Bridging the Military to Civilian Hiring Gap

There are ways that both military job seekers and employers can appeal to one another when it comes to hiring.  The following post offers advice for each side to make a favorable impression on the other.

Bridging the Military to Civilian Hiring Gap

Average Pay Projected to Increase 2.8% in 2013

Amy Kaminski of Compdata Surveys

The average pay increase budget projected for organizations in 2013 is 2.8 percent, up slightly from 2.7 percent reported in 2012 according Compdata Surveys 2012 BenchmarkPro survey results. Pay range adjustments aren’t expected to show much improvement either as more than three-quarters of organizations have a formal pay structure with pay ranges in place that have or will be adjusted in 2012. The average pay range adjustment reported in 2012 was 1.9 percent, up from 1.7 percent reported in 2011 and 1.6 percent reported in 2010. Pay range adjustments are projected to remain stable in 2013 at 1.9 percent.

Pay range adjustments vary by industry as employers in utilities reported adjustments of 1.9 percent. Banking and finance and hospitality organizations reported pay range adjustments of 1.7 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. Manufacturing and distribution organizations are projecting the highest adjustment amount for 2013 at 2.2 percent, while not-for-profit is projecting the lowest, 1.4 percent. Continue Reading

Employment Prospects Improving for Military Veterans

Brent Rasmussen of Careerbuilder

Despite higher than average unemployment rates, employment prospects for U.S. military veterans may be improving.

According to a new CareerBuilder study, 29 percent of employers say they are actively recruiting veterans to work for their organizations, up 9 percentage points from a year ago. Twenty-two percent are planning on adding members of the National Guard to their headcount, up 8 percentage points. Sixty-five percent said they would be more likely to hire a veteran over another equally qualified candidate. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive^© of more than 2,600 employers nationwide from August 13 to September 6, 2012.

Where The Job Opportunities Are

Employers are looking to leverage the technical and leadership skills of military personnel, with 3 in 10 hoping to fill information technology positions with veterans. The most common areas for hiring U.S. service men and women are: Continue Reading

Retailers Add Additional 130,000 Jobs for Holidays

While several large retailers have announced large-scale holiday hiring plans, employment gains in the retail sector last month were virtually unchanged from a year ago, according to an analysis of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

The 130,100 retail job gains last month were only slightly more than the 128,900 retail jobs added in October 2011.  The first month of holiday hiring both this year and last were down significantly from the 149,800 retail jobs created in October 2010.

While 2011 started slowly, retailers added another 531,300 workers in November and December for a total of 660,200 seasonal employment gains, the highest level since 2007.  In 2008 — the worst holiday-hiring season in 22 years — retailers added only 38,600 seasonal workers in October and only 324,000 total workers during entire holiday season of October through December.   Continue Reading

How to Discuss Politics at Work

Politics are on everyone’s mind, but workers may feel more comfortable keeping it out of the office. Sixty-six percent of workers don’t share their political affiliation at work, and 28 percent of workers said they feel like they need to keep their affiliation secret around the office.

The national survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive^© on behalf of CareerBuilder among more than 4,100 U.S. workers ages 18 and over between August 13 and September 6, 2012.

The study also found that men are more likely than women to share their political beliefs at work, with 37 percent of men sharing their affiliation compared to 31 percent of women. Continue Reading

60% of Paid Interns Received At Least One Job Offer

Much has been written over the years about the difficulty recent college graduates have in finding career-related employment and, in many cases, any employment at all.

A recently released survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers demonstrates the wide disparity between college grads who didn’t start applying for jobs until they graduates versus those who applied for jobs prior to graduation versus those who completed at least one internship or co-op position prior to graduation versus those who completed a paid internship or co-op position. Continue Reading

Employment Report Blows Away Estimates; Aug & Sep Revised Upward Too

The consensus of economic forecasts for today’s payroll report was that in October the U.S. would have added about 125,000 jobs and that the unemployment would slightly increase from 7.8 to 7.9 percent due to an increase in the number of people in the labor force. The unemployment rate announced today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was the same as forecast, but the total number of jobs created was almost 37 percent higher as 171,000 net, new jobs were created in October. Further bolstering the strength of the report was that BLS also announced that some 84,000 more net, new jobs were created in August and September than previously estimated.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 171,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 7.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment rose in professional and business services, health care, and retail trade.

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy had no discernible effect on the employment and unemployment data for October. Household survey data collection was completed before the storm, and establishment survey data collection rates were within normal ranges nationally and for the affected areas.

Household Survey Data

Both the unemployment rate (7.9 percent) and the number of unemployed persons (12.3 million) were essentially unchanged in October, following declines in September. Continue Reading

5 Biggest Turnoffs for Employers Interviewing for Seasonal Jobs

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

What are the biggest turnoffs for employers when interviewing for seasonal jobs?

A recent survey of employers indicated that a lack of flexibility or expressed interest top the list followed by: Continue Reading

How to Turn a Seasonal, Temporary Job Into a Permanent Career

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Thirty-nine percent of employers who are hiring seasonal help plan to transition some employees into full-time, permanent staff, up from 30 percent in 2011. To stand out as a candidate for a long-term opportunity, hiring managers recommended the following:

• Provide above and beyond customer service. Offer help instead of waiting to be asked for it – 53 percent
• Proactively ask for more projects – 46 percent
• Let the employer know up front that you’re interested in permanent employment – 46 percent
• Present ideas on how to do something better or try something new – 34 percent
• Ask thoughtful questions about the organization – 32 percent

Source: Careerbuilder

Unemployment Rate for New College Grads Plummets

The unemployment rate for new college graduates is down significantly from last year, continuing a decrease in unemployment for this group, according to an analysis of the numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics last week.

In September 2012, the unemployment rate for new college graduates—defined as college graduates ages 20 to 24—fell to 6.3 percent from 8.3 percent in September 2011 and 9.4 percent in September 2010. Continue Reading