What Recruiters Do in a Slow Economy?

Since the beginning of year over 500,000 working Americans have lost their jobs. In a slowing economy when recruiters aren't busy recruiting, they spend time building their pipeline of talent.

The blog at Research Secrets share this list of resources that recruiters are using to seek out new talent:

Social Networking Websites
-Create groups on social networking sites like Facebook and Linkedin.

Blogs
-Recruiters read blogs in their industry or start their own blogs.

If you are getting ready to graduate and will be job hunting, knowing what recruiters are up to is one way to get a leg up in the job search. If you know recruiters are trolling blogs and social networking sites, it would suit you to start connecting there as well.

7 Deadly Sins of Resume Writing

If your resume is not getting the attention you want, maybe you are committing one of these seven deadly sins of resume writing. Remember that recruiters and hiring managers will scan your resume for about 20-30 seconds to decide if it should be in the "keep" pile or the "no way" pile. Take 15 minutes to scan your resume and audit for these common resume writing mistakes.

Carelessness – This goes without saying. Do not be afraid to ask for help to proofread your resume. Ask a friend, a colleague, family member, a professor or even a prior boss to help you check for errors. There are also many online resources that offer free resume critiques and will catch errors you miss.

Irrelevance – Remember that resumes are not supposed to necessarily chronicle everything you have ever done. The goal instead is to package your most relevant experience and skills to suit the specific position in which you are interested. Very few resumes need to go beyond two pages. If you find yourself going beyond two pages check for relevance.

Lack of clarity – Does your resume make a compelling argument, is clear, concise or to the point? Can the recruiter or hiring manager tell from your resume, what you really want? Is there an objective that focuses the resume or are you wasting words on "resume speak".

No marketing value – Do not forget that your resume is a calling card that represents your personal brand and will get into place when you can't. Professional presentation with an attractive and readable layout is important. Fonts, formats and styles should enhance not detract from the marketability of your resume.

Writing style – Avoid run-on or long sentences. Remove personalization in the form of pronouns such as 'I" or "my". Write in an objective voice. Be wary of professional resume writers who do not write in "your voice". Employers can tell the minute they speak with you on the phone.

Lies or misrepresentations – Do not lie or misrepresent your past on your resume. With today's social networking technology and employee verification processes, lies won't last.

No outcomes – What is the purpose of the resume if not to speak to your accomplishments and outstanding outcomes? Too many resumes chronicle the past, but fail to actually speak to successful outcomes.

Favorite Blogs - Almost Got it!

Ever so often you stumble across an awesome resource and can't wait to share it. This week for me it was a website called - Almostgotit!

The name is perfect and speaks to all of us. If you think you have everything figured out, totally in charge of all around you, then this site may not be for you. For the rest of us who wonder about what's yet to be done and know there is more to learn, you will love the site as I do.

Last week there was a discussion on that blog about whether or not rejection letters should be emailed. Read the complete post here!

Here was my response:

# 5 Marcia Robinson - BullsEyeResumes Says:
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:31 am
Based on my work with jobseekers and my own experience, I think most people really appreciate hearing something, anything that gives them status and lets them know where they are.

I wish all jobseekers were “never hasty, cheap, or disrespectful” in their own job search. Unfortunately, that is not the case and too many people find it easy to apply for everything by hitting “submit”. Many don’t take the time to tailor a resume or write a meaningful cover letter.

Those people who clearly put their best forward and make it to a final pool of candidates most definitely deserve more than a standard, packaged email once the final candidate has been selected.

Your points are well taken though and email does have it’s challenges and is definitely not for everything.

Marcie @ BullsEye

MyInternshipGopher.com

Myinternshipgopher.com is a new mentoring resource for students in the Philadelphia region. The site is a result of a collaboration between the Chester County Economic Development Council, ITAG (Innovation Technology Action Group), Chester County Workforce Investment Board and Chester County Health Care Partnership.

The goal of MyInternshipGopher.com is to provide a resource to help young adults prepare for internships and transition into a 21st century workforce and meet the needs of the regional economy.

The schools selected to participate in the project beta are Downingtown, Great Valley, Owen J. Roberts, Phoenixville, West Chester, and West Chester University.

The anticipated timeline for the rollout of the entire enterprise is:

July 23, 2008
Businesses Create New Accounts
Post & View college internships and high school internships


September 2008
Beta Schools Only
Student Internship Matching
Student Job Shadow Matching
Search and Select Internships
Teacher Exchange Opportunities
Host a School -- Visit a School
Online 3-Way Mentoring System
Online Resources


January 2009
Open to All Registered Schools
View Student Profiles
Add a School Administrator
Intern & Internship Assessment
Members Post Needs

If you live in Pennsylvania, find career resources on our Pennsylvania at Work Blog as well.

Into the Environment? 3 Green Blogs

The discussion about careers, workplace and going green is taking center stage again in light of rising gas prices. College students and grads are certainly entering the workforce at a time when this is becoming a major concern again.

It's no surprise that college students are blogging about this. Here is one great post at an Experience blog that address the latest on some of the alternative work arrangements that companies are making.

Here are three other Experience blogs you might want to bookmark.

I discovered these at 3Gen one of my new favorite blogs for college students:

Green 101
Green Your Future
To Green or not to Green

A Targeted Resume Objective is the Way to Go!

If you ever get to watch a recruiter sift through a stack of resumes for potential candidates for a job opening they needed to fill yesterday, you'll probably see them wince at cliche resume objectives.

Resume objectives like: "Seeking a challenging career with a progressive organization which will utilize my skills, abilities and education and allow for my professional growth within the company;" although well written, tells a busy hiring manager nothing about you, your skills, your goals or your potential value to the organization.

Remember to use the resume objective to set the tone and create a focus for your resume.

Here are some tips:
1. Be specific with goal statements
2. Demonstrate your value to the employer
3. Avoid superfluous "nothing" statements in the resume objective
4. Tweak resume objective as needed
5. Avoid the 1 or 2 word resume objective. "Sales" or "Supervisor" are two common one word objectives to avoid.

Your vocational resume should sell your skills and showcase your brand. Cliche terms won't cut it.

Ask for help in the career or placement office at your school.

Think About Video Resumes and Video Interviews

If you are reentering the workplace, familiarize yourself with the latest in resume and interviewing techniques and technology. Video Resumes and/or a Video Interviews could work well for you. Video Resumes are becoming more popular in the recruiting industry and give candidates a chance to showcase a skill or a talent more clearly to an employer.

Essentially, the video resume will give you 3 to 5 minutes to address your skills, strengths and even demonstrate a specific skill. For example, if a significant part of the job you will be doing requires public speaking, a video resume showing you actually doing a presentation would be to your advantage.

Learn more about Video Resumes here:

CollegeGrad.com - The Video Resume Technique

Learn more about Video Interviews here:
Interview on Demand - Removing barriers between employers and jobseekers

What's Your College Degree Worth?

Here is what one jobseeker, Bea Dewing says in an article for the Career Journal, "A degree isn't any big guarantee of employment, it's a basic requirement, a step you have to take to even be considered for many professional jobs."

Having worked with hundreds of new college grads over the years, I am always amazed and how many of people believe that the college degree is the end of a dream. My job is always to remind them gently that although it marks a significant accomplishment, it is really just the beginning - again.

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the value of your college degree including:
- reputation of college or university
- achievement and involvement of alumni
- perceived return on investment from organizations that recruit on your campus

Dewing pondered the value of her own degree, when after a layoff from Sprint, she found it difficult to gain another job at the same rate. Dewing finally landed a job with Wal-Mart at around a third of the salary she made before.

The article continues, Dewing has a new appreciation for how insecure any job can be and how little a college degree by itself is really worth. "There is enough competition for entry-level positions that employers are going to ask, 'What else have you done in your life besides go to college?'" she says. "And in information technology, a portfolio of hands-on experience with programming is a really good thing to have."

In reality, this doesn't just apply to the IT sector. New college graduates should know that employers want to see more than the degree. They are looking for behaviors and the more positive campus involvement you have to show, the more competitive you will be.

Handling the "Weakness" Question in the Job Interview

Discovered a great blog today - The Career Encouragement Blog - where an HR professional offers tips on handling the "weakness" question in the interview.

My favorite from her list of tips to handle this in the job interview:

1. Expect to be asked this question and don't be blind sided.
2. Make your response relevant to the job.
3. Don't be "cheesy" to use the author's phrase and try to use the old turn-the-weakness-into-a-strength approach.

One additional rule of thumb to keep in mind is that you would not want to admit a weakness in an area that is one of the top five most important requirements to do the job. That's just not smart.

I sat in on a job interview recently for a Vice President of Development and was disappointed when one of the top candidates, said his greatest weakness was that he has not met a fund raising target in the last five years. Not good!

Applying for Jobs and not Getting any Calls?

You may be sabotaging your own job search. If you are applying for a new job, you should have a good marketable resume ready for distribution to many organizations through job boards or to share with your networking contacts.

However, you should know that busy recruiters and hiring managers discard great resumes all the time. Why? Simple - They are unable to reach candidates for the interview when they call.

When was the last time you updated the contact information on your resume?

1. Is it current and up to date?
2. Does your email look professional?
3. Do you have a professional voicemail?
4. If using a cell phone, can you actually get the call where you are?
5. Is someone available to take a message at the phone number listed?
6. Does your name and contact information appear on all your communications including every page of your resume, cover letter and thank-you letter?

If you spend the time to do your resume, then you have to keep it current if you want employers to find you.

Help Teens Pick a College or a Career

The career counseling office at your high school can help teens discover interests, skills and abilities. However, many schools have limited budgets and might not even have career assessment tools in place.

Here are some prior career blog entries that could help teens learn more about college. None of these articles offer a complete solution, but each shares information to factor into a discussion with parents, teachers or career counselors about going to college.

Teen resources to help choose a career in the Arts
My Cool Career
Earn more through apprenticeship programs
Dropping out of high school will affect your career
Job shadow 2008

The goal of your research should be to learn about the skills employers want, what you like to do and which career would be a good fit for you.

Usng Informercials to Sell Education

During my visit to California last week, I had to take an unexpected brief side trip to the emergency room at 3 am with my teenage son. He seemed to have overindulged, as teenagers are prone to, on some bad Chinese vegetarian food earlier that day in Las Vegas.

There is not much to do in an emergency room except maybe read and watch television while you wait. Fortunately, I had brought my Sudoku magazine with me.

I actually did not even notice the television until one young man, who wanted to hear more, got up and turned up the volume. I realized that he was watching what I thought was a news reporter covering a school graduation ceremony. After a few minutes, I realized quickly it was an infomercial for American Career Colleges. The "reporter" in question was interviewing new graduates singing the praises of their career programs.

One clearly exuberant grad shared that completing her medical assistant program had given her the chance of "life starting all over again." Another graduate shared, "American Career College has made my dream come true to be somebody."

Being very familiar with vocational training and career education programs, the program made me think again about what I admire about career programs that build lives and help people create new futures:

- Diversity of student population. This American Career College promotional program featured older graduates, disabled graduates and several ethnicities represented.

- Length of programs. The variety of career programs and availability of start dates offer students the opportunity for intensive, relevant training that lets graduates leave school and hit the ground running.

- Innovation. Having worked in both private and public post secondary, "traditional" higher education institutions for several years as well, I know that many are slow to react to market needs. Here was another example of innovation with American Career College featuring graduates in an infomercial with quality production value.

I think that the fact that the young man in the emergency room got up and turned up the volume so he could hear more, says there is an audience for such programming and American Career College is doing what they need to, to reach it.

A Summary of Qualifications Can Enhance Your Resume

The main purpose of your resume as a job seeker should be to market your skills, experience and education to potential employers. Showcase your brand, so to speak. One way to quickly engage a hiring manager and maximize the success of your resume in the first 20-30 seconds, is through a powerful Summary of Qualifications.

Here are four key elements that should be included in a good Summary of Qualifications:

- Include years of experience and areas of expertise in your field. Remember that it is possible to accumulate experience you have gained from more than one job. eg. Let's say you work in customer service now and have been with your current job for three years, but have customer service experience from another job you did several years ago. Total those years for your Summary of Qualifications statement.

- Acknowledge any special or recent awards and professional recognition relevant to the position you are seeking. If you haven't been acknowledged by an organization, include an area of outstanding achievement from your last annual performance evaluation.

- Share industry specific certifications or professional training. eg If you are going after a supervisor's job and have taken a certificate in project management.

- Identify soft skills which are difficult to quantify, but give you a clear advantage eg. good public speaking, team building and multi-tasking skills.

Summer Reading Recommendation - Ramen Noodles, Rent & Resumes

What would summer be without a little light reading. Here is a new book that college graduates should add to their shelves - Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes - An After College Guide to Life by Kristen Fischer!

One of the bits of career advice Fischer offers to college graduates who are job hunting is to market themselves as they would a new product with these 8 steps:

1. Define your mission and the benefits you offer
2. Set your marketing objective
3. Define your performance measures
4. Gather, analyze and interpret data
5. Identify target markets
6. Develop marketing strategies and activities
7. Define implementation strategies
8. Periodically evaluate marketing efforts

Of course Fischer describes each of these steps in more detail and offers more valuable advice in Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes.

Dealing with Rejection in the Job Search

If you have been working hard on finding a new career and it just doesn't seem to be happening for you, take a few tips from Karen Burns at Working Girl blog. Karen has an amazing ability to sum things up in a funny, down to earth, yet meaningful way.

My faves in the list?

1. Pout
2. Vent
3. Sweat

Read Karen's entire list of tips to deal with rejection here!

What's The Best Career Advice EVER?

Read on JibberJobber where Charlene Li talked about the best career advice she ever received - "Plan for job obsolescence every 18 months"

Others suggested the best advice they ever received as well:

- "came from my wife who told me to quit even though we couldn't afford it. She knew it was not healthy for me to be there"

- "a college program head told me I was a hustler with an attitude problem and that I wouldn't have a hard time getting a job - just keeping it"

- "follow your passion and your life will be exciting and rich"

- "my boyfriend told me I was wasting my time and talent training people at my previous employer"

- “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal” - Earl Nightingale"

- "Know what you have to offer and what you want in return"

- "Be remarkable"

- "Connect to the business, learn the "language" and understand the business cycle-regardless of which functional area you are in"

- "If you love what you do you never work a day in your life"

Read the rest of the advice and add yours here at JibberJobber.com.

Hot Career Alert - Avionics

Despite the difficulties in the airline/aviation industry, career seekers can still consider careers in Avionics.

Here is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics say about this profession that is expected to increase by 10% between 2006 and 2016:

Most job openings for aircraft mechanics through the year 2016 will stem from the need to replace the many mechanics expected to retire over the next decade. In addition, some mechanics will leave to work in related fields, such as automobile repair, as their skills are largely transferable to other maintenance and repair occupations.

George DeWees, manager of admissions and recruiting for Embry-Riddle's aviation maintenance technology programs said in 2004 in an interview for Avionics Magazine, "The market for A&P (airframe and power plant) technicians is good. But it's even better for those who have taken the step to train in avionics."

Avionics Magazine offers this comprehensive list of approximately 50 programs in the US offering electronics/avionics programs.

List of Aviation Schools

Don't Vacation Without These Two Pieces of Technology

I am actually on vacation and have time to myself since the hubby and kids are off on some excursion.

This entry will be short as I just want to tell you about my two new favorite pieces of technology:
- My ATT air card
- My Garmin

We are in Southern California where we lived for about 12 years. However, detours and fading memory make it hard to remember the best way to get to everything. In addition, we now have two teenagers who want to visit every out-of-the-way indie music store in the greater Los Angeles area.

A trip to Silver Lake earlier today, to pay homage to the Silversun Pick-Ups, a new favorite band, was a breeze with our new handy, dandy Garmin, the children have named "Lola". Can't make it to the right lane fast enough and forced to take a new exit? No problem for "Lola", our new companion reassuringly "recalculates" our next move.

It came in really handy when we had to find medical center last night for a mini healthcare emergency.

My ATT air card, helped tremendously to locate healthcare providers who would take our insurance at 3am.

I can't imagine how we travelled before.

Vocational Training is Back in Vogue

Daniel Wood, staff writer for The Christian Science Monitor, recounts the story of how Toby Hughes, a honor student from Georgia with a 1350 SAT score, chose the vocational training option after high school.

Vocational training is making a comeback and enrollment in technical education programs grew by 57% from 9.6 million in 1999 to 15.1 million in 2004. (Source - US Department of Education)

No longer are the traditional offerings of wood shop, metal shop or machining, the only offerings. In fact, the offerings from career education and vocational training programs are very diverse and pretty much offer something for everyone. New career fields include hot careers and in-demand skills in healthcare, technology and education.

"We are redefining almost everything that has to do with the intersection of new technology and the global economy," says Mark Whitlock, CEO of Central Educational Center in Newnan, Ga., a charter school. "The economy is changing and therefore education has to continue to change."

The state of California is experiencing a boom as well following a 25-year decline in vocational programming. Governor Schwarzenegger supports targeted vocational education and has pushed for more public funding of programs.

As companies continue to feel shortages of skilled hourly labor they need to compete globally, vocational training programs are stepping up to meet the need.

Resources for Boomers at Work

Here are a few resources from Ageless in America that older working adults should bookmark:

Gen Plus - Check out their Over 50 job bank where you will be targeted by recruiters looking specifically for you and your work experience.

BoomersTV - This website supports the PBS Show about the Baby Boomer generation

2 Young 2 Retire - Learn more about alternative careers and encore careers. Sign up for the 2Young2Retire course.

Retirement Jobs - Helping match mature workers with jobs that are perfect for their lives.

The Best Places to Work in the Government

The Best-Places-to-Work-in-Government report was first completed in 2003 and every two years since then.

If you are looking for employment with the Federal Government, this report is a good place to start. Of course no one measurement offers overwhelming evidence of the best place for you, but this report could be part of your organizational research.

Here are the results for the "Best-In-Class" portion of the 2007 survey based on employer feedback:

Employee skills / mission match
1 Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
3 Department of Veterans Affairs

Strategic Management
1 Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2 Securities and Exchange Commission
3 General Services Administration

Effective Leadership
1 Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration
3 Department of State

Work / Life Balance
1 Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2 Securities and Exchange Commission
3 General Services Administration

Pay and Benefits
1 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
2 Nuclear Regulatory Commission
3 Securities and Exchange Commission

Women Leaving Science Careers.

ABC News (6/24, Phillips) reported that "[e]ven as nearly equal amounts of men and women pursue graduate degrees in science," a recent study "point[ed] to a troubling trend: A significant number of women are dropping out of the field -- both in the private sector and academia -- in their 30s and 40s." ABC News pointed to a "study by the Center for Work-Life Policy" that found that "52 percent of women in private-sector science and technology jobs drop out without returning."

During the study, "researchers conducted 28 focus groups in 13 major cities around the world, surveying women in science, engineering and technology who had been working at their company for at least six months." Laura Sherbin, a director at the Center for Work-Life Policy, said that the "reasons for attrition in the private sector...can't be attributed solely to women leaving to raise families." She said, "The top two reasons why women leave are the hostile macho cultures...and extreme work pressures" such as "the increasing demand to put in longer and longer...time at the office."

Tips for Landing Part Time Jobs for Teens

About SnagAJob.com
SnagAJob.com is a job board that lists thousands of part time jobs for teens in all kinds of industries including restaurant, retail, office, homecare, light industrial and more. The ZIP code search lets teens looking for work easily find and apply to part-time, full-time and seasonal jobs. Job seekers can create accounts and receive job alerts via email with hundreds of part time jobs perfect for teens.

Here are some tips for landing the first part time job from Snag-A-Job:

1. Set expectations. Teens should know what they are getting into when they apply for part time jobs and set realistic expectations about their availability and their commitment.

2. Prepare. Learn about the job search process from resume writing to job application to interviewing.

3. Spread the word. Most jobs for teens are found through networking. Teens should tell people they are looking for a part time job.

4. Consider options. Teens shouldn't limit themselves to the dream job just yet. Keep in mind the first part time job for a teen is about gaining experience.

Some additional tips from BullsEyeResumes:
1. Teens looking for work should get parents involved.
2. Get documents such as resume, social security card and working papers together.
3. Teens can ask for job search assistance at the high school career center.
4. Use good communication skills and be courteous throughout the job search.

The Ailing, Failing US Economy hits City and State Employees

Always considered "safe employment", state and city employees could get caught in the next round of layoffs. Falling revenues from sales tax, income tax and and real estate taxes led Bob Brusca, Economist with FAO Economics in NY to say in a CNN Mondy article, "This isn't a wrecking ball to a healthy economy, but it could be the straw that broke the camel's back."

States planning to cut jobs include Tennesse,2000 positions; New Jersey, 3000 jobs; Ohio, 2700 jobs and Detroit, 1300 jobs.

The first 6 months of 2008 has seen the US economy lose almost a half million jobs. The report in June brought the number of job losses for the year to 438,000. Job losses were expected and have ocurred in:

Manufacturing - 33 000 jobs
Construction - 43 000 jobs
Retail - 7 500 jobs
Business and Professional Services - 51 000 jobs

If you are in any of these sectors you should be scanning the environment for pending changes and strategizing to be ready if you are forced to make a career change after a lay off.

Find more information here:
- Ways to Keep Learning as Your Company Falls Apart
- Times are Tough. Can You Still Find the Right Job?
- US Economy Loses 63 000 jobs in February

Hot Career Alert - Auto Mechanic

"Manpower Inc. conducted its annual talent shortage survey for 2007 and it revealed that Sales Reps, Teachers and Auto Mechanics are the top three in-demand jobs." Source PennFoster.edu blog

A NASCAR report shows that a large number of experienced auto mechanics will retire over the next several years and 35 000 new auto technicians will need to complete training each year and enter the profession.

Did you know you can start training as an auto mechanic online? Most people, including me, didn't know that until recently. Considering that so much of an auto mechanic's work requires equipment, machines and vehicles one might think that online education would be out of the question.

However, combining online classes with apprenticeships in a local auto shop is definitely a solution.

How to Not Feel Guilty About Leaving at 5p!

If your are returning to work after a long absence, know that some workplace protocols have changed. One of the changes you might notice is that people are working longer hours. You will also notice that many managers expect employees to work beyond the published hours, since company productivity and competition demands it. For the company, greater productivity means greater output, which translates to higher revenues and ultimately greater profits. In a perfect world your hard work would then translate to a greater share of the profits through higher income...but I digress.

A recent Wall Street Journal Juggle live poll shows that only 30% of the almost 1800 people responding are working 40 hours or less per week. The other 70% are working more than 40 hours, with 34% working between 40-50 hours weekly, 22% working 50-60 hours and 14% working over 60 hours weekly.

As you try to fit in at the new workplace, you may feel the pressure to immediately jump in and "pull your weight". Some workers will feel guilty about having to leave at the end of a shift or even take a day off.

Some tips to help you manage schedules at work:

1. Clarify expectations early. The job interview is not too early. Of course you do not want to come across as a "clock watcher" but you do want to learn about the culture of the organization or department.

2. While at work know that your task list will always be growing and there will always be work to be done. Trying to "finish" the work is not real and could increase your workplace stress.

3. As a career reentry professional, think about how to be effecient at work during your work hours so you can work smarter not harder. Watch the water cooler breaks if you think they are limiting your productive.

3. Be a team player and show your willingness to stay late to meet deadlines when you can. You do not want to be known as the person who is packed up and ready to go at 4:45p everyday!

Times are Tough. Can You Still Find the Right Job?

Gary Santana of Bluegrass Community and Technical College, offers college students good advice on how to find the right job in tough times. Santana suggests that college graduates who are job seekers need to stand out in a crowd through personal branding.

One major point in the job search to which job seekers need to pay close attention is the job application.

The job application helps employers make decisions about you. "if their first impression is that this is someone who is sloppy, incomplete, or can care less about the job then your chances are cut to slim right off the bat."

Additional suggestions on completing the job application from Santana:

1. Get two copies or make a copy of the one you receive. Use one as a first draft and make sure the second copy is clean, free of errors and wrinkle free.

2. Fill out the form completely.

3. Pay attention to dates and places. Most job applications require that job seekers list everything in reverse chronological order.

4. Use the word "negotiable" or the abbreviation 'neg" on the application where salary information is required.

Some additional tips from BullsEyeResumes to complete the job application:

1. Some applications will ask for a writing sample. Prepare a draft on another sheet of paper, before writing into the job application.

2. If using an online job application kiosk or creating a job board profile, where a number is required in the "salary desired area", do the salary research first. Don't guess.

3. Call HR or the college career center for help if you do not understand a specific question.

4. Watch for the box that asks if the potential employer can call existing employers.

New York Needs Healthcare Professionals

The Healthcare Association of New York State (www.hanys.org) conducts periodic surveys on issues affecting the Healthcare profession in that state.

One recent HANYS study showed that 80% of reporting hospitals indicated a nursing shortage. No surprise there since the federal Bureau of Health Professions projects a shortage of New York nurses of nearly 37,000 by 2015.

Quoting a recent press release from HANYS to announce findings:

The health care needs of “baby boomers” are growing. New York State’s population age 65 and older increased by 25% between 1980 and 2000.

According to a recent article in the Times Union, the labor shortage and workforce dilemma in New York's health care system does not stop at nurses.

The article explored the incentives that hospitals were offering to potential hires as a way to attract Respiratory Therapists to the profession. In one case, students from Hudson Valley Community College were learning how to use high tech breathing equipment while working with patients in intensive care at Albany Medical Center Hospital. These students are getting their tuition paid by the hospital in exchange for future employment contracts.

Another recent HANYS study, "Falling Short: A Workforce in Decline," shares the following statistics:
- 82% of New York hospitals report difficulty finding lab technicians
- 79% reported that pharmacists and physical therapists are hard to find
- 63% reported that nursing positions were the most difficult to fill
- 34% found it difficult to find imaging technicians

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting that Health care industry will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016, more than any other industry.

Vocational programs and career training that result in certificates or associate degrees offer great alternatives to get the required training quickly.