Month: July 2015

Jobless Claims Fall to the Lowest Level Since 1973

Employment Rate July 19
Jobless Claims Fall to the Lowest Level Since 1973

“In the week ending July 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 255,000, a decrease of 26,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 281,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since November 24, 1973 when it was 233,000.  The 4-week moving average was 278,500, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 282,500.

There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6 percent for the week ending July 11, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending July 11 was 2,207,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up 1,000 from 2,215,000 to 2,216,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,253,750, a decrease of 10,500 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 2,264,000 to 2,264,250.  Department of Labor“

9 Great Ways to Find a Job Without Networking

9 Great Ways to Find a Job Without Networking

I read a great deal about getting a job through direct referrals.  The NY Times has an article on companies using direct referrals for finding new employees.  Forbes also had an article on the same subject.  Networking for job seekers is important.  I have written several articles that discuss the topic of networking directly into a company.

Some career coaches recommend that you limit yourself to a dozen companies where you really want to work and use a direct referral to get into those companies.

Companies do use direct referrals.  As a contract recruiter, I have recruited for companies that also paid a referral fee to their employees for direct referrals.  Direct referrals come into the company with a solid reference from a person the company knows.  A company can evaluate the value of the referral based on the company’s knowledge of the person making the referral.

There are many opportunities that you will never find through your network alone.

Companies still use multiple resources for finding job applicants.

  1. Recruiters
  2. Job boards
  3. Company websites
  4. Newspapers
  5. Trade journals
  6. Internet want ads including newspapers and Craigslist
  7. Social Media News Feeds
  8. Press releases
  9. Internet search Engines

Stay Focused

Using multiple resources to find a job can lead to a scattered search.  Stay focused on jobs that are best for you.  Pick companies that really interest you.

Unless you have unlimited time, don’t exhaust your network resources before you to turn to other resources for a job.  If you really need a job, contact and build your network daily while also using the other resources on a daily basis.

I created the website Find Jobs using Google Custom Search.  I find greater job search results using a search engine than using a job search website.  The website also has search engines for finding companies, people, and salaries.

Top Ten List of Why People Get Fired

Top Ten List of Why People Get Fired

Companies take risks when they hire people.  Employees have access to company property, information, and in some cases, company money.  In addition, employees interact with other employees and often have access to personal and professional information about other people in the company.  What companies expect from employees is honesty and top performance that brings value and goodwill to the company.

The reason that companies fire employees is failing to provide honesty, top performance, and to promote goodwill.  In working as a corporate recruiter, I have known of people who lost jobs for the following reasons.

Disclaimer:  I am not an attorney.  The information I am presenting comes from my professional experience as a recruiter.

1. Office romance can get you fired.  Certainly, sexual harassment can get you fired.

2. Falsifying information on a job application can get you fired.  Companies often do a thorough job of checking backgrounds, completing reference checks, obtaining copies of college transcripts, and verifying compensation.  Sometimes, discovery the false information on a job application does not happen until after a person has started to work for the new company.

3. Stealing is a common cause for firing.  One particular case that comes to mind is that of an employee who would make telephone sales calls and charge car mileage for driving to the customer.

4. Bringing illegal drugs to the workplace will get you fired.  I have known of more than instance when a company fired a person for possession of illegal substances in the workplace.  Because possession of illegal substances involves legal issues, companies need to handle the issue with help from legal authorities.
5.  Drinking on the job will get you fired.  Different companies handle people with drinking problems in different ways, depending on the company policy and the circumstances.

6. Losing a driver’s license may cost a person a job.  Repeated speeding violations, failing to appear to face traffic charges, failure to pay traffic fines, and driving under the influence of mind -altering chemicals can cost a person to lose a driver’s license.  Losing a driver’s license alone is generally not sufficient cause for termination.  If losing the license prevents a person from doing his or her job, then losing a driver’s license can cost a person a job.

7. Poor performance can cost a person a job.  Some companies use a forced ranking system as part of the company’s performance evaluation process.  Known as stack ranking, the process creates brackets.  Perhaps the best known is the 20-70-10 Employee Stack Ranking system.  Companies require managers to put each employee at some level of the stack.  Companies promote the top 20% tier.  They give standard pay raises to the middle 70% of the stack.  They fire the bottom 10 % of the employees.  Industry-wide, the process of “rank and yank” has mixed reviews.  Some managers consider the process as arbitrary and demotivating.

8.  Damaging company equipment can get you fired.  Operators of major equipment face large responsibility.

9. Using the Internet for personal use during company time can get you fired.  What you publish on the Internet anytime can get you fired as well.

10.  Making too many personal calls from work can get you fired.

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