by Orrin Konheim

Barbara Ehrenreich is my favorite author in the field of economics. She's been a featured columnist in The New York Times and Times Magazine and has written some 15 books. I discovered her through her best selling book "Nickel and Dimed" in which she threw away her writing credentials and posed as an inexperienced worker to see firsthand if she could get by on minimum wage for a year and a half.

In her latest book, "This Land is Their Land," Ehrenreich presents a series of essays on how the lower classes, and even the college educated, has been disenfranchised in this economy.

Here are some excerpts from a great essay of hers "The Shame Game":

"Shame hangs heavy over the economic landscape: The shame of the newly laid off, the shame of the chronically poor..... shame is a verb as well as a noun. Almost nobody arrives at shame on their own...It  may be wiser to think of shame as a relationship rather than just a feeling- a relationship of domination in which the mocking judgments of the dominant are internalized by the dominated.....The ultimate trick is to make people ashamed of the injuries inflicted upon them......

Something similar goes on in the case of the laid off and unemployed, thanks to the prevailing Calvinist form of Protestantism, according to which productivity and employment are the source of one's identity as well as one's income. Not working? Then what are you? And to put the Calvinist message in crude theological terms: Go to Hell.

For those who feel their full measure over unemployment, there is an entire shame industry shame industry to whip them into shape.....Laid off and coming up empty on your job search? You must be too "negative" and hence attracting negative circumstances into your life. To paraphrase one coach I've heard: We're not hear to talk about the economy or the market; we're here to talk about you."

I know this essay sounds overly rebellious and doesn't solve the problem of being out of a job, but what's the lesson here? In the last paragraph:

"Shame is a potent weapon but it should never be used against the already injured and aggrieved. Instead, let's turn it against the aggrievers: Shame on Ford and GM for putting all their eggs in the SUV basket and then laying off thousands. Shame on the CEOs who make eight-figure incomes while their lowest-paid employees trudge between food banks. Shame on Congress for leaving us with an unemployment insurance program that covers only a little more than a third of the laid off.

Everyone else should hold their heads up high."

 

 

 

by Shy Pahvelani

 

Given recent unemployment numbers, our economy's rate of decline has increased substantially.  The unemployment rate is almost at 7%. Can you believe that 7% of this country is sitting around at home struggling to find a job?  To make matters worse, most companies have a budget for their payroll only till the end of 2008.  So after the wonderful holiday season and the New Year most companies that have held off thus far on layoffs will most definitely slash jobs and put a good percentage of their work force out into the streets during such a difficult time period.

 

So what can you do to prepare for the potential lay-offs?  There are 5 survival strategies that any proactive professional MUST keep in mind or can utilize to educate others.  Don't be blind sided when your number comes up.

 

1.  Constantly maintain and improve your resume.  You should always have your resume handy in order to make updates given your month to month accomplishments.  Adding bullets to your resume as you achieve them is more effective then having to update your resume when you are under the pressure of finding a new career. Maintaining a virtual copy of your resume makes this process a lot easier and more scalable. 

 

2.  Maintain a professional online image. This has become increasingly more important as more and more employers are doing Google and Facebook searches for your name to see the information that is revealed. Making sure to have a professional online image can be done by creating a virtual resume on sites like www.uBoast.com and Linked.com.  Although, you still must make sure if you have any social presence on sites like Facebook that you set your privacy settings so that you can only be searched by your friends.   And by creating a virtual resume page online it will allow an employer who is googling your name to be able to view the professional assets that you have exposed through your virtual resume page (view mine at : http://www.uboast.com/vesume.php?p=5&a=192028 ).

 

3.  Do anything and everything to standout to get that job.  As more and more unemployed flood the market, competition for the available positions increases tremendously.  Try doing things that would give you leverage; send a link of your virtual resume page to an employer, try video interviewing with the hiring manager, and even consider shooting a video profile of yourself.  Put your future in your own hands by marketing yourself, as opposed to letting the century old style of an 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper do the work for you.  Rather then sending in a paper resume that gets submitted by the majority of those unemployed, get creative as it will become a survival instinct.

 

4. Networking is the number one method to finding a job.  Don't forget that your next job will most likely come from a referral or a placement through the people you already know.  Be sure to stay in touch with all professionals in your network. Consider allocating about 30 minutes of your day reaching out to old colleagues/friends that you may have lost contact with.  Then spend an additional 30 minutes dedicated to meeting some new professionals in related industries.

 

5.  Utilize all FREE tools that leverage your ability to find the career of your dreams.  Sites like www.uBoast.com are a perfect resource to take advantage of to create your FREE virtual resume, engage in online networking with other professionals, allow your resume to be searched by recruiters and hiring managers, and to get tips/coaching on creating a video resume.  A video resume is innovative and allows you to market your energy level, professionalism, and communication skills.  uBoast.com also contains a job board that is derived from job listings aggregated from thousands of career websites that pulls in all the openings onto one job board making it the ONLY place you will ever need to look to apply for that next step in your life.  Our database now has over 5 million job openings

 

. . . . . . So don't let your resume get washed out of the pile, create a 

virtual resume and stand out from that big crowd.

by Orrin Konheim

Disabled people have it tough in the workplace and have it even tougher getting into the workplace. Those with even simple learning disabilities go through school all the way to 12th grade with a designated aide who helps you stay on top of assignments, negotiates problems for teachers on your behalf, assists in guiding you and that aide makes school so much easier.

In college, you have disability services available to you but the responsibility is on you to get to that disability registered and properly accommodated for on a semester-by-semester basis. In other words, it's a lot tougher for you and oftentimes, the people in that office are more of an administrative/clerical background than people properly trained to be of help.

What I've gradually learned, having a learning disability of my own, is that the transition from high school to college was useful, because in the real world it's even harder.

There are certain protections against discrimination for your disability by the Americans with Disability Act but it is difficult to find and retain a job without that "aide"-type figure that you were assigned in your schooldays. It's also difficult to get into the door of jobs if you don't show as much promise as other candidates, and in the face of more qualified candidates, it's not always easy to explain that you have a disability so you should be given an equal chance.

Organization is of the essence, as you have to be consistent with your applications and you need to have a strong support system including mentors and people you can go to make sure you're on track and to keep you in line. Try getting off your computer and going to career centers like Joblink or your municipal employment agency explaining whatever special circumstances might arise out of your disability and having work personally with you because the job search can be overwhelming if you navigate it alone.

Job applications sometimes ask you if you have a disability and how it might affect you or if they require an examination than you are always aloud to ask for accomodations on that test. Whenever you do any type of work whether it is temp work, part-time work or a full-time job, let someone know immediately of your disabilities and how it would potentially affect your job so they will be sympathetic and know what to expect. Your bosses will be less prone to forgiving you for any lacking in on-the-job performance if they didn't know the nature of your problem beforehand. This is something that you shouldn't play it safe on.

If you ever feel that you were mistreated or unjustly let go of your job due to your disability, report it to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This is a free service and most of the details will be handled by investigators. One can also apply for social security disabily benefits which can be handled through a local social security office.

Good news folks...the blog is back. We apologize for a brief hiatus in articles and will hope to pick up back where we started. Be sure to digg articles you like and post comments.

Also, if you would like to write an article yourself, and have your work read by a wide audience, be sure to contact okonheim@comcast.net.

Here's an article by Shy Pahvelani, CEO of UBoast....

Why are employers searching for you on Facebook?  It's not just to see what you are doing in your personal time or who you are hanging out with, but really to see what kind of judgment you may possess.  If you are making crude comments, portraying very vivid sexual images, or showing off your partying lifestyle, then a cautious employer has to consider what kind of reason you possess.  Think about everything you do on this site as employers will be asking themselves why would this prospective applicant allow for such things to be publicly available for companies to view?

 

The days where Facebook was niche to each user and their friends at the university are long over.  Facebook is a growing phenomenon among professionals with thousands of companies signing on each day.

 

So that next time you intend to show how funny, fabulous, or outrageous you are, then I would think twice.  Spend time pondering your future and the long lasting footprint you are leaving on the online realm.  Spend some time creating your professional online image on sites like uBoast.com or better yet make your Facebook profile completely private to current friends ONLY.   Facebook is no longer just YOUR personal space but it is now very well known among the adult world and is quickly being infiltrated by the millions.

 

So privatize your profile and make sure you have a professional image else where on the web. You need a second online presence as well to complement you, when an employer does a Google search for your name.  Check out my professional page here:

http://www.uboast.com/vesume.php?p=5&a=192028

 

Do a Google search for your name, what shows up???

by Logan Stewart

 

So you're one of those people on the job hunt and you know what you want. 

 

Like many job seekers, you are probably gunning for that one particular job that you know would fit your skill set.  Sure, you haven't happened upon it just yet, but there's no doubt in your mind that perfect job is out there waiting for you to stumble upon it.  You scour the same section repeatedly in the newspaper employment classifieds, and you know the search words you type in the online job search engine so well that they fly off your fingers each time you type them - word for word.
 
Stop right there.  It's no wonder you aren't getting many interviews!
 
Job hunters who limit what jobs they seek out are boxing themselves into a corner.  The experience of interviewing is not only a part of the process of landing a job, but the more you do it, the stronger your interview skills will become.  Opening the door to an array of job possibilities will not only help you develop your skills as an interviewee, but will help you wade through the quagmire of vocations out there and know for certain what you don't want to do.

 

This doesn't mean that if you are seeking a job as a teacher, you should interview with a bank, or if you want to be a daycare provider, you should invest your time talking sales.  Channel your quest to jobs that reasonably fit your professional talents, and go from there.  Be somewhat selective, but keep your options open.

 

Remember, interviews are not just for the potential employer to evaluate your skill set.  Instead, you should view them as a double-sided coin where two parties both get a chance to flip and see if the other one fits their needs.
 
So just because you're not so keen on a particular job doesn't mean you should pass up the chance to at least set foot in the door and see what it's all about.  Use those interviews as sessions to practice your interview technique and get a more concrete idea of where your talents stand.  The more you interview, the more polished your interview techniques will be, and the more prepared you will be when that perfect job opportunity does in fact appear. 

What does the Receding Economy mean from your Point of View?

 

Uboast insider Fred Siegmund tackles the labor market:

 

Q: With all this news about the stock market crash are things much lower than they used to be in terms of finding a job?

A: The results of the forecasts of recession will take 3 to 6 months to determine, but either way jobs have been doing poorly for several years. Starting from December 2007 seasonally adjusted national establishment employment is down 760,000 jobs.

 

Q: Which types of jobs caused this decline?

A: The decline was a mixture of 673,000 jobs gone in manufacturing, construction and mining, a 296,000 decrease in private sector service jobs, but a 209,000 increase in government services employment, including education.

 

Q: So there's an increase in government jobs?

A: If we back up two years to September 2006 and look at change for the last 24 months then national employment is up 790,000 jobs, but government employment is up 486,000. The government increase in jobs is offsetting lagging job growth or actual declines in other sectors of the economy, which is good news.

 

Q: What other job sectors have improved as of late?

A: Since December 2007 service providing employment is down in wholesale and retail trade, transportation, publishing, broadcasting, telecommunications, finance, insurance, real estate, and selected areas of hospitality, art, entertainment and recreation.

 

Q: What has increased in jobs?

A: Several service areas have continued to increase in jobs, which are government, health care and a selection of professional services. Two-thirds of the government employment increase is jobs in education and the rest in government administration and social services. Among professional services architecture, engineering, computer services and some managerial and technical and social services have current gains and look the best for finding a job in a stagnate market.

 

Q: So for each specific person, what actually determines whether they have a good chance of getting a job. Does their major have to do with it or is it the job sector they're applying for?

A: Individual job prospects depend on a balance between openings by occupation and graduates by program of study. These openings are a combination of growth in the number of new jobs and jobs that are available because some leave a job and an occupation and have to be replaced.

 

Q: Are sectors of the economy recession proof?

A:  Yes. School funding and educational expenditures are less subject to recessionary pressures than other sectors of the economy. Those with BA degrees in education or BA degrees in social and physical sciences with educational certification can expect to find jobs without long delays. Also, health care. This industry will continue to be a source of openings for a variety of BA degree specialties, which do not include physicians, but do include registered nursing. Registered nursing is one of the largest occupations with over 2.3 million jobs and with forecasted openings around 100 to 104 thousand a year. Other specialties as medical and laboratory technologists and technicians, dietitians and nutritionist can expect openings and jobs with few delays. Computing, engineering, (especially civil, mechanical and electrical) architecture, surveyor, and social service are also fairly constant.

 

 

Q: Business seems like a surefire degree right now. What do you think?

A: Well, yes and no. Openings in managerial positions tend to require on-the-job experience and the MBA so they are seldom entry level positions. Even in normal times the BA degree in business is becoming preparation for admission into an MBA program. 

Positions for BA degree holders in business without managerial experience tend to be such non-managerial positions as loan officer or loan counselor, insurance underwriters, human resources, meeting and convention planners, tax preparation, real estate appraisal and business operations.

 

Fred Siegmund's writings can be found at

by Orrin Konheim

According to this article from Imperial Valley News (found here), the job market might be evolving with internet 2.0 because as the economy gets tighter, managers need to streamline the hiring process and web 2.0 can provide the much needed assist.

According to the article:
"Managers use it to eliminate useless - and costly - interviews and prescreen candidates before bringing them in for in-person interviews. And job hunters can use technology to distinguish themselves from the pack.

By using a Web-based video interviewing system, hiring managers can view video clips of job candidates, any time, any place, and share them with other decision makers."

A video or virtrual resume can create interest in a candidate and can be used as a tool for job hunters to get a quicker read on elements such as personality and job interest. This is clearly a growing trend and they already fall in with established practices that we do every day, such as log into facebook, linkedin or myspace.

In short, it is a saver of both time and resources for both parties, and with that, it looks to be a trend that will continue to grow. Networking is also a key to streamlining the process as job employers will continue to trade applications with each other.

by Logan Stewart

It seems like we can't even watch a simple television show these days without a barrage of political ads harping on the terminally bad state of the nation's economy. Candidates and the media like to latch on to snippets of news about recession and down times; in particular, those newer, headline-making doomsday pieces.  Those nuggets of information then get funneled across the AP wire and splashed across newspapers and magazines, and likewise make their way into TV and radio chatter.  
 
So where does all of this desolate heresey leave you, the job seeker?  The US Labor Department reported earlier this year that the US economy had a net loss of 20,000 jobs in April 2008.  While this was the fourth consecutive month that the number of lost jobs had increased, it was actually an improvement over the three previous months. That's right; the situation is NOT as bad as it comes across.
 
Realistically, some industries are no doubt in a rut right now.  We've all heard about the mortgage crisis, the banks and financial services situations, and goodness knows the talk about the rising cost of gas never stops.  Right now, these are not particularly good sectors in which to seek a job.  Yet despite these seemingly huge crises, our nation's employment rate is still hovering at 94%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.  
 
The key to finding a job right now is to strategize and streamline your efforts.  Here are some key steps you can take to keep your career search stable and on the right path:   

Tell Everyone!  Being unemployed is nothing to be ashamed of.  You would be amazed at how many people have been in your situation and will actually want to share their stories of trial and triumph with you.  The more people you keep in your network and keep in the loop about your job hunt, the more likely they will be to remember you when they hear about an opportunity.
 
Spend Less time on Job Websites. Hiring managers are generally swamped with tens, even hundreds, of resumes from job search engines.  Many of those applications are irrelevant and get tossed. While it's okay to apply for a few jobs you see that really interest you, make the bulk of your job search networking through people you know.

Seek Out Specific Companies.  Make a list of the top ten or twenty companies that you would like to work for.  Then get on their websites and browse their career or employment sections.  If you know people within the industry, by all means get in touch with them for the inside scoop.
 
Talk to Headhunters.  In case you're not familiar with them, headhunters are recruiting firms that specialize in niche professions such as law, banking, or human resources.  Get in touch with a local staffing firm that seeks employees for the sector you want to work in.  The resulting jobs may not be the most glamorous, but they are steady.  Note:  there is actually a need for professional skills right now, particularly in finance and accounting, science and engineering, healthcare, nursing, and technology and IT fields.

Finding a job takes time, even in the best of economic situations.  So don't despair yet; there's no need to feel like your days at the unemployment office will never end.  The upside of all the negative talk?  History has shown us time and time again that recessions are only temporary and the economy will eventually always turn back around.

from the Uboast team,

Good news....uboast is showing increasing prominence on the webs at some hot technoblogs. This means that more employers will be paying attention to uboast in the near future and the uboast community will be having higher and higher prominence. Good job on the PR team for getting the word out about us

"Job Interview 2.0: How Technology is Transforming the Job Hunt"- Imperial Valley News

Article on "Killer Startups"

Mashable.com

"Revolutionizing the World of Startups"- SCommerce: The Social Commerce Blog

by Logan Stewart,

 

Do you have a Facebook page?  What a question.  Of course you do!  In this technology-crazed era, not being connected on a social media site like Facebook, Myspace, or LinkedIn is almost as antiquated as not having an email address. 

 

Rewind to 2006, a little after the dawn of the Facebook revolution, when the site was finally becoming mainstream and you could join regardless of whether or not you were affiliated with a college.  I resisted because not only did it seem like a chore to go through the time-consuming steps to set up a detailed profile, but I just wasn't sure I wanted to put my personal face on display for the vast World Wide Web.  I finally gave in to many friends' cajoling and joined, and the site that once seemed a nuisance to me quickly became an addiction. 

 

I learned quickly how to acquire friends, and as I added them I was amazed at the people that seemed to virtually crawl out of the woodwork.  My friend collection spanned long-forgotten kindergarten pals, current and former co-workers, and drinking buddies.  I became friends with my brother's friends, people I met at the gym, and yes, my ex-boyfriend from middle school.  When I topped 500 friends, I was secretly a little bit smug.  Who knew I was so popular?

 

Meanwhile, I'd also discovered the photo sharing opportunities that Facebook offered.  I displayed the requisite Friends and Family albums, but after a while I got a bit edgier and created "Nights Out in Vegas" and "Don't Ever Mix Bourbon and Red Wine" albums.  Various friends would post comments about my photos such as "was that before or after you threw up?" 

 

One day, Facebook sent me an email that someone had commented on one of my photos, as the site normally does. But when I clicked to the photo, I did a double take and for a moment, all I could do was stare at the computer screen. 

 

The photo in question was of me on an innocent night of debauchery with some friends.  I was sticking my tongue out suggestively at the camera, can of beer in hand, and a platonic friend was licking my earlobe.  "I hope this wasn't the night before your big presentation!" my boss had commented. 

 

That's right, my boss.  It somehow slipped my mind that even she was on Facebook, and oh, yeah, at some point I had in fact added her as one of my hundreds of friends.

 

Luckily, my boss is a fairly laidback person, and her comment was nothing more than gentle teasing.  But nonetheless, it was embarrassing, and it did drive home a point.  Social media seems to be the rage now, but it can be easy to get caught up in the amusement and forget that sites like these present a whole new scenario when it comes to background information and your professional appearance.  Any information you post on sites like these ultimately risks being seen by anyone, be it your neighbors, your exes, or current or potential employers.  And in the game of career-building, reputation can be everything.  I'm just grateful it was my immediate boss who saw my photos, and not the company CEO!