American State Jobs

Its Time to Create Some Jobs:  If your still out of work, let your federal congress person and Senator know about your situation.  I am not advocating for another massive bailout.  But what we need is a targeted approach to use some of the already appropriated stimulus money smartly to create jobs.  Additional funding can be squeezed from the big banks.  With the big banks still benefiting from the public bailout, they can either start lending to profitable businesses looking to expand and create jobs or face tax increases so the government can provide more small business tax credits.  The money is needed in the real economy as opposed to paying outrageous salaries and bonuses to bank executives already set for life.  Even the banks who paid back the bailout money they received are continuing to benefit from public policy.  They borrow money from the federal government at almost 0% interest rates.  That money is used to purchase government bonds paying between 3 and 4 % or loaned out at outrageous rates  and terms  to credit card holders.

The tax reductions proposed for small businesses is a good policy at this juncture.  It is a much more efficient and faster method to create new jobs than the stimulus approach.  A job funded with stimulus money, on average, costs more than $100,000 to create.  A temporary tax credit to business of about $20,000 per job that pays a “living wage” creates 5  jobs for every one created directly with stimulus money.

New Job in 2010   -  The holidays are upon us, its time to enjoy and celebrate with loved ones.  It is also time to reflect on 2009 and create a plan for 2010.  With many focused on losing weight and paying off debt, how about getting a  job or committing yourself to acquire a better one.  Try to forget the  recession and make 2010 a better year by finding a new job.

Market conditions are warming up (faster than the weather) and there are always companies or government agencies looking to hire those who are prepared to help them accomplish their goals.  The new year is a great time to make it happen.

Self-assessment is positive but don’t let it disable you.  Take the time necessary and then craft your plan.  Remember  implementing your plan by taking action is critical.  Get out there and take the steps to create or improve your career.  Being proactive  will open up opportunities you never imagined and will get 2010 off to a great start.

Sell yourself.  If you are uncomfortable talking about yourself and your best attributes and accomplishments, get over it.  Advancing in your career or finding a new job requires you to be less humble.  Your resume or someone you know  may get you an interview, but you have to be prepared to get in there and show confidence. Get over any discomfort when talking about yourself and how great you are.  The best job candidate is one who truly believes he or she has something unique to offer and can articulate their message with words, body language and confidence.  The person hiring for the position wants to their boss to love the choice they made.  Give him or her some reasons that they can covey to their boss.  Happy Holidays

Finding a new job        Define your search.  I suggest the following criteria in this bad economy.

• Less than 30 minute commute
• Pays at least 75% of your previous job (must cover mortgage/rent,utilities, car payment, food, minimum credit card payment and other loan payment)
• Decide what benefits you must have and what you can spend on them.

As the job market improves you can continue looking for a better position.  Employers will be conservative in their future hiring. They are likely to feel you are a safer choice for a position because you are already working. That will give you the advantage over those out of work for a long time.  Use the free tools and links to state and federal jobs on this site to help.  Hey, its time to get back in the game!  Good luck

Unemployment Decrease Among Professionals      The employment numbers were released about a week ago, and the big news was the significant drop in the unemployment rate among professionals: from 5.2% in September to 4.7% in October.

At the heart of the numbers was the fact that unemployment dropped for professionals and managers in October (it also dropped for those with college degrees).  This continues a decline that began in the summer and has seen the professional unemployment rate decrease from a decade-high 5.5% in July to 4.7% last month.

Big-picture economic statistics obviously don’t mean much to your job hunt.  It points to some cautious optimism that the Great Recession may be receding.

Let’s all certainly hope so

Unemployment rate over 10%    The 10.2% rate is the highest since the early 1980’s. The real rate is considerably higher if those who no longer qualify for benefits and those  underemployed in part time work are counted. Unlike the 80’s, many more unemployed are without health insurance and those obtaining work are taking several months longer to find it.   The only good news is that some employers are probably ready to hire.  The number of overtime hours worked last month was very high. This usually means not much more  can be squeezed out of the existing workforce.  Hang in there.

ADP Nonfarm Private Employment Highlights – September Report:
• Total employment: -254,000
• Small businesses* -100,000
• Medium businesses** -93,000
• Large businesses*** -61,000
• Goods-producing sector: -151,000
• Service-providing sector: -103,000
• Manufacturing industry: -74,000
* Small businesses represent payrolls with 1-49 employees
** Medium businesses represent payrolls with 50-499 employees
*** Large businesses represent payrolls with more than 499 employees

Summary of the National Economic Situation

Nearly 7 million workers have lost their jobs since the economic downturn began. If the economy were to rebound sharply, the job market would have to create 400,000 jobs a month, every month, for two years to put those people back to work. Even if the recession is technically over at this point, its a very weak economy as many people will still find that their job security and their employment status is not what they expect.

Consumer spending is a key to improving the job market. Government spending has helped the only bright spots. They are cash for clunkers and the $8000 tax break for first time home buyers. Lower petroleum and natural gas prices may improve holiday spending over the dismal outlook.

Companies who export high tech products are beginning to benefit from a significant drop in the value of the dollar and could be the next bright spot. Stimulus funds may help companies developing next generation energy products.

Are Businesses Hiring?

The outlook for private sector employment is certainly uneven across the county with a state like Michigan having a very difficult time.  But are things better or worse since the depths of the recession?  No one knows.  If they say they do, they are not telling the truth.  Businesses polled indicate confusion about whether to hire or not.  Most indicate that they are neither hiring or laying off workers.  For those who have increased business, there is some interest in adding temporary workers or outsourcing the new work rather than hire permanent staff.

Some businesses are beginning to be impacted by the federal stimulus money that is beginning to flow into the economy.  When those funds are exhausted over the next 5-6 quarters, will the economy be strong enough to remain stable or will there be a another downturn?   Businesses also are uncertain about new local and state taxes as federal money propping up governments this year runs out and property owners begin to challenge their assessments because home prices have declined so much and  commercial real estate  in the retail sector is struggling.  Another unknown is their future employee health insurance costs with health care reform legislation on the horizon.

For those interested in private sector employment, my recommendation is to search for a job below your previous salary range with a company who’s  stock is rated as a strong “buy”  by a consensus of security analysts.   Prove yourself by working extra hours and look for internal promotional opportunities even if you need to relocate.

Facing the most difficult job market in the last 30 years, job seekers may try to stand out among the competition by being creative and using unconventional tactics to be noticed by an employer.  Does this approach work for government employment?

Differentiating yourself from your competition makes some sense in this environment.  The idea is to show that you are the best prepared to hit the ground running by researching what the priority areas are for the organizational unit where the job exists and understanding the issues associated with those priority areas.  Even better is to have someone trusted by the organization on your list of references.  Government employers are looking for safe choices first.  That is usually someone who will abide by the organizations rules, be comfortable in the existing culture of the organization and flexible enough to accept assignments outside of the positions primary responsibilities.  A reference that can attest that you have those qualities gets you one step closer to employment.

There’s really no need to go over the top to get noticed.  For the majority of government positions, a really well written cover letter is adequate.  You would be surprised at how many badly written cover letters and resumes there are.  One tip is to have the smartest person you know review your resume and come up with a few questions about your education and experience.  Use the questions to help you improve your resume or answer the questions in your cover letter.  Reviewing the resume advice on the menu above is also recommended.