CAREERS NOW 04-13-08

Qualify Recruiters Just As Recruiters Qualify You

DEAR JOYCE: A man called saying he was a recruiter but I hadn't heard of him so I said I was on another call and took his number to call him back. After checking him out on Google, I called him back. But I found out he wasn't recruiting for my industry. That waste of time made me realize I should identify recruiters who are appropriate for my career interests and cultivate them. Where's the crash course on qualifying recruiters? - T.O.B.

The bible of the search profession is the shortest span to the knowledge you seek that I can think of. "The Directory of Executive Recruiters 2007-2008" can be ordered online at kennedyinfo.com. It lists and describes the majority of search firms in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, noting 16,000 individual recruiter contacts. The Directory costs about $60 but it includes Web access to updates.

DEAR JOYCE: How can I find out which jobs are most plentiful and how much they pay? -- I.M.

The federal Department of Labor is the principal source of all occupational information in the U.S. A few commercial publishers slap their own cover on DOL data and sell it, but you can get the data online without paying for it.

One of two key publications is the Occupational Outlook Quarterly, which is published by DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Fall 2007 edition has exactly what you want to know. Call it up online at www.bls.gov/opub/ooq, and click on Archives. You'll find a full range of charts, including those that show fastest-growing occupations and those adding the most jobs, as well as job growth by education and training. Most of the charts show median pay as well.

The other major BLS player in career information is the respected Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is updated every two years. It also is free online. Find it at www.bls.gov/oco. The Handbook tells you plenty about the main occupations in the U.S., from the nature of the work and required training, to pay and where to find further information.

DEAR JOYCE: The talk by presidential candidates about health insurance has focused my attention on what I, a small business owner, am going to do about it for myself. I've been gambling on remaining in good health but that can't go on indefinitely. Suggestions? - M.M.

Check your state insurance agency for high-risk pools, look for industry-or occupational-specific organizations (lawyers or engineers, for example), and ask your local chamber of commerce and insurance agents for good deals.

Health care system options vary depending on which state you live in. Among resources to investigate:

-- healthinsuranceinfo.net, a site maintained by the Georgetown Health Policy Institute; it delivers information by state.

-- ehealthinsurance.com, a site for the healthy; it lists policies offered through some 70 insurance providers.

-- freelancersunion.org, a site for consultants and independent workers; it covers a limited number of industries and occupations and serves only 30 states.

Additionally, Google "Finding Health Insurance if You Are Self-Employed," a New York Times article by Marci Alboher.

DEAR JOYCE: On Friday, I was told that half of my department was being terminated immediately and that was it. I didn't have a chance to remove my computer's personal files and pictures. What can I do to get them now? Must my former employer allow me to retrieve them? - W.M.

Computer data is the employer's property. Have you tried just asking? But if the data and files are too dicey, making a big point of it could hurt your references. In that case, quietly try to get a remaining coworker to give you the personal stuff and erase it from your hard drive.

Putting personal data on your employer's computer is always a risk. Buy an inexpensive flash drive (I just bought four for $5 each), clean out your office computer and take your personal data off and away. Just in case.

DEAR JOYCE: Can you list a few ideas of who can work at home and who can work without being around a lot of people? - P.B.

Writers, planners, researchers and information technology workers illustrate jobs for people who can toil at home with high productivity. If you're really into I-Vant-To-Be-Aloneness, a new book offers possibilities: "200 Best Jobs for Introverts" by The Editors @ JIST and Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D. Look it up online at jist.com.

At $16.95, the guide is rich and well designed, but I can't agree with some of the 200 occupational choices for introverts it presents. Even so, the book's a good start for your search.

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