Hey you. Yes, you writing the email to your co-worker in a cubicle two feet away from you.
Ever feel like no one talks to each other anymore? We are all guilty. Email is easier, it’s quicker, it helps us keep a paper trail, and well, it’s just what we’re used to in the modern workplace. Ever wonder what a regular workday was like before the advent of email? How did people manage, and what are the dangers of over-relying on this tool we often feel like we can’t live without?
Here are three professionals’ then-and-now email stories to help you appreciate the technology while also being cautious of it.
Productivity gains vs. efficiency losses
Bill Du Val, a lawyer at Slinde Nelson & Du Val Business Law in Portland, Ore., recalls a time when people actually picked up the phone, and, as a common courtesy, usually called a colleague or client’s assistant first.
“As a lawyer of 19 years, I can state without reservation that I am incapable of handling over seven dozen emails every single day,” says Du Val. “An associate can screen some emails for me, but the ultimate filter, unfortunately, still has to be me. In this regard email lessens my productivity.” Continue Reading — Then and now: How did we work before email?
There’s an interesting dynamic going on in the job market right now. Despite the fact that millions of people can’t find jobs, millions of employers can’t seem to find the right employees, either.
In case you missed it, last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy created no jobs in August, and that the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1 percent.
At the same time, however, the BLS also reported that nearly 2.7 million jobs went unfilled in August, and, according to Manpower’s 2011 Talent Shortage Survey, 34 percent of employers report having difficulties filling open positions — a 3 percent increase over 2010.
So, to help close this employment gap and direct all of you job seekers out there toward the employers that need your services, we’ve put together a list of companies that are most in need of workers right now.
In total, these 14 companies have a combined total of nearly 10,000 job openings — and they need employees as badly as you need a job. (Note, while all of these companies have lots of job openings currently posted on CareerBuilder, not all of the openings are listed on our site. Visit the companies’ websites for more information about complete job listings).
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1. PNC
Number of jobs available: 1,000+
Types of jobs: Mortgage loan officer, bank branch manager, software engineer, part-time teller, relationship manager and financial advisor
2. AON
Number of jobs available: 1,390+
Types of jobs: Risk management, insurance brokerage services, benefits outsourcing, human capital consulting and actuarial
3. U-Haul
Number of jobs available: 1,575+
Types of jobs: General manager and trainees, shop manager, customer care representative, programmer, web designer, traffic control manager, storage team manager, structural engineer, production manager and transfer driver
4. Yellowbook
Number of jobs available: 1,000+
Types of jobs: New media specialist, client service representative, entry-level customer service, finance, it- engineering, developer, programmer, entry-level production and entry-level field distribution management
5. Comfort Keepers
Number of jobs available: 900+
Types of jobs: Caregiver, home health aide, LPN, personal care aide, registered nurse, community relations and marketing director
6. Motorola Solutions
Number of jobs available: 600+ globally
Types of jobs: Various IT and engineering roles: product manager, systems engineer, information security specialist and software engineer
7. Red Ventures
Number of jobs available: 1,000+
Types of jobs: Inside sales, web developer, online marketing, sales trainer, corporate recruiter, php developer, sales recruiter, human resources and copywriter
8. Bridgestone Retail Operations
Number of jobs available: 400+
Types of jobs: Retail management trainee, retail sales (full-time and part-time), automotive technician (full-time and part-time) and automotive maintenance technician (full-time and part-time)
9. Earthlink
Number of jobs available: 300+
Types of jobs: Account executive, major account executive, national account executive, system sales, channel sales, sales engineer, field technician, NOC technician and branch manager
10. UniTek Global Services
Number of jobs available: 400+
Types of jobs: Cable installer, satellite installer and wireless installation project manager and foreman
11. Certified Payment Processing
Number of jobs available: 400+
Types of jobs: Outside sales
12. Pilot Flying J
Number of jobs available: 500+
Types of jobs: Retail and restaurant managers
13. Senior Helpers
Number of jobs available: 400+
Types of jobs: Certified nursing assistant, caregiver, scheduling coordinator, marketing manager, client services manager, community relations coordinator
14. Harbor Freight Tools
Number of jobs available: 500
Types of jobs: Field positions at all level within our stores, nationwide. Corporate positions in all functions: finance, legal, marketing, sourcing, category management, etc.
See a job you’re interested in? Give yourself the best chance at landing one of these jobs, by following these three tips from Joyce Gioia, workplace futurist, CEO of Employer of Choice International, Inc., and the author of five business books.
Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder
Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy — especially when it comes to progressing in your career. Most people have certain fears, like being terrified of change in their role or facing rejection when vying for a promotion, which ultimately can affect their ability to move up.
Think fears might be holding back your career? Here are common worries that can have a negative impact your career and how to move past them:
Fear of failure
Failure can creep in at any moment and paralyze your success at work.
“We occasionally encounter job seekers who are so concerned about failing, they refuse to take on additional projects, challenges or new positions because they’re afraid they will make a mistake,” explains Jessica Hernandez, president of Great Résumés Fast.
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Used right, LinkedIn can be a job seeker’s golden ticket.
Savvy job seekers can use the site to gain all kinds of job search advantages: information on the types of people the company hires, the name of the hiring manager for a particular job (and if they’re really lucky, an email address) and even the ultimate “in,” a personal connection at a company of interest.
But, for every job seeker that expertly navigates the online networking scene, there are plenty of others who fumble their way through it, often over- or underestimating the role the site should play in their job search.
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Sure, they pay the rent and build your résumé, but jobs held during your 20s also can have a profound influence on the rest of your life. Consider these reflections:
Little actions have big results
Rich Christiansen, now an entrepreneur and author of “The Zig Zag Principle,” remembers being a “peon” at a start-up company where “everyone was busting their gut to make this little leading-edge technology business work.” As he was leaving one night, he noticed that the office’s floor needed mopping and the place as a whole was pretty filthy. With an important potential investor set to visit the next day, Christiansen decided to come back that night and clean up.
The next day, there was a buzz among the workers as to who had secretly played janitor, and someone eventually figured it out. A vice president offered him a promotion and became a lifelong friend and mentor. Christiansen notes that “by being competent and looking for ways to give and do a little extra, I was able to form a relationship that has been mutually beneficial over the years.”
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