Preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) show that there were roughly 3.5
million job openings on the last business day of June
2005. And the job openings rate—the number of job
openings divided by total jobs, both filled and unfilled—was
2.6 percent.
This rate has generally increased since September 2003,
which means that there has been a rise in the percent of
jobs that are open at a given time.
The table shows the job openings rate in
major industry sectors. According to BLS, the rate of
openings was highest in professional and business
services. The professional and business services industry
includes establishments that specialize in a variety of
activities, such as computer, consulting, and advertising
services.
Throughout the month of June, about 3.3
million people were hired and about 2.6 million left or
lost their jobs.
These data come from the Job Openings and Labor
Turnover Survey. This survey also collects data on
employee hires and separations. For more information,
write to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEUS/JOLTS,
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE., Room 4840, Washington, DC
20212-0001; call (202) 691-5870; or visit online at www.bls.gov/jlt.
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So, your job interview didn’t go well? It
probably wasn’t as bad as you think, comparatively speaking.
Recent surveys by the National Association of
Colleges and Employers reveal interview fiascos endured by both
jobseekers and employers. Imagine, for example, being called the
wrong name during your interview, or hearing all about the
person who was interviewed before you, or being interviewed by
someone trying to intimidate you. These were among the worst
interview experiences reported by college students who
participated in the association’s 2005 Graduating Student and
Alumni Survey.
Employers responding to the association’s Job
Outlook 2005 survey also had tales to tell. One employer
described a prospective employee who talked on a cell phone for
all but 7 minutes of a 45-minute interview. Another employer was
disenchanted by a jobseeker who fell asleep halfway through the
interview. And the need to define professional attire became
apparent when one interviewee, heeding advice to "dress
nicely," showed up in the nicest thing she owned: a prom
gown.
Compared to these mishaps, your interview
probably went well. Even if you did commit an interview gaffe,
one bad experience won’t ruin your career. And on the bright
side, a bad experience makes for a good story.
For more information about the association or
its surveys, write to the National Association of Colleges and
Employers, 62 Highland Avenue, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18017;
call toll-free, 1 (800) 544-5272; or visit its Web site, www.naceweb.org.
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The search is on for the next great U.S.
artists. High school students who have talent in the performing,
literary, or visual arts can gain recognition and win cash
prizes—as well as scholarship money to fund their education—through
the annual Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) program.
Administered by the National Foundation for
Advancement in the Arts, a nonprofit organization that
encourages professional and emerging artists, the ARTS program
is open to all students who will be high school seniors during
the 2005-06 academic year. After these budding artists submit
portfolios of their work, selected students are invited to
attend a week of classes, interviews, and other arts-related
activities.
Top student artists are chosen, and winners
receive cash awards ranging from $100 to $10,000 and become
eligible for more than $3 million in scholarships. Additionally,
up to 50 finalists are nominated to the Presidential Scholars
Program, sponsored by the White House, from which 20 students
are named Presidential Scholars in the Arts. These students have
the opportunity to perform or have their artwork exhibited in
Washington, D.C.
The final registration deadline is October 1.
There is an application fee, but it is lower if students apply
online; also, fee reductions may be available for students who
have limited financial resources.
For more information, write to the National
Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Arts Recognition and
Talent Search, 444 Brickell Avenue, P-14, Miami, FL 33131; or
visit the foundation’s Web site, www.artsawards.org.
For details about registering for the ARTS program online, visit
www.nfaa.org/application/apply.htm.
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The newest version of O*Net, the Occupational
Information Network, was released recently. O*Net is a database
of occupations that is designed to help people learn about
occupational characteristics and explore careers. Because
occupations change over time, O*Net updates its database on a
rotational basis about once every 6 months. The goal is to
update the entire database within a 5-year period.
O*Net 8.0 has 100 newly revised occupations.
Also included are new and revised task statements and data on
work styles, training, work experience, and education
requirements.
The database, available from O*Net’s Developer’s
Corner, is used primarily by systems analysts, developers, and
researchers who create other products, software, or systems
applications. But anyone with Internet access can download from
the O*Net Web site in Zip format or, upon request, in other
formats.
Soon, O*Net 8.0 will be used to update O*Net
OnLine, which provides occupational data in an easy-to-use,
searchable format.
O*Net’s development database is available at
www.onetcenter.org/dev_db.html. Visit O*Net OnLine at www.onetcenter.org.
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