In the past many people probably found educational job training programs to be unnecessary, but the recession has changed a lot of minds about that. The business of teaching job training skills is becoming more and more important by the day. The global recession has hit the employment market hard, and there are many people without that consistent paycheck they have counted on for years.

Educational job training programs are designed to help an individual become more skilled in one or more areas and make themselves more marketable to prospective employers. These job training programs are generally inexpensive, and in fact there are quite a few free job training programs offered for those who are without a full-time income.

What types of places typically provide job training programs? The most common source of job training programs is either the State or Federal Government authorities. In most states there is something called a jobs and family services program, which operates an employment center that tries to help displaced workers hone in on the perfect opportunity for them. Other places that often offer job training programs include not for profit organizations that are funded by government programs or other donations.

It is also possible to do some limited amounts of online job training. While this kind of training isn’t nearly as advanced as the other types, workers are able to take quizzes or look up important definitions. Using a site like CareerExplorer is a good way to search for job training programs online and in-person that meet your specific needs. There is no point in receiving the training if it isn’t geared directly to what you need.

Consider career job training courses or programs as a way to further your possibilities. Job training opportunities are growing by the day, so the resources are readily available to those who are willing to put in the time to try to get that much needed boost.

With the recession having raised its ugly head, just about everyone seems to be getting laid off. The survivors are left staring at empty cubicles and wondering if they will be the next victim.

What can you do to find a new job in these tough times, if you are laid off? Here are a few pointers:

• Leave your job on good terms with your employer. Don’t burn bridges by giving in to your emotions when you have been fired. Keep a cheerful attitude and speak to all your colleagues before you pack up and leave. Exchange contact information and promise to keep in touch.
• Spruce up your CV and cover letter. Prospective employers derive their first impression of you from these documents so, make sure they are updated.
• Post your resume in all major job portals and make your resume “searchable”. If you are VP level candidate, it’s not advisable to post your resume in job portals. It might work against you. You need to contact executive recruiters and work with them to find your next job.
• Some people are tempted to go on a vacation as soon as they are laid off. They feel that they have earned it and the change of scenario will help settle the turmoil in their minds. It is well and fine to take a week end off and go camping or take a trip to the beach but a long vacation can make you lazy and ultimately, you will take a lot longer to find a job.
• Make job hunting a job. Spend the time that you would be working, say 8 hours per day, in searching for a new job. You can use the time to update your resume and send it to people you know, join networking sites and establish new contacts, check out jobs posted in different web sites and so on.
• You can use the web to highlight your skills. For instance, you can create your own website and post high quality information on the subject of your choice. People who share your interests are bound to visit your web site. Impress them with your knowledge.
• Let everyone know that you have been laid off and are looking for a new job. Tell it to your friends, relatives and even people you have just met. You never know who might be able to help. A casual acquaintance at a dinner party might end up being your new boss.
• Attend meetings and seminars in your area. You will keep in touch with the developments in your field. You will also get to meet new people who might be able to help you by word of mouth. Several vacancies are never posted online or in newspapers. Instead, they get filled by mere word of mouth.
• Hone your networking skills. Get in touch with old friends and acquaintances. Take an initiative to meet new people. Stock up on references. Get references from your old boss and colleagues. This will prove valuable in your search for a new job.
• If it’s taking longer to find a permanent job, try taking up some freelance work. You can find freelance jobs in fields like data entry, software programming and writing. Of course, it may not pay as much as a full time job but every dollar earned will be of use for your budget. You can even do some consulting work. If you get hired as a contract employee for sometime, don’t hesitate to take up the offer. You may be able to garner valuable experience that way.
• Cut unnecessary expenses. Now that you are without a job, you can manage without partying or going for movies or eating out often. Try to scrimp and save every dime you can.
• Try to learn new skills. You can sign up for crash courses or short term tutorial to help brush up your skills and increase your chances of landing a good job.
• Practice interview skills. You can do this by attending every interview that comes your way, even if you are sure that you won’t take up the job.
• Take time to do volunteer work. You can use your skills in your field of interest to help out government and non profit organizations. For instance, if you are a nurse, you can spend some time doing volunteer work at a nearby home for the aged. This experience will also be useful for your resume.
• Most important, never lose hope. It may take some time but you are sure to land a good job in due time.

Few days ago I wrote that unemployment is still the same. It is not the same, it’s getting worse. For the 10th week in a row, the number of people receiving jobless benefits grew. It now stands at nearly 5.6 million, an indication that the labor market is still grim. New claims for unemployment benefits rose again as well, to a seasonally adjusted 652,000, up from 644,000 the week before. More on this story here.

If we don’t see turnaround in unemployment, the economy is not going to go anywhere but down. As we said before, if you have a job consider yourself lucky and do everything possible to keep the job. Unemployment situation gives us the warning that we should not get carried away with the recent rally in the stock market. We are not out of the woods yet.

While any kind of economic rebound appears to be at least several months away there is never any harm at looking into the future. In fact, if you can predict what areas will do the best when the economy does rebound, you can do yourself a lot of good both from an investing standpoint as well a career standpoint.  During an economic recovery there are always sectors that lead the move, and it is a great idea to try to do your due diligence and decide which you believe may fit that criteria, even though it may take time to come to fruition.

The typical businesses that thrive as the economy rebounds are manufacturing and construction companies that begin to bounce back nicely because economic activity is picking up once again. In addition to those, retail names generally do well when the economy recovers because of the increase in consumer confidence and spending. Cyclical names that are out of favor generally come back into favor quite quickly during an economic rebound.

Will the economic rebound that comes after this major recession look like a normal rebound? That really is the million dollar question. There are some factors which may delay the recovery in some groups that typically recover quickly. For example, the banking industry is generally one of the first to move higher, but it may be hard pressed to bounce back right away after the debacle of the credit crisis. On the other side of this there may be areas that are bigger winners than normal. One possible area that could do very well in the recover is alternative energy companies. Even manufacturing and industrial companies that are in front of their peers in “going green” are liable to bounce quicker. I truly believe that the move toward a greener world is not a short-term blip this time, but rather a real and serious effort that can be profitable for companies.

With just about everyone seem to be talking about recession, layoffs and slowdown would-be college graduates are left wondering what the future holds for them. There was a time when a college degree promised a great career and job security but with the recession looming overhead, situations have changed.

Studies have shown that people who graduate during a recession usually start at a lower pay than their counterparts who graduated during better times. They also tend to switch jobs often.

The prospects for those graduating now are not all grey and bleak though. Companies will not stop hiring, they will just be more choosy about whom they hire. As a matter of fact, many companies prefer to hire interns because it is cost effective. There is a lot you can do that will help you get the upper hand while job hunting in a poor economy.

Prepare your resume: A polished resume will go a long way towards creating a good impression. If your college’s career centre has facilities such as resume writing, make good use of it.

Act early: Start job hunting even before you graduate.

Refine your search: Be clear about the kind of job you want. For instance, if you are an MBA graduate, specify whether you want to be involved in sales or marketing or accounts. This will help filter your options.

Do not hesitate to take up temporary jobs: By working as a temp, you can prove your mettle. Besides, you also gain work experience and also get access to internal job listings.

Be prepared for interviews: Practice the skills you would need to ace an interview. You can approach a career counselor to help you with feedback.

Make use of campus facilities: Participate in campus recruitment drives and use networking services to connect with alumni. It pays off to know people who are already placed.

Cut costs: In an economy which went haywire on bad credit, it will be difficult for fresh graduates to get credit. So, if you have to, move in with your parents while you hunt for a job.

Stay optimistic: Remember the recession will not last forever.

Jobs which involve consumer staples thrive in any kind of economy. These include jobs in sectors like healthcare, grocery, beauty aids, home products, utilities, energy and so on.

Although college graduates are hit hard by the recession, they certainly have an advantage over less educated workers. Fresh graduates will be glad to know that in spite of the recession, skills and knowledge are still valued and in demand. All it takes is some strategy, planning, preparation and of course, luck.

Related Links: Recent College Graduates and the Economic Recession | How to Get a Job in Recession | Students Hit First by Recession

1. Network.

This is the most important thing you should do. The job market slowed down a lot and layoffs are everywhere. Still, there are jobs that are not advertised in job portals or in newspapers. If you have contacts inside the companies, you will get to know these jobs easily.

If you are out of the job, don’t be shy about asking for help. Tell your friends and family that you are looking for a job. Send resume to all managers you previously worked with. Call all your contacts and ask whether they know of any suitable openings.

Websites like LinkedIn and Facebook will also be helpful if you have good number of connections in those websites. LinkedIn is more popular in terms of job search. It has exclusive job listings that require you to apply thru LinkedIn. If you have good number of recommendations in your LinkedIn profile, your resume has better chances of impressing the hiring manager. One major advantage with LinkedIn is that your resume goes directly to the hiring manager in most of the cases.

2. Customize your resume and cover letter.

I personally don’t take any resume seriously if there is no cover letter. Cover letter is a must; it should describe briefly about your skills and achievements. You also need to send customized cover letter and resume to each employer depends on the position you are looking for and the company you are applying to. Proper research on the companies and potential hiring managers will help to customize the resume. If you send different resume to different employers, keep a log of what document you sent to each employer. It will come in handy, when you get the interview call.

3. Paid Job Portals.

If all fails, join sites like TheLadders.com. This site requires you to pay to access the job listings. It would cost you $120 for 6 months. Monthly fee is $30, but it’s better to sign up for 6 months. This site has free access too but with limited access to job listings. This site is more useful especially if you have 10+ years relevant experience. You may want to signup for free accees and check out the site before upgrading to premium.

Although it appears that California is doomed, there are other sweet spots in the country that might offer you jobs according to smartmoney.com. Smart Money lists Wyoming, Texas, D.C. area, Utah and Oklahoma as the possible places where you might find your next job.

Complete article is here. Now, the economic stimulus is passed, let us hope that nasty recession gets out of our life at least by the end of this year.

I’ve been a recent college graduate looking for a full-time job and it is never an easy task, but for those who have just graduated or who will be graduating soon things couldn’t be much tougher. Companies are slashing payrolls across almost all of the industries in the United States, and the world economy isn’t going to be doing any better either.

Even by October of last year employers were saying they would only increase hiring of college graduates by 6% year over year in 2009 compared to 17% in 2009. Fast forward now to February 2009 and every single company realizes now that things are much worse than they thought they would be at this time. One can be sure that the actual number of college graduates will either rise by less than 6% or more likely, it will actually fall year over year. After all, how can a company like Home Depot or Disney, which are both major college graduate employers, be hiring as many graduates as normal when they are slashing their workforce by 5%-10%?

What does it mean for college graduates in this tough economy? It means that no matter how good your academic standing is you are going to have to work especially hard to find an opportunity to get your foot in the door in 2009. College graduates should be less picky about starting wages and just get started in some kind of job that will help them for their future goals.

What should college students not do? If you are a college student don’t go change your major to health care or engineering just because they are the best places to find a job right now unless you really want to be in that industry for the long run. Despite the economy’s current struggles one must always remember that in order to succeed in a career endeavor you must enjoy what you do. In fact, recent statistics prove that your college education will help you find a job, even it is tough! Work hard and prepare yourself to be the best in whatever field you are most motivated to work in.

I am getting more and more furious as the days pass by. Few minutes ago, I read the news about how our banks want to hire foreign workers to fill the positions. (Hey, is there any position left in those banks?!)

AP investigation revealed that banks collecting billions of dollars in federal bailout money sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers to the U.S. for high-paying jobs. Click here to read the complete news story on this. News like this makes me sick.

It’s a well known fact that these banks don’t have morale or ethics, otherwise they wouldn’t have put the country in this mess. These guys begged for our money and they are still begging. But, they don’t want to hire the American workers. God, what can I say?

Are we in another great depression in terms of unemployment? If unemployment rate is calculated in the way it was done in 1930s, the current unemployment rate is closer to 16.5% rather than 10% forecasted by economists. During the great depression of 1930s, the unemployment rate was hovering around 25%.

Reuters article says that comparing today’s situation with that of 1930s is not far fetched. There is another twist to the calculation of unemployment rate. Unemployment stats don’t take discouraged workers, the workers that lost the hope of getting job and stopped looking for a job, into account while calculating unemployment rate. Thus, the real unemployment rate may be more than 16.5%.