Category: Your Career (Page 27 of 62)

      4 Mobile Apps That Can Land You a Job

      May 25, 2012 /

      Hunting for a new job can be physically, emotionally, and mentally draining. There are the countless resumes you need to send out, and hundreds of interviews you need to take part in, and there is no guarantee that you’ll even land a job when it is all over.


      Image Courtesy of Flickr

      Before you are ready to throw your hands in the air and call it quits, what if there was a way to simplify the job hunting experience? Many job hunters are finding that with a few carefully chosen mobile app downloads they can simplify the job hunting experience, and improve their chances of landing a job.

      The following is a look at some of the best mobile apps that can help land you a job. Each mobile app is available for download on free phones, smartphones, Android phones, and iPhones.

      Pocket Resume

      One of the most mind-numbing tasks when it comes to applying for a job is having to send out the old job resume. The Pocket Resume mobile app gives you the tools to create an easy-to-read resume that can be instantly sent to any hiring manager with an email address. Imagine not only the time you’ll save, but the good impression you’ll make on employers by presenting an easy-to-read complete resume for a job opening.

      Business Card Reader

      “Here’s my card, give me a call and we’ll talk”, is a common phrase heard by individuals looking for a job. The Business Card Reader app will give you the tools you need to scan, download, and hold all the information from a business card in the palm of your hand. Just snap a photo of the business card and all the information such as addresses, phone numbers, and websites is instantly uploaded to your phone for future use. No longer will you have to spend hours searching for that long lost business card, because it is all right in your smartphone.

      SnapDat

      Keep your own, personal business card handy with the SnapDat mobile app. This mobile app allows you to create and send personal business cards. The only catch is that these business cards are digital. Take just a few moments to upload your own information, create a business card, and send it off. Who knows the next person you send it to just might be your future boss.

      LinkUp

      Constantly checking the job listings page on popular company websites can be a tedious task. Download the LinkUp mobile app and allow your smartphone to do the work for you. This mobile app automatically checks over 22,000 company websites and creates a list of job listings that you can apply for. Imagine having a list of 100 new jobs just waiting for you to apply to in the morning. That is exactly what happens with the LinkUp mobile app.

      Finding a job in this difficult and highly competitive job market can be tough. Use some of these mobile apps, and you’ll be able to improve your chances of landing a job.

      Your Career

      Dealing with literary agents

      May 9, 2012 /

      If you want to be a writer, there are many different options in today’s world. With the emergence of e-books and numerous self-publishing options, you don’t necessarily need to deal with a literary agent these days.

      That said, if you can get published in the traditional way, you should definitely try to do that. That means dealing with literary agents. As you go through that process, you’ll be tempted to do all sorts of things to get them to consider your work. Here are some helpful tips listed in a humorous way that will help you understand what not to do.

      Your Career

      Good news continues on jobless claims

      February 23, 2012 /

      The good news on jobs keep coming.

      New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits were unchanged last week, holding at the lowest level since the early days of the 2007-2009 recession and giving a fresh sign the battered labor market is healing.

      Workers filed 351,000 initial claims for state unemployment benefits, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week’s figure was revised up to 351,000 from the previously reported 348,000.

      The last two weekly readings have been the lowest since March 2008. The four-week moving average for new claims, a measure of labor market trends, fell 7,000 to 359,000 —also the lowest since March 2008.

      Get that resume out again!

      Your Career

      The need for skilled factory workers

      February 20, 2012 /

      There are plenty of factory jobs opening up as the economy recovers, but employers are having trouble filling them.

      What’s missing are the skilled workers needed to fill them.

      A metal-parts factory here has been searching since the fall for a machinist, an assembly team leader and a die-setter. Another plant is offering referral bonuses for a welder. And a company that makes molds for automakers has been trying for seven months to fill four spots on the second shift.

      “Our guys have been working 60 to 70 hours a week, and they’re dead. They’re gone,” said Corey Carolla, vice president of operations at Mach Mold, a 40-man shop in Benton Harbor, Mich. “We need more people. The trouble is finding them.”

      Through a combination of overseas competition and productivity gains, the United States has lost nearly 4 million manufacturing jobs in the past 10 years. But many manufacturers say the losses have not yielded a surplus of skilled factory workers.

      Instead, as automation has transformed factories and altered the skills needed to operate and maintain factory equipment, the laid-off workers, who may be familiar with the old-fashioned presses and lathes, are often unqualified to run the new.

      Compounding the problem is a demographic wave. At some factories, much of the workforce consists of baby boomers who are nearing retirement. Many of the younger workers who might have taken their place have avoided the manufacturing sector because of the volatility and stigma of factory work, as well as perceptions that U.S. manufacturing is a “dying industry.”

      “Politicians make it sound like there’s a line out front of workers with a big sign saying ‘No more jobs,’ ” said Matt Tyler, chief executive of a precision metal company in New Troy, Mich. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

      This is one of many reasons why job training has to be a priority for government spending. We need more skilled factory workers, along with more engineers.

      If you’re looking for a job, keep this in mind. With some training you could land a well-paying job in manufacturing.

      Your Career

      The value of your major in college

      January 20, 2012 /

      This is a very controversial topic. What should you have in mind when choosing a college major?

      On the one hand, it’s very important to study something you enjoy. If you do that you will likely excel or at least do better, and then you can think about how to turn that degree into a career. If you love English or History, this thinking says you should pursue these majors.

      On the other hand, particularly if you’re taking out big loans, to what extent is it important to study something that will lead to an actual career? Majors like engineering and accounting come to mind.

      This article examines the topic from the perspective of turning your major into a career.

      The student might say, “English,” “psychology,” “political science” or “engineering.”

      And then, in my mind, after factoring in some other information, I say to myself “job” or “no job,” depending on the major.

      An English major with no internships or any plan of what she might do with the major to earn a living? No job.

      A political science major with no internships that could lead to a specific job opportunity? No job, I think.

      Engineering major with three relevant internships in the engineering field? Ding. Ding. We have a winner. Job.

      Read the entire article.

      In one sense, it tilts too far to the career area. Yet it brings up an important point. Too many college students have no idea how they can earn a living after college, and WAY too many of them are taking out huge loans and then selecting majors that will make it very difficult for them to repay those loans whiles earning a living.

      The bottom line is that all factors have to be considered. I think it’s important that college students pursue an education. College has to be much more than just a vocational program.

      Yet you have to have common sense. Maybe you can get that English degree at a great public university instead of a small liberal arts school that costs $50,000 per year. This way if you decide that grad school makes sense for your career after you get that English or History degree, you’ll be in a much better position financially to make that decision.

      Your Career, Your Education

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