The FTC has given thumbs up to a company, Social Intelligence Corp., selling a new kind of employee background check to employers. This one scours the internet for your posts and pictures to social media sites and creates a file of all the dumb stuff you ever uploaded online. For instance, this sample they provided was flagged for “Demonstrating potentially violent behavior” because of “flagrant display of weapons or bombs.” [More]
unemployment
New Service Adds Your Drunken Facebook Photos To Employer Background Checks, For Up To Seven Years
By 6.21.11
Why Unemployment Rising To 9.1% Is Good News
By 6.3.11
The newly released US jobs report shows the unemployment rate rising to 9.1% for May, the highest it’s been all year. On the face of it that looks like a faltering recovery. But hidden in this raw number is good news. [More]
Don't Move To These 10 Cities If You Want To Have A Job
By 5.24.11
Do you enjoy the process whereby you perform tasks for others in exchange for compensation? Then don’t move to any of these 10 cities. They’re the worst ones for job seekers! [More]
McDonald's Hires 62,000 At Job Event, Turns Down 938,000
By 5.2.11
McDonald’s reports that it has hired 62,000 people who applied during its April 19 nationwide job event. If that sounds like a lot of people who want to work at McDonald’s, get a load of this number. They say they got over a million applications, meaning they turned down over 938,000 wanna-be burger flippers. [More]
How To Not Offend Your Unemployed Pals
By 5.1.11
When you lose your job, you don’t want to be coddled by friends and family, and can be more sensitive to subtle, unintended condescension. It’s easy for others to inadvertently say the wrong thing, so a primer is in order to set some rules for social etiquette in place. [More]
5 Tips For Looking For A New Job During Work Hours
By 2.18.11
Looking for a new job in the current climate is difficult enough. And most currently employed job-hunters can’t risk losing have the added onus of worrying about losing that gig if their bosses find out. [More]
Bernake Says Unemployment To Stay "Elevated"
By 2.9.11
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke testified before the House Budget Committee today that he expects unemployment to “remain elevated” “for some time.” So if you were putting your job search on the back burner, thinking, “oh, I’ll just try harder when the economy gets better,” it might be time to reevaluate that strategy. [More]
Unemployment Falls To 9%, New Job Rate Falters
By 2.4.11
During a snow-battered January, US employment only rose 36,000, well-below the expected 145,000, according to the just-released jobs report by the Department of Labor. Unemployment also fell to 9% by .4 percentage points. While that looks odd on the face of it, the difference is largely because that rate is calculated using a different report than payroll data. So, how’s your job-search going? If the answer is, “poorly,” you’re in good company. [More]
Is Your Outplacement Firm A Joke?
By 1.31.11
Are you really getting the best deal from your outplacement firm? WSJ looks at the cottage industry of consultancy firms that companies hire to help fired employees get new work. Problem is the level of service some of the lower-bid firms provide reflect their cost. [More]
Jobless Claims Drop To July 2008 Levels
By 12.30.10
In a potential sign of a mending economy, unemployment claims for the week ending Dec. 25 fell 34,000 to 388,000, the lowest levels since July 2008. However, the good news might be slightly enhanced by it being the week of Christmas, which can throw a wrench into into how the claims are tallied. The last two years have seen the same trend, with claims then jumping upward in January. The news was received by unemployed folks in the same way as when you were a kid you found a cool wrapped present only to discover it was only a decoration. [More]
Top American Companies Are Creating More Jobs Abroad Than Here
By 12.29.10
With 96 percent of the top 500 American corporations turning profits this year and stock prices soaring to the highest levels since the recession began, you’d think you’d start to see a dent in that near double-digit unemployment rate. But that’s not so, partially because companies are boosting their bottom lines by moving toward outsourcing. [More]
Government To Change Way It Counts Long-Term Unemployed
By 12.28.10
If you’ve been unemployed 100 weeks or longer, you’re in luck. No, you’re not about to get a new job. But for the first time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will accurately track the length of time you’ve been unemployed when calculating long-term unemployment. Previously, the agency had to check off “99 weeks or over” for anyone unemployed longer than two years. See, the recession isn’t all bad, is it? [More]
American Pay Dipped 3.2 Percent Last Year
By 12.22.10
If your pay rate has been frozen for the last couple years, take heart — you’re doing better than the average paycheck slave. Total American wages dropped 3.2 percent in 2009, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which pins part of the blame on manufacturing and construction industries. [More]
Buzzwords To Avoid When Looking For A New Job
By 12.14.10
Are you a team player? Do you have a proven track record as a problem solver in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment? If so, you might want to think of better ways to describe yourself the next time you’re applying for a new job. [More]
What The New Tax Deal Means For You
By 12.8.10
Besides the Bush tax cuts getting stretched another two years, the proposed new Obama-GOP tax deal has other goodies in the bag for you. [More]
What A Work At Home Job Scam Looks Like
By 11.15.10
Fraudsters are trying to take advantage of the unemployed in the bad economy by posting enticing work at home job ads. But what you’re really signing up for is to be the rube in an advance fee fraud scheme. Here’s the email one job-seeker got back. Bear in mind this is the first contact back from the “employer” after sending in her resume. All spelling and spacing is sic. [More]
Unemployment Survival Guide
By 11.11.10
No one plans to get canned, but in this climate it’s foolish not to come up with a contingency plan if your boss decides to give you a permanent long weekend. [More]
Doomgraph: This Recession's Unemployment vs Other Recessions
By 11.5.10
Time to crap your pants. [More]
