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As the owner of a personnel agency, each May we eagerly anticipate the new crop of doe-eyed college graduates prancing in, resumes in hand.

One of the usual questions we ask: what are your career goals?

This year, for the first time in 15 years, the answers I am receiving are shocking:

“Do you have any openings for a Chief Happiness Officer?” one young man asked.

Let me look in my database- um, NO!

Another young woman wanted to be a Corporate Blogger, and another requested a job as a Social Media Specialist.

After two weeks of being bombarded with job titles I never knew existed, I went on a quest to find out more about these peculiar requests and found the following article:

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/05/18/can-chief-twit-be-far-behind/

Do you think these new jobs are just a passing fad?  Or is the Chief Twit here to stay?

Are you becoming frustrated with your job hunt and ready to give up? Lately, this has been the case with a lot of unemployed people. Some of the possible reasons people give up on finding a job is because they’re frustrated with filling out long applications, or going through the stress of interviews and competing with other job seekers who may be more accomplished. Whatever the case, it is not a good idea to give up looking for a job because it may harm your future chances of getting a good job and it doesn’t help the economy. Here are some tips to help you:

1. Update your resume to reflect the job you’re seeking. (Highlight experience and skills that relate to the duties and responsibilities of the job)
2. Instead of going in stores, apply online to increase your chances of being noticed.
3. Post your resume on job sites like Monster.com or careerbuilder.com so employers looking to hire can see.
4. If you clearly see you don’t fit the qualifications for a job, don’t waste time applying for it.

I understand the job market is tough, for I was having a hard time getting a job, but don’t become discouraged. Have faith and keep on going.

Advice For Beginning A Job Hunt!

A lot of people may be beginning a job hunt for the first time ever or in a long while. The job hunt may be a tough and stressful process because of all the applications you have to fill out and all the interviews you’ll have to go on. I know, because its been pretty rough for me. It took me a year to finally land my first permanent job. Here’s some helpful advice for you job hunters out there:

Most important-Create a perfect resume- or get help from a Professional Resume Writer. Most employer won’t consider you without one. Also, resumes are sometimes accepted as a form of application, so you won’t have to spend time filling out an application.
Apply online. This way, your application has a better chance of being viewed. When you apply on paper applications, its usually not guaranteed that your resume actually reaches the managers.
DON’T rely heavily on Craigslist. There are mostly more scams than legit jobs being posted. If you do use Craigslist, make sure the posting has a e-mail address and a phone number to respond to and do some research on them.
If you are called in for an interview, you should prepare by studying some interviewing tips and potential interview questions and do research on the company.
If you have questions about job hunting, please call us at 212-244-2777 or visit our website at:
www.mpc-nyc.com

We all have the daily pressures of every day life, however with the economic crunch and the tight job market, it is now more important than ever to not only have a job, but to EXCEL on the job. But with unemployment near record highs how does an individual get their proverbial foot in the door? And when you DO get that job, how do you shine and move ahead? What exactly are employers looking for in this ever changing job market?
With over 15 years of experience as a job placement expert, Lainie Bennett gives us the low down on how to get the career you want at the salary you deserve. As the founder and President/CEO of Millennium Personnel Corp., established in 1996, which specializes in Temporary to Permanent placements of Office Support in New York City, Lainie acts as a mentor to many job seekers in career strategies, job market forecasting and resume writing, guiding them and giving them the tools needed to obtain their dream jobs.
Join us today as Lainie Bennett shares her insider job market knowledge with Sky La Rose, Dr. Elisa and Minal Bopaiah.

Look Out For Job Scams!
Recently, I have been looking for a job using the internet. I mostly used
Craigslist. I sent out my resume to many of the posts. I got email responses
back from a few employers, or what I thought were employers. One was from a MD’s
office. The email asked me to submit a credit check from credit report.com so I
did. I never heard from them again. My mother informed me that I may have been
scammed because the scammers can use the information from the report to apply
for credit cards and loans. Sometimes there are professional scammers who will
steal corporate logos and term policy to look legit. Don’t give up any personal
information, and be very careful when using Craigs list. If anything, use more
trusted websites such as monster.com, or us, Millennium Personnel Corp. Visit us
at mpc-nyc.com.

This week I am writing about job postings. Many job postings have keywords when you read it. These key- words are not only helpful, but also important. Some people overlook or skim through the summary and the qualifications of the job. Reading this through can help someone determine if the job makes someone over qualified or under qualified. Many times, the job is just right for them, but to set the person apart from another person with similar qualifications, they have to find key words. Let me expand this information. I am an intern with a degree in English; I want to get into the publishing industry. I have the right degree, but that is under the requirements. I had to look at the key word “Qualifications”. Under qualifications, I needed some clerical experience, such as having experience doing word and excel in an office setting. After I read the qualifications, I had to look again at the words under each qualification the company is looking for. I looked at “word and excel”. I know word and excel, but never did it in an office setting. Anywhere other than an office setting is not considered a qualification. So, I knew in order to get a job in a field I like, I had to have office experience. You do not need a magnifying glass to see the key words, just judgment. What job are you interested in? Look at the job requirement and qualifications. See what you need to do to separate yourself from the rest of applicants with similar qualifications. Breakdown the requirements and qualifications into a list for yourself even if it is posted on a website in bullet points. Check what you did and focus on what you need to do for an interview and a job.

            Today is my first day at Millennium Personnel Corp., as an intern. I have learned about the jobs and tasks I would have to complete as an intern. These jobs are very important, and help this corporation run. I’m learning that when you are given a task it needs to be completed when told. I am also learning that you may be given more than one task at a time. These tasks aren’t impossible, as long as you’re focused, they can be done.

            As an intern, there are many different jobs that I have to do. These jobs consist of answering phones, checking emails, updating websites, posting blogs and even doing interviews. Watching the interns do these things I have learned you need to know how to multi-task. You may have to do more than one thing at a time. That doesn’t mean you put off one thing until later, you have to work on them both at the same time, making sure it gets done when it is suppose to. Doing these things may get a little frustrating, but being organized and focused will help, and you would have a wonderful experience. I look forward to interning for Millennium Personnel Corp.

Whenever you are giving an extra task; you have to make sure it is completed. If the extra task isn’t finished by the end of the day; then you have to finish it the next day. This may cause you to have too many task in one day. So the best thing to do is finish what you started. So the question is do you have what it takes to be a Millennium Personnel Corporation intern?