Google Searches Show Job Trends

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It’s tough out there. No doubt about it. But after months of unrelenting gloom, there are glimmers of hope for job seekers.

Google Chief Economist Hal Varian is pretty confident the national economy is recovering, and he's not just basing that on government data.

According to the Washington Post, Varian says he can tell from Americans' search habits.

In March, the number of Google users searching for information about unemployment benefits or employment centers began to drop, Varian said. Overall unemployment has continued to climb, of course, but new jobless claims have declined since peaking earlier this year.

The temporary employment index, however, is ticking higher.

A former economist and professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Varian says that increases in temporary employment, a leading indicator for labor markets, typically precede a rebound in full-time hiring. That index has ticked up in each of the past four months.

What this means is that the temporary assignment has, in effect, become a “working interview”’ where candidates can prove their worth before the organization commits to increasing permanent headcount.

Additionally, organizations who are in the process of downsizing are now proactively working to find new employment options for their talented staff with stellar track records. This is resulting in very good candidates being immediately available at short notice, which is great news for other companies who are looking to recruit new talent for their own businesses.

Temp-to-perm placements are projected to be a continuing trend as job seekers recognize the opportunity to be able to make their mark—and employers take advantage of being able to evaluate their needs before finalizing job descriptions.
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Show Me the Money!!

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With today’s economic climate, you may feel intimidated asking for a comfortable salary when it’s clear some are accepting jobs well below their pay scale.

However, if you ask the right questions and present your qualifications effectively during your interview, you could land a decent-paying job.

According to Jonnelle Marte of the Wall Street Journal, the first step is to find out the salary range for the position you’re considering. She recommends two web sites (Payscale.com and Salary.com) as well as consulting people you know in the industry.

During the interview, show how you meet the job criteria after finding out exactly what skills the potential employer is looking for. Demonstrate how you deserve to get paid the higher end of the salary range.

While getting the most money possible is important, you shouldn’t allow salary alone to dictate whether or not you accept the role. Try negotiating for other perks (i.e., the ability to work from home or an extra week’s vacation).

If the amount is still shy of what you were hoping for, ask if your salary can be re-evaluated in six months or a year. Emphasize your learning abilities and desire to improve your on-the-job skills so that a review becomes part of the hiring agreement.

Detailed interview strategies covering salary and more can be found at StartNowCareers.com
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Playing the Body Language Game

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Whether you realize it or not, everyone uses body language in our daily encounters with people. When interviewing for a job, body language becomes the nonverbal cues that we give to the interviewer while communicating. They can, essentially, make or break the interview.

Your resume and cover letter told of your accomplishments, but your body will reveal even more. Following is a short list to help you recognize and avoid the negatives while accentuating the positives:

Nervousness — Whistling, pinching skin, fidgeting, jiggling pocket change, running tongue along front of teeth, clearing throat, hands touching the face or covering part of the face, pulling at skin or ear, running fingers through hair, wringing hands, biting on pens or other objects, twiddling thumbs, biting fingernails

Openness and warmth — Open-lipped smiling, open hands with palms visible, unbuttoning coat upon being seated.

Untrustworthy/Defensive — Frowning, squinting eyes, tight-lipped grin, arms crossed in front of chest, pulling away, chin down, touching nose or face, darting eyes, looking down when speaking, clenched hands, gestures with fist, pointing with fingers, rubbing back of neck, clasping hands behind head while leaning back in the chair.

Confidence — Leaning forward in chair, chin up, putting fingertips of one hand against fingertips of the other hand in “praying,” or “steepling” position, hands joined behind back when standing.

As you can see, there are far more negatives than positives—possibly more than we are consciously aware. This list is given not so that you can artificially adopt the positive body language techniques, but more. If you have a habit of doing any of the above negatives, remove that action from your pattern of behavior before it sends the wrong signal. Concentrate on removing it now so you will not have to think about it during the interview.

And keep in mind the person on the other side of the desk. As you talk with an interviewer, be aware of (although not preoccupied with) their body language and nonverbal cues. Do not try to read more than is actually being communicated, but try to develop a sense of the interviewer’s reception of you.

The most obvious example is the smile connection—when your smile brings about a smile from the interviewer. Do your best to stay connected with your interviewer—both verbally and nonverbally.
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How Vital is Networking?

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Networking is the key to success - not only when searching for a job - but for business in general.

Dale Carnegie literally wrote the book on networking in 1936. How to Win Friends and Influence People demystified the process of making friends out of strangers and inspired legions of business coaches to carry on Carnegie's message. Peter Handal, the chairman, CEO and president of Dale Carnegie & Associates, shared some of Carnegie's rules for meeting new people with Meridith Levinson of CIO Magazine and CIO.com.

The Wisdom of Dale Carnegie in Five Bullet Points

• Smile: "This is such a simple, basic rule, yet people just don't think about it," says Handal. They're so focused on needing to network at a conference that they don't realize they're walking around with a scowl on their face. Scowling, serious, expressions are forbidding, says Handal. People are more likely to warm up to someone who says good morning with a broad smile than they are to someone with a dour countenance.
  


• Ask a question: Joining a group engaged in conversation can be awkward. The best way to do so is to pose a question to the group after getting the gist of the conversation, says Handal. "You build your credibility by asking a question, and for a shy person, that's a much easier way to engage than by barging in with an opinion," he says.
  


• Listen: One of the most profound points Carnegie made in How to Win Friends was that people love to talk about themselves. If you can get people to discuss their experiences and opinions—and listen with sincere interest—you can have a great conversation with someone without having to say much at all.
  


• Business cards: Always have them handy, says Handal. "They're an effective way for you to leave your name behind so that people remember who you are."
  


• Say the person's name: "People like to hear their own name," says Handal, pointing to another one of Carnegie's basic principles—that a person's name is the sweetest sound to that person. So when you meet someone, use his name in conversation. Doing so makes the other person feel more comfortable, like you really know him and he knows you.

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Should I Apply to Online Job Postings?

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If you’re one of the many who have submitted your rèsumé on-line yet get no results, you’re certainly not alone. There are thousands of you feeling the same way. An article posted on emurse.com explains why.

According to the author, Michael McCarthy, some of the positions may be closed or "dummy postings." He goes on to say however, some companies are required, by law, to pursue every avenue available to hire a qualified candidate. This means they must internally post a job and post it for the public to view, before they can hire anyone for a specific position.

Consequently, a hiring manager may have to post a job for a required amount of time, even though they have already identified someone to hire for a newly created opening.

Many companies hire directly off the postings they post on-line, and many staffing companies do in fact have the positions that they post as well, so don't be completely discouraged by postings on-line. This info is useful to explain why you might not hear anything back from those countless submissions.

With Start Now! Career Guide, we don’t discourage you from posting on-line, since every available avenue is worth pursuing. What we do advise, however, is to take a little more time to investigate the unlimited potential of networking.

Start Now! Career Guide explains the best and most effective way to reach employers by utilizing the advertised as well as the hidden job market, and using network tools to your best advantage. It’s a little more work, but the effort produces positive results.
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When the Tattoo Becomes Taboo

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For people with visible tattoos, the current shaky economy may not be the only obstacle they find during their search for a job.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said more than 45 million people nationwide have at least one tattoo and around 17% of those people end up regretting it, since many people make the mistake of getting a tattoo while drunk or in an impulsive moment.

According to laser technician Rachael Eberle, job searches and interviews have forced many people to take a second look at their tattoos.

Dr. Jeffrey Rand, who founded New York's Tattoo Removal Center, said increased competition in the job market is the likely cause for the recent increased interest in tattoo removal services in the city, the New York Post reported.

"People can't afford to handicap themselves because of a tattoo in a tight job market," Rand said.

Tattoos on the neck, the earlobes, and behind the ears seem to be more popular in recent years, but they just don’t make a good impression when applying for a job. Neither are tattoos on the fingers, tops of hands or wrists, as they just can’t be concealed.

Not only is the pain of tattoo removal sometimes more than the pain endured getting the tattoos themselves, tattoo removal can be costly. The removal process could take several laser treatments and removing such body art means enduring monthly laser treatments that cost at least $200 for a nearly 2 minute session, the Post said.
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Be Cautious When Posting on a Job Search Engine

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Jay MacDonald of Bankrate.com writes that a Florida attorney hoped to receive a flood of qualified applications when he posted a job opening on Monster.com for paralegal help at his Hilliard, Florida law firm.

What he wasn't expecting, however, was a school of "phish" to swim in on the deluge. Phish are those piranhalike e-mail probes that prey on the feckless.

"Shortly after I signed up, I got a bunch of e-mails purportedly from Monster.com, but I quickly determined that they weren't," the attorney says. "They weren't the typical sort of phishing e-mails; they had something that identified my (Monster) account."

He was convinced that his information had been compromised. And he was right.


According to a CNBC report, in January, Monster.com notified users that its database was breached and that account information - including names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, user names and passwords - had been compromised.

Proving once again, today’s job seeker is far better off using networking as their primary tool in searching for work, rather than posting on job search engines. As this attorney found out, “People who have posted a resume anyplace online are now being targeted by the thieves.”

Start Now! Career Guide provides the best networking strategies available to assist you in your career search. To find out more, please visit our web site, StartNowCareers.com.

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How Sharp Are Your Job-Hunting Skills?

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If posting a resume on a search engine was all that was needed to land a job, we sure wouldn’t have much of an unemployment problem, would we?

Let’s face it, search engines (Monster, CareerBuilder, etc.) are filled with “available positions” no matter when you check them. So why is it that so many available workers are not landing all those “available” jobs? The fact is, looking for a job can be downright grueling, according to Kiplinger.com.

Do you know how to boost your odds of getting the position you want for the pay you want? Here are ten questions to test your knowledge of job searching, interviewing and salary negotiating.

How Sharp Are Your Job-Hunting Skills?

Question 1:
Searching the Internet is the most effective way to look for a job – True or False.

False. Although the Internet will probably make up one component of your search, the most effective way to find a job is through networking. You could answer dozens of ads, but knowing the right people can make all the difference in landing an offer. Plus, only about 15% to 20% of all job openings are ever publicly advertised in any medium, according to Quintcareers.com. Most come through the grape vine.

Question 2:
You can negotiate an entry-level salary – Yes or No.

Absolutely; It doesn't hurt to ask is correct. Most employers leave wiggle room in their offers to new employees, even those that are fresh out of school. You won't find out unless you ask. But even if there isn't any room for an increase in salary, there are other pieces to the benefits puzzle. Consider negotiating your vacation time, work hours, signing bonuses, starting date or relocation benefits.

Question 3:
Your résumé should always fit onto one page – True or False.

False. There's no mandatory length limit for résumés. Use the space efficiently, but give enough specific information to attract hiring managers. Generally, you should keep yours to one page if you have less than ten years of experience. Feel free to go over a page if you have more experience or work in a field where you need to add more detail, such as your research projects and publications.

Question 4:
What are acceptable ways to reach out and network? A. Use your college alumni association; B. Join a professional organization; C. Join online discussion groups; D. All of the above; E. None of the above.

All of the above is correct. All of these are good ways to meet people in your field. You can also set up an informational interview with experts in your industry, get an internship when you're first starting out, and keep in touch with college acquaintances.

Question 5:
When applying via e-mail, type a brief cover letter into the body of your e-mail, attach your résumé as a Word document and click "send." A) That’s all I need to do; b) Wait! I’m forgetting something!

Wait, you're forgetting something is correct. Don’t hit “send” so fast. You need to send two versions of your résumé via e-mail. Many employers won't open résumé attachments either out of laziness or fear of contracting a computer virus. Your chance of getting noticed: zilch. Go ahead and attach the document, but copy and paste a text-only version of your résumé into the body of your e-mail to cover your bases.

Question 6:
Should you tell your current employer you're job hunting outside the company – Yes or No.

No. Don't tell anyone before you have a new job lined up. The company knows it has to replace you and it could find your replacement before you're ready to go, leaving you prematurely unemployed. Or your boss may see you as disloyal and make your life difficult until you leave.

Question 7:
How long does the average job hunt take? One month? Four months? Nine months? 18 months?

The average job hunt takes four months, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. So be patient and don't get discouraged.

Question 8:
Employers can receive hundreds of résumés for a single job. How can you get yours noticed? A. Use fancy formatting; B. List every job you've ever held; C. Use certain key words.

Use certain key words is correct. Many employers dump résumés into a database and search for key words to narrow the field. The magic words are often job titles, skills or areas of expertise related to the position. The best way to figure out key words is to look at ads for your target job and see the kind of language employers are using.

Question 9:
What should you NOT do in a job interview? A. Smile; B. Dress conservatively; C. Ask the interviewer yes-or-no questions; D. Bring plenty of hard-copy résumés; E. Talk respectfully about past employers.

Ask the interviewer yes-or-no questions is correct. Asking the interviewer "yes" or "no" questions that stifle conversation gives the impression that you don't care about the company or the position. Stick to open-ended questions, such as "Would you walk me through a typical day on the job?" or "What is the company's plan for the next five years, and how does your department fit in?"

Question 10:
When looking for your first job out of college, you can write off job-hunting expenses on your tax return – True or False.

False. Sorry, first-job seekers cannot write off these costs. However, they can claim the write-off when they look for their next job, as long as it's in the same field.

For the most complete job search resource, please log onto our web site: StartNowCareers.com

Even the Overqualified Have Options to Get Jobs

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This recession and the accompanying job situation have hit experienced workers hard. Millions of job-seekers are now looking to positions they are overqualified for – and are genuinely anxious to fill those roles. Yet it’s sometimes difficult to even apply to them for fear of rejection.

So what do you do? First, you may want to consider rewording your résumé. Rather than highlighting that degree you worked so hard for (ouch!), choose wording that accentuates related experience or related education. After all, a degree doesn’t prove accomplishments and results, but accomplishments and results are what hiring managers are looking for.

Second, you must help the hiring manager understand what overqualified doesn't mean. You've got to let them know you really want to work for their organization, that you're dedicated, and that you've got something you can offer them.It's all about adding value. The job applicant who convinces a potential employer they can make a positive effect on the bottom line often wins. Campaign for your dedication, your work ethic, and the things you can learn in that new role even if you are overqualified for it.

According to Phil Chipouras of The Boomer Group, "You've got to position yourself as the solution to the company's problems. So research, networking, understanding what that company's problems are and positioning yourself accordingly, are all extremely important.”

Unless you're a Type A personality who always needs to climb the corporate ladder, then don't be dishonest with yourself or them. But in fact, a new career at a lower rung on the ladder might mean less stress. Maybe right now title and money is not all that it used to be. Maybe right now having a decent income and a balanced life is more important than it was before. During the interview you can make that point.

From the hiring manager’s point of view, they want to make sure you’ll stay on the job once you’re hired, so it’s important to indicate that you’re serious and that you’re a stable, solid investment.
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