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Archive for July, 2010

Filling out job applications

Friday, July 30th, 2010

 As a society, we are trying to go paperless, but it seems like we have to fill out more paper forms everywhere we turn. Unfortunately, applying for a job requires filling out huge amounts of paperwork. It can be frustrating and very time consuming. If you have applied for numerous jobs this year, I’m sure you could tally up at least 40 hours of your time completing the required paperwork.

Your resume only tells the employer about your work history. They are required by law to have signatures and information for additional areas. You will probably have to fill out a permission form to perform drug and background screening. This permission is required by law.

You might have to fill out a form stating your sex, race and other demographic information. The Labor Department requires all companies to report this information on a yearly basis. You legally don’t have to fill this out, but companies would like to have the information so they can properly report their statistics to the Labor Department.

Lastly, you will have to read the fine print with regards to everything you have stated on the application is true. This will include prior convictions, dates of employment, your job titles, education and more. Please tell the TRUTH!!! So many people think they are getting around the system by lying. They figure no one will check the validity of the information. Believe me, you are very wrong. More and more companies are checking everything. Especially now, with so many people applying for each job, the companies will be extra careful to make sure they are hiring the right person.

Remember, once you sign the application and release forms, the company has the right to check everything you wrote about yourself. It is very simple to check degrees, certifications, criminal backgrounds, job titles, etc. If you get caught, not only will you not get or lose the job, you could be damaging your reputation. Remember what you learned as a child – Honesty is the best policy! Many companies will overlook a few credits short of a degree, a minor criminal infraction or a difference in job title. Be yourself and be honest. If you start lying, you can never go back!

Posted in Blog, Landing That Job | No Comments »

Troubling reason for drop in unemployment

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Troubling reason for drop in unemployment rate: People exiting work force

America’s official unemployment rate declined in June, but the reason was largely because people are opting out of the labor force – not because employers are adding lots of new jobs.

It’s a sign of how difficult the job market remains, and it comes as Congress recessed for the July 4 holiday without extending jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.

Despite signs of economic recovery in recent months, the overall labor force shrank by 652,000 in June, even though the US population grew, the Labor Department reported Friday. That helped push the unemployment rate down to 9.5 percent, from 9.7 percent in May.

If the labor force participation rate had held steady for the month, at roughly 65 percent of the civilian population, the unemployment rate would have gone up – to about 10 percent – based on the current number of jobs in the economy.

“As the US population grows by about 200,000 each month, the labor force is also expected to grow,” economist Charles McMillion said Friday in a report analyzing the monthly job-market data. In his view, the situation “almost guarantees that unemployment will again rise to over 10 percent when more of the unemployed again agree to be counted.”

Earlier this year, as the job market began to show some signs of revival, labor force participation rose – meaning more people began looking for work. But the influx may have outstripped the number of available new jobs, sending some discouraged workers out of the labor force in the past two months.

The reversal, by Mr. McMillion’s calculation, means that the labor force is no larger than it was when the recession began in late 2007, even though the adult population has risen steadily since then. And 1 million fewer people are in the work force now than one year ago.

The central problem is that, with so many already unemployed, there are multiple job seekers for every open position. Some 6.8 million people have been jobless for 27 weeks or more. Legislation in the Senate to extend jobless benefits, which have begun to run out for many long-term unemployed, stalled amid disagreement over how to pay for it. The House has passed an extension of jobless benefits.

Who’s leaving the labor force, or not entering to begin with?

Labor Department data suggest that the problem spreads across virtually all demographic groups, but the trend is strongest among the men, African-Americans, and the young. Regionally, the Midwest appears to be most affected. Here are the numbers:

•Overall, labor force participation has fallen by 1.5 percentage points since January 2008, as the recession had just begun (from 66.2 percent of civilian adults – excluding those in prison – to 64.7 percent).

•Among men, participation has fallen 2 percentage points, while it has fallen 1.1 percentage points among women. Looking at 2010 alone, men’s participation has risen slightly – perhaps a sign of rebounding hopes or expectations of finding work, while women’s participation has continued to edge down.

•Among African-Americans, participation has fallen 2.1 percentage points, versus 1.4 for whites.

•By age, participation has declined most for teens (7.1 percentage points) and young workers ages 20 to 24 (down 3.3 percentage points). Declines have also occurred among older workers, but by amounts smaller than the national average.

•For one age group, those 55 and over, participation has actually risen during and after the recession – a sign of the headwinds facing many people in or near retirement. Many homes and investment portfolios have lost value.

A silver lining in the June jobs data is that the private sector added at least some jobs (83,000) for the sixth straight month.

By Mark Trumbull, Staff writer / July 2, 2010 The Christian Science Monitor

Posted in Blog, In the News | 1 Comment »