From Austin Business Journal, April 8, 2009...
Confidence in the U.S. job market remains weak among employers, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resources Management.
SHRM’s Labor Market outlook report for the second quarter of 2009 found that 70 percent of employers are concerned to some extent about the job market, down just 3 percent from the previous quarter.
Of the concerned respondents, 49 percent are somewhat pessimistic about job growth and increased job losses, and 21 percent are very pessimistic.
Read more...
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Dallas Fed: 10% unemployment possible
From Austin Business Journal, April 8, 2009...
U.S. unemployment could surpass 10 percent by year’s end, Richard W. Fisher, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said Wednesday before the Japan Center for Economic Research in Tokyo, Japan.
Fisher said there are 13.2 million people without jobs, and the nation is grappling with an 8.5 percent unemployment rate.
While the housing market has compounded the problem, he attributes declines in employment to a crisis in confidence that is driving business leaders to cut heavily.
Read more...
U.S. unemployment could surpass 10 percent by year’s end, Richard W. Fisher, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said Wednesday before the Japan Center for Economic Research in Tokyo, Japan.
Fisher said there are 13.2 million people without jobs, and the nation is grappling with an 8.5 percent unemployment rate.
While the housing market has compounded the problem, he attributes declines in employment to a crisis in confidence that is driving business leaders to cut heavily.
Read more...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Twitter To Find A Job
From Forbes, April 7, 2009...
If you're among the millions of people looking for work, there's one more social networking site you may have to join: Twitter.
If the thought of signing on to yet another online network makes you shudder, consider Kyle Flahety's story. He left his marketing position in Boston last spring determined to find an in-house public relations job. He tweeted (Twitter lingo for posting a message) about his decision and included a link to his professional blog, where he described the kind of work he was looking for. Within days his tweet was retweeted. That is, an acquaintance forwarded it--to his current boss.
"I don't think I would have gotten this if not for Twitter," says Flahety, who moved from Boston to Austin, Texas, for the new job last year with his then-pregnant wife and 2-year-old son.
Read more...
If you're among the millions of people looking for work, there's one more social networking site you may have to join: Twitter.
If the thought of signing on to yet another online network makes you shudder, consider Kyle Flahety's story. He left his marketing position in Boston last spring determined to find an in-house public relations job. He tweeted (Twitter lingo for posting a message) about his decision and included a link to his professional blog, where he described the kind of work he was looking for. Within days his tweet was retweeted. That is, an acquaintance forwarded it--to his current boss.
"I don't think I would have gotten this if not for Twitter," says Flahety, who moved from Boston to Austin, Texas, for the new job last year with his then-pregnant wife and 2-year-old son.
Read more...
Metropolitan area saw 1,300 new jobs in February
From Impact News, April 7, 2009...
Out of the largest 50 metropolitan areas in the United States, only Austin saw overall job growth in February, according to a Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce news release.
Austin gained 1,300 non-farm payroll jobs in February, representing a nominal gain of 0.2 percent. The second best job market was San Antonio, which saw a job loss of 0.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In all, five of the top 10 job markets on the list were in Texas.
Read more...
Out of the largest 50 metropolitan areas in the United States, only Austin saw overall job growth in February, according to a Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce news release.
Austin gained 1,300 non-farm payroll jobs in February, representing a nominal gain of 0.2 percent. The second best job market was San Antonio, which saw a job loss of 0.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In all, five of the top 10 job markets on the list were in Texas.
Read more...
April Business Seminar to highlight IT opportunities
From Impact News, April 7, 2009...
The City of Austin’s Small & Minority Business Resources Department invites minority and women small business owners in the information technology industry to take part in the April business seminar. The seminar is designed to educate IT business owners on working with local public and private sector organizations. SMBR’s Business Seminar: “Information Technology Opportunities” will be 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 15, at One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road, Room 325.
Representatives from the City of Austin Communications and Technology Management Department and Austin Energy will navigate business owners through the procurement process and highlight upcoming opportunities. Other panelists include Texas Department of Information Resources and IBM who will also educate business owners on their purchasing processes and point out technology opportunities.
“This month’s business seminar will focus on informing IT-based businesses about technology needs around the city and areas of opportunity for minority- and women-owned business participation,” said Stephen Elkins, SMBR director. “Workshop attendees will also meet the new communications and technology director, Gail Roper.”
Read more...
The City of Austin’s Small & Minority Business Resources Department invites minority and women small business owners in the information technology industry to take part in the April business seminar. The seminar is designed to educate IT business owners on working with local public and private sector organizations. SMBR’s Business Seminar: “Information Technology Opportunities” will be 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 15, at One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road, Room 325.
Representatives from the City of Austin Communications and Technology Management Department and Austin Energy will navigate business owners through the procurement process and highlight upcoming opportunities. Other panelists include Texas Department of Information Resources and IBM who will also educate business owners on their purchasing processes and point out technology opportunities.
“This month’s business seminar will focus on informing IT-based businesses about technology needs around the city and areas of opportunity for minority- and women-owned business participation,” said Stephen Elkins, SMBR director. “Workshop attendees will also meet the new communications and technology director, Gail Roper.”
Read more...
Technology job losses mount in 2009
From Austin Business Journal, April 6, 2009...
In 2009, technology companies have been cutting jobs at a rate not seen since the fallout from the dot.com bubble.
Companies in the technology sector announced planned job cuts totaling 84,217 in the 2009 first quarter, according to the report released Monday by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. That’s up 27 percent from 66,312 in the previous quarter, and the largest quarterly job-cut tally for the sector since the fourth quarter of 2002, when 133,511 layoffs were announced.
First-quarter tech sector job cuts were nearly five times higher than the 17,345 cuts announced during the same period a year ago. Job cuts in the sector, which includes telecommunications, computer and electronics firms, have increased in each of the past five quarters, growing by an average of 42 percent every three months.
Read more...
In 2009, technology companies have been cutting jobs at a rate not seen since the fallout from the dot.com bubble.
Companies in the technology sector announced planned job cuts totaling 84,217 in the 2009 first quarter, according to the report released Monday by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. That’s up 27 percent from 66,312 in the previous quarter, and the largest quarterly job-cut tally for the sector since the fourth quarter of 2002, when 133,511 layoffs were announced.
First-quarter tech sector job cuts were nearly five times higher than the 17,345 cuts announced during the same period a year ago. Job cuts in the sector, which includes telecommunications, computer and electronics firms, have increased in each of the past five quarters, growing by an average of 42 percent every three months.
Read more...
Yes, There's Still a Talent War
From BusinessWeek, April 3, 2009...
Maybe it's unseemly to speak of talent shortages when so many people are job-hunting. Maybe it's inconsiderate to talk about how desperate employers are for skills when every other news story highlights gargantuan unemployment numbers. And yet, it's true: Employers are bemoaning the shortage of qualified applicants. For job seekers, that's good news.
A common misconception is that every hiring manager and résumé-screener is deluged with résumés from highly qualified candidates vying for jobs far below their level of expertise. Yes, there are numerous candidates for almost every job, but the qualification gap remains.
What are employers looking for? Smarts, top-notch English skills, intellectual curiosity; these are highly sought-after attributes, along with the ability to work easily with people and experience solving thorny business problems. Now more than ever, employers need the sorts of employees who can wade confidently into a messy business situation (a bollixed-up database integration, a disintegrating tech-support function, or a six-months-delayed product launch) and clean it up.
Read more...
Maybe it's unseemly to speak of talent shortages when so many people are job-hunting. Maybe it's inconsiderate to talk about how desperate employers are for skills when every other news story highlights gargantuan unemployment numbers. And yet, it's true: Employers are bemoaning the shortage of qualified applicants. For job seekers, that's good news.
A common misconception is that every hiring manager and résumé-screener is deluged with résumés from highly qualified candidates vying for jobs far below their level of expertise. Yes, there are numerous candidates for almost every job, but the qualification gap remains.
What are employers looking for? Smarts, top-notch English skills, intellectual curiosity; these are highly sought-after attributes, along with the ability to work easily with people and experience solving thorny business problems. Now more than ever, employers need the sorts of employees who can wade confidently into a messy business situation (a bollixed-up database integration, a disintegrating tech-support function, or a six-months-delayed product launch) and clean it up.
Read more...
Will your references sabotage your job hunt?
From Fortune, April 7, 2009...
Don't take your recommendations for granted. If the people you list are anything but easy to reach, and highly enthusiastic, you could lose out on an offer.
Read more...
Don't take your recommendations for granted. If the people you list are anything but easy to reach, and highly enthusiastic, you could lose out on an offer.
Read more...
Using instinct to make business, career decisions
From Computerworld, April 7, 2009...
When CIOs discuss the worst candidates they've ever hired for jobs, as they often do in CIO.com's Hiring Manager Interviews series, their hiring mistakes almost always come down to this: I didn't trust my gut. The CIO knows deep down that the candidate isn't right for the position or the IT organization, ignores his instincts and hires the individual anyway. The hire ends up being a waste of time and money, confirming the CIO's instinct on some level that it wouldn't work out.
It is through this school of hard knocks that managers learn to trust their guts when it comes to hiring and other business and career decisions.
For more stories on decision-making, see:
Read more...
When CIOs discuss the worst candidates they've ever hired for jobs, as they often do in CIO.com's Hiring Manager Interviews series, their hiring mistakes almost always come down to this: I didn't trust my gut. The CIO knows deep down that the candidate isn't right for the position or the IT organization, ignores his instincts and hires the individual anyway. The hire ends up being a waste of time and money, confirming the CIO's instinct on some level that it wouldn't work out.
It is through this school of hard knocks that managers learn to trust their guts when it comes to hiring and other business and career decisions.
For more stories on decision-making, see:
Read more...
Managing Your References
From DICE, April 7, 2009...
The care and feeding of references has taken on greater importance in today’s market. As reported in the The Wall Street Journal, you’ll enhance your chances of getting a job if you go the extra mile when you’re preparing them:
Most job hunters grasp that basic maxim (”Seek references from someone besides the boss who fired you”), yet many still fail to make the most of their references. As unemployment soars and hiring shrivels, you must carefully cultivate your endorsers. Businesses looking to hire are pickier than ever
Read more...
The care and feeding of references has taken on greater importance in today’s market. As reported in the The Wall Street Journal, you’ll enhance your chances of getting a job if you go the extra mile when you’re preparing them:
Most job hunters grasp that basic maxim (”Seek references from someone besides the boss who fired you”), yet many still fail to make the most of their references. As unemployment soars and hiring shrivels, you must carefully cultivate your endorsers. Businesses looking to hire are pickier than ever
Read more...
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