Holiday Job Hunting Can Reap Rewards
KANSAS CITY, MO, (PRNewswire-USNewswire), November 24, 2009 - Job hunters who persevere over the holidays have a unique opportunity to stand out from others who put off their job hunts until the New Year, according to job search portal CareerCast.com. Rather than take time off while company recruiters slow down their hiring efforts from Thanksgiving to New Year's, job seekers should ramp up their search.
To stay motivated, job seekers should realize that the common perception that hiring falls off during the holidays is a myth. Candidates who buy into that belief remove themselves from the job market needlessly. And if a large number of candidates make that assumption, it actually opens up more opportunities for those who don't.
"In today's poor economy, job seekers should not take the holiday season off," says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. "By doubling your efforts over the holidays, at a time when many other job hunters are focusing on activities other than job hunting, you increase your odds of finding a new position."
Five reasons for an active holiday search:
- Less competition. Not only do many candidates withdraw from the job market over the holidays, but those who are considering a job change usually stay put into the New Year to make sure they receive bonuses and vacation time they've accrued.
- Hiring managers are easier to reach. Hiring decision makers are in the office finishing projects, cleaning out files, meeting with colleagues and attending holiday gatherings.
- Everyone is a little happier at the holidays. Keep your networking up -- contacts are often more available and willing to meet as work demands slow down, helping turn short discussions into long-term opportunities.
- Get a jump on January. People who start work early in the New Year interviewed for that job in November or December, not in January. And for companies that review their staffing needs annually in January, you'll have a head start in case a need arises quickly.
- Avoid the rush. The New Year is full of reminders to start fresh, turn over a new leaf and set new career goals. Beat all of those to the punch by maintaining your job search through the holidays, and you'll be on board by the time others are making their first calls.
Family-Friendly Workplace Policies and Protections Support Jobs
ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire-FirstCall), November 22, 2009 - A major new study by researchers at Harvard and McGill Universities - the largest ever to look at working conditions worldwide - finds the United States far behind other economically successful nations in terms of adopting policies that support workers and families.
The new study finds that 14 of the world's 15 most competitive countries provide paid sick leave, 13 guarantee paid leave for new mothers, 12 provide paid leave for new fathers, 11 provide paid leave to care for children's health needs, eight provide paid leave to care for adult family members, and seven guarantee breastfeeding breaks to nursing mothers on the job. At the federal level, the United States offers its workers none of those supports.
Raising the Global Floor: Dismantling the Myth that We Can't Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone examines policies, protections and supports in 190 of the world's 192 United Nations countries. It is the most extensive study ever conducted on these issues. Released today, the new book is published by Stanford University Press and written by Jody Heymann, Founding Director of the Institute for Health and Social Policy at McGill University and Alison Earle, while a Research Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. They were aided in the study by a team of international researchers who also examined the working conditions faced by 55,000 households in seven countries on five continents.
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"The world's most successful and competitive nations are providing the supports the United States lacks, without harming their competitiveness," Heymann said.
"Globally, we found that none of these working conditions are linked with lower levels of economic competitiveness or employment. There simply is no negative relationship at all between decent working conditions and competitiveness or job creation. In fact, we found that a number of these guarantees are associated with increased competitiveness. Ensuring a floor of decent working conditions is crucial for the majority of Americans. The United States lags far behind most of the 190 countries whose labor laws we examined."
"This is a groundbreaking study that should, once and for all, put to rest all claims that providing humane family-friendly workplace policies will cost jobs or hurt our nation's competitiveness," said Debra L. Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
"Health insurance isn't the only area where protections for Americans are lacking. We are far behind the rest of the world in guaranteeing paid sick days and many other crucial supports. In one example, all of the world's most competitive economies except for the United States guarantee paid sick days, as do the majority of countries with the lowest unemployment rates. This book should be a call to action for Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, the Family Leave Insurance Act, the Federal Employees Paid Leave Act, and the Merkley Amendment, which would require employers to provide reasonable unpaid time for employees to pump breast milk."
In the United States, legislation has been introduced in Congress to provide a minimum standard of paid sick days and paid family leave, as well as numerous other workplace supports. But many are languishing and no floor votes are currently scheduled.
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Holiday Job Hunting Can Reap Rewards
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