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Using the Internet and Social Media to Search for a Job

June 30th, 2011 at 07:23am Under VOA

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

The job market is more competitive than ever for millions of workers around the world. In America, one reason right now is the slow recovery in job growth after the recession.

But other reasons involve changes in the needs of the American and global economies. In big developing economies like India and China, high turnover rates mean workers often move from job to job.

These days, many job seekers go online to connect with employers. Job candidates want to show they have a lot to offer. But in many cases they simply apply for a job title and list their work experience. Instead, they should describe the talents and abilities they could bring to an organization.

That is the advice of Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University in Indiana. He advises students on career planning and often talks about workplace issues in the media.

He says social media sites are valuable when they show the abilities of job candidates and not just their job title and experience.

STEVE LANGERUD: “This really is a talent economy, and we’re stuck with most job seekers presenting themselves in a job title mode. And I don’t think it matches very well.”

Steve Langerud says employers, too, should change their search methods. They should think harder about the skills they really need to help their organization reach its goals.

STEVE LANGERUD: “Because at the end of the day, it’s still about getting the right people in the right place at the right time and then keeping them.”

Ben Kirshner is the founder and chief executive of a media marketing company based in New York called Elite SEM. SEM is search engine marketing. His company’s job is to help businesses improve their websites and search engine results.

Ben Kirshner says when his company is searching for candidates for new positions, it first looks within. It considers existing employees. After that, he says, social sites can be valuable for finding new people.

BEN KIRSHNER: “Twenty-five percent of our new hires come from social media. Seventy-five percent typically come from word of mouth.”

In other words, three out of four people are found based on recommendations from others.

Elite SEM uses sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to learn about job candidates. LinkedIn is a networking site for professionals, so users might be more careful about what they say.

Mr. Kirshner says a site like Facebook can also provide a lot of information — good or bad — about a person. So pay attention to what you put on the Internet and what others put online about you.

And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Next week, more about searching for a job online. I’m Steve Ember.

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Thousands of US Teachers Lose Jobs as States Cut Budgets

June 8th, 2011 at 07:41am Under Education report

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

America’s recession ended in June of two thousand nine but recovery has been slow. Many states face budget problems and have cut spending in areas including education.

In California, thousands of teachers have lost their jobs. Veronica Pellegrin received a layoff notice in the mail.

VERONICA PELLEGRIN: “Getting the letter and seeing [you] will no longer be employed, your services will no longer be required — it is very disheartening, to say the least, and frustrating.”

Sixty percent of the teachers at the Mariposa-Nabi primary school in Los Angeles have received layoff notices.

Salvador Rodriguez, the school principal, has been able to provide computers for his students.

SALVADOR RODRIGUEZ: “We have to keep going and make it the best year possible with all these changes.”

But fewer teachers mean bigger classes at his school. Mr. Rodriguez says there used to be twenty students to a teacher. By next year, he expects nearly thirty students in a class.

SALVADOR RODRIQUEZ: “If you cut personnel, they can not give that individual attention.”

Teachers say this is true especially in schools with large immigrant populations where English is not the first language of many students.

Los Angeles has the nation’s second-largest public school system after New York City. The district has dismissed ten to twelve percent of its staff during the past two years. About half of those laid off were teachers, says John Deasy, the head of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

JOHN DEASY: “The recession has had an enormous impact on the state budget and we have had a huge drop in funding.”

An education professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, John Rogers, says other states have also laid off teachers.

JOHN ROGERS: “Some projections estimate that across the country, one hundred sixty thousand teachers have received layoff notices this spring.”

But he says the situation in California is worse because the state was already facing a budget deficit before the recession. Also, California was spending less per student than the national average.

Primary and secondary schools in California receive most of their funding from the state government. AJ Duffy is president of the United Teachers Los Angeles union. Mr. Duffy says the amount of funding each year depends on the economy.

AJ DUFFY: “In the past two and a half to three years, we have lost twenty billion dollars in funding for public education.”

And Superintendent John Deasy expects more changes if the state budget does not improve.

JOHN DEASY: “We are cutting all of our librarians, our nurses. We would be forced to close and consolidate schools.”

Most California school districts have already reduced the number of days per year that students must attend classes. Other states are also talking about shortening the school year to save money.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report. You can read and listen to this program and watch a related video at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

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Contributing: Elizabeth Lee

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