Millennials get creative in a tough job market

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Career, Economy, Employment, Generation Y, Interviews, jobs, Millennial, Unemployed

By Hadley Malcolm, USA TODAY (usatoday.com)

Using a fishing pole and a magnet, Liz Langer once retrieved a stranger’s keys from a sewer. She received $80 for completing the job. She’s not a repair or maintenance worker, just a 27-year-old Ph.D. student looking to make some extra cash.

After graduating from Tufts University outside Boston in 2008, Matthew Doyle put his English degree in a corner while he waited tables, worked room service at a hotel, held an unpaid internship with a literary magazine and was a self-described “manny” (male nanny).

Langer and Doyle are two of millions of Millennials who are juggling multiple jobs and looking for creative ways to bring in extra income during a time when record unemployment has forecast an uncertain future for college graduates.

5 Things You Can Do to Land the Interview

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Application for employment, Career, Employment website, Job description, Job hunting, job opportunities, jobs, LinkedIn, Social network

By Miriam Salpeter, US News

The online application process is a big frustration for job seekers. Many equate applying online to sending a resume into a black hole, never to be seen by human eyes. Some coaches advise their clients not to apply using online systems. Instead, they suggest an approach revolving around networking and accessing referrals from within companies to ensure that their clients’ application materials land on the right desks and help their chances of winning interviews.

Statistically, networking and internal referrals account for the majority of job offers. Startwire, a free service providing job seekers automatic updates on the status of their job applications, quotes Shanil Kaderali, manager of talent programs at WellPoint as saying, “On average, 1 of out every 33 candidates is going to get hired from an online source—such as a job board or a career site. If you are referred, your odds go up to 1 in 4.”

Great Resource for Laid Off Workers – MySkillsMyFuture.org

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Career, Employment, jobs, JobSearch, Resume, Unemployed, Work

MySkillsMyFuture.org – is a free resource sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.  The purpose of this website is to help laid-off workers and other career changers explore occupations similar to their current skills and knowledge. Users can identify occupations, learn more about suggested matches, locate local training programs, and/or apply for jobs.  To learn more about services on this website, please go to http://www.myskillsmyfuture.org.

9 Freelancer and Virtual Assistant Job Search Web Sites

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Career, Elance, Freelancer, Job hunting, job opportunities, jobs, JobSearch, ScriptLance, Unemployed

Guru.com is a great site to find freelance work on-line and anywhere around the world.  It is fast and easy to use.  You can showcase your portfolio, search for projects that are right up your alley.  You can create proposals that compel Employers to hire you.

Elance is another service to use.  You can showcase your portfolio, and stand out from the crowd with your state-of-the-art profile on Elance.

TaskArmy is a well organized site.  This site organizes and showcases their freelancers well.

oDesk is another of the heavy hitters in outsourcing and freelancer communities.  The site is easy to navigate and also has robust contractor management tools.

Top 9 Job Sites to Bookmark for Your Career Search

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Career, CareerBuilder, Employment, Employment website, Job hunting, job opportunities, jobs, JobSearch, Unemployed

By Sharlyn Lauby, www.Mashable.com

Approximately 84% of employees in North America plan to look for new jobs in 2011, according to a recent survey by global talent management firm Right Management. Put them alongside those who are unemployed, and you have a whole lot of people searching for work.

If you happen to be in either of those positions, it’s essential to get organized about your job search by understanding what information and resources are available to you on the major job sites.

Popular Job Search Engines

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Career, Employment, Employment website, Job hunting, job opportunities, jobs, JobSearch, Unemployed

Looking for a job?  Here is a list of popular job search engines as listed by Career One-Stop.  As with anything you do on-line or off-line, beware of scammers.

1. 4Jobs.com                                www.4jobs.com
2. America’s Job Bank                   www.ajb.dni.us
3. American Jobs                           www.americanjobs.com
4. Best Jobs USA                           www.bestjobsusa.com

Find job opportunities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Career, job opportunities, jobs, Recovery Act, Unemployed, Unemployment

On Feb. 13, 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 at the urging of President Obama, who signed it into law four days later. A direct response to the economic crisis, the Recovery Act (www.recovery.gov) has three immediate goals:

• Create new jobs and save existing ones
• Spur economic activity and invest in long-term growth
• Foster unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in government spending

Great Resource for the Unemployed: Career One-stop

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Advice, Arbor, Career One-stop, Economy, Financial help, Gas card, groceries, Help, Interviews, jobs, Unemployed, Unemployment, Work

If you are currently unemployed, Career One-Stop is a great place to go to for help.

Career One-Stop is sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and was established by law under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA, P.L. 105-220).  The central component of all One-Stop centers is a labor exchange system that is universally accessible to job seekers and employers. This labor exchange system is undertaken by the U.S. Employment Service (ES) which was first established by the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933.  There are offices located all over the country.

Unemployment benefits extension: What’s at stake

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Barack Obama, Career, Congressional Budget Office, Economy, jobs, Unemployment Benefit

By Tami Luhby @CNNMoney December 21, 2011: 1:15 PM ET

The deadline to file for federal unemployment benefits is at year’s end unless Congress passes an extension.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The long-term unemployed are running out of time.

In 11 days, a provision will expire that could cause millions of jobless Americans to lose a critical lifeline next year.

At issue is the extension of emergency federal unemployment benefits, which allow the jobless to collect benefits for up to 99 weeks. Also at stake are the extension of a payroll tax cut, and the “doc fix,” which would prevent a scheduled pay cut to Medicare physicians.

Employment Search Through Networking, Sample Letters

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Employment, Interviews, Job hunting, job opportunities, jobs, JobSearch, LinkedIn, Social network

When times are tough and you’re searching for a job, networking is one very effective approach for finding something that is right for you. When you use business and personal contacts in looking for a position, you approach potential employers as an insider. The process of networking during a job search does not begin when you start looking for a job.  It starts as soon as you begin working in your field, making contacts and building a reputation.