Professional~Level Hiring Expected To Increase in First Quarter ~ Shortage of Skilled Professionals
MENLO PARK, CA /PRNewswire/ ~ Employers expect to increase hiring for professional-level positions in the first quarter, but they have concerns about finding qualified candidates for these roles, a new Robert Half survey shows. A net 10 percent of executives interviewed for the Robert Half Professional Employment Report plan to add full-time staff in the first three months of the year, up three points from the fourth-quarter forecast. However, the number of respondents who report recruiting challenges also is on the rise: 67 percent of executives said it is at least somewhat challenging to find skilled employees today, up from 59 percent last quarter and 42 percent in the third quarter.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53176-robert-half-professional-employment-report-q12012
Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they are at least somewhat confident in their organizations’ ability to grow in the first quarter.
The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 4,000 C-level executives and other leaders from a variety of fields throughout the United States who are asked about their hiring plans and general level of optimism for the upcoming quarter. Survey respondents include more than 1,400 chief financial officers (CFOs); 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs); 500 senior human resources managers; 100 lawyers at law firms and 100 corporate lawyers; and 125 advertising executives and 375 marketing executives, all of whom have hiring authority. The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is the first quarterly executive survey of its size and scope to concentrate exclusively on professional-level hiring.
Key Findings
~ A net 19 percent of respondents in the transportation sector said they expect to make staff additions.
~ Businesses in the West North Central[1] states will be hiring most actively, with a net 15 percent of executives planning to add professional-level staff in the first quarter, research shows.
~ The legal field is expected to see the strongest hiring activity, with a net 27 percent of lawyers planning to increase staff levels. The information technology (IT) and finance fields showed the largest net gains in projected hiring activity from the prior quarter.
~ Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents( )said they are having recruiting challenges, up eight points from the fourth quarter.
~ Sixteen percent of respondents anticipate hiring professional-level staff and 6 percent expect reductions in personnel. The resulting net 10 percent increase is up three points from the fourth-quarter forecast.
Hiring Expectations: By Profession Increase //Decrease//Net Increase ======== ======== ============
Total 16% 6% 10% ~~- ~- ~- ~- Accounting and finance 20% 11% 9% ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~- Advertising and marketing 18% 4% 14% ~~~~~~~~~~~~- ~- ~- ~- Human resources 11% 3% 8% ~~~~~~~- ~- ~- ~- Information technology 20% 10% 10% ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~- Legal 31% 4% 27% ~~- ~- ~- ~- Sales and business development 15% 4% 11% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~-
Executives Reporting Recruiting Challenges: All Professions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- Quarter Executives Citing Recruiting Challenges ~-
1Q12 67% ~~ ~- 4Q11 59% ~~ ~- 3Q11 42% ~~ ~- 2Q11 37% ~~ ~- 1Q11 29% ~~ ~-
“The U.S. unemployment rate for college-educated workers is roughly half the overall rate, and for many professional specialties it is even lower,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. Messmer pointed out that in the third quarter of 2011, the unemployment rates for financial analysts and computer network architects were less than 1 percent, according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Brett Good, a senior district president with Robert Half International, added, “The common wisdom is that jobs are simple to fill in this market, but many employers are struggling to find the talent they need. Professionals with highly specialized skills are in short supply ~ particularly in the information technology and finance fields.”
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Region
Respondents in the West North Central states anticipate the strongest hiring activity in the first quarter, with a net 15 percent of executives planning to add staff. “Healthcare, manufacturing and financial services firms are responsible for much of the hiring activity in the West North Central region,” Messmer noted. “Businesses in these fields seek accounting operations professionals, customer service representatives, web developers and IT systems administrators, among other roles.”
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Industry
First-quarter professional-level hiring is anticipated to be strongest in the transportation sector, where a net 19 percent of respondents said they expect to make staff additions. A net 14 percent of executives in both the wholesale and construction industries also indicated they will hire during the quarter.
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Profession
While the legal profession maintained its top spot in the survey with a net 27 percent of lawyers planning to hire, IT and finance showed the largest sequential gains, each yielding net increases in hiring activity that are up four points from the fourth-quarter survey.
The IT and finance fields also reported the greatest difficulty in finding skilled professionals, at 73 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
About Robert Half International
Founded in 1948, Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm, is a recognized leader in professional staffing services. The company’s specialized staffing divisions include Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam, for highly skilled temporary administrative support personnel; Robert Half Technology, for information technology professionals; Robert Half Legal, for legal personnel; and The Creative Group, for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Robert Half International has staffing and consulting operations in more than 400 locations worldwide. Find more information at www.roberthalf.com, and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/roberthalf.
[1] IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD
SOURCE Robert Half International
CONTACT: Michael Weiss, michael.weiss@rhi.com
Web Site: http://www.roberthalf.com
===============
SAIC seeks Military Professionals to join it
SAIC Military Careers
SAIC is a FORTUNE 500® scientific, engineering and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and the world, in national security, energy & environment, health and cybersecurity. We know your transition from the military to a career in the private sector marks a new chapter in your professional journey.
Learn More About SAIC
With well over 10,000 veterans currently calling SAIC home, we want you to know that SAIC has proven expertise in supporting veterans through this transition. We invite you to search for jobs by military branch below. To learn about some of our OCONUS opportunities in locations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar, click here.
===============
Raytheon Acquires Cybersecurity and Software Engineering Firm Henggeler Computer Consultants
GARLAND, TX /PRNewswire/ ~ Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has acquired privately held Henggeler Computer Consultants, Inc., further extending Raytheon’s capabilities to serve the cybersecurity, enterprise architecture and systems engineering needs of customers in the intelligence community as well as in the Department of Defense. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction will not materially impact Raytheon’s total company sales or earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2011 or fiscal year 2012.
Henggeler Computer Consultants expands Raytheon’s comprehensive cybersecurity offerings with enterprise solutions delivered by a highly regarded technical team. The company is a forefront developer of enterprise architecture, analytics, software, and cloud-based solutions that form the backbone of key intelligence community systems.
“The addition of Henggeler will further strengthen Raytheon’s capabilities and competitiveness in cybersecurity,” said Lynn Dugle, president of Raytheon’s Intelligence and Information Systems business. “Henggeler is comprised of highly specialized and proven performers with deep customer relationships, and we are excited to welcome them as members of the Raytheon team.”
Henggeler Computer Consultants is headquartered in Columbia, Md., with offices in Annapolis Junction, Md. Founder and president Dick Henggeler will remain with the company.
The acquisition of Henggeler Computer Consultants marks Raytheon’s second cybersecurity-related acquisition this month and the 10th since 2007. On December 5, 2011, Raytheon purchased Madison, Ala.-based Pikewerks Corporation, which features a range of analysis and investigation capabilities as well as software protection and forensics solutions.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2010 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 89 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter at @raytheon.
Note to Editors
Since 2007, Raytheon’s cyber-related acquisitions include:
Oakley Networks 2007
SI Government Solutions 2008
Telemus Solutions 2008
BBN Technologies 2009
Compucat Research Pty. Ltd. 2010
Technology Associates 2010
Trusted Computer Solutions 2010
Applied Signal Technology 2011
Pikewerks Corporation 2011
Media Contact
Jared Adams iispr@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company
Web Site: http://www.raytheon.com
===============
The 3 Smartest Things You Can Do to Find a Job
Networking and Resume Tips from Jobfox
MCLEAN, VA /PRNewswire/ — Whether you are looking to start fresh in the New Year, or have been unemployed for any length of time, now is your chance to breathe life into your tired job search. Jobfox, one of the nation’s fastest growing online job sites, has a few suggestions for you.
Fine Tune your Resume
First and foremost, your resume must meet the standards of today’s hiring processes before applying to jobs online or posting your resume publicly. The current job market demands more than just impeccable grammar and a readable font. Keyword optimization, for example, is crucial to getting your resume the attention it deserves. Keywords can either be found in your target job descriptions, or specifically researched and tailored by professional resume writers. Including these details will assure that your resume comes up in recruiter’s searches. Along these same lines, resumes and cover letters should also be specifically targeted to each individual job’s requirements. Customization and personal touches distinguish you from the seas of typical resumes, helping you land interviews and get the job you desire.
Additionally, when describing your previous positions, be sure to showcase your accomplishments. Recruiters are not interested in reading through a catalog of tasks and duties–they want to know what you have achieved. Sell yourself through your resume by highlighting milestones and accomplishments that correlate directly with a potential employer’s objectives. “You could be the best performer at your job, but without documenting your measurable achievements, awards, or relevant new experiences on the job, you can’t provide proof when asked. As the years go by, the likelihood of remembering details of every accomplishment will more difficult. In 2012, jot down what you’ve achieved at your job – it will serve a useful purpose in optimizing your resume, and in the end, your chances of landing the job of your dreams,” suggests Alex Soto, CEO of ResumeLance and Soto Marketing Communications.
Take Advantage of Social Media
Job seekers should maintain an active, relevant presence in all social media platforms. LinkedIn and Facebook profiles need to be updated, professional and personalized, and you should make as many connections as possible. Merge these contacts on sites like Jobfox.com and Indeed.com in order to receive notifications about possible connections within the companies you’d like to work. If you do not know these potential contacts directly, ask someone you do know to recommend you or to make a direct introduction. Don’t be shy–applicants with referrals such as these are at least 5 times as likely to get an interview.
“Here is the real one/two punch: Target your resume to the job you want and get that resume into the hands of the hiring manager through a reference. Your chances of landing that job just skyrocketed past your competition,” says Peggy Padalino, VP of Sales and Client Services at Jobfox.
Network
Follow through with all leads, both online and in person, no matter how small. Research shows that lengthy periods of unemployment are directly linked to passive approaches to job searching. Regardless of how well-crafted your resume or impressive your career, an expansive network is essential to bolstering your search for the perfect job. Reach out to colleagues and friends, and proactively foster second and third degree connections. Moreover, networking is about establishing a rapport; it is extremely important that traditional courtesies and etiquette not be overlooked, even in the era of the social media. Experts recommend sending a thank you letter following an interview. Not only will it set you apart from other applicants for the job in question, but this simple act of decorum will also help establish a lasting connection within the company.
About Jobfox
Founded in 2005 in McLean, Virginia, Jobfox is a leading job search and career-networking site designed to find candidates the right jobs at the best companies. Through a comprehensive skills-based matching system, Jobfox connects thousands of employers to the most qualified individuals, as well as linking job seekers to relevant job opportunities in their fields. With over 1 Million resumes improved, Jobfox is also the largest provider of professionally written resumes online. For more information, visit http://www.jobfox.com
SOURCE Jobfox
CONTACT: Leigh Burke of Jobfox, lburke@jobfox.com
Web Site: http://www.jobfox.com
Risk of Unemployment Varies by College Major – Unemployment Level for High School Graduates Without Degree is 22.9%
WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Unemployment figures show the jobless rate for recent college graduates with Bachelor’s Degrees has been running at an unacceptable 8.9 percent. But, a new study from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce finds that unemployment among job seekers with no better than a high school diploma is a catastrophic 22.9 percent – and an almost unthinkable 31.5 percent among high school dropouts.
So, is college still worth it? A major conclusion of the new report is that it all depends on your major. And while a college degree gives job seekers a formidable advantage over those without, the study points out, not all degrees are created equal, and there are a number of factors that prospective students should consider before sending off their college applications.
Choice of major determines unemployment. Risk of unemployment for recent graduates varies considerably depending on their major. The highest rate, the study found, is among Architecture graduates (13.9 percent) due to the collapse of the construction and home-building industries in the recession. Unemployment is generally higher for non-technical majors, such as the Arts (11.1 percent) or Social Sciences (8.9 percent).
What employed college graduates make also depends on what they take. Median earnings among recent college graduates vary from $55,000 among Engineering majors to $30,000 in the Arts, as well as Psychology and Social Work.
People who make technology are better off than people who use technology. For recent graduates in Math and Computing, unemployment is low for specialists who can write software and invent new applications (6%), but still comparatively high (11.2 percent) for those who use software to manipulate, mine and disseminate information.
Unemployment is lowest where the ties between majors and occupations are highest. Unemployment rates are relatively low (5.4 percent) for recent graduates in Engineering, the Sciences, Education, or Healthcare related majors because they are tied to stable or growing industry sectors and occupations. Psychology and Social Work graduates also have relatively low rates (7.3 percent), because almost half of them work in the Healthcare or Education sectors.
At the same time, majors that are closely aligned with occupations and industries in low demand can misfire. For example, unemployment rates for recent college graduates who majored in Architecture start high at 13.9 percent and due to its strong alignment with the collapse in construction and housing, unemployment remains high even for experienced college graduates at 9.2 percent.
Consider a graduate degree. The overall unemployment rate for people with graduate degrees is just 3 percent. With the exception of Arts and Education, where pay traditionally has been low, workers with graduate degrees average between $60,000 and $100,000 per year, compared to a range of $48,000 and $62,000 for workers with Bachelor’s Degrees.
Not all graduate degrees outperform all BA’s on employment. Forexample, experienced college graduates in a healthcare field have lower unemployment rates than people with graduate degrees in every other field except the life and physical sciences.
The full report: Hard Times, College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal is available online at http://cew.georgetown.edu/unemployment.
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute that studies the link between individual goals, education and training curricula, and career pathways.
CONTACT: Andrea Porter, cewgeorgetown.media@gmail.com
SOURCE Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Web Site: http://cew.georgetown.edu/
Georgetown University,
Police Learn Antiterrorist Tactics at January 12 Seminar in Quincy, MA. Coverage Invited.
BOSTON, MA /PRNewswire/ — Mass. police chiefs, ranking officers, and private sector security will be briefed on new antiterrorism tactics known as Behavioral Detection to identify potential terrorists without violating civil rights or resorting to ineffective profiling, Jan. 12 in Quincy.
Organized by Protecting the Homeland Innovations (PHI), the program shows police how to quickly sort through thousands of individuals to spot the single, potentially dangerous individual exhibiting high-risk behavior. PHI trains Amtrak, NYPD, New Jersey Transit and other police, security, and mass transit agency professionals. (http://www.phitraining.com/training.html)
Coverage invited, journalist participation encouraged
Date: 10 AM – 3 PM, Thurs., Jan. 12
Participants: Police Chiefs, Lieutenants, & Private Security Managers
Location: Boston Quincy Marriott – 1000 Marriott Drive, Quincy
Late Registration: contact PHI at: 508-400-0265
Organizer: Protecting the Homeland Innovations, LLC, founded by Todd McGhee, veteran Mass. state trooper who pioneered post-9/11 security measures at Boston’s Logan International.
Timely: Upcoming election campaign stops, primary voting and town hall meetings are opportunities for the high-risk individual to hide in plain site and challenge police to keep the public safe.
Media Contact:
Dick Pirozzolo (dick@pirozzolo.com) 781-235-9911 or 617-959-4613
Barry Nolan (barrynolan@aol.com) 617-515-5177
The seminar will cover Tactical Dialogue techniques in which police or security officers ask innocuous questions and look for subconscious responses or tells that indicate trouble.
Behavioral Detection includes learning how to spot the individual who seems to be oblivious to surroundings, taking orders on a cell phone or is out of step with surrounding activity.
“While rail stations and airports gets most of the attention, city and town police will benefit from knowing the latest anti-terror tactics,” says Todd McGhee, founder of Protecting the Homeland Innovations, LLC, who created the program.
Says McGhee, “Behavioral Detection and Tactical Dialogue revive the lost art of policing – when the cop on the corner knew when something in the neighborhood just didn’t look right.
SOURCE Protecting the Homeland Innovations (PHI)
Web Site: http://www.phitraining.com/training.html
Massachusetts,
Raytheon Awarded Airborne Radar Contracts Worth $320 Million
EL SEGUNDO, CA/PRNewswire/ ~ Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) booked $320 million this month in new contract awards related to its active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar programs for domestic and international customers.
With active electronic beam scanning, which allows the radar beam to be steered at nearly the speed of light, Raytheon AESA radars optimize situational awareness and provide superior air-to-air and air-to-surface capability. The agile beam enables the radars to “interleave” in near-real time, so that pilot and crew can use both modes simultaneously.
After designing and building the world’s first operational AESA fighter radar, Raytheon has continuously advanced its AESA technology. More than 300 AESA radar systems have been delivered by Raytheon to customers for multiple platforms worldwide, and have been in service for more than 250,000 operational flight hours.
“Raytheon’s AESA radars continue to set the industry standard for performance and reliability,” said Mark Kula, vice president, Tactical Airborne Systems, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. “Our solid bookings in 2011 attest to this fact, and we expect to see continued growth in this area.”
Raytheon Company, with 2010 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 89 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide. For more about Raytheon, visit us atwww.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter at @raytheon.
Media Contact John Barksdale
SOURCE Raytheon Company
Web Site: http://www.raytheon.com
===============
Boren Scholarships ~ International Studies
Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. For a complete list of countries, click here.
Boren Scholars represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili. For a complete list of languages, click here.
Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.
To view the Program Basics for the Boren Scholarship, click here.
Europe, Chinese, Eurasia, Korean, Latin America, Middle East, National Security Education Program, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, scholarships
Vets, Holidays and Suicide
Holidays and suicides ~~ this can be a depressing time for many.
Sad to say but there is one group that bears special attention: military veterans.
Vets now make up half of all suicides, at the rate of 18 suicides per day.
The VA’s suicide hotline receives about 10,000 calls a month from current and former service members. The number is 1-800-273-8255. Service members and veterans should push 1 for veterans’ services.
