Jobless Claims fell again and as economists say – we are moving in the right direction.  And all estimates suggest  a strong rebound by the end of the year and into 2011. 

We need to see more hiring on the part of corporations and then consumers will spend again and retail will pick up, etc.  We are beginning to see “Help Wanted” Signs when shopping and I recently read McDonald’s is holding a career fair in Arizona.  All of these are good indicators and hopefully the positive news will continue and we will see a tightening of the job market.

The WSJ and MSNBC both ran the same story today – Women are beginning to earn more than men.  Apparently  Unmarried Women without Children are making more than male counterparts in a number of cities.

And statistics still show that Single Income Households (women raising children on one salary) are at a disadvantage financially.  However in 47 of the top 50 cities, Women from 22-30 (without children) had higher incomes than male counterparts.  And the best city – Atlanta with NYC right behind.

So great news for college educated professional women who want to work – the money and jobs are there.  On the other hand, the birth rate in the US is the lowest in decades and this could create a problem down the road when there aren’t enough skilled and educated workers for jobs.  However we won’t see this for many years and things may change by then.

About the economy ….we have seen an uptick in job openings and our clients are hiring again and again.  Today the Consumer Confidence Index was released for August and the numbers show improvement from July 2010. 

And I recently read that Tiffany & Co has improving sales.  The information is confusing – unemployment is steady @ 9.5% but dropping in some cities like NYC.  Confidence is up and down – and home sales are way down.  But people are shopping for luxury goods @ Tiffany.  And most interesting the men’s jewelry market is having a banner year.

How to make sense of all of this information – not sure anyone can or should. It appears that individuals in industries that are thriving and hiring have more confidence in the economy and are buying clothes/jewelry, etc.  And perhaps people who are concerned about jobs are also buying clothes/jewelry in order to look good and up-to-date when interviewing.

The stock market is trending down, unemployment is stuck @ 9.5% or 9.4% in some cities but there is a shortage of skilled workers. 

Recently I read an article on MSNBC.com stating that Carpenters and Electricians are in demand as well as other individuals with specialized skills.  And what is most interesting about this is younger workers don’t want to be perceived as blue collar workers and hesitate to train to become carpenters, etc.  However a plumber could make up to $75,000 – ever tried to call one on a weekend?  Did your sink back-up right before company arrived?  This has happened to me a number of times or the washing  machine overflowed and the basement floor was a mess!  Try calling a plumber and good luck,.

The job market is changing – and the needs for workers and employees today are very different than a few years ago.  We need to find a way to re-train unemployed individuals so we can once again have a society where jobs are plentiful.

A new report just released indicates political spending will reach 4.2 billion dollars this year – that’s a lot of ads for mid-term elections.  Does money buy an election, we will see when the results are in.  When I hear about candidates in California, Florida and other states spending 20 million or even more for an election, I have a negative reaction.  Actually I am sad and disappointed. 

What if this same candidate spent the same 20 million to fix our schools and help educate the next generation?  Am I the only person who thinks there are better ways to spend 20 million dollars?  Especially when we receive resumes with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.

Of course all of this means local radio will benefit as well as local TV – great news for stations and rep firms across the country!  Hopefully this will lead to more jobs and hiring for broadcasting companies and advertising agencies.

W

Interesting article in today’s WSJ (8/23/2010) addressing the rebound in advertising and media dollars.  The industry is picking up and we have seen an increase in hiring especially digital.  But not all areas of media are picking up!
Automotives are spending again (good news for Detroit) and financial services as well as CPG are investing in advertising/media. And even though sales for movie tickets are up 10%, advertising dollars are down.  Perhaps the studios don’t need to spend as much since going to the movies is perceived as a good escape from bad news on the job front!

Pharma is also down – no new big interesting/exciting medications being introduced and concern about regulation in the industry.  But I think this will change as health care becomes an accepted fact and more people have insurance and money to buy needed medicine.

Bottom line…ups and downs/good and bad but overall things are picking up for advertisers and spending.

Once again we are seeing an interesting scenario – unemployment figures across the country are very high.  However in NYC and other major cities, the numbers are going down.

In fact, in July 2010 NYC had a great month.  It was one of the best months of job growth since January 2010.  And what is even more interesting is July is usually a slow month for hiring and any activity on the job front.

Why?? – well Finance is hiring and we also know that advertising/media is experiencing a big rebound.  There are a number of jobs in NYC for our industry and this is all good news.

We just need to see this across the country and start feeling there is a turn-around on the employment front.  Let’s hope it is coming soon….

Though things are picking up in the media job market, it’s still tough to get a new job these days, and recent jobless claims only reinforces this.  Many people think that their experience should speak for itself and that they don’t need to spend much time on their resume.  This couldn’t be further from the truth as your resume is the first impression you will have with a company.  It surprises me that I still see misspellings of client names, poor grammar and bad formatting.  Here are some tips for rehauling your resume.

1. Grammar grammar grammar.  Make sure there are no spelling errors!  I still frequently see client names spelled wrong, and have even seen a current company spelled wrong, this from someone with ten years of media experience. 

2.  For candidates out of school for a couple years, it’s time to take the education from the top of the resume to the bottom.  It’s also probably time to take off much of the college experience, but still keep on any internships.  It’s time to take it from a post college graduate resume to someone who has now had a couple of years experience.  This is always a challenge for people, but your resume will look more professional in the end. 

3. Be specific!  Many people just put some vague bullet points about their current position, but you can and should be pretty specific.  Give some great examples of work you have accomplished on those accounts, talk about specific initiatives that you handled.  Our hiring managers like to see that you are different from all the other candidates they are seeing. 

Basically, just take some time with your resume.  After you have finished, print out a couple of copies and have some friends look it over with a critical eye. 

Everyone’s resume is different and you should really curtail it to the position you are going for at that time.  We have many more tips and would love to give you some pointers on your resume!  Just give us a call so we can go over it and then we can talk about some great openings that might be a fit for you!

Often we are asked is to okay to dress casually for an interview and most of the time, we respond of course.  But of course with a caveat – casually means business casual with a Capital B and C! 

It is much easier for women – add pearls, good jewelry and you are ready to go but for men there is always a dilemna – suit or no suit.  Bottom line, dress up and not down for an interview.  If it means changing into a suit or dressier clothes in the bathroom, please do so.  Your first impression is always the most important one.

And dress to the interview – by this I mean if your client is a corporate one, wear a suit or dress up.  If you are meeting the CEO or Director of the entire agency, also dress up.  And most of all, if you aren’t employed now and are looking – do everything possible to look  your best.  And if this means wearing a suit, please do so. 

Even in these casual times, I dress up for meetings – why not I have the clothes and they are getting dusty in my closet.

A

Every week we read about the jobless claims and the story is usually very grim.  However today the WSJ (8/9/2010) had an article entitled – “Firms Struggle to Hire Despite Unemployment.”

And as media recruiters we too are seeing this trend.  Why?  Because often the jobs that are available do not match the skill set of individuals who have been laid off.  In Media, our openings tend to be digitally focused – planners, supervisors, etc and it is imperative to have experience in online media in order to interview and get hired.

The world is changing and we must be open to new experiences and opportunities.  In order to stay current, explore new media and learn.  Embrace the unknown.

Most media professionals now have knowledge of digital media and are able to transition to 100% interactive positions if desired.