Let Your Favorite Color Guide Your Career

In today's challenging economy, you have more career opportunities than you might think. Modernize your dream career into a higher paying, more job opening niche or related occupation. Don't be afraid to get nosey and take the time to look around or invest in developing a specialized skill inside your chosen field. Use every opportunity to network and promote yourself.

· Everywhere you go, ask questions like, "What do you do during your workday?" "What's fun, not fun?" "Any opening in your company?"

· Be a temp. Ask for short tem assignments so you can taste different jobs and learn about opportunities.

· Join career specific organizations and get your friends on board.

Dreams come true with niche-specific educational training or on-the-job experience. Looking for the perfect niche? Consider the scientifically valid Dewey Color System test that measures career satisfaction at record-breaking accuracy. It lists the top 50 careers suited for you, plus hundreds of related occupations, niches and career specific organizations. To provide accurate and thorough results, data was obtained from 750,000 CareerBuilder online users.

In order to take the test, you first have to choose the color you like most from yellow, blue and red. Then choose which color you like most from green, purple and orange. Remember your choices and see what your selected combination says about your career prospects:

Yellow-Green

If you selected yellow and green: Your ability to understand others' viewpoints and diplomatically express your thoughts increases efficiency. You know how to make products, systems, and services best fit the environment.
Make more money by seeking careers where you can assemble support structures or make living situations more comfortable.
Consider niches as in landscape architecture or real estate sales, or consider a career as a counselor, designer or social worker.

Yellow-Purple

If you selected yellow and purple: You prefer fast-growing companies with non-repetitive jobs that offer a constant barrage of fresh perspectives and non-stop new tasks. Your ability to communicate with finesse breaks down barriers and opens profitable doors.
Make more money by developing and communicating strategies for project-oriented settings that involve constant change.
Consider niches as a public relations representative, corporate communications manager, youth counselor or radio/TV announcer.

Yellow-Orange

If you selected yellow and orange: You know about the newest available resources, pertinent facts, or innovative ways to solve workday pressures. Your open-minded yet analytical approach creates must-do activities and programs.
Make more money by inventing new ways to market your business, better utilizing resources and talents, or making what you do more efficient.
Consider niches as a statistician, geologist, researcher, librarian or product developer.

Blue-Green

If you selected blue and green: You are at your best when you can anchor others with supportive suggestions. Your personable listening skills make you a success with colleagues, customers or clients who trust you with even their most crucial decisions.
Make more money by seeking environments that give you the opportunity to manage people, information or workplace environments.
Consider niches as a writer, actor, accountant, psychologist or departmental manager.

Blue-Purple
If you selected blue and purple: Use your big-picture thinking to develop new markets, new ideas and new businesses. You can see what's missing and know how to get things done.
Make more money by working in environments where you can organize, develop and bring situations, people or markets together.
Consider niches in advertising and sales or as a public relations representative, trial lawyer or research scientist.

Blue-Orange

If you choose blue and orange: You're a natural both at developing new products or procedures and delegating tasks. You prefer a busy environment because you enjoy learning. Pressure stimulates you.
Make more money in careers where you can gauge productivity, analyze efficiency, and oversee or implement change.
Consider niches as an operations manager, civil engineer, builder or product salesperson.

Red-Green
If you selected red and green: You know value and how to best use resources to make money. Your practical guidance keeps others focused on the bottom line and expenditures under budget.
Make more money in positions where you decide how to best utilized resources or spend money.
Consider Niches as a securities manager, auditor, banker, teacher, property manager, nurse or surgeon.

Red-Purple
If you selected red and purple: When others speak, you sort out the facts from the emotions and establish a step-by-step action plan. You know how to calm those around you and offer quick solutions.
Make more money by selecting work environments where you're in control of all necessary resources and can offer win-win suggestions.
Consider niches as a human resources interviewer/manager, event planner, editor or executive assistant.

Red-Orange
If you selected red and orange: You use facts compiled from past mistakes and successes to deliver strong opinions that are hard to refute. Others learn invaluable information from your critiques about the efficiency of a project.
Make more money in areas where you can sail your own ship by constantly examining, in detail, what needs to be done and express your opinion when things go off course.
Consider niches as a budget analyst, computer support specialist, production manager, manufacturing manager or business owner.

Be Choosy About Sharing Your Profile

Your job is no longer just about your résumé and cover letter -- it's about your résumé, cover letter and your digital footprint.

"Be sure to clean up your online presence before job hunting. Try to remove anything negative," says Susan Kennedy, founder and president of Career Treking and author of "The Job Coach for Young Professionals." "One of the first things a potential employer will do is a simple search for you online -- you don't want any surprises coming up. This is your chance to make a first impression, and you want to ensure that it's the right one."

When it comes to your job search, everything from your pictures and tweets to your eBay transactions counts, according to a 2010 study from Microsoft. Seventy-nine percent of prospective employers review online information about job applicants, according to the survey. The study of 1,200 hiring and recruitment managers in the U.S., the U.K., Germany and France what they use to research applicants found that 78 percent use search engines, 63 percent use networking sites, 59 percent use photo- and video-sharing sites, 57 percent use professional networking sites, 48 percent use personal websites, 46 percent use blogs and 41 percent use news-sharing sites.

While most employers search on their own for your digital dirt, nowadays some employers ask you outright to share your information. This confuses many job seekers, as the line between what to include and what not include is often blurred.

"The main reason you would need to be choosy is if you haven't taken care with managing your online presence in the past," says Cath Duncan, career coach. "If you've been happily uploading videos of your drunken escapades or commenting about how bored you are at work and how much you've been skiving off, or if your Facebook page shows that you've been playing Farmville all day during work hours then this will reflect very badly on you with potential employers."

Even so, your online presence doesn't have to work against you. If you play your cards right, you can use your social media existence to help your job search, rather than hinder it.

"Social networking is an extraordinarily useful collection of tools for personal branding, seeking to create serendipity through online collaboration, interacting with peers from your college, your industry, even your company's competitors," says Barry L. Davis, director of career services for LMA Consulting Group. "The intelligent individual will use these applications to show their aspirations as well as their accomplishments, seeking opportunities to stand out from the mass of job seekers out there."
So, if an employer asks you to share your social networking profile, here are some things to keep in mind, according to Duncan.

1. "Facebook probably isn't a good platform to share with your employers or potential employers. It's designed to be more social and you can't control what your friends post on your wall. Facebook also doesn't have the best features for displaying yourself and the value you can add to potential employers," she says."

2. "LinkedIn has better features for displaying your value to employers. You should upload your CV, you should collect recommendations, and you should record your employment history," she says. "You can also link to your Twitter account and blog and other relevant information about you. Your connections on LinkedIn tend to behave more professionally on the site than they do on Facebook, so you're not going to have them commenting inappropriately on your page. LinkedIn is the more appropriate profile to share with your employer or potential employees."

Jessica Silverstein, principal of Attorney's Counsel, a résumé and cover letter review and interview skills assessment firm, says LinkedIn profiles are generally used for professional purposes and can work to bolster a candidate's application when used correctly.

"LinkedIn, like a cover letter, should be used as an addition to your résumé. Use the summary section to highlight your achievements and relevant work experience. Always be careful of typos and language. LinkedIn is your opportunity to show others your interests and affiliations without adding unnecessary information to your résumé," she says.

3. "If you're using your Twitter account, blog or similar as a way of sharing your ideas -- the stuff you're enjoying reading and what's getting you thinking -- and you're keeping these aligned with your personal and professional brand then its appropriate to share these," Duncan says. "Remember that these are probably public anyway and will be found if they [search for] you. Consciously decide who you want to be and align your life and your online presence with that. When people [search for] you, they'll find more information that reinforces what you've already shared with them."

By Rachel Farrell, CareerBuilder.com writer

Looking for a New Career Opportunity? Consider Temporary Employment

In recent years, many freshly laid-off workers have maintained optimistic attitudes, despite the ever-changing, uncertain conditions of the global economy, anticipating that they would eventually find new positions that would allow them to advance their skill sets and career goals.

Does this describe you? If so, it seems that you may finally be reaping the benefits of your long-term patience and perseverance. While full-time positions are not as readily available as they were before the beginning of the global economic recession, the availability of temporary, contract, and project assignments has steadily increased in the past few months.

An increase in contract or project work, along with a lackluster number of available full-time positions, can lead unemployed professionals to ask a variety of questions. Why is there still a lack of full-time, salaried positions? Will these positions increase anytime soon? If companies are unwilling to hire full-time employees, why do they seem to be able to steadily hire contractors?

Of course, such questions lead to a two-word answer -- the economy. Until the recession begins to slow down and the economy further improves, most organizations will simply not have the funds to provide full-time, salaried positions to prospective employees, no matter how qualified they are.

Ideally, all unemployed workers should have opportunities to improve their skill sets and to display their talents within their desired industries. At the same time, all professionals truly deserve to earn wages according to their past work experiences and skills. However, full-time positions are so few and far between that many workers have focused on another career opportunity for the time being -- temporary, contract, or project employment.

In the meantime, contract employment can provide positive experiences to unemployed workers. Some of the benefits of contract positions include:

Freedom and flexibility -- Many contract workers are able to work according to their own pre-determined hours, providing them with a sense of freedom and flexibility that full-time employees may not enjoy. If contract employees happen to work more than 40 hours, they are paid overtime. This is not always the case with full-time employees.

Opportunity to discover new career options -- Through temporary or project assignments, individuals are able to attain a variety of positions within different industries. By obtaining work experiences in various fields, contractors are able to identify what type of career they would likely enjoy in the future, as well as which ones they would never like to experience again. It is important to realize that many contractors do indeed discover their dream jobs through contract engagements -- you can too!

Networking -- During contract employment, individuals meet and network with a large number of employees within a wide range of industries. By developing such a vast and varied list of contacts, you can learn about temporary and full-time positions that are currently available, outside of your usual career field, before the positions are posted on career websites. Networking can lead people to acquire unique, highly enriching careers that frequently change their lives.

By accepting contract assignments, you will not only receive regular, weekly paychecks, but you will also acquire meaningful work experiences that will possibly lead to a full-time position once the economy improves and the recession lightens. Often times, many contract workers are well-rewarded for their achievements, as well as the positive impacts they have on their organizations, as they are typically notified of full-time offers within their current organizations.

Looking ahead

If they are not offered full-time jobs, some contract workers may also learn about permanent positions that are available at a variety of other organizations, due to the relationships they have developed through networking. By maintaining a high level of positivism, as well as continuous persistence, you will not only thrive as a contract employee, but you may also succeed in a full-time setting once the economy improves.

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct hire basis. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to 480,000 employees annually. Revenue in 2009 was $4.3 billion. For more information, please visit www.kellyservices.com.

How to Help, Not Hover, in Your Child's Career Decision-Making

It's become much harder than it used to be for young people to launch a career after college. Many graduate without essential work-ready skills or a clear understanding of which jobs suit them best. Even those who do often flounder in the job market because they don't know how to market themselves to employers or stand out from more experienced candidates.

As a result, many parents feel pressured to get more involved in their child's career planning. And while this is certainly an important step for them to take, career counselor Barbara Cooke, M.A., warns parents that there are constructive and destructive ways they can do this.

"The term 'helicopter parent' has been used in recent years to describe adults who pay extremely close attention to their children, particularly when they're making college and career decisions. You've heard the horror stories. For example, consider stories you've heard about parents who insinuate themselves into their child's job search, sitting in the waiting room while they interview for a job and hounding human resources to negotiate a better deal," explains Cooke.

"Chances are you don't want to be labeled a helicopter parent. You understand the long-term problems your child will face if you micromanage his young adulthood. At the same time, given what you are paying for college and the uncertain job market your child will face, you want to be involved."

In her book "Parent's Guide to College and Careers: How to Help, Not Hover," Cooke offers parents a wealth of advice for how they can better prepare their children to make tough decisions about their education and career without hounding them in the process. Below are a few of her tips:

Consider the difference between guidance and control

Guidance is helping your child identify his strengths and connect those strengths to opportunities in the economy. Control is dictating your child's career choice. Guidance is helping your child get firsthand information about the opportunities that are out there. Control is doing the research yourself. Guidance is saying, "I want you to talk to two engineers before you reject an engineering major." Control is saying, "I won't pay for college unless you major in engineering."

Take the pressure off the career-planning process

Help your child separate career information gathering from career decision-making. All you are asking your child to do at this point is to gather information. You are not asking him to make a decision based on that information. Encourage your child to see himself as an objective journalist who is conducting research, interviewing people and observing work environments. He can decide what he wants to do with this information later on.

Encourage informational interviewing

Consider family, friends, colleagues or other people you know who have experience in a career field that interests your child. Help your child arrange a meeting with these people to gather information about that person's daily work tasks, background, likes, dislikes and suggestions for entering the field.

Have your child complete a career-interest inventory

This is a print or online questionnaire that helps individuals identify the pattern of their interests according to the framework of the test. Your child would answer a series of questions about school subjects, activities, occupations of interest and other preferences. After your child's answers are scored, he will receive an interpretative report that includes a list of job titles that connect to his interests and abilities.

Direct your child to print and online resources

A wealth of materials online, in libraries and in bookstores can help your child discover and learn about hundreds of careers. From information about a job's earnings and education requirements to its projected growth and average annual openings, these materials can answer key questions you may not know the answer to or that your child may not have thought to ask.
Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST's Job Search and Career Blog (http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.

High-Paying Jobs for Your Personality Type

Consider how many times you've heard yourself or someone you know say something such as, "I really love my job, but I wish I made a lot more money" or "I make a ton of money, but I'd give it all up for a job I actually liked."

Sound familiar? That's because many people in the world of work are still struggling to achieve it all: financial abundance and meaningful work. When searching for jobs and defining their career goals, people often underestimate the value of both high pay and enjoyable work activities. This misstep prompts many to sacrifice one for the other, which may lead them into jobs they'll someday dream about quitting.

"They truth is people can have a job they love and make a lot of money doing it," says Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D. In his new book "250 Best-Paying Jobs" he encourages people who want a high-wage job to consider their personality type when exploring their options.

"Your personality type not only predicts how well your skills will match the demands of the work tasks in a particular job; it also predicts how well you will fit in with the culture of the work site as shaped by the people who will surround you and interact with you," he explains. "Thus your personality type affects your satisfaction with the job, your productivity in it and the likelihood that you will persist in this type of work."

Below Shatkin briefly explains each of the RIASEC personality types, which are Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. Then, he identifies some of the best high-paying jobs suited for them.

Realistic personalities

According to Shatkin, people with realistic personalities "enjoy work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They also like dealing with plants, animals and real-world materials such as wood, tools and machinery. Often the best occupations for realistic people are the ones that do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others."

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
Median annual earnings: $166,400+
Percent growth: 9.1 percent*
Average annual openings: 400

Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers
Median annual earnings: $111,680
Percent growth: 12.9 percent
Average annual openings: 4,073

Civil engineers
Median annual earnings: $74,600
Percent growth: 18 percent
Average annual openings: 15,979

Investigative personalities

"Investigative people love working with ideas and thrive in jobs that require an extensive amount of thinking," says Shatkin. "They enjoy activities that let them search for facts and figure out problems mentally."

Orthodontists
Median annual earnings: $166,400+
Percent growth: 9.2 percent
Average annual openings: 479

Physicians and surgeons
Median annual earnings: $166,400+
Percent growth: 14.2 percent
Average annual openings: 38,027

Petroleum engineers
Median annual earnings: $108,020
Percent growth: 5.2 percent
Average annual openings: 1,016

Artistic personalities

"Often, artistic people are best suited for jobs that involve working with forms, designs and patterns," explains Shatkin. "These people require self-expression and work that can be done without a clear set of rules."

Art directors
Median annual earnings: $76,980
Percent growth: 9 percent
Average annual openings: 9,719

Architects, except landscape and naval
Median annual earnings: $70,320
Percent growth: 17.7 percent
Average annual openings: 11,324

Technical writers
Median annual earnings: $61,620
Percent growth: 19.5 percent
Average annual openings: 7,498

Social personalities
According to Shatkin, social people enjoy working with, communicating with and teaching people. "They generally get the most fulfillment from occupations that involve helping or providing service to others," he adds.

Law teachers, postsecondary
Median annual earnings: $93,210
Percent growth: 22.9 percent
Average annual openings: 2,169

Physician assistants
Median annual earnings: $81,230
Percent growth: 27 percent
Average annual openings: 7,147

Radiation therapists
Median annual earnings: $72,910
Percent growth: 24.8 percent
Average annual openings: 1,461

Enterprising personalities

"People with an enterprising personality type like starting up and carrying out projects, leading people and making many decisions," says Shatkin. "Taking risks and dealing with business matters is exciting to them."

Chief executives
Median annual earnings: $158,560
Percent growth: 2 percent
Average annual openings: 21,209

Engineering managers
Median annual earnings: $115,270
Percent growth: 7.3 percent
Average annual openings: 7,404

Lawyers
Median annual earnings: $110,590
Percent growth: 11 percent
Average annual openings: 49,445

Conventional personalities

"If you enjoy setting procedures, establishing routines and working with data and details much more than ideas, you may have a conventional personality type," says Shatkin.

Actuaries
Median annual earnings: $84,810
Percent growth: 23.7 percent
Average annual openings: 3,245

Computer systems analysts
Median annual earnings: $75,500
Percent growth: 29 percent
Average annual openings: 63,166

Financial analysts
Median annual earnings: $73,150
Percent growth: 33.8 percent
Average annual openings: 29,317

*Percent growth based in projections through 2016.

By Selena Dehne career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST's Job Search and Career Blog (http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.

Build Up Your Job Search Motivation

"Rejections are not unlike breakups," says Marian Schembari of New York City. "I remember one time I was rejected from the perfect job and spent the day in bed like a love-struck teenager eating ice cream and watching movies. Maybe not the most productive way to spend my time, but it definitely made me feel better!"

Anyone who has ever suffered through long-term unemployment can identify with Schembari's scenario, and such comforting may be just what is needed before sending out another application. But what happens when your desire to persevere needs an extra boost?

Before reaching for another scoop of Ben & Jerry's, check out these motivational tips from experts and fellow job seekers.

Start your day with structure

"Get up every morning at your usual time and dress as if you're going to work -- because you are going to work, except now your work is finding a new job," says Richard S. Deems, co-author of "Make Job Loss Work for You."

While it may be tempting to sleep in or lounge around in pajamas, getting your day moving can provide a psychological boost. "I think that keeping a schedule has helped me," says Cherie C. of Denver, who has been unemployed for nearly a year. "I wake up with my partner as he prepares for work, shower, dress and tackle the job search."

Use your computer – and then get away from it

Chances are you've used a computer to scout job postings, but have you explored the full potential of technology?

Erica Myers of London spent seven months without a steady job. During this time, she learned new ways to connect to others and get an edge in the application process. Her tips to rev up job-search motivation by rethinking computer time include:

Use social networking sites and Google searches to find a person to contact directly instead of sending a blind résumé.

Build an online portfolio or a free website. (It not only looks great and tech-savvy, but it secretly gets you organized.)

Read the websites of companies that interest you.

Use connections and build on social media by looking through friends lists for useful contacts, searching through Twitter keywords and adding people on LinkedIn.

Designate certain periods of the day as computer time -- then resist the urge to constantly check e-mail or see if one new position got posted. Too much screen time can zap energy. Instead, find other productive ways to pass the time.

"Do as much face-to-face networking as possible," Deems says. "Even if you've talked with your network two weeks ago, contact them again." He also is a fan of hand-delivering applications, noting that the return rate for mail-ins is about 3 to 5 percent.

While some job seekers may feel guilty about spending free time doing anything besides looking for employment, exploring interests can be rejuvenating -- and potentially rewarding -- during a trying time.

"If someone is job hunting without getting the response they want, volunteering at a local hospital or for a nonprofit organization where they will meet new people who can extend their networking reach is a great game plan," says Debra Yergen, author of "Creating Job Security Resource Guide." "Not only will they keep their skills sharp, they'll also have an opportunity to make a larger networking base aware of their availability."

Give yourself a break

The familiar advice of persistence paying off holds true for finding a job. After all, you can't land a position if you don't even apply. Yet, while dedication will pay off in the long term, sometimes it helps to step away for a bit.

"On days when I lack motivation and don't want to send a résumé, I really try to push myself to keep working, but sometimes I've found it's best to wait a day," Cherie C. notes. "Sending a résumé while in a sad or defeated mood could lead to typos or other errors that could cost me consideration for the job. I take a short break and try to refresh myself."

It is easy to feel frustrated when your inbox is filled with rejections or (worse yet) you aren't even acknowledged after pouring your heart into landing a seemingly perfect position. Job seekers are often hard on themselves when faced with such disappointments, but it pays to remember that setbacks are only a bump on a long career path that will have ups and downs. Take a look at your résumé to remind yourself of what you have accomplished, and when you're feeling better about your capabilities, get back to sending it out. Someone out there is waiting to read it.

By Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder Writer

The Formula for Selling Anybody, Anything, Any Time

Here's the thing: Sometimes we're selling our ideas, sometimes we're selling our products and, these days, many of us are selling ourselves as the best candidate for the job. With this in mind, here's the proven formula for selling your best self to anybody, anywhere, any time.

First: Yale University did a study of the 12 most persuasive words in the English language. They discovered that the most persuasive word in the English language is "you." Consequently, I recommend throwing it around a lot: "As I'm sure you know," "As I'm sure you've heard," "I wanted to talk to you today," etc.

Second: California-based social psychologist Ellen Langer says one word in the English language increases the possibility of cooperation from 60 to 94 percent. No, that is not a typo. I will repeat: 60 to 94 percent. This word is "because."

Lastly: The Duncan Hines Cake Mix Marketing Theory. When Duncan Hines began making cake mix, the decision to have cooks at home add the egg was made in the marketing department. Why is this effective? Because they realized that when we add the egg, we feel proud because we contributed; we can say, "I baked!"

Following, then, are three ways you can apply this formula for success:

A job interview scenario
When you are talking to a company about coming to work for them, you need to articulate the contribution unique to them that they can they make to your success, so it becomes your shared success.

Too often, however, we spend our interviewing time talking about why we are right for the job. What we need to be talking about is why the job is right for us.

What might this sound like?

"I wanted to talk to you today because your job description/your company's mission statement/your bestselling product is X, and my skill set/my personal passion/my sales experience is in Y. Applying the full force of my expertise to this job will enable us both to reach our goals."

Talking to your boss about a brewing situation
The use of the word "situation" here is deliberate. The White House doesn't have a Crisis Room, it has a Situation Room. Likewise, you don't have a crisis -- you have a situation that needs to be resolved.

So, what would the formula for success sound like here?

"I wanted to bring a potential situation to your attention immediately because it requires expert attention. X has occurred and I have come up with the following two possible solutions. Is there one that you prefer?"

In this instance, the egg is not as much the mention of the expert attention but the opportunity you are giving your boss to apply that expertise to two possible strategies. Having him choose which he prefers (and tell you why it's far better) not only allows him to add an egg, but to choose the temperature at which the solution is "baked."

Talking to a potential target at a networking event
Too many networking events are about what others can do for us, rather than what we can do for others. In my experience, however, the most successful networkers aren't asking, "What can you do for me?" but "What can I do for you?" In this scenario, the formula would likely sound like this:

"Hello, I'm X. I wanted to introduce myself because I know you are the visionary behind X idea/product/company, and I wanted to introduce you to Y/write about you in my newsletter/ask if I could help you organize your next charity event." (If your target is standing with another person or in a group, introduce yourself to everyone present.)

As you can see, the offer doesn't need to be –huge; the fact that you made it at all is what helps you stand out. Leaving room for another person to add the egg of her choice is what will ensure your successful connection.

By Frances Cole Jones, author of "The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today's Business World." Her company, Cole Media Management, works with clients to enhance their professional and personal presentation skills. She lives in New York City.

Available Jobs, Not Enough Skilled Workers

Two years after the start of the recession, the unemployment rate is still near double digits, which translates to millions of Americans looking for work. For every open job, employers have dozens or even hundreds of applicants eager to get hired. Yet many employers insist that finding qualified candidates is difficult, even in this economy. How can that be?

These employers don't have a shortage of applicants -- they have a shortage of qualified applicants. For most positions, the necessary skills, experience and education requirements are firm and can't be loosened because of a lack of suitable candidates. Bad economy or not, employers need to know their workers are the best possible people for the job.

A good worker is hard to find
"These jobs were difficult to fill prior to the economic downturn," says Julian L. Alssid, executive director of the Workforce Strategy Center in New York. "Hopefully, they will be less difficult to fill as we move more toward a more demand-driven work-force development system in the U.S. This means local employers working directly with community colleges, trade schools and other post-secondary institutions that help people gain skills that are in demand by employers."

Education is an invaluable asset for any applicant, but as many job seekers can attest, it isn't the only prerequisite for employment. When employers are choosing the right candidate for their organizations, they want to see years of experience and an education that isn't outdated. As you can imagine, any worker who falls at extreme ends of the spectrum -- such as a new graduate or an industry veteran -- can be at a disadvantage. New graduates know the latest research and technology, but they don't have the years of firsthand experience that employers value.

"We do hear employers complain that younger workers fresh out of school often lack a practical understanding of how to apply what they have learned in their classrooms to the workplace," Alssid says. "That said, we have heard from several experienced workers that they feel they are losing out on jobs to younger -- less costly -- candidates."

Education matters
Don't mistake a need for experience as a reason to dismiss education. The problem is that job seekers have to take responsibility for their education because many employers no longer have the time and budget to groom new hires.

"Employers seem to be less willing to invest in training in this economy. Again, it is the combination of the right credential and practical experience they look for," Alssid says.

Take the initiative to improve your credentials so employers see a candidate they're ready to hire now.

"Many job seekers can make themselves more competitive by getting industry-recognized credentials that are valued in today's workplace," Alssid says. "In many cases, that might mean a short-term certificate, not another college or graduate degree."

But many employers are ready to hire.
"We hear about the skills shortage from industries including health care, advanced manufacturing, IT and energy," Alssid says. Although no specific job title is in constant need, any positions relying on math and technical expertise are consistently difficult to fill. "I have heard from several advanced manufacturers that they would hire engineers and engineering technicians in a heartbeat."

Supporting his assessment is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which expects biomedical engineers and network systems and data communications analysts to be the fastest-growing occupations between 2008 and 2018. As a result, job seekers who are applying to these fields and who have the qualifications need to put their experience and skills front and center. In the cover letter, résumé and interview, don't let hiring managers forget that you already have the skills they need. After all, you are just one job seeker in a competitive market; show employers that you're different from the rest.

By Anthony Balderrama, writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.

Fastest Growing Jobs in Health Care

In the two years since the economy began its downward slide, health care has been one of the few industries that continued to rise. Because we're living longer than ever and the baby boomers are aging, demand for health care is growing.

Understandably, many people think of health care as all about doctors and nurses. After all, when you go to the hospital or have your annual check-up, your interaction is usually with a nurse and then a doctor. All the lab tests and other work are done behind the scenes, so these positions get overlooked. The health care industry will continue to grow in the coming decade and the jobs won't just be in the operating room, though many will.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these 11 jobs in health care will see growth in the coming years. Here are the jobs, their expected growth in the next decade, education requirements and annual mean salary*:

1. Physician assistants perform many of the same tasks of a physician -- such as treating injuries and supervising medical assistants -- but are under a physician's supervision at all times.
2008-2018 increase: 41.3 percent
Education: College degree and relevant experience
Salary: $81,610

2. Medical secretaries perform administrative duties in health-care facilities and rely on their knowledge of medical terminology and procedures.
2008-2018 increase: 27 percent
Education: Varies, but college degrees are increasingly common requirements
Salary: $30,800

3. Physicians and surgeons treat patients for existing medical conditions and also advise them on preventative care. Surgeons concentrate on operations rather than the non-surgical approaches of physicians.
2008-2018 increase: 26 percent
Education: Medical degrees, residencies and licenses
Salary: Surgeons - $206,770, general internists - $176,740

4. Registered nurses address some health problems of patients as well as collect and maintain their medical records.
2008-2018 increase: 23.4 percent
Education: Varies between college degrees requirements and certification, depending on state and employer
Salary: $65,130

5. Counselors work in various health-care facilities to help clients overcome physical or mental health obstacles they are encountering.
2008-2018 increase: 22.6 percent
Education: Varies by state and facility, but college degree and certification are typical
Salary: Mental health - $40,270, rehabilitation - $34,600, substance abuse and behavioral disorder - $39,670

6. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses provide care for injured or ill patients in health-care facilities and private homes.
2008-2018 increase: 21.9 percent
Education: Nursing license from an accredited school or institution, other requirements vary by state
Salary: $40,110

7. Billing and posting clerks and machine operators assess the cost of a patient's health care, draw up the bill and send it to them.
2008-2018 increase: 19.7 percent
Education: Varies by institution, but a high school diploma and basic computer skills are common
Salary: $32,120

8. Social workers provide emotional and mental support to patients who have substance abuse problems or suffer from medical ailments.
2008-2018 increase: 19.5 percent
Education: Bachelor's degrees and often advanced degrees are required, in addition to state-mandated licenses and certifications
Salary: Medical and public health - $47,560, mental health and substance abuse - $39,630

9. Receptionists and information clerks work in health-care facilities and address customer or patient questions or concerns and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel.
2008-2018 increase: 16.1 percent
Education: Minimum requirement of high school diploma, although some employers require more education or relevant experience
Salary: $25,400

10. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians work in medical laboratories to perform tests that help diagnose, treat or prevent illnesses.
2008-2018 increase: 14 percent
Education: Technologists need a bachelor's degree in a related subject and technicians need an associate degree
Salary: Technologists - $54,050, technicians - $44,310

11. Pharmacists dispense medicine to patients based on the diagnoses and prescriptions of physicians and other medical professionals.
2008-2018 increase: 14 percent
Education: A Doctor of Pharmacy degree and license
Salary: $104,260

By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

*All information based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.