Getting a Service Industry Job

Lauren Knight, Shiftgig

No one really tells you when you’re sending in those applications, but there’s so much more to college than a dorm room and a major. For many, it’s the first taste of freedom. You get to decide where you eat and when you sleep and how many parties you hit. There are no curfews to adhere to or elders to whom you have to explain your comings and goings.

There are darker clouds on the horizon of that bright future too. Worries about money can put a strain on students, as tuitions continue to rise. Student debt is a heavy reality that can cause a lot of stress for new graduates. Whether it’s in preparation for that eventuality, an effort to shoulder some of that immediate burden, or just for some pocket money to make sure the college years are lived to the fullest, many students decide to take up a part-time job. No other industry serves their schedules and needs better than the service industry. Continue Reading

Looking for a Job? Look at Healthcare.

Photo of healthcare professionals courtesy of Shutterstock

Healthcare continues to be one of the hottest areas for hiring in the U.S. and one of the toughest to recruit in-demand talent. A new annual survey finds 22 percent of healthcare hiring managers plan to add full-time, permanent healthcare employees in the New Year, up three percentage points over 2012. At the same time, 23 percent of health care employers reported that they currently have open positions for which they can’t find qualified talent.

Thirteen percent of all U.S. jobs are in healthcare and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the U.S. will add 5.6 million health care jobs from 2010 to 2020, the largest projected increase of any industry.  Continue Reading

Private Sector Gained 582,000 Jobs in Q2 2012; California Led With 108,383 New Jobs

From March 2012 to June 2012 gross job gains from opening and expanding private sector establishments were 7.0 million, an increase of 69,000 from the previous quarter, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over this period, gross job losses from closing and contracting private sector establishments were 6.4 million, an increase of 301,000 from the previous quarter.

The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 582,000 jobs in the private sector during the second quarter of 2012. Continue Reading

Video: The Ultra-Flexible Hidden Corner of the Job Market

Plenty of people need jobs with very flexible hours — but it’s difficult for those people to connect with the employers who need them. In this Ted Talk, Wingham Rowan explains how the same technology that powers modern financial markets can help employers book workers for slivers of time.

Wingham is the Project Director of Slivers-of-Time Working, a U.K.-based, government-funded initiative that uses advanced (but easy-to-use) trading technology to help individuals who need to work on their own terms and at times of their choosing connect with employers who need their labor. Employers expanding their workforce in this new way include local authorities, housing associations, National Health Service Primary Care Trusts, retailers and caterers.

Rowan is the former producer and presenter of the UK’s longest running television series about the Internet, cyber.cafe, and the presenter of the children’s TV program Rowan’s Report. He’s is the author of two books about the social potential of online markets.

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11 of the Fastest-Growing Jobs in America

Heather Dugan, Salary.com contributing writer

Everyone wants a little job security. But in these turbulent times filled with massive changes, how can any of us know if our careers are on solid ground?

Luckily, the Bureau of Labor Statistics crunched some numbers and came out with employment projections to the year 2020. So which jobs are the safest bets? The aging population of Baby Boomers put more than a few health care careers on this list, but check out other popular options amongst the fastest growing occupations of the future. Continue Reading

The Best Tax Advice I Ever Received

Woman displaying the words “tax advice” on screen. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Here it is – get educated on the tax code. No, really educated.

Tax LLM programs or Masters in Laws are comprehensive curricula that encompass congressional tax writing regulations, Internal Revenue Service(IRS) laws, The United States Tax Court codes as well as regulations by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. If you are someone who wants to attain this complex degree, you have to choose a college that offers the courses in a way that makes the whole syllabus easy to understand. Continue Reading

Super Bowl Expected to Boost Economy

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

With the Super Bowl match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers just over a week away, workplaces around the country may already be noticing that some workers are increasingly distracted. Whether it’s more time around the watercooler or at the lunch table debating which team is better, or more time spent at one’s desk organizing an office betting pool, the Super Bowl can sap some employees’ productivity.

The loss of productivity will not be measurable across the entire economy and probably won’t even be noticed within an individual company, says workplace authority John A. Challenger. “At most, a department head might have to remind an employee or two that setting up betting pools should be done during off-hours. If the Super Bowl has any impact on the economy, as a whole, that impact is likely to be positive.” Continue Reading

The Availability of Education Around the World

Have you ever thought about access to education across the globe?  The following infographic has more information on this topic relative to one particular group of countries. Continue Reading

How Climate Change Effects the Job Market

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

This week, Cargill Beef announced that it will be shuttering one of its Texas plants as a prolonged drought in the state thins cattle herds to their lowest levels in 60 years. The closure will force the plant’s 2,000 workers to relocate to one of the company’s other plants or find employment elsewhere.

This is not the first time climate change has impacted jobs and it will not be the last, according to workplace authority John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Challenger forecasts that the impact of climate change on the economy and employment will only increase in the years to come. “Agriculture could be the biggest victim of changing weather patterns brought on by climate change. We are no longer an agriculture-based economy, but the sector still employs between 150,000 and 250,000 workers, depending on the time of year. The other area that could feel pain related to climate change is tourism. Ski resorts in Colorado are already seeing the effects of less snowfall. Not only are skiers seeking deeper powder further north, but the resorts are spending a lot more making artificial snow.” Continue Reading

10 Good Reasons for Women to Work in Business

For women in business or who want to be in business, the following post shares 10 good reasons to take advantage of the opportunity.

The legend goes that prior to becoming the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina (now former CEO of HP) stuffed her pants with socks for a male-dominated meeting. Her message was clear: “I have everything it takes to compete.” Although Fiorina might be alone in literally stuffing her slacks, it’s a sure thing that plenty of other women have gone to great lengths—pulling longer-than-necessary hours, cutting maternity leaves short, and so on—to prove that they can keep up with the men. But the times they are a-changin’.

Today, says Vickie Milazzo, the need to play down femininity is a thing of the past. The almost constant changes to the way we communicate, interact, innovate, and do business are setting up an opportunity-filled future for women—no socks required! Continue Reading