Unemployment and joblessness are probably the biggest problems that Americans are suffering from. Unemployment is driving foreclosures, the market in general is causing less people to spend money on nonessential items and we live in a consumer based economy. And while unemployment is up and foreclosures are up we Americans continue to get mixed signals that the economy will improve in 2009, maintain its same levels in 2009 or continue to decline.

If unemployment, underemployment and layoffs are driving the economy then I’d have to say things won’t improve any time soon. According to a recent Wall Street Journalarticle: 

California’s unemployment rate jumped to 11.2% in March, while North Carolina rose to 10.8%, the highest for both since the U.S. government began a comprehensive tally of state joblessness in 1976.

The state-by-state employment figures showed only a few states avoiding the deterioration seen nationwide. Unemployment rose in 46 states during the month, and 12 states plus the District of Columbia posted unemployment rates in March that were significantly higher than the 8.5% nationwide figure the government released earlier this month.

How can anyone think that the economy will improve based on these figures? Regardless of what so-called “experts” tell us I think the best thing we can do for ourselves, especially if layoffs are immanent in your company, is to get educated on the careers that have positive employment projections like healthcare (especially nursing), computer science careers, green jobs, financial planning and counseling related services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an enormous amount of information on career tracks that are growing and need qualified workers in their field. As always the best medicine is preventative medicine so if you find yourself worried about your employment, prevent yourself from falling victim to joblessness by researching now what kind of careers may be available to you in alternate fields.

For those of us hit hard by the economy the bureau of labor statistics is an excellent resource for planning employment or career changes. The bureau regularly publishes a manual for labor trends that can help people decide what to do with career choices. Understanding the direction and nature of job growth is tremendous help for people looking for work. The best part of the bureau’s results is that many of the jobs do not require advanced degrees. Some areas of expanding employment only require on the job training. According to the present 2008-2009 manual the top areas of expanding employment growth are:

Network systems and data communications analysts

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Personal and home care aides

Education Required: Short-term on-the-job training

Home health aides

Education Required: Short-term on-the-job training

Computer software engineers, applications

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Veterinary technologists and technicians

Education Required: Associate degree

Personal financial advisors

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Makeup artists, theatrical and performance

Education Required: Postsecondary vocational award

Medical assistants

Education Required: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Veterinarians

Education Required: First professional degree

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Skin care specialists

Education Required: Postsecondary vocational award

Financial analysts

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Social and human service assistants

Education Required: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Gaming surveillance officers and gaming investigators

Education Required: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Physical therapist assistants

Education Required: Associate degree

Pharmacy technicians

Education Required: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Forensic science technicians

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Dental hygienists

Education Required: Associate degree

Mental health counselors

Education Required: Master’s degree

Mental health and substance abuse social workers

Education Required: Master’s degree

Marriage and family therapists

Education Required: Master’s degree

Dental assistants

Education Required: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Computer systems analysts

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Database administrators

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Computer software engineers, systems software

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree

Gaming and sports book writers and runners

Education Required: Short-term on-the-job training

Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

Education Required: Associate degree

Manicurists and pedicurists

Education Required: Postsecondary vocational award

Physical therapists

Education Required: Master’s degree

Physician assistants

Education Required: Master’s degree

Late last year Ben Bernanke indicated the American recession may taper off in 2009. The Federal Reserve Bank President of Dallas, Richard Fisher has a very different opinion of the state of affairs. American’s are experiencing an unemployment rate of over 8% and Mr. Fisher expects the jobless rate to increase to 10% or more by the end of 2009.

How can anyone predict anything but increasing unemployment? Americans are scared, spending less of their money and we are a consumer based economy. Calculate in to this equation the fact that foreclosures are increasing and what you are left with is a serious predicament. So serious that a recent Bloomberg article described the state of affairs as “a self- reinforcing cycle of rising unemployment and slumping business and consumer spending.” Obama’s top economic aid, Lawrence Summers, agrees indicating that “I don’t think we can hold out the prospect that unemployment would stabilize at the current level” (AFP).

Consumer spending plays an important role in predicting the health of our consumer based economy. When consumers have decreasing confidence in the markets, they tend to spend less. Consumer confidence in the markets is presently decreasing according to the latest data available yesterday (Reuters). Moreover, the consumer confidence index is close to hitting its record low.

In difficult economic times many employers have opted to reduce their numbers of permanent, salaried employees and hire contract workers and temps. However, even these categories of labor are being reduced. According to Business Week, “companies from Wall Street to Silicon Valley are casting off temporary workers and freelancers left and right, typically without any severance pay.” When these workers leave the labor markets two problems exist: first, they are often not counted in the number of “unemployed workers” meaning the true number of out of work people in America is inaccurately tabulated and, as such, there is probably a much higher percentage of Americans out of work than the common statistic of 8.5%. Secondarily, and more important in a consumer based economy, “the people who lose their jobs will be forced to cut spending drastically, particularly because many of them earn below-average pay and thus have little savings to fall back on. The overall result is a decrease in demand, further depressing the economy” (Business Week).

If you ask anyone on Main Street what they think about the near future prospects of the labor markets you quickly realize that it doesn’t take the Federal Reserve Bank President of Dallas to convince us that we are in for difficult times ahead. So, what’s the solution if you are out of work, fearing job loss or considering a new field? Make sure you read the bureau of labor statistics reportsavailable on line and our last post titled “Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.” Planning ahead and knowing where the labor market trends are heading is the best defense in a difficult economy.

Whether you land an interview or are passed over for an interview is largely dependant on the quality of your resume. In difficult economic times, where unemployment is high and jobs are scarce, your resume needs to be qualitatively superior to your competition. Luckily, there are a number of different tips and strategies for effective resume writing as well as resume writing services that will help American workers for a fee and some completely free of charge.

Resume Writing Tips:

• #1 Insure you highlight your achievements paying closest attention to how you have directly improved the bottom line of a business.

• #2 Check for grammar, spelling and usage errors. Check your work a second time and have at least one other person check your work. Having someone else critique your life’s work on paper may feel uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as being unemployed.

• #3 Keep your resume brief and to the point. Never exceed two pages unless instructed to do so.

• #4 Is your contact information up to date, address, phone, fax?

• #5 Include a statement of purpose and tailor your statement of purpose to each employer you submit your resume to.

• #6 Use common a common font and a common font size, e.g. 11 or 12 point font

• #7 Exclude negative commentary about past employers

• #8 Use the active voice when writing, i.e. do not write in past tense and use verbs frequently to describe what you have done for employers in the past

• #9 Avoid contractions, e.g. “it’s” is bad, “it is” is appropriate.

• #10 Avoid using the pronouns “I” and “me”

Paid Resume Services:

Career Strides

Professionalresumes.com

Resume Edge

Resume Lines

Check Mate Resume

Free Resume Services:

HowtoWriteaResume.net

ResumeTemplates.org

Microsoft Templates

Recent College Grad Resume Templates

FreeResumesamples.org

Here’s a great body of research to help guide you through career planning:
Ahead of the Curve Careers: US News and World Report
Top Ten Recession Proof Jobs: USNews.com
Best Careers of 2009: USNews.com
30 Best Careers for 2009: USNews.com
11 Best Kept Secret Careers: USNews.com
Overrated Careers: USNews.com
25 Best Jobs for 2009: Career Builder
The Best and Worst Jobs of 2009: The Wall Street Journal
20 Highest Paying Jobs in the US: Bizjournals.com
20 Highest Paying Careers: Careerbuilder.com

Computer science careers will grow much faster than average according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, degree holders in the field earn some of the highest salaries in the nation. To top it off, getting the necessary education in computer science is manageable in the modern world as many programs are provided to students at night and on line.

According to BLS data, the median income for computer and information systems mangers as of 2006 is over $100,000.00 per year. And with job growth in the faster than average category, computer and information systems management is a field you should definitely research before making a final career change decision.

The education required for these positions is one of the major reasons why there is a shortgage of qualified candidates. Many managers in these positions need both a bachelor’s of science in computer science and information systems and an MBA or advanced computer science degree.

Here are some additional sources of information to research on the Computer and Information Systems Management career track:

Occupational Outlook: Computer and Information Systems Managers: Bls.gov

Summary Report: The Career of Computer and Information Systems Managers: O*Net Online

Career Overview: Computer and Information Systems Managers: CareerOverview.com

Perhaps more than any other field, nursing constitutes the greatest career opportunity for new job seekers and those looking to change their career. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that between 2006 and 20016 there will be over 500 thousand new nursing positions open and not enough people to fill the positions.

Becoming a nurse is not an easy task however. Most nursing programs requires a difficult course of pre-requisites to get in to a nursing program and due the shortage of instructors, there are sometimes waiting lists of up to two years to attend a nursing program once your pre-requisites are complete.

Nurses in the United States must pass a standardized test referred to as the NCLEX exam after attending an accredited nursing program. There are three ways to become a nurse: to obtain a bachelor of science in nursing and pass the NCLEX exam; to obtain an A.A. in nursing from a two year college and pass the NCLEX exam; or, to go to a private nursing school, take their battery of nursing courses and pass the NCLEX exam.

Obtaining a bachelors of science in nursing gives you the greatest chance of landing a job after school and many magnet hospitals are beginning to require a BSN to work in the hospital.

Here are some links to more information on one of the best careers available:

Occupational Outlook for Nursing: Bls.gov

Discover Nursing: discovernursing.com

American Nursing Association: ANA

Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values

Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values Another exciting new border feature of CSS3 is the property border-image. With this feature you can define an image to be used instead of the normal border of an element. This feature is actually split up into a couple of properties: border-image and border-corner-image. These two values