Searching for jobs online used to be the norm, but as more people become unhappy in their current positions and use employer time and resources to find a new job, those employers are taking notice. As a result, employees are getting fired. This could all be avoided if candidates had access to mobile job searching.

The mobile phone is becoming the top choice of communication for most people. Mobile phones are easy to use, portable and versatile. Unlike land lines or computers, they can be used virtually everywhere.

There are currently more than 4 billion handsets connecting users throughout the world. A recent study by the CDC found that for the first time, cell phones outnumber fixed land lines as a household’s unique phone, as one in five homes have a cell phone but no land line.

Statistics like these are causing more and more employers to turn to mobile. Employers that only rely on traditional advertising or online advertising, such as job boards, might have some luck finding potential candidates, but they are missing a key demographic.

Employers who use mobile are able to connect with job seekers anywhere at anytime. People looking for work can use their cell phone to receive text alerts of open jobs or browse employers’ mobile Web sites. Mobile job searching allows potential candidates to browse open positions when it’s most convenient for them, whether they’re waiting in line or at work.

If you’re tempted to use your work computer to search for jobs – don’t. Mobile searching would be a better alternative, as employers are catching onto the trend that company computers are being used to search for jobs and employees are seeing the repercussions.

According to an article by MSN Careers, one employer at a public relations agency fired an employee for excessive job hunting while at work. The employer began monitoring the employee’s computer habits when her productivity noticeably declined and found her job search was taking more time than her current job, which violated her employment agreement.

“If you want to get fired, by all means job hunt, but your work computer is 100 percent the property of the company for which you work,” the employer cautions. “So even if you are doing the searching at home, best to do so on your personal [home computer]. If your company has monitoring software on your computer, it will record your activity whether you are at work or at home.”

If you’re caught job searching on the clock, it could have negative effects for your future. On top of not being able to receive unemployment because you violated an employment contract, you’ll be hard pressed to get a positive recommendation from your current employer.

“If your employer sees you are job searching, even if just because of casual curiosity, it sends the message that you wish to leave your current employer, and it could cause them to include you in planned layoffs for which you may have never been considered before,” the employer added.

A better alternative would be to use your mobile phone to search for a job. That way you’re guaranteed privacy, as an employer has no right to access your mobile phone. This would avoid any need for you to use a work computer to search for another job and would eliminate your chances of being fired for doing so.

On February 28, 2009 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at the Job Search Boot Camp seminar at the Wingate Conference Center in Round Rock , Angela Loeb, author of What You Need To Know To Get A Job Now!, Michael Kranes, award-winning resume writer, and Jay Markunas, career coach and HR specialist, will help job seekers with tools and training to jump start their 2009 job search.

“This is an idea born out of my desire to get people moving forward as they seek new employment,” says Jay Markunas, who also volunteers as facilitator of the Compass Career Networking Group at Unity of the Hills Church. Markunas has noticed a significant increase in the number of out-of-work professionals showing up at the group’s monthly meetings. “Too many bright, intelligent people are walking around wondering, ‘What do I do next? What is the most effective way to find that new job?’ There’s a definite need for this seminar in our community.”

At the Job Search Boot Camp, Markunas, Loëb and Kranes will provide training and share their expertise in resume writing, interview techniques and job search strategies. “We will provide focus and training in the technical aspects of the job search, as well as the emotional aspects of looking for a job,” says Loëb. One of Loëb’s clients, a senior project manager, related her experience after going through this two-pronged approach. “After a disappointing interview, I was feeling pretty depressed. With this training I now go back to my job hunt a stronger, more confident person.”

Visit jobsearchbootcamp.net for more details.

Omnyx’s purpose will be to market digital services that will enable lab techs to virtually share images and interpret results using advanced algorithms. Both GE and UPMC believe that patients will benefit from these services as they will reduce medical errors, decrease the amount of time it takes get lab results and make it possible to have pathology information integrated into individuals’ personal medical records electronically. Because of the nature of this work, many of the healthcare jobs created will rely heavily on technology.

A spokesperson for GE said that its researchers spent three years developing the first prototype by utilizing digital X-ray imaging to overcome image quality and speed of scanning slides. George K. Michalopoulos, who is a professor and chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and a pathologist at UPMC, said that “Digital pathology provides a platform for the creation of new tools that will help pathologists screen large number of slides in search of a small nest of cells or a few bacteria to quickly and accurately diagnose disease.”

The joint development partnership between UPMC and GE actually became two years ago, leading to the creation of Omnyx. To assist in the creation of new healthcare jobs within the company, the state of Pennsylvania is giving Omnyx $180,000. State officials expect that a minimum of 40 high-technology jobs will be created by the company within the next three years.

Jeffery Romoff, president and CEO of UPMC said in a recent statement that “this innovative collaboration with GE will help to address the critical cost and quality issues facing healthcare today.” He went on to say that Omnyx will also help to revitalize the economy of western Pennsylvania through the creation of new healthcare jobs.

Prospective interviewees can still name their own price – often between $200 and $500 per interview – and now they have an even easier time linking their customized profiles to employers.

More than 1,000 users have registered since NotchUp was started in January, according to founders Jim Ambras and Rob Ellis. The Silicon Valley startup veterans were banking on the fact that the site would be successful after many recruiters and companies voiced frustration over talented candidates already crunched for time who would refuse interview prospects.

The job site not only connects companies with high-level candidates but also makes sitting down for an interview a much more painless process due to a nice chunk of cash that sweetens the deal.

While Texas employers continue to create new area jobs, the rest of the country experienced a reduction in available positions. This was the first such decrease in available jobs since 2003. Many believe this to be a strong signal that national economy was slowing down and that a possible recession could be on its way.

January’s increase in available Texas jobs followed December’s gain of 21,400 jobs. Despite the growing number of positions, unemployment increased slightly to 4.3 percent from December’s 4.2 percent. Although the jobless rate did rise, it was still down from the previous year’s 4.5 percent and lower than the nation’s unemployment rate of 4.9 percent.

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area’s unemployment rate jumped from 4.2 percent in December to 4.6 percent in January. These figures were also slightly lower than that of the previous year when the area had a jobless rate of 4.7 percent.

The Midland metro area, where only 2.9 percent of residents were unable to find jobs, had the lowest unemployment rate in the state. On the other side of the scale, the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the highest unemployment rate of 7.3 percent.

Texas Workforce Commissioner Ron Lehman said that “ in the last 12 months, the state’s annual growth rate climbed to 2.7 percent, compared to the national growth rate of 0.6 percent.”

• Entry level candidates are cheap, plentiful, and easily found. Your resume needs to reflect an aspect that will make you stand out from the crowd and will help create a demand for your profile. You need to highlight a USP (unique selling point), whether it is an internship or professional training. If you worked and paid your way through your training, you will project yourself as a hardworking, committed person. Self discipline and time management are the character traits that will follow from you financing your education.

• Presentation of your qualifications and background is the make or break point. You will have 35 to 60 seconds to pique the interest of the employer – that is how long it will take them to read your resume and decide whether to invest the time in meeting you to decide if you can be groomed for a career in the organization.

• The employer has to decide whether your qualifications and background are likely to have given you the personality traits that you will require to succeed in a competitive world.

• Presentation or first appearances are very important. Your resume should be well written, grammatically correct, well laid out and balanced between brevity and informative. Big words, jargon and over-formatting tend to be overkill. Simple things like spacing, font size and general layout enhance clarity and readability.

There are divided opinions on the importance of an entry-level job. One school of thought says that the kind of job is not most important, as first jobs tend to be short jobs while the candidate continues to look out for a better job. The other school of thought says that entry level jobs could be an extended practical internship, therefore making the job content more important than the compensation.

Entry level jobs give a candidate a taste of the demands of a career and the sacrifices that have to be made to further a career. It is a testing ground for them to put their knowledge to practical use and exposes them to the unprotected environment of an office where everybody is trying to prove themselves. On the positive side, entry-level jobs can also give you the satisfaction of proving your competence.

How to Target Prospective Employers

• The placement office in your school is the most obvious place to start, especially since most institutions have campus recruitment programs. In addition, smaller organizations may not qualify for a slot in the campus recruitment schedule, but would be happy to recruit just one or two candidates. Technical jobs are best placed through this route as technology based organizations find this the most efficient way of filling in their entry-level positions.

• The Internet is the easiest and most accessible point for prospective employers. Resist the temptation to blindly send out your resume. Try and target your most suitable prospective employers where you are going to be able to get the experience that will bolster the qualifications you have acquired. Try and find out their correct mailing details and send them a customized and personalized job application – this will be more impressive.

• Cold calling is similar to sending out your resume on the Internet. It involves handing in your resume at offices that work in your area of expertise. This is more laborious and would restrict you to your area of location.

• Placement agencies get a variety of job requirements to fill. They are also likely to be able to give you some broad knowledge on the industry and the organization to which they will send your resume. They will also give you an idea of what kind of remuneration you can expect.

Your entry-level job is an important practical extension to the educational qualifications you have gained. Getting the right kind of job will provide focus to your career. Your first job is also likely to leave a lasting impression on you and will also help you form your work habits that you will use for the rest of your career.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions – Six Sigma Online (http://www.sixsigmaonline.org) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Jacowski

Despite job growth, the unadjusted unemployment rate for San Antonio rose .3 percent from October to November, meaning that 3.9 percent of the population was without work. Texas’ overall unemployment rate also rose to 4.1 percent. Still, both faired better than the national average, which inched up to 4.5 percent.

Local retailers created a significant amount of jobs in November as they bulked up staff in order to prepare for holiday shoppers. According to Eva Esquivel, Alamo WorkSource’s Communications coordinator, since November 2006 the retail industry has added Approximately 1,900 San Antonio jobs, which is a fairly strong growth rate.

Even though retailers added positions in preparation for the holiday, seasonal employment declined in the leisure and hospitality sector. A total of 1,200 San Antonio jobs were lost in October and November. The good news is that hiring done previously in the year gave the industry an annual job growth rate of 4.3 percent. Over the last year, hospitality and leisure added 3,900 jobs.

The construction industry gained 200 jobs between October and November, but it was not enough to make up for 100 San Antonio jobs lost over the previous 12 months. This was the industry’s first annual job loss since June 2004. The current state of the housing market may have had something to do with the poor growth of construction jobs in San Antonio.

Out of the 1,000 San Antonio jobs created in the government sector over the last year, 800 of them were added in November. For more information and listings of available government jobs in San Antonio or elsewhere go to USAjobs.com.

Partially due to Minneapolis job creation, Minnesota often out performs other states in the Federal Reserve’s Ninth District. This year Montana and both North and South Dakota are expected to out do the state, mostly because of their larger stakes in booming commodity markets, including metals, oil, natural gas, and coal.

Minneapolis jobs are already naturally more competitive due to the wealth of college educated talent available in the area. With many recent graduates from such states as Michigan continuing to relocating to the city, the slow down of job growth is sure to turn the heat up on those looking for employment.

Minnesota’s unemployment rate is expected to rise to 4.9 percent, according to Federal Reserve economists, partially due to the population continuing to grow despite the fact that job growth will be crawling at one-fourth the state’s historical average. In 2007, 4.8 percent of residents were without work. The historical average is 4.7 percent.

As is the usual, home sales will effect Minnesota’s unemployment rate. According to Toby Madden, Minneapolis Fed regional economist, “The slowdown in housing will likely continue into 2008.” He went on to say that “Minnesota, even though it’s well diversified, is a little more heavily involved in housing-related production, in paint and windows, et cetera” than other areas are.

With real estate sales continuing their downward spiral, there will be fewer jobs available in these related businesses. The Federal Reserve’s predictions estimate that the rate of decline for housing permits in Minnesota to ebb to about 3 percent this year. Construction related jobs in Minneapolis and statewide will continue to be limited.

Overall, competition for Minneapolis jobs will be higher than normal, calling for those who are unemployed to take a more aggressive approach at their job search. Applying to more positions than one usually would, having the best possible resume, practicing interview strategies, and updating certifications should help in finding new employment.

Government jobs are expected to suffer worse than the private sector, due to the fact that each generation since the baby boomers has been less likely to chose to work directly for Uncle Sam.

Cities such as Austin are expected to see many talented employees retire. A recent survey found that 21 percent of those who hold jobs in Austin, Texas with the government will have the option of collecting benefits with in the next five years. Although this is not as large as the one-third of the workforce expected to be lost in other cities, the area may actually end up wore off. The same survey found that 44 percent of managers are baby boomers.

Karen Sharp, an assistant director of human resources said that the city trying to arrange a line of succession for managers and other difficult to fill positions. In an effort to keep younger employees, Austin has begun to do what they can to be more accommodating of those who want to switch departments.

Many of those who hold top jobs in Austin, Texas as managers in crucial positions have decided to work a few years past retirement age. This extra time will be used to plan ahead for the changing of the guard, in hopes of making this shift more effective.

Austin Energy, for example, recently purchased a $350,000 software system created to find personnel related weak spots in the office place infrastructure. The 1,600-employee city-owned utility provider will also use to program to help both managers and other employees match skills with jobs.

For those searching for Austin government jobs the on-coming retirement of such a large portion of the workforce may make obtain new and better positions much easier. Usually those who have a good mix of both education and experience are preferred for managerial jobs.

Things To Do
The first thing you need to consider is the type of job that interests you the most. There might be several career opportunities in your field, depending on the degree you have. For instance, if you have graduated as a nurse you can get a job in a clinic, hospital, nursing home, school, childcare center or private practice. Even though you will be employed within these settings, you can also work within various units like maternity or pediatrics. After this, you will have transitional opportunities as well. After trying your hand at the nursing profession, you may realize that it is not exactly what you expected it to be.

In that case, you can either consider pharmaceutical sales as a new career, or opt for a more flexible career like business management. The main factor is to make the decision about that direction you are planning to head towards, and learn as much as you can about that field. Sometimes people spend a lot of time, energy and money and still remain doubtful about what to do. It may be possible that you know what you want, but are not clear about it. No matter how many possibilities you explore, you may never get excited.

In fact, if you are feeling depressed and downright frustrated, then there is no need to worry, because it might not be as bad as you think it is. Just keep in mind that there is no need to start at the top, or even commit to any employer. Avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. All you need to do is to test the waters before deciding to go ahead full steam. The first year after school can also be spent discovering what exactly it is that you really want to do. If you do this, then there are chances that your mind will be open to new possibilities, and that you will develop a positive attitude towards life. Make sure that you do not waste time, and set weekly goals. You can make use of this year for finding out what you are interested in doing. Once you are sure about it, do it in a well-planned and proper manner.

In order to explore career opportunities without the assistance of a career counselor or job coach, you need to do a lot of independent research. If you do not like a particular area of your industry, you can always get in touch with professionals to request for an information interview to find out more about it. After deciding on your field of interest, get your resume professionally written and post it on major job boards, or contact a recruiting firm in your area of interest.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions – Six Sigma Online (http://www.sixsigmaonline.org) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Jacowski