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Lou Dobbs, take note: immigrants are good for our economy. The most skilled create jobs in technology and engineering, says Duke professor Vivek Wadhwa, who estimates that in 2005 immigrant-founded engineering and tech companies employed 450,000 people and generated $52 billion in sales. But even the least skilled more than repay their costs in schools and health care. Two highly respected Australian economists, Maureen Rimmer and Peter Dixon, studied the issue for the libertarian Cato Institute. “The net impact on U.S. households from tighter border enforcement is unambiguously negative,” they found, because even low-skilled immigrants expand the economic pie and create jobs farther up the ladder. Cato’s Dan Griswold says the study shows a $250 billion difference between the most and least restrictive immigration policies.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood announced Friday afternoon a $298.7 million transit capital grant to NJ Transit for 13 projects to improve aging infrastructure, ease traffic congestion and create jobs in the Garden State. The grant is part of the $423 million the public transit agency is receiving from the federal government under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly called the federal stimulus, according to the Office of the Governor.
The stimulus funds “represent the largest transit grant issued to date by the Federal Transit Administration,” said Gov. Jon S. Corzine, in a statement. Based on estimates that 7.7 jobs are created for every $1 million invested, the nearly $300 million in funding will generate more than 2,000 jobs in New Jersey, according to the governor’s office.

The ARRA funds currently are being directed to the 13 projects, all of which are under way or scheduled to begin by the end of the year, the office said.

The projects with the largest funding amounts are the final design and construction of the trans-Hudson rail tunnel, which will be awarded $130 million; the rehabilitation of NJ Transit’s bus fleet, which will receive $35 million; and the second phase of the Lower Hack Bridge rehabilitation, which will be allocated $30 million. NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton Line trains travel over the three-track bridge to cross the Hackensack River between Kearny and Jersey City.

Other funded projects include the new Pennsauken Transit Center that will connect the River Line and Atlantic City line, a new Plauderville Station in Bergen County, and a new 500-space parking lot that will more than double the parking capacity at Edison Station.

E-mail Evelyn Lee @ elee@njbiz.com
By Evelyn Lee
8/14/2009

A new survey reveals that many employees want to leave their current jobs.  Here is the video from ABC News based on the survey.   It is very interesting finds in the survey.  Watch the Video!

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7932529

Over  the past few years, there has been a steady incline in the demand for more effective and less costly methods to recruit talent.  One such change has come through Online Job Postings.   This new method has replaced the one conventional method of placing current job openings with your local newspapers to providing an online listing of jobs.  This new trend has created several opportunities for small businesses that once could only have the capacity to reach localized talent, to now attracting candidates across the country. 

But just as the opportunities have increased for employers to find great talent across the country, it has also created the flexibility of employees viewing and applying for career opportunities that would mostly likely go unnoticed.   So how does this affect the common person trying to apply for a current opening or job listing? 

Simple…you have to expand your horizons.   One of the biggest mistakes, people make when applying online is that they have not done their research.   They often do a search for a specific category such as Sales or Customer Service…they see a job posting and submit their resume.   Did you take the time to read and review the job description, the location, or more importantly the company your applying to? 

Over the past few years, job posting sites have become more advance in their features and more streamlined in the recruitment process.  Each job posting offers a plethora of information designed to help narrow and target a specific candidate.  Such information as location, hours of operation, job description, responsibilities, skill set, and most importantly wage information.   Don’t overlook this information, as it is placed there for a specific reason.  To help answer all your questions about the job and the type of role you will be playing within the company. 

The second area that often eliminates candidates from a great job is your resume.  Remember that the first impression an employer gets is more than likely the deal maker.  In this competitive market, you need to make sure your resume floats to the top of the list, because you are competing against local and national talent pools.   Your resume should be a reflection of both you and your professionalism.   In other words, it will be the defining moment of whether or not a recruiter will interview you or not.   Here are a few tips to help you create or improve your resume:

• Alignment – is your resume well indented and aligned properly.  Make sure it has the proper indentation and that it appears clean and well designed.
• Dates – please make sure your previous dates of employment are correct.   Providing errors on dates and/or incorrect information about your previous employment could appear to an employer that you are not careful about the quality of work or that you are lying on your application. 
• Spelling – make sure you use check speller.  One of the worst things on a resume is grammatical errors.  If you don’t believe me, ask a recruiter on your next interview.   Most recruiters are reviewing about 50-100 resumes per job posting.  They quickly glance at resumes and an automatic ejection is poor alignment and grammar mistakes. 
• Customization – so what do you really need to have in a resume?  Remember what I said earlier…study the job description and the company.  In your resume, make sure you highlight your work experience that is relevant to the job you are applying to.  DO NOT INVENT INFORMATION.  This goes back to the information above…don’t lie.  Be honest about your work experience. 

I hope that this information will help you with your next career move.  Best of luck!!!

When the economy takes a downward trend…the normal reaction for small businesses is to reduce the marketing and advertising budget to help reduce costs.  But the best scenario is not to reduce your marketing but to refocus and concentrate your efforts to ensure your brand and message is reaching your targeted audience. 
We suggest that you create a recession marketing strategy designed to help maintain your name in front of the pack.  Here are a few steps that we suggest…

• Redefine your customers buying behavior.  Similar to your reaction…your customers will also tighten up.  Changing the way they evaluate purchases.  By redefining your products to the new customer perceptions you can capitalize on new markets and consumers.
• Understanding your investment dollars.  An essential part in any marketing strategy is to measure your return on your investment dollars.  In other words, how much are you getting for your dollars.  By identifying areas where the ROI is relatively small, you can redirect your campaigns to more fruitful areas.
• Maintaining contact on existing customers.  Have you ever heard the saying, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”   Stay focused on your existing customers and increase the lines of communication between you and them.  Remember that the market is tightening and so are the belts…so customers want to ensure that they are spending their money on trusted brands or services.  This is also a great opportunity to get a better understanding of what is happening in the market and what is on the minds of your customers.