The Employment Report

ProfessionalRecognition.com launches its Professional Pathways Program with training workshops to help people do online reputation management (ORM).  Today prospective employers, clients and business associates are increasingly turning to the internet as a source of information.  In a recent blog article, a leading expert in social networking and search engine optimization asserts that “Online Reputation Management DOES Matter”.  Traditionally online brand and reputation management is carried out by specialized marketing firms. ProfessionalRecognition.com is different because they provide the knowledge and abilities that empower people to own their ORM. Today’s technology is easily accessible and allows people to take ownership of their identity and influence their reputation.

This is increasingly important for the young people new to the job market who have grown up using the social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.   “Often times the images and description listed on these sites is not what you want a prospective employer or client to see , people simply are not thinking about the image they cast.”, says Shakila Manogaran (founder). The transformation of your online image is accomplished through deliberate positioning of your identity online, careful use of the social networks and planned participation in subject matter specific communities.

ProfessionalRecognition.com’s first workshop will be held in Bellevue, WA on May 14th.  Additional dates and  cities for Managing  Your Professional Identity are scheduled. This workshop   is an affordable half-day introduction to the tools and approaches for managing your online identity.  Each workshop is taught by very experienced technical coach/trainers, this workshop includes a personal domain name,  web site hosting for a year, a workbook to help you track your progress and map your pathway and a book about creating and maintaining your personal web site using the wildly popular blogging tool, WordPress.   Most importantly, each workshop includes a registration to MyProRec.com where individuals can register their experiences to be 3rd party validated and be time sealed  by the staff of Professional Recognition.com.

Job Search Intelligence (JSI), a leading salary calculator and provider of compensation data has developed a new graphing program to present industry wage trends to job seekers and employers. The graph is driven by JSI’s proprietary salary datasets and will bring clarity to a labor force, which is being misled by some media reports regarding recent wage trends.  http://jobsearchintelligence.com/labor_graph.php

Paul Hill, the President of JSI, states, “Job seekers have been led to believe that the sky is falling, and in a few industries it truly is. However, job seekers should not be misled into thinking that wage deflation is broad based. The media continues to publish worst case scenarios, without balancing the horror stories with a proper overall assessment of wage trends. This causes problems for people seeking employment as they will, in many cases simply settle for whatever salary is offered, rather than negotiating from an informed position.”

Data provided by JSI shows that the general trend for wages is still upward, although the rate of growth has declined by approximately 50% from what we have seen in recent years. Since the mid 1990’s, the US labor market has seen annual wage growth of about 3% to 4% annually. When comparing March of 2008 to March of this year, wage growth for the entire labor force is 1.5%. When you analyze specific industries, you will certainly find that compensation for manufacturing workers of durable goods is trending down. The same is true for those employed in the retail sector.

UCLA Professor, Daniel Nathanson added, “With the JSI salary data, job seekers can know in advance what kind of market they’re stepping in to. This program shows clearly that if you’re in health care, education, and most industries for that matter, you’ve still got some bargaining power.”

Dr. Nathanson continued, “The disruptions in the labor markets are unprecedented. Historically, 1 out of every 25 occupations would see real wage declines. Now, our data is showing wage deflation for about 1 out of every 10 occupations.”

Chronicle Graphics, makers of OnePager timeline snapshot software, announced today a program designed to enhance the resumes of project managers.

As project managers look for jobs in the current economic conditions, having a good resume is important, but the ability to visually present past accomplishments truly sets applicants apart. Like artists, architects, and other professionals, project managers should create portfolios of their work. Project portfolios are a great way to communicate past successes, and highlight abilities.

Chronicle Graphics recognizes this need in the project management community. For a limited time, Chronicle Graphics is making 60 day OnePager licenses available to any project manager that wants to augment their resume with a portfolio of past projects.

The program is open to all project managers, regardless of whether they are unemployed and looking for a new job, or employed and wanting to be prepared for the future. For more information, or to sign up for the program, project managers are encouraged to visit the Community section of the Chronicle Graphics web site.

According to the United States Department of Labor, the U.S. has lost 5.1 million jobs since the recession began, and unemployment rates for African American men swelled to 13.3 percent in February and March.  Men seeking employment today need to treat the interview process like they do a close shave:  There is little room for error, and if they go against the grain when they shouldn’t, they can get burned.

In a rough job market, it takes more than a foot in the door.  More than a distinguished degree.  More than a new suit.  In fact, it might take all of these and more to land a new job.  From the resume and manner of speech, to attire and grooming, men need to prepare for scrutiny from potential employers, job recruiters, and networking contacts alike.

Although there is no magic formula, the following tips and resources could help give a man a leg up on the competition when it comes to a job search:

1. Refine the resume. A resume should be more than a list of job positions and degrees.  It should convey successes and contributions made to companies or organizations.  Monster.com and TheLadders.com offer guidelines for resume writing, as does Men’s Health magazine in this straightforward advice:  http://tinyurl.com/cs3n9z

2. Look the part. When you get your foot in the door, make sure it dons a freshly polished and well-soled shoe.  Have shirts ironed with starch to make them crisp at the collar and cuffs.  For ways to cut corners without cutting style, glance over “How to Look Like a Million Bucks For Under $200,” found at http://tinyurl.com/cyxudq.

3. Put the best face forward.  Make sure the beard shows no signs of razor burn or razor bumps.  To eliminate and prevent such skin problems, use Bump Patrol Aftershave Treatment for two days leading up to an interview.  Depending on skin type and condition, select from Extra-Strength, Original, or Sensitive formulas.  It works within 48 hours — no if, ands, or bumps.  www.bumppatrol.com

4. Comb over everything. Comb over the company’s marketing materials to prepare for the pitch, and then comb the hair for the meeting.  Sounds obvious, but use a comb, not your fingers.  It is not time to be casual.  For those who prefer the bald look, eliminate chances of nicks and bumps by following the Bump Patrol Directional Shave Method; a demonstration is online at www.bumppatrol.com.

5. Breathe easy.  Breathe a sigh of relief when there is an appointment, and don’t forget to freshen your breath for the first face-to-face.  Pop a Tic Tac or two. No gum.  However, if halitosis is possibly a bigger problem, try these tips from the author of The Bad Breath Report: http://tinyurl.com/d6vjxo.

6. Aspire to be Jerry Maguire.  Make potential employers think, “You had me hello.”  When you first meet, keep your head up, speak clearly, extend a well-groomed hand (clean nails, not shiny), and keep eye contact with your interviewer, the receptionist, and employees walking down the hall.  The goal is to make a connection worth remembering and one worth calling back for a second interview.

For all the men who are looking for a new job in this tough time, the maker of Bump Patrol wishes a hearty “Go get ‘em, and keep it smooth!”

If you are without a job, now might be the ideal time to review your skills and interests and see how they match various jobs. Available for your personal use at no cost, ERI (http://www.erieri.com)

offers a tool that has long been used by human resource professionals to assess the specific skills, knowledge sets, and mental and physical capacities needed for various jobs and find which local companies might be potential employers.

ERI Economic Research Institute’s Occupational Assessor™ (http://www.erieri.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=eDOT.Main) is an easy-to-use program that provides information concerning 99 characteristics of work for over 10,000 unique jobs found in the US today. The software helps assess abilities and interests and matches them to the requirements for actual jobs. When a user finds jobs of interest, the software then locates employers within commuting distance that employ people in these specific jobs, provides job availability statistics, and even links to online job postings within the commuting range.

According to ERI’s founding director, Dr. David Thomsen, “Job search at the personal level is all about minimizing rejection. ERI’s software identifies jobs that fit and local employers likely, or visibly, posting openings for these jobs, while providing contact names, emails, addresses, and phone numbers. Because this program increases the odds of a successful job search in these tough times, ERI has decided to make this program available at no cost.”

You can use ERI’s Occupational Assessor for many tasks:

* Identify your education, achievements, skills, present residence, and any limitations on physical and mental capacities;
* Review the jobs found nationally or locally for which your capacities and past training might qualify you;
* Receive three estimations of the number of these jobs within your area, region, or state;
* Generate a list of employers within commuting radius and a list of employers that are most likely to have the identified positions within their workforces;
* Review a list of job board postings by matched employer, area, and/or industry to see if any of these employers might now have “the right job at the right time in the right place”;
* All this, at no cost!

Increase the possibilities for success in your job search by going to the ERI web site at (http://www.erieri.com) and downloading the Demo Edition of the Occupational Assessor. Enhanced versions of the software for consultants and vocational experts are also available for purchase.