Archive for September, 2007

Hunting Jobs in Minneapolis, MN

Friday, September 28th, 2007

Finding a job is often effected by the region in which one is searching for employment in. Although there are many positions that are universal, such as those of healthcare professionals

, teachers, and police officers, the demand can easily change depending on the current circumstances in the surrounding area. Knowing the normal demand for workers in different industries can help one to know how long it will take to locate a job in their particular field.

Individuals who are looking for a Minneapolis job

have to consider the popularity of their trade and the demand in the area. More competitive positions or careers that there is not currently a high demand for will take more time to locate. By understanding the surrounding job market, a jobseeker can begin to understand how long a desired position may take to locate and how long one might be without work.

Understand the Minneapolis job market

demands can also assist in knowing what kind of salary one should expect. Industries where it’s harder to find employees who are properly qualified, there is a great need for workers, or there is a shortage in will most likely pay higher. Employers in these situations know that a worker can easily find a better position if their company is not willing to pay top dollar. The website CityTownInfo.com allows one access to the statistical information on what individuals in different fields can expect to make once locating jobs in Minneapolis .

According to the website, some of the more popular industries in Minneapolis are financial services, manufacturing, educational and health services, and leisure and hospitality. There is also a high demand for those with experience in government work due to the close proximity to Minnesota’s capital city.

The site goes on to say that there are over 1,300 businesses in the area that are “technology-intense”. These statistics make Minneapolis a city with one of the highest concentrations of this industry in the United States. In knowing this, individuals who have chosen careers in this field are able to see that finding employment in Minneapolis should be easy in comparison to doing so in other areas, such as employment in Austin, Texas

.

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Austin Dodges National Economic Woes

Wednesday, September 19th, 2007

As the unsold real estate increases, prices almost always decline drastically, creating a surplus of properties. In many areas this had led to job cuts throughout the industry. Earlier in the month Austin lost 80 jobs when the San Diego based sub-prime mortgage company, Accredited Home Lenders, closed their local offices.

Despite the Austin jobs

lost, this was not because of the local economy. For the most part, Austin has managed to escape the devastating slump in the housing market that is being experience in many other areas throughout America.

While the rest of the country is tightening is belt, Austin’s economy continues to steadily flourish. Instead of a depreciating, local properties have slowly but steadily risen. Those searching for jobs in Austin stand to benefit from this.

As property values increase, area businesses can expand, which creates more jobs in Austin

. One employer that is doing just that is the Hormel Institute, A Michigan-based cancer-research facility. Hormel is currently in the middle a project, costing $20 million, to triple the size of the local facilities. With an increase of this proportion, the need for more scientists and various lab workers in sure to follow.

Since the 2006 ground breaking ceremony, Hormel has hired 35 individuals. The institute has already received 200 plus resumes. Many of the scientists that have jobs in Austin with Hormel attributed their desire to relocate to the are to the “state-of-the-art” facilities that are being provided.

According to Gail Dennison, Hormel’s director of public relations, the institute is planning on the addition of 65 more scientists within the next few years. There will also be other jobs created in Austin by the expansion of the institute as more lab technicians will be needed to assist in the research.

Part of the money used to add to the already existing facilities came from local residents who participated in a fund-raising project referred to as the “Grow Science, Grow Austin” campaign. Area citizens contributed $1.4 million dollars, which exceeded the goal of $1 million.

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Credit Scores & Background Checks

Wednesday, September 19th, 2007

Credit scores are now being included in many pre-employment background checks

. One survey showed that 35 percent of human resource departments are now using this information to assist in determining who they do or do not hire. The idea behind this is that those individuals who have good credit scores have demonstrated responsibility and are, therefore, the ideal employees. These individuals are viewed as more reliable and less likely to call in sick without reason or arrive late.

Another reason for the recent popularity of background checks

that include credit scores, is the fact these reports almost always list an individual’s previous residents and employers. With a large portion of the population falsifying or inflating their employment history, credit reports are now assisting businesses in weeding out the untruthful

Employers that require this information are looking for specific things such as a pattern of unpaid bills. Forgetting to pay an electricity bill once in two years is very unlikely to trip warning signals in an employer’s mind. That being said, repeated offenses will place a potential employee in a negative light.

For those with low credit scores this can be increasingly nerve racking, especially since it’s much harder to increase one’s credit without a job to pay the bills. Knowing what cannot be held against an individual in a background check can make a difference.

Although a history of unpaid bills can effect an employer’s decision on whether or not to hire and individual, businesses are not allowed to discriminate against anyone who has had to file bankruptcy. Doing so violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act and can be disputed. Negative credit information that is older than seven years will not effect one’s ability to get hired.

Sadly, lack of credit can be held against an individual. Although some individuals prefer to deal with cash and rent as opposed to buy, a completely blank credit report is seen as a strike against a potential employee by some companies.

If one is denied a position due to the results of credit information that surfaced during a background check, the company that request the investigation has let the individual know why. For some this may give the opportunity to clear up misrepresenting facts, such as how a pattern of unpaid bills was not intentional neglect but due to a long and severe illness or other serious circumstances.

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