December 22, 2007

As job-hunting begins to pick up with the new year, so too will the team at QuintCareers.com be at the ready to assist you in your search.

And to do so -- and take the QuintCareers team on the road again in 2008, we've upgraded to a larger QC RV. (Click on the image to see an even larger picture of the new QuintCareers RV.) We'll be announcing some time early next year the plans for the 2008 Quintessential Careers tour.

If you are a college career counselor or a member of a professional or trade organization -- and you're interested in having us present a free series of workshops to your constituents, send QuintCareers.com Publisher Dr. Randall Hansen an email and we'll see what we can do to accommodate your needs.

In the meantime, spend some time over the holidays -- if you get some time off -- to review what you've accomplished this year and make plans for what you want to accomplish next year. And if you're unhappy with your job or career, use this time to map out some plans to make changes in the new year! (You know we have all the resources to assist you in our career resources section.)

Wishing you happy holidays!

December 17, 2007

Had your office holiday party yet? Or is your office one of the 14 percent not having one this year.

In yet another study of corporate holiday cheer, 86 percent of businesses responded that they plan to hold some sort of holiday event -- with three out of four being lunches, dinners, or a special event.

Interestingly, more companies are moving the festivities back in-house, with 53 percent stating the holiday party will be in the office and not at a hotel or restaurant.

And more than 9 out of 10 companies said they plan on giving year-end gifts to employees.

The survey was conducted by American Express.

Finally, remember the etiquette rules for both holiday parties and holiday gift-giving. Don't know them? Find the answer in the workplace resources section of Quintessential Careers.

December 7, 2007

News that U.S. employers added 94,000 jobs to their payrolls in November comes the same week that more companies announced significant job cuts.

In the on-going yo-yo of job and employment news, while the Labor Department released it's November report today showing decent job growth in in November, numerous companies -- including Home Depot, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Abbott Laboratories, and Dow Chemical -- announced more job cuts.

In terms of the November jobs report, job gains were found in education and health services, retail, professional services, and government employment, while losses were seen in construction, manufacturing, and financial services.

Home Depot is cutting almost 1,000 jobs and closing three call centers, Bristol-Myers Squibb is eliminating 10 percent of its workforce (about 4,300 people) and closing half of its manufacturing plants, Abbott is cutting 1,200 manufacturing jobs, and Dow is eliminating 2.3 percent of its workforce (about 1,000 people).

December 1, 2007

Instead of year-end bonuses, more workers are getting pink slips, as more companies announce job cuts and layoffs.

In the financial services industry, as experts predict even more job cuts, Bear Stearns announced a 4 percent staff cut in its third round of slashing its payroll. And while it has not yet announced, it is widely speculated that Citigroup will soon have another massive round of layoffs.

And as a result of the weakness in the housing market, the world's largest distributor of plumbing products, Wolseley PLC, announced it has already cut 1,700 jobs and plans to cut another 1,300 positions in the future.

If you -- or someone you know -- has been laidoff or is about to be, please consider using our free tutorial, Rebounding After a Layoff Tutorial: How to Successfully Re-Enter the Job Market After Being Fired, Downsized, or Laid Off.

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