Las Vegas Job Market

Back to Work, or Back to School?

Why you should consider building skills in a down economy.

Every once in a while, life hands you a golden opportunity that you may pass by simply because you don’t recognize it. If you are unemployed and have always wanted to go back to school for either advanced training or a new career, life may be knocking at your door with such an opportunity.

It is possible to be actively seeking employment while also taking classes, which may be a requirement if you are receiving unemployment compensation. The opportunity is even more plausible if you consider an online learning program. Whether or not you can afford the opportunity is another issue that requires careful consideration.

However, if you have the support of the people in your life, now may be the best time to borrow money or take out a student loan. Why? According to many financial analysts, the economy will soon be entering inflationary times. When this occurs, the dollar will have less purchasing power, essentially making it less valuable. If you borrow now, you will be repaying the debt with cheaper dollars.

Of course, this is based on speculation, and any decision to borrow and take on debt should be made in the context of your personal situation and financial capacity. But the heaviest weight should be given to the career advancement and employment opportunities that a degree can provide.

With that in mind, more good news comes from data projections given by the federal government indicating that jobs requiring an Associate’s Degree will be the fastest growing when compared among positions requiring all other forms of higher degrees. This means you can cut your education bill and efforts in half without sacrificing employment results. Read more about Back to Work, or Back to School?

Reinforcing and Building Your Skills

How to Make Good Use of Unemployed Time

You’re probably tired of hearing such platitudes and clichés like when the going gets tough, the tough get going, or when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. But in truth, these phrases enjoy staying power because they are based on making the best out of a bad situation and grounded in a simple principle: Optimism.

Building Relationships and References

Line-up business references now.

Your job seeking efforts will likely hit a brick wall if you do not offer current business references to your potential employer. Verifying your past work history via those who have seen you in action is a standard and vital part of the employment process. Most companies will ask for, and likely try to contact, at least two or three professional references.

5 Interview Tips for the Digital Age

"More helpful jobhunting tips to come."

Obtaining leads and finding new job openings online isn't the only way to harness the power of the digital age into your job-seeking efforts. You can also utilize some targeted technology to help you ace the interview, once you get it. Try these tips to polish your interviewing skills, and to gain advantages over the competition.

Flatter and Mimic This tip does not entail verbal praise of the company during the interview (something your cover letter should have subtly accomplished.) Flattery through mimicry is a powerfully suggestive tool, and subconsciously lets your interviewer know you're ready to join the team.

Instead of saying you admire and respect the company, show that you do by dressing for the job. Coming to the interview dressed in company colors and attire will send a positive message to your prospective employer. Run an internet search on the company to view staff pictures, then assemble or purchase interview clothing that mimics the colors worn by employees. Read more about 5 Interview Tips for the Digital Age

Successful Job Application

Do your written skills pass the test?

JOBS UPDATE: Las Vegas JobConnect office finds over 500 new jobs

In case you didn't catch the 5-O’clock news, the Carson City JobConnect office recently wrapped-up their “Job Quest” campaign wherein representatives of the agency went door-to-door to area employers inquiring about job openings. The 'quest' was successful, uncovering 521 new jobs in surrounding Las Vegas communities.

Maximizing Your Online Job Search

Everyone knows by now that the largest job search engine is Indeed.com, the online search engine dedicated to job listings that has, according to Wikipedia, surpassed Monster.com to take the national lead as top dog in job search engine land as of October 2010.

But you may be relying on Indeed's vertical job search engine to a fault, and missing out on some suitable listings as a result. For example, an hour's worth of research on Las Vegas, Nevada jobs revealed a few oversights from the job search engine giant in the service sector.

New Jobs Coming to Las Vegas

UPDATE: APAC Customer Services, Inc. to hire 300 CS Associates

Outsourcing specialist APAC Customer Services has announced it will bring 300 new jobs into Las Vegas at a facility to be finalized by year’s end. The company provides outsourcing for its corporate clients such as Medco Health Solutions –the state’s second largest employer.

According to the press release, Medco asked APAC to bring the customer service jobs back to the U.S., a trend often described as “in-shoring,” but no further explanation was available as to why APAC’s Pilipino workforce lost these positions.

While 300 is not a large number in the scheme of Nevada unemployment, it still represents jobs added to the economy, and reflects confidence in Las Vegas workers being highly skilled in customer service areas. Hiring will begin in earnest starting in January, but APAC is already looking for recruiting and training specialists to hit the ground running.

Visit the job locator page, leave all other drop-down selections to the default “All,” and select US –Nevada under “location” to learn application details for immediate positions.

Finding New Jobs through Networking

As discussed in the last post, customer service professionals –and all other jobseekers, would do well to join LinkedIn for a number of reasons. Online networking has big rewards for those willing to put in the time to enhance their career profiles and gain access to new jobs.

LinkedIn has a jobs board where recruiters and companies post openings. However, a good portion of these positions will also be recruited elsewhere. Whether or not a company chooses LinkedIn as a first source is an unknown factor. But it’s a safe bet that all hiring professionals will prefer a candidate who tells a complete, descriptive story about their credentials and experience over one who does not.

Jobs and Networking in Las Vegas

UPDATE: New Jobs in Las Vegas

As reported last week, the Coast-to-Coast Career Fair taking place on Tuesday, Oct. 18^th, has released the list of companies that will be attending. For those of you who registered, check your email for the update. A few of the companies that are hiring include: Diamond Resorts, Gaylord Security, Country Financial, the Transportation Security Administration, and Verizon Wireless.

In addition, Coast-to-Coast recommends attendees bring at least 30 resumes. More good news for the Silver State: New jobs are coming to Las Vegas as fast-growing company Tiecoon.com relocates its operations and headquarters from California to Nevada.

Search for Jobs at Las Vegas Jobs

From job fairs to job opportunities, resume posting services to search tools, Las Vegas Jobs has what job seekers in the area are looking for. New postings can be found daily, so job hunters may want to bookmark the site to return frequently and continue applying for new jobs.

Employers will also find the Las Vegas Jobs site helpful. They can post various jobs that they have open as well as search for candidates who might fit what they are looking for—as well as view applicants who apply for the jobs that they posted previously. Several online hiring tools are also available to help make posting jobs a breeze. Read more about Search for Jobs at Las Vegas Jobs

Vegas Unemployment Rate Possibly on the Mend

A lovely friend of mine who lives in Las Vegas has told me how hard the jobs have been hit there. She works for a private company, not one of the “Strip” joints (pun not intended!), but she says that everyone is suffering since the city depends on tourism to bring in money, no matter the business. And with so many entertainment venues seeing a decrease in tourism, it’s spreading out to the other businesses as well. Read more about Vegas Unemployment Rate Possibly on the Mend