Professional~Level Hiring Expected To Increase in First Quarter ~ Shortage of Skilled Professionals
MENLO PARK, CA /PRNewswire/ ~ Employers expect to increase hiring for professional-level positions in the first quarter, but they have concerns about finding qualified candidates for these roles, a new Robert Half survey shows. A net 10 percent of executives interviewed for the Robert Half Professional Employment Report plan to add full-time staff in the first three months of the year, up three points from the fourth-quarter forecast. However, the number of respondents who report recruiting challenges also is on the rise: 67 percent of executives said it is at least somewhat challenging to find skilled employees today, up from 59 percent last quarter and 42 percent in the third quarter.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53176-robert-half-professional-employment-report-q12012
Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they are at least somewhat confident in their organizations’ ability to grow in the first quarter.
The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 4,000 C-level executives and other leaders from a variety of fields throughout the United States who are asked about their hiring plans and general level of optimism for the upcoming quarter. Survey respondents include more than 1,400 chief financial officers (CFOs); 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs); 500 senior human resources managers; 100 lawyers at law firms and 100 corporate lawyers; and 125 advertising executives and 375 marketing executives, all of whom have hiring authority. The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is the first quarterly executive survey of its size and scope to concentrate exclusively on professional-level hiring.
Key Findings
~ A net 19 percent of respondents in the transportation sector said they expect to make staff additions.
~ Businesses in the West North Central[1] states will be hiring most actively, with a net 15 percent of executives planning to add professional-level staff in the first quarter, research shows.
~ The legal field is expected to see the strongest hiring activity, with a net 27 percent of lawyers planning to increase staff levels. The information technology (IT) and finance fields showed the largest net gains in projected hiring activity from the prior quarter.
~ Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents( )said they are having recruiting challenges, up eight points from the fourth quarter.
~ Sixteen percent of respondents anticipate hiring professional-level staff and 6 percent expect reductions in personnel. The resulting net 10 percent increase is up three points from the fourth-quarter forecast.
Hiring Expectations: By Profession Increase //Decrease//Net Increase ======== ======== ============
Total 16% 6% 10% ~~- ~- ~- ~- Accounting and finance 20% 11% 9% ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~- Advertising and marketing 18% 4% 14% ~~~~~~~~~~~~- ~- ~- ~- Human resources 11% 3% 8% ~~~~~~~- ~- ~- ~- Information technology 20% 10% 10% ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~- Legal 31% 4% 27% ~~- ~- ~- ~- Sales and business development 15% 4% 11% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~-
Executives Reporting Recruiting Challenges: All Professions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- Quarter Executives Citing Recruiting Challenges ~-
1Q12 67% ~~ ~- 4Q11 59% ~~ ~- 3Q11 42% ~~ ~- 2Q11 37% ~~ ~- 1Q11 29% ~~ ~-
“The U.S. unemployment rate for college-educated workers is roughly half the overall rate, and for many professional specialties it is even lower,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. Messmer pointed out that in the third quarter of 2011, the unemployment rates for financial analysts and computer network architects were less than 1 percent, according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Brett Good, a senior district president with Robert Half International, added, “The common wisdom is that jobs are simple to fill in this market, but many employers are struggling to find the talent they need. Professionals with highly specialized skills are in short supply ~ particularly in the information technology and finance fields.”
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Region
Respondents in the West North Central states anticipate the strongest hiring activity in the first quarter, with a net 15 percent of executives planning to add staff. “Healthcare, manufacturing and financial services firms are responsible for much of the hiring activity in the West North Central region,” Messmer noted. “Businesses in these fields seek accounting operations professionals, customer service representatives, web developers and IT systems administrators, among other roles.”
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Industry
First-quarter professional-level hiring is anticipated to be strongest in the transportation sector, where a net 19 percent of respondents said they expect to make staff additions. A net 14 percent of executives in both the wholesale and construction industries also indicated they will hire during the quarter.
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Profession
While the legal profession maintained its top spot in the survey with a net 27 percent of lawyers planning to hire, IT and finance showed the largest sequential gains, each yielding net increases in hiring activity that are up four points from the fourth-quarter survey.
The IT and finance fields also reported the greatest difficulty in finding skilled professionals, at 73 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
About Robert Half International
Founded in 1948, Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm, is a recognized leader in professional staffing services. The company’s specialized staffing divisions include Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam, for highly skilled temporary administrative support personnel; Robert Half Technology, for information technology professionals; Robert Half Legal, for legal personnel; and The Creative Group, for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Robert Half International has staffing and consulting operations in more than 400 locations worldwide. Find more information at www.roberthalf.com, and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/roberthalf.
[1] IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD
SOURCE Robert Half International
CONTACT: Michael Weiss, michael.weiss@rhi.com
Web Site: http://www.roberthalf.com
===============
The 3 Smartest Things You Can Do to Find a Job
Networking and Resume Tips from Jobfox
MCLEAN, VA /PRNewswire/ — Whether you are looking to start fresh in the New Year, or have been unemployed for any length of time, now is your chance to breathe life into your tired job search. Jobfox, one of the nation’s fastest growing online job sites, has a few suggestions for you.
Fine Tune your Resume
First and foremost, your resume must meet the standards of today’s hiring processes before applying to jobs online or posting your resume publicly. The current job market demands more than just impeccable grammar and a readable font. Keyword optimization, for example, is crucial to getting your resume the attention it deserves. Keywords can either be found in your target job descriptions, or specifically researched and tailored by professional resume writers. Including these details will assure that your resume comes up in recruiter’s searches. Along these same lines, resumes and cover letters should also be specifically targeted to each individual job’s requirements. Customization and personal touches distinguish you from the seas of typical resumes, helping you land interviews and get the job you desire.
Additionally, when describing your previous positions, be sure to showcase your accomplishments. Recruiters are not interested in reading through a catalog of tasks and duties–they want to know what you have achieved. Sell yourself through your resume by highlighting milestones and accomplishments that correlate directly with a potential employer’s objectives. “You could be the best performer at your job, but without documenting your measurable achievements, awards, or relevant new experiences on the job, you can’t provide proof when asked. As the years go by, the likelihood of remembering details of every accomplishment will more difficult. In 2012, jot down what you’ve achieved at your job – it will serve a useful purpose in optimizing your resume, and in the end, your chances of landing the job of your dreams,” suggests Alex Soto, CEO of ResumeLance and Soto Marketing Communications.
Take Advantage of Social Media
Job seekers should maintain an active, relevant presence in all social media platforms. LinkedIn and Facebook profiles need to be updated, professional and personalized, and you should make as many connections as possible. Merge these contacts on sites like Jobfox.com and Indeed.com in order to receive notifications about possible connections within the companies you’d like to work. If you do not know these potential contacts directly, ask someone you do know to recommend you or to make a direct introduction. Don’t be shy–applicants with referrals such as these are at least 5 times as likely to get an interview.
“Here is the real one/two punch: Target your resume to the job you want and get that resume into the hands of the hiring manager through a reference. Your chances of landing that job just skyrocketed past your competition,” says Peggy Padalino, VP of Sales and Client Services at Jobfox.
Network
Follow through with all leads, both online and in person, no matter how small. Research shows that lengthy periods of unemployment are directly linked to passive approaches to job searching. Regardless of how well-crafted your resume or impressive your career, an expansive network is essential to bolstering your search for the perfect job. Reach out to colleagues and friends, and proactively foster second and third degree connections. Moreover, networking is about establishing a rapport; it is extremely important that traditional courtesies and etiquette not be overlooked, even in the era of the social media. Experts recommend sending a thank you letter following an interview. Not only will it set you apart from other applicants for the job in question, but this simple act of decorum will also help establish a lasting connection within the company.
About Jobfox
Founded in 2005 in McLean, Virginia, Jobfox is a leading job search and career-networking site designed to find candidates the right jobs at the best companies. Through a comprehensive skills-based matching system, Jobfox connects thousands of employers to the most qualified individuals, as well as linking job seekers to relevant job opportunities in their fields. With over 1 Million resumes improved, Jobfox is also the largest provider of professionally written resumes online. For more information, visit http://www.jobfox.com
SOURCE Jobfox
CONTACT: Leigh Burke of Jobfox, lburke@jobfox.com
Web Site: http://www.jobfox.com
Risk of Unemployment Varies by College Major – Unemployment Level for High School Graduates Without Degree is 22.9%
WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Unemployment figures show the jobless rate for recent college graduates with Bachelor’s Degrees has been running at an unacceptable 8.9 percent. But, a new study from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce finds that unemployment among job seekers with no better than a high school diploma is a catastrophic 22.9 percent – and an almost unthinkable 31.5 percent among high school dropouts.
So, is college still worth it? A major conclusion of the new report is that it all depends on your major. And while a college degree gives job seekers a formidable advantage over those without, the study points out, not all degrees are created equal, and there are a number of factors that prospective students should consider before sending off their college applications.
Choice of major determines unemployment. Risk of unemployment for recent graduates varies considerably depending on their major. The highest rate, the study found, is among Architecture graduates (13.9 percent) due to the collapse of the construction and home-building industries in the recession. Unemployment is generally higher for non-technical majors, such as the Arts (11.1 percent) or Social Sciences (8.9 percent).
What employed college graduates make also depends on what they take. Median earnings among recent college graduates vary from $55,000 among Engineering majors to $30,000 in the Arts, as well as Psychology and Social Work.
People who make technology are better off than people who use technology. For recent graduates in Math and Computing, unemployment is low for specialists who can write software and invent new applications (6%), but still comparatively high (11.2 percent) for those who use software to manipulate, mine and disseminate information.
Unemployment is lowest where the ties between majors and occupations are highest. Unemployment rates are relatively low (5.4 percent) for recent graduates in Engineering, the Sciences, Education, or Healthcare related majors because they are tied to stable or growing industry sectors and occupations. Psychology and Social Work graduates also have relatively low rates (7.3 percent), because almost half of them work in the Healthcare or Education sectors.
At the same time, majors that are closely aligned with occupations and industries in low demand can misfire. For example, unemployment rates for recent college graduates who majored in Architecture start high at 13.9 percent and due to its strong alignment with the collapse in construction and housing, unemployment remains high even for experienced college graduates at 9.2 percent.
Consider a graduate degree. The overall unemployment rate for people with graduate degrees is just 3 percent. With the exception of Arts and Education, where pay traditionally has been low, workers with graduate degrees average between $60,000 and $100,000 per year, compared to a range of $48,000 and $62,000 for workers with Bachelor’s Degrees.
Not all graduate degrees outperform all BA’s on employment. Forexample, experienced college graduates in a healthcare field have lower unemployment rates than people with graduate degrees in every other field except the life and physical sciences.
The full report: Hard Times, College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal is available online at http://cew.georgetown.edu/unemployment.
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute that studies the link between individual goals, education and training curricula, and career pathways.
CONTACT: Andrea Porter, cewgeorgetown.media@gmail.com
SOURCE Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Web Site: http://cew.georgetown.edu/
Georgetown University,
FYI Tidbits // Defense Budget Cuts ~ Secretary Panetta to Offer Strategy for Cutting Military Budget
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta will disclose his strategy that will guide the Pentagon in cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from its budget while also sustaining the United States’ needs to meet the 21st century threats. Panetta plans to carefully shrink the military, but keep it large enough to fight and win one major conflict, not two, like the past decade or so. Currently, Pentagon officials are discussing potential cuts to every aspect of military spending to include nuclear arsenal, salaries, retirement and health benefits.
Read more/learn more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/us/pentagon-to-present-vision-of-reduced-military.html
Boren Scholarships ~ International Studies
Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. For a complete list of countries, click here.
Boren Scholars represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili. For a complete list of languages, click here.
Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.
To view the Program Basics for the Boren Scholarship, click here.
Europe, Chinese, Eurasia, Korean, Latin America, Middle East, National Security Education Program, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, scholarships
Vets, Holidays and Suicide
Holidays and suicides ~~ this can be a depressing time for many.
Sad to say but there is one group that bears special attention: military veterans.
Vets now make up half of all suicides, at the rate of 18 suicides per day.
The VA’s suicide hotline receives about 10,000 calls a month from current and former service members. The number is 1-800-273-8255. Service members and veterans should push 1 for veterans’ services.
FYI Tidbits // S. 1747 ~ Computer Professionals Update Act would eliminate overtime payment for IT professionals
The Computer Professionals Update Act, which amends provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, would exempt IT professionals who make at least $26.73 hourly from the overtime payment requirement. IT professionals in this case are defined as those whose duties relate to “computers, information systems, components, networks, software, hardware, databases, security, Internet, intranet or websites,” whether it is analysts, programmers, engineers, designers or developers, according to the bill.
Read S. 1747 – Computer Professionals Update Act
Read more/learn more: http://fcw.com/Blogs/Management-Matters/2011/12/Proposal-to-eliminate-overtime-pay.aspx
professionals, The Computer Professionals Update Act,
Cyber Terrorism, Asteroids, and Solar Flares ~ It’s Time to Get Prepared, Virginia
YORKTOWN, VA./PRNewswire/ ~~ The news of late has been troubling indeed. In August of 2011, a massive solar flare interfered with satellite and radio communications around the globe. Less than three months later, an asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier whizzed by Earth close enough to remind us of how the dinosaurs met their end. Then in mid-November, it appears that the nation experienced its first cyber attack on a public utility system – destroying a large water pump in Springfield, Illinois.
Dr. Arthur Bradley, author of the “Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family,” hopes that such events will serve as a wake-up call to get better prepared. He explains that most people have no idea how bad it would be if infrastructures were disrupted for any extended period of time. Infrastructures, such as food, water, electricity, telecommunications, banking, emergency services, petroleum and gas distribution, and transportation, are all closely interdependent – the loss of one all but guarantees the loss of the others. Without food, water, electricity, or the ability to travel to less affected areas, people would be forced to survive on the limited resources they have stockpiled. Unfortunately, most families have little or no stored water, less than a week’s supply of groceries in the cupboards, and no backup heating system. Given this low state of readiness, a nationwide emergency would likely lead to panic, suffering, and great loss of life.
Even in the absence of a major event such as these, disasters are commonplace. Hardly a day goes by that hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, pandemics, tsunamis, tornadoes, financial system collapse, or house fires don’t top the news. This past year was truly one for the record books with more than $265B in disaster damages globally. Here in the U.S., there were more tornado deaths than in the past 60 years, extensive flooding and droughts across the country, a Groundhog Day blizzard that killed 36 people, and Hurricane Irene, that led to widespread power loss across the Northeast.
Dr. Bradley offers the following suggestions:
(1) begin by stocking consumables that might end up in short supply, such as food, water, medicine, candles, batteries, fuel, ammunition, and diapers;
(2) shore up your home to ensure it is in good repair;
(3) plan for a possible evacuation by identifying at least two escape routes and destinations;
(4) keep an emergency kit in your automobile (e.g., gas can, blankets, water, flashlight, first aid kit), and never let the fuel level fall below half a tank;
(5) review your insurance policies to make sure that adequate safety nets are in place;
(6) have ready a properly sized backup heating system (if appropriate to climate);
(7) establish an emergency fund that can be quickly accessed;
(8) create a network of like-minded individuals committed to working together to survive dangerous events; and (9) consider the special needs of those within your household, including children, the elderly, those with disabilities, and pets.
For more information, contact:
Arthur Bradley, Ph.D. email: ab@artbradley.com URL: http://disasterpreparer.com
SOURCE Arthur Bradley, Ph.D.
Web Site: http://disasterpreparer.com
emergency, eReleases, solar flare, terrorism, Virginia, asteroid
More Women in Technology Profession; Closing Gap in Gender Differences, Massachusetts per Technisource Survey
BOSTON, MA /PRNewswire/ ~~ Years of hard work by dozens of notable groups seem to be having a positive effect on the longtime gender disparities that have existed in the IT profession.According to the 2011 Technisource Women in Information Technology Report, gender differences in overall career satisfaction and career progression have equalized over the previous year. However, significant variances still exist in how men and women view compensation equality and the belief that one gender has an advantage and/or faces differing challenges in their careers.
The new study continues the previous year’s trend of men valuing compensation more and female IT pros valuing flexibility more than their male counterparts. However, the 2011 survey now shows that both sexes value being challenged more than any other factor.
Among the key findings:
Career Satisfaction
When asked about the most important factors to men and women for career satisfaction, 28 percent of men chose compensation compared to 20 percent of women; whereas, 21 percent of women chose flexibility versus 14 percent of men. The biggest change over 2010 was that both sexes chose being challenged as the top factor at 34 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Only 15 percent of women believe that compensation is equal between men and women; only 38 percent of the male respondents do perceive equality (down from 46 percent the previous year).
Career Progression
When asked what the most important factors for career success were over the next five years, tech skills, relationship building and industry knowledge have been more important than tech experience for both 2010 and 2011. A mere 13 percent of women working in IT believe there is not a “glass ceiling” that restricts their employment growth~~down seven percentage points from 2010. Thirty-four percent of men believe there is no glass ceiling restricting women’s career growth in IT.
Mentorship/Role Models
Seventy-seven percent of women do not believe there are enough role models for women (versus 60 percent of men). The percentage of women who said they have or have had a mentor dropped six percentage points from 33 percent in 2010 to 27 percent in 2011.
Future of Women in IT
According to respondents, 75 percent of women believe female workers face a different set of career challenges than their male counterparts (compared to 55 percent of men). Only 20 percent of men and 18 percent of women believe that society encourages young women to study math and science. This is down by six percentage points for both demographics. Twenty-eight percent of men believe that women have an advantage over men working in the IT field. At the same time, 16 percent of women would also agree with this statement. Both men (60 percent) and women (68 percent) believe that public campaigns highlighting IT as a good choice for women is the best way to convince young girls to choose technology as a career path. Nearly all (84 percent) of women believe the IT field could use more women, compared to 67 percent of men. “It is very encouraging to see so many of the differing factors of how men and women view employment within the technology field starting to stabilize and reach equal levels,” said Alisia Genzler, vice president of the Northeast Region of Technisource. “Yet, there is still a battle for perception of equality around compensation and the greater societal issue of promoting IT as a career path for young women. In the end, employers need to recognize that both men and women are not only looking to be fairly compensated, but also desire to be mentored and challenged in their career. Those that don’t constantly strive to provide that challenge will end up losing top talent to the competition.”
About Technisource
Technisource, one of the largest technology talent and services providers in North America, provides comprehensive suite of technology services, including recruiting and staffing, assessments, project services and managed services to Fortune corporations, mid-sized companies and small organizations. With nearly 40 years of experience, Technisource maintains a group of 8,000 experienced consultants to provide services through its network of more than 56 offices across the U.S. and Canada. Technisource is now a part of Randstad. For more information, please visit www.technisource.com.
About Randstad
Randstad is an $18.8 billion global provider of HR services and the second largest staffing organization in the world. From temporary staffing to permanent placement to inhouse, professionals, search & selection, and HR Solutions, Randstad holds top positions around the world and puts approximately 27,500 corporate employees to work from its nearly 4,200 branches and inhouse locations in 43 countries. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands, Randstad Holding nv is listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam.
For more information see www.randstad.com.
SOURCE Technisource
CONTACT: Nicolia Wiles of [prime]pr, nwiles@prime-techpr.com, for Technisource; or Kathy Van Pelt of Technisource, KathyVanPelt@technisource.com
Web Site: http://www.randstad.com
technology, women
