Monthly Archives: September 2011
Linguist Recruiter, Pashto or Dari, Washington DC or Los Angeles, CA
HOT JOB HOT JOB HOT JOB
Advantage SCI
Linguist Recruiter
Advantage SCI, LLC, a professional services firm, provides national and homeland security services and operational support solutions to government and commercial customers through consulting, staffing, and training. Since 2000, Advantage SCI has assisted customers ‘secure tomorrow today’ through critical support services, both nationwide and overseas, through customer-focused innovativeness by high caliber employees. Advantage SCI offers an extraordinary portfolio of capabilities, enabling delivery of practical solutions to national security, defense, and cyber threats. Core competencies are aligned with the current and future needs of customers, and address emerging global challenges in key areas that are critical to the defense of the nation and its allies. Advantage SCI is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with a regional office in Washington, D.C.
Advantage SCI offers a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package.
Start Date: ASAP
Clearance Type: Active Secret Clearance Preferred
Work Location: Washington, D.C., or Los Angeles, California
Requisition No.: 10
Job Description: Advantage SCI is seeking an experienced full-time Linguist Recruiter to join our growing team. This individual’s responsibilities include:
Partner with proposal managers on proposal efforts Partner with project managers to identify staffing needs, develop job specifications and duties, qualifications, and skills Devise and implement creative sourcing strategies to generate a robust and superior candidate pipeline from various sources Full life-cycle recruiting process to include: sourcing, reviewing resumes, interviewing and screening potential candidates, identifying potential qualified candidates, coordinating interviews, reformatting potential candidates’ resumes, salary negotiations, and closing Build network and attend recruiting functions Point of contact with all project and hiring managers, human resources, and candidates throughout the entire interview and hiring process Maintain and update the recruiting database Assist with other departments as needed Minimum Requirements:
Must be a U.S. Citizen and able to obtain a federal clearance, if and when required Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management preferred, or at least four (4) years of equivalent experience Minimum of four to six (4 to 6) years of successful full life-cycle recruiting experience to include a minimum of one to two (1 to 2) years actual recruiting experience of linguists with various skills on a Department of Defense (DoD) contract A minimum of two (2) years of recruiting experience in a DoD government contract environment A minimum of one (1) year of recruiting linguists having various skills, in addtion to trade skills. Proven record of accomplishment in achieving aggressive recruiting goals in the government contracting industry Demonstrated success with results-oriented, data-driven metrics environment Experience with ‘Task Order’ staffing Strong knowledge of recruiting methodologies and strategies Excellent sourcing, interviewing, negotiating, and communication skills Ability to interface with management and excellent interpersonal skills required Must be able to travel to various locations for recruiting efforts Excellent oral and written communication skills Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook Must be bi-lingual in Pashto and/or Dari
Advantage SCI is an equal opportunity employer.
Please do not submit a resume if you do not meet the mandatory requirements.
For consideration, candidates should email their resumes in MS Word format, including salary requirements, to Human Resources, Ly Lam, llam@advantagesci.com.
====================== Note: most jobs remain open for 2-14 days. If this job is no longer available then you will be presented with similar job listings that are open. ======================
APPLY/LEARN MORE AT http://www.intelligencecareers.com/jobs/11-001/jobview.cfm?jobid=3789045&domain=recruiter
===============
Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption Names America’s 100 Best Adoption~Friendly Workplaces
DUBLIN, OH /PRNewswire/ ~~ Today, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption announced the fifth annual 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list recognizing organizations nationwide for their adoption benefits. The Wendy’s Company is No. 1 on this year’s list, with a combination of up to $24,300 in adoption assistance and up to six weeks of paid adoption leave.
“This is one of the highest honors our company can receive,” said David Karam, president, North America, of The Wendy’s Company. “Dave Thomas was passionate for the cause of adoption, and he personally contacted hundreds of companies asking them to extend adoption benefits to employees. We’re extremely proud to follow his lead and help our employees realize the joys of adoption.”
Wendy’s employee Brenda Overturf has used the adoption benefit twice. Overturf and her husband adopted two children from U.S. foster care eight years ago, when the siblings were 9 and 10 years old. This year, they fell in love with three more siblings waiting in foster care, and will finalize their adoptions in a few months.
“Our children always wanted more brothers and sisters, and my husband and I were moved to help older children who might age out of foster care and be left on their own,” Overturf said. “Adopting from foster care is affordable, so we did not use Wendy’s financial benefit, but the six weeks of paid leave was invaluable. We needed the time to get to know our kids as individuals, and to prepare them for school.”
Rankings for the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List are determined by an analysis of a company’s adoption benefits available to employees who adopt, such as financial reimbursement and paid leave. The Foundation compiled the results from its annual survey of U.S. employers and partnered with Employee Benefit News, a SourceMedia publication that is the leading source of information for benefits decision makers, to announce the winners.
The caliber of benefits offered by employers has changed dramatically since the Foundation began announcing the list five years ago. In 2007, an employer offering up to $10,000 and two weeks of paid leave for adoption was ranked in the nation’s top 10. Today, that employer would be tied for 34th place. Five years ago, an employer offering up to $5,000 and six weeks of paid leave for adoption made the top half of the list at number 49. Today, that employer would just make the cut-off for the top 100.
The average financial reimbursement for all Foundation survey participants is $5,000 and the average paid leave offering is six weeks. Nearly half of the participants also offer unpaid leave beyond that required by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), ranging from one week to one year.
There are more than 107,000 children in U.S. foster care waiting to be adopted. Every year, nearly 28,000 children in foster care turn 18 and leave the system without families to call their own. The release of the fifth annual Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List helps the Foundation increase foster care adoption awareness while celebrating those businesses that support adoptive families.
“Whether the child is a 12-year-old victim of child abuse and neglect who has spent years in U.S. foster care, a toddler who has been living in a foreign orphanage, or a newborn from a domestic adoption, it is critical for every child to have the opportunity to adjust and thrive in his or her adoptive home,” said Rita Soronen, president and CEO of the Foundation. “This is why employer support of adoption and family-friendly work environments are so crucial.”
In addition to ranking the top 100, the Foundation also recognized the top 10 companies by size and the leaders of each industry. To view all of the honorees, visit davethomasfoundation.org or adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org.
(Editor’s note: The Foundation is not an affiliate of The Wendy’s Company.)
About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is America’s only nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the 107,000 children waiting in foster care to be adopted. Created by Wendy’s® founder, Dave Thomas, who was adopted, the Foundation implements results-driven national signature programs, foster care adoption awareness initiatives and research-based advocacy efforts. To learn more, visit www.davethomasfoundation.org or call 1-800-ASK-DTFA.
SOURCE Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
CONTACT: Staci Perkins, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, +1-614-764-8406, staci_perkins@davethomasfoundation.org or Dace de la Foret, Paul Werth Associates, +1-614-224-8114, delaforet@paulwerth.com
Web Site: http://www.davethomasfoundation.org
Real~Time Labor Market Data To Help Colleges Align Curriculum to Needs of Regional Economies
Jobs for the Future Launches Credentials that Work Initiative
BOSTON, MA /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ~~ Using new technologies that make it possible~~for the first time~~to collect up-to-date labor market information, Jobs for the Future (JFF) has launched a new initiative that will create the potential to transform how postsecondary institutions and systems align occupational training programs with the economy’s needs. The initiative ~~ Credentials that Work~~ is funded by the Joyce Foundation and Lumina Foundation.
The availability of real-time labor market information is a recent development, and its use in the context of occupational training programs is just emerging. Credentials that Work is surveying and assessing the most promising applications of real-time technologies~~existing and planned~~in order to:
~~ Determine what uses may better align postsecondary education offerings with the needs of employers;
~~ Identify how these applications can augment the value of traditional sources of labor market information;
~~ Identify how state policy can encourage the wider use of these technologies.
The new intelligence technology being used by colleges, developed by Burning Glass Technologies, can aggregate and analyze online job ads and provide a more comprehensive, “real-time” source of information about the hiring and skill needs of local employers. These technologies make it possible to draw data from a larger and more recent pool than most traditional sources of labor market information. They can improve the understanding of hiring trends, employer demand, and skill requirements by drawing on current information and consistent signals from the labor market.
“If colleges expect to attract more students and graduate them prepared for sustainable careers, they must better align program offerings and course curricula to the needs of their local labor markets,” said John Dorrer, Program Director at JFF. “Decisions on which programs to offer and what to teach in class should correspond to employers’ immediate and ongoing demand for workers in a particular occupation or with a specific set of skills.”
The colleges in the Credentials that Work network began using the new technology this month. They are:
~~ LaGuardia Community College (New York City)
~~ Harper College (Palatine, IL)
~~ Texas State Technical College (Four locations in Waco, Marshall, West Texas, and Harlingen)
~~ Gateway Community and Technical College (Covington, KY)
~~ Owensboro Community and Technical College (Owensboro, KY)
~~ Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (Harlan, KY)
~~ Kentucky Community and Technical College System Office (Versailles, KY)
~~ Cabrillo College (Aptos, CA)
~~ Cerritos College (Norwalk, CA)
~~ Southern Maine Community College (Portland, ME)
A thorough examination of the emerging role of real-time labor market data is presented in a new publication just released by JFF called, Aligning Community Colleges to their Local Labor Markets. Also, a Users Guide to Real Time LMI is planned that will:
~~ Review how early implementers are using real-time labor market data and systems;
~~ Provide a systematic review of real time LMI vendors and products most active in the market place;
~~ Review of real time LMI and its emerging role in complementing traditional federal economic and labor statistical systems.
ABOUT JFFJFF identifies, develops, and promotes education and workforce strategies that expand opportunity for youth and adults who are struggling to advance in America today. In more than 200 communities across 43 states, JFF improves the pathways leading from high school to college to family-sustaining careers.www.jff.orgwww.twitter.com/jfftweets
ABOUT CREDENTIALS THAT WORKCredentials that Work (CTW) incorporates innovations in real-time labor market data in guiding institutions to better align education and training investments with the needs of regional economies. Real-time data can help improve the understanding of hiring trends, employer demand, including certifications and skill requirements by drawing on current information and consistent signals from the labor market.
ABOUT JOYCE FOUNDATIONThe Joyce Foundation supports efforts to protect the Great Lakes, to reduce poverty and violence in the region, and to ensure its residents have access to good schools, decent jobs, a strong democracy, and a diverse and thriving culture. Joyce’s Employment Program is supporting innovations in the region’s education and training system so that more adult workers get the skills they need to compete in the changing labor market. For more information, visit www.joycefdn.org.
ABOUT LUMINA FOUNDATION Lumina Foundation, an Indianapolis-based private foundation, is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college~~especially 21(st) century students: low-income students, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners. Lumina’s goal is to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina pursues this goal in three ways: by identifying and supporting effective practice, through public policy advocacy, and by using our communications and convening power to build public will for change. For more information, log on to www.luminafoundation.org.
SOURCE Jobs for the Future
CONTACT: Jeff Landis, +1-617-728-4446 ext. 146, jlandis@jff.org
Web Site: http://www.jff.org
===============
HOT JOB Language Instructors/Curriculum Developers – Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Tagalog, Russian, French, Urdu, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Spanish, Chinese Mandarin, Swahili, Tigrinya
HOT JOB HOT JOB HOT JOB
JTG, Inc.
Language Instructors/Curriculum Developers Sought
Location: Arlington, VA; CONUS (military bases) and limited OCONUS
Clearance: None Required. US Citizenship desirable. Work authorization required.
JTG is looking for qualified candidates to fill openings for this position in various CONUS and OCONUS locations.
The Language Instructors must meet the following requirements prior to instructing students on this contract.
Qualifications and Experience • Native proficiency in target language. • Minimum of 3 on the ILR scale in English. • Baccalaureate degree or higher or equivalent. • Experienced in teaching adults using proficiency-oriented methods and materials aimed at ILR skill levels 2 and 3. • Successful, relevant experience (at least two years’ experience in teaching the target language to adult learners in a proficiency-oriented environment) • Knowledge of the Interagency Roundtable Levels (ILR), OPI and Defense Language Proficiency Tests (DPLTs). • Recent experience (in the past 2 years) teaching the target language for Defense and Federal employees preparing for overseas assignment.
Languages: Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Tagalog, Russian, French, Urdu, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Spanish, Chinese Mandarin, Swahili, Tigrinya, and many others.
====================== Note: most jobs remain open for 2-14 days. If this job is no longer available then you will be presented with similar job listings that are open. ======================
Language Instructors/Curriculum Developers – Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Tagalog, Russian, French, Urdu, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Spanish, Chinese Mandarin, Swahili, Tigrinya
Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Spanish, Chinese Mandarin, Swahili, Tigrinya
Advice on How to Take Control of the New Workplace Realities of Today’s Economy
WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ~~ Finding ways to create jobs is the first order of business for government at all levels these days. But even as our elected officials debate ways to move the economy forward, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, says everyone should be looking inward at their own ability to change their employment future.
“Each of us, employed, under-employed, or out of work, needs our own lifetime job program,” says Blayney. “Given the pace of technological change plus our longer lives, the reality is that we will have not one, but several, careers in our lifetime. Flexibility and versatility are necessary attributes for job success, as is the realization that to remain competitive we have to be ‘looking for work’ for the rest of our productive lives.”
Even while government continues to find ways to stimulate job growth, Blayney has some tips everyone can use to take control of their futures in this current job market:
~~ Diversify: Diversification is an important strategy for an investment portfolio and the same principle holds true for a portfolio of “human capital.” This capital consists of experience, skills, education, training, and professional networks, all of which are important investments to make to produce wages. Developing more than one skill, speaking more than one language or having had a variety of workplace responsibilities can substantially reduce the risk of being unemployable.
~~ Shift your thinking: We usually think that financial security depends on earnings. While this is certainly true, it also works the other way around: our jobs depend, in turn, on our financial situation. Many employers, for example, will not hire workers who do not have good credit. Without an adequate emergency fund, those out of work or stuck in low-paying work may be unable to fund relocation or retraining to get the right job.
~~ Be less dependent: We need to have less dependence on our employers to provide for our financial needs. Jobs are being crowded out by the obligations of employers to provide comprehensive benefits to their workers. Like it or not, employees will need to do more to take financial care of themselves, saving more on their own, and downsizing their housing and budgets, to be able to “afford” what the workplace is paying.
~~ Think like an entrepreneur: We need to revive our American traits of resourcefulness and ingenuity, and focus on new ideas for products and services, rather than trying to revive old ones. We can look for jobs, but better still would be making one up. What can we do well that is needed by other people? Yes, starting a new business is risky, but current low interest rates make this much more financially viable.
With an uncertain economy and more debate ahead on how to create jobs ahead, Blayney encourages everyone to take these decisive steps now to improve their personal job outlook.
“When it comes to employment, each of us must become the boss of our own productivity,” Blayney says. “We simply cannot wait for jobs and the resulting financial security, to come to us – we have to make our own opportunities. It’s time to get Americans to work.”
ABOUT CFP BOARD
The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is to benefit the public by granting the CFP® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. The Board of Directors, in furthering CFP Board’s mission, acts on behalf of the public, CFP® professionals and other stakeholders. CFP Board owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner(TM), CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFP Board currently authorizes more than 63,000 individuals to use these marks in the U.S.
SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
CONTACT: Dan Drummond, Director of Public Relations, +1-202-379-2252, +1-202-550-4372, ddrummond@cfpboard.org, @cfpboardmedia
Web Site: http://www.cfp.net
Future, Economy, Workplace
FYI Tidbits – 9/11 generated growth of homeland security college programs
The 9/11 attacks led to a flurry of spending not only on defense and homeland security needs, but also education; in recent years dozens of homeland security programs have emerged at community colleges, universities, and graduate schools across the country and thousands of students have flocked to these new programs lured by the promise of jobs.
Read more/learn more: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/911-generates-growth-homeland-security-college-programs
graduate schools,
Best Places to Launch a Career in the Federal Government
How do professionals starting their federal careers feel about the agencies they serve, and how well are those agencies managing their new class of public servants? In an era of career flexibility and job fluidity, what does it take to build a federal government workforce of the future?
These are the questions the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte set out to understand in this Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® snapshot analysis—based on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 2010 employee survey.
The good news for government is that a majority of new employees under the age of 30 report high levels of overall satisfaction when it comes to their specific jobs and agencies (table 1). The three agencies that top the overall satisfaction rankings are the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The government-wide overall satisfaction index score1 for this cohort of new employees is 75 percent (out of 100), 10 points above the score for employees of all ages employed for any length of time.2 Out of 26 agencies, only four scored below 70 percent.
In a time of budget cuts and hiring freezes, the need to attract young professionals and subsequently retain them is paramount to a high-performing federal government. OMB estimates that 60,000 federal workers are set to retire by year’s end. To prevent a brain drain of highly skilled and educated employees, the government must work to attract young talent into its ranks and be seen as a great place to launch and build a career. These emerging professionals potentially offer a diversity of skill sets and innovative ideas that could expand agencies’ overall expertise, and better represent the population they serve. Ideally, they are future federal leaders helping agencies to fulfill their missions.
Learn more: http://ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications/download.php?id=165
2011.09.21 ~ Virtual Career Fair for Engineering Professionals ~ September 21st
WARRENDALE, PA /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ~~ SAE International’s Career Center was named as one of the 50 Best Engineering Jobs Sites by Scientia Blogger, part of www.mastersinengineering.org, a website dedicated to providing students with the information and tools needed in order to pursue their Masters in Engineering.
SAE International’s Career Center was chosen for its comprehensive listings of career resources and job listings.
SAE International’s Career Center is specifically designed to connect job seekers and employers in the mobility industry. A sampling of the SAE International audience includes automotive engineers, aerospace engineers, project engineers, hybrid engineers, mechanical engineers and design engineers. The Career Center links SAE International members and industry professionals with the most relevant career opportunities – while also linking academic, government and corporate recruiters and employers with highly qualified candidates.
Through its Career Center, SAE International will hold a free, online Virtual Career Fair for engineering professionals on Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (EDT)
The Virtual Career Fair will enable participants to chat with employers, network with like-minded individuals, and receive expert advice for their job searches. The SAE International Virtual Career Fair provides the opportunity for mobility industry engineers and professionals to explore available jobs, network, and learn valuable career tips.
Live, interactive Auditorium Webcast Presentations will include:
~~ “How to Find Your Focus and Market Yourself Successfully” – 11 a.m. EDT – This 60-minute webcast will explore what you need to do to market your capabilities, your strengths, and your experience – and how to identify what matters most to you in your career.
~~ “Detroit Is Dead and 10 Other Misconceptions: How to get hired, interview, and stay employed as an engineer in the U.S. auto industry” – 2 p.m. EDT – OEMs and suppliers are now paying recruiting firms to work for them and do their talent management and recruiting. So, how do you get recruiters to work for you? In this 60-minute webcast, you’ll learn how recruiters can help you in your job search.
Click here for more information or to register. The SAE International Virtual Career Fair is powered by ON24.
SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International’s core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International’s charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.
Contact: Shawn Andreassi of SAE International, 1-724-772-8522 or pr@sae.org
engineering professionals, engineering, virtual career fair, career fair, job fair
Advice on How to Take Control of the New Workplace Realities of Today’s Economy
WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ~~ Finding ways to create jobs is the first order of business for government at all levels these days. But even as our elected officials debate ways to move the economy forward, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, says everyone should be looking inward at their own ability to change their employment future.
“Each of us, employed, under-employed, or out of work, needs our own lifetime job program,” says Blayney. “Given the pace of technological change plus our longer lives, the reality is that we will have not one, but several, careers in our lifetime. Flexibility and versatility are necessary attributes for job success, as is the realization that to remain competitive we have to be ‘looking for work’ for the rest of our productive lives.”
Even while government continues to find ways to stimulate job growth, Blayney has some tips everyone can use to take control of their futures in this current job market:
~~ Diversify: Diversification is an important strategy for an investment portfolio and the same principle holds true for a portfolio of “human capital.” This capital consists of experience, skills, education, training, and professional networks, all of which are important investments to make to produce wages. Developing more than one skill, speaking more than one language or having had a variety of workplace responsibilities can substantially reduce the risk of being unemployable.
~~ Shift your thinking: We usually think that financial security depends on earnings. While this is certainly true, it also works the other way around: our jobs depend, in turn, on our financial situation. Many employers, for example, will not hire workers who do not have good credit. Without an adequate emergency fund, those out of work or stuck in low-paying work may be unable to fund relocation or retraining to get the right job.
~~ Be less dependent: We need to have less dependence on our employers to provide for our financial needs. Jobs are being crowded out by the obligations of employers to provide comprehensive benefits to their workers. Like it or not, employees will need to do more to take financial care of themselves, saving more on their own, and downsizing their housing and budgets, to be able to “afford” what the workplace is paying.
~~ Think like an entrepreneur: We need to revive our American traits of resourcefulness and ingenuity, and focus on new ideas for products and services, rather than trying to revive old ones. We can look for jobs, but better still would be making one up. What can we do well that is needed by other people? Yes, starting a new business is risky, but current low interest rates make this much more financially viable.
With an uncertain economy and more debate ahead on how to create jobs ahead, Blayney encourages everyone to take these decisive steps now to improve their personal job outlook.
“When it comes to employment, each of us must become the boss of our own productivity,” Blayney says. “We simply cannot wait for jobs and the resulting financial security, to come to us – we have to make our own opportunities. It’s time to get Americans to work.”
ABOUT CFP BOARD
The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is to benefit the public by granting the CFP® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. The Board of Directors, in furthering CFP Board’s mission, acts on behalf of the public, CFP® professionals and other stakeholders. CFP Board owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner(TM), CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFP Board currently authorizes more than 63,000 individuals to use these marks in the U.S.
SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
CONTACT: Dan Drummond, Director of Public Relations, +1-202-379-2252, +1-202-550-4372, ddrummond@cfpboard.org, @cfpboardmedia
Web Site: http://www.cfp.net
Jobs Creation
Advice on How to Take Control of the New Workplace Realities of Today’s Economy
WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ~~ Finding ways to create jobs is the first order of business for government at all levels these days. But even as our elected officials debate ways to move the economy forward, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, says everyone should be looking inward at their own ability to change their employment future.
“Each of us, employed, under-employed, or out of work, needs our own lifetime job program,” says Blayney. “Given the pace of technological change plus our longer lives, the reality is that we will have not one, but several, careers in our lifetime. Flexibility and versatility are necessary attributes for job success, as is the realization that to remain competitive we have to be ‘looking for work’ for the rest of our productive lives.”
Even while government continues to find ways to stimulate job growth, Blayney has some tips everyone can use to take control of their futures in this current job market:
~~ Diversify: Diversification is an important strategy for an investment portfolio and the same principle holds true for a portfolio of “human capital.” This capital consists of experience, skills, education, training, and professional networks, all of which are important investments to make to produce wages. Developing more than one skill, speaking more than one language or having had a variety of workplace responsibilities can substantially reduce the risk of being unemployable.
~~ Shift your thinking: We usually think that financial security depends on earnings. While this is certainly true, it also works the other way around: our jobs depend, in turn, on our financial situation. Many employers, for example, will not hire workers who do not have good credit. Without an adequate emergency fund, those out of work or stuck in low-paying work may be unable to fund relocation or retraining to get the right job.
~~ Be less dependent: We need to have less dependence on our employers to provide for our financial needs. Jobs are being crowded out by the obligations of employers to provide comprehensive benefits to their workers. Like it or not, employees will need to do more to take financial care of themselves, saving more on their own, and downsizing their housing and budgets, to be able to “afford” what the workplace is paying.
~~ Think like an entrepreneur: We need to revive our American traits of resourcefulness and ingenuity, and focus on new ideas for products and services, rather than trying to revive old ones. We can look for jobs, but better still would be making one up. What can we do well that is needed by other people? Yes, starting a new business is risky, but current low interest rates make this much more financially viable.
With an uncertain economy and more debate ahead on how to create jobs ahead, Blayney encourages everyone to take these decisive steps now to improve their personal job outlook.
“When it comes to employment, each of us must become the boss of our own productivity,” Blayney says. “We simply cannot wait for jobs and the resulting financial security, to come to us – we have to make our own opportunities. It’s time to get Americans to work.”
ABOUT CFP BOARD
The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is to benefit the public by granting the CFP® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. The Board of Directors, in furthering CFP Board’s mission, acts on behalf of the public, CFP® professionals and other stakeholders. CFP Board owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner(TM), CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFP Board currently authorizes more than 63,000 individuals to use these marks in the U.S.
SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
CONTACT: Dan Drummond, Director of Public Relations, +1-202-379-2252, +1-202-550-4372, ddrummond@cfpboard.org, @cfpboardmedia
Web Site: http://www.cfp.net
