 News Sleuth | education.yahoo.net May 13 2013 11:45:42 AMIf you're wondering which degree to earn in college, here are ten majors that are at the top of employers' lists. Let's face it. A lot goes into deciding what to study. Yes, you should be passionate about your major, but you should also want a degree that ups your employability odds upon graduation. And while most of us already know what we like and what we're good at, we're not as familiar with what employers are looking for. But fret not - last year, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveyed employers who are members of the organization about their future hiring plans, and which degrees they would most be on the lookout for. Based off of the employers' answers, NACE put together a list of top ten bachelor's degrees employers want most. So if you're still having trouble deciding what to study, keep reading to find out which majors have made NACE's list of top ten bachelor's degrees. - Employable Degree #1: Finance
- Employable Degree #2: Computer and Information Sciences
- Employable Degree #3: AccountingEmployable Degree #4: Business Administration and Management
- Employable Degree #5: Mechanical Engineering
- Employable Degree #6: Management Information Systems
- Employable Degree #7: Electrical Engineering
- Employable Degree #8: Computer Engineering
- Employable Degree #9: Marketing
- Employable Degree #10: Economics
------------- To see the original article on Yahoo Education, click HERE
AOL Jobs - CareerBuilder May 7 2013 12:11:28 PMThe original article at jobs.aol.com can be found HERE ----------- Using the industry knowledge and networks of recruiters can be a critical component of any job search. A professional recruiter can offer career advice, inside knowledge of your target industry or company, compensation guidance and "cultural fit" insight on prospective employers.
With the right recruiter you can: - Avoid the general inbox: Recruiters have relationships with human resources and hiring managers, so your résumé goes directly to them, not a "job response inbox" containing hundreds of résumés.
- Access unadvertised opportunities: Recruiters often know about and fill positions well before they are advertised.
- Gain valuable insight regarding company culture: A good recruiter should be able to tell you about the company culture and what to expect from individual interviewers on your schedule.
- Get your own advocate: As an advocate, a recruiter can present you in the best way, provide feedback and follow-up, and provide assistance through the negotiation and hiring process.
Different types of recruiters: - Staffing recruiters work for staffing firms to provide a wide range of candidates to customers. Staffing recruiters may place administrative, professional or technical candidates, ranging from entry level to senior level, in temporary contract or permanent jobs.
- Corporate recruiters handle most aspects of the employee recruitment process for their own organization. Corporate recruiters are typically in the human resources division.
- Executive contingent recruiters work for search firms that are engaged by clients to perform a specific search for a range of mid- and senior-level positions. Contingent recruiters receive a fee only upon the successful placement of a candidate.
- Executive retained recruiters work for search firms that are engaged by clients to perform a specific search for a senior executive position. Retained recruiters receive a retainer (upfront fee) to execute a search.
Make a recruiter shortlist There are many types of recruiters, and each may have a specific industry or area of expertise. Ideally, you should focus on building relationships with the recruiters that can best help you with your career aspirations.
Don't just engage a recruiter, build a relationship The best recruiter-job seeker relationships are mutually beneficial. A candidate receives access to unadvertised career opportunities and gains an advocate. A recruiter will appreciate reciprocal access to your network of potential referrals as well as specific company or industry insight. A common job-seeker mistake is to engage with a recruiter only when actively searching for a new job. A strictly transactional relationship -- candidate needs a job, recruiter needs a candidate to fill a job -- is less valuable for you, the recruiter and ultimately the hiring organization. Be prepared to invest time in building and maintaining a long-term relationship. - Make a good first impression: Approach a recruiter as you would a prospective employer, and send an email with a professional cover letter or social media message.
- Make an introduction: Introduce yourself during the first conversation, just as you would in an interview. A recruiter will need to be comfortable with you before advocating for you as a candidate to a prospective employer.
- Provide information: Let recruiters know how you found them and if you're interested in working for a specific company or targeted industry.
- Think longer term: Be prepared to stay in touch over the short, medium and long term to find the right opportunity.
- Keep your information current: Ensure they never have an out-of-date résumé on file, and update your recruiter when things change.
- Be open to constructive feedback: A recruiter can share a great deal of information about the company, job requirements and even specific interviewer characteristics before an interview. After the interview, ask for and be open to constructive feedback.
- Share insights: What did you learn in the interview that would help both you and your recruiter? Was the job as described by the recruiter or has it changed? Was there a new interviewer in the process? Is this the right role for you based on your career goals?
- Keep the communication open: Maintain a positive relationship for the future, even if you secure another job.
- Become a resource: Share your industry knowledge and network of contacts who may be interested in learning more about an opportunity.
- Consider all kinds of work: Short- or long-term project and contract work can often be a steppingstone to a permanent job and allows you an opportunity to evaluate the job and company.
- Be clear: An open dialogue regarding your work experience, career goals and salary requirements will increase the chances of a successful placement.
Yahoo Education May 3 2013 09:53:11 AMOriginal article on Yahoo Education can be found HERE ------
If you're pursuing one of these careers, you may want to think about changing your focus. Check out these five alternatives instead. It's been said that if you're not growing, you're dying. Well, that seems true when it comes to careers, too. Unfortunately, in today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, sometimes it's hard to predict which jobs will be winners and which will be losers. But understanding the likely trajectory of your chosen field will be crucial to your professional success. "People need to ensure that they're in an industry, or working to enter one, that has long-term potential and security," says Debra Wheatman, a certified professional career coach and president of Careers Done Write. She says that if you're not careful, you could find yourself putting your best earning years into a dead-end job. Or worse: By the time you do see the light, you might be stuck. "A career change often times means you have to start over at a more junior level," says Wheatman, "If you have a family or other debt obligations, it could be really difficult. These things have to be considered." With your professional future in mind, we combed the U.S. Department of Labor, the authority on the nation's job trends, to find five common careers that may not be so common by 2020. And while they might not be completely phased out by then, they'll likely be either on their last legs or barely staying afloat. And yet there is a silver lining. We also identified five alternatives that the Department of Labor says have a more promising future. Read on to see if your career goals are destined for success, or headed to the unemployment line.
(Below, Two Roads profiles two of the dead-end careers from the article. Both pertain to our audience in the IT and Engineering fields. The article also suggests alternative career directions to pursue)
Dying Career #1: Desktop Publisher Desktop publishing was revolutionary during the printed media era, helping organizations avoid the cost and complications of using large printing presses to print everything from advertisements to magazines. Today, desktop publishers still design layouts with computer software for newspapers, books, and other printed media, says the U.S. Department of Labor, but the printing party has come to an end. Projected Decline: According to the Department of Labor, desktop publisher jobs are expected to decline by 15 percent from 2010 to 2020. That's a total of 3,300 lost jobs, which is sizable considering the profession had only 22,600 jobs in 2010. Why It's Dying: The Department says that advances in user-friendly desktop publishing software will allow other workers, such as graphic designers and copyeditors, to perform the tasks desktop publishers do now. Automation will also lead to job loss. Finally, the Department says, opportunities in desktop publishing will be stronger "for those with a degree in graphic design or a related field." Which begs the question: Why not consider...
Alternative Career: Graphic Designer Not only does the career of graphic designer have a better outlook for job growth, according to the Department, it also gives you the opportunity to be more creative. That's because graphic designers use computer software, and sometimes even draw by hand, to create visual concepts for logos, websites, or product illustrations.
Projected Growth: The Department projects graphic designer jobs to grow by 13 percent from 2010 to 2020, which translates to 37,300 possible new jobs.
Why It's Growing: The Department says that due to the increased use of the Internet, graphic designers will be needed to create layouts and images for such things as websites, electronic publications, portable devices, and video entertainment media. "Companies need artists to create packaging, branding, marketing/PR materials, trade show/billboard signage, online and print advertising, gaming development artists, and many are anxious to [hire graphic designers]" says Cheryl Chapman, a professor of digital graphic art with Coastline Community College in Southern California.
Education Options: Typically, a bachelor's degree in graphic design or a related field is a must for graphic designers, says the Department. "However, those with a bachelor's degree in another field may pursue technical training in graphic design to meet most hiring qualifications," says the Department. ---------------------
Dying Career #3: Semiconductor Processor You'd think if any job was safe in this computer-filled world it would be the people who manufacture electronic semiconductors, aka microchips and integrated circuits. But alas, looking at projections by the U.S. Department of Labor, it appears these workers are destined to be processed out.
Projected Decline: The Department of Labor expects this job to decline rapidly by 18 percent, going from 21,100 jobs in 2010 to just 17,300 in 2020, a total loss of 3,800 jobs.
Why It's Dying: Here's a bitter irony for those in the semiconductor processing biz: Despite the fact that semiconductors are in strong demand, increased automation in the plants that make semiconductors means fewer of these workers will be hired, says the Department. In addition, many microchip manufacturers will close plants in the U.S. and move production overseas to less-costly countries, says the Department. So if you're a techie, you might want to think about...
Alternative Career: Database Administrator With the recent kerfuffle about China allegedly hacking private companies' databases to perform corporate espionage, it shouldn't come as a surprise that database administrators will be much needed in years to come. Why? Database administrators use computer software to help companies store and organize data, as well as keep that data safe from unauthorized users, says the U.S. Department of Labor.
Projected Growth: Job opportunities for database administrators will grow by 31 percent, from 2010 to 2020, says the Department of Labor. That's a total of almost 34,000 new jobs.
Why It's Growing: There is rapid growth in the amount of data being collected by companies, and therefore a greater need for database administrators to keep it organized for analysis, says the Department. Heathfield says that this "big data" collection promises to be a huge job creator, with companies needing people to organize and analyze the data they have been collecting from consumers for the past decade or more. "Companies are now discovering that they're not using that data and want to start utilizing it," she says.
Education Options: Database administrators have a bachelor's degree in a computer- or information- related subject, says the Department. Jobs.AOL.com May 1 2013 11:24:38 AM"Always act enthusiastic during the interview." "Never badmouth a previous employer." These are the standard tips that career coaches give, but many people violate all kinds of common-sense rules in answering interview questions -- and get hired anyway. A recent thread on Quora, the question-and-answer website popular with Silicon Valley execs, provides plenty of examples. The question that kicked off the thread was, "What is the craziest thing you've said at a job interview -- and got the job anyway?" It prompted a long list of funny anecdotes -- all of which suggests that sometimes acting off-the-wall pays off. Say You Don't Want The Job Gil Yehuda, a Yahoo employee, said that during a job interview he once asked the chief technology officer for the most important responsibility of the five duties listed in the job description. The answer he gave was contradicted by several other execs he spoke to. So when the recruiter later offered him the job, he turned her down, saying, "I can't take a job if the company doesn't know what they are looking for. You need to figure out what you want before you make an offer." She pushed him to take the job and explained to him why his reluctance was enticing. "I was the first candidate to realize they did not have a consensus view of what they were trying to hire," Yehuda wrote. He got the job. Only Answer Some Of The Questions Andy Johns, a product manager, was interviewing for a job at Facebook, the company notorious for asking brain-teasing interview questions. The entire day had gone smoothly, and then it was his last interview. An exec walked into the room, and without introducing himself or even saying hello, just sat down and said, quite seriously, "I have five questions for you." Johns, in an attempt to "lighten the mood," quipped, "I have three correct answers for you." The exec didn't laugh and continued on with his questions, and Johns said that he only answered three of them correctly. He still got the job. Talk About How Much You Hated Your Last Job Dan Halliday, an HR manager, says he told "the complete truth" about why he was fired from Kohl's. "I explained how I had given up because of the environment of zombies ... how I was going to file a lawsuit over my pay; how I have zero ambition to ever be promoted into leadership again, and how all I wanted to do was make a ton of money and enjoy my life with as little workplace politics as possible." Not only did he get hired -- but he is still at the company "and loving the decision." Explain You're Pregnant And Have No Idea if You'll Want To Return To Work Kati Sipp, a union organizer, says that she not only told a prospective employer that she was six months pregnant, but when he asked her during a job interview if she'd return to work after having the baby, she admitted that she wasn't sure how she'd feel after giving birth. "I just decided, what the hell, I'm not going to want to work for anyone who would discriminate against a pregnant woman anyway," she wrote. She not only got hired, but she was able to bring her daughter to work with her twice a week until she was a toddler. Admit You're Clueless Joan Heller was being considered for a "high level job" developing new kinds of assessments for the state of California's K-12 students. Her potential boss asked her during the job interview how she'd approach the task. After hesitating for a moment, she responded, "I have no idea." "You're perfect!" she exclaimed. Read the rest of the Quora thread here. AOL Jobs April 17 2013 01:27:11 PMFrom AOL Jobs. Click HERE for the original article. ---------------------------- Interviews are probably the most challenging part of the job search process. You need to be ready for anything, including weird interview questions.You don't want to blurt out something inappropriate and send all of your hard work down the toilet. Avoid these inappropriate comments during your interview: 1. I'm really nervous. There's nothing wrong with feeling nervous. It's natural to be a little uneasy at an important interview. Don't tell the interviewer if you have butterflies in your stomach, though. Your job in the interview is to portray a confident and professional demeanor. You won't win any points by admitting your nerves or blaming them for any failures in your performance. 2. I don't really know much about the job; I thought you'd tell me all about it. This is a big job seeker mistake, and it can cost you the opportunity. Employers spend a lot of time interviewing, and they expect candidates to have researched the jobs enough to be able to explain why they want the positions. Otherwise, you could be wasting everyone's time by interviewing for a job you may not even really want. Asking questions is important, but don't ask anything you should know from the job description or from reading about the company online. 3. My last boss/colleague/client was a real jerk. It's possible (even likely) that your interviewer could prod you into telling tales about your previous or current supervisor or work environment. Resist the urge to badmouth anyone, even if you have a bad boss. It is unprofessional and the employer will worry what you may say to someone about him or her down the road. Instead, think about ways to describe past work environments in terms of what you learned or accomplishments you're proud to discuss. 4. My biggest weakness is (something directly related to the job). "What's your weakness?" is one of the most dreaded interview questions. There's no perfect reply, but there is a reply you should never say: Never admit to a weakness that will affect your ability to get the job done. If the job description requires a lot of creativity, and you say your creativity has waned lately, assume that you've taken yourself out of the running. Choose a weakness not related to the position and explain how you're working to improve it. 5. @#$%! Granted, profanity seems to be much more accepted in many workplaces today. However, an interview is not the time to demonstrate that you can talk like a pirate. 6. Just a minute; I really need to get this call. It's amazing how many hiring managers and recruiters report that interviewees answer their phones and respond to text messages during in-person interviews. Turn off your phone during interviews and you will not be tempted to reach to answer it. 7. How much vacation time would I get? Never, ever ask questions in an interview that may make it appear that you'll be overly focused on anything other than work. 8. Can I work from home? Even if you're pretty sure the company has a lenient work-from-home policy, the interview isn't the best time to ask about it. 9. Family is the most important thing to me. This is true for many people. However, you do not need to explain how devoted you are to your family during your job interview. It is unlikely to win favor, even in organizations with a well-known family-friendly environment. You want your potential employer to envision you being totally devoted to his or her needs. When in doubt, pause before you say what's on your mind. If you wonder if it's Ok to ask, assume it's better to avoid the topic altogether. Business Insider April 16 2013 09:37:10 AMOriginally From Business Insider ---------- Steve Wozniak, affectionately known as Woz, is best known as Apple's cofounder. He left Apple in 1987 and continued to be a star in the tech scene. In 2009 he took a job as chief scientist at Fusion-io, a company that changed the enterprise storage market. It builds big storage systems using flash memory, the same tech used in thumb drives and smartphones. In other words, when it comes to career advice, Woz is a man worth listening to. Woz recently talked to Forbes blogger and NetApp product guy Cesar Orosco and offered these great tips: 1. Listen to and support your entry-level workers. Often it is the most junior engineer that has a vision for the Next Big Thing. "Engineers at the bottom are sometimes very important. They’re the heads that have the ideas that might drive your company," Woz said. Woz was an engineer at HP working on calculators when he invented the Apple 1. He begged his bosses at HP to build the PC as product. Five times he asked, and five times they said no. So he started Apple with Steve Jobs. And the rest is history. 2. Talk to your CEO. "Don’t make it a rule that you can only talk to your boss, who will talk to his boss, who will talk to his boss." The people at the top should be open to talking to you, no matter where you are on the org chart, so open your mouth and share your thoughts. 3. It's still better to be first to market with a new product than not. Although it's harder to talk about and convince people to try something that's never been done before, push them. The rewards are huge if you succeed. “In the early days of Apple we had almost no risk. It’s a growing market, growing out of absolutely nothing. So when you’re starting out in a brand new field and you have a first mover advantage, everything you touch is gold,” he said. 4. A "no" doesn't mean your idea is bad. Management might not understand your solution or think it will cost them too much money. "Management will often hold back and take very few risks because they aren’t really sure that [a technical problem] can be solved or it might be too expensive," he said. Convince them otherwise. CBSlocal.com April 12 2013 03:08:25 PMA new study has found a link between work-related exhaustion and the rate of biological aging. Conducted by the “Plos-One” journal, it reveals that excessive workplace stress has a harmful effect on critical DNA cells. Researchers measured the length of these DNA sections, called telomeres, and found that individuals with the most job stress had the shortest. On the other hand, those who said they experienced little to no stress or exhaustion from their job had longer telomeres. The study said the link between the two was still significant even after adjusting the numbers for contributing factors like socioeconomic and marital status, smoking, and body mass index. Read the original article HERE Investors.com March 28 2013 10:04:27 AMShares of staffing firms have been on the rise recently as a rebound in the U.S. jobs market increases demand for temporary and permanent workers. Temp workers are among the first to get the ax when the economy turns south and companies start cutting payrolls. They are also among the first hired back when the job market improves and companies start hiring again. The upshot for the staffing industry is that a number of companies eye improved financial returns this year. "The (turnaround) may be reflecting a pickup in demand for staffing, either because business is better or there is increasing optimism," analysts at Vermilion Technical Research noted in a report on the sector. Some companies, such as ManpowerGroup (MAN) and Kelly Services (KELYA), are expected to return to earnings growth this year after watching profits decline in 2012. The rest, including Robert Half International (RHI), On Assignment (ASGN), AMN Healthcare Services (AHS), Kforce (KFRC), Barrett Business Services (BBSI) and CDI Corp. (CDI), look to improve on the earnings gains they made last year. Staffing companies cover a wide range of services. Manpower, the biggest of the bunch with $21 billion in 2012 revenue, provides temporary and permanent staffing and other services for everything from warehouses to banks. On Assignment gets most of its business from the information technology sector. AMN specializes in providing doctors and nurses, while Robert Half specializes in professionals in the accounting, finance, administrative and legal fields. All should benefit from encouraging news on the hiring front. The U.S. economy added 236,000 jobs in February, according to a Labor Department report. That was much higher than the 119,000 jobs added a month earlier. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7%.... continue reading at Investors.com DICE.com March 21 2013 10:59:13 AMDICE, the IT career website, reports that the gap between men's and women's salaries in tech careers has closed. In their Spotlight on Women in Tech study the firm uses statistics and information gleaned from it's position as an IT and tech career hub to back it's report.  From the report: The most recent Dice Salary Survey reaffirms a truth that has been constant in the analyses since 2009: With tech workers, the compensation gender gap has disappeared. Average salaries are equal for male and female tech pros, provided we’re comparing equal levels of experience and education and parallel job titles. “When it comes to technology employment, it’s a skills driven marketplace,” said Tom Silver, SVP, Dice. “The ability to apply that know-how to a given problem remains the core of employment – why tech professionals get hired and how they are compensated.” Men did outearn women overall in the 2012-2013 DICE survey, but the conclusion is that the difference is driven by the fact that the two groups tend to hold different tech positions. Out of the top five positions held by both men and women, only Project Managers make the top five in each list. The authors do not conclude if this difference in position is due to choice or bias, since the limitations of the data and study don't support such conclusions. Another positive sign is that both men and women claimed to be nearly equally satisfied with their compensation. Fifty-eight percent of women said they were satisfied compared to 56% of men. ----------- Read the full report HERE PC World also covers the report CIO.com March 12 2013 10:09:14 AMYour IT resume provides recruiters and hiring managers a first impression of who you are and what you offer. Working in a field as competitive as IT means you have to do everything you can to make your resume get noticed.
"They [resumes] get eliminated for all sorts of reasons just to get the pile down to something manageable," says Rick Endres, president of the Washington Network and former CIO of the U.S. Congress, as well as deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Commerce for Technology Policy.
To help you build a better resume, CIO.com talked to experts to identify common errors and some not-so-common ones.
For a more in-depth look read the complete article here. - Typos, Misspellings and Bad Grammar
Seriously, typos in your resume? Nothing could say more about your lack of care and attention to detail. - Too Much Technology Jargon
There are important non-tech people who will have to read -- and understand -- your resume.
Consider splitting out technical skills into their own section. - Poor Resume File Name
"Document1.doc" should not be the name of your resume. Every aspect counts. - Resume Length
Technical resumes have details hiring managers need to read, so a 2-3 page resume
containing relevant skills, tools, processes information is realistic. - Not Having an Updated Career Brand
Don't simply restate what everyone expects of someone in your position. Businesses want
to know how you can help them be more competitive. - Unclear Positioning
If you can't look at your resume and quickly know what level of position you are seeking
then you better think again... - Too Little Emphasis on Strategy
Senior IT folks need to provide evidence of their ability to craft a strategy and champion their vision. - Using the Wrong Resume Format
Technical hiring managers are interested in the chronological last 5-8 years of employment.
Don't try to hide hiring gaps and missing skills with a functional resume format. - Not Telling the Full Story of Achievements
Capture the big picture, strategic details to put your abilities in context. - Being Too Modest About Achievements
You need to stand apart from the crowd. Tell more than a list of technical achievement,
tell about their impact, how they were achieved in challenging circumstances. - Not Aging Achievements and Skills Gracefully
Technical resumes age fast and need more frequent updates. - Discounting Important Business Knowledge
Today's IT and technical professionals need to understand their employer's business
as well as the nuts and bolts. - Using a Job Title Instead of Describing the Actual Job Role
Titles can have vastly different meaning at different companies. Make it clear what you do. - Not Having Your Resume in PDF Format
PDF is a universally accepted format that also gives you some control over the ability
to change the content. - Not Enough Crisp Action Verbs
Avoid weak, passive language and repetitive verbs. Focus on crisp language,
action verbs, and demonstration of how your experience affected either the company's
costs or revenue. - Long Difficult-to-Scan Paragraphs
Nobody reads them. Keep it short, succinct. More bullet points that are easily decoded
by the first people scanning your resume. |
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