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Most people enter a new year with a positive, hopeful outlook of what the next 12 months will hold for their lives. Unfortunately, that positive attitude is a little more hit-or-miss in regards to what 2014 holds for the job market.
Our recent poll of Movin’ On Up readers found that more than a third believe the market will get worse in 2014, with only 24% feeling tentatively positive and 19% feeling very positive about job growth this year. In contrast to last year’s similar poll of 2013 job market predictions, this year’s results seem to indicate a negative trend. For 2014, positive predictions fell 10% compared to 2013. However, national resources take a different view.

The Big Picture
The Wall Street Journal reports that “absent an economic shock, total jobs finally could surpass their pre-recession peak by mid-2014.” A recent WSJ survey revealed a general feeling of optimism from economists who predict that 198,000 jobs will be added each month. The chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, Mark Zandi, had an even more positive prediction, telling USAToday that he anticipates a monthly job gain of 225,000.

Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, has a good explanation of why there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what hiring will look like in 2014, based on the results from CareerBuilder’s Annual Job Forecast. “The general sentiment shared by employers whom CareerBuilder talks to every day is that there will be a better job market in 2014. What we saw in our survey was reluctance from some employers to commit to adding jobs until the outcomes of debt negotiations and other issues affecting economic expansion are clearer.”

What This Means for You
All of this uncertainty isn’t a license for you to give up on your job search this year. If these predictions are accurate, the farther into the year we get, the more companies will begin hiring. CareerBuilder’s survey also showed that 51% of the employer respondents currently had open positions for which they couldn’t find qualified workers. This skills gap can be a great advantage in your job hunt if you take the time to build up your knowledge and experience. Plus, almost half of the employers said they were willing to train employees who lacked the skills required for a position.

Some of the areas associated with the most hiring in 2014 include business development, sales, technology, and operations, according to Forbes. More than 25% of those employers surveyed by CareerBuilder reported they plan to create new jobs this year in science, technology, engineering, and math, with the biggest salary increases associated with sales and IT.

Whether you’re expecting good things or bad things from the job market over the next 12 months, don’t let your feelings or predictions affect your own personal job hunt. Take charge of your situation, get your name out there, and do what it takes to make yourself a desirable employee. At the end of the day, most employers are always looking for quality, hard-working people to add to their teams.
Do you have any specific predictions about this year’s job market? What do you do to make yourself a top candidate and increase the likelihood of getting hired? Please share your thoughts with the rest of us in the comments section below!

We’ve been there before. You’ve hit that entry-level slump where time seems to slow down and boredom is on the rise. Maybe job duties become repetitive or insignificant, and you start playing the game of counting down until the end of the work day.

Starting at the bottom and working your way to the top can seem very dull and boring at first. At some points, your workspace may look more like a prison. You start thinking of things you’d rather be doing and consider treating your boss like the office governor and begging for a pardon. It doesn’t have to be that way. Working at your job doesn’t have to be a constant battle with your clock.

The truth is you can actually enjoy yourself while at work. Keeping a positive attitude will not only help you be more productive, but it can also reflect favorably on your managers when they see you inject some life into the workplace. Here are some ways you can add some pizzazz to your workday.

Trim Your To-Do List
Take a look at your to-do list. Do you really have to accomplish all of it in one day? Odds are, you’ve already scheduled too many things into your workday. This can really bring down your fun, because deep down, you know you probably won’t get to everything on the list. Go ahead, shave off a few of the items and give yourself some extra padding on your other projects.

Cutting back on your daily project list won’t make you less productive, but will give you the time to make your projects your own. Take the extra time to look at your tasks differently and try to innovate. Some of the best ideas can come out of the strangest places when you brainstorm and think outside of the box. You’ll end up having fun and can show your managers that you’re leadership material with your new ideas.

Look Forward to Something
As soon as you clock in for work, you might long for the warmth of your bed or the welcoming arms of your recliner. One of the biggest reasons workers dread getting up in the morning is that they don’t plan any fun activities for themselves throughout the day. You should utilize breaks, if you aren’t already, to inject fun. You may think that you don’t have time, but your productivity will improve in the long run. Having little things to look forward to during the day greatly speeds up the day and lightens the mood. Try spicing up your shift with breaks that include activities you really enjoy outside of your work area. Catch up on your favorite TV show or book, take a walk outside, work on an art project, put together a jigsaw puzzle, or anything else that makes you look forward to the next break.

You don’t even have to take breaks alone. Find some co-workers who share your interests and invite them to take a 15 minute break to play a short game, discuss events from last night’s TV show, share photography, or any other activities you share. You’ll have fun as the day goes on, and you’ll also be able to grow and foster working relationships and friendship with co-workers, which can help your teambuilding skills.

Bribe Your Co-Workers
One of the best ways to beat the boredom at work is to involve others in the fun. While some may enjoy seclusion, eventually it will get to you. Odds are, there are several other co-workers looking for fun and excitement in the workplace too. Don’t be the one hoping fun comes to you, be the one who creates the fun. Email your co-workers asking for a joke and offer the one who submits the funniest joke a cup of coffee, or surprise co-workers with breakfast like bagels or fruit trays. If food isn’t your specialty, try making a CD of your favorite music to give to your co-workers or craft a special gift tailored to each co-worker. Have fun with your ideas and use your imagination, but always check with your manager before using any of your ideas or the ones listed in this blog.

You can also have fun by changing your workload with other workers or departments. Get with your boss and ask to help out another department with a project. You’ll get to meet people you might not be familiar with, your work will be a little different, and you’ll grow your skills set to be a more rounded employee.

The daily grind doesn’t have to be full of doom and gloom. A few simple things can help turn your attitude and performance around. While “entry-level” sounds Latin for “enter boredom,” it references a place to help get you where you’d like to go. In order to get there, you should have a little fun along the way. What have you tried to put a little spice in your daily work routine?

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