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Beyond.com Launches New ‘Career Portfolio’ for Professionals to Create a Visual Resume in Minutes

Leading career network provides a new way for professionals to supplement their traditional resume with a dynamic infographic of their career history

Beyond.com, The Career Network focused on helping people grow and succeed professionally, today announced that they have launched an all-new Career Portfolio, a compelling, engaging and visually-informative snapshot of a person’s career that can supplement a traditional resume. This new tool, available for free to the over 30 million members of the Beyond.com community, maps career accomplishments into a timeline, allowing re cruiters and HR professionals to quickly scan for the most relevant information on the candidate.

Career Portfolio creates a pictorial layout that transforms often restrictive resume templates into compelling storyboards of a person’s career. The end result is an infographic that serves as a vibrant representation of all relevant work experience , skills, education, certifications and interests. The average recruiter only spends 30 seconds or less on a candidate’s resume and the Career Portfolio’s concise gathering of data is a highly efficient and effective way to convey large amounts of information quickly and clearly.

“The traditional resume is hard to decipher, at least efficiently, and is as inspiring as a brick,” said renowned HR expert Peter Weddle, CEO of WEDDLE’s, a research and publishing firm. “In today’s hypercompetitive job market, job seekers need a way to stand out, and I think that Beyond.com’s Career Portfolio is a big step in the right direction.”
 
The moment Career Portfolio launched, over 27 million people transformed their traditional resumes, giving them the option of supplementing any traditional professional career material with something much more unique. While traditionally formatted resumes blend together when placed side-by-side, Career Portfolio separates job candidates from the competition and presents information in an easily digestible format.

With almost 4 billion resumes sent out annually, there is extensive frustration among job seekers that their communication to prospective employers is lost in a sea of sameness. While the economy is certainly a factor in the increased competition, Beyond.com conducted a comprehensive survey of HR professionals and recruiters to find out why candidates might remain anonymous among the masses:

• 55% of respondents thought that “job seekers do not know how to use the traditional resume format effectively”
• 67% of all respondents thought that one of the most common mistakes job seekers make is “not clearly demonstrating relevant skills and expertise”
• The majority of respondents (58%) said that an infographic-style resume would enable them to evaluate candidates better and/or faster

Since launching in 1998, Beyond.com has changed the way people search for employment by connecting job seekers and companies through 75 unique career channels and 2,500 industry and regional communities. Members have 24/7 access to a suite of personalized tools, as well as networking features, statistics and social and industry research. The all-new Career Portfolio is the culmination of a long-term vision to radically rethink the status quo of job search.

“People tend to be visual learners and Career Portfolio provides a guidance technique that leads the eye to the most relevant information about a candidate, thus creating a powerful memory and lasting impression,” said Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com. “Each job candidate has a unique story to tell and now they have a much-needed tool to bring their distinct narrative to life. Career Portfolio enhances a candidate’s resume the way a telescope focuses on a singular image, distinguishing its qualities among a universe of stars.”

Those not yet members of the Beyond.com community are able to send their resume as an attachment to portfolio@beyond.com, where Beyond.com’s technology will  automatically transform it into a Career Portfolio and provide free membership to their vast network of available jobs and career tools.

For more information on Career Portfolio, or to sign up to become a part of Beyond.com, please visit: www.beyond.com, or email your resume to portfolio@beyond.com.

The Top 10 US Cities to Find a Job & The Top 10 US Cities to Make a Hire [Infographic]

Beyond.com's Q4 2012 Career Trends Report

The best places to find a job may not be as obvious as you think - and the same goes for candidates. See where the jobs and job seekers really are.

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.

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

The best places to find a job may not be as obvious as you think - and the same goes for candidates. See where the jobs and job seekers really are.

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.

Poor Communication Stands Between Veterans and Jobs

For too long veterans have been struggling to find work and it’s not because they lack the skills required to get the job done. There’s a disconnect between civilian skills and military training. The unemployment rate for veterans remains at 10 percent, despite the numerous advertisements that highlight the value military training will bring to a service member when it’s time to enter the civilian workforce.

The national unemployment rate is at 7.9 percent, so why is it so much higher for our veterans? Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families make great sacrifices in order to serve our Nation and we owe it to them to help them successfully transition into the civilian labor market when their service comes to an end. A common issue many veterans face when they come home is that they are forced to go through redundant training to do jobs they were already doing in the military. But, if someone can perform a job in the stressful environment of a warzone, can they not do it in a safe one? And why does the civilian labor market not recognize the training that our veterans bring to the table?

The other night, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart highlighted this issue. Jon Stewart conducted mock job interviews with two army medics to see if they’d qualify for positions as a nursing assistant and a school nurse. When the first medic revealed that she didn’t have a BS in nursing and did not take the national counsel licensing exam, Stewart asked her to share an example of why she’d qualify for such a position despite not having these two requirements. Staff Sergeant Meg Mitcham then went on to share a heroic story, “We were driving down the road and a bomb went off, and a bunch of people got injured. So I used the resources I had at time to stabilize three different patients at the same time, stop bleeding, call in a medevac request, and ensure that they were kept alive until they reached a higher echelon of care in country."

Now, Mitcham has left the army and is looking for a job, but is having a hard time finding a position she’s trained for, although she is more than qualified. Despite her performance on the battlefield, her resume probably won’t even be considered. How is this even possible?

We at Beyond.com surveyed more than 1,700 professionals earlier in the year and we learned that poor communication often stands between a candidate and a job. Professionals say that HR managers and candidates communicate differently and that’s what’s happening to our veterans too.

There’s a communications gap that both veterans and hiring managers are experiencing. Hiring managers need to do a better job of recognizing and understanding military training and veterans need to do a better job of translating the skills they acquired in the military into everyday civilian tasks.

Now yes, this is easier said than done, but here are some tips to help hiring managers and veterans bridge the gap.

For Veterans:

1. Market Your Military Training for the Civilian Workplace. While you may have had a very specific job in the military, you need to inventory the skills you gained to understand what skills are marketable in the civilian workplace.
   
   
2. Ditch the Military Jargon. Military resumes tend to run on the long side, they’re also sometimes too broad in focus and full of military jargon. The acronyms used in the military are completely lost on civilian hiring managers. While your resume may sound fancy, your resume probably won’t be read because few people understand it, so abandon the military lingo.
   
   
3. Find the Civilian Equivalent. While you may have had a fancy title in the military, like Supply Sergeant do some research to find out what that translates to in the civilian world. Spoiler alert: it’s Supply Manager or Logistics Manager.
   
   
4. Highlight Your Military Skills in your Career Summary. Start your resume with a career summary that shows what you can offer to an employer by explaining how you can transfer your military training into the position you’re applying for. When you craft this statement, remember not to use military jargon.
   
   
5. Don’t Pack Your Resume With Unrelated Information. If there are items on your resume that have to do with your military service that don’t relate to the job you’re applying for, don’t include them, this may include awards. It’s okay to include awards where appropriate, but there’s no need to list all of the awards you received.

With Veterans Day coming up, companies will have vets in mind as they evaluate candidates. So now’s the time to update your resumes (and portfolios).

For Hiring Managers:

1. Don’t Discount Military Experience. While a former serviceman might not have all the requirements for the position you’re trying to fill. Many veterans are trained to do the job you’re hiring for, they might just lack the formal certifications a civilian may have. Hopefully in the future things will get easier for both civilian hiring managers and veterans thanks to an initiative for service members to earn civilian-equivalent occupational credentials and licenses. This way vets won’t have to go through hours of duplicate training efforts.
   
   
2. Hire an Employee with A Global Outlook. Many veterans are quite knowledgeable when it comes to international trends that impact the economy. If your organization would benefit from someone that has a knack for understanding global trends, consider hiring a veteran. This might not be a skill they list on their resume or portfolio, but it’s usually an added bonus that comes with the hiring of a former service member.
   
   
3. Invite Vets On Your Team to Participate in the Hiring Process. If you already have veterans on your team, get them involved in the hiring process. A former serviceperson applying for a position with your organization may have a stronger connection with a fellow veteran. Plus, the vet on your team can act as an interpreter, to help the hiring manger better understand the candidate’s military training and experiences.
   
   
4. Make an Effort to Understand Where Veterans Are Coming From. Transitioning from military life to civilian life isn’t something that happens overnight. Hiring managers should keep this in mind. When interviewing or reviewing a veteran’s resume do a little research to understand what this person did while they were serving our country. Doing a little legwork will go a long way.
   
   
5. Consider All Candidate Qualifications. In some cases where a vet might not have all the requirements to do the job, consider the other qualities that they bring to the table like the ability to work well on a team, the ability to lead, respect for procedures, and of course integrity, valor, and pride.

This is something to keep in mind, not just around Veterans Day—when someone lists military service on their resume, know that you have the opportunity to hire a hero. To search veteran resumes visit Beyond.com, The Career Network at www.Beyond.com.

Hire or Fire: Who Would Job Seekers Pick for the Country’s Top Job? [INFOGRAPHIC]

With the Presidential Election just weeks away, job seekers (both active and passive) are feeling a wide array of emotions as a new or old President will take command.  With the largest job interview (full of debates and campaigning) continues on until November 6th who do job seekers plan to hire for the country's top job, President of the United States?  

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.”

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 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.

 

The BLS Numbers Are Out But What Did the Beyond.com Career Network See This Month?

Today’s the day, the day that all focus turns to jobs.  How many jobs were added in the previous month? Was the needle moved on the unemployment rate? Which industries are adding opportunities? And what does this all mean for our current economic outlook?

Today the numbers showed that employment rose by 115,000 in April and the unemployment rate was little changed at 8.1 percent. Which is what we thought we’d see—unemployment relatively unchanged.   Employment increased in professional and business services, retail trade, and health care, but declined in transportation and warehousing.

So that’s what the BLS says, but what are we at Beyond.com seeing?  True the number of jobs posted on the Beyond.com Career Network won’t result in immediate jobs added to the economy, but we can help predict what we should expect in the months to come.

Opportunities Posted As Compared to March

When compared to last month we've seen a 2% decrease in the total number of jobs posted in April 2012 when compared to the number of job opportunities posted in March.  However, when compared to the number of opportunities posted to the Beyond.com Career Network last year at this time opportunities are up by 236%.  While it is great that jobs are up, we’re not seeing jobs grow as aggressively as many would like, but thoughtful growth is important—if corporations grow too fast that could lead to issues down the road.

For those college graduates entering the workforce in the next few months, more than 52% of jobs posted to our network are entry-level positions, which is a promising sign.

Industries That Are Growing
As for the industries that we’ve seen the most growth occur since March?  They are Customer Service, Hospitality (as we prepare for summer months), and Media & Communications.

Where The Jobs Are
The question we get most—where are the jobs at? Well, when looking at the total number of opportunities posted to the Beyond.com Career Network, the most jobs were located in the New York metropolitan area, however that’s just based on total jobs.  When you compare the total number of jobs posted in relation to the number of available workers (Civilian Labor Force) in a specific metropolitan area—the most opportunities are actually in San Jose, CA, Bloomington, IL, and Columbus, IN.

So that’s what we saw in April, while job growth was slow, we hope we’ll see some pickup as college grads emerge on the scene.

Yay or Nay: Employers Asking for Candidates' Facebook Passwords

I can’t let this topic slip by and not mention it. 

Employers are asking candidates for access to their Facebook accounts.  Today, when a job seeker applies to a job they should not be surprised that an employer will scour the Internet for info on the candidate—and their first stop will most likely be Facebook.  However, if they land on the candidate’s page and find the page to be privatized, they may now start asking the candidate for their password.

When I read this last week I was shocked! Sites out there train us to know that this kind of behavior is not okay.  Usually in their terms and conditions there’s even some kind of language that says “No one from our site will ever ask you for your password, if someone ever does do not give it to them.” So how do employers expect candidates to respond if they’re pressed for their Facebook password? 

With so many job seekers out there competing for jobs and the attention of employers, I would hate for candidates to think that by handing over the password to their Facebook account that they now have a leg up on the competition.

I expect that this practice will fizzle fast because employers that engage in this behavior will have a hard time recruiting candidates because no one wants to work for an organization that doesn’t trust its employees.  What kind of message does that send?

Facebook has taken a stance on the issue as well, saying that this is an invasion of privacy, even threatening to take legal action against organizations that ask for candidate passwords.

Everyone has a right to their privacy—if a candidate’s Facebook page is private, their references check out and they’re not a serial killer—there is no need to ask for their password—after all there’s a password for a reason.