By Robert Half International

The newest season of Bravo’s hit TV show “Top Chef” is well underway. But fans of the show and aspiring cooks aren’t the only ones who may want to tune in: Job seekers might want to watch as well. The “Top Chef” contestants can teach professionals a lot about the job hunt.

Here are some things the most successful competitors rely on and how they can help you cook up success when searching for your next job:

A recipe
Some chefs rely on printed recipe cards; others keep the ingredients and instructions for creating a certain dish in their heads. Some follow the recipe exactly; others use it as a guide. But no matter their preference, almost every chef consults a recipe before starting to cook.

A recipe is nothing more than a plan of action, and that’s exactly what you need when setting out to find a new job. Before launching your job search, ask yourself:

• What would my ideal job look like? Am I qualified for that role?
• What are my long-term career goals?
• What type of company would I like to work for?
• How important are factors such as pay, benefits, professional development opportunities and work/life balance

Let the answers marinate. They’ll help focus your efforts on positions that most closely align with your professional priorities and personal preferences.

Fresh ingredients
Nothing plays a bigger role in the success or failure of a dish than the quality of the ingredients used. As any chef will tell you, the fresher, the better.

The same is true during your job search. It’s hard to whet an employer’s appetite with a résumé and cover letter that are past their expiration date. Your roster of skills, experiences and accomplishments changes constantly, even if you do not currently have a job. Work you’ve performed for a nonprofit organization or during a temporary assignment, for example, could add nice garnish to your résumé.

Always evaluate your application materials before hitting send to make sure they truly capture your current qualifications.

A trusted sous chef
The sous chef is second in command in the kitchen, functioning more or less as the head chef’s main helper and assistant.

When on the hunt for a new position, having another person to rely on can be immensely helpful. Members of your professional network may be able to provide referrals or whisk promising opportunities your way. Friends and family members can help you trim the fat on your résumé and hone your technique before a big interview.

Also consider enlisting the help of an experienced recruiter. These professionals can effectively double your efforts. As you look for employment, they’ll do the same, identifying openings that match your qualifications, mentioning your name to hiring managers and submitting applications on your behalf.  

Impeccable presentation skills
On “Top Chef,” the difference between a winning and losing dish often comes down to how the food looks on the plate.

Presentation matters in the job search, too. Make sure your application materials are spotless by reviewing them several times for typos and grammatical errors. Don’t rely solely on your computer’s spell-check tool, which can miss common mistakes. One good tip is to print out your document and read it backward — errors have a tendency to bubble up when using this seemingly strange approach.

Also, make sure you look good whenever you meet with a potential employer. Dress up not only for interviews but also for networking events and job fairs. Too many job candidates forget the importance of a professional appearance. You’ll automatically stand out with your polished, put-together look.

Openness to feedback
Perhaps the most important lesson “Top Chef” contestants learn is the importance of embracing feedback. Those who receive constructive criticism from the judges and fail to act on it find themselves packing their knives and heading home.

Although it can be tough to hear, ask members of your professional network for feedback on your résumé. Is it laid out clearly and concisely? Do they feel it does an appropriate job of selling your strengths? Don’t stop asking until you consistently get four-star reviews. You can also ask them for insight whenever your mood is as low as a deflated soufflé.  

In some cases, you might even request feedback from employers themselves. If you interviewed for a position and didn’t receive a job offer, consider asking what steps you can take to be a stronger candidate next time. Not everyone will provide feedback, but some just might. And nothing’s more valuable than hearing from the customers you’re hoping to impress.

Robert Half International is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, visit www.roberthalf.com. For additional career advice, view our career bloopers video series at www.roberthalf.com/dont-let-this-happen-to-you or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/roberthalf.

Courtesy: The Work Buzz

This year was certainly jam-packed with news. While I’m sure all of us are still dealing with the fallout of the disastrous Kardashian wedding or disappointed that Herman Cain has pulled out of the race for president, there are some stories that did impact job seekers – both those who are currently unemployed and those looking to change their current occupation.

Job creation
Obama has continued to push his jobs bill, and despite the quarreling over the package back in October, headway was made for unemployed veterans and small business, showing signs that both parties could come together to help put more Americans back to work in 2012 and beyond. CareerBuilder made a contribution to the Clinton Global Initiative this year to help job seekers identify which professions are in high-demand among employers across the country.

Occupy Wall Street movement
Another huge story this year was the Occupy Wall Street movement with many wondering what the whole kerfuffle was about. Many identified with the issue of economic disparity in our country, but many were still unsure about what the call-to-action was for implementing change.

LifeHacker put out an interesting story that interviewed Brightcove’s Ed Godin, the chief people officer, to discuss how those currently employed can support demonstrations like Occupy Wall Street without getting in trouble. His biggest tip: Consult the employee handbook and talk to someone in HR you trust to get more information. And it’s important to understand, because Caitlin Curran shares how she actually lost her job as a result of participating in the movement.

NBA lockout
For sport aficionados, the biggest story was the NBA lockout. However, some people may not have realized that the dispute between the league and players affected many more workers. An estimated 400 NBA jobs were eliminated since the lockout began July 1, according to The Sports Business Journal. The report estimated that 200 jobs had been shed by the league office, including jobs overseas, and that another 200 had been lost among the 30 franchises. Then there were those impacted by the lockout who worked during the games, in roles with concessions or parking or at local restaurants and small businesses.

Penn State
Another unfortunate story to hit the news had to do with Jerry Sandusky’s scandal and the effect it had on Penn State. While the entire institution could have used better judgment in handling the situation, it was interesting to hear that their career services department sent out an email to their students encouraging them in their job search by giving them advice on how to answer tough questions during an interview.

Social media 
Social media in the workplace was still a hot topic this year. After workers were fired for comments made about their workplace on Facebook, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that their company had to re-hire them and said, as part of the ruling, that employees “must be permitted to discuss the terms and conditions of their employment with co-workers and others.”

Skills gap
The skills gap was a huge point of discussion, including how workers will need to learn new skills in order to fill jobs that are in demand (like cloud developers, computer engineers, registered nurses, etc.). We even saw a story about a woman with a law degree who couldn’t get hired as a lawyer, so she  had to take on a more risqué line of work in order to pay her bills. While that’s not necessarily the kind of re-skilling of America we were anticipating, it goes to show that despite the positive job growth in the last few months, we still have a long way to go before we can consider ourselves completely out of the woods.

But there was still good news to report:

• One-in-Five Employers to Hire U.S. Veterans Over the Next 12 Months
• Nearly One in Four Companies Expects to Hire for Executive Level Positions Over Next Six Months
• CareerBuilder Partners with BranchOut to Bring More Social Connections to Job Search
• Top 10 Employment Trends of 2011

Courtesy: The Work Buzz

By Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder

In getting America back to work, the bottom line has been and will continue to be slow and steady growth. Recovery has been gradual since mid-2009, and it will persist in this way over the course of the next year.  

But that doesn’t mean 2012 won’t be positive for the job market.   

Each year, CareerBuilder asks employers about their hiring plans for the next 12 months. This year, we polled more than 3,000 hiring managers. Of those polled, 23 percent plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2012, while 16 percent plan to cut back staff levels. While these numbers are about even with employers’ 2011 predictions, they’re a marked improvement from recent years past. For example, at the end of 2008, just 14 percent of employers planned to hire new employees in 2009, while 16 percent planned to cut staff levels.

There’s also a good chance that actual hiring in 2012 will be better than employers’ initial predictions.

Historically, companies have been reserved in anticipating future hiring needs. Follow-up surveys done by CareerBuilder throughout the year typically find that employers hire more and downsize less than initially foreseen.  

Small business shows promise
Additional hope for the 2012 job market comes from an uptick in the number of small businesses that plan to hire next year. Sixteen percent of companies with 50 or fewer employees plan to bring on additional full-time staff next year, a 2 percent jump over 2011. Better still, 20 percent of companies with fewer than 250 employees and 21 percent of companies with fewer than 500 employees also reported plans to add staff next year. Both are increases over 2011 forecasts.

Small businesses provide about half of the private sector jobs in the U.S. and have accounted for about 65 percent of the total job creation in the past two decades, so much of the hope for the job market rests in the hands of these companies.

Job market trends for 2012
A number of trends emerged from the survey data that will impact the labor market throughout 2012. Among them:

1. Workers will seek new opportunities: As the economy improves, workers will begin looking for better job opportunities. Thirty-four percent of employers surveyed said that voluntary turnover was higher at their organizations in 2011 than in 2010, and 43 percent are concerned that it will continue to rise in 2012.

2. Employers will ramp up efforts to keep their current employees and attract new ones: Perhaps sparked by higher turnover in the last year, companies are willing to spend more money in 2012 to keep their staff — 62 percent of employers reported plans to increase employee compensation next year. The payouts will also be extended to new hires: 32 percent of companies plan to increase starting salary offers to new workers.  

Not surprisingly, the jobs that are most likely to command a raise next year are those that impact the bottom line. The functional areas in which employers said they’d most likely offer raises include sales, information technology, engineering and business development, in that order.

3. Multi-speed recovery will continue: Certain industries, job functions and geographic areas will recover faster than others. For example, employers are in need of highly skilled workers, so jobs in engineering and IT will be plentiful in the coming year.  Similarly, more employers in the West reported plans to hire in 2012 than did employers in the Northeast, Midwest and South.

4. Employers will try to close the skills gap: The skills gap — a hot topic in recruiting in 2011– will continue to be an issue in 2012. In order to meet their growing need for employees in high-skills functional areas, 38 percent of employers will provide workers and new hires with on-the-job training.

5. Employers will place greater emphasis on diversity: Employers will continue to make a concerted effort to recruit Hispanic, African-American, bilingual and female employees. Twenty-nine percent of employers said they’d focus on hiring diverse workers in 2012. One-in-five said they’d be recruiting African-American and Hispanic workers, while the same number reported plans to recruit women. Forty-four percent plan to concentrate on hiring more bilingual employees.

Matt Ferguson is the CEO of CareerBuilder.

Courtesy: The Work Buzz

And we’re back. Although it seems like the world shut down for the last week with everyone out for Christmas or trying to use up vacation days, we’re slowly getting back to the normal routine. Many of you are probably still in holiday mode, with cookie icing stuck to your face and a DVR full of TV shows you want to catch up on.

Whether you’re at home in your PJs or angrily the only person at work today, if you’re looking for a new gig, check out this list of companies hiring this week.

1. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Industry: Finance, banking
Sample job titles: Financial advisers/business development

2. New York Life Insurance
Industry: Insurance
Sample job titles: Sales, management

3. ServiceMaster
Industry: Residential and commercial service
Sample job titles: Sales representative, teammate

4. State Farm
Industry: Insurance
Sample job titles: Insurance sales representative, bilingual sales

5. PNC Bank
Industry: Banking, mortgage lending, securities
Sample job titles: Loan support analyst, senior government program manager

6. Aon
Industry: HR/consulting
Sample job titles:  Workforce administration business analyst, accounting associate

7. Fresenius Medical Care North America
Industry: Health care
Sample job titles: Home therapies RN, clinical manager

8. Harbor Freight Tools
Industry: Retail
Sample job titles: Senior manager of store communications, data integration, manager

Courtesy: The Work Buzz