chance they could lose their jobs in the coming year... and more than a quarter (27 percent) said it's "not very possible" that they would be laid off.

Only about a fifth of respondents reported a moderate or strong chance they could lose their jobs in the coming year.

Interestingly, the vast majority of respondents (80 percent) said it would be difficult to land a new position with the same income -- or more.

According to Right Management Consultants, the company that sponsored the survey, the results are the most positive they have seen in the two+ years they have been tracking worker confidence.

May 6, 2005

U.S. employers created a surprisingly large number of new jobs in April.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employers added 274,000 jobs in April, far outgaining the 170,000 some analysts had predicted.

Furthermore, the government said 93,000 more jobs were created in February and March than it previously reported -- a more encouraging 146,000 in March instead of 110,000 and an incredible 300,000 in February instead of 243,000.

Job gains were broad-based with manufacturing the only major sector to shed positions. Construction employment snapped back after a soft March, adding 47,000 to payrolls for the strongest hiring since March 2004.

The unemployment rate, however, which is calculated from a separate survey, was unchanged at 5.2 percent in April.

Use our vast collection of career resources toolkit for job-seekers to get the tips, tools, and advice you need to perfect your cover letter, resume, interviewing skills, and more.

May 3, 2005

College grads may experience the best job market in years.

But while employers are planning to increase their hiring of college graduates by more than 13 percent this year, the second consecutive yearly rise, it's still not as strong as the employment boom of the late 1990s.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the 13 percent increase in expected hiring this year is just slightly better than the 12.7 percent from 2004, but much better than the declines in 2002 and 2003.

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