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Jobs for Veterans: A Look at the Veteran Unemployment Rate

Career Search America — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:00:36 +0000

We couldn't help reposting this Time Magazine article we recently read about the veteran unemployment rate. The headline, The Veterans' Jobless Crisis that Isn't, is designed to provoke a reaction. The article, however was a page-turner.

The article reveals that the national unemployment rate for veterans is consistently lower than the national average. How is that possible, you may ask. It's the first thing we wondered, that's for sure. It turns out that there is a "tale of two veterans" going on in the numbers. If you are a recently retired Iraq or Afghanistan-war veteran between the ages of 18-24, you are part of a group whose unemployment rate is above the national average - 30.2% in fact. But, if you are a post-9/11 veteran between 45 and 54 your unemployment rate is 2.4%.

That's an incredible difference, we know. We'll let you read the rest of the article at TIME, because there is even more great information that we haven't even mentioned yet.

Jobs for Veterans: So Cal Vets Get Help from Disney, Working Wardrobes

Career Search America — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:01:01 +0000

Thanks to NBC Los Angeles for the video.

Jobs for Veterans: USA Today Plugs Vets as Managers

Career Search America — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:00:15 +0000

Have you picked up a copy of USA Today yet? Today's article can't say enough nice things about how valuable military veterans are as potential managers. Here are just a few great quotes:

Businesses say they value skills for operating within a chain of command and for handling mission-focused tasks

and

"It's decision-making ability — that's what you're hiring somebody for. You trust their abilities to solve your problems for you," says Dan Piontkowski, veterans staffing program manager for Hewlett-Packard.

and, perhaps the best news,

The Victory Media survey of Fortune 1000 companies suggests many [companies] are actively beginning to recruit...veterans. "These are the jobs [managers] that the companies have told us they are exclusively or significantly recruiting military veterans in 2013," says Sean Collins, G.I. Jobs director.

Interview Tips - Standing Out to an Employer

Career Search America — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:00:30 +0000

In this economy getting a job is crucial, but seems almost impossible. Job searching can seem like a long and endless task, but getting a job can be done. You want to make sure you have the best advantage to stand out and become someone a company wants a part of their business.

Sell What the Company is Buying Make sure you have all the qualifications the company is looking for. Load your resume with an abundance of information that connects directly with the company. Do your research and look into the company, and know what to expect.
Keep Your Resume Simple Always make sure your resume is simple and easy to read. You want to load it up with qualifications, not random pieces of information that won't get you the job. Make sure you know what matters, and what will just be useless information that will bore the employer.
Use Vivid Vocabulary Many people who can write well and who have an advanced vocabulary will stand out to almost anyone. So many people don't go there extra length and simply look through a thesaurus and amp up their writing. Spend the time and it can make the difference between looking like an average person looking for a job, or a professional.
Sell Yourself In the interview, make sure the employer knows why you are the perfect person for the job. Inform them on why you would be best fit for the company and your special skills most people don't have. If you have something that others can't offer and compete with, you will stand out to the employer.
Stay on Topic When asked certain questions in an interview, people offer wander off and talk about personal issues. When a job is looking for people to hire, they are there to figure out if you are right for the job. That's it. Make sure you focus on why you can offer something no one else can, and also your working history. Looking for a job can be strenuous, but stick to simple principles and you can make the search much easier. Make sure you stay on topic, and sell yourself. Keep it simple, and make sure the employer knows what you can offer that no one else can and you're on your way to being the person every employer wants a part of their company.

Aaron Hauck teaches people how to "take their passion and create the future they can't stop dreaming about." Visit http://www.ProsperousParadise.com and learn the key business fundamentals that will allow you to take control of your financial future.

Jobs for Veterans: Working at Home, cont'd.

Career Search America — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:00:15 +0000

Today we're following up on yesterday's topic: work environments. We learned yesterday that productivity is found at home, but the WSJ says that working from home may be a "dead end." Watch the video for their take on the topic.

Military to Civilian Transition: How Where You Work Changes How You Perform

Career Search America — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:00:59 +0000

The adjustment from the military workplace to the private sector office is one of the significant adjustments that veterans have to make during their military to civilian career changes. This adjustment neither simple or well-mapped in today's world, because today's workplace can be an office building with cubicles, a conference room with collaborative team environments or a home office.

With so many different potential work environments, we think it's worth reviewing them every once in a while, and today we've decided to share a great artice that points out what type of work is best done at home and at the office.

Are you a creative person? Do you routinely develop new solutions to problems or work on developing new systems, for instance? If so, you should expect to work in an office, according to The New York Times. Are you a real workhorse? Do you thrive when you're able to sit down with a task, work though it diligently for hours at a time and product copious amounts of work? If so, you could expect to be able to work from home. Why, you may ask? The reason is because corporations have spent time and money evaluating their various work arraignments - work from home, flexible home or office, and office-only scenarios, and have found which types of work are best done is which environments.

Creativity seems to require an office, where collaborators are there to evaluate ideas and grow concepts or designs. Productivity seems to be found at home, where interruptions are fewer and the employee can work in greater comfort and autonomy. Of course few jobs are all creativity or all productivity, which means the vast majority require a bit of both. Which probably explains why a large portion of Americans report working some time at home and some time at the office each week.

So, what's a takeaway from the article? There are many, but here's an easy one: If you're going into an interview it's a good idea to compare the type of work the job requires work with the work-location options the employer makes available. And, now that you know where productivity and creativity are most likely to be found, don't make the mistake of asserting that you're a creative person who works best at home, they have probably just read an article that says the opposite!

Social Media and Your Career Search

Career Search America — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:56:41 +0000

It's time for another Career Search America wrap-up post! In these posts we compile together our "greatest hits" of career advice. In this post, we've compiled all of our social mdia and social networking career and job search advice. Enjoy!

Career Search Books - Check Out Books by Career Search America

Career Search America — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:00:11 +0000

Have you checked out our great selection of career search books lately? Here they are...

Don't Neglect These Powerful Career Advancement Opportunities

Career Search America — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:10:40 +0000

If you are committed to career advancement, you must be willing to take important steps to achieve your professional goals. One critical career development strategy, which many professionals neglect, is building relationships with executives. To reach higher levels of the organization, senior level managers need to know who you are and what you have to offer. If you do not take advantage of opportunities to pursue executive relationships, you are doing yourself and your career a disservice.

If you have not yet begun to build executive relationships, the process can feel intimidating. Common fears include: What will I say? Will I be bothering someone? How will my manager feel? These are perfectly natural, but do not let them stop you! In order to advance your career and achieve your professional goals, you will need to step outside your comfort zone.

Here are some opportunities you may want to consider:

1. Engage executives in meetings. In meetings these days, it is very typical to find professionals paying closer attention to their mobile devices than the presenter. If there are high-level executives in your meeting, this is a wasted opportunity.

Rather than monitor your email or text messages, find ways to engage in the discussion. Make eye contact and visibly express your interest. Contribute your insights, or ask thoughtful questions. If there is an opportunity at the end of the meeting, take a moment to introduce yourself.

Careers Searches Are About More than Unemployment Rates

Career Search America — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:00:29 +0000

It's easy to become caught up, during your career search, in trying to find a job in a sector with a low rate of unemployment. After all, isn't a sector with low unemployment a strong sector and a good place to look for a job? While this is true, the unemployment rate only tells part of the tale of a sector's strength and of your potential future earnings. Allow us to explain.

While you may spend less time looking for a job in a sector with low unemployment, you should also consider its future wage growth. After all, why spend time in a sector with wages and salaries that won't keep up with inflation? So, how should you go about finding more information on wage growth in the various sectors? Start with the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. They keep good, current, data on a number of wage-related topics. After that, you should check news articles in major financial publications, such as the WSJ.

Happy rising-wage career hunting!