Career and job-search news, trends, and scoops for job-seekers,
compiled by the staff of Quintessential Careers.
June 28, 2007
With the QuintCareers RV stopping at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, one is reminded of the
massive amount of job growth during his terms as president, and the struggles the U.S. is currently
facing with job creation.
It seems we get weekly news of at least one major corporation slashing jobs. Today, both Capital One
and Hanes announced thousands of job cuts. And in the case of Hanes, moving production overseas.
As a worker and a job-seeker, you must always be prepared for opportunities and threats in the job
marketplace... you should always have a current resume and people willing to serve as references --
as well as an active network of contacts -- so that you are prepared for new job opportunities when
they arise as well as possible downsizing threats.
And if you have not touched your resume in several months -- or longer -- besides updating it, you
should also get is critiqued by a professional. (You can also critique it yourself using our
Resume Critique Worksheet for Job-Seekers.
As for the Tour, today we landed in Tennessee, then over the weekend it's Georgia, and then finally,
next week, we'll be back in the offices in Florida!
June 25, 2007
The QuintCareers team is standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine site to see... you know the rest because
the Eagles song is so well known. Why? It's all about branding -- and job-seekers and workers can use the same tools for your
success too!
We were actually in Winslow a few days ago, part of our Historic Route 66 portion of the Quintessential
Careers Summer Tour, but the picture fits because we have a new article by QuintCareers contributor
Joe Turner discussing the power of branding in your resume. Learn how to stand out from the crowd of other job-seekers
competing for the same job by using proven marketing and branding techniques. Learn more in his article:
Is "The Breakfast of Champions" in Your Resume?
Meanwhile, the QuintCareers team lands in Oklahoma, as we begin the last leg of our
summer journey.
June 21, 2007
With the QuintCareers RV heading through the vast Dixie National Forest, like the mighty trees that
grow above the others, job-seekers can use your accomplishments and resume to stand out among other job-seekers.
The sheer beauty and awe of nature surrounds you as you drive through the Dixie National Forest in southern
Utah, almost two million acres in size, turns to thoughts about why one notices a particular tree or
area of the forest -- and the answer is that there is something special that catches your eye and draws
your attention to it.
The same holds true to a job-seeker applying for a position where there are hundreds of other applicants.
Or even if you are simply wanting a promotion... How are you going to get noticed? Hiring managers (and bosses)
want to see accomplishments -- they want to see a proven track record of successful performance, and if
you don't showcase these accomplishments, how will anyone else know how great you are?
Finally, you need to pull all these things together and update your resume showcasing your
accomplishments. Use our many free Resume
Resources for Job-Seekers.
June 18, 2007
Nothing could feel more like summer than 110-degree heat of Needles, CA, where the QuintCareers team
was recently, and with summer here, now is a good time for you to complete a career assessment.
A career assessment is a day or two -- perhaps a long weekend -- where you look at where you
are in your career and decide if you are where you want to be. If you find you are happy
with your career progress, then you're pretty much done, though we suggest still doing a few
things like making sure your resume is up-to-date. However, if you find you are not where you
want to be -- perhaps promoted outside your original career or perhaps not promoted fast
enough, then this career assessment is the perfect opportunity to create steps to move
in the direction you want your career to go.
While we can let momentum carry us forward with our careers, it is far better to have a plan
and be proactive with your career. There is no harm in making both a short-term and long-term
plan to your career.
Are you at a crossroads with your current job? Like the crossroads we hit on a 40-mile bike loop between
Buellton and Lompoc, CA, if you are unhappy with your current employer, you face an important choice about your career path.
With several recent studies showing workers dealing with low morale issues related to reduced health
and retirement benefits, reductions due to downsizing, outsourcing, or mergers, and reports of high CEO pay,
more and more workers are simply showing up to work for the paycheck.
According to one study by Salary.com, almost two-thirds of employees surveyed say they will be
looking for a new job within the next few months -- with half reporting they have already posted
their resumes online or with recruiters.
Not all companies can be a Google, where workers receive great perks and a wonderful work environment,
but if you love what you do -- you are passionate about your work -- and dislike your employer, it might
be time to finalize that resume, get a refresher on job-hunting, work your network, and track down
some job leads at companies that value their employees.
With the QuintCareers RV stopped in the middle of Santa Barbara (Sideways) wine country, it's an important
reminder that even if employers are expecting to hire fewer workers, there are still jobs for diligent job-seekers.
Buellton and Solvang, two California wine towns, are quite different than Junction and Van Horn, two Texas
towns that seemed to be struggling. There are signs of opportunity here in California, while there were
simply signs of depression and despair in Texas.
In related news, a new study of 14,000 employers released today shows that only 29 percent of companies expect to
add jobs in the next three months, while 7 percent said they expect to reduce employment. In the same
quarter a year ago, 31 percent of employers expected hiring increases while only 6 percent planned reductions.
The quarterly survey, which has been conducted since 1962 by Manpower, Inc., a national staffing
company, also reveals that the biggest slowdowns are expected in wholesale and retail, real estate,
construction, and finance and insurance.
What can you do as a job-seeker? Keep pursuing job leads, don't stop networking and meeting new people,
always follow-up all leads and interviews, and expect the hiring process to go through more people and
take longer than in the past. Consider reading this article on Quintessential Careers:
10 Ways to Develop Job Leads.
June 11, 2007
Stopping at Pepperdine University as part of the QuintCareers Summer Tour, our thoughts turn to
assisting college students and recent grads.
For current college students, the keys to success revolve around finding the right major(s) and
minor(s), gaining necessary work experience, and preparing for the workforce. Of course, the summer
is the perfect time to gain that experience -- through internships or volunteering.
Get the help you need in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Internship Resources for College Students.
Your recent college graduates, you should be in your first job -- or going through interviews
in preparation for obtaining your first job. You'll find valuable assistance in this section
of our site: College Student, Recent Grad:
Career and Job Resources.
June 10, 2007
Traveling up the Coast Highway, through Orange County (The OC), CA, one might turn to thinking
of younger job-seekers, but on this leg of the journey, the focus was on baby boomers and re-careering.
The QuintCareers team, settled into a nice hotel in Ventura for the night, traveled up the Coast Highway,
biking a 20-mile loop from Laguna Beach to Newport Beach, in a very congested and very hilly section of
coastal California.
Along the way, seeing all the people, made us think of all the retiring baby boomers. Some retiring
to lives of leisure, some retiring to odd jobs, but others retiring so that they can finally start their
real career -- the one they have dreamt about for years while working in an unfulfilling job
so that they could pay the mortgage and send the kids to college.
A 41-mile bike ride, including a steep climb into the Torrey Pines Preserve, reminds us
of the challenge career-changers face when making a major change in careers.
This leg of the QuintCareers Tour has the team still based in Oceanside, but on this day,
we took an amazing bike ride along the Pacific Ocean to Torrey Pines Preserve. We passed
through the towns of Carlsbad, Leucadia, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Solona Beach, and Del Mar.
An amazing ride that got even better with the mile-long climb from beach elevation to the
top of the preserve... an amazing incline, but once at the top, the views were
breathtaking... and the Torrey Pines something to see.
The challenges and wonders of today made us think of the challenges people face when
they are considering changing careers -- there are often many obstacles, from money
issues to education or training to gaining new experience. However, once
you've made that change and are on your way to your new career, there's great happiness.
Safe arrival of the QuintCareers RV in Oceanside after a trip through Joshua Tree, but
a hit-and-run accident makes one think of what's important in life.
The QC Team made it safely to Oceanside, CA, after a short drive through Joshua Tree and the
Yucca Valley. While the drive was safe, a bike ride to Vista, CA, proved to be a dangerous
one for Creative Director Katharine Hansen when she was sideswiped -- while in a Bike Lane --
by a woman who knocked her off her bike and then drove away.
The good news is that although sore, Katharine is doing well -- no broken bones. And her
new Trek seems to have made it okay too. We thought California was bike-friendly!
Moments like the accident, though, make one consider what's important in life. And one
of those things is doing the kind of work that inspires you -- that you want to do
rather than have to do. Take the time this weekend to consider your career passion.
For assistance, use our free Finding
Your Career Passion Tutorial: Uncover Your Ideal Career Path.
June 7, 2007
As the QuintCareers team moves through the high winds and tumbleweeds of Arizona to make it to California,
we note that U.S. jobless claims fell for the second straight week.
Arriving in Twentynine Palms on our way to Oceanside, we we confronted with amazingly high winds throughout
the drive through Arizona, including dust clouds that reduced visibility similar to a heavy snowstorm,
and tumbleweeds brushing across the windshield of the QC RV.
In labor news, the Department of Labor announced that applications for unemployment benefits declined for a
second straight week, reporting that the number of Americans filing claims for jobless benefits totaled 309,000 last week,
down by 1,000 from the previous week.
June 5, 2007
The QuintCareers 2007 Tour makes it through the dust storms of New Mexico and Arizona, stopping
in the lovely town of Benson -- with some tips on successfully getting a new job.
Driving the QC RV on I10 through New Mexico and Arizona, with the high winds and dirt clouds,
felt a bit like the turbulence you sometimes get when flying. Even anchored here in our RV park,
the winds continue to push around the RV!
Where are you in your job-search? Are you seeking job leads, interviews, or second interviews?
The key to job-hunting -- at all levels -- is multifaceted. First, you need to have a network
of contacts to discover job leads and obtain information. Second, you need to have a solid
reputation -- and the higher jobs you are seeking, the more important it is to be known
in your industry/profession. Third, you need to be persistent; realize the job-hunting takes
a lot of time and energy, and that you will need to have both patience and the
ability to be a little aggressive to show your interest in the job and employer.
Of course, you'll also need to have a great resume and strong interviewing skills.
Tomorrow, we continue making our trek through Arizona, arriving in California on Thursday.
June 4, 2007
High winds, crazy storms, beautiful days, and moonlighting job-seekers face the QuintCareers team as we travel
through Texas.
No entry from yesterday's visit to Junction, TX, as we got caught in a Texas-sized storm that
wiped out power for a few hours -- and Internet connections all night.
Today's journey to Van Horn was uneventful and we move on to Arizona tomorrow!
As for the moonlighting workers... some are people who need to hold down two jobs
and some are budding entrepreneurs, working their regular job during the day and
running their business at night. In fact, according to the U.S. Small Business
Administration, about 32 percent of self-employed entrepreneurs also hold down
a second job.
The QuintCareers Tour hits Texas -- for the next two days -- as we continue
our Summer 2007 trip across the U.S.
Even on a Saturday, we hit amazing -- amazing bad -- traffic in Houston today.
We can just hope that all those folks who were stuck on the highways and
saw the QuintCareers RV pulled up the Website to learn more.
Remember that everything about this site is to empower you to find your
career passion and obtain the job of your dreams -- with education and
other work experience along the way.
Tomorrow, we continue moving westward across Texas!
June 1, 2007
U.S. employers add jobs while the QC RV Summer Tour hits Baton Rouge!
After two months of weak hiring, the Labor Department reports that
employers added more than 150,000 new jobs in
May -- and at a pace higher than what economists were predicting.
Health care, education, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and the government
were among the sectors adding jobs in May. But losses continued in manufacturing, construction, and retailing..
In a separate report, the Labor Department reported that unemployment held steady at
4.5 percent.
As far as the QuintCareers RV Tour, we made it through Pensacola to Mobile,
through Mississippi, and finally to Baton Rouge. Tomorrow, it's off to Houston.
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.
Blue Sky Resumes Blog, from career
expert Louise Fletcher, a general career and job-search blog that covers all aspects of the job-hunt.
With the QuintCareers RV stopping at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, one is reminded of the
massive amount of job growth during his terms as president, and the struggles the U.S. is currently
facing with job creation.
The QuintCareers team is standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine site to see... you know the rest because
the Eagles song is so well known. Why? It's all about branding -- and job-seekers and workers can use the same tools for your
success too!
With the QuintCareers RV heading through the vast Dixie National Forest, like the mighty trees that
grow above the others, job-seekers can use your accomplishments and resume to stand out among other job-seekers.
Nothing could feel more like summer than 110-degree heat of Needles, CA, where the QuintCareers team
was recently, and with summer here, now is a good time for you to complete a career assessment.
Are you at a crossroads with your current job? Like the crossroads we hit on a 40-mile bike loop between
Buellton and Lompoc, CA, if you are unhappy with your current employer, you face an important choice about your career path.
With the QuintCareers RV stopped in the middle of Santa Barbara (Sideways) wine country, it's an important
reminder that even if employers are expecting to hire fewer workers, there are still jobs for diligent job-seekers.
Stopping at Pepperdine University as part of the QuintCareers Summer Tour, our thoughts turn to
assisting college students and recent grads.
Traveling up the Coast Highway, through Orange County (The OC), CA, one might turn to thinking
of younger job-seekers, but on this leg of the journey, the focus was on baby boomers and re-careering.
A 41-mile bike ride, including a steep climb into the Torrey Pines Preserve, reminds us
of the challenge career-changers face when making a major change in careers.
Safe arrival of the QuintCareers RV in Oceanside after a trip through Joshua Tree, but
a hit-and-run accident makes one think of what's important in life.
As the QuintCareers team moves through the high winds and tumbleweeds of Arizona to make it to California,
we note that U.S. jobless claims fell for the second straight week.
The QuintCareers 2007 Tour makes it through the dust storms of New Mexico and Arizona, stopping
in the lovely town of Benson -- with some tips on successfully getting a new job.
The QuintCareers Tour hits Texas -- for the next two days -- as we continue
our Summer 2007 trip across the U.S.
