SimplyHired, the largest job search engine and recruitment advertising network, today released its inaugural 2009 U.S. Job Trends report, outlining year-over-year (YOY) employment trends by metro region, state and industry. The report is based on Simply Hired’s extensive analysis of more than 3 million job listings from the first quarter of 2008 through the close of 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
As a job seeker, you are networking and making sure you build your contacts and extend your network in order to be seen. However, networking whether online or offline can hurt you if you aren’t cautious about giving your information away. According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) the damage caused by identity theft in 2008 was $48 billion.
In California, 20% of all identity theft related frauds were employment related, which is higher than credit card fraud in that state. Although the numbers are for California, with increasing layoffs and poor job market we are sure these numbers are true for many other states. This certainly doesn’t mean that you need to put a brake on your job search. What it means is that careful steps must be taken before you fill out forms and give information away. When you are filling out employment forms or handing resumes out in person at a brick and mortar business, your information is much more secure than it is when you are filling out employment forms and submitting resume online.
With employment related identity theft on the rise, it is necessary that you do the due research. Before submitting your resume or any other information online make sure the site you are submitting to is a credible site. If you don’t know enough about them, research before submitting your information. This doesn’t apply to the online world alone, it applies to the offline world as well. If you are throwing away a paper containing your information, make sure you shred it before dumping it in the garbage can. At times these things just get overlooked but one small mistake can cause a huge problem in the long run. And identity theft is the last thing you want when you are out and about looking for a job.
If you want to learn more about identity theft related to employment, be sure to read this article : Identity thieves targeting job seekers.
Although many claim that the economy is slowly reviving, it’s no secret that we are still a long way from a healthy economy. August’s unemployment rate has been the highest so far at 9.7%, and with unemployment rising like there is no tomorrow, everything else gets affected. Employment is directly related to every aspect of economy, from housing to buying cool gadgets at Best Buy. This post might be a little depressing as it was for me while trying to compile these infographs. Below you will find eight beautifully done infographs that show the horrifying state of the U.S. economy. Buckle up and be prepared to be scared. No matter what anyone else says, it sure as heck isn’t looking good, at least not yet.
Please click on image to enlarge. All images are linked directly to the source.
Jobless In The City
This infograph shows unemployment in major Metorpolitan cities. The unemployment rate shown are for the year 2008. Detroit had the highest unemployment rate in 2008 at 14.9% (July 2009 = 15%) and Oklahoma city had the lowest unemployment rate at 5.7% (July 2009 = 5.9%).
A recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder shows that employers are increasingly researching job candidates on social networking sites. In a survey last year, 22% employers reported that they used social networking sites to screen job candidates. This year the numbers of employers using social networking sites as a researching tool has grown to 45% which is 23% increase in one year. This certainly is a huge jump and just shows how critical it has become to keep an eye on ones profile on these sites. The survey also showed that another 11% planned on using these sites to research on job candidates. We are sure when the survey results comes out next year, the percentage of employers surveyed who use these sites to research on candidates will be close to 70% if not higher. Read the rest of this entry »
Simply Hired, the fastest growing job site as reported by Comscore and Nielsen Media announced yesterday that it has secured a $4.6 million of new investment funding. Since the launch Simply hired has raised $22.3 Million. For more information please read the press release. Read the rest of this entry »
These days social media and job search go hand in hand. Of course the age old knock on the door and “are you hiring?” scenario is still out there but many people favor job search via networking and making use of online job search sites.
Over the years networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have become a must for job seekers. If you aren’t on the web, at times it’s almost impossible to secure a job. However, some people seem to keep forgetting that social media if not utilized properly can hurt your job search and can lead to job loss. We came across one and had to share it.
Please take a look at the image below,
The image above clearly shows the implications if you use social media platforms the wrong way. Of course, when you have a Facebook account it’s your personal account. However, it depends how you are using it. Are you using it to simply connect with your friends and family or are you using it to connect with professionals? Before you go ahead and utilize the power of free speech on Facebook or any other social media platforms make sure you watch what you are saying. Social media has given us tremendous amount of power in terms of job search but it has also made everything we do much more vulnerable. The saying “choose your words carefully” might be true now than ever before. Read the rest of this entry »
The BLS today released the Unemployment situation for the month of July and the numbers aren’t very surprising. Compared to June’s job losses of 467,000, there were 350,000 job losses in July. The unemployment rate slid down by 0.01% and is reported 9.4% (It was 9.5% in June). Although the unemployment rate is down job market is still in dire need to be revived. Hopefully we will see unemployment rate going down as the months pass by. Here are some highlights from the report along with the employment situation which is embedded at the end.
- Adult men = 9.8%
- Adult women = 7.5%
- Teenagers = 23.8%
- White = 8.6%
- African American = 14.5%
- Hispanic = 12.3%
- Asians : 8.3%
- In July 1 in 3 unemployed persons were jobless for 27 weeks or more
The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $6,499,992 to assist national industry and employer associations and labor-management organizations in advancing Registered Apprenticeship through the development of innovative programs that utilize an updated 21st century Registered Apprenticeship framework. Read the rest of this entry »
That’s exactly what one college graduate ended up doing. Trina Thompson who hasn’t found a job since her graduation in April decided to sue the college she graduated from. The Monroe College recently received a surprise when they found out that there former student was suing them for $70,000. The reason Trina ended up suing the college is because according to her, she hasn’t been able to find a job since her graduation and it seems all the money put into her education was a loss of time and money. After the lawsuit was filed this is what Gary Axelbank, school’s spokeperson had to say
The lawsuit is completely without merit. The college prides itself on the excellent career-development support that we provide to each of our students, and this case does not deserve further consideration.
Just a quick post since I wanted to share this video with you. The video you are about to see is a commercial for one of the Pepsi products. However, it is all about a job applicant and his friend trying to help him land the job. It’s a pretty funny video. Enjoy 
Posted by Mark in 