Top jobs through 2008 to 2018 for people with a graduate degree:

• Post-Secondary Teachers – 553,000 job openings
• Doctors and Surgeons – 261,000 job openings
• Lawyers – 240,000 job openings
• Clergy – 218,000 job openings
• Pharmacists – 106,000 job openings

Top jobs through 2008 to 2018 for people with a bachelor’s degree:

• Elementary School Teachers (except special education) – 597,000 job openings
• Accountants and Auditors – 498,000 job openings
• Secondary School Teachers (except special and vocational education) – 412,000 job openings
• Middle school teachers (except special and vocational education) – 251,000 job openings
• Computer Systems Analysts – 223,000 job openings

Top jobs through 2008 to 2018 for people with an associate’s degree or postsecondary vocational award:

• Registered Nurses – 1,039,000 job openings
• Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants – 422,000 job openings
•  Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses – 391,000 job openings
• Computer Support Specialists – 235,000 job openings
• Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists – 220,000 job openings

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Sadly, this isn’t the case for most people who end up blindly searching and applying for any position they find online. According to climber.com, most job seekers spend over 50% of their time searching for positions posted online and then applying for those positions.

In a competitive job market, employers wouldn’t want to risk hiring a person who “kinda fits” a job opening. You must prove to them why you are the best person for the job. You won’t be able to show that if you just submit your resume to any position you find.

To improve your chances for success, you must devote your time more on networking and researching.

Networking has two important advantages. First, it allows you to tap the hidden job market. Many job-openings for mid-level positions or higher are not always advertised. Knowing these vacancies widens your options for spotting positions that is relevant to your work experience. Secondly, networking can get you referrals within the organizations you’re interested in.

You must also make it a habit to research the companies you want to apply for. Know the company’s culture, needs and expectations from employees. Once you know these things, you will be able to customize your resume to reflect what they want in a worker. This allows you to show why you are a “perfect fit” for the company.

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Why bother in the first place?

Today’s job market is much more than jobseekers outnumbering available jobs. Many sectors are already oversaturated with applicants, yet there are other fields having problems recruiting employees because of mismatched worker skills. Many jobs lie vacant because of this. Sectors having this problem include healthcare, technology and renewable energy.

The job-training plan of the government is to provide training programs aimed at these in-demand growth areas. People who undergo training will have better chances of finding employment. According to the statistics of the Labor Department, this new approach looks very promising. As it stands, laid-off workers who received training from 2007 to 2008 were able to find employment a year after completing their programs. Moreover, statistics also show that laid-off workers who received training tied directly to the needs of in-demand growth areas earned 29% more two years after program completion compared to workers who didn’t receive training.  

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But aside from healthcare, there are other sectors that have some of the highest job growth. Here are some careers expected to have the highest growth through 2018:

• Teachers-Self Enrichment Education – Estimated job growth: 32%
• Computer Network, Systems and Database Administrators – Estimated job growth: 30%
• Market and Survey Researchers – Estimated job growth: 28%
• Heating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers – Estimated job growth: 28%
• HR, Training, Labor Relations Managers and Specialists – Estimated job growth: 22%
• Accountants and auditors – Estimated job growth: 22%
• Computer Software Engineers and Computer Programmers – Estimated job growth: 21%
• Barbers, Cosmetologists and Other Personal Appearance Workers – Estimated Job growth: 20%
• Construction Laborers – Estimated job growth: 20%
• Customer Service Representatives – Estimated job growth: 18%

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Failing to research – Use your name in a Google search. It’s important to check the results displayed on the first page. Are there people with the same name as you? If there are and their reputation is far from ideal, that could spell trouble. Potential employers may think that the other person is you and wrongfully turn you down. Are there embarrassing pictures of you from your accounts or from your friends?

Not doing anything – You have to act if you want to clean up your digital profile. Start using the privacy settings, so you can control what people can skim through your accounts. Untag yourself from your friends’ photos that you don’t want potential employers to stumble upon.

Not taking the initiative – You can’t ask people with the same name to improve their digital image so your reputation won’t be ruined. However, you can still take the initiative to differentiate yourself from them. Try to contributing guest posts to different industry blogs or forums relevant to the career you’re pursuing. In your posts, try to use industry-relevant terminologies and keywords so your name will be associated with the career you want. This way, employers will have better chances of spotting your true profile than some other profile.

Being tactless – You can unwittingly damage your online reputation by being tactless and indiscreet. Sure, calling your friends names on Facebook may seem like harmless fun among your group. However, some employers may misinterpret your comments and take them the wrong way. Be sure to think first before posting anything. Anything you write can have serious consequences.

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What happened?

In many cases, applicants committed fundamental errors in their resumes. Simple typos may seem funny on their own, but resume mistakes such as these can ruin your job hunt in a big way. At a time when the job market is very dense, any resume blunder is magnified. Here are some of the biggest resume mistakes you must avoid:

Commit typos – A slightly misspelled word or accidentally jumbling up the letters of a word (i.e. “people,” “pepole”) may seem like a small mistake. However, employers usually look at those mistakes as a red flag. Typographical errors are usually a result of carelessness. And when companies are struggling in this economy, no employer will gamble on hiring a careless worker.

Mix up homonyms – Mistakes involving homonyms are also a result of carelessness and they are much more damaging to your reputation than typos. Typing “right” when you actually meant “write” is not only embarrassing, it’s a sure way for your resume to end up in the shredder.

Reveal too much info – Your resume should convince the employer why you’re the ideal candidate. Remember to focus only on the details that matter to the company. This isn’t an interrogation so there’s no need for a full disclosure.

For instance, you don’t have to reveal that you only had a 2.0 GPA in college. If your work history is impeccable, focus on that and you will increase your chances of being short-listed for the job.

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Have testimonials to kick things off – A good resume introduction is to have a positive testimonial from the former boss. Make sure that the testimonial is placed at the top of the resume, above your contact information. That way, it will be the first thing seen.

Have a concise summary of your key strengths – Before jotting down the bullet points of your work history, it’s important to write a short summary of your key strengths that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. This will help give employers a clearer view of what you can do. Remember, there are so many new job titles available these days. Employers won’t know each of them, so don’t just give them a list of your previous jobs.  

Quantify your accomplishments – Results always speak louder than words. Stating “I streamlined operations to reduce cost” doesn’t have as much impact as “improved operations efficiency by 10%, which decreased overall costs by 16.2%.” Make your resume achievements-based, to make it more attractive.

Follow instructions to the letter – Of course, you must be sure that you follow job-posting directions to the letter. If you miss anything, your resume will head straight to the shredder.

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Writing Skills – At a time when electronic forms of communication is the most dominant form of communication, clear and concise writing has never been more important. Remember that, unlike verbal communication, you don’t have the luxury of tone or body language to convey your message effectively. Confusion and miscommunication can easily happen if you don’t put careful thought to writing memos and emails.

Diplomacy and Tact – Different people have different personalities. It’s only natural that you won’t see eye-to-eye with some of your colleagues. How you deal with conflict or other problems will define you as a worker. Will you be seen as a troublemaker or a team player? Diplomacy and tact can help you diffuse tension, resolve conflict and improve communications within your team.

Friendliness and Sociability – These characteristics may seem irrelevant in the workplace. However, being nice to all your colleagues help nourish a more positive work environment. This means less stress in your office.

Self-Motivation – Employers want to hire people who are self-motivated, driven to learn new things and enthusiastic about new challenges.

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Be sure you have a replacement – It may feel counterintuitive to train someone who can replace you. Some people feel that by doing so, it makes it easier for the company to fire you. However, if you make yourself indispensable to a particular role, it also makes it difficult for management to promote you. How can management move you to a higher position if no one else can perform your current task?

Prepare yourself for higher roles – Of course, preparing your replacement is only half the story. You must be able to prepare yourself for higher roles by learning new things. You can do so by volunteering to work on teams or taking assignments outside your current role. Career-training programs will also help you expand your current skills set. Do note that some companies offer compensation packages for workers who are taking up relevant training programs.

Keep yourself aware of what’s going on – Timing is essential if you want to be selected for a promotion. One of the most important tips on getting a promotion is keeping your eyes and ears open. You want to be aware of the plans of the company. For instance, if you find out that the company wants to expand in a different state, you may want to finish your current assignments now so you can be considered as one of the prime candidates to head the new office. If you’re too busy with what you’re doing now, then management won’t be able to consider you when they do make a move.

Never decline promotions – When the opportunity of being promoted comes along, accept it immediately. If management knows that you’re always up to the challenge, they will feel more comfortable considering you for further promotions in the future. If you pass on the opportunity (say you were unwilling to relocate to a certain place), you may never get a chance to be promoted again.

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Not looking the part – If you think the interview begins when you shake hands with the interviewer, then you’re dead wrong. The moment you arrive at the company’s premises, the interview technically begins. The receptionist will assess if you’re dressed appropriately. If you came by car, someone is usually sent to check your vehicle and see if it’s clean and the interior is neat. In some cases, the receptionist will purposely make you wait for a longer time. Your actions while waiting will be taken into account. Will you grab the business magazine placed at the table or play games on your cell phone? These tiny details speak volumes about you. If you fail these initial tests, it might not matter what you say in the interview because a decision may have already been made.

Forgetting to turn your cell phone off – It doesn’t always happen. However, if your cell phone rings in the middle of the interview, consider that as a major point against you. If you do the unthinkable and decide to take the call, don’t expect to get the job.

Failing to research – There’s a popular saying: “if you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail.” You can’t pass an interview if you have no clue what the company does.

Bringing your own beverage or chewing gum – Bringing take-out cups of your favorite Frap or chewing gum in the interview may help you calm your nerves. Unfortunately, these actions are seen as too informal. They may work against you.

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