Higher Education Cost vs Benefit
Every week I read an article about the crushing debt our children have taken on to fund a college education. When my children were growing up, I wanted them to go to college and get a degree. I pushed my children which caused one to rebel and the other got a degree in a field that he will never use. At the time I was happy that he bent to my desire for him to get his degree. In hind sight, I satisfied my own ego and did him little good. At least we were able to pay for the degree and without him incurring any debt.
Hiring Process Validated
My wife and I just finished hiring a new employee for our company, Anclote Title Services, Inc. The position came about from a resignation in our small business. It is the first time we have hired a new employee in several years. Our business employs five full time positions. We have been in business since 1990 and have had little turn over. We have even had two employees retire, although they were older employees when they came to work for us. The hiring process went very smoothly. It is always nice to validate the advice I give on this Blog.
The Art of Inerviewing Applicants
I often read articles giving tips on how to "ace" interviews and am left to wonder if the people writing the articles have actually interviewed an employment candidate. There are so many academics who spend their time studying and teaching the art of interviewing, but nothing is a better teacher than experience. In my career as a police office and police commander I have interviewed hundreds of people over a 25-year career. One can argue that interviewing a witness or suspect is not the same as interviewing an applicant. However, I have done both many times and the end results are the same. Interviewing is the art of asking questions in a way that gets you truthful and accurate responses. The interviewer must be able to tell when the responses are not accurate or incomplete. Like most things in life, some people interview well and some don’t. This is both the person doing the interview and the person being interviewed.
Health Care Law Limits Brain Procedures For Patients 70 and Older
I received an email with an audio file from the Mark Levin Radio Show that is most alarming. The caller reports that he is a brain surgeon and had just returned from a seminar in Washington where they were told how the new health care law will affect patients 70 and older with brain emergencies (like a stroke). It is quite startling and I urge you to listen to the file attached below.
Radio Talk Show Host Mark Levin Call from Brain Surgeon
Increased Job Opportunities Coming in 2012
The closer we get to the 2012 presidential election the better the economic news we seem to be hearing. Does this mean job opportunities will increase in 2012? I believe the answer is yes.
In my area (Tampa Bay Florida) housing sales of existing homes is looking up and there are predictions that values will increase this year. We hear almost daily reports that consumer confidence is up and that we are borrowing more money to purchase cars or buy holiday gifts this past holiday season. One report stated that consumers charged almost as much on holiday gifts as they did in 2007 which was the beginning of the recession. There have also been a number of reports that first time unemployment claims are down and overall unemployment has decreased fractionally.
Does Improved Consumer Confidence = New Jobs?
I have read several articles indicating that consumer confidence is rising. Speculation is that we feel better about the economy which gives us more confidence about the job market. Supposedly, if you have a job, you feel less stress about losing it. Likewise, if you are unemployed, you feel better about your prospects of getting a new job. But does increased confidence mean that more jobs are on the horizon?
Unemployment Compensation, Good or Bad?
Like most of you I know several people who are on unemployment. One person received 99 weeks of unemployment and when the money ran out, he still did not have a job. In this particular case, I know that he did not begin looking for a job until his unemployment benefits ran out. His reluctance to look for a job did not start out that way. When he was first laid off, he was frantic about finding new employment. He had bills that needed to be paid and the thought of getting behind made him very nervous. As time went on, he trimmed his expenses to where he was able to live on the money he received from unemployment. He also found side jobs where he could earn money under the table. In a matter of a few months he became more comfortable with his living conditions and stopped looking for work.
Employment Survey Most Promising For 2012
Above is a link to a survey by ManpowerGroup that reports hiring will increase by 9% in the first quarter of 2012. The survey size was over 18,000 employers around the country. The industry sectors surveyed with a positive outlook are as follows:
Weekly Jobless Claims Hit Lowest Level in 3-1/2 Years | Fox Business
Weekly Jobless Claims Hit Lowest Level in 3-1/2 Years | Fox Business.
Above is an article about a reduction in first time unemployment claims. Jobless claims for last week were still over 350,000 so I am not sure what there is to be happy about. This is apparently an indicator that the economy is improving. I still know a lot of people who are on unemployment and have been for a long time. I knew one person who received 99 weeks and when it came to an end he still did not have a job. His profession as an electrician and there just were no jobs out there for him. When is unemployment ran out he went to a day labor office spending three or four days there without getting a job. He has since relocated, so I don't know what is going on with him now.
Hopefully, we our economy is on the mend. I hope this report gives someone comfort. If you are out of a job, I wish you all the best in finding new employment. For those of you interested, please read the article.
Help Wanted, Come and Write About Your Employment Stories
My Blog is new and my hope is that it will become a resource for the employer and employee on issues that are important to them. I know that in order for my Blog to be successful, I need people to participate in the discussion. So I am looking for people who would like to contribute and perhaps author some articles. There are a lot of people who are affected by the economy. Some of you are unemployed. What has been your experience while looking for new work? Are you receiving unemployment compensation? What kind of adjustments have you had to make in order to get by? What are your frustrations and how could things change to help people in your situation? There are many areas that you could submit an article about. Sometime venting your frustrations helps. I am willing to give you a forum to do that.
