Thursday, February 26, 2009

Job Fair News Story From Fox 12


KPTV Channel 12 in Portland was on hand at the Job Fair and had this to say about yesterday. It is basically a brief overview of the Job Fair and the job market with some interviews of job seekers. Our District Manager is also featured in the video that is on the right hand side. Brian goes on to say, "business is still going, for the most part, and while they may not be in the growth stage, most companies are still having turnover for some mission critical positions they need to fill". Excellent work by everyone who worked the fair and the job seekers that attended!

They were also kind enough to plug our website on their newslink section. It is the second link on the left hand side under "NewsLinks."

Hope to see everyone at our next Job Fair on June 4th!

Photos From The Portland Job Fair

Here are a few pictures that I took yesterday at the Job Fair. There are still more to come. If anyone took some pictures yesterday and would like to share them, email them to me at brandon.schrader@employmentguide.com.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Portland Employment Guide February 23rd - March 1st

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Economic Forecast And The People Really To Blame For The Financial Crisis

The Federal Reserve today sharply downgraded its projections for country's economy. They are saying that this year the economy will shrink and unemployment will rise higher. They are predicting that the unemployment rate for the nation will be somewhere between 8.5 and 8.8%, instead of the earlier projections at 7.1 and 7.6%. They are also projecting that the economy will contract between .5 and 1.3%, instead of the slight contraction that predicted in November of .2%. The last time the economy registered a full contraction was in 1991 at about .2%. This year would mark the weakest showing since a 1.9% drop in 1982. There was also a severe recession at that time. What is even worse is the growing toll of housing, credit and financial crisis that is as bad as it has been since the great depression of the 1930's.

Time Magazine this week complied a list of 25 people that they thought were blame worthy for the financial crisis. They let you vote on a scale of 1-10 about there blameworthiness. According to Oregonian blogger Brent Hunsberger, the most jarring was John Devaney. He is a hedge-fund manager that bought into risky loans. In 2007 he was quoted in Money Magazine saying that "the consumer has to be an idiot to take on one of these loans, but it has been one of our best-perfomring investments." So Portland, who do you think is to blame?

Also today, the Better Business Bureau also known as the BBB warns people in the Oregon and Washington areas of a texting scam that is going on. Consumer complaints have been coming in and saying that they are recieving text messages about their accounts being suspended and to contact a phone number to resolve the issue. Just be carfeul on who you give your information to Portland!

With today's news looking bleak, the Employment Guide is here to help. If the economic crisis is effecting you, we are having a Job Fair next Wednesday, February 25th at the Hilton in downtown Portland. If you have any comments or concerns please feel free to leave a comment below.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Portland Employment Guide February 16th - February 22nd

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Job Fair Tips

With the Portland Job Fair only about two weeks away, I wanted to talk about some Job Fair tips that you can use in preparation for the upcoming event. In this article from about.com, it lists 10 job fair tips that you can use from targeting the most promising employers before hand to collecting business cards and following up with business after the event. These can be some helpful tips that can differentiate you from others that show up to the job fair, especially during this recession. You should also remember to dress for success and give yourself more confidence while showing some style and making a lasting first impression. If you came to an employer in causal street clothes, do you think they would hire you?

There are some things you should avoid doing at job fairs and here is a list that may seem comical but you would be surprised. At any job fair, if you exercise common sense you should not find yourself falling into any of these bad habits. Job Fairs are really all about putting your best foot forward and marketing yourself as the right candidate for the job. Sticking out of a crowd can be overwhelming, but following the tips can give a better shot.

So Portland, tell us what you think are good job fair tips that can be expanded from the websites above. You can also let us know what are some other tips you should avoid doing at job fairs. As always leave your comments in the section below.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Portland Employment Guide February 9th - February 15th

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Where The Jobs Are At, SolarWorld, and Stimulus Jobs

Well since there is a lot of bad news about the job market in the news today, CNN decided to take a look at the industries that are thriving. While most industries are hurting, education, health services, and accounting are thriving. With more people out of work and looking for a new career, interest in degree programs and teaching certificates has never been higher. In November the education field added 9,800 jobs! With an aging population and a greater demand for health care, health services is still going strong. In November, the health services field added 34,000 jobs and 369,000 jobs over the past 12 months! The accounting field is booming right now and gearing up for tax season. Companies are also trying to find ways to cut costs and save money, so accountants are in high demand.

In Oregon, the big thing right now is solar energy and SolarWorld of Vancouver, Washington is moving it's operation to Hillsboro, Oregon. They will remain in Vancouver and staff around 50 employees, which has been downgraded due to moving into Oregon. The transfer of operations is apart of a large investment to move to a more cost effective plant and bring more jobs to people in Oregon. The solar industry is expected to grow a lot in the next 10 years which helps those looking for jobs in this type of field. SolarWorld is the number 3 producer of Photovoltaics in the world.

Portland is on track to receive hundreds of millions of dollars of new government infastructure projects that intend to create lots of good paying jobs. The projects range from the eastside Portland Streetcar loop to improvements to Portland State University. But so far no project has been given the final approval by the politicans propsoing them, so all of the jobs are on hold for right now. That should be a relief for Oregonians, knowing that jobs are on there way but it just may not be tomorrow.

So Portland, tell us what you think about the shift in thriving industries or how solar energy is making a big push in Oregon. Or the new proposed projects that will help bring employment to the Northwest. In the meantime, we here at the employmentguide are here to help. Please leave your comments in the section below.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Portland Employment Guide February 2nd - February 8th

Click on the image below to view a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide in Portland.