Selecting Trade Schools to Redirect Your Career

Many people, who go through the unfortunate experience of being downsized, decide to use available funds to learn a new field. Proprietary trade schools are a good alternative to local colleges that you should definitely consider. Assuming you already have a degree, the focus this time should be on obtaining marketable skills. Trade schools offer certificate programs which are geared toward one goal, preparing you to re-enter the job market.

How do you select the right school to attend? As someone who spent many years working at a trade school, I have a short test you should put each school through:

1. Will my curriculum allow me to graduate with the certificates / licenses needed to work in my new field or simply prepare me to take the tests on my own?
2. Is the school nationally accredited and is my particular curriculum accredited?
3. What is the school's overall placement rate and my chosen program's placement rates?
4. How is retention, in other words, what percent graduate each year?
5. What will the tuition be and does it include certification / licensing fees?
6. How many hours per day will I attend school?
7. If an externship or internship is required do I find my own site or will the school arrange it.

I hope this helps you redirect your career! Write me with any questions

Mechanical Engineer Needed

I have a very good client in the Mahwah NJ area looking to add a Mechanical Engineer who hopefully has exposure to machining (CNC, CAD, tooling design, etc.) and biotechnology. This is a temp-to-perm situation for someone with 2-4 years experience and is available now! Please send me your resume or feel free to refer others who might be great for this job. You could submit to harold@smartstaff.jobs or hblevin58@gmail.com. PLEASE, do not submit your resume directly to this blog to keep things confidential!!!

Etc.

• About 18 months back, I was searching for potential candidates using Nettemps as my engine. Numerous candidates popped up where the resumes were housed on Gadball. Being curious, I logged onto the site and discovered a free search engine for employers to locate candidates! I have placed a few people found on Gadball. On July 9, Gadball started charging employers a rather steep fee to search their database. My assumption is that your resume will receive a lot less views since Gadball changed their rules.
• Teva is buying Barr Labs which could lead to even more pharmaceutical jobs lost in NJ as that industry is really being condensed. Please share my URL, and other sites/blogs you know about, with anyone impacted by this situation in the coming months.
• There seem to be some signs of the job market opening up a bit in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in NJ. Electronics and consumer goods manufacturers appear to be shopping a bit for folks with engineering skills related to mechanical, manufacturing, or packaging.
• I am curious to learn where those of you who are seeking new jobs have posted your resumes. Many of the better known engines are starting to look very tired. Please share the sites you are happiest with (and those that you do not care for as well)!

How are recent grads doing?

I am curious as to the success rates of recent college grads in finding jobs this year. A very large number have been calling my search firm looking for entry level positions as they are getting minimal support from their college's Career Services Office. If you are a recent grad reading this blog (or perhaps a parent who could pass this info along), please feel free to share your experiences either by responding to this entry or writing me at hblevin58@gmail.com. Feel free to use me as a sounding board to make sure you have left no stones uncovered.

One word to the wise: If you decided to "take the summer off before going to work," start ending your summer now! Those who get the ball rolling in the next week or two have a much stronger chance of being on a payroll around Labor Day than those who stay on the beach a bit longer! This is not the best year to find entry level employment and my advice is to take any job somewhat related to your career path regardless of pay rate. Building your resume with experience is more crucial than the starting rate keeping in mind that seasoned professionals are accepting salaries way below market value . It is much easier to upgrade from one pay level to another than it is to go from unemployed to gainfully employed.

Excellent Support Group!

The Job Seekers Support Group is a terrific organization. I visited with them and made a presentation there a few years back and was very impressed. It has been brought to my attention that some of my readers have recently been downsized out of their jobs and it is important that you stay in communication with other job seekers and professionals who could help you. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate and I strongly recommend it. Elise Prezant is the coordinator and her contact info is listed below. In addition, her email is elise.prezant@verizon.net. Please tell her that Harold Levin suggested contacting her:

Jewish Family Service is offering a Job Seekers Support Group for active job seekers who are unemployed, underemployed or seeking a career change. The next group will be held on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at 150-A West High Street, Somerville, N.J.

The topic for this session is “There is Still Life after Being Laid Off” presented by Neil Friedman and Wayne Tillman. This group is offered free of charge and is open to the entire community. To register, please call 908-725-7799.


Elise Prezant
Project Coordinator
Jewish Family Service of SHW
150-A West High Street
Somerville, NJ 08876
908-725-7799
www.jewishfamilysvc.org

Career Fair Updates

JobCircle has a fall schedule of career fairs online at www.jobcircle.com. Here are three happening over the next few months:

July 16, 2008
Grand Slam Career Fair! Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA Come out to the ballpark for our biggest career event of the year! Traditionally over 100 companies come together for this fun, outdoor event at Citizens Bank Park. Bring plenty of resumes and your walking shoes and meet with tons of companies all in one day!

August 27, 2008
Educate U Fair16th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA Join us for our first ever Educate U Fair on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008. JobCircle.com will fill The Shops at Liberty Place with the area's leading universities, colleges and trade schools. This is the perfect opportunity for you to explore the higher education options available to you in the Philadelphia area!

September 10, 2008
JobadelphiaWachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA Get your resumes ready! JobCircle.com is teaming up with CBS and The CW to bring you the largest career fair to hit Philadelphia this Fall!! Join us on September 10th at the Wachovia Center to meet with your future employer.

Placing URL's on Resumes

For some reason, a discussion I had with the recruiting manager of a huge cable company several years ago popped into my memory bank today. She told me about a Sunday afternoon that she set aside to screen a few hundred resumes that had accumulated in her inbox. While reading through them, she came across a candidate who mentioned working for Home Depot and he had included a URL. Assuming that he had provided a link to something related to his employment with the company she clicked onto it. After spending 2 hours shopping online, she realized how much time (and money) she had thrown away and accordingly, she deleted the resume! The obvious conclusion here is to only provide links that will help you get a job. Otherwise, don't waste any one's time!

Pick up the Phone!!

Telephones are never going to become extinct as far as I am concerned! From the old rotary to touch tone to wireless, now cellular and blue tooth and computer phones, they will keep being reinvented. Many of us, especially those 30 and under, are becoming way too reliant on email, instant messages, and texts. Of course, they are very easy and quick ways to communicate but not as personal as hearing other people's voices (sure beats communication shortcuts such as "kk", "lol", and "ttfn")!

As a recruiter, I get dozens of resumes via email daily, some of which I read, but the majority get deleted. Some brave potential candidates have the audacity to phone me and engage in live conversation!!!! Many times, something they say triggers an alarm in the deepest, darkest areas of my brain and I end up matching them to a client or opportunity that I would not have thought of simply based on email.

My daughter recently started a summer internship. A manager mentioned to her that he receives so many bulk emails from recruiting firms but that he rarely gets a personal phone call. Phone calls require a little more time and effort than email and I have always felt they are the way to maintain relationships with clients. It does not matter what service or product you represent, the personal touch of a periodic phone call is still your best marketing tool!

Job Fair in NYC

CareerBuilder is running a job fair in NYC. Here is the message I received. I will post any updates that come to me on this blog! (Please note that anything in blue is taken direct from the careerbuilder.com message).
Attend the CareerBuilder.com Career Fair and have better workdays. Come meet top employers who are there to recruit, screen, and hire qualified candidates just like you. With a CareerBuilder.com Career Fair it is your chance to interview in person, on the spot, and network with influential company members.
Positions available in Sales, Heathcare, Technology, Finance, Management, Government, Retail, Administration, Customer Service and more! More Details to follow shortly!

New York City:Thursday, July 10, 2008 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Metropolitan Pavilion North & South Pavilions
125 W. 18th St. (Chelsea)New York, NY 10011

ETC.

• It looks like there is a definite chance the minimum wage in NJ will rise above $8 per hour soon. While at face value many of you are likely thinking the rate should be higher, I am concerned about the impact on the bottom line for employers who use a lot of lower paid staff. Will this force them into cutbacks? Our local eateries and supermarkets appear to be operating on a shoestring budget already so I am not positive about the near future. You are welcome to comment on this site or by email to hblevin58@gmail.com.
• A well known trade school in Central NJ is looking for a new Director of Career Services. Contact me using the methods listed in this column if you would like a referral to them.
• Broken records are annoying but I need to play an old tune tonight. A resume landed on my desk in response to a job I posted recently. Upon quick review, I put it aside as I saw very little applicable experience. The candidate called to followup and I explained what I was looking for. It turns out that this individual could be a close fit. Please thoroughly demonstrate who you are in your resume as it is the first impression most employers get of you!
• Speaking of broken records, Greater Media fired most of the staff at WCTC in New Brunswick and WMTR in Morristown and replaced them with an oldies format delivered by a feed from who knows where. Many local communities lost part of their voice today. I wish the displaced staff members a quick rebound professionally and emotionally.