unemployed and over fifty

Baby boomers and retirement

2012-06-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

It used to be that an early retirement was something that most people wished for and to a certain extent it still is, but of course things change. The economy is still in a rut after the past (current) recession and it is difficult to imagine when things will get better. This might prevent some folks from retiring especially if their 401K account took a hit a few years ago, although part of the market has recovered somewhat. A lot has also been written about how the first wave of baby boomers have been retiring and how that number will be increasing over the next decade, which means there will be a large segment of people looking to end their careers and enjoy retirement.

In fact the number of baby boomers retiring has also been helpful to the unemployment numbers that come out each month. Older workers have found that the job market hasn’t been particularly favorable to them so leaving the workforce entirely causes the unemployment rolls to go down. This also gives the false impression that more folks are going back to work which isn’t necessarily the case.

But giving up your search for work and retiring isn’t easy because it will mean a change in lifestyle, in some cases a drastic change. Instead of depending on a regular paycheck in retirement you have to get by on social security and a 401k plan that isn’t as much as you thought it would be at this stage of your life. This realization is making some folks rethink the idea of retiring right now and trying to put it off for a few more years if they can keep their jobs.

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Subsidized jobs

2012-05-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Trying to get people back to work has been a terrific challenge for not only those who are unemployed but also for the Federal, State and City governments. Unemployment pretty much affects everyone; even if you have a job a bad economy probably isn’t good for your company’s bottom line either. Creativity has been called into action when the usual tactics of getting folks working again isn’t effective. One seemingly effective idea might be the notion of subsidized jobs.

A non-profit company called Workplace (out of Connecticut) is willing to pay employers to hire folks that have been on the unemployment rolls for way too long and are about to lose their benefits. They try to make a good match between the skills of the unemployed workers and what the company needs. So far their money has come from companies, institutions and even individuals. AARP has also put up a good deal of money for long term unemployed older workers.

This seems like a terrific idea for more than one reason that being that someone would have a job. The company that is doing the hiring is given money to support that employee while they are training them so it isn’t a big risk for the company. Another plus for the company is that if the employee who is subsidized doesn’t work out in the training phase they don’t have to hire them, on the other hand most of those who go through the training are hired which is a win, win for everyone.

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Many are losing their unemployment benefits

2012-05-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

While the unemployment rate continues to go down and the numbers of jobs that are created slowly go up, the job outlook remains bleak at best. It is good news that there are some jobs being created and it is certainly better than just a few years ago when the country was losing hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. However the unemployment rate falling is due to the fact that some folks are dropping out of looking for work all together while other unfortunately are losing their unemployment benefits.

Why are the benefits being dropped now?

Unlike other recessions where after being laid off the chances were pretty good of finding a job before your unemployment running out, this time some folks have found that they can’t find anything even after a couple years of looking. The original benefits extension that the government put in place in 2008 was for 99 weeks for many states, well that runs out soon which means some 236,000 people will be without money coming in. This is really going to be a rather tough time for those folks.

And to make matters worse recent college graduates are finding it extremely difficult to find that first job out of school. According to CBS 50 percent of college graduates aren’t finding full time jobs which is disheartening.

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Job help for Veterans

2012-05-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

While the economy does seem to be improving slightly the unemployment pictures still isn’t very good. The unemployment rate is slowly going in a downward trend but this doesn’t bring much optimism to anyone because the lower rate might be an indication that lots of folks have given up looking for work. This affects older workers or well as recent graduates, but one group that may find it particularly difficult to find work is the returning veterans.

The federal government has been very active in trying to find employment for veterans who are looking for work after their time in the military. And that is certainly important considering what the vets have sacrificed for their country.

The Department of Labor has website that is a portal to quite a bit of information concerning returning veterans and their future employment. The site is Vets. This a great starting point if you are an employer looking to hire veterans or if you are a veteran.

America’s heroes at work is an employer toolkit site that goes step by step how to start a hiring initiative for veterans at a company. In the federal government workforce disabled veterans get a preference over folks for most federal jobs. The Vow to hire heroes’ act of 2011 gives tax preferences to employers hiring vets.

Tap program

The TAP program (Transition Assistance Program) helps veterans make the transition from the military to civilian life through job search assistance and other programs. It also helps the spouses of veterans as well.

Gold Card

The gold card initiative set up by the Department of Labor is a new service that also helps veterans with their job search.

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Flexible hours and finding a job

2012-05-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

The way the world and economy is today being flexible just makes sense. Technology changes constantly and that means new skills to accommodate are required. Training and education is a life time endeavor now whether you like it or not. Employment’s changes have also been constant which has ended the thought of working for one company doing the same thing all your life. While this used to be the norm it is difficult to think of anyone who stays with a company for ever, unfortunately the changes in employment are rarely voluntary. So what do you do? Being flexible can mean many things but one of the most advantageous ways is considering flexible hours.

Working a standard day shift where you arrive with everybody in the morning and cut out around 5 is a way of the past. Shifts have been created at many companies to provide coverage for customers and also to accommodate employees and that can be very important. Employers know that they can retain quality employees who may need a little help on their schedule. On the other hand if you are looking for work and the employers need someone to work different shifts, this may be a plus for them hiring you. If you don’t mind working an odd shift this might be for you. And remember that shifts can change in the future so don’t get wrapped in working odd hours.

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Take a bad job because you need a job

2012-04-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

When everyone loses a job or even leaves a job the idea in their heads is that the next job that the next job they will have will be just what they want. It wouldn’t be boring, the work day will fly by and you will leave work with a smile on your face because you made a difference somehow. And don’t forget the terrific benefits, the education plan and all that time off you will have. Does this scenario ever happen, sure but probably not very much?

Now this situation is more likely to occur if you are searching for a job while you are still working. That makes sense because it will take a long time to find your perfect job. On the other hand if you are unemployed and seeking out the prefect job you’ll find that time isn’t on your side. At first you might compromise on a few of the things that make the perfect job perfect and if that doesn’t help then you probably will abandon the idea of finding a perfect job all together.

If you have been unemployed in this economy for quite a while you probably have dropped all pretenses of finding a job that is just right for you. Now any job whether you have any trepidation about it or not is a possibility because you need a job right now.

Is this bad? Of course not, you would be working and you would also have the time to consider other jobs to your liking.

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Are construction jobs coming back?

2012-04-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

The real estate business has taken an unbelievable hit over the past 5 years. Prices and values of homes have plummeted to astonishing lows taking the general economy with it. The most damage unfortunately has been in the employment sector where the loss of construction jobs has led to the loss of jobs in general. As of late the economy appears to be strengthening but does this mean that construction jobs are coming back?

If you are looking for the kind of employment numbers that existed before the great recession especially in construction it will take years and years to ever reach that level. While the unemployment numbers right now are very low for the construction field in general there are signs that the bottom has been found and the numbers will slowly increase. On this website there is a graph that indicates just that the overall unemployment numbers for construction workers have been making small gains the past few years.

Another positive sign is the job outlook on the Bureau of Labor Statistics page on Selection Occupation Projections Data. If you do a search for construction type jobs from general laborers to construction management the next several years look very encouraging. Of course that doesn’t help much right now if you are looking for a job but it does show that times will be improving (hopefully soon!)

According to about.com there are some cities where construction will fare a little better than others. One of those cities is Washington D.C. which is understandable because of the large number of government employees in a vast number of different federal departments.

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Wasting time

2012-04-15T05:00:00.002-07:00

Does it feel like you are wasting your time looking for a job? You haven’t had any success in job hunting, since success is defined as finding a job. You have tried different methods of finding employment; you have even gotten interviews but still no job. A deep discouragement has come over you, even to the point of being depressed but you can’t stop looking. A sense of failure looms around you.

It may be little solace but there are lots of folks just like you who make the decision to stop looking. In the recent unemployment numbers there were “860,000 discouraged workers” according to the Bureau of labor statistics. That is a big number that shows how far the economy has fallen over the past several years.

So what do you do?

You have to look at the situation in front of you, it’s more than just looking for a job, and it’s also a fight against disappointment, discouragement and even depression. Motivation? You would think it would be easy to find motivation, you have bills to pay and food to buy, that’s motivation right there. But it has to be more than that, there has to be a certain drive within you that makes you continue to search for work. It is understandable that after a few years, your original drive has vanished due to not being able to find that elusive job.

Start over, wipe the slate clean and make this day your new beginning to find a job. Stop carrying the stress of the last few years; you don’t need that extra weight. Focus on what you want to accomplish and what you can do to make it happen. Don’t focus on the perceptions of failure and success because they will throw you off course.

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What makes you different than other job applicants?

2012-04-08T05:00:00.001-07:00

With millions of people looking for jobs while there isn’t millions of job openings the competition for employment is fierce. Whether the job is ideal because of the money and perks or perhaps the job that you are applying isn’t exactly what you want, there is always a lot of folks applying for it. Among all those who do seek the job someone for some reason will get the offer. Why that person and not you? It is all about being different in the eyes of hiring company that you wanted to work for.

Being different or rather being better or even showing more potential is the thing that makes job applicants employees. Of course being different doesn’t always work in way especially if you stand out for the wrong reason. It can be the same situation with resumes, something that is completely off the wall may be noticed but that may be the only thing that it does.

Job experience has always been a major advantage when looking for work but it isn’t the only thing. Education can also be a feather in your cap that would distinguish you from many others. But something that might propel you to the top of the list of prospects is what you are willing to give to the company. What do you have to offer? Being able to articulate what you bring to the table will certainly help your chances in any job interview.

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Bias against long term unemployed

2012-04-01T05:00:00.001-07:00

It just seems like some folks can’t get a break, they lose their job in the middle of the worst recession in years and still can’t find a job. Now to make matters worse there is a bias against folks who have been unemployed for a long time. It really doesn’t make sense and it certainly isn’t fair. But unfortunately bias against the long term unemployed has been happening.

What is the reasoning?

Some employers feel that even with a bad economy the longest time that you should be unemployed is about a half year or so. Of course if this were normal times and the unemployment rate was low that would almost be understandable but not in this economy. National Public Radio’s website had an article on someone who had been unemployed for 13 months and was about to get a job the potential employer changed his mind when he found out that she had unemployed more than 6 months.

Is this legal?

Sadly it seems it is, although more and more states are writing laws to prohibit employers from discriminating against the long term unemployed. This is a good start but how would they enforce it? Like anti-age discrimination a lot of companies would find ways to skirt around the law.

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Job search advice from other folks

2012-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Advice is something that we all seek out on occasion whether it is about finding a job or just about how to do certain things or maybe it is help on a personal matter. Who do we usually ask for advice? We look for someone who has either great judgment or wisdom or someone who has gone through a similar circumstance (or maybe both!). Most folks are happy to give advice and there seems to be a lot of people that will give it whether we ask for it or not. With the economy as bad as it has been over the past few years you probably will find plenty of job search advice.

While the internet is full of places that give advice to job seekers don’t just limit your search there. Ask people that you know about their experiences looking for work. Of course there will always be some that wouldn’t be very helpful but the vast majority will gladly tell you of their time looking for work. And don’t just listen it is also a good idea to ask questions you never know they may give you a lead on something that you haven’t ever heard about before.

Will all advice be helpful, of course not but there surely will be some that is useful.

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Filing an unemployment claim online by State

2012-03-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Filing an unemployment claim is a lot easier then it once was. All 50 states have websites where you can fill out a claim.

Here is a listing of where to find each state's website to file an unemployment claim.

Alabama https://dir.alabama.gov/uc/Claims

Alaska http://www.labor.state.ak.us/esd_unemployment_insurance/home.htm

Arizona https://egov.azdes.gov/cmsinternet/landing.aspx?id=4211

Arkansas  http://www.arkansas.gov/esd/UI/

California  http://www.edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/Filing_a_Claim.htm

Colorado  http://www.coworkforce.com/uib/onlineservices.asp

Conn. https://iic.ctdol.state.ct.us/welcome.aspx

Delaware  http://www.delawareworks.com/Unemployment/welcome.shtml

Florida  https://www2.myflorida.com/fluid/

Georgia http://www.dol.state.ga.us/js/unemployment_benefits_individuals.htm

Hawaii http://hawaii.gov/labor/ui/index.shtml

Idaho http://labor.idaho.gov/dnn/Default.aspx?TabId=681&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Illinois http://www.ides.state.il.us/individual/online_claim.asp

Indiana http://www.in.gov/dwd/2473.htm

Iowa http://www.iowaworkforce.org/ui/file1.htm

Kansas  https://www.uibenefits.dol.ks.gov/default.asp

Kentucky  https://uiclaims.des.ky.gov/ebenefit/

Louisiana https://laors.laworks.net/laclaims/website/

Maine  http://www.maine.gov/labor/unemployment/howtofile.html

Maryland http://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/unemployment.shtml

Mass. http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=elwdonlineservices&L=1&L0=Home&f=Home_more&sid=Elwd#top

Michigan http://www.michigan.gov/uia

Minnesota http://www.uimn.org/ui/UI-OnlineAppGuide.pdf

Mississippi http://www.mdes.ms.gov/wps/PA_1_0_CH/docs/AccessPages/jsp/applicantServices.jsp

Missouri https://www.ui.dolir.mo.gov/som/

Montana https://app.mt.gov/ui4u/index

Nebraska https://uibenefits.nwd.ne.gov/BPSWeb/jsp/BPSClaimantWelcome.jsp

Nevada http://nvdetr.org/uiben/uiben_uiben.htm#Internet_Claims

New Hampshire https://nhuis.nh.gov/claimant/

New Jersey http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/ui/ui_index.html

New Mexico http://www.unemploymentoffice.net/State_resources/New%20Mexico.htm

New York https://ui.labor.state.ny.us/UBC/home.do

North Carolina https://www.ncesc1.com/individual/webInitialClaims/applyBegin.asp

North Dakota http://www.jobsnd.com/jsnd/jobsnd/insurance/workers_apply.html

Ohio http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouc/ClaimInformationPage.stm

Oklahoma https://unemployment.state.ok.us/

Oregon https://ssl8.emp.state.or.us/ocs4/index.cfm?u=F20091120A085353B29346038.888&lang=E

Pennsylvania http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=355&q=235210

Rhode Island http://www.dlt.ri.gov/ui/

South Carolina https://secure.sces.org/PDIC/GatewayServlet?hptAppId=ICFJREG&hptExec=Y

South Dakota http://dol.sd.gov/ui/uibenefitsfilingclaim.aspx

Tennessee http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/unemployment2.html

Texas http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/uiclaim.html

Utah http://jobs.utah.gov/ui/Jobseeker.asp

Vermont http://www.labor.vermont.gov/Unemployed/tabid/109/Default.aspx

Virginia http://www.vec.virginia.gov/vecportal/seeker/jslogin.cfm

Washington https://fortress.wa.gov/esd/uia/icintro/intropage.aspx?lang=en-us

West Virginia https://www.wvuc.org/WVWeb/Welcome.aspx

Wisconsin https://ucclaim-wi.org/InternetInitialClaims/InfoBasicRequirements.asp

Wyoming http://doe.wyo.gov/workers/unemployment/Pages/MethodsofFilingNewAdditionalandReopenedClaims.aspx

Stay healthy while job hunting

2012-03-18T05:00:00.001-07:00

Losing a job can be a real life changer not only financially but also mentally and physically. After a job loss you have to be careful with your money because you really don’t know how long it will be before you get another job. Hopefully you have put some money aside for this very rainy day, although that might not be enough after a particularly long job search. This can be a strain on your emotions as well as your finances. The mountain of worries that fall on you might also take a hit on your physical health as well. The key is to stay healthy while job hunting.

This sounds easy, since you aren’t working you have a lot more time on your hands so scheduling a daily exercise routine should be easy, right? Unfortunately that isn’t always the case, if you are putting everything you have into finding a new job, your time and energy is probably limited.

But you have to stay healthy

One of the best ways to fight stress is through regular exercise; it doesn’t have to be hours and hours at the gym either. Start out slow, maybe do a little walking and gradually build it up. After a while you should throw in a little strength training as well to achieve a full body workout. Of course eating the right foods goes hand in hand with exercising.

The one thing to remember is that job hunting search will benefit greatly from staying healthy.

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Do you have employment skills?

2012-03-11T05:00:00.002-07:00

Some jobs require specific skills that usually come from years of education and experience. If you were an engineer you would have to have many years of education plus years of experience to reach a high level experience. And that is certainly the case with folks in the medical field from Doctors to technicians your skills must be perfected. But what if you don’t have specific skills that could open the doors to another job?

First of all you probably have more skills that you think. Sometimes these are referred to as soft skills. Probably the number one soft skill that most employers look for is communication. No one wants a worker who can’t communicate with customers and other employees. And this isn’t just about relaying information to other folks it is also being able to work with them and be a team player. If you are an older worker and have a lot of work experience then communication might be a real selling point for you.

Another soft skill that is just as valuable is being reliable and hard working. You may not think that it is something you can develop but it is. Once again older workers have shown to develop this type of skills over the years. Any company would love to have a hard working employee who is able to communication and get along with other employees.

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Discouragement among mature workers

2012-03-04T05:00:00.003-08:00

Although the rate of unemployment among mature workers is lower than younger populations, older workers who do become unemployed spend more time searching for work. (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Older workers also are unemployed for a longer time—11 months on average in July 2010 compared to 8 months for younger workers.

The economy is supposedly getting better at least for some folks, there still are a lot of people who are looking for work. Long term unemployment can really get you down whether you are young or old but discouraged mature workers have it extremely tough. That’s not to say that it is a bed of roses for younger folks because it is certainly a bad time to start a career or look for one, but when you are nearing retirement and facing the possibility that you may not work for quite a while it can be rather nerve wracking.

According to the national council on aging “Although the rate of unemployment among mature workers is lower than younger populations, older workers who do become unemployed spend more time searching for work. (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Older workers also are unemployed for a longer time—11 months on average in July 2010 compared to 8 months for younger workers.”

There are some other valid points when discussing mature or older workers.

Discouraged older workers represent 20 percent of older people who are not in the workforce.
Discouraged older workers believe that no one will hire them because of their age.
Lack of skill also holds back a large percentage of older workers

Luckily the national council on aging has program that helps older workers called Senior community service program. You might want to check them out and also take a look at the National Council on Aging site as well.

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Assisted living jobs

2012-02-26T05:00:00.002-08:00

One of the criteria that some folks like to consider when looking for a job is doing something that is helping others. There is a personal fulfillment that you receive when making someone else’s life better by assisting them in daily chores that most people take for granted. While assisted living jobs aren’t the highest paying work that you can find it would definitely worthwhile to folks that need help. This can be a particularly rewarding job if you are looking for a second career and are healthy enough to assist others.

What jobs make up assisted living jobs?

Nurse
Different types of therapists
Food service workers
Administrative workers
Various aides to other staff workers

As you can imagine there is a certain amount of education involved in this kind of work. If you want to become a nurse or therapist then the education is much longer but the salary is also higher.

No matter where you work in an assisted living facility there are personal traits that you should possess, like enjoying helping and being around the elderly. Patience is also something that you will need because it wouldn’t always be easy dealing with the residents who are sometimes very sick.

Considering that the overall population is getting older there should be a high demand for this type of work in the future.

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Best cities to find work

2012-02-19T05:00:00.001-08:00

One definite advantage to finding a job is living in a city or state that has a low unemployment and plenty of jobs. If you find yourself in this category then you are indeed fortunate. However that isn’t the case for most people especially in this economy. It’s easy to say that the solution to this problem is to move where there are more opportunities. If you are young and with little obligations then you should be packing your bags and moving as soon as you can, but if you have a family and connections to a community it can be another matter entirely. Your spouse may have a job they don’t want to leave and your children don’t want to be uprooted and taken away from their friends and schools. It’s a tough decision that some folks do make.

So where are the cities and states with the jobs?

If you have a bit of pioneer spirit and you can rough it out for a while then the oil fields of North Dakota might be for you. In a previous post I wrote about the vast number of jobs available not only in the oil fields but also in the businesses surrounding it. Of course the downside to this type of “modern gold rush” is that the town isn’t really ready for an influx of people moving in which translates to lack of housing and services.

Forbes magazine recently came out with a list of best cities to find jobs. I was surprised that the top city was San Jose, California and Washington D.C. came in second. You would think that any place in California would be ranked high due to their financial problems and Washington seems out of place also because of the cut back in government employees. Forbes uses a ranking system of the number of posts per thousand people to rank the cities.

Usnews.com has also come out with a list of cities with low unemployment, unlike Forbes their list is comprised of smaller cities. The cities were ranked not only by low unemployment but also how much the unemployment has dropped in the past year or so.

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Finding your career and potential employers

2012-02-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Before you begin any job search you have answer a few questions, such as what kind of career do I want and what companies offer those kinds of jobs. For some folks that isn’t much of a challenge because they know exactly what they want to do and they probably have a good idea what potential employers to target for those jobs. But a lot of people are unsure about their career paths even if they have been in the work force for a while.

Researching career paths

In order to find out what type of career or second career you want you have to do some researching. One of the best places to start is on the Federal Government‘s website Occupational Handbook which gives a vast amount of information on all types of occupations. They describe the type of training and education needed, the average salaries, what the job entails and the general outlook of employment chances now and in the future. The website is very user friendly and the information is updated every year.

Targeting potential employers

As you probably already know the internet has taken over as the best place to look for jobs. There are numerous private jobs sites as well as state and federal sites that have current job listings. Since there is a great amount of information to go through, make sure that you do specific searches on your particular type of job.

Here are some related posts on job research

Research and job hunting

Job hunting in the internet age

Precise job hunting

Finding jobs through the stock market

Finding employers to target

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Are there more opportunities on the night shift?

2012-02-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Working late and overnight shifts can be difficult for some folks to get used to. We all have an inner clock that tells us when to go to sleep and when to wake up; if you mess with that there could be trouble. But there are some people who have no problems with sleeping during the day and working at night, in fact there are a lot of folks that do. If you are unemployed you might want to check out any opportunities working the night shift.

What are the advantages of working the night shift?

Usually companies have to offer an added incentive to working the night shift or the late afternoon shift and that is with a shift differential (money added to hourly wage). If you can stand the hours it can be a real bump to your paycheck. Another good reason for working at night is the lack of meetings and management that you would have to deal with during the day. You still have to work but without the distractions that occur during the regular hours.

Now if you are someone that doesn’t need a lot of sleep you can also get things done during the day such as running errands and outside work.

The Department of labor has a good website on all things pertaining to night work, check it out.

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Too old for certain jobs

2012-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you were in your late 30s and you played football in the NFL you would definitely be considered old and on the cusp of retiring and that is certainly true of a lot of professional sports. However the vast majority of folks work in fields where age shouldn’t be a problem especially if it is in an office setting. So why are there people who are considered too old for certain jobs?

One of the most interesting fields where age is a factor is the technology and information field. For whatever reason companies love to hire young people for programming and IT jobs. I guess they feel that there are the only people who can keep with the all the changes taking place. It seems that kind of thinking would definitely waste a lot of potential talent that comes from older folks who have had to put up with tech. changes for many years.

Hopefully with the population getting older and the increased awareness of the value of older workers this idea of being too old for certain jobs will fade away. Unfortunately there are still people who believe that age should be factor when considering hiring someone or just keeping someone on the job. While there are age discrimination laws on the books some employers will find ways to circumvent them. If you are in that predicament you may want to think about seeking legal advice.

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Best jobs in 2012

2012-01-22T05:25:00.001-08:00

This time of the year you will probably find quite a few articles on the best jobs of the year. Despite the bad economy 2012 will be no different although many of the jobs will sound familiar such as health care and technology. Besides best jobs there are also the stressful jobs and the top jobs for women. They are definitely worth checking out.

From AOL: Best bets for jobs in 2012. The list starts out with biomedical engineering that should reach job growth rates of over 72 percent between 2008 and 2012. Engineering is always a good bet for job growth. Two of the top ten are in technology while the other positions are filled with retail, customer service and three entries with the health care industry. Retail comes in at number 10.
Forbes has a list of the most stressful jobs in 2012. Not surprisingly the top spot enlisted military soldier followed by firefighter and airline pilot. The rest of the list is Military general, police officer, event coordinator, public relations executive, C EO, photojournalist and taxi driver. I thought that a taxi driver would have been a little higher up on the list.
Monster.com has a best job list for 2012 as well. The first listed is an actuary, who helps determine insurance rates. It pays very well at 137,000 although I can imagine that it would probably take a while to get to that level. A security consultant Is next on the list followed by a physician’s assistant. It seems that you see more and more physician’s assistants in doctor’s offices which is probably why it is on the list. The last three are marketing consultant, biomedical engineer, and financial planner. (there was only six on the list)
Forbes also has a list for the top jobs of 2012 for women. The top position goes to secondary education which should have a 15% growth rate in the coming years. Anthropologist is the second on the list which is surprising because I ever remember it ever being on any top job list that I have seen. But I imagine that it would be very rewarding but the number of openings wouldn’t be that great. The rest of the list also has some interesting choices as well such as oceanographer, clergy and geoscientists.
CareerBuilder.com also has a list that is pretty much the same as the one from AOL

Older workers competing for jobs

2012-01-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

No one has to tell you that the competition for available jobs is fierce. Employers that are hiring find that they have plenty of folks vying to work for them. Just having the experience and the education wouldn’t really guarantee anything unless you are in a field that seems to always have job openings like the health industry or some technology fields. And if you are older and competing for jobs than you might think that your experience will win out over younger job seekers, of course that isn’t always the case.

What advantages does the older worker have?

Experience is probably the biggest advantage that older workers have and that isn’t just pertaining to work it also includes life experience that is gained by being in the workforce for so many years. they are seen a lot over the years and that makes them a valuable asset to any company.

Reliability is another feather in the hat of older workers. They see the whole picture and understand how important it is to be considered as someone who can be relied on. They know and appreciate that work is important.

A common misconception is that older workers are too set in their ways to learn anything new. That’s nonsense just because they have become a little older that doesn’t mean that they can’t learn anymore. There are lots of older folks that are going back to school today.

Just remember that you have a lot to offer any employer no matter what age you are.

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Fresh start to your job search

2012-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Another year ends and hopefully the one that just ended was a great one. You accomplished what you wanted and you were satisfied. You found that job that you wanted too. That doesn’t sound like last year does it? Well the New Year is upon us and as always the first thing that you need to do is stay positive because you have to believe that 2012 is your year of accomplishments! This is the year that you will find that job that you are looking for.

Forget 2011?

Well you don’t want to completely forget last year you need to remember enough to learn from it. You might have found some things that didn’t work very well and other things that were beneficial during the year. The key is not to dwell on the bad things or mistakes that occurred.

Start 2012 with a plan

You probably already have a job search plan but now is the time to reevaluate it. Are you spending too much time in one area and not enough in another? Maybe this year you can concentrate a little more networking and leaving your comfort zone. Or even a little creativity in your resume might also help.

You should also reexamine what type of work that you want to do. Are you heading in the right direction or is it time to change your course?

The New Year is a wonderful time to restart your job search with vigor and optimism.

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Worker shortages

2012-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to believe that there some companies that have a hard time filling positions in this economy. Unemployment has been high for several years and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon so you wouldn’t think that finding workers would be that much of a problem. And the problem isn’t just in the United States it’s all over the world. Every year Manpower conducts a global survey to determine the degree of talent shortage. This year was quite surprising.

Why are there worker shortages?

It basically comes down to skills and experience for the right employment fields. Unfortunately the folks who are unemployed usually don’t have the right skills or experience to fill the vacant jobs of some employers. Certainly education and training can help but getting experience, as most folks know, is tricky since most employers wouldn’t hire someone that doesn’t have any experience, they want someone to fit in immediately into a job position. It is an old dilemma for job seekers.

What jobs need workers?

According to manpower the number one employment shortage is finding technicians which has lead the list for the past four years, followed by sales representative and skilled workers. South and North America are the leading regions of needed employees.

How to fix all this?

If there was an easy fix to this problem it would have be done years ago. Everyone knows that some jobs are difficult to fill and they probably also know that education and training would greatly reduce the talent shortage. The problem of lack of experience is probably the biggest problem and the hardest to deal with especially if companies don’t hire people right out of school.

Hopefully in the near future education will be directed to fill employment gaps and employers will give inexperienced workers a shot.

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North Dakota Boom Town

2011-12-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

Are you adventurous and wanting to take a chance for a high paying job, then you need to head toward North Dakota! Like the gold rush days of California, job seekers are moving north to hopefully find employment and a big paycheck. And like the gold rush days, there will be challenges to overcome before you discover the mother lode of big money.

Not everyone can just up and move to find a job. If you have a family with ties to a community through schools or relatives then it might be terribly difficult to sever that connection. But if you are young and without obligations then moving might be for you, of course if you are older without obligations it would work for you as well.

In the western part of North Dakota oil, two billion gallons in reserve, creates thousands of jobs not only in the oil fields but in the non-oil producing economy. While large numbers of folks have raced to North Dakota to find work they also have found that it is very hard to find a place to live because they small town there are equipped for the number of folks moving in. While there is a housing shortage there is also the problem of overcrowding which leads to a strain on public utilities and traffic jams.

How long will the good times last in North Dakota? No one really knows for sure but it should be around for quite a while but the jobs will probably be filled up a lot faster.

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