If you’re one of the many people looking for work at the moment, it won’t be a surprise to hear that this is a particularly tough time to be doing so. At CNN Money they have listed a few key tips for particular groups of job hunters, and perhaps one of these will be the tip you need that snags you a good job.

• For the older unemployed: the statistics are scary, with 9% of people over 50 losing their job in the past year - but check out AARP’s website which collates all the benefits you could be eligible for, and look at Retirement.com to see a list of companies that are more likely to hire older workers.
• For the younger unemployed: teenagers without any work experience are obviously finding it especially hard to find work in the current economic climate. Take advantage of your flexibility by being able to work nights or weekends without family responsibilities getting in the way; and don’t ignore internships as a great way of getting your foot in the door.
• For everyone: take this chance to gain more skills and thus make you even more employable. This is the time when many kinds of skills courses are out there recruiting trainees and students because they know this is the time they’re most needed.

photo credit: lumaxart

Sure, having a college degree generally makes you more employable and tends to increase your average salary too - but there are still a number of professions out there that don’t require a degree and can make you salaries over $100,000 a year. According to Forbes there are a dozen or more jobs that frequently give these high earnings for people without much in the way of qualifications. The jobs include:

• Air traffic controller: The union has ensured that these important positions are well-paid but it’s pretty stressful.
• Plumber: There is meant to be a shortage of plumbers in many areas and that means their services are in high demand.
• Construction superintendent: A lot of responsibility contributes to a high salary here for those with many years of experience.
• Real estate broker: People with a knack for sales and who don’t mind working at all hours of the week can do well here.
• Data communications manager: While some might have degrees in this area, it’s not required and non-graduates can earn well.
• Police supervisor: Depending on the state, you often only need a high school diploma to enter the police service and can work your way up to positions with a high salary over time.

But it’s not all easy: most of these jobs require a lot of overtime, or a lot of stress in the form of earning through commissions, to be able to reach a high salary.

We might not be able to do too much these days about choosing our employers - most workers are happy just to have one - but nonetheless having a read of Fortune Magazine’s best company to work for lists is interesting. Some of the highlights from their statistics for the best 100 companies in the United States for 2009 include:

• The top 5 companies to work for: NetApp, Edward Jones, the Boston Consulting Group, Google and Wegmans Food Markets.
• Companies who pay 100% of health insurance premiums for their employees: From the top 100, just 15 companies did this, including Microsoft, SAS and the Boston Consulting Group.
• Highest paid employees: The average salary at Bingham McCutchen is over $256,000.
• Companies where employees feel they have a good work-life balance: In the top ten are SAS, MITRE, the Camden Property Trust and Mattel.
• Interesting extras: employees at Wegmans Food Markets get discounts on their groceries; at Devon Energy, they get larger 401(k) contributions; and at Vanderbilt University, employees can get scholarships for their children.
• Locations of the top 25 companies: They’re spread down both the east and west coasts of the United States, with a number in central states like Texas as well.

Amongst news of lay-offs and increasing unemployment, it’s a difficult time to be choosing a career path. According to GE Miller at Mint, there are a few key areas that are a sustainable place to be looking for employment, both now and in the coming decades. The suggestions for safe, recession-proof job types are:

• Customer contact / sales representative positions: This might come as a surprise, but the thing is that when people are buying less or have less to spend, then companies actually need more sales people. So despite the coming of age of the internet, many experts believe that face-to-face sales people and jobs involving customer contact will have an important place now and in the future.
• Environmental jobs: Study engineering that can be put to use in solving global warming and green energy problems and you should be highly employable.
• Information technology / computer programmers / Network administrators: As you can imagine, there’s no end in sight for new contributions to this industry and IT graduates should happily find work from now and on into the next decades.
• Health care: The aging population is going to need a lot of extra health care, and they won’t just need doctors. Home aides and aged care workers will also be in high demand.

No matter how old you are there may come a time when your current career is not “doing it” for you any longer. Some people get bored with their career, others need to make more money, and some just want a change. No matter your reasoning you should never dismiss a career change if you feel that it is the right move to make. In fact, if you are successful in making a change you will find out soon enough that your life is more enjoyable.

If you are interested in changing careers you need to line up all your ducks before you begin to move forward. This starts with deciding what your new career will be, while also looking at this move from a financial point of view. And of course, you should discuss this with family members as well. After all, if you are going to take a cut in income you need to make sure that your family will still be able to get by.

There is nothing wrong with changing careers. This can be a great way to better your life, break up the monotony, and maybe even earn more money. If all of that sounds good, and you are tired of your current job, a career change may be in store.

If you’re feeling the pinch and would like a little extra side income to help cover some bills or get you back on track - or even to save some money for a special occasion like a vacation or a wedding - then you need to know the tips that Five Cent Nickel has been giving for those who are looking for some extra cash. Few of the ideas will make you rich but they will put some dollars in your pocket. Some of the best include:

• Get a paper route - that you can fit in before or after work, and get some exercise with it
• Do some baby-sitting or pet-sitting - they pay surprisingly well
• Get involved in marketing focus groups
• Sell your used textbooks, and other extra stuff you have around the house that you no longer use much
• Become a tutor if you have decent knowledge in some subjects - you don’t have to hold a PhD in mathematics to be able to help an eighth-grader
• Hire yourself out on weekends to do gardening work or other home handyman type tasks
• Do some cleaning work, either for offices or homes
• If you speak a second language, offer your services as a casual teacher or for language exchange programs

The latest bunch of tips from Gerri Willis at CNN concern what you can do if you’ve been laid off recently. As usual her tips are varied but probably all useful, and unfortunately tips targeting those who’ve been laid off are becoming relevant to more and more people at the moment. In summary, she suggests:

• Don’t withdraw money from your 401(k) - unless you have absolutely no other option. You’ll be cashing in an investment that is at a low point (therefore losing money), and you’ll have to pay the 10% penalty unless you’re already almost 60 years old. In other words, you’re losing a lot of money on dollars you will still need in the future.
• Find some other sources of money - if you have a home equity line of credit, use that; if not, try to find even some part-time work (not necessarily related to your usual work) or possibly look at freelancing.
• Consider retraining - certain professions have some obvious retraining possibilities at the moment, for example Willis mentions that construction workers are now commonly being retrained as green retrofitters. Look around for something where you can use some of your existing skills and experience but in an industry where getting a new job is a better prospect.

If you find yourself one of the unfortunate victims of the current recession and are laid off from your job, you’ll be wanting to try everything you can to find a new position. Gerri Willis has four main tips to help job hunters in the current market:

1. Network as much as you can. Apparently 80% of jobs are found through networking rather than answering job ads. That’s a huge proportion so get involved with professional organizations related to your industry and keep up social and business contacts.
2. Get online. Make sure you have a good online profile - several websites allow you to advertise your professional qualities for free and many recruiters will check you out there.
3. Be flexible. Be prepared to work part-time or on a short-term contract to get a foot in the door. If nothing else, do some volunteer work to get the contacts and the chance for a more permanent, paid position.
4. Be organized. Make sure you keep good records of which jobs you’ve applied for and where you’ve sent your resume, so that you can sound professional when they contact you or if you need to follow up. Also make sure that you have a well-organized, brief resume that is easy to read at a quick glance.

While everyone hopes it won’t happen to them, losing your job is certainly more likely during this economic climate than it was a few years back. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, the least you can do for yourself is figure out the way you can get the best severance package:

• Start out by making sure you know the company policy for severance packages. It varies widely between companies and while it’s often calculated according to the years of service, how much you get for each year you’ve worked there can vary from one week to two weeks, or even much more if you’re in an executive level job.
• Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Ask for more than they offer you; you’ve certainly got nothing to lose, because you’re losing your job anyway if it gets to this negotiation stage. Knowing what the policy is (or was - they might change it) and knowing what is standard for the industry can help make a good case for getting more.
• Ask for more than straight severance pay - ask for other conditions too, for example continuing paying your health insurance for you for an extended time.
• Get some advice before you agree to a severance package - or at least ask for a day or two to think about it before signing.

In difficult economic times, a lot of people might be forced to change jobs after being retrenched, but they might not be competing with too many others for the new job they try to get. Apparently, in uncertain times like these, it’s particularly common for professionals to stay put - most white collar workers are very reluctant to change to a new company right now, preferring to stay with the employer they know. (more…)