Get a Fast Start for a New Job
By: Ellen Corsi
As 2006 comes to a close, many people are thinking about a job change. January is a great time to get a fast start on searching for a new job.
The job game has changed quite a bit over the past fifteen years. It used to be a paper game, where you would mail fifty resumes or more to employers who you wanted to work with for their specific job openings. Following this ritual, call backs to the employers was the second step within the process. With the advent of the home computer and the internet, job searching is now an effortless nationwide experience, which opens many opportunities to job seekers. This situation also creates a huge change in competitive levels for jobs. You can easily have two hundred or more people applying for one position. In the last fifteen years people have also become much more open to relocating to take a dream job or find one that is at least the next level up, Many have made dozens of these types of moves to get where they want to be in their careers.
The job game is now played entirely on the computer. The job application itself is produced on a computer, and this along with a resume is uploaded and e-mailed immediately. Note: It is extremely important when creating a resume and filling out application information, to make sure that you use the right keywords so that your submitted information is not overlooked by the potential employer.
With the specialization of most jobs, you must fulfill certain requirements before you would ever be considered as a candidate for an open position. It is much more difficult now to find a job when your background is of a broad nature. Whatever position you may be looking for, it is always a good idea to have the "going" specs included in your resume. If you don't have a certain type of training for a job, it can be fruitless, unless you know someone that can hire you into the job.
It's always a good idea to take a look at careers and industries that are doing well, and those that are projected to do well within the next ten or twenty years from now. Here are the top five:
1. Home health aides
2. Human service workers
3. Personal and home care aids
4. Computer engineers and scientists
5. Systems analysts
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Although the five jobs listed above may be the fastest growing, it doesn't take into consideration whether the annual salary is at a low, mid or high range. However, if you are familiar with the job market overall, you will have some idea about pay ranges for particular positions. There are more web sites that will give you specific answers to these questions that are easily found on the internet. I recommend that a review of The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor will give you a good idea of what the fastest growing occupations are, what are the diminishing occupations, where the lowest unemployment rates are, along with many more slices and dices of statistics that will give you a strong understanding of where jobs and industries are headed.
Speaking of fastest growing industries, here are the top five:
1. Educational support services, private
2. Home health care services
3. Software publishers
4. Management, scientific, and technical consulting services
5. Community care facilities for the elderly
Source: CareerInfoNet
Here is another aspect to research. Take a look at new industries that have been developed within the last few years. There may be a specific industry that interests you enough to really take a hard look and see if it may be something that you would enjoy. With the market so specialized, you want to be fairly sure of what type of work you would like to perform on a long-term basis. There is a lot of time and money invested for a particular career, so you want to be as sure as you can with all of your choices.
Starting a new job search during the month of January should give you a good idea of what the job market has available and how you may contribute to the market with your unique combination of experience, education and expertise. January is the best time of year to do this, so for those embarking on this journey, good luck and good job hunting!
