Tag Archives: Business

CREATING JOBS? NOT IN CT THEY AREN’T

Posted on May 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

While the American economy continues to recover slowly, the Connecticut economy has had trouble falling suit. As numbers from the beginning of the year begin to be broken down more fully, Connecticut has fallen off the National pace.

According to a report from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, the Connecticut department of labor announced that CT had lost 5,700 jobs in February. This news is even more heartbreaking considering Connecticut had ADDED 6400 jobs in January.

This would cause the CT Unemployment rate to rise to 8% off the national average which now stands at 7.6%

Economist Pete Giola called the report “disappointing.”

“It’s very disappointing – we really have a very negative report here,” Giola said. “It points to the real need for policymakers to do everything they can to help businesses grow jobs here.” 

Over the past 12 months, Connecticut has added just 2400 jobs, while recovering only 40% of the 121,000 jobs lost during the peak years of this recession.

1

Only government positions (900) and manufacturing (400) added jobs in CT in February. Professional and business services dropped 2400 jobs, Education and health lost 2300, financial activities (700), leisure and hospitality (500), trade, transportation, and utilities (300), information (100), and construction (100), all lost jobs.

So where are the jobs in CT you might ask? Danbury and Norwich-New London were the only locations to add jobs, adding 300 and 100 jobs respectively.

Hartford took the biggest hit losing 2500 positions, followed by Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, 2400,  New Haven lost 1700 and Waterbury would lose 300.

As the nation recovers at a tortoise’s pace, it is time for CT to follow suit.

If you’re looking for jobs in the CT area, look no further than to us at Crossroads Consulting. As a small business based in CT, we are appalled at what is happening in our own backyards and neighborhoods. Since it is our job to get YOU working again, please come to our website today and browse our job openings. If you’re not confident in your resume, we can help you there too with our recommended resume service.

If you’re in Connecticut and struggling, we want to hear from you TODAY. Remember, Crossroads Consulting is here to put the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources.’

About these ads

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS…

Posted on April 25, 2013 | 1 Comment
English: Representatives to the Conference on ...

They couldn’t fix things in 1921 during that recession…in 1929, the Great Depression nearly sinks America. Nothing dramatically has changed since 2008. Could history be repeating itself? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BY: Adam Gavriel

A report released by the Washington Post Thursday, April 25th states that United States claims for Unemployment Benefits fell 16,000 to 339,000 last week. This is the second lowest number recorded in the past five years, a positive sign for the April employment numbers.

Unfortunately, not every state is feeling the positive upturn of these numbers.

California (24,303), Texas (3,050), Florida (2,623), Indiana (2,372), and Arizona (1,296) saw the biggest increases in applications of unemployment benefits.

New York (14,113), Michigan (5,998), New Jersey (4,204), Ohio (3,036), and Illinois (2,455) saw the biggest reduction of applications for unemployment benefits.

As the United States economy continues to tread slowly in a positive direction, many analysts still fear with the impending government spending cuts, due to the Government Sequester, will have on the American economy and hiring.

On top of this, a report on Wednesday April 24th from Fox Business News suggests that only 40% of small business owners have an optimistic view point of the future of America’s economy. If you’ve been following along here at Out Of Our Mind, you know that Small Business is the engine that turns the hiring in America. Knowing this, it is incredibly worrisome to read that nearly 60% of small business are not planning on hiring full or part-time workers.

So while the numbers trend positive, the future outlook remains somewhat bleak.

This “Great Recession” has hit the American economy very hard. As America works to turn it around and become an economic power once again, the workers grow restless and worried.

As we always say though, the jobs are out there, and it’s getting harder and harder to get a job on your own these days. Fortunately, at Crossroads Consulting, we can help you with every facet of your job search. From finding the right position that you can turn into a career with our over 50 job postings that we are looking to fill today; to a resume service that will make sure your information gets put on the top of the pile, we’re here to help.

At Crossroads Consulting, we want to get Americans working again and we’re doing our part by, “Putting the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources’”

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FOLLOW UP OR STAY DOWN

Posted on April 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

So you’re one of the lucky ones who has been able to get an interview these days. You went into the office, had a sit down with the hiring manager and you feel like you did a good job. Congratulations…but you’re not done yet. Now what, the waiting game?

Of course not!

When it comes to seeking employment, there is no waiting.

You’re next step in the process isn’t to wait for a phone call or an e-mail, but to follow up and be proactive. Sending a follow up e-mail after an interview is a great way to continue to show the employer your interest in the position and your desire to obtain the job.

What you’ll want to do in a follow up e-mail is as follow:

Thank the interviewer, by name, for their time. It’s important to let the interviewer know, in a personable way, how grateful you were that the time was taken out of their day to meet you about the open position.

Reaffirm why you’re a good candidate for the position.  Quickly mention again the skills you currently possess and how they’ll be a positive factor towards the open position. Make sure the interviewer knows why you’re the best person for the job.

If you forgot to mention something important during the interview, do it now. You don’t want to look back on an interview and think that because you forgot to say one important thing, all is lost. Here is your second chance; we all know those don’t come around very often.

Mention something unique about the interview. This lets the interviewer know that you were really paying attention to not only your thoughts on what to say during you’re time talking, but that you were keenly listening to the interviewer when they were talking as well.

Of course, the best part of the follow up e-mail is how unique you can mold it to fit your experience with the interviewer. You want to make this follow up e-mail as personable as you can, while also maintaining a level of respect, integrity, and professionalism.

If you’re looking for more interviewing or resume tips, check out our recommended service. Having trouble getting to the interview stages? We can help you there as well. With over 50 job postings from around the nation (and a few international ones mixed in as well) we’re here to help you get the job you’re looking for.

Remember at Crossroads Consulting, “We’re putting the ‘Human’ back into ‘Human Resources!’”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , ,

NEWEST EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS, “A PUNCH TO THE GUT”

Posted on April 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

The United States unemployment numbers for March have been released, and they are less than stellar. While continuing to trend in a positive direction, hiring slowed to a near crawl in the month of March.

Just 88,000 jobs were added to the United States economy dropping the unemployment rate to 7.6% a far cry from the predicted number of near 200,000 jobs being added.

“This is a punch to the gut,” Austan Goolsbee, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors under President Obama, said on CNBC. “This is not a good number.” 

A bigger factor in the rate dropping 0.1% from February to March may have been the number of Americans who left the workforce altogether. According to a report from the Huffington Post, 496,000 workers left the labor-force completely.

On top of this, the percentage of people eligible for work and looking for work fell to 63.3% its lowest figure since 1979.

The report states that the March report has yet to even feel the force of the “sequester” that is coming from the government, which is predicted to have a huge effect on the United States employment situation.

“Sharp cuts in government spending implemented March 1 are only beginning to show their ugly consequences,” Heather Boushey, an economist with the liberal think-tank Center for American Progress, said in an email. “While it’s too early to know what the full impact will be on the unemployment rate, government spending cuts are stealing wind from the sails of the recovery.”

Although trending in a positive direction, the numbers reported this past week speak volumes of the direction this country is headed. While a slow recovery continues to take place, government spending cuts that will come across the board will soon wreak its havoc on the United States jobs report. As spending cuts take effect, more and more organizations will not only cut hiring, but also even begin layoffs.

The optimism of any huge recover is slowly fading away as Americans exit the workforce in fear of the future.

Here at Crossroads Consulting we strongly advise against giving up hope. The jobs are out there, and we have a few of them! Please come over to our website and take a look at the over 50 job postings we have that we are looking to fill TODAY. If you’re not confident in your resume helping you grab that position you’ve always wanted, we have you covered there with our recommended resume service.

So now, there’s really only one question we have to ask you. Why haven’t YOU contacted us yet?

Remember, we’re here to put the “human” back into “human resources.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS JUMP AGAIN

Posted on April 4, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

The first signs of government spending may have just reared its ugly head on the United States unemployment market. According to an article published today by the Denver Post, the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid jumped by 28,000 last week, the third such spike in three weeks. Weekly applications rose to 385,000, the highest number since last November.

Early reports are pointing to the indication that companies are beginning to slow hiring after four months of strong job growth in the United States. From the article:

“We suspect the surge in the last two weeks reflects seasonal adjustment problems more than any fundamental change in the trend, but of course that remains to be seen,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, in a note to clients. 

With the March jobs report set to be released tomorrow, economists are expecting nearly 200,000 jobs to be added to the report. These economists may have to check their numbers however, as more and more Americans continue to seek government aid. Growth is not unexpected, however it is expected to be at a much calmer level than that of which we have seen in recent months as companies begin to slow down.

“Two reports Wednesday, however, suggested companies may have grown more cautious last month. Services companies grew in March but at a slower pace than in February, according to the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group. Service firms, which include retailers, hotels, restaurants and financial companies, cut back on hiring and a measure of new orders fell.”

Several economists have already begun revising their expected numbers for the released March jobs report.

The recovery of the United States job market continues to be a roller coaster ride for many Americans seeking work. At moments it looks like it is ready to boom at any second, but then takes an unexpected fall-off.

While economists are expecting a positive jobs report, it will be at a slower pace than what we have been seeing the past few months. Any growth is certainly a positive, but in order to get the country moving forward again, the pace needs to quicken.

Unfortunately, with government spending cuts looming on the horizon, the trend beginning in March of slow growth is set to continue.

As always, we like to assure our readers that the jobs are out there! Come on over to the Crossroads Consulting website and browse our job openings from across the nation that we are looking to fill TODAY! If you’ve been in the job market for a while, but aren’t getting the responses you’re looking for and feel your resume is to blame? We can help you there too with our recommended resume service.

Remember, at Crossroads Consulting we’re here to put the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources.’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

LET’S GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT – WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Posted on March 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

If you have been keeping up with the blog here at OutOfOurMind, you may realize that the name is fitting to the personality.  You especially understand this concept if you’ve taken a jump over to CrossroadsConsulting.com to check out our unique job postings.  On our website you won’t read the kind of coma-inducing  job postings you find virtually everywhere on the web when you’re looking for jobs. Crossroads Consulting differentiates itself from the competition in that our ads are, “Fresher-and-Bolder,” (to borrow the name of Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller‘s travelling comedy show).

Obviously there’s the elements there that you need to know when you read a job description, i.e., the qualifications and such, but there is also a boat load of humor and personality; something desperately missing from the employment market.  Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SLOW BUT STILL NOT GOOD

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

Slow and steady wins the race.

The American job market continues to slowly improve. As many economists suspected before the released numbers, there has been a gradual trend in the right direction for many Americans.

The report from Bloomberg.com today shows that the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has dropped to its lowest levels in two months. In the week ended March 9th, jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 332,000. This was after many economists predicted jobless claims would rise to 350,000.

“The rate of job destruction is pretty low,” said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates in St. Petersburg, Florida, who projected the number of claims would drop to 338,000. “The labor market is in continued-recovery mode, though there is still a lot of ground to make up.”

As Scott Brown warns, the market is still highly at risk. With government slashing across the board coming soon, companies believe that they will have to be cutting their payroll expenses in the near future as the sequester takes effect.

“The sequester is another issue,” Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics Inc. in West Chester, Pennsylvania, said before the report. “Beginning in April, we’ll start to get layoff notices, so we could see some upward bias on new filings because of the sequester, but lawmakers still have time to scale it back.

Although the numbers are trending in a positive direction, they are still moving too slow to help the American economy recover. Optimism is on the way with the way the economy is moving, but factors such as the sequester looming could set up the American economy to fail again. As was the case with the NHL Lockout this past summer, it is a “cautious optimism” that is beginning to sweep the nation. The numbers are progressing at a slow wait, but no one really knows what looms on the horizon. And without the ability to predict the future markets, companies and hiring managers are going to play things very close to the chest and protect their pockets.

All caused by the government’s inability to work across the aisle, and avoid The Sequester.

Well, as they say, slow and steady wins the race. You have to keep that pace though. The tortoise would have never won had he walked backwards for half of the race. Keep moving forward.

At Crossroads Consulting we are doing our part to help the tortoise to keep moving in the correct direction. Despite the government slashing coming across the board, Crossroads Consulting currently has over 50 open positions that we are looking to fill TODAY across the nation. If you’re one of those Americans that can’t seem to find the right opportunity, we implore you to check out our openings and send us your resume today. If you’re not comfortable with your resume, you can request our highly recommended resume service. We want to do our part from meeting you, to helping you, to get you in that job you’ve been eyeing.

At Crossroads Consulting, we are putting the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS…REPORT

Posted on March 7, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

The February Jobs Report is set to be released tomorrow morning, and economists are expecting good news. Last week, the number of Americans seeking unemployment fell to 340,000 according to a story on ABCNews.com. The past four week average for jobless claims has now hit a five year low, showing a positive slide into a favorable number for the economy.

The article states that weekly applications are a proxy for layoffs, when they fall, it suggests that companies are shedding fewer jobs.

Analysts are predicting that companies added 152,000 jobs, which should see the unemployment rate fall from 7.9% to 7.8% in February.

It is important to note that these movements are still very small, but it is encouraging seeing the movements going in the right direction for Americans.

“The improvement is still gradual, but at least things are moving in the right direction,” Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, said in a note to clients.

It is being reported that services firms, such as retailers and construction companies added jobs at a very substantial rate this past month. Factories also added workers in February, albeit at a smaller rate than the aforementioned retailers and construction.

The number of Americans receiving unemployment aid fell to 5.4 million, a drop of 362,000 from the week preceding.

Auto sales and home sales have also seen major increases in the last few months. New-home sales rose 16% in January to the highest levels in over four years. Home prices are also beginning to rise steadily again.

It is not all good news in America however, as the numbers may regress to their new mean in the coming months. After $85 billion in government spending cuts were put into effect after March 1st, many analysts believe this could cost the country 700,000 jobs, and even reduce unemployment checks for those who have been out of work for more than six months. The number also does not take into account those long-term unemployed who have dropped out of searching for a job.

Benefits currently average about $320 per week nationwide.

At Crossroads Consulting, we are doing what we can to get Americans working again, and trying to do our part in making sure that unemployment rate stays as low as it can. With over 50 job postings across the nation (and even some internationally!) we want to get you the job you’ve been waiting for. If you’re not confident in our resume, we can help you there as well with our recommended resume service.

If you’ve been out of work, or are getting frustrated with the hiring process, please contact us today and we will do whatever we can to help.

Remember, at Crossroads Consulting we’re putting the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources.’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ONLY THING MORE GROSS THAN GDP IS EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS

Posted on February 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

money-Photoxpress_2881713-1024x680BY: Adam Gavriel

The United States Job Market continues to impose its will on other aspects of the US economy. The unpredictability of the jobs market since the recession in 2008 has caused fluctuating stock prices in the United States. This trend does not appear to be stopping any time soon.

A report from Bloomberg.com released today shows that stock prices continue to fluctuate as the reported gross domestic product (GDP) rose by less than forecast, even as jobless claims fell more than expected. From the article:

““There were no real surprises here,” E. William Stone, chief investment strategist at PNC Wealth Management in Philadelphia, said in a telephone interview. His firm manages about $115 billion. “The economic numbers tell you that the pace of recovery is still sluggish. But they also give you signs that the recovery may be more durable.””

GDP was expected to climb at a 0.5 percent rate, while it actually grew at just 0.1 percent.

This is all going on while jobless claims continue to fall in the correct direction. The report states that jobless claims declined by 22,000 to 344,000 for the week ended 2.23. This is a huge difference over the predicted 360,000 claims by Bloomberg economists.

Unemployment insurance has also seen drops, now at its lowest level since June 2008.

While these are all encouraging numbers, the job markets unpredictability is still a major factor in determining just which way the economy is headed. While recent months have shown promising growth, this needs to become a sustainable process in order to really get Americans working again.

Markets like the S&P 500, and NASDAQ, are trading at some of their highest levels ever recorded, a somewhat telling sign of the economy as a whole.

As jobless claims continue to fall, more Americans are working again. When more Americans are working again, spending goes up. It’s a vicious cycle that drives the economy, and it is one that will never stop. This cycle, however, always begins with Americans WORKING.

At Crossroads Consulting we are doing our job in order to help you get working again, and drive that GDP to where America wants it to be. With over fifty job postings from around the Nation we are looking to fill TODAY, we need your help in filling them.

As a company we understand the grind that some of you out there are going through, and understand that it’s easier to get knocked down, than to get back up again. Many Americans, (too many for our liking), have been knocked down since the recession hit, and are finding it harder and harder to get back up. At Crossroads Consulting we want to offer you that hand that helps pull you up off of your back. With a recommended resume service, and interview preparation, as well as a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to getting YOU working again, we’re here to help.

Remember, at Crossroads Consulting we’re putting the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources.’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

UNDEREMPLOYMENT

Posted on February 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

BY: Adam Gavriel

After last week’s State of the Union address from President Barack Obama, congressman David Joyce (1st term Republican, Ohio) was quoted on the current job market, and how he feels American’s aren’t well prepared for the market in front of them.

“We need to better prepare our workforce for the jobs that we have,” Joyce said. “There are three million jobs that go vacant each month in this country, so the idea of trying to better prepare our children for the workforce by reforming high schools and stressing technical degrees in engineering, that is something that intrigues me. It’s something that people in other districts hear from their people, who said we have difficulty finding competent workers.”

The website PolitiFact picked up on Joyce’s comments out of intrigue, and decided to do some research. Not willing to believe that in a country with a 7.9% unemployment rate that 3 million jobs could go vacant from month to month.

PolitiFact contacted Joyce’s office, who referred the website to these figures:

“Reports the office issued for previous months in 2012 indicated there were 3.8 million job openings in June, 3.7 million job openings in November, October , July,   May and March,  3.6 million openings in September and August, 3.5 million vacancies in January and February, and 3.4 million unfilled jobs in April,”

Joyce wasn’t wrong.

It is becoming an epidemic in today’s struggling economy that jobs are remaining unfilled. This is due to a believed “skill gap” in the workforce between employers and prospective employees. Currently, employers aren’t paying what prospective employees feel they are worth. With this in turn comes the underemployment number. Underemployment, if you are not familiar with the term, can be defined as people who are working in a lower capacity than they are qualified for, including in a lower-paid job or for less hours than they would like to work.

The current reported underemployment number in the United States sits at around 15%

123

Is it possible that all these issues can be tracked back to simple supply and demand theory? There isn’t a very large demand for workers these days, but the supply of those looking for work continues to be at an all-time high. This allows prospective employers to pick and choose as they please, at the rates they wish to pay, with the skills they want to add to their teams.

The job market is always evolving. If you find yourself unemployed at the current time, we encourage you to stick with it, to keep building your resume however you can, and adding those skills that employers in your field desire. If you’re like the many other hardworking unemployed Americans, you are reading job ads daily, you know what companies are looking for. Always remember that unemployed time is NOT vacation time.

At Crossroads Consulting we continue to have over 50 job postings that we’re looking to fill TODAY across the nation. If you believe that your resume is holding you back, we can help you there too with our resume service.

As patriotic as we are, we want to see all of America back on its feet and in the workforce. This economy cannot recover on its own, but requires a team effort from everyone out there. Make your connections, including us, work them, and let’s get working together.

Remember, Crossroads Consulting is here to put the ‘human’ back into ‘human resources.’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Crossroads Consulting, LLC, Hiring Company News, Interviewing, Job Seeker News, Resume, Social Media

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,