Businesses added 156,000 Jobs in July

By Josh Boak - Associated Press - Reprinted with permission ©2019 All Rights Reserved

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies added a healthy 156,000 jobs in July with larger firms accounted for much of the gains, a private survey found. Payroll processor ADP said Wednesday that there was solid hiring in the construction, transportation, health care and leisure and hospitality sectors. But smaller companies are struggling to find talent after years of robust job growth. Businesses that have fewer than 20 employees shed workers for the third straight month. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said that the “job market is throttling back” because of factors such as labor shortages and trade tensions that are weighing on business sentiment. Zandi said that the ... Read More

Program builds bridge to construction trades for service members leaving the military

By COURTNEY MABEUS | The Virginian-Pilot Stars and Stripes - Reprinted with Permission - ©2019 All rights reserved

NORFOLK, Va. (Tribune News Service) — Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn Smith spent much of his career working as a sonar technician on submarines. On a recent morning, Smith worked above sea level in a warm warehouse miles from the waterfront. There, he and several other sailors used string to help outline the frame of a building they'll construct during the next several weeks. They were also building new skills as they plan for careers outside the military. The HBI Military and Veterans Program launched in 2012 at Fort Stewart in Georgia and has expanded to seven locations, including Norfolk in May. ... Read More

Best and Worst Terms to Use in Your Resume – Ranked by Hiring Managers

© Copyright, 2019, Susan P. Joyce. | Work Coach Cafe | All rights reserved.

In a recent CareerBuilders survey, over 2,200 hiring managers were asked to rank the terms they typically see in resumes as good or bad terms to use. The results really weren’t too surprising, but they are interesting to note, particularly if you are currently submitting resumes for job opportunities. The 15 Best Resume Terms These are the 15 terms those hiring managers preferred to see on resumes. Notice that these are mostly action verbs, probably describing the accomplishments (bet they were quantified accomplishments, too): 1. Achieved: 52 percent 2. Improved: 48 percent 3. Trained/Mentored: ... Read More

Interviews Are Not a One-Way Street

By Hannah Morgan Career Sherpa - Reprinted with permission - 

Remember, interviews are not a one-way street. Though the employer has the job, it may not be the one you want, nor are you sure you want to work there…yet! In order to shift your job interview into a dialog, keep in mind the purpose of the interview: To learn and assess if this is the right place and the right job for you! You must take the initiative to ask questions around the areas you want to learn more about. Not just on the surface, but a deep understanding! This might get you started: Do you like your future job requirements Do you like your future boss? Do you like your future co-workers? Interviews are not a one-way street. The interviewer expects you to ask questions. It shows your interest in the role and company. ... Read More

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Meet face-to-face with dozens of hiring companies at the September 27 Military-Friendly Job Fair at the Waterford Reception Center in Springfield, Virginia. Interview with Leidos, SAIC, LMI, Booz Allen, ARServices, Newport News Shipbuilding, First Command Financial Services, Preferred Systems Solutions, Wells Fargo, Edward Jones, OBXtek, Prince William County Police, and many more! Job fair hours are 9 am to 12 noon, with an Employer Panel discussion for job seekers starting at 8 am. To ensure you receive the job fair Employer Directory in advance, pre-register at http://corporategray.com/jobfairs/409. And if you upload your resume, the participating companies will have early access to your credentials. This job fair is especially for transitioning service members across all ranks and branches of service.

 


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You're invited to meet with dozens of military-friendly companies at the October 16 Military-Friendly Job Fair at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Interview with Newport News Shipbuilding, Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, Edward Jones, ARServices, U.S. Capitol Police, The GBS Group, Foley Cat, Carter Machinery, LMI Government Consulting, Sentara, and many more! Job fair hours are 9 am to 12 noon with two free employment seminars from 8 am to 9 am. To see the list of participating companies registered-to-date, and to ensure you receive the job fair Employer Directory in advance, pre-register at http://corporategray.com/jobfairs/412. And if you upload your resume, the participating companies will have early access to your credentials. While especially for transitioning service members and veterans, this job fair is free and open to all job seekers.

 

 

 



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Businesses added 156,000 jobs in July

By Josh Boak - Associated Press - Reprinted with permission ©2019 All Rights Reserved

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. companies added a healthy 156,000 jobs in July with larger firms accounted for much of the gains, a private survey found.

Payroll processor ADP said Wednesday that there was solid hiring in the construction, transportation, health care and leisure and hospitality sectors. But smaller companies are struggling to find talent after years of robust job growth. Businesses that have fewer than 20 employees shed workers for the third straight month.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said that the “job market is throttling back” because of factors such as labor shortages and trade tensions that are weighing on business sentiment.

Zandi said that the import taxes appear to have caused a decline in manufacturing, which appears to have peaked with monthly gains of 25,000 at the end of last year and have since fallen.

Population growth means the U.S. economy needs to add roughly 100,000 to 120,000 jobs monthly to keep the unemployment from rising. Average job gains have declined over the year, but they’re running above a pace that could cause the jobless rate to increase. The tighter labor market could correspond with faster wage growth.

The ADP’s figures don’t include government hiring and frequently diverge from the government’s official report, which is scheduled to be released Friday. Economists expect that report will how the addition of 163,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate holds at 3.7%.

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Program builds bridge to construction trades for service members leaving the military

By COURTNEY MABEUS | The Virginian-Pilot Stars and Stripes - Reprinted with Permission - ©2019 All rights reserved

NORFOLK, Va. (Tribune News Service) — Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn Smith spent much of his career working as a sonar technician on submarines.

On a recent morning, Smith worked above sea level in a warm warehouse miles from the waterfront. There, he and several other sailors used string to help outline the frame of a building they'll construct during the next several weeks.

They were also building new skills as they plan for careers outside the military.

The HBI Military and Veterans Program launched in 2012 at Fort Stewart in Georgia and has expanded to seven locations, including Norfolk in May. HBI — which stands for Home Builders Institute — is part of SkillBridge, a Department of Defense initiative that's training service members for the civilian workforce by linking them with industry, apprenticeships or internships at no cost to the individual.

Participants spend 12 weeks learning carpentry, including framing, flooring and roofing. They earn professional certifications and get support finding jobs. An electrical program will be added next year.

In Norfolk, HBI expects to graduate 56 people this year and twice as many next year.

More than 21,000 Virginia-based service members are projected to separate from the military in fiscal 2019, according to the SkillBridge website. That includes more than 13,000 based in Hampton Roads.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Kelsey Peery spent seven years in the Navy and worked as a mechanic. She is among Norfolk's first group of students, who will graduate in August. After she leaves the service in September, she hopes to join her husband in Italy, where he is stationed with the Navy, and find a job as a contractor or work in maintenance on base.

"I always knew that I was a hands-on person," she said. "I didn't want to stay behind a desk."

For additional information about SkillBridge programs, including those offered in Hampton Roads, visit: https://dodskillbridge.usalearning.gov/

©2019 The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Visit The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) at pilotonline.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Best and Worst Terms to Use in Your Resume – Ranked by Hiring Managers

© Copyright, 2019, Susan P. Joyce. | Work Coach Cafe | All rights reserved.

In a recent CareerBuilders survey, over 2,200 hiring managers were asked to rank the terms they typically see in resumes as good or bad terms to use. The results really weren’t too surprising, but they are interesting to note, particularly if you are currently submitting resumes for job opportunities.

The 15 Best Resume Terms

These are the 15 terms those hiring managers preferred to see on resumes.

Notice that these are mostly action verbs, probably describing the accomplishments (bet they were quantified accomplishments, too):

1. Achieved: 52 percent

2. Improved: 48 percent

3. Trained/Mentored: 47 percent

4. Managed: 44 percent

5. Created: 43 percent

6. Resolved: 40 percent

7. Volunteered: 35 percent

8. Influenced: 29 percent

9. Increased/Decreased: 28 percent

10. Ideas: 27 percent

11. Negotiated: 25 percent

12. Launched: 24 percent

13. Revenue/Profits: 23 percent

14. Under budget: 16 percent

15. Won: 13 percent

Notice that “achieved” (at 52%), “improved” (at 48%), and “trained/mentored” (at 47%) were preferred over “managed” (at 44%)! And “under budget” and “revenue/profits” were very near the bottom of the list. Interesting! Achievements, improvements, and training/mentoring are more important to these hiring managers than profits. Or maybe these managers weren’t responsible for profitability…

The 15 Worst Resume Terms

These are the 15 worst terms to include on your resume, based on this sample of hiring managers.

Notice that most of these are adjectives people would use to describe themselves, basically meaningless terms unless backed up with quantified accomplishments. Perhaps that’s how the surveyed hiring managers viewed these terms – empty and meaningless:

1. Best of breed: 38 percent

2. Go-getter: 27 percent

3. Think outside of the box: 26 percent

4. Synergy: 22 percent

5. Go-to person: 22 percent

6. Thought leadership: 16 percent

7. Value add: 16 percent

8. Results-driven: 16 percent

9. Team player: 15 percent

10. Bottom-line: 14 percent

11. Hard worker: 13 percent

12. Strategic thinker: 12 percent

13. Dynamic: 12 percent

14. Self-motivated: 12 percent

15. Detail-oriented: 11 percent

Notice that, mostly, these terms are hated by fewer than 20% of the survey participants, so I’m not sure that I would automatically eliminate them from my resume if I felt they were appropriate. What I would definitely try to do is back up those “empty” adjectives with proof that they were not empty at all.

We think of many of these characteristics as desirable in a great employee. Perhaps these terms were used in resumes that offered no proof that someone was “best of breed” or “detail-oriented.” If you describe yourself as accomplished, obviously adjectives are not enough. Include some details about achievements that help the prospective employer believe that those are not just empty terms.

If you want more details on this CareerBuilder study, find it here.

More About Effective Resumes

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How to Quickly and Easily Customize Your Resume for Each Opportunity

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5 Resume Rules You Should Ignore

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Why You Don’t Hear Back After You Submit Your Resume

Keys to a Good Resume and Cover Letter

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Interviews Are Not a One-Way Street

By Hannah Morgan Career Sherpa - Reprinted with permission - 

Remember, interviews are not a one-way street. Though the employer has the job, it may not be the one you want, nor are you sure you want to work there…yet!

In order to shift your job interview into a dialog, keep in mind the purpose of the interview:
To learn and assess if this is the right place and the right job for you!
You must take the initiative to ask questions around the areas you want to learn more about. Not just on the surface, but a deep understanding! This might get you started:

  • Do you like your future job requirements
  • Do you like your future boss?
  • Do you like your future co-workers?

Interviews are not a one-way street. The interviewer expects you to ask questions. It shows your interest in the role and company.

Do you like your future job requirements?

Chances are this new job won’t be like your old job or any job you’ve heard about before due to the unique mixture of people and the company culture. Don’t assume you know what they have in mind.

Be sure you have specific questions written out and ready to ask. And yes, you can have questions written out and yes, you can reference them. The interviewer references a list of questions to ensure they cover everything— you should too. Check out these questions you can ask.

Another way you can a better understanding of the job is to observe someone who works in the position already. While this isn’t always possible, it’s worth asking if you can shadow someone currently in the role. But wait until the end of the interview process before making this request. Asking too early would be like ordering dessert before your meal.

Do you like your future boss?

Pay close attention to how your future boss interacts with you during the interview. But also keep in mind, many managers do not like the interview process either. They may not have any training on how to conduct interviews, so this is stressful for them as well.

During job interviews, you want to understand how your future boss will manage and lead you, how they communicate, and what their priorities are.

Does your future boss talk about him or herself during most of the interview or do they talk about the success of the team? Dig deeper and ask questions about people they managed and what their employees moved on to. You could also ask them to describe their star employee to understand valued skills and traits.

Do you like your future co-workers?

Team-based work is the norm today. If possible, be sure you have the opportunity to spend time with your future colleagues. Always have questions to ask in this situation too. You want to understand each individual’s role on the team and how they interact with each other. What are their backgrounds? What do they like most about working at the company?

Additionally, don’t be afraid to take notes. They’re most likely taking notes too. Taking notes serves a couple of purposes, it shows you’re listening and interested, as well as provides you with details to reference when you write them individual thank-you notes after the interview.

There isn’t always enough time during the interview to get to know them well, but you can ask to contact them outside of the interview process. If you’ve been offered a job and still don’t feel like you know your future teammates well enough, consider asking if you can come back in to meet with them again.

Make the Right Decision

As you can tell, interviews are not a one-way street. You have a lot of questions you need answered before you accept the job. The best job interviews allow for an exchange of information.
There’s a saying among those who assess turnover or retention rates in companies. They often say employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. You can prevent your premature departure from your next job by making sure you know as much as possible about the new opportunity and people you’ll be working with.

The interview process is the time to get all your questions answered (check out these questions you can ask). Don’t wait to find out until you are on the job.

Portions of this post originally appeared on US News & World Report On Careers

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