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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