| CAREERS NOW 01-11-09 |
| New Online Resources To Check Out |
DEAR JOYCE: I followed up on your recent mention that the FDIC (Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation) is flush with jobs. After I went through the agency's registration procedure, the site came
up with available jobs (in my occupational category), most in locations outside of my state (Massachusetts). All
were for administrative assistant jobs (which I don't fit). Admittedly, I am a white male non-veteran, so my options
are limited, but the hiring door is not open wide at FDIC for me. - Bob
Contacting Bob, I suggested that he pop over to a just-launched online job resource, CareerCast.com, a job portal
operated by technology provider Adicio.
That same day Bob called me back to say "thanks," and to tell me that he'd discovered on CareerCast two
attractive job openings in his backyard for which he is well-qualified and was moving immediately to apply for
both of them.
The CareerCast job portal contains about a half-million jobs from more than 500 newspapers and niche job boards
across the U.S. and Canada.
Similar to familiar and useful aggregation sites (such as Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com),
CareerCast directs job-hunting surfers to the originating job board where they apply.
But unlike aggregation sites, CareerCast allows job seekers to upload or create resumes and cover letters and use
their stored personal data to apply to jobs across the network. Their resumes are visible only to recruiters on
the sites on which they apply. This feature guarantees much stronger privacy for the job seeker because there's
no searchable database of resumes that can fuel identity theft problems.
In addition to job listings, CareerCast offers career-related content and advice directed by Tony Lee, who formerly
headed Dow Jones' Career Journal.com, and who knows careers industry news backwards and forwards.
(Disclosure: Rick Miller, CEO of Adicio, is a respected professional in the recruiting industry. His company and
my company shared an office a dozen years ago and we remain friends.)
DEAR JOYCE: At 58, I'm on the market and worry that technology to find jobs is beyond my grasp. Can't a
person still find jobs in traditional ways? - C.P.
Absolutely yes - solid job hunting techniques ranging from responding to ads to networking are proven old friends.
But perhaps you remember a rhyme often written in high school yearbooks, "Make new friends but keep the old
- one is silver, the other gold."
When you're all a-twitter (yes, that's a pun) about what's up in technology, grab knowledge quickly on SocialMedian
(socialmedian.com), a site that focuses on using online technology
in many venues. SocialMedian is the creation of the talented Jason Goldberg, former CEO of Jobster.com.
In this deepening recession, don't make the mistake of relying 100 percent on the same old strategies and approaches
to find jobs and manage a career. Nor should you rely 100 percent on new media sources. Put them all together and
selectively rank those that work best for you.
DEAR JOYCE: My son, a college sophomore, is talking about dropping out of school. What are those arguments
about better job stability? - R.R.T.
The classic job stability argument for your kids to stay in school just took a slight hit with rising joblessness
for workers with bachelor's or advanced degrees. But college grads still hold the employment edge. In November,
the jobless rate for college graduates reached 3.1 percent, compared to the national unemployment rate of 6.7 percent.
One problem for college grads is that, starting in the 1980s, employers began cutting middle managers and older
professional workers who were paid more than younger workers.
An excellent Washington Post story presents many details you'll want to know: Google for "College Degree No
Shield As More Jobs Are Slashed."
Email Joyce
Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.