plus 3, Productivity gains slow, signal job growth ahead - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Productivity gains slow, signal job growth ahead - Atlanta Journal Constitution
Teen job, career fair set for Saturday - Sonoma Index Tribune
Video resumes can launch job, college career - AZCentral.com
Colorado Cleantech Industry Association Launches Online ... - PR Inside

Productivity gains slow, signal job growth ahead - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Posted: 06 May 2010 12:47 PM PDT

By JEANNINE AVERSA

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Employers likely added to their payrolls in April, but Europe's spreading debt crisis has jolted Wall Street and might dampen further job gains.

Signs have multiplied in recent weeks that the economic recovery in the United States has gained traction. Still, companies have been loath to rev up job creation.

Now, the debt crisis that erupted in Greece and sent stocks plunging Thursday adds to companies' uncertainties. That could make them more cautious about hiring, economists warned.

"The situation amplifies the uncertainty," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and president of the National Association for Business Economics.

An enduring Wall Street panic could endanger the recovery if it caused businesses and consumers to pull back on spending.

The nation probably added a net total of 200,000 jobs in April, economists predict. That would be up from 162,000 added in March, the most in three years. But a big chunk of April's net job gains — perhaps 120,000 — is expected to come from the government's hiring of temporary census workers.

By contrast, private companies — the backbone of the economy — probably added only around 75,000 jobs last month, economists say. If they're right, that would mark a slowing from the 123,000 new jobs added in March.

The unemployment rate for April is expected to remain at a stubbornly high 9.7 percent, where it's stood since January.

Hiring isn't expected to be robust enough anytime soon to lower the unemployment rate much. Economists think it will remain above 9 percent by the November midterm elections. That could make Democratic and Republican incumbents in Congress vulnerable.

Just 21 percent of Americans consider the economy in good condition, according to an Associated Press-GfK Poll conducted April 7-12.

For employers to boost hiring significantly, the economy would need to grow at an annual rate of 6 percent to 8 percent a quarter, rather than the 3.2 percent pace logged in the first three months of this year, economists say. Such growth would mean shoppers were spending much more freely. That would give companies confidence that sales gains would last.

That scenario, though, isn't likely.

High unemployment and sluggish wage gains are likely to prevent consumers from going on spending sprees any time soon. Small businesses, which usually help drive job creation during recoveries, are having trouble getting loans. That tight credit is crimping their ability to expand operations and hire.

Europe's debt crisis will probably dampen demand for U.S. exports. And the debt crisis may continue to weigh on markets. Thursday's stock market plunge — the Dow Jones industrial average dropped nearly 1,000 points before recovering two-thirds of its losses — introduced fresh uncertainties.

Many economists think it will take until at least the middle of the decade to lower the unemployment rate to a more normal 5.5 percent to 6 percent.

The worst recession since the 1930s has wiped out 8.2 million jobs, making the competition for any openings fierce. On average, five to six unemployed people are competing for each opening.

"It's going to be a long and painful road back to normal," said Brian Bethune, chief U.S. financial economist for IHS Global Insight.

___

May 07, 2010 12:16 AM EDT

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Teen job, career fair set for Saturday - Sonoma Index Tribune

Posted: 06 May 2010 09:51 PM PDT

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Video resumes can launch job, college career - AZCentral.com

Posted: 06 May 2010 11:57 AM PDT

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - For the company's open sales associate job at Newark, Calif.-based Orbit Baby, president and co-founder Joseph Hei is asking applicants for something no one else on Craigslist is requesting: a video resume.

There is a reason behind the unusual application requirement. His company, which designs and manufactures highly engineered baby and toddler products such as car seats and strollers, wants to hire someone who is confident, outgoing and, perhaps most importantly, technology-savvy. The potential sales person has to be comfortable leading demonstrations in groups and using video communication programs such as Skype to talk with clients.

"There are two broader objectives here," says Hei, a Stanford grad. "First, are you comfortable enough with media and technology to be able to meet these requirements and, two, can you upload a five-minute video? Implicated, even baked into these requirements, are that we want to see if people are relatively comfortable with the way things work these days."

The way things work in business, and even college applications, these days is not the way they worked 10, even five years ago. Though Orbit Baby was the only company specifically requesting video resumes recently on the regional Craigslist, employers report they are seeing them more from job candidates. In addition, more colleges are accepting video resumes with applications. Part of the reason for this is that video-recording cameras are cheap, some costing less than $100, and editing software comes standard on most modern computers, says University of San Francisco professor Ryan Wright, who teaches technology management and strategy classes. He says the new demand is just the beginning of what he believes will be a trend in hiring in the coming years.

"Video editing can be done by practically everyone now. A lot of people don't know how easy it is to create a professional video and professional-looking website," he says. "I believe, in the Bay Area, it will absolutely become a requirement. Video resumes give (employers) a greater degree of understanding of the person beyond a traditional paper resume. You can see how they speak, how they tell a story, and in a traditional resume, you don't see that."

In fact, Wright required his Internet Business Applications class students to create their own resumes for an assignment. Christian Hernandez, a senior at the University of San Francisco, used the assignment to highlight his resume, travel experience and sports prowess.

"It's a pretty neat experience because we were basically doing it to see how easy it is to upload a video and embed it into our websites," Hernandez says.

While Hernandez was making a resume on his own for practice - most video resumes today are made by the subject of the video - some people are choosing to have others make the videos for them. San Jose resident Edwina DiSilvestre recently had a video resume made for her at the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce to attract customers to her personal assistant business, 28 in 24.

Assisted by Silicon Valley micro-biz SanJoseStock.com, DiSilvestre was coached during the process by the company founder Kymberli Brady. DiSilvestre made a commercial-like video in front of a photography backdrop highlighting her organizational and helper skills, even her ability to write personal notes for busy businesspeople.

"A video gives another view or picture of my business, which is really a presentation of my personality," she says. "It will give potential employers a sense of who I am."

Videomaker Brady says she jumped into the video resume business after losing her job shooting for the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. No one else in the Bay Area that she knows of is helping people make video resumes, and she says she believes a good one can help a candidate land a job, even if they didn't do the video themselves.

"If you do a bad one, it can knock you off the potential list for a job, and if you do a good one, it can put you at the top of that list," Brady says. Her company is offering video resume services for $100, a fee that can be paid after a jobseeker lands a position.

Potential employers are not the only audiences for a video resume, made personally or professionally. More colleges are asking their students to include one with their applications.

One of those schools is Pitzer College, a private Los Angeles-area liberal arts school. The college this year started accepting video applications, which admission director Angel Perez says are "fascinating to watch."

"One of the reasons we think this is a good idea for us is (because) we are a bit of a niche school. We want to make sure we are admitting the right students, and fit is really important to us," Perez says. "One of the things the videos have done is allow us to put a face to the name and a personality to the application. We will actually pull up the video in front of the admission committee and let it play."

Earlier this year, as reported in the New York Times, Tufts University received about 1,000 videos via YouTube, a controversial move, as the videos could be accessed by anyone on the website by searching the colleges' name - sometimes to that applicant's ridicule. There are organizations out there, such as MyCollegeI.com that offer videos to colleges on private servers so only the college admission experts can see them.

Still, there are several video resumes online to learn from and, if the mood strikes you, have a giggle at. Some people use goofy graphics or make hyperbolic claims about their skills.

San Francisco resident Dina Boyer, a video professional, does none of that. In her simple, self-made one-minute video on YouTube, she shares her skill set, hoping that it will help her land a job.

"My video resume has gotten me work. Nothing permanent, just a few music video and photography gigs," Boyer says. "I don't think video resumes are appropriate for all careers, but I believe it was very necessary for me. I am a broadcaster, videographer, and photographer, and showing the work on video is proof of my accomplishments and automatically gives me more credibility.

HOW TO MAKE A GOOD VIDEO RESUME

While websites such as Gawker showcase some of the most ridiculous video resumes on the Web (http://tinyurl.com/yhqjcrt), college admissions directors, company presidents and university professors have suggestions on how to make a good video resume.

The first rule is to keep it short and sweet - three minutes is a good length.

"Beyond three minutes is problematic," says University of San Francisco professor Ryan Wright, noting that employers or college recruiters will lose patience with something longer than a television commercial break.

Wright also suggests to his students that they ask a question then answer it. Never pose a question that you neglect to answer, and never ramble on about something off-topic.

"Also, focus on some of the more important things in your resume," he says. "This is really more of a highlight reel than a bullet-point list."

To stand out for someone like Angel Perez, director of admissions for Pitzer College, students should show their knowledge of the college in their video resume.

"These videos are helping us understand that they are doing their research," he says. "Throwing in the institution and why they are a good fit for the institution usually goes a long way."

Same goes for employers, says Joseph Hei, president and co-founder of Orbit Baby. He says he likes to see a job candidate that knows the company inside and out.

"The kind of irony in this age when anyone can get a Flip video camera for $100 or less is there seems to be less of a consciousness about what they are saying," he says. "This is a forum where you should try to represent yourself in the best light. Treat it as a job interview. Make it look the best that you can and have a decent background and decent lighting. We kind of expect someone who is familiar with these things to know that."

While reality television shows may be looking for zaniness from a potential star, employers usually aren't.

"Answer our questions and show us a little about yourself," Hei says. "You'll hit what we're looking for."

---

Visit the Contra Costa Times on the Web at www.contracostatimes.com.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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Colorado Cleantech Industry Association Launches Online ... - PR Inside

Posted: 06 May 2010 08:37 AM PDT

2010-05-06 17:38:50 - The Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA) now offers a new web-based Career Center, connecting job seekers with prospective employers in the cleantech industry. The center, powered by JobTarget, is accessible at the CAREERS section of the CCIA website and serves both CCIA members and non-members alike.

Denver, CO – May 6, 2010 - The Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA) now offers a new web-based Career Center, connecting job seekers with prospective employers in the cleantech industry. The announcement is made by Christine Shapard, CCIA Executive Director, who says the center is accessible at the "CAREERS" section of the CCIA website and serves both CCIA members and

non-members alike. The new job board is powered by JobTarget.

"Our association promotes cleantech industry knowledge, networking, and excellence," Shapard explains. "Launching an online career center for professionals in this field—and in our geographic region—is a natural extension of that mission."

CCIA's employment marketplace, like other JobTarget-powered career centers, distinguishes itself from generalist job boards in a number of ways. These include:

* A highly targeted focus on employment opportunities in a certain sector, location, or demographic.

* Anonymous resume posting and job application—enabling job candidates to stay connected to the employment market while maintaining full control over their confidential information.

* An advanced Job Alert system that notifies candidates of new opportunities matching their own pre-selected criteria.

* Access to industry-specific jobs—and top-quality candidates—often not seen on Monster, CareerBuilder, or HotJobs.

"Niche job boards, like the one we've just designed for CCIA, are an ideal way to recruit top candidates," says JobTarget CEO Andrew Banever. "Our customized career centers also attract new members— both individuals and businesses—to an association such as CCIA. In turn, that helps drive participation in conferences, professional development workshops, award programs, and other association offerings."

To visit the Career Center, log onto the CCIA website www.coloradocleantech.com and click "CAREERS" (or link directly at ow.ly/1HJWL). Once there, users can immediately post a resume or a job opening.

About the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association

The Colorado Cleantech Industry Association represents the interests of the state's cleantech industry. Its mission is to further establish Colorado as a world leader in clean technology by providing representation and advocacy, a unified voice, relevant programming and capacity development. For more information, visit www.coloradocleantech.com.

CCIA also is found on these social media sites:
Twitter: twitter.com/COCleantech
LinkedIn Group: www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/1882455
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/ColoradoCleantechIndustryAssociation
News Feed: coloradocleantech.blogspot.com
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/COCleantech

About JobTarget

JobTarget is an industry leader in job board development, integration, and management. Founded in 2001, the company is the nation's largest provider of third-party career services software for professional associations, powering over 1,000 custom-designed and private-label job boards. To learn more about JobTarget's innovative technology, visit www.jobtarget.com.

# # #

Contacts:

Shelly Curtiss, CCIA Communications Director, 303-623-2690, shelly@coloradocleantech.com

Maggie Chamberlin Holben, Absolutely Public Relations www.absolutelypr.com,
303-984-9801, maggie@absolutelypr.com

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