Monthly Archives: October 2014

Want a College Major That’ll Get You Hired?

college_major_webIf you answered yes, you may want to consider studying business, engineering, or nursing.

According to a new report released by Express Employment Professionals, college graduates who have a business, engineering, accounting, or nursing degree will have a much easier time finding jobs than graduates in other professions.

By the Numbers

More than a quarter of the survey’s 115 respondents said business was the best major for finding employment, followed by engineering, accounting, nursing, computer, and information sciences.

“Business is still a good bet for a college major, according to our survey,” said Bob Funk, CEO and Chairman of the Board for Express. “Once again, our findings tell us that if you earn a degree that’s associated with a particular skill set, you will do better in the job market.”

In the second year of the survey, business remains the top answer.

“I advise people deciding what to study to consider both what they’re passionate about and what the market demands,” Funk said. “If those intersect, they’re in good shape. The most important thing is to be informed about and aware of which degree can give you a competitive advantage, both in the short term and the long term.”

A Closer Look

For college-bound students, here are the full results of the survey:

What college major makes someone the most employable?

2014

2013

Business

27%

26%

Engineering

20%

16%

Accounting

14%

14%

Nursing

6%

3%

Computer and Information Sciences

5%

13%

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Humanities

5%

2%

Engineering Technologies

4%

3%

Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences

3%

8%

Marketing

3%

3%

Education

1%

1%

Math and Statistics

1%

1%

Science Technologies

1%

1%

Communications Technologies

0%

1%

Finance

0%

3%

National Numbers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salaries for these jobs are also competitive. Consider this: the second most in-demand major is engineering, which averages a median starting salary of $51,700 to $97,900. Computer science has a median starting pay of $56,000 while nursing’s median pay is $65,470 per year.

Do these in-demand college degrees surprise you? Have you had success with these jobs? Share your stories in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Are You a Job Search Zombie? Bring Your Job Search Back to Life

jobsearch_zombie_webThe fifth season debut of The Walking Dead has everyone talking, showing that the popularity of all things zombie is not going away anytime soon. And with Halloween right around the corner, the undead will be a popular choice for anyone dressing up for a costume party or a night of trick or treating.

Here are three job search lessons you can learn from the undead, and three reasons you want your efforts to find work to be full of life and anything other than zombie-like.

What Zombies Can Teach You

1. Move in packs
While zombies can be managed fairly easily one on one, when they arrive in large groups, they can use their numbers to have a greater impact. And when you utilize your network of friends and family, you’ll start to see a big difference in the life of your job search.

2. Never be satisfied
The undead just can’t seem to get enough, and neither should you. If you recently found a great job you’d like to apply for, t’s now time to put in the hard work of researching the company and developing your resume and cover letter to fit the specifics of the job description.

Maybe you just wrapped up a solid job interview and are ready to get back home and sit lifelessly on the couch. Resist the urge to zone out, and start writing your thank you note to those who you interviewed you. It will likely put you one step ahead of your competition.

3. No pain, no gain
How many times have we seen survivors of the zombie apocalypse make the mistake of attacking a zombie somewhere other than their brain? It’s well-known rule that a body-blow does nothing but slow down “walkers.”

Treat your job search the same way. Getting a “no” is bound to happen, and you’ll likely get several of them before you finally get a job offer. Don’t let the disappointment of not getting a job kill your job search. Susan P. Joyce of the Work Coach Café blog believes that a job rejection can be a move in the right direction. “Try to think of every rejection as bringing you one step closer to that better job that is waiting for you, just around the corner.”

Lessons for Keeping Your Search Alive

1. Zombies don’t require vital systems to survive
The undead are exactly that: dead. Other than the desire to feed on those lucky enough to be alive, they don’t have brain activity or a beating heart. Your search will take every part of you to be successful. When you put your knowledge, talent, and connections to work, you’ll have a great chance at finding your next job.

2. They have limited mobility
In most zombie apocalypse stories, the undead move very slowly and with a limp. If your most recent job search efforts sound anything like that, it’s time to change up what you’re doing.

Check out one of these five great job preparation interview apps available on most smart phones, or begin volunteering with a local charity and you’ll start to see your job search move much faster.

3. The undead don’t think critically
How many zombies have you seen walking around checking their Facebook or LinkedIn to see what‘s going on with their friends? Zero would be our guess. Put your healthy and functioning brain to work and think about the ways you can use technology to your advantage during your job search.

Avoid being a mindless, wandering job search zombie and use some job search tools you may not have thought about yet.

What else can the characteristics of zombies teach us about a job search? Let us know in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Jobs Worth Going Back to School For

going_back_to_school_webAre you looking for a job or thinking about changing careers? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, a recent survey by CareerBuilder indicated that 21% of full-time employees plan to make a job change. This averages to one in five workers making a switch! In March, CareerBuilder also stated that more than half of all employers have open positions but can’t find qualified candidates, while 35% of employers said their organizations have had positions open for an average of 12 weeks before filling.

So, what’s the deal?

Training vs. Already Trained
Companies today are no longer seeing the value of on-the-job training for new employees like they once did, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek. This is credited to employees changing jobs more frequently today than in the past. Instead of training employees themselves, companies are hiring for certain pre-existing skill sets and want employees to hit the ground running.

If education and experience are musts for landing the job you want, what industries are worth going to back to school for?

Future Top Industries
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top occupations expected to experience growth between now and 2022 are:

  1. Healthcare Support (28.1%)
  2. Healthcare practitioners and Technical occupations (21.5%)
  3. Construction (21.4%)
  4. Personal care (20.9%)
  5. Computer and mathematics (18%)

To see the complete BLS report, click here.

Today’s Top Jobs
According to US News Best Jobs for 2014, the top 20 current jobs are:

  1. Software Developer
  2. Computer Systems Analyst
  3. Dentist
  4. Nurse Practitioner
  5. Pharmacist
  6. Registered Nurse
  7. Physical Therapist
  8. Physician
  9. Web Developer
  10. Dental Hygienist
  11. Information Systems Analyst
  12. Database Administrator
  13. Physician Assistant
  14. Occupational Therapist
  15. Market Research Analyst
  16. Phlebotomist
  17. Physical Therapist Assistant
  18. Civil Engineer
  19. Mechanical Engineer
  20. Veterinarian

For a complete list, click here.

If you’re not satisfied with where you are professionally, there is still time to change and plenty of opportunities waiting. From traditional education to career technical education, your options are limitless. Seize the day!

How has your education impacted your career path? Share your story in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Four Easy Ways to Celebrate Your Boss on Boss’ Day

Boss_day2_webThursday, Oct. 16, is Boss’ Day – a whole day to celebrate your manager and all they do, from offering career advice and guidance to providing paychecks and having the power to offer you a promotion.

Much about a job depends on the manager. Originally, this fun day started as a way to say thank you to bosses, but has since gained popularity for being an opportunity to build relationships with managers and co-workers.

As everyone knows, there are some bosses who are wonderful and others who aren’t as great. They often have the ability to make you love your job or send you running for the hills in frustration. In fact, a previous Movin’ On Up poll revealed that 13% of people who left their jobs did so because they weren’t getting along with their supervisor.

Regardless of whether or not you like your boss, positive workplace relationships, especially when it comes to managers, are important for job success and work satisfaction. So, here are four easy ways to celebrate your leader and help give your career a boost. And remember, it doesn’t hurt to do these every day, not just on Boss’ Day!

 1.       Show Up to Work On Time

In your boss’ eyes, time is money. You were hired to perform a task for a certain number of hours of the day, and your manager expects you to fulfill your end of the bargain. It’s understandable you’re going to be late sometimes due to traffic, illness, trying to get the kids out the door, or car problems. But when you show up late repeatedly it communicates that you don’t really like your job and don’t want to be there. Ease your boss’ stress in the morning – be on time!

 2.       Be a Self-Starter

Bosses love to see their employees take the initiative on projects. Are there any ways to make your work better than it already is? If so, do it. Is there a class you want to take to enhance your skills? Ask if you can enroll. Find one thing on boss’ day to do that you weren’t asked to – it won’t go unnoticed.

 3.       Fight the Temptation to Complain

When you have a work problem you want to vent about, choose not to. Instead, use that energy to your advantage and try to find a positive solution on your own. Rather than make a big deal out of it and attract unnecessary attention, show that you can approach the problem calmly and professionally. It’s okay if you can’t solve the issue and need your manager’s help. Just be sure to voice possible solutions you came up with.

 4.       Be Kind

You never know how far a kind word can go. Tell your boss what a great job they did leading a recent meeting or handling a difficult client or customer. It could even be as simple as a “thank you” for what he or she does every day. It’s expected for supervisors to give words of praise when employees do things well, but who is there to offer recognition when leaders do something right? Bosses need encouragement, too.

These four tips are sure to make Boss’ Day 2014 a success. Although they may be simple, they can deliver a mighty impact and could enhance your career.

Have any other advice or words of wisdom for celebrating Boss’ Day? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Think: Tips for Living a Peak Performer’s Life

walterbond_webAre you so busy with the day-to-day tasks of your life that you aren’t taking time to think about what you’re doing, or if you even enjoy doing it? For job seekers, the monotony of filling out applications, emailing resumes, and perfecting your interview skills can eventually take a toll on how you think about your life each day. The same is true for those new to the career world as they try to work their way up in a company or learn the ins and outs of their work environment.

According to former professional basketball player and motivational speaker Walter Bond, “We work so hard that we don’t have time to think. We don’t have time to use innovation and creativity…We are so busy ‘doing’ that we don’t leave time to think.”

If this sounds like you, don’t panic. Finding yourself so busy that you don’t take time to really think about what you’re doing is something that happens to almost everyone, and it can be reversed with a little effort.

In the first of a year-long series of motivational messages, Walter Bond discusses the importance of making time to stop and think in order to focus on where you are, where you’re going, and where you want to be.

Do you sometimes find yourself so busy with work or in your job search that you don’t allow yourself time to think? Let us know in the comments section below!

About Walter Bond
A former American professional basketball player, Walter Bond’s NBA career included 153 games with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Detroit Pistons. Now, Walter takes what he learned from his life on the court and translates it into motivational and educational messages for thriving businesses and careers. With entertaining and dynamic messages, Walter has spoken to companies and associations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe.

For more information about Walter Bond, visit WalterBond.com.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

The Results Are In: Do You Plan on Looking for Seasonal Work This Year?

results_holidayhiring_webThe holiday season is the busiest time of year for many businesses, and it’s just around the corner! Since some employers look to staffing companies during this peak shopping season, we asked Movin’ On Up readers if they plan on looking for seasonal work this year.

The results suggest that the majority of those polled do plan on looking for seasonal work, citing two specific reasons for doing so. Out of the 76% of readers who plan to look for holiday work, 39% said “seasonal jobs could lead to permanent work after the holidays,” and 37% believe “seasonal jobs are a great way to bring in additional income during the holidays.”

In contrast, only 21% of readers either don’t plan on looking for seasonal work or aren’t sure if they will yet. Out of those, 9% said “I’d rather find something more permanent,” and 3% said “I don’t have any interest in seasonal jobs.” Jobseekers who haven’t decided if they will look for seasonal work made up 9% of the total results.

There are many benefits to looking for a seasonal job during the holidays, including the possibility of full-time employment, training, and additional income during heavy shopping months. According to our poll, three out of four jobseekers plan to look for work this holiday season. Are you one of those jobseekers? Have you secured a seasonal job in the past? Share your holiday hiring success stories in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Phone Interviews: Impress in 30 Minutes or Less

phoneinterview_oct2014_webWhen you’re on the hunt for a new job, you know that interviews are just part of the process. You may love them or hate them, but they are expected and shouldn’t come as a surprise. But, these days more and more employers are using phone interviews to screen out candidates, which could cause anxiety for some job seekers

Forbes explains that this allows employers to “sort through candidates without committing to the expense and time required for on-site meet-ups.”

Job board and career advisement site Monster.com echoes the same observations. “Many companies use phone interviews as an initial employment screening technique for a variety of reasons. Because they’re generally brief, phone interviews save companies time. They also serve as a more realistic screening alternative for cases in which companies are considering out-of-town, or out-of-state, or international candidates.”

With that reality in mind, it’s important that job seekers begin to anticipate the likelihood of phone interviews. Here’s five tips to help you ace your next phone interview and make the right impression within the first 30 minutes.

Treat It Like Any Other Interview
As one hiring manager told Yahoo Finance, “A phone interview is still an interview, not an informal phone call with a friend.” You still have to be ready to put your best foot forward. SO, be ready for some tough interview questions.

Set Yourself Up For a Win
Before your phone interview, you need to have confirmed several pieces of important information. Double-check the exact time of the call; find out the anticipated length of time the call will last; and clarify who’s calling whom, and who will be on the call. All of this information will help you know what to expect and be better prepared for the interview so you’ll make a good first impression.

Check Your Sound
Obviously you want your phone and environment to be conducive to the best call possible, but there’s another sound element that’s even more vital: the sound of your own voice. In fact, Forbes found that a job candidate not sounding awake, alert, and excited is the number one phone interview mistake. “Without visual cues, interviewers are paying extra close attention to the content of your answers and anything else they can glean from your voice. So, lackluster answers or low energy could be interpreted as a lack of interest…”

That means you need to be fully awake, have warmed up your voice, and have a smile on your face by the time the phone rings so they’re immediately impressed with your voice.

Do Your Homework
Just like an in-person interview, you should thoroughly research the company, position, and interviewers prior to the scheduled call. One of the plus-sides to phone interviews is you can have all your notes spread out and readily available to you during the conversation. However, don’t think you can research on the fly while you’re talking with the potential employer. You want everything organized in front of you so that when you need to reference your notes you aren’t distracted and the interviewers don’t hear the sound of rustling papers or typing. Being prepared to ask a thoughtful question or make an insightful comment will start the interview out on the right foot.

Be an Active Listener
In a phone interview, you don’t have the luxury of facial expressions or body language to aid in your listening and comprehension – you have to utilize your active listening skills. This is important throughout the entire phone call and vital to giving an overall good impression, but it’s especially important for the beginning of the call. You’ll want to match the names of the interviewers to their voices, allowing you to better phrase and direct your responses as the interview proceeds, and help you in the very important follow-up process.

US News explains it this way, “Employers usually have far more qualified candidates than they can interview, so they’ll look for ways to narrow down that pool. If you sound low-energy, unfriendly, distracted, or simply unprofessional, or if you chronically interrupt or don’t communicate clearly, they’ll put you straight into the ‘no’ pile.”  That means you must learn to ace phone interviews if you hope to impress potential employers and land the job you want.

What have been your own experiences with phone interviews? How do you prepare for and treat them differently than face-to-face interviews? Tell us in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.