tradingeconomics.com
www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate6 days ago - Unemployment Rate in Philippines increased to 7.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013 from 6.50 percent in the third quarter of 2013.
Philipine unemployment rate/ actual data/for cast
<http://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate>
National Statistics Office | Isabel Felino | [email protected]
3/11/2014 1:51:38 PM
PHILIPPINES UNEMPLOYMENT RATEUnemployment Rate in Philippines decreased to 6.50 percent in the third quarter of 2013 from 7.30 percent in the second quarter of 2013. Unemployment Rate in Philippines is reported by the National Statistics Office of Philippines. From 1994 until 2013, Philippines Unemployment Rate averaged 9.0 Percent reaching an all time high of 13.9 Percent in March of 2002 and a record low of 6.3 Percent in September of 2007. In Philippines, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. This page provides - Philippines Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. 2014-03-11
Philippines Unemployment Rate Down to 2-Year Low in October
In October of 2013, Philippines jobless rate fell to 6.5 percent, the lowest value since since October of 2011.
There were 2.6 million unemployed in the Philippines in October, down from 3.0 million in July.
Among the unemployed persons, 64.4 percent were males. Of the total unemployed, the age group 15 to 24 years comprised 47.5 percent, while the age group 25 to 34, 31.9 percent. By educational attainment, about one-fifth (21.4 percent) of the unemployed were college graduates, 13.9 percent were college undergraduates, and 33.5 percent were high school graduates.
The visibly underemployed persons or those working for less than 40 hours accounted for 62.4 percent of the total underemployed in October 2013. Those who worked for 40 hours or more made up 36.1 percent. By sector, about 45.2 percent of underemployed worked in the agriculture sector, while 39.6 percent were in the services sector. Those in the industry sector accounted for 15.2 percent.
The employment rate in October 2013 is estimated at 93.5 percent. Among the regions, the National Capital Region had the lowest employment rate at 89.8 percent. The two adjoining regions of the NCR, namely, Central Luzon (92.2 percent) and Calabarzon (91.9 percent) showed rates lower than the national figure. These findings are based on the October 2013 Labor Force Survey (LFS). In this round of the LFS, the calculation of employment indicators excludes the data from the province of Leyte, which was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.
The labor force participation rate in October 2013 is estimated at 63.9 percent.
Job Interview Tips http://jobsearch.about.com/jobsearch.about.com/cs/interviews/a/jobinterviewtip.htm
By Alison Doyle
Practice
Practice answering interview questions and practice your responses to the typical job interview questions and answers most employers ask. Think of actual examples you can use to describe your skills. Providing evidence of your successes is a great way to promote your candidacy. Also have a list of your own questions to ask the employer ready.
Research
Prepare a response so you are ready for the question What do you know about this company?Know the interviewer's name and use it during the job interview. If you're not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.
Get Ready
Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for note taking.
Be On Time
Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the interview location ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there. Here's more on preparing for an interview.
Stay Calm
During the job interview try to relax and stay as calm possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention - you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!
Show What You Know
Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions. When discussing your career accomplishments match them to what the company is looking for. Here's how to make a match between your expertise and the company's requirements.
Follow Up
Always follow-up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a personal thank you note. Send your thank you note (email is fine) within 24 hours of your interview.
Avoid Common Interview Mistakes
What shouldn't you do when interviewing? Here are the most common job interview mistakes, blunders, and errors a candidate for employment can make. Take the time to review these mistakes before your interview, so you don't have to stress out about blunders after it.
More Job Interview Tips
Tips for phone interviews, second interviews, lunch and dinner interviews, behavioral interviews, interviewing in public, and more advice for interview success.
Phone Interview Etiquette
Phone interview etiquette is just as important as in-person job interview etiquette when it comes to getting hired. That's because, regardless of how you interview, a successful interview will get you to the next stage of the hiring process.
http://www.businessweek.com/
To beat the job-hunting pack, you'll need to take risks, be realistic, and understand your potential employer's needs
We can all agree that times are tough. Everywhere I turn, it seems that more companies are cutting jobs across the board. It's not just General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) anymore; everyone from Starbucks (SBUX) to Sun Microsystems (JAVA) to Citigroup (C) is announcing massive layoffs at all levels.
If you're gainfully employed, you're probably relieved it's not you. But if your company isn't among those that have had to slash jobs, I'm sure you at least know someone who has been affected.
As a professional résumé writer, I'm particularly interested in career development and the job search in general. I come in contact with all types of people, from Gen Yers just starting out to baby boomers looking for a job to carry them through to retirement. Of course, it can be especially tough to find a job in economic times like these. But there are some methods that can help you navigate through the madness, and I'd like to share some outside-the-box tips for finding a job today.
Take Chances
I started my full-time, one-year MBA program in July 2001, so you can imagine what my class' job prospects looked like after September 11 (really bad). Companies that were supposed to interview on-campus canceled and those that did interview had few, if any, jobs available. We were encouraged to network, but calling contacts only gets you so far in distressed economic times.
What can work, though, is getting in at the ground level. No, I don't mean through the mail room. Temporary work ("temping") can be a great way to introduce yourself to potential employers. It may not feel good to be making $10 per hour doing data entry for 8 hours a day, especially after you've worked hard to gain an advanced degree. But if you make a good impression with your new client, you could gain full-time employment in a few months. Some companies only hire staff starting in these entry positions, and once you've gotten in the door as a temp, you can look at open in-house positions to which others won't have access. Even if it doesn't work out for long-term employment, at least you'll be paying the rent instead of racking up the credit card bills while looking for a job.
Be Realistic
Understand that you may not get the title or pay that you want. It's great to be optimistic, and certainly you should apply for your dream job. But this is not a great time to try to jump from project manager to director-level when so many people with years of executive experience are losing their jobs. The competition out there is fierce, and to succeed you need to consider jobs at all levels, especially if you have been out of the workforce for a few years. Many big companies will require that you start at a lower level before jumping to any leadership position. Two of my previous employers, Procter & Gamble (PG) and FedEx (FDX), typically require all candidates to start small before moving into the big leagues.
Limitations of Networking
Professional networking sites like LinkedIn and the Business Exchange are great ways to grow your base, especially when connecting with past colleagues or classmates. But these networks must be used wisely for best results. When I look at professional online forums, I see many people advertising their availability. This is a fine way to meet fellow job searchers, but truthfully, the majority of hiring managers are too busy to sort through these forums to find potential candidates. Networking is great, but be mindful before spending hours surfing the Net for new friends and forums.
Revamp Your Résumé
One common mistake people make when writing their résumé is to focus on themselves, their abilities, and their lives. Prospective employees will often advertise that they are looking for "increased responsibility" or "great opportunities" with a new company.
Let me break it to you: Companies are not waiting around to offer you that dream job. They want to know what you have to offer them, not what you are hoping to gain. Quantify your accomplishments and highlight what you have done. Demonstrate that you understand the industry lingo and even sprinkle a few buzzwords into the mix.
Yes, it's rugged out there today, but you can increase your chances of gaining employment by thinking differently than all the other job searchers. Best of luck in your job search!
Causes of PovertyThe main causes of poverty in the country include the following:
5 Things Every College Grad Should Know. http://briankim.net/ blog sites..
http://briankim.net/blog/2006/07/5-things-every-college-graduate-should-know/
#1. A Degree Does NOT Entitle You to a Job
It’s amazing to hear recent college graduates get so worked up about not being able to find a job. Here’s their typical rant:
“I’ve worked my butt off at college. I studied every night. I got good grades. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. Why are there no jobs out there? This is a travesty! I worked my butt off and for what? So I can input data into spreadsheets at Initech? Nobody told me it would be like this. Everyone told me that if you have a degree, you’re set. What the %*%# is going on? Arrrgghhh!!!!”
First off, let me sincerely congratulate you for sticking to a major commitment and following through on it. I'm not trying to be sarcastic here. I sincerely congratulate you. I know it's hard work and I feel for you because I know exactly what you went through.
Now here comes the tough love that you know is coming.
Just because you got a degree, it doesn’t entitle you to a six figure job, with full benefits, a one month paid vacation to a company retreat, 20 floating holidays, a corner office, and a parking spot in front of the doors with your name on it.
It’s time to get your head out of the sand.
The days where all you needed was a college degree to get a job are LONG GONE.
Deep down inside, you know it’s true.
We were all told the same lie in high school. Get into a prestigious university, get a degree, and your magic high paying job will fall squarely into your lap.
The smart people are the ones who have figured out this lie early on in college, and made sure the time they spent in school would separate them from the students who were still “asleep”.
You know exactly who these smart people are. They're the ones who took the internships, the unpaid jobs, who made network contacts, and spent their days and nights gaining valuable working experience and marketable skills.
Think back to your graduation. Remember your fellow classmates graduating with you? They too got degrees. Now, think of the thousand other graduations across the nation that occurred in the same month.
They got degrees too.
What’s going to separate you from them? Why should employers hire you instead of all the other clones?
You must learn to differentiate yourself. What can you offer that these other people can’t?
It’s not enough to put your future in the hands of an educational institution. It’s time to stop blaming the world. It’s time to take personal responsibility and to have the courage to shape your future with your own hands.
#2. Find What You Love to Do
I should’ve put this at the very top, but I wanted to address the biggest issue facing recent college grads first (job entitlement).
Let’s look at the typical path of a college graduate who has not found what they love to do.
Graduated from college -> can’t find job -> get’s low paying “temporary” job just to pay the bills -> starts to become complacent and falls into routine -> struggles to get out of routine but can’t because of accumulation of debt to finance lifestyle of escaping reality and impressing people with material possessions -> effectively becomes a slave to the job as it is needed to pay the bills-> looks foward to weekend to complain about job but does nothing and gets wasted to forget troubles-> gets depressed -> struggles to find meaning in life -> maybe gets a small promotion at temporary job by employer as an incentive not to quit -> hates waking up in the morning everyday but does it anyway to pay the bills -> makes other people's lives miserable because his is -> rinse and repeat for 40 years -> lies on deathbed regretting life, wishing he could go back and change it all, and dies knowing that he can’t.
The time you have after college is THE TIME to find what you love to do. You're not burdened (I assume for the most part) with the heavy responsibilities of a mortgage, family, or dependents. You’ll most likely move back home or room with a buddy.
Use that time to find what you love to do. Don’t put it off. Otherwise, you may fall into the trap of getting a job just to get by and falling into a routine.
I’m not saying it’s bad to get a job just to get by, but if that's all you're doing, and if you don’t have a goal, plan, or passion, to shoot for, the future looks very bleak for you.
How do you find what you love to do? I've written an article on that subject that might help you out. You can read it here.
#3. Learn How to Interact With People
Learning how to interact with people is probably one of the most valuable skills you can have in your belt. This is a “street smart” skill. Sure there are books on this, but the only way you can develop this skill is by putting it into practice constantly until it becomes second nature.
This skill will come into play when you get your first job.
Learn to make a habit of greeting people with a smile. Say “thank you, please, and I appreciate it” whenever you have the chance. These small things make a huge difference. Don't be so quick to dismiss the power of appreciation and courtesy.
Make small talk, get to know your co-workers, help them when they have a problem. Eat lunch with them. Talk about the TV shows you watch when you’re at the water cooler or about the cool blogs you visit on the net – hint hint :)
Learn to be positive. Make people smile when they see you coming your way.
You'll find that the skill of comfortably interacting with people will help you when it comes time to promotion. This will also protect you from the next subject.
#4. Practice CYA (You Know, Cover Your - - -)
Office politics – yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Office politics DOES exist and it is NOT pretty.
When it comes to downsizing, I’ve seen employees turn on the quiet employee in the corner like a pack of wolves and whisper to the managers that he/she must go. It’s far easier to fire the loner than to fire one of the gang. That’s why you should learn how to interact with people.
When it comes to promotion with competition, work sabotage and trash talking behind the back are rampant and pretty much expected.
When it comes to personal differences between employees and managers, managers will look for the smallest excuse to fire their employees.
But even if you are the most charming employee ever, you should still CYA.
Keep ALL emails. Back them up. Have everything in writing. If a potential problem or situation comes up, document it as fully as you can. Don’t trust your memory. If someone accuses you of something so bad that it could cost you your job (I've seen it happen), then you can calmly pull out all the information you saved and effectively CYA. Not to mention, make the accuser look like a total idiot (I've seen that happen too and it is SWEET!)
#5. Build and Maintain A New Social Network
When you graduate, you’re not going to be surrounded by your classmates and dorm buddies 24/7. You’ll most likely be living with a roommate or living with your parents and the majority of your social contact will be at work, and I don’t think your workplace is going to be filled with 22 year olds.
The only people you'll probably keep in touch with are your roommates and your frat buddies or any other close friends you made, but they will all be doing their own respective things in different places.
Building a social network is crucial. Studies have shown that having a strong social network leads to positive mental and physical health over the course of one’s life.
So start building your social network. Don't just stay at home and play video games and expect friends to magically show up at your doorstep.
Go join Toastmasters. Go to the parties, bars, bookstores, and lounges but one quick point though. Don’t just go to these places just for the sake of making friends. Make sure you have a genuine interest in the subject of the place you're going to.
For example, if you have no intention of learning how to give speeches, don’t go to Toastmasters just to make friends. You won’t have anything in common with them because the people there want to give speeches.
Go to places where you have a genuine interest and you'll meet similar people there who share your interests, which is perfect fodder for friendships.
If you go to places where there are regular meetings, it’s even easier to make friends because you see the same people who hold the same interest as you on a continual basis. Ever wonder why it was easy to make friends at school? That’s why.
If you’re apprehensive about making friends with complete strangers, let me let you in on a little secret when it comes to people and their friends.
Most people are sick and tired of their friends. We're creatures of habit. We hang out with the same people all the time, listen to the same stories, laugh at the same jokes, and complain about the same things.
Most people are bored out of their mind when it comes to their friends and they'll welcome any type of change. That’s where you come in. So don’t have any fear of making friends. Save people from boredom and complacency by inserting yourself into their lives.
The biggest misconception is that everybody has all the friends they need and that they don’t need anymore. People will always need friends.
So go make friends at work. Play social sports like basketball or tennis or softball afterwards. You'll find that people don’t have many opportunities to make friends after school, especially if they work 9-5. That 's why you see so many friendships made at work. After all, you are spending a whole lot of time there.
There will come a time when your social network will help you get through tough times and you’ll be extremely thankful that you spent the time to make it.
I’m sure there are other things that every college grad should know, but I feel that the 5 discussed here are some of the more important ones that should be made known.
So college grads: Take personal responsibility, find what you love to do, learn how to positively interact with people, always CYA, and build a strong social network. By doing these things, you'll find it to be extremely beneficial and a worthwhile investment on your part when making your brand new start.
http://www.isac.org/
PlanningThe first step after college is finding a job that not only challenges you, but will also get you started down your new career path.
Finding the right job takes preparation, confidence and determination. It can also take some time, so you may need to be patient. Before you begin your search, take the time to prepare a budget for living expenses. You may need to find an interim job or have a plan on how to pay for expenses until you have secured your position. Make sure to factor in costs such as housing, insurance and other living expenses, along with what will be needed for your job search, such as résumés and even new business attire for interviews.
If you have outstanding student loans, it is important to determine when you will need to begin repayment of those commitments. Remember that even if you don’t complete your degree, your loan will still become due once you drop below half-time status. If you received financial aid through a program that has a requirement that must be fulfilled as a condition of receiving the financial aid, such as teaching or practicing optometry, you must factor that commitment into your job search. Most likely you must begin fulfilling the requirement within one year of leaving school or the amount you received will have to be repaid.
Set a timetable for accepting a position and have an alternative job plan if your search takes longer than expected.
To start your job search, draft a resume that highlights your education, talents and experience. There are many avenues to assist you in preparing a resume that will interest potential employers, such as the campus career center, professional recruiters and even Internet job sites. Make sure to have someone you trust proofread and provide feedback on your résumé prior to having it printed and sent. This document often provides prospective employers their first impression of you.
Practice your interview skills, including what your answers to difficult questions will be. There are many books and information sources that can help you prepare for those hard questions that an employer may ask in an interview. Also, remember to do some research on the company and prepare a list of questions that you want to ask the interviewer. It is important to consider the stability, future advancement potential, employee-benefits package, and other factors of the job that is being offered.
Some careers require a portfolio of work and job-related samples. If your career path requires this type of presentation in an interview, make sure to have the portfolio updated and available when you enter the interview.
Another important task is to secure personal and professional references. Many companies require references and perform routine reference checks prior to hiring employees. Most personnel departments also put more emphasis on professional references and those from former employers. It is always good to have contact information for your references on a sheet of paper to present to the interviewer upon request.
Once you feel prepared, you can begin your search for available positions. As an entry-level applicant, your salary may be lower than expected to start, so you need to make sure you can survive on the income offered. You may also want to ask the interviewer about potential advancement opportunities at the company and other employee benefit programs, such as investment programs (e.g., 401K). Remember that money shouldn’t be the sole deciding factor when selecting a job. Consider job satisfaction, as well. Will the job make you happy? Will it utilize your skills and degree? Will this job work as a good stepping-stone on your way to where you eventually want to be? Is the employee-benefits package acceptable?
Once you have accepted a position, make sure to revisit your budget. Track your money and determine what you currently are using it for and what you will be using it for in the future. Budget how much you’ll need for your housing, transportation, food, clothing, utilities, entertainment and luxuries. And don’t forget about your student loans, credit card debts and any other expenses that must be taken into consideration (e.g., car loans, insurance, phone bills, etc.).
Top 10 Career Path Myths
Study: Income Gap Between Young College and High School Grads WidensA college degree is increasingly valuable, in part because a high school diploma is less and less so.
by danielle kurtzleben
http://www.usnews.com/<http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/11/study-income-gap-between-young-college-and-high-school-grads-widens>
One of the most prominent narratives of the recovery has been that of the barista with a B.A.Government data, news reports and other studies all have shown that college graduates are underemployed, working jobs that are well below their qualifications.
So it might come as a surprise that a new study shows the value of a college degree is greater than it has been in nearly half a century, at least when compared to the prospect of not getting a degree. The Pew Research Center has found that the earnings gap between millennials with bachelor’s degrees and those with just a high school diploma is wider than it was for prior generations.
[READ: Income Inequality Widens Across the Globe]
Among millennials ages 25 to 32, median annual earnings for full-time working college-degree holders are $17,500 greater than for those with high school diplomas only. That gap steadily widened for each successive generation in the latter half of the 20th century. As of 1986, the gap for late baby boomers ages 25 to 32 was just more than $14,200, and for early boomers in 1979, it was far smaller at $9,690. The gap for millennials is also more than twice as large as it was for the silent generation in 1965, when the gap for that cohort was just under $7,500 (all figures are in 2012 dollars).
Put another way, today's young high school-only grads earn about 62 percent of what their college-graduate peers earn. In 1965, the figure was nearly 81 percent. The gap has widened considerably, yet many young college graduates are underemployed – how do those two facts square with each other? It’s not just that earnings are improving for college graduates, says one of the report’s authors, it’s that life for high school-only graduates has gotten tougher.
“There’s a reason we call this report ‘The Rising Cost of Not Going to College,'” says Paul Taylor, executive vice president of special projects at the Pew Research Center.
“The driver of that widening is not so much that today’s college graduates are doing better than yesterday’s college graduates are doing; it’s that today’s high school-only graduates are doing worse than yesterday’s high school-only graduates,” he says. “The real story is the collapse in economic opportunity for people who do not continue their education beyond high school.”
Indeed, median annual earnings for full-time working 25- to 32-year-olds with bachelor's degrees grew by nearly $6,700 to $45,500 from 1965 to 2013. During that same time, median annual earnings for high school graduates in that same age group fell by nearly $3,400 to $28,000.
[ALSO: Twice as Many College Grads in Minimum Wage Jobs as 5 Years Ago]
And those numbers are only among those working full-time. People with college degrees have a far easier time finding a job than those without a degree. Among 25- to 32-year-olds with a college degree, the jobless rate as of March 2013 was 3.8 percent. At 8.1 percent, the rate was more than twice as high for those with a two-year degree or some college, and it was more than three times as high for those with only a high school diploma at 12.2 percent. That kind of educational gap in the jobless rate persists across the broader population as well, as the most recent government jobs report shows.
That’s not to say that today’s young college graduates are entirely doing better than their predecessors. The poverty rate for millennials with a college degree or greater is nearly 6 percent, roughly twice as high as it was for Generation X in 1995 or the early boomers in 1979, and higher than the 4 percent rate for late boomers in 1986 (data for the silent generation was not available).
The total wealth of millennial college graduates is also lower than it was for 25- to 32-year-olds in 1984. As of 2011, those millennials had a median household wealth of $26,059, compared to $29,521 in 1984.
However, the median wealth of people without degrees has fallen even further: High school graduates ages 25 to 32 had a median household net worth of $11,455 in 1984. By 2011, it was less than one-third of that, at $3,137.
“Some of the story that’s familiar about the difficulty, even of college graduates in today’s economy, is also told here. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t doing better vis-à-vis high school graduates,” Taylor says.
There’s also evidence that today’s college graduates have more regrets than their elders. Survey respondents were presented with four things they could have done differently in college: getting more work experience, studying harder, looking for work sooner and picking a different major. Among people 18 to 32 with college degrees, 31 percent said they would have done three or all four of those things differently, compared to only 22 percent of Generation Xers and 17 percent of boomers.That could signal that millennials facing a tough job market wish they had taken more steps to get ahead of their peers. Then again, it could also mean that – given a decade or three's removal from college and having settled into their careers – many boomers and Generation Xers simply feel those regrets less acutely.
Either way, it's something we may not know until someone does the same study in 2024.
10 Great Work-at-Home Jobs By Caitlin DeweyMarch 1, 2012 1:58 PM
http://finance.yahoo.com/ By Caitlin DeweyMarch 1, 2012 1:58 PM
These days, working at home isn't just a pipe dream -- it's an economic necessity. The Great Recession forced more than 300,000 stay-at-home moms to return to work. And in a recent retirement poll commissioned by Allstate, nearly 70% of near-retirees said they plan to continue working past age 65.
For these people, work-at-home jobs promise big benefits: extra income, flexible hours and the enviable dress code of slippers and sweatpants. The trick, of course, is finding legitimate, well-paid positions because work-at-home scams abound.
To assemble our list of top work-at-home jobs, we combed Bureau of Labor Statistics data for occupations with good hourly wages and promising growth prospects. We then identified actual companies that hire home-based workers in these fields, and scrutinized their benefits and schedules.
To weed out scammers, we checked out companies with the Better Business Bureau. Every work-at-home company we mention has an A or A+ rating from the BBB (or, if it's not in the BBB's database, it has been vetted by industry groups). While we can’t guarantee that you’ll get hired for one of these work-at-home jobs, at least you can have confidence that none of these employment opportunities is too good to be true.
Web Search Evaluator
Pay Range: $13.50-$17.50/hour (at Leapforce)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: Going gaga for Google
When you type a search term into Google or Bing, an algorithm determines what the best results will be. But that algorithm doesn't operate alone: Many large search engines rely on home-based evaluators to test the accuracy of online search results, examining different search terms and the Web sites they turn up. The job involves a lot of analytical thinking, so applicants must pass a test before firms such as Appen Butler Hill, Leapforce and Lionbridge will hire them. Search jobs are flexible. Evaluators generally choose their own hours, and none of the three major search firms has educational requirements.
[More from Kiplinger.com: 10 Great Cities for Starting a Business]
Culinary Consultant
Pay Range: $15-$30/hour (at ChefsLine.com)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: An appetite for home cooking
Friendly foodies can cook up a satisfying work-at-home career with some culinary know-how and a telephone line or PC. ChefsLine.com hires experienced cooks to provide kitchen advice over the phone and via online chat. Customers, who pay a fee for access to the service, can ask questions about anything from how to save a burned casserole to what wine to pair with dinner. The company doesn’t specify educational requirements per se, but a culinary degree or teaching experience boost the odds of getting hired.
Customer Service Representative
Pay Range: $9-$14/hour (at Alpine Access)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: The gift of gab
When you dial a company's help line, the call usually goes to a mega call center in the U.S. or abroad. But increasingly, customer service calls also route to home-based agents, who answer questions, complete forms and log complaints through their computers. Hours are flexible and qualifications loose–few firms require a minimum education or experience level, although a background in customer service typically helps. Alpine Access, Convergys and West Corporation rank among the major employers. All three are highly rated by the Better Business Bureau, hire agents as employees rather than contractors, and offer benefits such as paid vacation and medical insurance to full-time workers.
Tech Support Agent
Pay Range: $17-$29/hour (BLS data)
Minimum Education: Associate or bachelor’s degree
Essential Skill: Fluency in geek-speak
Computer nerds and A-V types can make solid salaries in tech support, where demand is high and hours flexible. Working out of home offices, such techs generally serve as the first point of contact for customers troubleshooting everything from laptops to stereos to MySQL servers. Some work directly for major brands and retailers, such as Best Buy. But job seekers should also consider third-party support providers, including PlumChoice, which handles tech support for a number of Fortune 500 companies. The majority of PlumChoice's 400 techs work remotely. The company looks for professional certification or three years of experience.
[More from Kiplinger.com: 10 Best Home-Based Franchises]
Virtual Assistant
Pay Range: $28-$45/hour (IVAA data)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: Ability to juggle calls and clients
A virtual assistant does everything a traditional assistant might do, from scheduling appointments and maintaining records to preparing memos and reports. But there's a key difference between the traditional secretary and a VA, says Nancy Seeger, of the International Virtual Assistants Association: Most VAs are contractors, not employees, and they operate as independent businesses with multiple clients. This can make virtual assisting a tough field to break into because newcomers need to market themselves to potential clients. Seeger recommends networking through local business groups, Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and the IVAA jobs board. Expertise in bookkeeping, event management, social media and the like also helps.
Tutor
Pay Range: $10-$14/hour (at Tutor.com)
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
Essential Skill: Knowledge is power
A college degree, a computer and a bit of patience are all it takes to break into online tutoring, a field that can be both personally and financially rewarding. Sites such as Tutor.com match teachers and students in "online classrooms," where they use live chats to teach lessons and help with homework. And while Tutor.com only requires BAs from its applicants, other online opportunities exist for people with advanced degrees. GetEducated.com, for example, lists remote job postings at community colleges, libraries and online universities. Most of these teachers are hired and paid as part-time employees; Tutor.com and similar sites hire on a freelance basis only. But that doesn't mean teachers can't make a comfortable wage. On top of hourly earnings, Tutor.com pays bonuses for "exceptional work."
[Also see: In-Demand Careers Through 2018]
Medical Transcriptionist
Pay Range: $25,000-$50,000/year (at Precyse)
Minimum Education: Associate's degree or one-year certification program
Essential Skill: Willingness to follow doctors' orders
Home-based transcription predates the Internet, making it, in some ways, the quintessential work-at-home job. Medical transcriptionists type doctors' dictated notes and use them to prepare memos and reports. A good transcriptionist is more than a typist. Increasingly, medical firms want their employees to have associate's degrees or vocational certificates, as well as an advanced understanding of medical terminology. Companies such as Amphion Medical Solutions requires a minimum of two years' experience but promise flexible hours and a full range of benefits. Precyse and M*Modal, both large medical firms, also hire home-based transcriptionists.
Proofreader
Pay Range: $12-$20/hour (BLS data)
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
Essential Skill: Two eyes for detail
It's hard to hack it as a freelance writer or full-time blogger, and both fields are already crowded. But if you have some writing or editing experience under your belt, you may find steady work as a proofreader, especially for academic or foreign firms. Cactus Communications, an Indian editing and translation company with offices in Philadelphia, hires proofreaders to check academic papers and medical documents written by non-native speakers. U.S.-based FirstEditing employs proofreaders to work on manuscripts, theses and business documents. While neither company requires a specific academic background, advanced degrees and editing experience help.
Concierge
Pay Range: $11-$17/hour (BLS data)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: No reservations about making reservations
Concierges used to be the highly primped men and women who gave restaurant suggestions at the counters of hotels. Thanks to the Internet, however, they can now work anywhere, providing travel assistance, making reservations and answering questions by phone, e-mail, text message or chat. VIPdesk.com, the foremost employer in this field, hires home-based concierges for a variety of companies around the world, including JPMorgan and Starwood Hotels. Employees can earn full benefits, including insurance and paid vacation, and can set their own full- or part-time schedules. Other companies, such as Virtual Concierge, act as go-betweens for home-based concierges and clients, including UBS.
[More from Kiplinger.com: 6 Rags to Riches Millionaires]
Translator
Pay Range: $1,000 - $2,500/month (at Argos Translations)
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
Essential Skill: A way with words
If you speak at least two languages and have an Internet connection, you're well on your way to becoming a home-based translator. A number of firms hire multilingual people to freelance translations of business documents, consumer Web sites, computer software and academic papers. Preference often goes to applicants who speak in-demand languages, such as Chinese or Japanese, and have backgrounds that would help in translating technical material. Mega-translation firm SDL hires freelancers for brands such as HP and LG. We Localize and Argos Translations also employ thousands of translators around the world. Positions are often freelance, but benefits and contracts vary by company.
http://www9.georgetown.edu/
www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate6 days ago - Unemployment Rate in Philippines increased to 7.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013 from 6.50 percent in the third quarter of 2013.
Philipine unemployment rate/ actual data/for cast
<http://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate>
National Statistics Office | Isabel Felino | [email protected]
3/11/2014 1:51:38 PM
PHILIPPINES UNEMPLOYMENT RATEUnemployment Rate in Philippines decreased to 6.50 percent in the third quarter of 2013 from 7.30 percent in the second quarter of 2013. Unemployment Rate in Philippines is reported by the National Statistics Office of Philippines. From 1994 until 2013, Philippines Unemployment Rate averaged 9.0 Percent reaching an all time high of 13.9 Percent in March of 2002 and a record low of 6.3 Percent in September of 2007. In Philippines, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. This page provides - Philippines Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. 2014-03-11
Philippines Unemployment Rate Down to 2-Year Low in October
In October of 2013, Philippines jobless rate fell to 6.5 percent, the lowest value since since October of 2011.
There were 2.6 million unemployed in the Philippines in October, down from 3.0 million in July.
Among the unemployed persons, 64.4 percent were males. Of the total unemployed, the age group 15 to 24 years comprised 47.5 percent, while the age group 25 to 34, 31.9 percent. By educational attainment, about one-fifth (21.4 percent) of the unemployed were college graduates, 13.9 percent were college undergraduates, and 33.5 percent were high school graduates.
The visibly underemployed persons or those working for less than 40 hours accounted for 62.4 percent of the total underemployed in October 2013. Those who worked for 40 hours or more made up 36.1 percent. By sector, about 45.2 percent of underemployed worked in the agriculture sector, while 39.6 percent were in the services sector. Those in the industry sector accounted for 15.2 percent.
The employment rate in October 2013 is estimated at 93.5 percent. Among the regions, the National Capital Region had the lowest employment rate at 89.8 percent. The two adjoining regions of the NCR, namely, Central Luzon (92.2 percent) and Calabarzon (91.9 percent) showed rates lower than the national figure. These findings are based on the October 2013 Labor Force Survey (LFS). In this round of the LFS, the calculation of employment indicators excludes the data from the province of Leyte, which was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.
The labor force participation rate in October 2013 is estimated at 63.9 percent.
Job Interview Tips http://jobsearch.about.com/jobsearch.about.com/cs/interviews/a/jobinterviewtip.htm
By Alison Doyle
Practice
Practice answering interview questions and practice your responses to the typical job interview questions and answers most employers ask. Think of actual examples you can use to describe your skills. Providing evidence of your successes is a great way to promote your candidacy. Also have a list of your own questions to ask the employer ready.
Research
Prepare a response so you are ready for the question What do you know about this company?Know the interviewer's name and use it during the job interview. If you're not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.
Get Ready
Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for note taking.
Be On Time
Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the interview location ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there. Here's more on preparing for an interview.
Stay Calm
During the job interview try to relax and stay as calm possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention - you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!
Show What You Know
Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions. When discussing your career accomplishments match them to what the company is looking for. Here's how to make a match between your expertise and the company's requirements.
Follow Up
Always follow-up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a personal thank you note. Send your thank you note (email is fine) within 24 hours of your interview.
Avoid Common Interview Mistakes
What shouldn't you do when interviewing? Here are the most common job interview mistakes, blunders, and errors a candidate for employment can make. Take the time to review these mistakes before your interview, so you don't have to stress out about blunders after it.
More Job Interview Tips
Tips for phone interviews, second interviews, lunch and dinner interviews, behavioral interviews, interviewing in public, and more advice for interview success.
Phone Interview Etiquette
Phone interview etiquette is just as important as in-person job interview etiquette when it comes to getting hired. That's because, regardless of how you interview, a successful interview will get you to the next stage of the hiring process.
http://www.businessweek.com/
To beat the job-hunting pack, you'll need to take risks, be realistic, and understand your potential employer's needs
We can all agree that times are tough. Everywhere I turn, it seems that more companies are cutting jobs across the board. It's not just General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) anymore; everyone from Starbucks (SBUX) to Sun Microsystems (JAVA) to Citigroup (C) is announcing massive layoffs at all levels.
If you're gainfully employed, you're probably relieved it's not you. But if your company isn't among those that have had to slash jobs, I'm sure you at least know someone who has been affected.
As a professional résumé writer, I'm particularly interested in career development and the job search in general. I come in contact with all types of people, from Gen Yers just starting out to baby boomers looking for a job to carry them through to retirement. Of course, it can be especially tough to find a job in economic times like these. But there are some methods that can help you navigate through the madness, and I'd like to share some outside-the-box tips for finding a job today.
Take Chances
I started my full-time, one-year MBA program in July 2001, so you can imagine what my class' job prospects looked like after September 11 (really bad). Companies that were supposed to interview on-campus canceled and those that did interview had few, if any, jobs available. We were encouraged to network, but calling contacts only gets you so far in distressed economic times.
What can work, though, is getting in at the ground level. No, I don't mean through the mail room. Temporary work ("temping") can be a great way to introduce yourself to potential employers. It may not feel good to be making $10 per hour doing data entry for 8 hours a day, especially after you've worked hard to gain an advanced degree. But if you make a good impression with your new client, you could gain full-time employment in a few months. Some companies only hire staff starting in these entry positions, and once you've gotten in the door as a temp, you can look at open in-house positions to which others won't have access. Even if it doesn't work out for long-term employment, at least you'll be paying the rent instead of racking up the credit card bills while looking for a job.
Be Realistic
Understand that you may not get the title or pay that you want. It's great to be optimistic, and certainly you should apply for your dream job. But this is not a great time to try to jump from project manager to director-level when so many people with years of executive experience are losing their jobs. The competition out there is fierce, and to succeed you need to consider jobs at all levels, especially if you have been out of the workforce for a few years. Many big companies will require that you start at a lower level before jumping to any leadership position. Two of my previous employers, Procter & Gamble (PG) and FedEx (FDX), typically require all candidates to start small before moving into the big leagues.
Limitations of Networking
Professional networking sites like LinkedIn and the Business Exchange are great ways to grow your base, especially when connecting with past colleagues or classmates. But these networks must be used wisely for best results. When I look at professional online forums, I see many people advertising their availability. This is a fine way to meet fellow job searchers, but truthfully, the majority of hiring managers are too busy to sort through these forums to find potential candidates. Networking is great, but be mindful before spending hours surfing the Net for new friends and forums.
Revamp Your Résumé
One common mistake people make when writing their résumé is to focus on themselves, their abilities, and their lives. Prospective employees will often advertise that they are looking for "increased responsibility" or "great opportunities" with a new company.
Let me break it to you: Companies are not waiting around to offer you that dream job. They want to know what you have to offer them, not what you are hoping to gain. Quantify your accomplishments and highlight what you have done. Demonstrate that you understand the industry lingo and even sprinkle a few buzzwords into the mix.
Yes, it's rugged out there today, but you can increase your chances of gaining employment by thinking differently than all the other job searchers. Best of luck in your job search!
Causes of PovertyThe main causes of poverty in the country include the following:
- low to moderate economic growth for the past 40 years;
- low growth elasticity of poverty reduction;
- weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated;
- failure to fully develop the agriculture sector;
- high inflation during crisis periods;
- high levels of population growth;
- high and persistent levels of inequality (incomes and assets), which dampen the positive impacts of economic expansion; and
- recurrent shocks and exposure to risks such as economic crisis, conflicts, natural disasters,and “environmental poverty.”
- Economic growth did not translate into poverty reduction in recent years;
- Poverty levels vary greatly by regions;
- Poverty remains a mainly rural phenomenon though urban poverty is on the rise;
- Poverty levels are strongly linked to educational attainment;
- The poor have large families, with six or more members;
- Many Filipino households remain vulnerable to shocks and risks;
- Governance and institutional constraints remain in the poverty response;
- There is weak local government capacity for implementing poverty reduction programs;
- Deficient targeting in various poverty programs;
- There are serious resource gaps for poverty reduction and the attainment of the MDGs by 2015;
- Multidimensional responses to poverty reduction are needed; and
- Further research on chronic poverty is needed.
5 Things Every College Grad Should Know. http://briankim.net/ blog sites..
http://briankim.net/blog/2006/07/5-things-every-college-graduate-should-know/
#1. A Degree Does NOT Entitle You to a Job
It’s amazing to hear recent college graduates get so worked up about not being able to find a job. Here’s their typical rant:
“I’ve worked my butt off at college. I studied every night. I got good grades. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. Why are there no jobs out there? This is a travesty! I worked my butt off and for what? So I can input data into spreadsheets at Initech? Nobody told me it would be like this. Everyone told me that if you have a degree, you’re set. What the %*%# is going on? Arrrgghhh!!!!”
First off, let me sincerely congratulate you for sticking to a major commitment and following through on it. I'm not trying to be sarcastic here. I sincerely congratulate you. I know it's hard work and I feel for you because I know exactly what you went through.
Now here comes the tough love that you know is coming.
Just because you got a degree, it doesn’t entitle you to a six figure job, with full benefits, a one month paid vacation to a company retreat, 20 floating holidays, a corner office, and a parking spot in front of the doors with your name on it.
It’s time to get your head out of the sand.
The days where all you needed was a college degree to get a job are LONG GONE.
Deep down inside, you know it’s true.
We were all told the same lie in high school. Get into a prestigious university, get a degree, and your magic high paying job will fall squarely into your lap.
The smart people are the ones who have figured out this lie early on in college, and made sure the time they spent in school would separate them from the students who were still “asleep”.
You know exactly who these smart people are. They're the ones who took the internships, the unpaid jobs, who made network contacts, and spent their days and nights gaining valuable working experience and marketable skills.
Think back to your graduation. Remember your fellow classmates graduating with you? They too got degrees. Now, think of the thousand other graduations across the nation that occurred in the same month.
They got degrees too.
What’s going to separate you from them? Why should employers hire you instead of all the other clones?
You must learn to differentiate yourself. What can you offer that these other people can’t?
It’s not enough to put your future in the hands of an educational institution. It’s time to stop blaming the world. It’s time to take personal responsibility and to have the courage to shape your future with your own hands.
#2. Find What You Love to Do
I should’ve put this at the very top, but I wanted to address the biggest issue facing recent college grads first (job entitlement).
Let’s look at the typical path of a college graduate who has not found what they love to do.
Graduated from college -> can’t find job -> get’s low paying “temporary” job just to pay the bills -> starts to become complacent and falls into routine -> struggles to get out of routine but can’t because of accumulation of debt to finance lifestyle of escaping reality and impressing people with material possessions -> effectively becomes a slave to the job as it is needed to pay the bills-> looks foward to weekend to complain about job but does nothing and gets wasted to forget troubles-> gets depressed -> struggles to find meaning in life -> maybe gets a small promotion at temporary job by employer as an incentive not to quit -> hates waking up in the morning everyday but does it anyway to pay the bills -> makes other people's lives miserable because his is -> rinse and repeat for 40 years -> lies on deathbed regretting life, wishing he could go back and change it all, and dies knowing that he can’t.
The time you have after college is THE TIME to find what you love to do. You're not burdened (I assume for the most part) with the heavy responsibilities of a mortgage, family, or dependents. You’ll most likely move back home or room with a buddy.
Use that time to find what you love to do. Don’t put it off. Otherwise, you may fall into the trap of getting a job just to get by and falling into a routine.
I’m not saying it’s bad to get a job just to get by, but if that's all you're doing, and if you don’t have a goal, plan, or passion, to shoot for, the future looks very bleak for you.
How do you find what you love to do? I've written an article on that subject that might help you out. You can read it here.
#3. Learn How to Interact With People
Learning how to interact with people is probably one of the most valuable skills you can have in your belt. This is a “street smart” skill. Sure there are books on this, but the only way you can develop this skill is by putting it into practice constantly until it becomes second nature.
This skill will come into play when you get your first job.
Learn to make a habit of greeting people with a smile. Say “thank you, please, and I appreciate it” whenever you have the chance. These small things make a huge difference. Don't be so quick to dismiss the power of appreciation and courtesy.
Make small talk, get to know your co-workers, help them when they have a problem. Eat lunch with them. Talk about the TV shows you watch when you’re at the water cooler or about the cool blogs you visit on the net – hint hint :)
Learn to be positive. Make people smile when they see you coming your way.
You'll find that the skill of comfortably interacting with people will help you when it comes time to promotion. This will also protect you from the next subject.
#4. Practice CYA (You Know, Cover Your - - -)
Office politics – yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Office politics DOES exist and it is NOT pretty.
When it comes to downsizing, I’ve seen employees turn on the quiet employee in the corner like a pack of wolves and whisper to the managers that he/she must go. It’s far easier to fire the loner than to fire one of the gang. That’s why you should learn how to interact with people.
When it comes to promotion with competition, work sabotage and trash talking behind the back are rampant and pretty much expected.
When it comes to personal differences between employees and managers, managers will look for the smallest excuse to fire their employees.
But even if you are the most charming employee ever, you should still CYA.
Keep ALL emails. Back them up. Have everything in writing. If a potential problem or situation comes up, document it as fully as you can. Don’t trust your memory. If someone accuses you of something so bad that it could cost you your job (I've seen it happen), then you can calmly pull out all the information you saved and effectively CYA. Not to mention, make the accuser look like a total idiot (I've seen that happen too and it is SWEET!)
#5. Build and Maintain A New Social Network
When you graduate, you’re not going to be surrounded by your classmates and dorm buddies 24/7. You’ll most likely be living with a roommate or living with your parents and the majority of your social contact will be at work, and I don’t think your workplace is going to be filled with 22 year olds.
The only people you'll probably keep in touch with are your roommates and your frat buddies or any other close friends you made, but they will all be doing their own respective things in different places.
Building a social network is crucial. Studies have shown that having a strong social network leads to positive mental and physical health over the course of one’s life.
So start building your social network. Don't just stay at home and play video games and expect friends to magically show up at your doorstep.
Go join Toastmasters. Go to the parties, bars, bookstores, and lounges but one quick point though. Don’t just go to these places just for the sake of making friends. Make sure you have a genuine interest in the subject of the place you're going to.
For example, if you have no intention of learning how to give speeches, don’t go to Toastmasters just to make friends. You won’t have anything in common with them because the people there want to give speeches.
Go to places where you have a genuine interest and you'll meet similar people there who share your interests, which is perfect fodder for friendships.
If you go to places where there are regular meetings, it’s even easier to make friends because you see the same people who hold the same interest as you on a continual basis. Ever wonder why it was easy to make friends at school? That’s why.
If you’re apprehensive about making friends with complete strangers, let me let you in on a little secret when it comes to people and their friends.
Most people are sick and tired of their friends. We're creatures of habit. We hang out with the same people all the time, listen to the same stories, laugh at the same jokes, and complain about the same things.
Most people are bored out of their mind when it comes to their friends and they'll welcome any type of change. That’s where you come in. So don’t have any fear of making friends. Save people from boredom and complacency by inserting yourself into their lives.
The biggest misconception is that everybody has all the friends they need and that they don’t need anymore. People will always need friends.
So go make friends at work. Play social sports like basketball or tennis or softball afterwards. You'll find that people don’t have many opportunities to make friends after school, especially if they work 9-5. That 's why you see so many friendships made at work. After all, you are spending a whole lot of time there.
There will come a time when your social network will help you get through tough times and you’ll be extremely thankful that you spent the time to make it.
I’m sure there are other things that every college grad should know, but I feel that the 5 discussed here are some of the more important ones that should be made known.
So college grads: Take personal responsibility, find what you love to do, learn how to positively interact with people, always CYA, and build a strong social network. By doing these things, you'll find it to be extremely beneficial and a worthwhile investment on your part when making your brand new start.
http://www.isac.org/
PlanningThe first step after college is finding a job that not only challenges you, but will also get you started down your new career path.
Finding the right job takes preparation, confidence and determination. It can also take some time, so you may need to be patient. Before you begin your search, take the time to prepare a budget for living expenses. You may need to find an interim job or have a plan on how to pay for expenses until you have secured your position. Make sure to factor in costs such as housing, insurance and other living expenses, along with what will be needed for your job search, such as résumés and even new business attire for interviews.
If you have outstanding student loans, it is important to determine when you will need to begin repayment of those commitments. Remember that even if you don’t complete your degree, your loan will still become due once you drop below half-time status. If you received financial aid through a program that has a requirement that must be fulfilled as a condition of receiving the financial aid, such as teaching or practicing optometry, you must factor that commitment into your job search. Most likely you must begin fulfilling the requirement within one year of leaving school or the amount you received will have to be repaid.
Set a timetable for accepting a position and have an alternative job plan if your search takes longer than expected.
To start your job search, draft a resume that highlights your education, talents and experience. There are many avenues to assist you in preparing a resume that will interest potential employers, such as the campus career center, professional recruiters and even Internet job sites. Make sure to have someone you trust proofread and provide feedback on your résumé prior to having it printed and sent. This document often provides prospective employers their first impression of you.
Practice your interview skills, including what your answers to difficult questions will be. There are many books and information sources that can help you prepare for those hard questions that an employer may ask in an interview. Also, remember to do some research on the company and prepare a list of questions that you want to ask the interviewer. It is important to consider the stability, future advancement potential, employee-benefits package, and other factors of the job that is being offered.
Some careers require a portfolio of work and job-related samples. If your career path requires this type of presentation in an interview, make sure to have the portfolio updated and available when you enter the interview.
Another important task is to secure personal and professional references. Many companies require references and perform routine reference checks prior to hiring employees. Most personnel departments also put more emphasis on professional references and those from former employers. It is always good to have contact information for your references on a sheet of paper to present to the interviewer upon request.
Once you feel prepared, you can begin your search for available positions. As an entry-level applicant, your salary may be lower than expected to start, so you need to make sure you can survive on the income offered. You may also want to ask the interviewer about potential advancement opportunities at the company and other employee benefit programs, such as investment programs (e.g., 401K). Remember that money shouldn’t be the sole deciding factor when selecting a job. Consider job satisfaction, as well. Will the job make you happy? Will it utilize your skills and degree? Will this job work as a good stepping-stone on your way to where you eventually want to be? Is the employee-benefits package acceptable?
Once you have accepted a position, make sure to revisit your budget. Track your money and determine what you currently are using it for and what you will be using it for in the future. Budget how much you’ll need for your housing, transportation, food, clothing, utilities, entertainment and luxuries. And don’t forget about your student loans, credit card debts and any other expenses that must be taken into consideration (e.g., car loans, insurance, phone bills, etc.).
Top 10 Career Path Myths
- www.careerprofiles.
- <http://www.careerprofiles.info/top-career-paths.html>
- Myth 1 - There is one perfect job for me.
Fact: Anyone can find a variety of fulfilling careers. After an individual has become interested in a particular career field, numerous different paths can be pursued. If someone is interested in working in education, they then can narrow their focus to a particular specialty, such as school administrator, teacher, etc., and weigh the pro and cons of each job.
Over time people's interests change. It's not uncommon for someone who graduated from college with a degree in economics later in life to find they've developed an interested in horticulture. The perfect job today, may not be the perfect job tomorrow. - Myth 2 - My major is going to lead to my career.
Fact: Organizations that are hiring usually place more emphasis on previous work experience and job skills than specific majors. However, some companies, such as engineering firms, recruit and seek to hire individuals who have completed certain majors when it is essential for the performance of their job duties. Individuals in the workforce usually work in industries loosely related to the majors they studied in college. However, years after college, many professionals find themselves in careers and positions very unrelated to what they studied in college. - Myth 3 - I will have only one career in my lifetime.
Fact: Most people undergo several career changes throughout the course of their working lives. This is not an uncommon occurrence. In fact, some people experience 5 career transitions during their lives. This can be attributed to economic changes or personal reasons. Since it is difficult to determine whether a career will be long term or not, you should find a career that interests you and assess it after working awhile. - Myth 4 - Liberal Arts, Humanities and Science majors are usually unemployable after college.
Fact: Those who have completed science and liberal arts programs usually develop critical analysis, writing, and research skills. These skills can be applied a number of ways in different industries. - Myth 5 - Most students know their major and career goals when they enter college.
Fact: This may be true for some, but most college students change their majors and career focuses many times during college. Most college students switch majors 3 to 5 times during college. - Myth 6 - If I wait long enough, luck will eventually bring me to the right career.
Fact: It is beneficial to have a plan to reach your goals. Most people do not find the right career simply by luck. Those who thoroughly research careers that interest them and develop a plan to reach their career goals have a better chance than those who do not follow these steps to find the ideal career. Although everyone encounters circumstances they cannot control, those who plan and take steps to reach their goals are usually successful at reaching them and have better long-term outcomes. - Myth 7 - Most people have a solid understanding of careers and the world-of-work and if I don't, then I am the only one who is confused!
Fact: Many people are not aware of all the responsibilities and duties associated with certain careers. Movies and television programs are usually the source of many of these misconceptions. For example, someone watching an exciting courtroom drama may get the impression that most lawyers spend all day in a courtroom. However, most lawyers spend very little time in courtrooms. When considering career options, gather accurate first-hand information before making decisions. - Myth 8 - Career assessment tests will tell me what career is right for me.
Fact: Career assessments are useful in determining career interests, but these tests will not tell people which career is best for them. People answer a variety of questions during a career assessment to get a general idea of what type of career they should pursue. However, many factors cannot be accounted for on a career assessment. After completing an assessment, it is a good idea to critically analyze the results before pursuing a specific career path. - Myth 9 - I should choose an occupation based on my strongest skills.
Fact: Your personal job skills should not be the only factor you consider while making career decisions. Other important factors that should be considered include interests, work environment, and earning potential. Choosing a career based solely on individual talents will not necessarily equate to career satisfaction. - Myth 10 - The best place for me to start looking for an occupation is where employers are doing lots of hiring right now.
Fact: The economy and job market are always changing. New technology, retiring workers, and overseas job outsourcing are just a few of the factors driving this change. Increased or decreased demand for certain products and services can also lead to changes in the job market. This should serve as a caution for college students basing their choice in majors solely on job growth or decline since there could be many or few jobs available in certain industries after graduating. Job growth or decline should be one of many factors to evaluate when making a career decisions.
Study: Income Gap Between Young College and High School Grads WidensA college degree is increasingly valuable, in part because a high school diploma is less and less so.
by danielle kurtzleben
http://www.usnews.com/<http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/11/study-income-gap-between-young-college-and-high-school-grads-widens>
One of the most prominent narratives of the recovery has been that of the barista with a B.A.Government data, news reports and other studies all have shown that college graduates are underemployed, working jobs that are well below their qualifications.
So it might come as a surprise that a new study shows the value of a college degree is greater than it has been in nearly half a century, at least when compared to the prospect of not getting a degree. The Pew Research Center has found that the earnings gap between millennials with bachelor’s degrees and those with just a high school diploma is wider than it was for prior generations.
[READ: Income Inequality Widens Across the Globe]
Among millennials ages 25 to 32, median annual earnings for full-time working college-degree holders are $17,500 greater than for those with high school diplomas only. That gap steadily widened for each successive generation in the latter half of the 20th century. As of 1986, the gap for late baby boomers ages 25 to 32 was just more than $14,200, and for early boomers in 1979, it was far smaller at $9,690. The gap for millennials is also more than twice as large as it was for the silent generation in 1965, when the gap for that cohort was just under $7,500 (all figures are in 2012 dollars).
Put another way, today's young high school-only grads earn about 62 percent of what their college-graduate peers earn. In 1965, the figure was nearly 81 percent. The gap has widened considerably, yet many young college graduates are underemployed – how do those two facts square with each other? It’s not just that earnings are improving for college graduates, says one of the report’s authors, it’s that life for high school-only graduates has gotten tougher.
“There’s a reason we call this report ‘The Rising Cost of Not Going to College,'” says Paul Taylor, executive vice president of special projects at the Pew Research Center.
“The driver of that widening is not so much that today’s college graduates are doing better than yesterday’s college graduates are doing; it’s that today’s high school-only graduates are doing worse than yesterday’s high school-only graduates,” he says. “The real story is the collapse in economic opportunity for people who do not continue their education beyond high school.”
Indeed, median annual earnings for full-time working 25- to 32-year-olds with bachelor's degrees grew by nearly $6,700 to $45,500 from 1965 to 2013. During that same time, median annual earnings for high school graduates in that same age group fell by nearly $3,400 to $28,000.
[ALSO: Twice as Many College Grads in Minimum Wage Jobs as 5 Years Ago]
And those numbers are only among those working full-time. People with college degrees have a far easier time finding a job than those without a degree. Among 25- to 32-year-olds with a college degree, the jobless rate as of March 2013 was 3.8 percent. At 8.1 percent, the rate was more than twice as high for those with a two-year degree or some college, and it was more than three times as high for those with only a high school diploma at 12.2 percent. That kind of educational gap in the jobless rate persists across the broader population as well, as the most recent government jobs report shows.
That’s not to say that today’s young college graduates are entirely doing better than their predecessors. The poverty rate for millennials with a college degree or greater is nearly 6 percent, roughly twice as high as it was for Generation X in 1995 or the early boomers in 1979, and higher than the 4 percent rate for late boomers in 1986 (data for the silent generation was not available).
The total wealth of millennial college graduates is also lower than it was for 25- to 32-year-olds in 1984. As of 2011, those millennials had a median household wealth of $26,059, compared to $29,521 in 1984.
However, the median wealth of people without degrees has fallen even further: High school graduates ages 25 to 32 had a median household net worth of $11,455 in 1984. By 2011, it was less than one-third of that, at $3,137.
“Some of the story that’s familiar about the difficulty, even of college graduates in today’s economy, is also told here. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t doing better vis-à-vis high school graduates,” Taylor says.
There’s also evidence that today’s college graduates have more regrets than their elders. Survey respondents were presented with four things they could have done differently in college: getting more work experience, studying harder, looking for work sooner and picking a different major. Among people 18 to 32 with college degrees, 31 percent said they would have done three or all four of those things differently, compared to only 22 percent of Generation Xers and 17 percent of boomers.That could signal that millennials facing a tough job market wish they had taken more steps to get ahead of their peers. Then again, it could also mean that – given a decade or three's removal from college and having settled into their careers – many boomers and Generation Xers simply feel those regrets less acutely.
Either way, it's something we may not know until someone does the same study in 2024.
10 Great Work-at-Home Jobs By Caitlin DeweyMarch 1, 2012 1:58 PM
http://finance.yahoo.com/ By Caitlin DeweyMarch 1, 2012 1:58 PM
These days, working at home isn't just a pipe dream -- it's an economic necessity. The Great Recession forced more than 300,000 stay-at-home moms to return to work. And in a recent retirement poll commissioned by Allstate, nearly 70% of near-retirees said they plan to continue working past age 65.
For these people, work-at-home jobs promise big benefits: extra income, flexible hours and the enviable dress code of slippers and sweatpants. The trick, of course, is finding legitimate, well-paid positions because work-at-home scams abound.
To assemble our list of top work-at-home jobs, we combed Bureau of Labor Statistics data for occupations with good hourly wages and promising growth prospects. We then identified actual companies that hire home-based workers in these fields, and scrutinized their benefits and schedules.
To weed out scammers, we checked out companies with the Better Business Bureau. Every work-at-home company we mention has an A or A+ rating from the BBB (or, if it's not in the BBB's database, it has been vetted by industry groups). While we can’t guarantee that you’ll get hired for one of these work-at-home jobs, at least you can have confidence that none of these employment opportunities is too good to be true.
Web Search Evaluator
Pay Range: $13.50-$17.50/hour (at Leapforce)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: Going gaga for Google
When you type a search term into Google or Bing, an algorithm determines what the best results will be. But that algorithm doesn't operate alone: Many large search engines rely on home-based evaluators to test the accuracy of online search results, examining different search terms and the Web sites they turn up. The job involves a lot of analytical thinking, so applicants must pass a test before firms such as Appen Butler Hill, Leapforce and Lionbridge will hire them. Search jobs are flexible. Evaluators generally choose their own hours, and none of the three major search firms has educational requirements.
[More from Kiplinger.com: 10 Great Cities for Starting a Business]
Culinary Consultant
Pay Range: $15-$30/hour (at ChefsLine.com)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: An appetite for home cooking
Friendly foodies can cook up a satisfying work-at-home career with some culinary know-how and a telephone line or PC. ChefsLine.com hires experienced cooks to provide kitchen advice over the phone and via online chat. Customers, who pay a fee for access to the service, can ask questions about anything from how to save a burned casserole to what wine to pair with dinner. The company doesn’t specify educational requirements per se, but a culinary degree or teaching experience boost the odds of getting hired.
Customer Service Representative
Pay Range: $9-$14/hour (at Alpine Access)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: The gift of gab
When you dial a company's help line, the call usually goes to a mega call center in the U.S. or abroad. But increasingly, customer service calls also route to home-based agents, who answer questions, complete forms and log complaints through their computers. Hours are flexible and qualifications loose–few firms require a minimum education or experience level, although a background in customer service typically helps. Alpine Access, Convergys and West Corporation rank among the major employers. All three are highly rated by the Better Business Bureau, hire agents as employees rather than contractors, and offer benefits such as paid vacation and medical insurance to full-time workers.
Tech Support Agent
Pay Range: $17-$29/hour (BLS data)
Minimum Education: Associate or bachelor’s degree
Essential Skill: Fluency in geek-speak
Computer nerds and A-V types can make solid salaries in tech support, where demand is high and hours flexible. Working out of home offices, such techs generally serve as the first point of contact for customers troubleshooting everything from laptops to stereos to MySQL servers. Some work directly for major brands and retailers, such as Best Buy. But job seekers should also consider third-party support providers, including PlumChoice, which handles tech support for a number of Fortune 500 companies. The majority of PlumChoice's 400 techs work remotely. The company looks for professional certification or three years of experience.
[More from Kiplinger.com: 10 Best Home-Based Franchises]
Virtual Assistant
Pay Range: $28-$45/hour (IVAA data)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: Ability to juggle calls and clients
A virtual assistant does everything a traditional assistant might do, from scheduling appointments and maintaining records to preparing memos and reports. But there's a key difference between the traditional secretary and a VA, says Nancy Seeger, of the International Virtual Assistants Association: Most VAs are contractors, not employees, and they operate as independent businesses with multiple clients. This can make virtual assisting a tough field to break into because newcomers need to market themselves to potential clients. Seeger recommends networking through local business groups, Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and the IVAA jobs board. Expertise in bookkeeping, event management, social media and the like also helps.
Tutor
Pay Range: $10-$14/hour (at Tutor.com)
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
Essential Skill: Knowledge is power
A college degree, a computer and a bit of patience are all it takes to break into online tutoring, a field that can be both personally and financially rewarding. Sites such as Tutor.com match teachers and students in "online classrooms," where they use live chats to teach lessons and help with homework. And while Tutor.com only requires BAs from its applicants, other online opportunities exist for people with advanced degrees. GetEducated.com, for example, lists remote job postings at community colleges, libraries and online universities. Most of these teachers are hired and paid as part-time employees; Tutor.com and similar sites hire on a freelance basis only. But that doesn't mean teachers can't make a comfortable wage. On top of hourly earnings, Tutor.com pays bonuses for "exceptional work."
[Also see: In-Demand Careers Through 2018]
Medical Transcriptionist
Pay Range: $25,000-$50,000/year (at Precyse)
Minimum Education: Associate's degree or one-year certification program
Essential Skill: Willingness to follow doctors' orders
Home-based transcription predates the Internet, making it, in some ways, the quintessential work-at-home job. Medical transcriptionists type doctors' dictated notes and use them to prepare memos and reports. A good transcriptionist is more than a typist. Increasingly, medical firms want their employees to have associate's degrees or vocational certificates, as well as an advanced understanding of medical terminology. Companies such as Amphion Medical Solutions requires a minimum of two years' experience but promise flexible hours and a full range of benefits. Precyse and M*Modal, both large medical firms, also hire home-based transcriptionists.
Proofreader
Pay Range: $12-$20/hour (BLS data)
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
Essential Skill: Two eyes for detail
It's hard to hack it as a freelance writer or full-time blogger, and both fields are already crowded. But if you have some writing or editing experience under your belt, you may find steady work as a proofreader, especially for academic or foreign firms. Cactus Communications, an Indian editing and translation company with offices in Philadelphia, hires proofreaders to check academic papers and medical documents written by non-native speakers. U.S.-based FirstEditing employs proofreaders to work on manuscripts, theses and business documents. While neither company requires a specific academic background, advanced degrees and editing experience help.
Concierge
Pay Range: $11-$17/hour (BLS data)
Minimum Education: High school
Essential Skill: No reservations about making reservations
Concierges used to be the highly primped men and women who gave restaurant suggestions at the counters of hotels. Thanks to the Internet, however, they can now work anywhere, providing travel assistance, making reservations and answering questions by phone, e-mail, text message or chat. VIPdesk.com, the foremost employer in this field, hires home-based concierges for a variety of companies around the world, including JPMorgan and Starwood Hotels. Employees can earn full benefits, including insurance and paid vacation, and can set their own full- or part-time schedules. Other companies, such as Virtual Concierge, act as go-betweens for home-based concierges and clients, including UBS.
[More from Kiplinger.com: 6 Rags to Riches Millionaires]
Translator
Pay Range: $1,000 - $2,500/month (at Argos Translations)
Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
Essential Skill: A way with words
If you speak at least two languages and have an Internet connection, you're well on your way to becoming a home-based translator. A number of firms hire multilingual people to freelance translations of business documents, consumer Web sites, computer software and academic papers. Preference often goes to applicants who speak in-demand languages, such as Chinese or Japanese, and have backgrounds that would help in translating technical material. Mega-translation firm SDL hires freelancers for brands such as HP and LG. We Localize and Argos Translations also employ thousands of translators around the world. Positions are often freelance, but benefits and contracts vary by company.
http://www9.georgetown.edu/
collegestatstics.pdf | |
File Size: | 1103 kb |
File Type: |
www.360financialliteracy.org<https://www.360financialliteracy.org/Topics/Owning-a-Business/Starting-a-Business/Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-self-employment>
Advantages and disadvantages of self-employmentYou've grown tired of commuting to a job where you sit in a cubicle and do someone else's bidding. You've got a better idea, you can build a better mousetrap, you know you have the knack for being in the right place at the right time, and so you're thinking of self-employment. But how do you determine if this is a pipe dream or an idea worth pursuing?
Can you handle it?Whether you're running your own business or working as an independent contractor, you'll soon realize that working for yourself isn't just another job, it's a way of life.
Are you someone who likes a nine-to-five routine and collecting a regular paycheck? When you're self-employed, you must be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the job. You're going to work long hours, which means that you won't have as much time as you used to for family or leisure activities. And if the cash flow becomes a trickle, you're going to be the last one to get paid.
Can you get along well with all types of people? Being self-employed is all about managing relationships--with your clients or customers, your suppliers, perhaps with your employees, certainly with your family, and probably with your banker, lawyer, and accountant, too. If you're the type who wants to be alone to do the few things that you're good at, then you should do that--for someone else.
Are you a disciplined self-starter? Being self-employed means that you're your own boss. There may be days when you'll have to make yourself sit at your desk instead of going for a long lunch, or (especially if you work out of your home) place those business calls instead of reading the newspaper.
Finally, do you enjoy wearing many hats? Depending on your line of work, you may be involved in handling marketing and sales duties, financial planning and accounting responsibilities, administrative and personnel management chores--or all of the above.
Your dream come trueThink about how great it will feel to get paid to do what you'd love to do anyway. If you're working for yourself, chances are you'll be doing work that you enjoy. You'll get to pick who you'll work for or with, and in most cases you'll work with your customers or clients directly--no go-betweens muddying the waters. As a result, you may have days when it hardly feels as if you're working at all. Such harmony between your working life and the rest of your life is what attracted you to self-employment in the first place.
Being your own boss means that you'll be in control of all of the decisions affecting your working life. You'll decide on your business plan, your quality assurance procedures, your pricing and marketing strategies--everything. You'll have job security; you can't be fired for doing things your way. As you perform a variety of tasks related to your work, you'll learn new skills and broaden your abilities.
You'll even have the flexibility to decide your own hours of operation, working conditions, and business location. If you're working out of your home, your start-up costs may be reduced. You'll also experience lower operating costs; after all, you'll be paying for the rent and utilities anyway. If the location of your work isn't important (perhaps you're a freelance writer or a consultant), you can live wherever you want. At any rate, if you work at home, you'll greatly reduce your daily commuting time and expense.
If all goes well and you're making money, chances are you can make more than you did working for someone else. And since you're working for yourself, you may not have to share the proceeds with anyone else. The fruits of your labor will be all yours, because you own the vineyard.
On the other hand . . .When you're self-employed, particularly if you're starting your own business, you may have to take on a substantial financial risk. If you need to raise additional money to get started, you may need a cosigner or collateral (such as your home) for a loan. Depending on how much or little work you can line up, you may find that your cash flow varies from a flood to a trickle. You'll need a cash backup so you can pay your bills while you're waiting for business to come in or waiting to be paid for completed work. Since you'll have to pay your own creditors first, this means that sometimes you may eat cereal instead of steak.
Remember that you're not making any money if you're not working. You don't have any employer benefit package, which means that it's going to be hard for you to go on vacation, take a day off, or even stay home sick without losing income. It also means that you'll have to provide your own health insurance and retirement plan. Remember, too, that you can choose your clients or customers, but you can't control their expectations or actions. If you don't come through for them, or if you do something that offends them, you might not get paid for your work.
Because you're working for yourself, you're going to have to take care of everything yourself, from figuring your taxes to watering the office plants. You'll probably need some new skills, such as bookkeeping and filing quarterly taxes. You can learn to do these things yourself--many software programs are designed just for this market--or you can hire others (e.g., an accountant) to take care of them for you. If you're not careful, however, you may find that you're spending more time on the business of being in business for yourself than you are on the work that attracted you to self-employment in the first place.
The bottom lineIf you can work long and hard, tolerate risk and stress, cope well with potential disaster and failure, and work well alone and with others, then perhaps self-employment is right for you. If not, then perhaps you should keep that job in the cubicle.