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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Livermore blacksmith competes in "Hardest Working" video contest
Sixty-one-year-old Doug Roberts is the subject of a 143-second video about his trade as a horseshoe maker. Co-produced by his son, Chris Roberts, 28, the video is one of 10 finalists in a $100,000 contest sponsored by Mitchum Deodorant which bills itself the hardest working anti-perspirant in America. The contest follows the "hardest-working" theme with Roberts, in the role of blacksmith, competing against a cop, trash collector, drill instructor, mom and other hard workers.
| Jul 29 at 08:08 AM
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Bay Area man takes high-tech job search to the street
Out-of-work Bay Area professional Ken Donaldson thinks creativity is the key to finding his dream job in this tough environment. He recently took his search to Market Street in San Francisco where he made this presentation:
His resume is a separate movie:
| Jul 28 at 08:24 AM
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Oakland job recruitment fair for veterans on Thursday
Veterans are invited to a free job fair from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on Thursday, July 29 at the Oakland Coliseum. The fair is organized by Recruit Military, a group that helps firm recruit and hire U.S. Armed Forces veterans.
Participating employers include Lockheed-Martin Corp, New York Life, State Farm and the San Francisco Police Department. Further details are available on the event Web site.
| Jul 27 at 07:57 AM
Monday, July 26, 2010
New one-stop shop for a variety of help
My colleague Carolyn Said wrote Monday about the SparkPoint Center in Oakland -- a new concept being pioneered by United Way of the Bay Area to help working families build financial stability. It's a one-stop shop that brings together multiple agencies and counselors to help low-income people improve their credit, build their assets and increase their income.
"The idea is to offer one place for people struggling to make ends meet where they can get multiple services, support and resources," said Lorne Needle, vice president of community investment for United Way of the Bay Area. "It's designed to break the barriers that stop people in their tracks."
Besides Oakland (510-969-8774), SparkPoint centers have recently opened in three other Bay Area cities, in American Canyon (707-980-7024), San Bruno (650-738-7035) and San Rafael (415-526-7530; still in pilot phase). Four more are planned for later this year, in Richmond, Bay Point, Vallejo and Fairfield.
| Jul 26 at 10:42 AM
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tips to recharge your job search
I a couple of days ago a friend mentioned how many times he has heard job seekers describe their interests as "open to anything as long as it's a job."
This is a common job-search theme, and it probably has its roots in the notion that if you remain flexible, more jobs will be available to you.
My friend pointed out he had never read a job posting that read, "We are looking for anyone who can do anything." Postings cite a specific job title and the skill sets the employer is hoping to find. Most job seekers who use the "I will work anywhere" strategy end up going around in circles with their search efforts, feeling drained.
So how do you make your job search more productive? You put your plan into action. Having a plan provides direction, but without action, it's just a plan.
If you are not accomplishing what you had hoped for in your job search, consider joining a job search group or start a job club. There is power in a group that shares goals and challenges and provides accountability.
If you want to make your job search more productive, here are some tips. Even if you have been searching for a while, it's never too late to start something new.
1. Keep your focus. Put your plan into action by following through on at least one job-search activity every day. The more action you take, the more momentum you build.
2. Try a new job-search technique. If your job search is not producing results, then your techniques may be the problem.
3. Practice saying your introduction statement aloud. Your It should express what you want people to remember most about you. Aim to keep your introduction 15-30 seconds long.
4. Stay in contact with your networking group. You can do more than call - consider sending cards or interesting articles to those who have helped you. This goes a long way when developing rapport and creating good will.
5. Join a job club or job-search group. There, you can discuss leads, share ideas and find accountability.
6. Keep business cards handy. Job opportunities can pop up when you least expect them, so keep business cards with current contact information handy.
7. Use social networking sites to develop an online presence. Social networking is an excellent way to share information and ask for feedback, and these sites are available at night and on the weekend. The contacts you can make are virtually endless.
8. Beat shyness by taking a friend. If you are going to an event that seems overwhelming, take a friend along to help with introductions and build up your confidence.
9. Prepare questions in advance. This will keep the conversation moving during networking meetings. Learn how to create rapport by discovering what you and your contact have in common.
10. Follow up, follow up, follow up. All your work networking and creating rapport will go by the wayside if you don't following up with the contacts you made.
Where are you finding most of your job leads?
| Jul 22 at 09:02 AM
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Unemployment extension set to clear Senate
The New York Times reports that the bill to extend unemployment benefits cleared the most important procedural hurdle in the Senate and advanced to a final vote and all but certain passage, expected later today.
Democrats in the Senate moved ahead with the bill after an interim appointee, Carte Goodwin, was sworn in this afternoon to fill the West Virginia seat left vacant by the death of Robert C. Byrd and provide the 60th yes in a largely party-line vote.
The bill is expected to be approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
| Jul 20 at 12:57 PM
Senate to break filibuster on extending unemployment benefits?
The Associated Press reports that Senate Democratic leaders are ready to push for another vote on a $34 billion bill to extend unemployment insurance benefits in an attempt to break a Republican filibuster threat.
With West Virginia Democrat Carte Goodwin poised to claim the seat of the late Sen. Robert Byrd, two Republicans will be needed to push the measure over the filibuster hurdle. AP says Maine GOP moderates Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are expected to provide the key votes to create a filibuster-breaking tally on a key procedural test.
The National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group, has been releasing snapshots of Americans affected by the cutoff which is now in its 49th day. A first-person report from B.J. -- a city planner from Los Angeles who was earning $90,000 a year before being laid off in November 2008 -- includes these observations:
"Even though I qualified for benefits through the end of September, my unemployment checks stopped abruptly the week before the 4th of July . . . I was unable to pay July rent and was forced to pack up my belongings and move back to Texas to live with my mother. This move puts a serious kink in my job search, since I was involved in the interview process with an employer in California. To make my second interview, I will have to borrow money to pay for a plane ticket . . . No rational argument could possibly be made that a skilled, educated person with my background would prefer receiving unemployment to gainful employment, yet this argument is being made."
| Jul 20 at 10:55 AM
Monday, July 19, 2010
WaPo says big companies hoard cash avoid hires
Corporate America is sitting on cash that it is unwilling to use for hiring says a Washington Post story pegged to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event that accused the Obama administration of burdening business with regulations.
Big companies make up half the jobs picture. Small firms create the rest. A Bay Area banker has suggested a different reason for small firm caution on jobs.
Talking Friday about California's unemployment rate, Mechanics Bank chief financial strategist Brian Pretti described "a tale of two economies."
Pretti said global firms are doing reasonably well because they can often take advantage of stronger economies in Asia and the developing world to improve their results.
But smaller firms depend on the domestic economy which is not growing enough to cause them to hire. As Pretti noted, the U.S. economy depends on consumer spending and with nearly 15 million Americans out of work, personal income and consumer confidence are sagging.
| Jul 19 at 12:21 PM
Friday, July 16, 2010
Brochure, web site help over 55ers find jobs
Roughly 2.1 million American aged 55 and over are unemployed. The average duration of unemployment for jobseekers aged 55 and older is about 35.6 weeks, substantially above the 28.3 weeks for the unemployed under age 55. Studies show that it is more difficult for older job seekers to enter or reenter the workforce.
With this in mind the Eldercare Locator (www.eldercare.gov) and Senior Service America, Inc. (www.seniorserviceamerica.org) have developed a new brochure -- Employment Options: Tips for Older Job Seekers -- geared toward the older worker who has not searched for a job in many years.
The brochure offers advice on various stages of the job seeking process, including:
- How skills and experiences can be applied to a particular job.
- How to identify job leads when many positions are not advertised.
- Resume and interview tips.
- How to find and take advantage of community and online resources.
The Eldercare Locator is the first step to finding resources for older adults in any U.S. community. It is a free national service of the U.S. Administration on Aging and is administered by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Contact the Eldercare Locator at 800.677.1116 or www.eldercare.gov.
"As daunting as the job search process seems, many people over the age of 55 have something younger workers do not have: experience," said Sandy Markwood, CEO of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
| Jul 16 at 09:55 AM
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tech hiring recovery?
Employment in information technology occupations increased five percent in the second quarter of 2010 according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas says IT employment now totals just over 4,000,000, which is only slightly below where it stood in the third quarter of 2008, before a wave of layoffs hit the sector.
Meanwhile, Challenger tracking of hiring announcements reveals that in the first half of 2010 tech employers announced plans to add to 13,138 workers, compared to 11,534 in the first six months of 2009. According to Challenger, this represents just a tiny fraction of the potential hiring activity, since many companies do not publicize their hiring intentions.
"While hiring is improving, more than 230,000 IT professionals remain unemployed," said firm prinicpal John Challenger. He advised job seekers to "work their network of personal and professional contacts, attempting to secure more face-to-face meetings with people who can advance a job search."
| Jul 15 at 08:13 AM
Explore how to find, get and keep work with Tom Abate and Kimberly Thompson
By Tom Abate, Kimberly Thompson, Read Bios
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