This past week, Siemens Energy made an announcement that they are expanding their plant in Charlotte. The plan will add about 850 jobs to the area, although 110 of those jobs will be transfers.

As expected, our area is celebrating this. After all, it only took about $22 million over 12 years from the state, and $57 million in bonds from the city and county. That translates to more than $26,000 per job from the state, and $67,000 per job from the city and county. That's almost $94,000 per job! Also, what's not covered are the 550 jobs lost in Ontario, Canada as a result. I'm sure there's not much celebrating up there.

Read more...

So the news is talking about more job fairs coming to town. Are they worth the trouble? What are the advantages/disadvantages of going? When should you go, and when should you stay home? For me personally, I enjoy job fairs about as much as the county or state fair, which I haven't been to in years.

Read more...

A lot of focus continues to be on the unemployment numbers coming up. I've seen several predictions that the unemployment rate will hover around 10% through the summer. Again, this presents a challenge to the job seeker as to how to find jobs that are out there, or to go it alone. Pursuing self-employment can be exciting, but most often takes a while to build up to the point where you can live off of it. If you are looking for that right employer, then you need tomake a plan that will give you an edge over your competition.

Read more...

One of the reasons I personally have pursued coaching is follow my passions. One of my passions is to make a difference in the lives of others around me. It's the way I'm wired. We all are wired different ways, but I believe at the end of the day, most of us want to leave a legacy that will survive us.

Read more...

Now that we're heading into the final stretch of 2009. how has your year been? Is 2010 going to be a better year than 2009. If you can't answer that question with an affirmative YES, then you likely haven't set any goals. Why don't we set goals? I haven't been good about this either at times.

It comes down to intentions. It's kind of strange though. Companies don't grow without setting goals. Athletes set goals by which to measure their improvement. Why do so many of us just make our goal "getting to the weekend"?

Read more...

With more competition than ever for jobs out there, you need to find a way to make the best impression with potential employers. Just doing some simple things can give you an edge over others competing for the same position. This holds true for most, if not all, types of positions.

For example, my daughter Mary just started her first job. At first, she was reluctant to follow the advice I had been giving her for her job search. However, last week she came home very excited. At first I thought something was wrong, but then I found out that she had experienced some success on her visits to potential employers. One potential employer told her that she was the only applicant who had followed up as requested! Can you believe that? The place that finally hired her stated that she had a great handshake and personality. They also stated that if she could bring her personality, smile, and enthusiasm to the job, they would hire her. And they did.

Read more...

This week I conducted a personalized job search workshop at the West Cabarrus YMCA in Concord, NC. The turnout was lower than I would have preferred, but it provided the opportunity to provide the attendees even greater value for the investment they made, and I was able to do things that I likely couldn't have in a larger group. The attendees ranged from college age to middle-age, but they all have one particular trait in common - sanity. Why do I say that? Because they were willing to take the time and invest a small amount of money to try a different method in their job search.

Read more...

One of the examples in Seth's blog that resounded with me referred to job risk. Seth says "Apparent risk is what keeps someone working at a big company, even if it's doing layoffs. It feels safer to stay there than to do the (apparently) insanely risky thing and start a new venture." I have been saying similar things for years to my coworkers in the corporate world.

When I worked at an avionics firm years ago, many engineers complained about the hours they were being required to work, and others perceived inequities while the industry was going through a downturn. It was far easier to pitch a fit than make a change. I noticed a few who decided to do something about it and jumped over to a financial services firm a few miles away. They took an apparently risky choice to move to an industry that was somewhat unfamiliar to them while those who stayed were taking an actual risk that their job would still be there at the end of the day.

Read more...

As the country slogs on and begins to recover from the current recession, focus is on whether things will return to the way they used to be. Early signs indicate that they will not. As a part of cutbacks, companies have pared back contributions to employee retirement plans and other benefits. Employee contributions continue to rise, and pay raises will not be particularly large either.

Read more...

Discouragement can sabotage the job search. When doors keep getting closed, we can begin doubting ourselves and give up. This is one of the reasons why economists state that the unemployment rate is really around 16% instead of near 10%. They get discouraged and stop looking for work, so they're no longer counted among the unemployed. People often fail to recognize opportunities that are out there for them. Discouragement further affects the job search process.

If you are discouraged, you may not consider applying for a job or entering a career field because of a lack of self-confidence. Or during an interview, your body language or tone of voice can cost you the job by conveying negativity.

Read more...