It’s pretty amazing! Seems like everyone has written a “10 commandments of….” posts at some point in time. As I was writing this post I didn’t think of it, but once done the title seemed appropriate. Anyway, I have had a few ups and downs during my job search years. It was a few years back when the economy was still strong but what worked yesterday, still works today. You might have to add a bit more spice to the recipe but the desired result is the same : landing a job. Read the rest of this entry »

There are two sides to everything and one is always usually better than the other. If you are out looking for a job and one thing you keep thinking about is the recession, things certainly aren’t going to go your way. The reason being you are looking at the ugly side of the job market. You see, even during bad economy there are certain sectors that thrive and some that get hit pretty hard. Sure, the job market catering to your skill might be pretty bad at the moment, but it doesn’t hurt to diversify just a little. Read the rest of this entry »

I have quite a few friends that have either been laid off without a penny or were let go with a retirement package. Some have been lucky enough to find a job in their field and others are still waiting for the right opportunity. But what if the right opportunity doesn’t strike? What if there are no right jobs that you have been waiting for? If you can easily cope financially and emotionally after a layoff, good for you, but if you can’t, it might be time to consider some opportunities that you might have thought weren’t good enough for you. Read the rest of this entry »

The map below shows population, labor force, employment, unemployment, unemployment rate in 2008, unemployment rate in 2009, change in unemployment rate and average income for each state.

• Black dots : unemployment rate is between 1% and 5.9%
• Blue dots : unemployment rate is between 6% and 9.9%
• Red dots : unemployment rate is over 10%

To explore click and drag map with your mouse. To view detailed info on each state click the red, black or blue dot

source : 1,2,3

Although we hear whispers every now and then that the job market is improving, the truth is that it’s still far from recovering. Here at applicant.com, our sole purpose is make your job hunt as straightforward as possible.

However, the state of the current job market can’t be ignored. To help you better understand the labor force in all of the 50 states, we’ve compiled an easy to scan breakdown of the 50 states that includes data on employment and unemployment.  Why not check out the state of unemployment where you live?

Read the rest of this entry »

$25,000! The amount I racked up in debt was pretty massive. The worst part of it all was I ended up with this huge amount of debt within one year. I was young, restless and like everybody else wanted all the new gadgets, brand name clothes and everything that appealed visually.

When I was going to college I started getting credit card offers left and right. Some were pretty low with $300 credit and some well over $5,000. I was in heaven. I didn’t hesitate swiping my credit cards for anything. If I liked it and the credit card had enough balance, the thing I had my eye on was mine. Within a year I realized that my credit card spending had gone so overboard that my minimum payments alone came to about $900. I had a job but while working in college I certainly didn’t have anything that would support paying minimum payments on credit card that was equivalent to a house payment. Well, that’s my past. It’s been 4 years since then and I am completely debt free. The only thing I owe now is a mortgage which I plan to knock it out by 2015. I bought my house in 2008.

It feels good to know that I don’t owe anyone anything. Although the economy is trying to find it’s way to recapture the essence it once had, I have been doing better than ever. Here are a few things I did to knock my debt to $0. Read the rest of this entry »

Bernie Madoff’s investment swindle should have gotten a name of its own. Ponzi scheme is named after Charles Ponzi and the one pulled off by Madoff is the largest  in history, therefore we will refer to it as Madoff Scheme. Bernie Madoff has committed a crime that has left many high and dry. It has affected everyone. Businesses, celebrities and the working Joe, everyone that got sucked into Madoff scheme will pay for the rest of their life. Bernie Madoff is done. He is in jail and will probably die a peaceful death in there while his investor’s lives are forever ruined. The money Madoff played with were money saved for some kids college education, some saved it for retirement and some were planning to use it to treat their illness such as Alzheimers. It’s all gone! Bernie Madoff’s crime is heinous.

The letters written by Madoff’s victims  were made public on Friday. For most part these people are working people and not the rich and famous. They had worked for years to save up what they had invested with Madoff. Here is what a few of them had to say. Read the rest of this entry »

While the majority of us are worried about the job market and the unemployment rate, we forget to look at the number of teen jobs that have been lost due to failing economy. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics Teenage Unemployment reached 21.6% in February which is up by 17% compared to the same time last year. One of the reason teens are having a hard time finding job is due to the fact that more adults are taking up jobs they wouldn’t normally consider doing. High School students are having a hard time finding jobs in this economy.

image

Although most of us tend to ignore the “teenage worker” numbers, the decline in teenage employment is pretty concerning. It shows a direct relation between unemployed adults and unemployed teenage worker. Adults are more willing to take jobs that they wouldn’t consider before. Due to this one reason employers now have a choice to either hire an adult for the same job that is usually taken up by a  teen. The economy has given employers a choice on whether to hire an adult or a teenager and as you can imagine most employers are choosing adults over teenagers.

Gone are the days when you could walk into a grocery store and find a teen bagging your grocery. You will most likely see an adult doing the job. With soaring unemployment rate it is not just the adults that are having a hard time finding jobs anymore. Teen workers are being affected directly by the economy and by adults who in the past wouldn’t have thought of doing jobs that are normally reserved for teens workers. We are sure employers are happy to see adult applicants along with teen applicants and their pick usually are adults over teenagers.

The current economy has sure taken a toll on consumers as credit card late payments reach record high. According to a report by The Fitch Ratings it is estimated that the chargeoffs will approach nine percent during the second half of 2009. More people are depending on their credit cards since they don’t have the cash to pay for their needs and in turn are ending up racking up debt which consumers end up not paying. When it comes to credit cards and the way the economy is going the picture certainly isn’t looking very pretty.

Life Takes Visa Out, More People Go With Visa In

VISA, the leading credit-card and financial services company have dropped their slogan “Life Takes Visa” and have implemented a new slogan – More People Go With Visa. The company will debut a new ad campaign based around this slogan. The new ad campaign comes less than six months after the company went public. The last time Visa dropped their slogan was in 2006 during the winter Olympics when the slogan “It’s Everywhere You Want To Be” was replaced by “Life Takes Visa.”

With more than US$4.3 trillion of total volume as of September 30, 2008, Visa Inc. is the largest payment company in the world

One of the reason Visa has decided to change the slogan is due to the failing economy. Credit card companies are feeling the effect of the recession and these companies want people to use their debit cards to purchase their daily needs. This probably is one of the prime reasons for Visa’s new ad slogan and the reason for rolling out new ad campaign. The new ad campaign will focus more on day to day life rather than the ad campaigns in the past which showed visa being used for life time purchases such as going on a cruise or going to the Olympics, etc.

Credit in today’s economy has become a curse word. No one wants to get deeper into the financial hole than what they already are. People want to stop using credit cards and rely more on their savings and cash on hand if they have any. This is the reason for Visa’s new global ad campaign which will portray its inclusion in day to day life rather than a once in a lifetime purchase as the ads in the past have been. Read the rest of this entry »

The first stimulus funded infrastructure project begins in Montgomery County, Maryland. According to Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary, this project will help support 60 jobs which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. President Barack Obama on Tuesday said that the country is already seeing “shovels hit the ground” and by that we assume he means literally. The newly started project is dedicated in resurfacing the Maryland State Highway 650 which has not been repaired for years.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the contract is going to a family owned company America Infrastructure, a Pennsylvania based company.

Although a bridge in Missouri was said to be the first project benefiting from the plan, the project in Maryland will be the first infrastructure project to receive funding from the new plan. It is estimated that out of 3.5 million jobs that will be saved or created within the next two years, 400,000 jobs will be related to infrastructure jobs. According to President Obama repairing roads are one of the major priority. He said, “We can save some 14,000 men and women who lose their lives each year due to bad roads and driving conditions. Poor roads are a public hazard, and we have a responsibility to fix them.”

We certainly hope the project goes smooth and it sure is a delight to see the new plan taking effect.