The NYEmployment Guide, in partnership with Madison Square Garden and the NY Liberty Women's Basketball team are hosting a Career Fair, September 1, 2009 from 2pm to 6pm. The first 500 job seekers to register will receive a FREE ticket to Tuesday nights New York Liberty Women's Basketball game!!


Career Fair Sponsored by:

1. Time Warner Cable

2. Brooklyn Job Corp.

3. Intergen Healthcare

Below are our employers in attendance:

1. Franklin First Financial

2. United States Marines

3. Ace Computers

4. Greater New York Home Care

5. Saint Joseph's College

6. New York Life Lake Success

7. Extra Care Homecare/Surfside Manor

8. MTA

9. Sanford Brown

10. DeVry University

11. Health First

12. AFLAC

13. Transcare

14. Health Plus

15. Americare

16. Quality Healthcare

17. Graham-Windham

18. Cablevision

19. Macy’s

20. Edison Home Health Care

21. New Age Training

22. ASA Institute of Business

23. Rite Aid

24. Sears

25. Accent Care

26. United States Navy

27. 1199 Employment Center

28. Staples

29. Ivy Real Estate Education

30. Evelyn Doughlin Center

31. Primerica

32. Upsize Today Magazine

33. New York Medical Career Training Center

34. US ARMY

35. AARP

 

A few things to remember before you go:
•    Dress Professionally. First impressions go a long way!
•    Bring 15-25 resumes. We have many businesses there waiting to meet you.
•    Plan to spend 45 minutes to 1 hour at the event.
•    Prepare a brief but effective "brag" to let the people you meet get to know you.
•    Keep an open mind. Meet with as many companies as you can.
•    And most important....bring a friend! All job seekers are welcome!
We hope you come and meet with all our visiting companies. And don't forget to check back here next week after the job fair. We will have video interviews and pictures from the day.

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

Remember when you found out you had an interview for that great job position? You were excited at first, told everyone you knew. You were elated! Then it all sunk in. All the questions run through your head. How do I handle this interview? Can I do this job? What do I say? The interviewer will have questions too. "So tell me a bit about yourself." They want to get to know you. They want to know if you can do the tasks required. But the question here is "Do you know you?"

Preparing "to know" yourself for a job you are considering or the next interview is a great asset to every interview. "Is this the job position that I really want?", "What is my salary requirement?" are some of the main questions you should be asking yourself. Take an inventory. Find some paper and write some down questions.
• "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
• "Can you advance to this position in this company?"
• "What asset can you bring to their company?"
• "What responsibility did you like the most in your last position?"
• "Why did you like this responsibility?"
• "Why should they hire you?"

Continue writing down other questions that may be helpful. Once you've answered these questions, compare the results with the jobs you are considering. Answering these questions and seeing them in black and white you are now one step ahead of the game.

The more you know about yourself the better your job search and or interview will be. And now when you're getting dressed for that interview or your sitting down to do a job search you have your best assets in hand and are ready to find that job that's just right for you.

Having a positive outlook and impact on those around you can help you more than you'd think. No one likes to hear someone be negative or complain all the time. If you think about it you're probably more likely to help out someone who helps you. So if you can set yourself up to have a good positive impact on those around you, not only will it will help support a good strong professional and personal network, but also probably make you a better person in general. Some of these below are excellent things to keep in mind when interviewing as well. So Fast Company's Blog had a good list of 14 tips for creating a positive impact on those around you Assume every person you meet is important, and treat him or her as such.
1.Shake hands strongly and firmly and, even better, say something positive while doing so.
2.Keep an open body posture, with your hands away from your face while speaking.
3.Stand up straight and tall, but not rigidly.
4.When speaking to a group, speak conversationally. Do not read from a script.
5.Take the time to remember people's names, and use them in conversation.
6.Look at the color of people's eyes. They will notice the extra attention you're giving them.
7.Sincerely compliment people freely.
8.Notice and acknowledge other people's strengths and accomplishments.
9.Use pauses while you speak to create emphasis.
10.Take care of your outside appearance; look your best.
11.Smile, ideally a little bit longer than the person you're looking at.
12.Hear the emotions in people's words, and respond to them.
13.Use positive body language. Maintain eye contact; briefly touch people on their upper arm, and moving around while you speak.
14.Be genuinely interested in those around you. Ask them their opinions, inquire about their life and interests, listen and don't interrupt.

Having been directly involved with the recruitment industry in Pittsburgh for the past dozen years or so, speaking with literally thousands of human resource professionals, business owners and department heads across the region, we are seeing this year shaping up to be the most unusual in trending that we have encountered.

After having maintained a relatively healthy level of recruitment activity through most of 2008 (until 4th quarter) we, along with the rest of the country, plummeted in ad count during first quarter of 2009. Beginning just after our job fair at Mellon Arena in late March, however, the precipitous drop in activity leveled out in April giving hope that May and June might see a reversal and show some improvement.

Seasonally, spring and fall are the biggest hiring periods (and thus, highest ad counts) of the year. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) recruitment activity remained flat through April. May came and went and then June and July. Mid summer and mid winter have always trended as the weakest recruitment periods in the past but recruitment activity this summer did not rise or fall to any significant amount. August is now about over and levels still remain flat from July. Hiring managers appear to be holding their collective breaths waiting to see what the near term economy will bring.

As has been widely publicized over the past year, healthcare and education related fields show the greatest strengths in terms of activity in the Pittsburgh region. Other areas that have shown some strength are food prep/hospitality, social services, protective services and technician/maintenance (including automotive technicians).

Nationally the job market is projected to remain in decline through at least mid 2010. While Pittsburgh has enjoyed one of the strongest job markets in the country through the past year and a half, the best we can hope for going into September is that we are “less worse” than August. If seasonal hiring trends once again begin to approach typical form, we could see a fall hiring season that shows some job growth in our region. That is a big “if”.

Check out this week's great career opportunities:
All State Career
Maryland Department of Public Safety
FutureCare
North American Trade Schools
Baltimore School of Massage
American Beauty Academy
La Quinta Inn

With so many people out of work, all vying for the same available jobs in Orlando, there is going to be plenty of people with the same credentials, same qualifications, similar experience and a similar approach to applying for those jobs.

Your resume is still the number one door opener and if your Microsoft Word, standard templated resume is repeating terms and keywords that may have buzzed you in the door a few years ago, today you are mistaken.

Liz Ryan from the San Francisco Chronicle shares this same sentiment when she wrote her column over the weekend. In her article she shares "10 Boilerplate Phrases that Kill Resumes." Liz goes on to say

One of the biggest changes is the shift in what constitutes a strong resume. Years ago, we could dig into the Resume Boilerplate grabbag and pull out a phrase to fill out a sentence or bullet point on our resume. Everybody used the same boilerplate phrases, so we knew we couldn't go wrong choosing one of them - or many - to throw into your resume.

It seems like every night that the new has multiple stories on the recession or the economy. The news could either good or bad, which can very conflicting on how things really are. I know that what they say may or mat not be 100% correct all the time, but don't let it get to you. Here are some great recession tips from Spherion Blog.

1. Take in the news, but do not hang you hat on any one story. Bottom line - it's been bad, but there are positive signs that it's getting better.
2. Keep your nose to the grindstone. Don't worry about what could happen, focus on what is happening right now and do your part to stay productive at work.
3. Go a head, have a coffee break. Stressing yourself out and staying stuck to the cubicle is going to make you less productive. Take a break by going on a walk or getting a cup of coffee.
4. Avoid the office hen house. You know, the colleagues who spend a good part of lunch or break time hashing out the rumor mill about layoffs and office closings.
5. Stay positive. Easier said than done, but having a positive attitude is sometimes all it takes to have good things come your way.

With most kids either starting school or heading back there, here is a great article that will help some of those students that are on the fence what they should major in if they want it to make it worth their while. I know that these may not be for everyone but it seems like being an engineer is the way to go!

Here is another great article about how mature workers are often left behind when they need some flexibility at work or job training. They are often over looked when recruiting younger employees. Employees that are 50 and older usually prepare to work until they are into their 70' and 80's, so they need job flexibility and traing just as much if not more. So every year the AARP produces a list of the top 50 employers for workers 50 and older. Here is the most recent list. 2009's will be announced in September and as always Wiser Worker can help those mature workers find what they are looking for!

So Portland, give us some feed back and let us know what you are thinking!

Oh, how employers are making looking for a new job or career so easy for us!!!

Everywhere you look you see advertisements for job fairs telling you to show up at a specific location and at a specific time and date. Oh and do not forget to make sure that you are dress in your best and bring lots of resumes!!

Sure if you have time to take off work to drive to where they tell you to be on that specific time and date you will definitely be there, BUT what if you don’t have the time to appear in person at the specific location and specific time and date? What are your options?

VIRTUAL JOB FAIRS – The latest and greatest way to find your next job or career!

The virtual job fairs (VJFs) are great since the majority of us have jobs currently and don’t have the time to appear in person. These VJFs are great because you can sit back at home (or at your desk at work) and search for jobs that fit your criteria! You can do research on companies that you are interested in before actually apply to them or even just look to see what positions companies are hiring for. How great is that…. I can sit in front of my computer and I can find jobs that apply to me instead of having to drive across town to only find a couple of companies that might be a potential fit for me!

Here are a couple of virtual job fairs that will be going on in the near future:
Harrisburg - September 2nd-16th
Baltimore – September 9th-23rd

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

With the unemployment rate in Las Vegas over 12% you need to work harder to find a job.  The good news is companies are hiring.  Hotel and Gaming are set to grow with new properties and expansions opening, housing is starting to recover, and recruiters are generally positive about upcoming hiring. 

Job fairs are a great opportunity to network with a wide variety of recruiters in a short amount of time and practice your interviewing skills.  It is important that you think of this as your first interview. You want to stand out to the recruiters you speak with.  It takes some preparation to be successful at a job fair.

Before the Job Fair:

•    Look up what companies are attending.  Research the companies to find out what positions are they hiring for, what they say about their work environment, benefits, and potential for growth within the company. 
o    Tip:  The Company’s website is a great place to find this information, but you can also use sites like GlassDoor.com to find out what current or previous employees think about the company.

•    Make a list of questions for each recruiter you want to speak with.  Be prepared to engage the recruiter in a discussion about the company, future growth, trends in the industry, and how your talents and experience can help the company.  Rehearse your questions in front of the mirror.  It builds confidence so you make a better impression.
o    Tip: Be sure the look the recruiter in the eye when you ask the questions and pause to listen to their answer.

•    Review your resume.  Be sure to emphasize what you have done better and faster than others or how you have saved money.  Tailor it to the companies you plan to see at the event.  Print additional copies.  You want to have a copy for each company you plan on visiting, and extra copies as you may find other recruiters who signed up at the last minute.  Make sure all contact information is correct.  Use an email address that is appropriate for a recruiter to judge you by.
o    Tip: Use the format first.last@email.com as the format for your e-mail address.  You can sign up with a free e-mail account with yahoo.com, gmail.com, hotmail.com and even aol.com.  Be sure you check this email account regularly.

•    Are there schools attending?  Do you need training for the job field you want to be in?  If so look at the schools attending and see if they offer programs to help you.  Be prepared to ask questions such as cost, financing, job placement assistance, how long before you can start work, and the schedule of the classes.
o    Tip:  Even if you don’t plan to talk to the schools, take a look at degree programs each one offers.  After talking to recruiters if you find a degree program will make you more marketable, you already have the information to know what schools you want to talk to at the Job Fair!
At the Job Fair:

•    Arrive early to allow enough time to easily talk to all the recruiters you plan to meet with.  Remember, you may have to wait for them to finish talking with someone else and there may be recruiters there you would like to meet who joined the job fair at the last minute. 

•    Dress for an interview.  This is the first time you will meet the recruiters and you want to make a positive first impression.  Be sure to dress appropriately for the industry you are applying for.  If the job you seek is formal, wear a suit.  In general “Business Casual” is most appropriate.  Slacks (not jeans) and a collared shirt for men, and slacks or a skirt and a blouse for women.  Keep jewelry to a minimum and do not wear clothing that is too revealing.

•    Take the time to talk to the recruiters.  This is what you prepared for.  Take a deep breath, relax, and smile.  Be respectful of their time but be sure to leave a strong, positive, professional impression.  Ask the questions you rehearsed and listen to the response.  You already know what they do.  This is your chance to show them you are familiar with the industry and can contribute to their business.  Be attentive and engaging.  You want to be the one they leave there wanting to hire.

•    Be prepared for a different approach.  Some recruiters refer all applicants to their websites.  They have their reasons and may not be in a position to answer questions about specific positions.  Do not just walk away.  Have a back up set of questions about the general hiring process such as how long does it typically take to receive a response, would they conduct the interview or will it be a departmental manager, can you check the status of your application, will you hear back either way?  Use this opportunity to learn more about the process you will be going through. 

•    Present a professional image.  Maintain a good posture, have a firm handshake, maintain eye contact, listen closely, and respond appropriately. 

•    Collect business cards.  If you are applying for a job this will give you contact information for those you are speaking with.  Follow up with a Thank You note a day or two after the event.  This will show that you are serious about working for them, that you paid attention, and reinforce the image you left them with. 

While there are many people who attend job fairs, you do not have to be part of the crowd.  This is your chance to shine.  With a little effort you can stand out from the rest and be on the road to success.  Good luck in your search!

EG Weekly Publication August 17-August 23
Check out this week's great career opportunities:
North American Trade Schools
American Beauty Academy
Chimes
The Community College of Baltimore County
Stella Maris
Bello Machre
All-State Career
MV Transportation
Gallagher Services

Here is what it looked like today at the job fair:

In response to the current economic crisis and a tightening labor market, EmploymentGuide.com and WiserWorker.com are bringing together jobseekers with companies who seek their talents. On Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Dave & Buster's in Marietta, GA. Employers will each meet with hundreds of job seekers. At least one thousand are expected to attend based on the current job market.

The EmploymentGuide.com Atlanta job fair is part of the “Putting Americans Back to Work” Job Fair Series, taking place in more than 50 cities across the country throughout 2009. The job fair series allows jobseekers to have personal contact with perspective employers.

Participating employers will seek to fill hourly positions ranging from entry-level to mid-level management and they represent industries such as sales, customer service, finance, warehouse, law enforcement, security, government and more.

Dave & Buster's is conveniently located at 2215 D & B Drive SE, Marietta, GA 30067. Parking and attendance is free for all jobseekers. Dress for success and bring plenty of resumes.

Adding to the success of this new job fair series is support from associations interested in supporting their members nationwide including: the AARP Foundation, the National Urban League, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

For more information, visit http://www.employmentguide.com/ or contact Debi Green at 678-324-5476 or debi.green@employmentguide.com.

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

Putting Charlotte Back to Work

The Employment Guide and WiserWorker.com are hosting a Job Fair and Career Education Expo at the Hilton Garden Inn Ayrsley, in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Job seekers can meet a variety of different companies that are recruiting in Charlotte and surrounding areas.

Parking and attendance for this event are free to the public. Be sure to dress for success and bring plenty of resumes.

Everyone who attends will receive a copy of The Employment Guide and a copy of The Job Seeker Survival Guide, full of useful tips and information to help find the perfect job.

The Hilton Garden Inn, Ayrsley is conveniently located at 1920 Ayrsley Town Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 27273.
For more information call 888-512-0927

Today we are switching gears (literally) into another EmploymentGuide.com website, CareersInGear.com. This website is dedicated to the transportation industry, from truck driving jobs to transportation education and a dedicated, free freight finder.

Today we are going to be looking at the 3rd feature, the freight finder. For those not familiar with the term and concept, freight finding is simply a way for owner-operators to find loads to carry in their trucks on their way back (or to) from a delivery. This is very important so that the truck is always in use and making money for the driver. Driving an empty truck is very costly, especially cross country drives.

On CareersInGear.com we have made it easy to both look for freight and post freight, free of charge. In the video below we look at how truckers can find a load, contact the people posting the load and navigate their way through the dashboard.

For optimal viewing, please view in full screen mode.



As long as planes cannot land in the middle of a mall, we will need drivers to carry goods to the stores and this industry is the heart of American commerce. I encourage you to look at education opportunities if this is something you wish to pursue and also look at some of the trucking companies that are hiring in Orlando and all over the country.

We would love to know what you think of the video, the freight finder and any other things related to CareersInGear.com in the comments below.

-Greg

If you're constantly worrying about your job, whether or not you'll find one or even whether or not you're going to get to keep your job, it's likely that you're feeling extra stressed. It's common with a Soft Economy. If things are uncertain, it's hard not to get stressed over the way things are. Stress has some serious health ramifications so sometimes you need to just take a step back and relieve the stress. Here are some ways to relax and not let the stress of the job search get to you:
•Take a nap
•Go for a walk outside
•Turn up the music loud, sing and dance along
•Try a focused meditation
•Play a board game or do a puzzle
•Go for a drive
•Try breathing exercises
•Take a yoga class or start a new exercise program
•Keep a journal and write about things that you are grateful for
•Call a friend to vent
•Volunteer or help someone else
•Read a book
•Get a massage
•Go out with friends
•Paint, take a photographs, draw or do something creative

There are plenty of other ideas you can come up with to help relieve stress. While money might be an issue, not all the items on the list require cash. Having fun is a great stress reliever.

Working in tandem with The “Putting America Back to Work” job fair series as well as Hire an Older Worker Week, The New York Employment Guide is hosting a Career Fair on September 1, 2009 from 2pm to 6pm at Madison Square Garden located in Manhattan, NY.  This Career Fair is sponsored in part by the New York Liberty Women’s Basketball Team and Madison Square Garden.

Admission is free to all job seekers and anyone joining us for the Career Fair will receive a FREE ticket to that evening’s New York Liberty Women’s Basketball Game at Madison Square Garden!
 
Currently the following companies have signed in attendance:

Featured Sponsor - Time Warner Cable
Franklin First Financial
United States Marines
Ace Computers
Greater New York Home Care
St. Joseph’s College
New York Life
Metro PCS
Extra Care Home Care
MTA
Sanford Brown
DeVry
Health First
AFLAC
Transcare
Health Plus
Americare
Quality Healthcare
Graham Windham
Cablevision
New Age Training
Macy’s
Edison Healthcare
ASA

Meet employers; Interview on the Spot!  Bring lots of resumes and dress for success.

 

Pre-Register and view the event details here.

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

The Labor Department reported a net loss of 247,000 jobs in July, the fewest job losses since August 2008. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a loss of 325,000.
The job loss in June was also revised lower -- to 443,000 job losses from 467,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 9.4% from 9.5% in June, the first decline in that closely watched reading since April of 2008. Economists had expected unemployment to rise to 9.6%.
The unemployment rate fell even as employers continued to cut jobs because the Labor Department estimated there were 237,000 fewer people it counted as unemployed.
That decline in the labor force can be due to discouraged job seekers who have stopped looking for work, people who now consider themselves retired or those have gone back to school rather than applying for jobs.
The average hourly work week edged up to 33.1 hours, from a record low of 33.0 hours in June. The number of workers who wanted full-time work but could only find part-time jobs fell by 191,000, or 2%. That suggests that many workers who had their hours cut or were given unpaid days off in the current downturn are going back to full-time status.

EG Weekly Publication August 3-August 9

Check out this week's great career opportunities:
North American Trade Schools
American Beauty Academy
Stella Maris
Chimes
Nature's Own
The Employment Guide
Sodexho
All-State Career

ZoomInfo is a great tool that allows you to perform company searches. With this info you can learn key players, recent news, see job openings and learn about the company history, earnings and employment size. Using this knowledge you can now go back and perform advanced searches on EmploymentGuide.com and Google to dig deeper into your job search as well as look for specific people at companies. Check out the video:



For questions and comments on ZoomInfo or company research, please leave a message below and we will be sure to help out!

-Greg

The Portland Employment Guide is having another job fair on August 18th. It will be at the Downtown Hilton on 921 SW 6th Ave. It will be from 10am to 3pm, and there are already 15 companies signed up with many more expected to come. Companies such as KPAM, KOIN, Evans Glass, and Opti Staffing will be there, along with ADT, AFLAC, and Cascade Medical School. Admission is free to all job seekers, so bring lots of resumes and dress for success. For any additional information please see our flyer below:

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

At the Orlando Job Fair held at DeVry University last Tuesday, we were very fortunate to have Kathaleen Emery from DeVry's Carrer Services Department lead a resume workshop and 1-on-1 critiques and improvements for our job seekers. This seemed to be one of the most popular things we have offered to job seekers at any of our events and Kathaleen and her team were able to work with 52 job seekers 1-on-1 and countless others listened to her presentation.

For those that wanted to see the slides, or those that missed the event, here they are for you to learn from and use to enhance your marketability.

DeVry Resume Workshop Presentation at Orlando Job Fair

If you are looking for more feedback on your resume or additional resume tips, please leave a comment below and the Employment Guide team, as well as Kathaleen's team will be able to help you out and point you in the right direction.

Happy hunting Orlando!

-Greg

The “Putting America Back to Work” job fair series, with over 50 events scheduled to be held across the country, returns to Pittsburgh on August 4th at Mellon Arena (home of the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins!) from 10AM to 3PM.

The March event, which was also held at Mellon Arena, featured 45 companies and schools and was attended by approximately 1,500 job seekers. One aspect of this series across the country is the post event tracking of how many job offers are made to the job seekers who attended each event. The goal was 10,000 jobs by 2010. As of the end of June that goal was already achieved! The new goal has now been put at 15,000 job offers nationwide. The Pittsburgh event in March has resulted so far in over 150 job offers made giving those in attendance a better than 1 in 10 chance of landing a job.

The upcoming August event is expected to be somewhat smaller in size due to the seasonal aspect of an early August job market. About 35 employers and schools are expected to attend. The doors will open to the public at 10:00AM with free admission for all job seekers and no pre-registration required.

This event, the 2009 Pittsburgh Diversity Employment and Career Education Expo, is produced by the Pittsburgh office of EmploymentGuide.com, The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, AARP Foundation WorkSearch and Allegheny Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Representatives from each of those organizations will be on hand to speak with job seekers about programs offered to help with job searches in this difficult economy.

As of this writing 36 employers and schools have signed on to attend. The list includes:

Giant Eagle Corporate
TSA, Transportation Safety Admin
HCR Manorcare
US Navy
Sheet Metal Workers
Transitional Services
Waddell & Reed
Life Pittsburgh
Giant Eagle Get Go
Army National Guard
CCAC, Community College of Allegheny County
Mainstay Life Services
Aramark
SMG/Mellon Arena
H & R Block
Goodwill
Kaplan School
Family Foundations - Early Head Start
CVS Pharmacy
Dish Network
Academy of Court Reporting and Technology
EDMC Online
Giant Eagle Market District
Pittsburgh Job Corp
Giant Eagle Xpress
Quest Diagnostics
Vanguard Cleaning Systems
Lifesteps
United Insurance
Everest Institute
Barber National Institute
Pittsburgh Multicultural Beauty Academy
Pittsburgh Renaissance Hotel
Allegheny County Modern Office Systems Training
Verizon Wireless (Sales and Customer Service)
Pittsburgh Technical Institute