Redsplur.com

News Update!!!!

Greetings RedSplur Nation:

We have recently added a new feature to our site.  Over the past few months, we have been thinking about how to improve our blogging platform, while helping our community through this tough economy….our solution…BlazinRedJobs from the RedSplur.com.

Not a member of RedSplur.com?  Don’t worry, no registration required to search for jobs….just a quick search for the type of jobs you are looking for and the location…presto you get immediate results.   Quick, simple yet robust search engine to help you see all the jobs available across the US. 

But don’t take my word for it….come and check out our newest feature.  We hope you enjoy it..

Well…Colorado is the first state to drop it’s minimum wage by 3 cents per hour.  It’s minimum wage was set last year at $7.28 and will be reduced to $7.25 this week.  Colorado is one of ten states that the minimum wage is directly tied to state inflation and the goal was to protect low income workers from getting hit on their paychecks as cost of living rises. 

But this change in minimum wages has some side effects…such as the this would allow state wide wage decreases.  Many people that are unemployed or have been working part time jobs to make ends meet have already been struggling on a daily basis. 

There are 13 states including Alaska that offer higher minimum wages than the federal minimum wage.  We have attached a couple of links to help you take a closer look at your wages in comparison to other states. 

Fact Sheet on Fair Wage Act 2007 – http://www.vtlivablewage.org/Fact_Sheet-FEDMINWAGE.pdf

Overview of Minimum Wages – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_the_United_States

Salary Comparison – http://www.salary.com/

PayScale – http://www.payscale.com/

Cost of Living Calculator – http://www.bestplaces.net/COL/

We hope that this information is helpful and useful. 

In a recent news article published by Business Week from the Bloomberg website on January 09, 2010, it talked primarily about the current unemployment rate and discouraged workers.  It was noted that the current unemployment rate was actually higher than the official published numbers. 

This article actually brought up a great point.  The point was about discouraged workers and how the number has been increasing to 929,000 last month.  This number is the highest since 1994.  So as I continued to read the article it discussed how many unemployed workers felt disillusioned with the possibility of finding employment.   This feeling is partially created by the length of time it is taking to find employment and the stress associated with on a monthly basis with employment. 

It was believed that things would change in 2010 due to the belief that the economy was changing and that it would become easier to find jobs.  While the economy is stabilizing, economist feel that the unemployment will continue at a rate of 10.5 over the next year which has kept the Federal Reserve at a stand still reflected in the near zero interest rates.

We suggest that you read the entire article on your own…

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-09/shrinking-u-s-labor-force-keeps-unemployment-rate-from-rising.html

A recent survey shows that the majority of people that are currently employed are not satisfied.  This is no surprise to anyone out there…but in case you want to read the entire article…click the link below.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34691428/ns/business-careers

Recruitment Professionals at Spectra Personnel Services

Looking for employment?  Over the past year, the unemployment has been continuously rising and many workers are finding themselves unemployed for the first time. 

Several weeks back, one of our bloggers wrote their one of their first blogs about being unemployed and that they had tryed for several months to acquire employment.  So the people at Redsplur decided to find some strategies to helping people find employment.  We have outlined a few pointers to help everyone….we hope they will prove to be useful.

• Updating your Resume – One of the biggest challenges that unemployed workers have is using an outdated resume.  Remember that old saying….your first impression is what counts?  Well in this case…your resume is your first impression.   Don’t apply to jobs using an outdated resume….this is a major no-no.  Make sure you have accurate and current information.  Specifically with your dates, your job functions, company information, and check for grammatical errors. 
• Cast a Wide Net – Make sure you tapping into several job posting websites.  We all know the big ones….careerbuilder.com, hotjobs.com, and monster.com.  But there are several smaller ones that are more niche based.  This can provide you a more detailed and indepth look at your industry.  Don’t think that just because you have your resume on a large site that you will get a job….remember that just like you several thousands of people are doing the exact same thing.  We would even suggest using job search engines to help you identify more jobs such as indeed.com and simplyhired.com.   In our blog section you will find an indeed banner just for this post…try it….its free and we think its a valuable resource.
• Be prepared - When you begin looking for job opportunities be realistic.  In many occassions, applicants sometimes feel that because they had performed a job 5 or 10 years back that they could still perform the job functions.  Be prepared and study the exact requirements.  Many things have changed over the past few years such as technology, laws, and certifications.  By no means are we telling you not to apply….what we want is for you to be prepared….study the job description, the company, and be ready to answer questions about your work history pretaining to this job.
• Stay updated – As the ecomony continues to change and the workplace environment tightens, many employers have been making salary cuts and reductions in order to maintain operations through these rough times.  Use salary guides to stay updated on what employers are currently paying for the type of job you are seeking.  Dont over shot or under sell yourself…stay focused.
• Last but not least…Temp? – Many companies have been outsourcing some of the work to temporary agencies.  It might not be your first choice but it will provide a paycheck and an opportunity to get introduced into a permanent position. 

We hope these bits of information are useful.  Good luck!

Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in June 2009,
not seasonally adjusted

June peak

Industry                                                        Initial claims     Year                  Initial Claims                                          

Elementary and secondary schools …………..  28,751                 2009                 28,751
School and employee bus transportation ……     18,930              2007                 21,611
Food service contractors ………………….            12,113              2007                 14,527
Temporary help services (1) ……………….           8,567                2000                 13,815
Child day care services …………………..              7,911                2007                9,115
Construction machinery manufacturing ……        7,454                2009                7,454
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing      7,034                       1998                 7,608
Professional employer organizations (1) …..       5,303                2009                 5,303
Motion picture and video production ………..      3,578                2000                9,435
Aircraft manufacturing ……………………              3,365                2009                 3,365

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said Wednesday that private-sector companies in New Jersey added 13,000 jobs in July, breaking 17 months of consecutive job cuts that stretch back to January 2008. While the private sector added employees, 7,100 public-sector jobs were cut in July as the state’s unemployment rate rose to 9.3 percent, up from 9.2 percent in June. Economists familiar with New Jersey employment numbers encouraged caution, indicating that the recession has employment numbers — considered a lagging indicator of a recovery — in flux. Pat O’Keefe, chief economist for J.H. Cohn, in Roseland, called July’s numbers “a pleasant surprise.” He closely tracks the state’s weekly unemployment claims, which he said show layoffs slowed over the past couple of months, “and today’s data suggests there may even be some hiring going on.” But O’Keefe warned “we have to be careful not to draw sweeping conclusions out of one month’s data.” He said until there are a couple of months of confirmation, he can’t say whether July’s numbers represent an upward trend. According to preliminary estimates by the state agency, industry sectors reporting job growth in July included leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, construction, and professional and business services. Leading the areas recording losses was the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which eliminated 4,500 jobs for the month. The financial activities and education and health services sectors lost 600 and 500 jobs, respectively. A detailed breakdown of the job gains and losses in the state for July can be found in a report posted on the agency’s Web site. Each month’s employment report is compiled through a telephone survey of Garden State companies, and provides only an estimate of employment numbers. The actual figures are adjusted annually following a more complete survey. Joel Naroff, founder and president of Naroff Economic Advisors, said he was surprised by the July employment jump, but said job numbers are volatile right now because the recession is ending; employment numbers could jump around over the next few months. “You can’t just take one month — I’d like to see a trend,” he said. “When the economy turns, the data are never consistent — you can be up big one month and down the next.” But Naroff said the national economy is turning up, and New Jersey appears to be following the national trend. “It would certainly be welcome news,” Rutgers University economist Jim Hughes said. “Let’s hope it’s not revised down in February.”

By Beth Fitzgerald and João-Pierre Ruth

E-mail to editorial@njbiz.com

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.

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!!!