Pensacola has reasons to cheer. After playing host to the Career fair for 5 fantastic years, this potential city simply disappeared for another 3 years. Ever since Pensacola kick started this amazing trend of fairs that took a devoted vision to career counseling and job opportunities exhibition, this city has rose not just in standing and goodwill, but even the earning potential looks fit to move up. The number of local citizens who had got a job thanks to participating companies, had really started adding to the per capita and the gross income of the city. But from the time the fair was halted some 3 years back, things have, in some way, taken a downturn. However, sensing the aptitude and motivational historic records of this city, it is sure to bounce back. And flowing with the on-going trend, it seems that it won't be long before Pensacola gets down to hosting its famous employment fair again.

It was just the other week when we saw the Chief of Pensacola Electricians, Nick Rider, announcing his intention of bringing back the employment fair, with due collaboration of the Employers' Association of this city. At that time, there were hushed opinions all around that something could be expected in the coming times. Coming close on the surge of this announcement came out a small bit of quotation of the Pensacola Plumbers that the company would back Rider in such a gracious cause. This was enough to make way for hope and interest in the minds of a lot of people. After this, Both Rider's company and the plumbers' unit figured out a plan to take this thought further. And before one could it, even Pensacola Roofers and painters had decided to pitch in with their capital and business insight.

That's it- the much -awaited fair was ready for a sizzling comeback!! As we see it now, the magnificence seems all set to revisit our city and us. If everything goes as planned, this city will back to adding splendor to a million hopeful job aspirants.

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 27, 2009 at 1:14 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

You are ready to embark full time into the workforce, looking for entry level jobs to get you started. If you're looking to be in Arizona, you might be interested to know that the total number of entry level jobs posted on CollegeRecruiter.com has stayed high, with 1,934 posted in March, 1,879 in April and 1,974 in May. Take a look at a few of the entry level jobs available in Arizona:

- Montpelier U.S. Insurance Company in Scottsdale, Entry Level Processor At the headquarters of Montepelier U.S. Insurance Company (MUSIC), you will find an insurance company that provides broad coverage for disasters that are unique due to their size and/or nature. Services include use of advanced technology and underwriting assistance. The Entry Level Processor position requires a high school education and one prior year of work experience, preferably in insurance.

The primary job duty is to ensure accuracy of transaction records by screening transactions to determine proper processing, providing customer services, and monitoring reports for rating and underwriting purposes.

- Axis Inc. in Phoenix / Tempe, Account Marketing Manager Axis Inc., a nationwide promotional marketing company based in Denver, Colorado, specializes in reduced pricing by creating a relationship with international consumer establishments in production, packaging and distribution. Each Axis branch facility forms its operational team through training, networking and consulting support. This Entry level Management position in Account Marketing will focus on building relationships with business clientele and consumers by developing client portfolios, breaking down target markets, conducting data analysis, and helping to train and coach new fellow staff. Look forward to professional growth as you prove your abilities and work your way up the company ladder.

- PHC Consulting in Phoenix, Entry Level Medical Sales PHC Consulting is a private nationwide search firm in the medical sales and life sciences industry, specializing in diagnostic testing. This position requires a bachelor of science degree with 1 - 2 years of consultative sales experience, including lab experience and training in standard solution and/or consultative sales processes.

The job duties will consist of promoting positive relations with physician clients, representing the company at professional meetings and conferences, and representing the lab in outreach educational activities.

Arizona, home to the Phoenix Cardinals football team and Suns basketball team, is located in the southwestern region of the United States. While Phoenix is the capital, cities like Tempe, Tucson and Scottsdale are also worth considering.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 27, 2009 at 8:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you are looking for an internship in Arizona, there are certainly a plethora of choices available. While the number of internships available on CollegeRecruiter.com steadily rose from March (197) to April (240) to peaking in early May at 272 total, there were still 195 internships posted as of May 24.
Here are a few examples of the internships you can find and apply to today:

- Insight in Tempe, Emerging Business Intern. Insight is a global technology solutions provider relied on by more than 80 percent of Global Fortune 500 businesses to technologically empower their companies. Services include both software and hardware management, with new capabilities steadily being expanded. They are looking for an Emerging Business intern for three months in the summer to work with the sales leadership team and their clients to provide sales operation support. This will largely consist of programmatic administrative support such as managing client contacts, processing orders, generating reports, and product research for clients.

- St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Phoenix, Regional Event Marketing and Support Internship. The intern will be a part of ALSAC/St. Jude, one of the nation's largest healthcare charities, working as an exclusive fundraising organization for St. Jude's. In the Regional Event Marketing and Support division, the intern will be responsible for providing general programmatic and administrative support to ALSAC's marketing and fundraising team. This Summer/Fall 2009 internship is available to students above the age of 18, currently enrolled in an accredited college/university at sophomore standing or above, including graduate students. While a background in liberal arts is required, there is a preference for Marketing, Public Relations, or Communications majors.

- Verizon Wireless in Chandler, Human Resources Intern. Verizon Wireless serves as America's largest wireless carrier, with over 86 million customers and over 200 company operated stores and kiosks. Undertakings include everything from basic telecommunications service to 3G multimedia services. The intern will work at Verizon Wireless' Human Resources department. Applicants must currently be enrolled in a four-year degree program, preferably in Human Resources or Business. The candidate should possess analytical and quantitative skills, project management expertise and have strong interpersonal and presentation skills. The intern will be required to attend career fairs and other recruiting events; analyze and report on current recruiting sources and their effectiveness; and be willing to assist with mundane tasks like filing, photocopying and preparing new hire packets.

Arizona, one of the "Four Corners" states (the others being Colorado, Utah and New Mexico), is located in the southwestern region of the United States. While Phoenix is the capital, cities like Tempe, Tucson and Scottsdale are also viable metropolitan areas.

Article by a freelance writer

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 27, 2009 at 8:35 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The state of Utah recently passed the Selections Procedures Act (HB206) that states that employers may not request information related to an applicant's social security number, date of birth or drivers license number until either:

• The applicant is offered a job OR
• The time when an employer obtains a criminal background check, credit check or driving record check to which the applicant has consented

According to Seyfarth Shaw labor and employment attorney Pam Devata "Employers subject to this law may also not use information about an applicant for any other purpose than to determine whether the employer will hire the applicant as an employee. The law additionally places requirements for employers to maintain a policy regarding the retention, disposition, access, and confidentiality of this information. Finally, employers may only keep such information about applicants about whom they do not hire for a period of two years after obtaining the information from the applicant."

State of Utah employers take note that this law went into effect on May 12, 2009 and compliance is mandatory.

View Utah HB206

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 25, 2009 at 2:14 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Kudos to the city of Carlsbad, California. They were getting ready to enter into a contract that would consolidate several of their IT platforms into Microsoft's Cloud technology. Before doing so, they were wise enough to ask what type of background checks Microsoft conducted on their employees and what their hiring standards were when they found adverse information. See excerpt from the article we found on The Industry Standard.

"Security was a big part of the RFP," Peterson [Gordon Peterson, Director of IT for the city of Carlsbad] says. "We asked a lot of questions on how you do security, on their hire-fire process." For example, Peterson wanted to know what security procedures Microsoft takes when it terminates an employee.

"I don't know that they'd ever been asked that before," says Peterson. But Microsoft answered the queries to Carlsbad's satisfaction and the city recently signed on for Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite, a cloud-based service in which Microsoft hosts the city's e-mail and collaboration services, including SharePoint, Live Meeting and instant messaging.

Read the Full Article

In the end, the city was satisfied with Microsoft's practices and decided to move forward. I know the story might have been more sensational if they found significant issues, but what I'm excited about is the due diligence the city performed ahead of time to protect itself. While this can't guarantee that issues won't arise, at least the city know that it did everything possible to make an informed hiring decision.

Great job Mr. Peterson!

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 22, 2009 at 2:06 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Since March, CollegeRecruiter.com has been compiling monthly lists of the total number of entry level job and internship postings they've received, through a state-by-state search on the site. CollegeRecruiter.com will continue to update these lists to help students and entry level job candidates know how many opportunities are available to them in each state.

The states that tend to consistently have the largest number of internships and entry-level jobs posted on CollegeRecruiter.com are:

Internships

1. California
2. New York
3. Texas
4. Florida
5. Illinois

Entry Level Jobs

1. California
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. New York
5. Pennsylvania

Other states that often post a lot of entry level jobs and internships are

• Washington
• Ohio
• North Carolina
• Colorado

The Washington, D.C. area, including Maryland and Virginia, also regularly posts a lot of entry level job and internship opportunities. When CollegeRecruiter.com began creating its lists in March, the D.C. area was responsible for over 7,000 posts. By May, that number had swelled to more than 10,000, combined posts for entry level jobs and internships in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Sparsely populated states like North and South Dakota, Idaho, Vermont and Montana consistently have the smallest number of internship and entry level job listings on the site. Naturally, smaller states like Delaware and Rhode Island also tend to have fewer postings than their larger counterparts.

Although the number of internship and entry level job listings from April to May has declined, there are still plenty of opportunities available. Many employers are still hiring, so it's better to think of the reduced number of opportunities as an indication of positions being filled.

Remember: The lists of entry level job and internship postings on CollegeRecruiter.com will be updated at the beginning of each month, so please keep checking back here.

CollegeRecruiter.com also has several blogs where job seekers and students can find useful tips and information about how to manage their careers, conduct effective job searches, write winning resumes and cover letters, or prepare and pay for college.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 18, 2009 at 11:26 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Today I experienced my very first unemployment insurance hearing. I was representing my company against a claim made by one of my former consultants. The following document is a must read for anyone looking to file for unemployment. It is essential that both employers and employees understand just how vague the law delineates why someone may or may not file for unemployment.

See this PDF: Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance

Essentially, if you quit, get fired, or refuse a job you cannot file a claim. However, termination is a thorny issue and even quitting can be viewed from various angles differently.

If your claim is challenged by your former employer you will have an opportunity to present your case at a hearing. The reason the employer is interested in having those benefits denied to you is that their unemployment contribution to the Massachusetts unemployment fund is directly related to how many employees file for unemployment and how much they collect.

See this lnk: 6. Financing Unemployment Insurance

For this reason, your former employer may send a representative to present their side of the story. The hearing takes about an hour depending on the circumstances as a Massachusetts Division of Unemployment agent gathers your testimony under oath. I suggest not lying under oath whether you are the employer or the claimant.

If the employer succeeds in challenging your claim, you will be liable for all the money the State of Massachusetts paid you over those months. You may also be persecuted for fraud, although I suspect this rarely happens since employment law is designed to protect the claimant rather than cause additional pain.

On the other hand, if the employer does not show up within 10 minutes of the hearings official start, the case is decided in your favor by default. I saw a very happy claimant when he was informed that the employer had not shown up. Whether his claim was legitimate or not become irrelevant in the eyes of the Massachusetts once the employer defaulted on the hearing.

Whether you file or not is completely up to you. Know your rights, but also beware of the employer challenge and Massachusetts State Law about fraud. After the hearing, I have no idea which way the agent will decide.

Article by Techruiter

Courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Originally posted on MN Headhunter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 14, 2009 at 1:33 PM | Leave a Comment (0)