Articles - Page 209 of 260 - The Voice of Job Seekers

Great Demand for STEM Job Seekers Drives Up Pay

Editor’s note: Bluefire PR wrote the article for today.

STEM careers are occupations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This includes biology, medicine, chemistry, physics, architecture, and computer science. As of June 18, there were 47,754 STEM job listings in New York City, almost 40,000 in Washington, D.C., and 30,000 in Silicone Valley. The total job listings in Forbes’ “10 Best Cities for STEM Jobs Right Now” is around 274,000.

Demand Increases Paychecks

It’s no surprise that STEM is popular in NYC, considering the number of big banks, accounting firms, venture capital firms and hedge funds, along with the groundbreaking science and medical research being conducted in the city. Demand for STEM job seekers has increased due to a limited supply of candidates. Because there are more positions available compared to the number of new graduate job seekers in the field, pay has been driven up.

Top-Paying STEM Jobs

● Petroleum Engineer: Develop methods for extracting oil and gas from the earth’s surface along with ways to extract oil and gas from old wells. Expected growth from 2010-2020 is 17 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The median pay for those with less than three years’ experience is just over $88,000.

● Nuclear Engineer: Measure, research and develop systems to benefit from nuclear energy and radiation. Often, they are responsible for finding uses for radioactive materials, such as those used in medical treatment. The pay for those with three years’ experience or less is $69,900.

● Marine Engineer: Work on marine mechanical systems like propulsion and steering. They also build, design and maintain sailboats, tankers, submarines, aircraft carriers, etc. Median pay is $62,200.

Other occupations that made Forbes “Top 10 Best-Paying STEM Jobs for Recent Grads” list are:

● Chemical Engineer

● Computer and Information Research Scientist

● Aerospace Engineer

● Marine Architect

● Nuclear Medicine Technologist

● Business Intelligence Analyst

● Software Developer, Systems Software

Search online for jobs available in these and other STEM-related fields. Most available jobs will have an online job application to facilitate your application.

Women in STEM

The Obama Administration has also taken interest in women job seekers in STEM careers. First Lady Michelle Obama stated in 2011 that to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, we need all hands on deck. This means carving paths for women and helping them to navigate STEM careers. The Office of Science and Technology Policy says that women who work in a STEM industry can earn 33 percent more than women in other non-STEM fields. It’s a perfect time for girls and women to get into a STEM career, because companies want qualified women.

If you’re a woman who’s already in one of the STEM industries, finding a mentor and joining a professional organization like Society of Women Engineers or Association for Women in Mathematics can help you network.

The Future

An increasing number of high school students have expressed interest in STEM occupations. According to a study by STEMconnector, 24.8 percent of graduates in 2012 were intrigued by STEM jobs, while 27.9 percent of the class of 2016 are interested. The challenge that teachers are facing, though, is keeping students excited about these kinds of careers and finding a way to nurture their talents and guide them in the right direction.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Job Search Success: Why Say NO!

Long time ago I wrote that NO! needs to be a part of a job seeker’s vocabulary. Your job search needs NO! to give it life right now. I’m continuing this discussion that Sassy HR Girl started a while ago. Stop being a desperate YES! job seeker!

I am glad it’s still relevant. It must be intentional. It must have authority. You Inc., the job seeker,is the only one who can establish what it means, and deliver it strongly!
There are far too many regrets YES! has triggered in missed opportunities. YES! has also corrupted your judgment. Too many options are harmful, but no focus is regrettable. You can’t find a job without a target. You’ll hit anything and perhaps everything that keeps you unemployed and unhappy.

That’s not good.

YES! to wrong opportunities, conversations, and gatherings are a time suck! It’s an illusion. It’s a place that you don’t want to exist or become a participant.

NO! is a smart person’s filter. The screen is there to deter all random requests for availability. The screen helps you and I discern ingenuine offers, creepy salesman, and Aflac. If you know what I mean. YES! should be sparingly used and at times, to get in front of the line. Like when you get the call for a second interview with a company you like.

NO! is like American Express. You rarely use it because you know you have to pay the whole bill at the end of the month. YES! is the debit card. You wish you’d use it less, but you don’t because it seems easier than cash. Debit cards lack filters. It’s easier to misjudge.

It exploits your lack of control

Use NO! to shrink your expenditures. Especially the egregious and frivolous cash sucking cries you can live without. You don’t want to go after non sensical opportunities just for the money to pay for YES!

Say NO! to inane networking contacts on any social network where you are using to make meaningful employment contacts. Saying YES! to them lowers your resistance for foolishness.
Ever tried negotiating with YES!? It’s a dance. It’s provocative. It also ensures failure. It’s temporary. It’s a shooting star. Once you have exhausted YES! to dance all night, then it forces NO! When you can’t have either, then who will kiss you on the cheek, “Goodnight?” MAYBE?

It’s better to say YES! or NO! At least you’ll know where you stand. MAYBE? is the lover that cheats on you and keeps you yearning for more, and you don’t know why?

Your job search efforts on all fronts yield catastrophic results is you keep applying and chasing after jobs that do not win your heart. It’s lust because it’s instant gratification or low hanging fruit, but since your NO! colored glasses weren’t on, it was on pretty on the outside. Wait to a few months go by in that job that compromised your ambition and career goals. The kiss of honesty is a peck on the cheek, and it’s no longer honest.

This is how not to get sucked into YES! mode:

Get financial counseling and look for ways lower your expenses. The more wealth you create now will help you apply sound judgment later in scenarios like negotiations, picking opportunities, and how you position yourself as a candidate.

Advisors. More than two people who are successful and regularly practice sound career judgment who offers logical advice.

A solid plan of the values you require of an employer. If everyone works 60+ hours weekly, rest assured, you will too. Is that what you want? No. Then plan to say NO!

If it’s too fast…then use NO! as a filter. You should look for the win-win and so should a potential employer. Anything less than that will corrupt a successful job search.

I’m sure you can think of others. Share it with us in the comments.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

5 Volunteer Efforts That Impress Employers

Volunteering always looks great on a CV. Even if your experience isn’t directly related to the job you’re applying for, volunteer efforts show that you are an active person who is driven by motives other than financial. Having said this, there are definitely some volunteer efforts which look better than others when it comes to applying for jobs. Here are a few of the most impressive areas of volunteer experience to have when applying for a new position.

1) Relevant experience

Of course, the best voluntary experience you can have is in something relevant to your field. If you are looking to go into finance or accounting than helping a charity out with their accounts, is a fantastic experience to have. In the voluntary job market, you often have the chance to progress much faster than if you were doing the same job in the paid world. This often means that you can gain experience of leading and managing teams sooner and, therefore, make an excellent candidate for an employee.

2) Volunteering abroad

Volunteering abroad poses a few more obstacles than volunteering in your own neighborhood and employers will recognize the challenges you will have had to face. Employers are always looking for dynamic individuals with excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to overcome difficult obstacles. Candidates who have had experience volunteering abroad often possess these qualities. Furthermore, in an increasingly globalised world, employers are looking for candidates with the ability to work internationally.

3) Something you love

If your volunteering work is not completely relevant to the career path you have chosen, make sure it helps a cause about which you are extremely passionate. It is very likely that once you get to a job interview, prospective employers will ask you lots of questions about your volunteering experiences. Therefore, it is very important that you are willing and able to talk at length about your volunteering. Employers look for genuine passion, and if you can convey this whilst talking about the work you’ve done for a brilliant cause then you are much more likely to make a good impression.

4) Training Included

Many charitable organizations may not be able to pay their volunteers, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be rewarded for your efforts. Volunteers can often obtain useful qualifications through volunteering, such as first-aid certification or leadership training, which will look good as new skills on your CV and make you all the more employable in the future. If you do get yourself a volunteering placement, ask if there are any exams or tests that you can take make the most out of your experience. Volunteering always looks great on a CV. Even if your experience isn’t directly related to the job you’re applying for, it shows that you are an active person who is driven by motives other than the purely financial. Having said this, there are definitely some volunteer efforts which look better than others when it comes to applying for jobs. Here are a few of the most impressive areas of volunteer experience to have when applying for a new position.

5) Full-time Volunteering Work

We can all volunteer for a few hours a week in a local charity, cherry-picking the parts of the job which appeal to us. Employers particularly commend commitment to many hours a week. The closer to a full-time position you can get, the better it will look to prospective employers. They want to know that you can handle a full-time job, whatever the hours may be. Working 40 hours a week for free demonstrates a huge level of commitment and suggests that you will have had to do less pleasurable parts of the job, as well as the fun hands-on parts. This will further prove your motives are far from the financial and make you a very desirable job candidate.

What volunteer projects do you plan to participate in this year? Please share.

Richard McMunn, runs the leading career website, how2become.com. His aim is to help as many people as possible pass the recruitment process they are applying for to secure the job they have always wanted. The site offers a wide range of books and training courses for those who want to ensure they are fully prepared. You can also connect with How2become on YouTube.