CareerAlley » Salary Guides

The Best Companies to Work for – Vol 8

CareerAlley — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 09:00:27 +0000

“I can’t complain but sometimes I still do. Life’s been good to me so far” – Joe Walsh

It’s human nature to complain. Some people are really good at always seeing the positive side of things while others are always thinking that every silver lining has a cloud. Most of us fall smack in the middle. So when was the last time you complained about the company you work for? Would your view of your company change if you were out of work (and a job was available at your company)? We all do it (complain about our companies that is). So what would you change at your company to make it a great place to work? That is a little bit about why the “best companies to work for” are on the list (and many of them show up on the list year after year). So the next time you have something negative to say about your company, think about what would make it better and put it in the suggestion box.

Container Store – Number 36 on the list, the Container Store has been on the Best list for 11 years in a row and while they decreased staff by 9% last year, they are hiring again this year. Their main careers page is mostly a company overview with a number of informational links on the right-hand side (Navigate Your Career) and a link to their Career Center is at the bottom of this list. From the Career Center, you can register, view current job openings, post your resume and keep track of your job submissions. Select “View Positions” to link to search page which is divided by job type (Stores, Distribution Center, Home Office and Customer Solutions). There were lots of new jobs when I checked the site.

Aflac – Ranked 37 and also in their 11th year on the list (down from 26), I’m sure the first thing you think of is the duck from the commercial (and if you haven’t seen it I don’t know where you’ve been hiding). This insurer is based in Georgia and has almost 4,400 employees (down from last year). Their career site has a series of career related links on the left hand side of the page with “Search for Job Opportunities” and “College Recruiting center page. From “Search for Job Opportunities” you can create a profile, save searches, manage your job submissions, register and, of course, search jobs.

Scooter Store – Not on the list last year, Scooter is ranked 38 on this year’s list. According to their website, Scooter is “America’s leading supplier of scooters and power chairs for people with limited mobility”. Their careers page is well done, with links at the top of the page for related sites followed by an excellent overview of the company. A careers overview is center page, and you can click on Search Jobs from the top of the page or on the left hand side of the page. You can join the careers site or just search for jobs. There were approximately 60 job opportunities when I checked the page.

TDIndustries – Ranked 39, this company is a construction company and is based in Dallas, Texas. Jobs increased by 7% last year and now stands slightly below 1,600 employees. Their careers page improved quite a bit from last year and has an excellent overview center page. There are links on the left hand side of the page for related topics. Click on “Job Openings” from the left hand side of the page to link to the job search page (last year there was no search function. There were 17 job openings as of mid-January.

Scripps Health – Up from Number 59 on last year’s list, Scripps has over 11,000 employees and hired over 1,300 people last year (amazing). Their career site offers information on the company as well as specific information on a number of health care related fields. There are related links on the left hand side of the page as well as “Hot Careers” center page. Click search jobs to link to the log on page, where you can register and post your resume. The bottom left hand side of the page has a “search openings” link. There were over 302 job opportunities when I checked the site.

Good luck in your search.
Reposted from CareerAlley

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Jobs in the Fast Lane

CareerAlley — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:00:26 +0000

“Life in the fast lane Surely make you lose your mind” - The Eagles

If you’ve been working for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve had the thought “How did I wind up in this job?”. Not all of us wind up where we had planned at the beginning of our careers. And, if you are reading this article, then you are probably contemplating your next move or hoping to land a job if you are out of work. It is never too late to re-think your career, but if you are going to take the plunge and completely change what you are doing, you really need to be prepared. There are degrees of commitment to changing careers. Maybe you don’t want to switch from being a concert promoter to a Monk, but even if you just want to change slightly you should do your homework. Today’s post focuses on finding the best jobs.

10 Steps to a Successful Career Change – The first thing you will want to do if you are making a career change is to make a plan. This article, from About.com, provides (you guessed it) 10 steps that you should consider before you make that change. From “Evaluate your current job satisfaction” to “Consider alternative roles”, the article provides some basic tips on where to start and what to consider. There are related articles on career change at the bottom of the page that are also worth a read.

High Paying Careers – Now I don’t want to say that you are just in it for the money, but we all have to eat and why not eat well? While money shouldn’t drive your choice of career, it is certainly a consideration for most of us. This article, from money-zine.com, provides a whole bunch of lists with the career choice and average salary. The article shows a few lists like the “top 10″ and “Highest Paying Jobs in IT”. What about your current job? Don’t forget to take a look at Worth Your Weight in Gold? Know Your Bottom Line and “You Want to Pay me What?“.

The Ten Worst Jobs in America – Your quest for a new career is not complete if you don’t take a look at the worst jobs as well. Now everything is relative (as Paul Simon would say “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor”), so while you may have a different view, you should still take a look at this list (and apologies if your job is on the list). CNBC.com provides this list, which is a series of pictures with brief descriptions of what make these the worst jobs.

The Ten Best Jobs in America 2010 – I’m sure you knew where this was headed and I couldn’t simply list the worst without listing the best as well. As luck would have it, CNBC.com also has a list of the best jobs (in the same format as the worst jobs). An interesting list, as as you would expect, Health Care and Accountants appear on the list. Now one that really surprised me was Historian. In addition to brief overviews, the article also provides the median salary.

10 Tips to Fast Track Your Career – Can’t end the post without the “fast track” part. This list is provided by Careerrocketeer.com and provides some advise on how you can move to the top of the heap by following some time tested advise. From “build and manage your network lovingly” to “Create a powerful brand online”, this article is worth a read. While you are there, don’t forget to view some of the other career related aspects of the site. Featured article links are on the right hand side of the page and related articles are at the bottom of the page. Also take a look at the Rocket List, which provides links to related sites.

Good luck in your search.

Company Career Sites Week – Financial Services

CareerAlley — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:00:43 +0000

“Some people dream of success… while others wake up and work hard at it.” – Unknown

The posts over the next few days are about focusing on the source of jobs – companies. Yes, headhunters, job search sites and networking are all great ways to get a job, but let’s face it – all of the jobs are with companies. So I figured, why not start at the source for a few days? So stop dreaming about success and let’s get to work!

What are Company Career Websites?

Most major firms have a company website with a “careers” or “job seekers” section typically on the first page of their website. Most will allow you to search for open positions and post your resume. There tends to be a higher “hit” rate on company websites (assuming there is a reasonable match between your resume and the job requirements).

Tips:

Use web resources to look for companies in your industry (or industries that interest you) such as Fortune Magazine’s “Fortune 1000“. The list lets you view the Fortune 1000 by various categories (companies, industry, best companies to work for, etc.).
Do research on the company prior to posting your resume or applying for a job (sites like vault.com).
Know your worth. Look at listings in the job websites that are similar to your current position (or positions that interest you) to see what salary is listed. New sites, such as glassdoor.com are also useful to get insight on companies and compensation.

Financial Services Company Career Sites:

Blackstone – Blackstone is a well known asset management company. After giving a very good overview of the company, the left-hand side of the site provides the full range of hire types, from Internships through Experienced Hires. You can easily browse the open positions as well as register for the site. There were 10 job opportunities when I checked the site.

JP Morgan Chase – Similar to the other sites, this site gives an overview of the company and then has links for Experienced Hires and University Programs. There is a link for “Jobs in Demand” as well as a “Search Jobs” tab. As with the other sites, it is worthwhile to register. There were over 4,000 job opportunities when I checked the site.

HSBC – The HSBC career page starts off with a map of the world, you click where you want to work (or where you live) and then the site takes you to a more focused view for your region and country. The site includes “Tips & Guidelines” for candidate preparation as well as job search, recruiting events, career development and areas of opportunity. There were 250 job opportunities when I checked the site.

Citigroup – Their careers page has two main segments – Professional Job Search and Graduate Recruitment. Focusing on the Professional Job Search, there is a choice of four regions (and your language choice). Click on the region of your choice and select Go. Once there, you will see a brief overview in the center of the page with several choices on the left hand side of the screen (Job Search, Build Your Profile and Graduates & Undergraduates). The right hand side of the screen has links to the different businesses within Citigroup. There were 1,280 job opportunities globally when I checked the site.

Bank of New York Mellon Corporation – A leading asset management and securities services company, and headquartered in New York, The Bank of New York Mellon over $960 billion in assets under management. Their career page has a brief overview center page, with links on the left for jobs, areas of interest, college recruiting and more. Click “Search for BNY Mellon Jobs” to link to their jobs search page. There were 523 job opportunities when I checked the site.

Good luck in your search.

Pounding the Keyboard for Jobs

CareerAlley — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:00:28 +0000

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas A. Edison

I remember looking for my first “real” job (as opposed to those that I held during college). First of all, there were no personal computers, there were typewriters. This meant you were typing your resume and each cover letter (and if you made a mistake, you started over). Furthermore, there were few copy machines. You probably brought your resume to a printer and had them “offset printed”. Research resources were generally the “want ads” in the local paper (remember the commercial tag line “I found my job through the NY Times”?). I would spend Sunday, cutting out job ads from the paper and then faxing my resume and cover letter to potential employers. Sometimes there were no fax numbers, but a P.O. box number to “snail mail” your resume (image how long this took).

Looking for a job meant that you were going (as in taking the subway or walking) from company to company, filling out job applications and attaching your resumes. You were probably going to a number of recruiting firm offices (also as a walk-in). As you might imagine, this was very time consuming and, since you were on your feet most of the day going from one place to the next, the term “pounding the pavement” was generally associated with looking for a job. For many of you, I’m sure this sounds a lot like camping in the wilderness with no running water or electricity. Today’s job search includes very little “pounding the pavement” but quite a bit of “pounding the keyboard”. In fact, with the popular use of telephone interviews these days, there is almost no reason to leave your house when job hunting.

So, what is your “pounding the keyboard” strategy? The first thing you need is a job hunt plan.

Make Your Research List – This is the list of companies, friends and recruiting agencies that will form a part of your daily plan.

Fins from the Wall Street Journal – This resource is from the Wall Street Journal and provides links to a number of company research resources. You should spend some time researching the companies you would like to work for prior to starting your search. Click on Research Sectors & Companies to find the industries and companies you would like to work for. Click Manage Your Career to get strategies on finding a job, get the job and excel at the job. Finally, click Find a Great Job to link to a powerful job search engine.

Job Search Research – Yes, research is the name of the game. This list of amazing advice is from jumpstartyourjobsearch.com (yes, a long name). The top of the site is organized by type of research (job market, salary, career, etc.) and is hyperlinked to the part of the page with the associated information. This site is jam packed with enough information to see you through your entire job search. In addition to all of the related links throughout the main page, there are additional links and resources on the right hand side of the page.

Careers and Industries – Don’t know where to begin? Wetfeet.com provides two lists: Industry Profiles and Careers. The first provides background on trends, markets and the companies involved. The second list provides requirements for each career type as well as salary trends the the outlook for that particular career choice. Each item on the items links to a full page resource.

Find a Job -

Job Hunt Websites – This list of websites is provided by the University of Pennsylvania and it offers a wide range of websites to start your hunt. These range from your typical job search boards to the less typical sites like non-profit and government opportunities. Pick the ones that best meet your criteria and make your daily plan (see below).

Jobs Resources in the U.S. by State – Job-Hunt.org provides this list by state. Click on your state and you will link to a list of various resources for your state. The New York link, as an example, has resource links, search support and networking links Job Sites and a list of local government jobs. But if that’s not enough to keep you busy, there are links to additional resources on the left hand side of the page.

Make Your Daily Plan: You’ve got to have a game plan otherwise you will not be focused in your hunt. You do not want to spend too much time in any one area.

Keep a list to keep track of which sites you’ve visited. Include your username and password for each site. You think you will remember them but you won’t. Also include the last date you visited. Include a column for notes (who you spoke to when and any follow-ups);
Create Job Search Agents on your top 5 job search sites. This will minimize the time you spend reviewing potential matches;
Pick several tasks you will do each day:
- Review your top 5 job search sites every morning;
- Register on 3-5 company websites;
- Register on 3-5 job search sites;
- Send your resume to 3-5 recruiters/headhunters;
Return calls as soon as possible, start off your day doing this if there are any left over from the prior day;
Respond to emails as appropriate (and related);
Research, research, research – making a list of companies you would like to work for, but don’t reinvent the wheel – leverage all of the lists included in this website and others;
Register where you can and make sure you upload your resume;
Every week, refresh your resume on your top 5 job search sites so that they look like they are new/current;
All done with every list known to man (not likely)? Recycle the list, revisit the job search boards and try new searches.

Good luck with your search.

Job Search Marketing Toolkit – Target Job Market

CareerAlley — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:00:22 +0000

“The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men.” – Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu, the Art of War, Target Job Market, it kind of all fits together. But the key is strategic advantage and the only way to gain that is to target your job market and focus your search. What does that mean? Target market includes your preferred industry, your preferred line of work (skills, experience and education), your preferred company (large, small, private, public), market impact on your industry and compensation requirements versus the market.

Find your Industry:

Career and Job Resources by Industry – This list of industry sites is provided by Quintcareers. The page starts with a list of links to the most popular industries. Click on an industry link to a full page of specific industry links. There is a search box on the right hand side of the page where you can also search by industry. The bottom of the page has related links to Company Career Centers and Job Sites by Category.

Industry Job Network – This site provides links to industry job sites and is provided by nationjob.com. The page provides an overview with a link to their industry job site at the start of the overview (center page). There are links on the left hand side of the page for industry testimonials. Click on Industry Job Sites to view a comprehensive page of links for almost every industry you can think of. Click on any of the industries and you will be led to a list of jobs in that industry.

Skills Assessment:

Self-Assessment Resources – The Riley Guide, one of the best career resources available, provides a page of resources for self-assessment. The page includes definitions, followed by links to related information (such as a table with assessment tools). There are links to Interest Inventories, Skill Surveys, Values Inventories and more.

Skills Center – Careeronestop provides this resource. The page has links at the top for Assess Your Skills, Review your Skills and Skills Standards. This is followed by links for resources in each of these categories. There are additional links for Skills Shortage (which is what you need for specific job types). Could could definitely spend all day on this site, checking all of the resources available.

Compensation & Salary Assessment:

Worth Your Weight in Gold? Know Your Bottom Line – CareerAlley’s links to Salary Surveys (one for IT jobs, links to sites with hundreds of surveys and salary guides by industry). Following this are links to salary calculators (type in your title and location to get a read on your salary) and salary comparisons.

Career Salary – This article provides a complete overview of salary surveys. The site, by employer.com, provides a brief overview of what a salary survey is, followed by links to salary surveys and salary data. There is also coverage of online salary calculators.

Good luck in your search.

Worth Your Weight in Gold? Know Your Bottom Line

CareerAlley — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:00:09 +0000

“There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold And she’s buying the stairway to heaven.” – Led Zeppelin

Okay, let’s be honest, it’s all about money in the end. “No way” you say, “money is not the driving factor for me, it’s all about the experience”. So maybe that’s true, but unless you are independently wealthy, you still need money to pay the bills and put food on the table. After you find your job, the one that really motivates you, the money comes next. And, if you are like most people, you want to be paid what you’re worth. Most times, we are only worth what the market will bear. Unless we are so unique as to command an amazing salary (and if you were you would probably not be reading this article). So what are you worth? Do you know? Well you should know before you get the job offer. Some guides and salary search tools are included below. Like everything on the Internet these days, you could spend days (maybe weeks) researching salary. After a few trys at the firms listed below you should be able to get the basic information you need without spending days looking for it.

Start first with:

Salary Surveys & Guides:

The 2009 IT Salary Guide – This survey provides the average salary by IT job category. Click on any of the 10 or so job functions to see a brief overview, the average salary range followed by how this job survey compares to compares from city to city. Best of all, the site has links to other resources which you will find useful.

JobStar Salary Surveys – This link to surveys, from JobStar.org, provides links to over 300 salary surveys. They start with a very long list of career types, followed by a link to general salary surveys. You should be able to find your functional role from this list and get a rough idea of what your salary might be in this market.

Salary Guides by Robert Half – Another great resource from RHI, there are links to industry / functional role specific surveys such as Legal, Technology, Finance & Accounting and Office Team (to name a few). Click the link that interests you and you are led to a page where you can sign-up for the surveys.

Salary Calculator and Wizards:

Salary Calculator – One of many salary calculators (way to many to list here), this one is offered by homefair.com. Type in your title, put in your zip code and you are all set to go. Fairly generic, but should give you a rough indication.

PayScale Salary Calculator – This one is from, you guessed it – PayScale.com. Same deal here – job title, city and state and off you go.

Calculate Your Salary – This one is from our friends at Yahoo.com. In addition to the salary survey stuff, there are also articles on salary and benefits.

Salary Comparison and Salary Calculator – The NY Times‘ version (hey, do you remember the commercials that said “I got my job through the NY Times classified”?) which has both a salary comparison and salary calculator. The right hand side of the screen also has a cost of living calculator which can come in handy if you are thinking of moving to another city or state.

Good luck in your search.