| CAREERS NOW 04-28-10 |
| Jobs Leaving the Building |
DEAR JOYCE: As my son prepares to enter high school this fall, I remember reading something you once wrote about creating a "future file" to track trends and avoid making foreseeable mistakes. What jobs are on the way down or out? - S.M.H.
Unlike Elvis, these occupations aren't dead but they're leaving the building, says the federal Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among occupations that will lose the most positions by 2018 are farmers, sewing machine operators, order clerks, postal service mail sorters and processors, file clerks, shipping and receiving clerks, production supervisors, and computer operators.
Go to the horse's mouth at bls.gov/emp and scout around for a preview of the workplace to come until the year 2018.
DEAR JOYCE: I read your column about standards for choosing professional resume writers and it was good but I already have a professionally written resume. My hang-up comes with the cover letters. I can't afford to pay someone to write each letter. What's the answer to my problem? - G.S.
When hiring first-rate professional talent is out of the question as an investment in your future, consider taking a writing class; a state college in my area also provides a writing lab staffed by graduate students. Another idea: barter cover-letter prep with a friend who has writing skills. Read recent books about writing distinctive cover letters and e-mail cover notes. Absolutely tailor each letter; avoid the sameo-sameo boring , "I seek to contribute my blah, blah, blah."
Another view was expressed by a blogging employer: "When I see a submission from someone who seems qualified, I write back to see if their e-mail correspondence matches the tone of their cover letter. About half the time, it becomes clear that they had help with their cover letter. If you can't write a clear English sentence, you'll be found out."
DEAR JOYCE: After three interviews and the HR manager saying she would call me, I haven't heard a word. I feel like calling Frieda PromiseBreaker and telling her what I think of her lack of character, but I guess it wouldn't do any good. -- B.Z.
Chastising Frieda is a waste of your time. But before leaving your next interview - or even now, try this line: "Do you think you could find time to bring me up to date on this job before June 15, or should I call you before that?"
DEAR JOYCE: This isn't a problem - just steam escaping from my ears: My wife teaches eighth-grade language arts. A great teacher, she sacrificed to go back to college and get her teaching credential five years ago when she believed it was a "recession-proof" career that she would love.
She still loves teaching, but recession-proof it ain't. She was notified by her district last week that she may not have a job next school year. It happened last year too but she was rehired. This year, she's worried that she won't get her job back and it's taking a toll on our family's feelings of security. - T.J.
Teaching jobs are taking a hit all over the country. Cuts in the usual sources of school revenue - state money and local property taxes - are the result of the recession, causing teacher layoffs, closed schools, trimmed programs, larger classes and shorter school time. (To learn more about the abysmal teacher job situation, Web search for "Districts Warn of Deeper Teacher Cuts" New York Times.)
I share a popular opinion: If we taxpayers can save our banks and automakers, we certainly should be able to put federal money into saving our kids. Parents, educators and employers who need educated workers of the future: Tea party for teachers?
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