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Governor Romney Holds Edge Among Unemployed, While President Obama Favored Among Those With Jobs

It’s no secret that Americans are split about their choice for President, but the employed and unemployed are also closely divided on which candidate they believe will have a bigger impact on U.S. employment if elected, according to the results of a new study of 5,604 active and passive job seekers conducted by Beyond.com, The Career Network focused on helping people grow and succeed professionally.

The survey found that President Obama is favored more by respondents who are employed, by a 7-point margin (50% to 43%), while Governor Romney leads among the unemployed by 6 points (50% to 44%).  Further:

• A full 64% believe that how the candidates speak to the U.S. employment situation throughout their campaigns will have a major impact on their selection for president.
• And when asked which candidate would bring better employment prospects for them personally, Governor Romney came out ahead by a margin of 5% (46% to 41%), with 13% believing their job prospects will remain the same regardless of who is elected.

The survey revealed different degrees of optimism (62%) about today’s job market, which breaks down to 26% believing that there are good opportunities out there for them now and 36% that say they are cautiously optimistic despite a difficult employment environment. However, when asked about job opportunities in their own localities, the mood turned more bullish with 73% believing “there are jobs out there for me in my state.”

“Our survey confirms that the hiring picture in one’s own back yard is going to be a determinant of how people will feel when they visit the polls,” said Rich Milgram, founder and CEO of Beyond.com. “While job seekers are hopeful, businesses are more tentative, taking a wait- and-see approach to hiring. With new policies potentially on the horizon, the post-election environment will have a significant impact on the number of immediate opportunities available to the U.S. workforce,” Milgram added.

Among the battleground states of New Hampshire, Iowa and Colorado, Beyond.com’s network indicates that recently the most job opportunities are to be found in the Healthcare & Medical field; across positions such as Physical Therapists, Registered Nurses and Medical Assistants, according to Milgram.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek recently reported that the jobless rate rose in August in 5 of 10 states considered battlegrounds in the U.S. presidential election.  Nevertheless, joblessness in six of those 10 states is below the national average of 8.1 percent.

Additional Highlights from the Survey

• While 17% of those surveyed said that they expect the current employment situation to “get worse before it gets better,” twice as many respondents (35%) report a conviction that the current employment situation “will improve” regardless of who is elected.

• A vast majority of respondents (85%) agree that fixing the employment system is a longer-term challenge that would likely take “at least another year” (42.4%) or “several years” (42.7%) to fix.

• Not surprisingly, respondents who are presently employed were twice as likely (33.3%) as those who are currently jobless (17.3%) to agree with the statement “as of today, I believe my prospects for employment are good; there are opportunities out there for me.”

• Respondents believe that the top three industries with the largest growth opportunities after the election will be:  healthcare (cited by 35% of respondents), manufacturing (23.4%) and technology (22%).

• Nearly half (45.6%) reported that it was “the economy” that will have the most impact on the growth of middle class jobs.” The number two factor with the greatest impact on growth:  small business (23.8%).  Only 17.6% viewed “politics” as a major influence on growth. 

A total of 5,604 individuals participated in the survey from among the 10 million+ unique visitors to Beyond.com between August 23 and September 19, 2012. Membership in the career network was not required.  The margin of error was plus or minus 1.31 percentage points. Respondents included individuals who were “unemployed and looking for work,” “employed and looking for work” and “browsing to keep my options open.”

Recess: A Great Way to End the Week

I recently read an article on SHRM.org that September 14^th was Worldwide Recess Day and companies around the globe were taking the time to honor that coveted outside time from our childhood.   Well, I missed it, so we decided to make our own recess fun day, and it was AWESOME!

After a long week of work being held captive at our desks, we needed a change of scenery, so we decided to schedule 10 minutes (which really ended up being 20 minutes) to play outside together as a team.

We had a sad collection of playground toys (as you can see in the photo above) that we amassed throughout the afternoon and ended up with two playground balls, two Frisbees, and a jump rope.  From those random toys we decided to play a quick game of kickball using the Frisbees and some strategically placed polls in the parking lot as bases. 

It was a great way to unwind at the end of the week as a group—we sometimes get so wrapped up in work (which is good, because that’s what we’re here to do) that we forget to take a break.  I sometimes sit at my desk from 8:30 – 5:30 and only get up once or twice throughout the day and my body hates me for it (it is SO unhealthy).  Even with just those 20 minutes of fresh air and running around, I feel so much happier (maybe it’s because I was on the winning kickball team), or maybe because I was in need of some serious vitamin D, but regardless I want to make this part of my routine.

Everyone should make the time to do something fun and good for yourself during the week at work.  It doesn’t have to be everyday, start small with once a week and start by not feeling guilty to be away from your desk— it’s not healthy to be tied down like that.

What’s up for next week? Well, we found an old Razor Scooter in a closet.  We can all ride it for one minute (that should take us to our ten minute mark (with transition times)).  After that, it’s back to work!

NEW STUDY: The Multi-Generational Job Search

Recently, Beyond.com was approached by Millennial Branding to work together to have a better understanding of how different generations search for jobs. We surveyed close to 5,270 members of the Beyond.com Career Network and asked them to self-select themselves into a generation based on their age range, Gen Y (18 to 29 year olds), Gen X (30 to 47 year olds), and Baby Boomers (48 to 67 year olds).  We then asked the survey respondents the same set of questions to determine the differences among the behaviors of each generation when it comes to finding a new job.

These findings have been packaged into the “The Multi-Generational Job Search”.  So what did we learn?

It is no surprise that members of all three generations spend the majority of their time job searching online, where they spend 5 to 20 hours a week searching for their next great opportunity.  In a time when the “Help Wanted” sign and classified ads are being left in the dust, it makes perfect sense that candidates are searching online through job boards and company websites.  But, in a time when I am constantly reading about recruitment through social media, I don’t think we’re quite there yet.  We’re getting closer, but Facebook and Twitter aren’t viewed by job seekers as a go-to recruitment resource.  However, we can now confidently say that Baby Boomers are heavy LinkedIn users, but Gen X and Gen Y are big into running Google searches to find opportunities.

Gen Y is the most optimistic when it comes to finding a job, which can be attributed to the fact that their parents have a large involvement in their lives as coaches, cheerleaders, and safety nets that make it okay to make mistakes and try new things like going back to school or starting their own businesses (they’re most likely to do both of these things than other generations).

Gen X values job security and has suffered more stress and frustration due to unemployment relative to others. Gen X may be suffering the most stress because they are more likely to have people that they directly support like spouses and children, hence why job security and benefits such as health insurance are most important to this group. 

While Baby Boomers are the group to use social media sites in their job search the most, when asked if they take the time to manage their online presence, they said no—but in reality they should—perhaps they should ask their Gen Y kids for help on this.

For more findings from this study you can go to http://millennialbranding.com/2012/09/multi-generational-job-search-study/ and if you want some additional insight into why different generations tend to search in certain ways, feel free to reach out to us at Beyond.com for comment.

Why There Were Only 96,000 Jobs Added In August

We read the report so you don’t have to and here’s what the August Jobs Report said—be warned it wasn’t terribly exciting.  There were only 96.000 jobs added to the economy.  On a positive note though, the unemployment rate went down from 8.3% to 8.1%. 

Where did we see growth?

• Hospitality (food services) added 28,000 jobs
  
  
• Professional and Technical Services added 27,000 jobs
  
  
• Healthcare added 17,000 jobs
  
  
• Utilities added 9,000 jobs
  
  
• Finance and Insurance added 11,000 jobs

Manufacturing experienced a decline of 15,000 jobs which I was surprised by given all the talk of the addition of manufacturing jobs and Detroit doing so well as a result of the auto industry.  I did learn that the motor industry laid off fewer workers than usual in July and fewer workers were brought back in August due to their summer closings—so that could be why there weren’t as many manufacturing jobs added in August—they didn’t let as many people go.

Some theories as to why there weren’t more jobs added—The summer is usually a slow time as many people take vacation and are out of the workplace which can contribute to the slow growth of hiring. Additionally, the upcoming presidential election will have much influence on the number of workers added now and in the coming months.

So what do we predict to see going forward? Based on the number of job postings we’ve seen posted to Beyond.com—The Career Network in the last three months—we predict that the total number of hires will slow as we enter the early fall months, but we will see jobs added to the Healthcare & Medical, Information Technology, and Retail fields. 

So there you have it, what happened in August and perhaps why. 

The History of Labor Day, It’s Not All About The End of Summer

As I prepare to cut out of work early today in order to get a jumpstart on the long weekend, it got me thinking about what Labor Day actually celebrates.  I always had off for Labor Day, but I never really took the time to think about why.

I always knew that the day was to honor members of the workforce, however I never thought any further than that.  How did it come to be?  Who decided that American workers should be honored? Why is it the first Monday of September? And so on.  So as we all start to head out the door to barbeques and beaches to close out the summer, here’s some insight into how Labor Day came to be.

(Cue the old timey music and faded black & white photos.)

Labor Day was proposed by either Matthew Maguire, a machinist, who was serving as the secretary of the Central Labor Union in NY OR Peter McGuire of the American Federation of Labor after attending the annual labor festival in Toronto—we’re not sure which man, but we’re pretty sure the year was 1882.

Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday, but it wouldn’t be a federal holiday for seven more years in 1894.  Despite being a federal holiday only 30 states celebrated. 

It wasn’t until after the Pullman Strike, where several workers were killed that President Cleveland and Congress unanimously signed legislation making Labor Day a national holiday.

Labor Day is celebrated in September as to not conflict with International Worker’s Day that is celebrated on May 1^st.

The traditional way to celebrate was with a parade and festival for workers and their families (so I’d say picnics and barbeques are keeping with tradition).

So that’s a quick summary of what I learned.  Yeah it’s not an in-depth thesis—but for a Friday morning before a holiday, I’d say it’s not bad-short, sweet, and to the point.

In a time when Labor Day (to most people) marks the end of the summer and no longer being able to wear white, it’s nice to take the time to see why this day is important.  Thank you Mr. Maguire or Mr. McGuire for your proposal, I’ll toast you this weekend! 

And to anyone still in the office to read this, have a great weekend!

The Top 50 Places to Find a Job & The 50 Easiest Places to Make a Hire [INFOGRAPHIC]

Beyond.com's Q2 2012 Career Trends Report

An in-depth look at where the jobs really are and which metro areas have the most candidates--the answers may surprise you!

This Beyond.com employment data report analyzes where the jobs are and where the candidates are compared with Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Civilian Labor Numbers for the same time period.  We've also examined job posting data in relation to the where the candidates are to show what types of jobs employers are recruiting for and what types of jobs candidates are searching for. Download the PDF.

 

Six Ways to Handle Your Anger At Work

I get that the workplace is stressful.  We’re all thrown together for 8+ hours a day and have to coexist and with conflicting personalities this isn’t always easy.  We all react to things in different ways, so the likelihood of everyone being peachy at the same time is slim.  When you’re sporting a smile someone is likely to be sporting a frown or even worse a furrowed brow. 

The topic of anger is interesting when it comes to work—the majority of the time you have to suppress it, but sometimes we can’t help it and it just comes out and hits anyone that gets in our path.  When this happens it is unfortunate because the people you seem to take it out on are people you feel comfortable with—most likely not a boss or a superior, but a peer or lower level employee and they’re probably not the people you’re even angry with.

So when you get mad at work, how should you handle it?  Here are some tips:

1. Watch for early signs of anger—Paying attention to how you’re feeling is helpful when you start to feel yourself getting angry.  If you’re aware of it, you’ll be better able to control it.
   
   
2. Take a breather—Being able to separate yourself or take a timeout from the workplace will give you some time to compose yourself, so when you return to work you’ll have a clear head and have a better idea of how you want to proceed.
   
   
3. Put yourself in your coworkers’ shoes—If they were angry would you want to work with them?  I’m guessing no.
   
   
4. Laugh it off—This isn’t easy, but if you’re able to take things in stride you’ll be a much healthier person.  It’s been proven that those who live less angry lives will live longer—don’t believe look it up!  I have a coworker that doesn’t take things too seriously and is so confidant with who he is that he doesn’t let things get to him and he doesn’t get angry—I really admire that.
   
   
5. Imagine what you look like when you’re mad—Is this the image you want to portray to your colleagues?  Probably not.
   
   
6. Decide if your anger is justified—If your anger is justified, determine how you’re going to deal with it.  Will you just let it go? Or will you confront who/what made you angry?  If you do confront someone, remember to do it in a professional manner.

Now I know it’s easier said than done to manage your anger, especially while you’re angry—there’s so much adrenalin pumping through your body that you don’t usually stop to think of the consequences, but being aware of your feelings is a start, so if you have an issue with getting angry in the workplace, that’s where I’d start.  At least that’s where I’m going to start.

What Employees Want From Their Boss

If You’re a Manager Don’t Miss This Post

The relationship between a boss and his/her staff has been one that we frequently write about—over the years we’ve written posts on why you should or shouldn’t be friends with your boss on Facebook, we’ve opened your eyes to the fact that your boss could be worse, and appropriate ways for your boss to show his/her gratitude.   I think that the reason why we keep revisiting the topic of one’s boss is because it is an interesting and ever-changing dynamic. 

For instance, if you told someone they were being “bossy” they’d most likely be insulted, however in the workplace that’s your manager’s job.  It’s almost as if certain societal rules just don’t apply at work.

When it comes to bosses though there are certain things that separate the good ones from the rest of them and we at Beyond.com—The Career Network asked more than 1,600 professionals what they think is the best quality in a leader and here’s what they said (if you’re a manager, you should absolutely read this):

• They provide consistent feedback and treat everyone equally, 29.67%—It’s safe to say that most of us want to be treated equally and receive consistent feedback—I once had a manager that when you finished a project and they’d review it each month you’d receive conflicting feedback and an environment like that can (and will drive you crazy). So a boss that can provide consistency is crucial!
  
  
• They set clear expectations to avoid misunderstandings down the line,  28.33%— Secondly, the boss that isn’t sure what they want you to do will pretty much drive you just as crazy as the boss that is inconsistent.  When clear expectations aren’t set up front, you’re just asking for trouble.  Additionally, not having expectations and goals set basically tells your employees that they won’t be held accountable.  When that happens either nothing gets done or when it comes to prioritizing, your staff doesn’t know what is most important—mainly because they don’t have the skills to prioritize because there aren’t any goals.
  
  
• They encourage creative problem solving to help me grow as a professional, 20.15%— Another big thing that good bosses do is let their employees figure things out for themselves, with some guidance of course.  If a problem arises, a good manager will let their staff figure out how to solve it.  Empowering your staff with the skills to succeed on their own is one of the best things a boss can do.  Instilling confidence is a great privilege that a boss has.
  
  
• They go to bat for me and have my best interest in mind, 13.43%—It’s also always nice to have someone in your corner.  I once had a manager that hung his employees out to dry in front of clients.  Needless to say, it was a revolving door when it came to the staff.  The only thing the boss cared about was keeping himself on top.
  
  
• They give credit where credit is due, 8.42%—Hearing that you did a good job is always nice and having a manager that recognizes your successes and touts it out is even better.  The sense of confidence and loyalty your staff will have from just a simple “Thank you” is amazing.
  
  

So if you’re a manager, here are five things that you should be doing to keep your staff happy and challenged.  And if you’re a recruiter, these are some nice things you can mention about the organization you recruit for (only if they’re true—of course—if they’re not—share this blog with the managers you work with to let them know what they could be doing better).

SHRM 2012 Recap

So we’re back from SHRM in Atlanta, GA and despite the fact that my feet are still recovering, we had a great time and a great show. Some highlights for me besides meeting so many awesome people in the HR space was the Fisher & Phillips party on the field in the Georgia Dome, wandering through the Georgia Aquirium on Sunday morning, and eating Googie Burger in the Centenial Olympic Park while watching the fountain show. 

SHRM 2012 is sure to be a memorable one, since the official start of the conference with the drum line, the annual SHRM conference and exposition, just kept getting better.  Attendees were saying great things about Condoleezza Rice, they were excited about the sessions they were attending, the new friends they were making, the swag they were collecting, and the anticipation of seeing Jerry Seinfeld.

As an exhibitor and attendee of the conference it is the best of both worlds being able to attend the sessions and greet fellow attendees at our booth on the expo floor.  This year it was great to see so many people wearing our Beyond.com T-shirts.  In fact, we gave so many away that we could have given out every shirt we brought with us on the first day of the expo.  And speaking of shirts, thank you to everyone that stopped by the Beyond.com booth and wore one of our T-shirts for the chance to be spotted to win $100.  We picked one winner each hour the expo was opened, so we got to make a lot of people happy.

As for our fellow vendors—there were a lot of great booths and giveaways (as always), but here were some of the highlights—in my opinion.

• VPI Pet Insurance:  Again had dogs in their booth this year (great draw!)  If I was on a break from working our booth I was here petting the pups.
  
  
• CareerBuilder: Combined two of my favorite things, Plinko and food.  (Also if I recall, didn’t you guys have a “Price Is Right” style wheel last year in Vegas?—Can’t blame you “Price Is Right” IS awesome). 
  
  
• Franklin and Covey: I think they had the best booth.  They didn’t try to sell me anything (which I like, but also don’t understand). I just had to stand in a line (for 20 minutes) for the chance to win a Kindle Fire—pretty cool if you ask me.  What would have been cooler?  If I had actually won.
  
  
• Glassdoor: Loved the peach stand idea and the guy dressed as the giant peach the first day—nice touch.

So that’s what excited us, but what were the attendees looking forward to and were their expectations fulfilled?

 

  

Also, here are some of  the highlights from our $100 winners. 

 

Beyond.com Enhances Niche Model By Launching New Ways for Professionals to Manage Their Careers

More passive candidates with a longer lifetime value will improve the recruitment process for HR Professionals

Beyond.com, The Career Network focused on helping people grow and succeed professionally, has launched a series of tools for professionals to better manage their careers.  As the traditional job search model continues to evolve and incorporate online job postings, email marketing, social media and mobile components, Beyond.com offers a suite of resources to help professionals market themselves and connect with career information and opportunities.

By providing professionals with a place to manage their careers—not just search for a job—Beyond.com is attracting more focused candidates and making it easier for them to connect with relevant opportunities.  These career management tools will guide professionals throughout their career from start to finish—from the time that they start out as an entry-level employee, to an experienced professional, to a retiree.  

“In a recent survey of more than 1,700 professionals, we found that about 78% of people admitted that they should spend more time managing their careers,” said Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com.  “Based on our findings we recognized that there was a void when it came to career management tools and we took it upon ourselves to fulfill this need.”

Beyond.com has made the following enhancements to their suite of career management tools:

• Talent Communities: Grants instant access to the latest information on job opportunities, industry trends, salary information, companies that are hiring and other career content.  With communities serving more than 500 professions and specialties,, professionals can join any community that piques their interest.
• Beyond.com Networking Facebook App:  Enables candidates to search for jobs on the Beyond.com Career Network and to learn where their friends work from within the Facebook platform.
• Personal Home Page: Delivers a personalized stream of information from the communities the job seeker is following and the jobs they have indicated they are interested in—no searching required.  Rather than having to sift through job postings and career news, a member can log in to their account and quickly keep tabs on what is happening in their industry, including new jobs.

These career management tools provide greater value to the professional audience while attracting even more quality candidates.  Additionally, enhanced targeting will deliver the right jobs to the right people to improve the candidate pool and expedite the recruitment process.  More enhancements are planned for this year, including updates to Beyond.com's mobile applications, which currently account for 7 of the top 25 job apps in the iPhone App Store.

For more information and to follow your community pages, visit Beyond.com or stop by booth # 304 at SHRM.