Thursday, October 31, 2013

Job Market Report 10 30 13 - FLAT ... FLAT ... Read below ...



For Immediate Release
For information: Dan Moran, 518-641-8968  dmoran@next-act.com

Job Market Continues Flat – Market Concerns over Affordable Care Take Hold

Albany, NY,  October 30, 2013) –  As forecasters predicted, the uncertainty over the Affordable Health Care Plan (aka Obamacare) has put the job market in a huge stall – nationally, statewide and in our Capital Region. “We are seeing flat – very flat – job market activity in a period when forecasters all concurred should be much stronger, but it is not. Employers are reacting to the uncertainty of the health insurance market as it appears that overall insurance premiums will be higher and that affects employers costs directly. When in doubt , the employment market will stall –we are there now and not at the best of times for sure”, stated Dan Moran, of Next-Act (www.next-act.com), a career transition management firm located in Colonie.

In the Capital Region, postings were flat with the week before. The past seven days postings averaged 1834 vs. 1831 the week prior – flat. Other markets in NYS posted similar results flat results this past week.  The Capital Region continues to still outpace Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, all larger markets with more employers and population.  

“In speaking to business leaders, I am hearing the same thing over and over again – they are not spending money and that mean hiring until the healthcare situation is straightened out and they know their real costs. A conversation yesterday was telling: “I am not spending one penny more than I have too now as I have no clue what effect Obama care will have on my business”.

National Job Scene

Nationally the market was flat as well and down significantly from a few weeks ago. Job postings the past seven days were 515,250 compared to 522,000  the weeks before and 547,000 two weeks ago. “The disturbing trend continues. The market has softened considerable from early October (10/1/13) when there were 624,500 jobs nationally – that is over a 17% drop in one month”.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Where do you find inspiration

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. - Jack London
 
It is "inside" you waiting to be tapped and will surface again when you allow yourself to accept that you can be inspired. When that happens - you become truly inspired - you take control of your life and career and be what you want to be:

 Need a new job? Be insured to achieve this
 Unhappy in your career? Find the inspiration - and accept it - to make this your focus goal
 Unhappy with a part of your life? You know - get inspired to make the changes needed

 I found this great list of inspirational quotes on a site I follow closely, www.forbes.com. I think you will find what I selected to be inspiring, thought provoking and "releasing"! Enjoy --- and thank you for reading this. Dan
 
  1. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. –Napoleon Hill
  2. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs
  3. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein
  4. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.  –Robert Frost
  5. The common question that gets asked in business is, ‘why?’ That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, ‘why not?’ -Jeffrey Bezos
  6. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky
  7. I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. –Michael Jordan
  8. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth
  9. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. –W. Clement Stone
  10. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John Lennon
  11. We become what we think about. –Earl Nightingale
  12. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover. –Mark Twain
  13. .Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –John Maxwell
  14. .If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. –Tony Robbins
  15. The mind is everything. What you think you become.  –Buddha
  16. .The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb
  17. .An unexamined life is not worth living. –Socrates
  18. .Eighty percent of success is showing up. –Woody Allen
  19. .Don’t wait. The time will never be just right. –Napoleon Hill
  20. .Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. –Vince Lombardi
  21. .I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. –Stephen Covey
  22. .Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso
  23. You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus
  24. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou
  25. Either you run the day, or the day runs you. –Jim Rohn

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Job Market Report 10 23 13 - Shaky ground we are on ...



October 23, 2013

For Immediate Release
For information: Dan Moran, 518-641-8968  dmoran@next-act.com

Job Market Continues FlatNational job market in a significant stall

Albany, NY,  October 23, 2013) –  When we should be seeing the regional, statewide and national job market perk, we are in a stall – especially on the national front. Job postings have been the same in our region and across the state. Nationally, there should be concern as the market is clearly slumping.  “There are may factors contributing to this – the lingering effects of the government shutdown, and the drama of the Affordable Health Care Act.  Any disruption causes concern, and employers hold back on hiring”, stated Dan Moran, of Next-Act (www.next-act.com), a career transition management firm located in Colonie.

“The 4th quarter was thought to be very strong but the prospects appear to be dwindling. There are many factors causing concerns with employers’, and they need to have confidence in our government and policies like health care. It just isn’t there”, continued Moran

In the Capital Region, postings were flat with the week before. The past seven days postings averaged 1831 vs., 1891 the week prior – flat. Other markets in NYS posted similar results flat results this past week.  The Capital Region continues to still outpace Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, all larger markets with more employers and population.  

National Job Scene

Nationally the market was down rather sharply with 522,000  job postings reported, as compared to 547,000 the week before and over 619,000 three weeks back. “There is a disturbing tread nationally”.  
About Next-Act


Next-Act, a division of DVG, Inc. is a career management & transition firm directed by Dan Moran, the Founder & President of the firm. Moran contributes over thirty years experience in career consulting, business and human resources management. In 2013, his firm will celebrate 25 years in business. Moran is noted for his expertise in helping today’s “boomers” move on to fulfilling second careers, while helping executives and professionals achieve their career goals. The firm also provides human resources consulting and corporate services to companies. Moran is also a certified facilitator for C.J. Hayden’s Get Clients Now! &  Get Hired Now! programs.





Dan Moran
President & Founder
Next-Act:
Career Management & Transition Specialists
Corporate Management Services
Celebrating 25 years providing career & corporate management services in 2013!
125 Wolf Road, Suite #128
Albany, NY 12205
Phone: 518-641-8968
eFax: 586-279-4212
facebook    twitter
Visit the Assessment Center: next-act.com/assessment-center.cfm
Manage Performance & Achievement: next-act.com/prescriptive-performance-analysis.cfm

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Really – what is up with the job market …

He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts - for support rather than for illumination.  ~Andrew Lang
It can make you crazy (and I live by these numbers and trends):
  • Job market down
  • Job market up
  • Good month for jobs
  • Bad month for jobs
Every report adds a level of confusion and one does not know what to believe. I thought I would provide some clarity in this week’s blog – to a situation that is as clear as mud! I track the job market nationally, regionally and statewide daily and report weekly to the media (if you would like to see the weekly report that is issued Wednesday night, connect with me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Next-Act-Career-Management/118936434845981?ref=hl)

First, the fundamentals
The job market reports that you hear on the news or read about from the Fed are never accurate. They can’t be given the way they measure the number of new jobs very month. One would think it is a national count of unemployment claims less the number of people who went off unemployment – that would yield a valid number.
But is in not the way the fed determines the unemployment rate or number of new jobs. Rather, it is a telephone survey of households and based upon the manner in which the questions are answered, one is classified as:
  • Employed
  • Unemployed
  • Unemployed and no longer looking for work
The first two are simple – the last one baffling. If one reports that they are unemployed and no longer looking for work, they are no longer counted as unemployed. They are counted as leaving the workforce. Really?
So the jobs report is released at 8:30 am on the first Friday of the month, the Stock Market reacts, the President speaks or does not speak (depending upon the data) and that is it. What you need to watch, however, is the adjustment 30 days later – the number of new jobs usually goes down and the number of unemployed goes up and sometimes the adjustment is huge, but not reported. This happens because states report their actual data.
So is it accurate – not likely. Is it a trend indicator – yes. The trend is an improved but still sluggish job market nationally. We are far better than a few years back, but not adding enough jobs to reduce the unemployment rate with gusto (there needs to be 150,000 new jobs monthly just to hold the unemployment rate steady – 250,00 is considered a good number; the nation have been in the 150-160,000 level for several months).

But what about us – in the Capital Region?
Time to bring this to our neighborhood.  We are in a bubble of sorts and let me give you the facts:
  • The Capital Region, defined  a 50 mile radius of Albany, is the strongest job market in the state and one of the strongest in the country right now and has been.
  • On a per population and per employer base, our region leads the state in new job opportunities. We consistently beat Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse by a wide margin week over week. NY City is not included – the size dwarfs the state.
  • On a given week there are somewhere north of 1800 to 2200 jobs available in our region. That is usually 25% to 35% higher than the previous mentioned markets, and those markets are 30-35% larger than the Capital Region.
  • Our region is still down from pre-recession levels when we would routinely see over 3500 to 4000 jobs. The national job market is down 45% still.  It is very clear: employers are not hiring unless they absolutely need to, and technology is replacing jobs.
Soooo … what does this mean to you if you are looking for a job or thinking about beginning a search or career change?

Absolutely nothing. You cannot be influenced by the numbers, and you cannot change them. You just need to have resolve to change your situation in employment, commit to taking the actions you need to, and you will be successful. It is confidence, diligence and a winning attitude – that makes the difference. Don’t  get hung up with what you read or hear –out it aside.

I know the naysayers will beat me up for thisbut our region (and we are not smalbany anymore!) is booming with new businesses and yes jobs. Good jobs – good paying jobs.
Resolve to succeed, and you will. And thank you for reading this. – Dan

PS: I posted this week’s job report below … Again, if you would like to see the post weekly, connect with me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Next-Act-Career-Management/118936434845981?ref=hl



October 16, 2013

For Immediate Release
For information: Dan Moran, 518-641-8968  dmoran@next-act.com

Job Market Continues Slump – Unrest in Washington continues to be the cause

Albany, NY,  October 16, 2013) –  Job postings continued to be in a slump, but the good news – the numbers are steady but still down. “It appears that the lingering fears and uncertainty about the government shutdown and debt ceiling were weighing heavy on decisions to continue hiring. With some level of resolve even short-term, we may see an upswing – but difficult to forecast as we could, as well, stay in a slump until final resolve. This, combined with uncertainty over the Affordable Health Care Act is having a negative effect on hiring, as forecasters predicted”,  stated Dan Moran, of Next-Act (www.next-act.com), a career transition management firm located in Colonie.

“While the numbers are flat, our Region is doing much better with jobs than other markets in NYS and compared to markets of similar size across the Northeast. Our Region is still the shining star for sure, fueled by growth of the technology sector”.

Postings in the region were 1,893, up very, very slightly from  1825 the week prior. This comes on the heels of a sharp 16% decline the week before last which was  rather significant.  

Other markets in NYS posted similar results flat results this past week.  The Capital Region continues to still outpace Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, all larger markets with more employers and population.  

National Job Scene

Nationally the market is as well flat with 547,000  job postings reported. This is also on the heels of a steep 19% dive the week prior when postings were 559,000 and 619,00 two weeks ago.  

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Define your goals - it is the SMART thing to do ...

"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." Fitzhugh Dodson

I sometimes irritate clients – I push then on having every thought or action tied to a specific goals, deadline, results etc. statements of actions. Without a measurement, you cannot achieve –and then celebrate – a goal achievement.

It is true in defining your career and life plan as well. This is a critical first step because without definition of what you want to be, and without the ability to measure your progress, you will not succeed.
Goals become more tactical – specific to a degree – and serve as tools to guide you and measure your performance. Establishing life goals defines where you want to be, looking at you as a total person.  It is not just about  money or status – but rather defining and achieving goals that will make you smile and know you are doing good for yourself, your family and community.
Goals include but certainly are not limited to:
  • Your Career Goals – Understanding the  level you want to reach in your career.
  • Your Financial Goals – The bottom-line: How much do you want to earn, by when, and how this is related to your career goals.
  • Your Educational Attainment – Determining what you want to achieve in education, by when, and as well including specific knowledge of skills you wish to obtain.
  • Your Family Goals – This is determining your overall family plans (i.e.: parent – or not) as well as understanding how do you want to be viewed by a partner or by members of your extended family?
  • Your Attitude Goals – The big gun --- the one tool you have that can put you first – your attitude and it is your choice what it will be. Is there any part of your mindset holding you back? Is there any part of the way that you behave that upsets you? If so, set a goal to improve your behavior or find a solution to the problem.)
  • Your Physical Goals – Do you question the way you look and feel? Do you desire to attain a change in your health, appearance or activity? When you define your physical goals, it is important to create – and sty on – a plan to achieve them.
  • Your “Me” Goals - Pleasure – It is important to determine and set goals for enjoyment and how one wishes to enjoy themselves. It is part of putting yourself first which is critical.
  • Your Service Goals – Determining how you want to help others, the community or on a larger context, society and ht you leave behind is critical as well and part of your vision. Do you want to impact the world in some manner – how do you plan to do it?
Every goal must be measure: The Beauty of SMART Goals
To make your goals truly powerful and achievable, make them “SMART”. This is a process to define not only your goal, but to test its viability, impact and measure of achievement:
SMART Goals are:
  • S - Specific (or Significant).
  • M - Measurable (or Meaningful).
  • A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
  • R - Relevant (or Rewarding).
  • T - Time-bound (or Trackable).
For example, to state that you will have a new career isn’t SMART. Rather, stating that I will be engaged in a career that is aligned to me by 12/31/XXXX – not that is a SMART goal.
Other tips to make your goals more effective
A few suggestions:
  • Make  each goal positive  - Express your goals positively – "Execute this technique well" is a much better goal than "Don't make this stupid mistake."
  • Be Very Specific:  Establish dates, times and metrics amounts so that you can measure achievement. If you do this, you'll know exactly when you nailed it and feel the complete satisfaction from having achieved it.
  • Establish Priorities  - This is critical when you have several goals as you should with this program.  Prioritizing by ranking your goals 1 to x will help you feel less overwhelmed and keep you focused.
  • Write goals down – No excuses. If you do not, you do not commit to them and goals have no effect. When you write them down, keep your goals visible – 24/7.
  • Set achievable goals -  Take care to set goals you can control . Nothing will bring you down like the failure to achieve a personal goal for reasons beyond your control so why set yourself up for this possibility?
You cannot manage what you cannot measure – the words of Peter Drucker and it is so true. Set your course – navigate your path – do it with goals – SMART goals that is!

And thank you for reading this. - Da

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Job Market report - 10 9 13 - Shutdown having a strong effect!



October 9, 2013

For Immediate Release
For information: Dan Moran, 518-641-8968  dmoran@next-act.com

Job Market Slumps – Appears fears related to Government shutdown taking hold

Albany, NY,  October 9, 2013) –  After a very strong week last week for jobs in the region on top of strong results in the most recent weeks, the market cooled slightly significantly on all fronts – regionally, statewide and nationally.  “Analysts are reporting that employers may be holding off on hiring activity until they see how the whole government shutdown plays out, and what happens with the Affordable Health Care Act. The market, when faced with uncertainty, tends to pause – much as the stock market has, and we can likely expect this to continue until there is some resolution”,  stated Dan Moran, of Next-Act (www.next-act.com), a career transition management firm located in Colonie.

Postings in the region were 1825, down from 2170 the week prior, a close to 16% drop which is rather significant.  “ We hope this is very situational as employers have forecasted a strong 4th quarter of the year for hiring. A long-term disruption like this could have very negative consequences. Let’s hope that employers do not lose confidence”.

Other markets in NYS posted similar results down results this past week.  The Capital Region continues to still outpace Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, all larger markets with more employers and population.  

National Job Scene

Nationally the market took a rather step 19% dive from 619,000 down to 560,000 the past week. “This is a very concerning number nationally”.

About Next-Act


Next-Act, a division of DVG, Inc. is a career management & transition firm directed by Dan Moran, the Founder & President of the firm. Moran contributes over thirty years experience in career consulting, business and human resources management. In 2013, his firm will celebrate 25 years in business. Moran is noted for his expertise in helping today’s “boomers” move on to fulfilling second careers, while helping executives and professionals achieve their career goals. The firm also provides human resources consulting and corporate services to companies. Moran is also a certified facilitator for C.J. Hayden’s Get Clients Now! &  Get Hired Now! programs.





Dan Moran
President & Founder
Next-Act:
Career Management & Transition Specialists
Corporate Management Services
Celebrating 25 years providing career & corporate management services in 2013!
125 Wolf Road, Suite #128
Albany, NY 12205
Phone: 518-641-8968
eFax: 586-279-4212
facebook    twitter
Visit the Assessment Center: next-act.com/assessment-center.cfm
Manage Performance & Achievement: next-act.com/prescriptive-performance-analysis.cfm