With so much going on these days, it’s hard to define what is really going on… if you know what I mean?
Elections are around the corner and the foundation of each candidate’s platform seems to be employment, or, should I say, the lack of employment for so many. This got me to thinking (not always a good thing) about what are the real numbers these politicians are referring to and can a local politician really do anything to improve our dire employment situation? I think the second part of the questions is straightforward.
I am under the impression that our local politicians can do lots of rhetorical talking but cannot do the walking… just whistling my own tune here.
Bringing us to the first part of the question, what is really going on with the numbers? As an active member with the Professional Resume Writers Association (PRWA), I receive (unbiased) data which oftentimes hits the mark. With this extended Segway, let’s highlight what a PRWA article, written by Diane Hudson Burns, CPRW, CEIP, CPCC, CCMC, entitled “Takeaways” has to tell us:
- 45% of 14.6 million jobless Americans have been unemployed for six months or more
- Unemployment in August 2009 was 9.7%; in August 2010 it was 9.6%
- Due to such high volume of inbound receipt of résumés, and candidates applying for multiple jobs at the same company, many companies never even look at all the incoming résumés, thus the creation of the “black hole”
- Some big companies receive more than one-million résumés annually
- 64% of all statistics are made up on the spot
- 85% of people on LinkedIn are using it is as a social “database” as opposed to a social network
- Employers who hire disabled veterans receive a $4,500 tax credit, and employers who hire any veteran who left service in the past 5 years receive a $2,400 tax credit
Diane and the Professional Resume Writers Association provide a wealth of information on a monthly basis. As a professional resume writer and career coach, I know the importance of understanding what is really going on.
With elections coming up in a few weeks, how many of our politicians really know what the numbers are. One thing I don’t wonder… local politicians talk about what they will do to improve the numbers but NONE will actually do anything to improve the situation. Heck, just look at what our country’s leader has succeeded in doing? Need I say more?
On this note, gonna call it a day,
Danny Huffman, MA, CEIP, CPCC, CPRW
Education Career Services, LLC
[email protected]
