U.S. Economy continues to add new jobs
Abridged: Execunet.com NORWALK, CT -- The U.S. economy continues to add new executive-level jobs at a brisk pace," says Mark Anderson, President of ExecuNet. "Faced with a pending shortage of qualified talent, companies are now addressing their hiring needs with a much greater sense of urgency - a trend that's put candidates back in the driver's seat."

Recruiters are also expecting a busy holiday hiring season this year - 71% said they are confident or very confident the employment market will improve in the next three months - compared with 61% in October 2005. During this period of time, the executive search industry is expecting a 23% increase in the number of six-figure job assignments received from corporate clients.

With the unemployment rate falling to its lowest level in more than five years, the executive search industry continues to expand. In October, half of all search firms reported plans to hire additional professional staff during the next three months to keep pace with job growth.

Excuses for missing work getting wackier
Abridged: Koco.com OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Have you ever called in sick when you're feeling fine? If so, you're in good company. A new survey by CareerBuilder finds 32% of workers have done just that in the last year. Many people are using sick days as "mental health days" to catch up on sleep or simply relax.

The amount of unexcused absences from the office is significant and can be indicative of employee dissatisfaction. So it's important to keep in mind that using sick days as vacation days can get you in trouble. Twenty-seven percent of hiring managers reported they have fired a worker for calling in sick without a legitimate reason. Employers have heard plenty of unusual excuses for not coming to work. Some excuses include:

Poisoned by his mother-in-law.
Feeling all the symptoms of his expecting wife.
Employee was locked in a restroom stall.
Employee broke their leg snowboarding.
Employee couldn’t come to work because of household chores.
Employee’s mother was in jail.
A skunk got into the employee’s house and sprayed his uniforms.

Learn resiliency skills in your job search
Abridged: StarTribune.com ST. PAUL, MN -- How you deal with the anger, frustration and loss of self-esteem from a job loss plays a key role in future success. Being resilient in your job search and career is the key. Employers are turned off by an applicant who complains about their previous employers. That's why you need to cleanse that bad experience from your memory before applying or interviewing for a new job.

Write about how you feel. Include all the things you would like to have said to your previous bosses but didn't. Dwelling on "If only ... " keeps you mired in the past and is discouraging. Discover something of value in your experiences. People hit with major, life-disrupting experiences will tend to have either a victim/blaming reaction or a coping/learning reaction. Find the balance. Why was it good that this happened?

It's important to move forward using the experience as a learning factor. Take a moment to think back to a time when you set a goal, made a commitment, did the hard work and succeeded. Celebrate that success, and think about the specific steps you took to make that happen. Now, think about how you can apply those same skills and qualities to your current situation.

Taking a career detour
Abridged: StarTribune.com ST. PAUL, MN -- Sometimes in order to land the job or career you want, you need to take a career detour. That means taking a job within an industry or field that can be a steppingstone to the career you really want.

Working a full-time, demanding job might be a way of building a financial stash prior to embarking on a new business venture for yourself. Or working a part-time or less demanding job might help you when studying toward another career. As long as you keep reminding yourself what the end goal is, a detour can be the right move.

When starting on a detour, make sure you are constantly challenging yourself and taking risks. Seek opportunities to stick your neck out and get noticed. You also need to be proactive about your goals and initiate discussions with your employers, promote yourself, and ask for opportunities to learn new skills or try out new projects. Keep in mind the ability to change industries and careers takes considerable patience and persistence, and typically the willingness to work for less income and perhaps in less ideal positions - to get where you want.

Landing The Job – Time to Update Your Resume!
Abridged: The Career Exposure Network Rewrite/update/re-work your resume to reflect your current career objectives. Remember that your resume speaks volumes about you, particularly if you're looking to shift gears into a new field in which you have no directly applicable experience. Be sure to note your skills and capabilities, the personal qualifications that you will bring to a job rather than industry-specific experience. And, emphasize transferable skills such as leadership, flexibility, teamwork, and problem-solving. Also, be sure to highlight prior measurable/demonstrable accomplishments.

Use your cover letter as an effective tool to shed light on why you want to enter a new field. Quickly recap the research you've done to prove that you're not making a rash decision. You need to illustrate that you're committed to this change and that you can step in and contribute to the company immediately.

Regardless of what you say and write, be professional at all times.

Process Chemical Engineer – Plating (Midwest & East Coast)
Primary responsibility is sustaining of processes in the Plating area in support of the manufacturing of printed circuit boards. Responsible for production support, process evaluation, and improvement of manufacturing processes utilizing statistical experimental methodologies, DOE (Design of Experiments), project management for capital equipment justification and installation of high velocity production systems. Interfaces with manufacturing, engineering, suppliers, and customers. Specific expertise in electrolytic and electroless plating techniques desired. Requires exceptional, demonstrated ability in both technical circuit board technology techniques, and general communication and leadership skills. Bachelor or Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Industrial / Manufacturing or related field preferred with 3-5 years experience in circuit board manufacturing.

Please take a moment and email us with an updated resume if you have not done so recently. resume@greenlinegroup.net