Redsplur.com

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. 

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• Updating your Resume – One of the biggest challenges that unemployed workers have is using an outdated resume.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   Don’t apply to jobs using an outdated resume….this is a major no-no.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!

Still not convinced about Social Networking?  Wondering if there really could be any benefit to having a blog or is this just another media hype?  We have be wondering the same thing but our research showed that there are several key advantages to developing a blog and updating the world on your business.   Here are a few advantages I think you could find interesting….take a look.

• Creating a global business presence.  Thats correct…the Internet brings the world closer and closer to one another that you will find people in China reading about people in Mexico.   This intertwining connection gives small companies the same advantage that large companies have to market there products across the world.
• Collaboration.  Yes it’s true…through your blog, open forums, and discussions you can find experts in almost any subject matter.  (And just between us…we have been listening and asking and evolving through help from others)
• A Recruitment Tool.  Although this one is still relatively new…many HR professionals are using social blogs to discover and recruit unseen talent.  Thats right!  Tapping into new markets and talents to help create recruitment strategies.
• And the most important.  Cheap Marketing!  Yeah we said it.  Cheap marketing.  No longer do small and mid size companies have to empty bank accounts to afford marketing and advertising campaigns like the big boys.  In fact we are a prime example….we don’t have the heavy budgets like other social blogs…and guess what?  We are fine with that! 

Well we have given you 4 top reasons to change your method of doing business and to evolve with everyone else…but the final decision is yours. 

Here are 5 simple steps to making the most of your search engines.

1. Get a Domain name.
2. Take care with titles.
3. Use Keywords wisely.
4. Make your contact information obvious.
5. Link UP!  (We don’t think we can stress this one anymore)

This article can be found on Entrepreneur Magazine and written by:  Gwen Morgan – December 2008.

Gwen Morgan is co-author of The Complete Idiots Guide to Business Plans.  You can reach her at gwen@gwenmorgan.com

The U.S. Small Business Administration said Wednesday it launched its own channel at video sharing site YouTube to broaden its audience promoting the agency’s programs.

SBA is using the channel, online at www.youtube.com/sba, to post informational videos, starting with an overview of programs and services available to help small-business owners growing their companies.. The channel also features a 10-part “Delivering Success” series, which was co-produced with the U.S. Postal Service.

SBA said it plans to produce more in-depth videos about its programs to assist entrepreneurs, including government contracting, taking advantage of loan programs and counseling.

E-mail João-Pierre Ruth at jpruth@njbiz.com

The ACCION USA Microfinance Council hosts an engaging discussion on the challenges faced by domestic microfinance providers and how they will move forward. Distinguished panelists included: Gina Harman, President and CEO of ACCION USA; Lisa Servon, Dean of the New School for Management and Urban Policy; and Jonathan Morduch, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at NYU and Managing Director of the Financial Access Initiative.

ACCION USA Domestic Microfinance Panel, 7/27/09 from Erica Dorn on Vimeo.

Starting Out

We recently had the pleasure of attending a local job fair and noticed the magnitude of applicants looking for employment.   Some I would have to say have been displaced by former employers, others were seeking career changes, and others were simply there to observe current market conditions. 

As we continued to observe the event, we noticed several resumes that were perhaps not at correct par levels.  In other words, there were certain resumes that need to have a spell checker, a correction in indention, or just a simple review of the format. 

 We recently placed an outline of various types of formats currently being used to create your resume in a professional manner.  Please take a moment to review:

• Chronological – this type of resume starts with you work history and lists previous employment in reverse order.
• Functional – this resume reviews your skill set and work experience rather than listing previous employment.
• Combination – uses a combination of skills and experiences as well as a list of previous employment history.
• Targeted – a targeted resume is designed specifically to highlight your work experience and skill set to the type of job you are currently seeking.

We hope this information helps you in selecting the type of resume you would like to use and we always recommend that you use a spell checker and review your margins to ensure a quality resume.