Tampa Summer Job Fair is Tomorrow!

The Tampa Employment Guide's Summer Job Fair is here! Join us at Raymond James Stadium from 10-3 and meet with employers that are looking to talk to and hire individuals just like you!

Job Fair Checklist:

• Updated, proofread and professional resumes (20 copies)
• Application information (References, past employment, education, etc)
• Business attire (It's going to be hot out, wear comfy shoes for walking)
• Organizer (keep your papers and applications in order, shows organizational skills and motivation)
• Smile and firm hand shake (First impressions are lasting)
• Pens
• Research on companies (know who is hiring and if you would be a fit before and to maximize time and effectiveness)

Tampa, we'll see you tomorrow!

-Greg Rollett

Summer Jobs for Teenagers: Get a Head Start

photo by ErrrkMunxie

As the weather turns warmer in West Central Florida, so does the job hunt campaign for high school and college students who are looking for part-time work this summer. This increase in the job seeking population increases the competition for all job seekers, though this demographic generally finds themselves working in the retail and hospitality industry.

The motives for teens and their summer jobs is different than the general job seeking community. Teenagers and students are looking for entertainment and spending cash to supplement their days off. Some are looking to save for the upcoming college semester, and some are just looking for a way to pass the time.

In a recent CNN report, entitled 'Teens Face Tough Economic Summer,' Jim Taylor, vice chairman of the Harrison Group says,

"Go out and get a real, grown-up set of shoes. Get rid of the rings -- nose rings and other stuff. March up and down the mall with a really good resume. Walk into every story -- every store -- and say, 'I'm looking for summer work.' And you'll get a job."

The earlier teens start looking, the better, he added, because "if you wait too long, the jobs will be gone."

This is great advice for teens looking to break into the workforce this summer. With the slowing of the economy, retailers and other employers are looking for the best of the best to create additional sales and not just someone that folds clothes. Persistence will be the key along with a great outlook and attitude.

For non-student job seekers, the time is now to lock down a new position before the market once again becomes over-crowded.

Lucky for you, while the students are in school next week, you have a great opportunity to meet with some great employers at the Tampa Employment Guide's Summer Job Fair at Raymond James Stadium, Wednesday, May 7th.

For students who cannot attend, send in your resume to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com and we will add it to our 'Resume CD' that goes out to all the employers that are participating in the event.

Good luck to all the students and teens looking for employment this summer and be sure to sign-up for Job Alerts (can be found on the right side of this page) to get e-mail notifications of great new job opportunities that become available in your industry!

Happy hunting Tampa!

-Greg Rollett

Tampa Job Fair Invades Raymond James Stadium May 7th

The Tampa Employment Guide is fiercely working around the clock to find the best hiring managers and open positions in West Florida. And to celebrate, we are showcasing them at the Summer Job Fair on Wednesday, May 7th at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

*Send your resume to greg.rollett@employmentguide.com to pre-register or if you cannot attend*

They say the economy is slowing, but by the looks of the companies attending, its business as usual!

Showcasing employers for this career fair include:
ABC Fine Wine and Spirits
Aflac
Amazinflates
Argosy University
Asset Acceptance
Avon
Brink's Home Security
Brink's, Inc
CBS Radio
Creditor's Interchange
DeVry University
EcoQuest International
Gulf Coast College
Keiser University - Tampa Campus
Lee County Sheriff's Office
Macy's Credit and Customer Service
Mental Health Care
Metro PCS
Norwegian Cruise Lines
NovaPro
OR and L Facility Services
Plastipak Packaging
Quest, Inc.
RaceTrac Petroleum
Seminole HardRock Hotel and Casino
United States Army Recruiting
USAA
Verizon Wireless
Volt Workforce Solutions
Walgreens
Waste Management

Tampa Job Fair Tips and Strategies:
1. Research the companies - They are listed above. Look for their open positions on EmploymentGuide.com and even perform a Google search to see what it's like to work there.
2. Polish your resume and print multiple copies. - Make sure your friends and/or family proofreads it. Print at least 10 copies, you don't want to run out when you finally find a great opportunity!
3. Dress for success. - No shorts, tank tops or flip flops. Look like a professional and get treated like one. It may be hot out, so prepare with some good attire and comfortable shoes.
4. Be able to fill out a complete application. You want to be sure that you hand them in at the job fair and not get lost in the shuffle a week later.
5. Practice your handshake and opening approach. Your first impression needs to be great and create a lasting impression on the hiring employer.
6. Have fun. Your demeanor tells an employer a lot. Keep your spirits high as you never know what opportunity will knock around the corner.

Check out a clip from the local news about job opportunities in the Tampa area with the Employment Guide's own Jeff Derenthal:

We will continue to update the company list as they confirm. Happy hunting Tampa and we'll see you on the 7th!

Tampa Retail Need to Capitalize on Hype Products

I am not a gamer, but you can’t help but hear the footsteps of the gaming community as they prepare for the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Pre-orders have been made, stores are staffed and prepared for the rush and living rooms and schedules have been cleared for hours of endless video game havoc.

With the economy slumping and un-employment hitting over 5% for the first time in a while, retail is sure feeling rocky right now. If there is no money to spend, there is no need to have staff standing around taking up clock space.

Retail Loves Hype

To get people into their stores, retailers and advertisers are trying their best to create hype around a product or product line. This gets the people in the stores. What happens when the customers get there is where the chain will either come out on top or sell a few gimmicks and repeat the process with similar results.

Retail Needs Great ( re: not just good) Employees

When these customers do decide to spend their hard earned money in your store you need to be prepared to give them a pleasurable and memorable experience. This happens with your sales team, check out process and other employees. For a product like GTA IV, consumers have choices in where they purchase the game. Give them a bad experience and they can walk on over to the next shop. Treat them to an amazing experience and they will be back for an extra controller, memory cards, the new system or the next “it” game.

Employees of these retail chains are usually replaceable. Managers, owners and franchisers need to treat the little guy like they are an important part of the team and not just a folder / greeter. This will allow them to care about their work and take care of your customers.

Turning Customer Experience into Repeat Business

A full house in your store means more opportunity for employment. Keeps your employees happy, they keep the customers happy and your business grows along with it.

When job seeking for companies in the retail area, look for companies that have happy employees and a great work environment vs. the one that has the “cooler” clothes or products. You will enjoy your work and more opportunities will present themselves with a business that is growing vs. one that is trendy!

*For a complete list of retail jobs in the Tampa, Clearwater and St Petersburg area, be sure to browse through the Employment Guide or visit us at our Tampa Summer Job Fair, May 7^th at Raymond James Stadium!*

And if you are going to be spending the next few days inside playing GTA IV, remember to get to work on time and get some sunshine. Its summer in Florida, remember?

Greg Rollett

16 Reasons to Blog While Job Hunting

1. For the writing and grammar skills it takes to write fresh content
2. To help with communication – through other bloggers and readers of your site
3. For research – You love your topic / industry so much that you research and write about it
4. To show your passion for an industry – You can always tell when what you are writing is passionate or a bunch of words on a page
5. For experience – Show off pictures of you on a job site, video of your latest presentation or on the job experience
6. To network with others in your industry
7. To build trust within your industry
8. To earn a few bucks before the new paycheck kicks in (Adsense)
   
9. To find opportunities that aren’t listed on job boards – like business opportunities, partnerships and start-up companies
10. To stay in the loop – the world is moving fast, blogging helps you keep up.
11. To create a schedule – blogging regularly shows employers your dedication to deadlines and how you manage your time
12. To showcase what you are good at – remember a blog is more than just words, its thoughts, videos, pictures, podcasts, reactions, links, controversy and more
13. Show your creative side – your blog is yours, so is your template, your thoughts and your posts. Be creative and showcase yourself outside of your resume!
14. For recognition – Let the deals come to you once you have branded yourself as a leader in a given industry.
15. Because it’s fun. Blogging creates a conversation based around a topic that interests you. When that happens, its fun, because you are passionate about the subject and love talking about it.
16. It’s the cool thing to do – over 100 million blogs and growing (sung in the Flinstones Vitamins voice)

Add your reasons for blogging while looking for a job in the comments. I look forward to coming up with an impressive list and publishing it as a downloadable file for everyone to print and tact up when you are starting out your blogging experience.

Happy hunting Tampa!

Greg Rollett

Tampa Driver Job Fair Recap

Last Saturday, April 12th the Tampa Employment Guide along with Careers in Gear had a very successful event for Truck Drivers and the Transportation Industry. There were over 400 interested job seekers that met with some great driving companies.

Covenant Transportation was awarded the 'Best in Show' award for the nicest truck at the event! Congrats guys!


Here are some photos to re-cap:


If you missed this event and wish to part take in a great job fair afternoon, the Tampa Employment Guide is having our Summer Job Fair on May 7th at Raymond James Stadium. Be ready for the event that can not only change your wallet size but your life as well!

Happy hunting Tampa!

Know Where the Jobs Are

Last Friday I kicked off a new series geared towards a successful job hunt. We talked about what is necessary to find the jobs that are out there. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the month of March was not a good one for current workers and job seekers alike. They reported that the U.S. lost 80,000 jobs in march alone and 232,000 in the first quarter of this year. What I wanted to talk about today is the knowledge to know where the jobs are. Not just the hot industries like hospitality and healthcare, but actually where to look. Jobs can be found in the craziest of places from storefront windows and newspapers to blogs and local networking.

Traditional Outlets:
The Employment Guide and recruitment newspapers - Still a viable source for jobs. These papers are geared towards a certain niche and are generally free to the public. Be sure to follow the directions of the ad in how to apply and take advantage of phone numbers as it can save time and cash in travel.
Storefronts - No better way to say we need help than with a Help Wanted sign in the window. Beware that heavily traffic'd areas get the most applications and therefore have more competition. Look for these signs on back roads or act fast / immediately when it pops up.
Job Boards - EmploymentGuide.com, Indeed.com and Job.com offer many great jobs from a wide variety of companies. The great thing is that they are easily searchable by keyword and location. The downfall is that they are overpopulated with positions and competition is great as they have a very large reach.

New and Untraditional Job Resources and Outlets
Niche Job Boards - The Employment Guide is proud to offer 2 great niche sites, CareersInGear and HealthCareerWeb that show you very relative results for these 2 industries. The benefit of these boards is they get right to the meat of what you are looking for and also offer great advice, tips and articles surrounding these industries.
Google, Yahoo and Other Search Engines - Try typing in some keywords and a location into Google for jobs you are looking for. The more narrow and specific the search the better the results get. Search broad and you will be bombarded with opportunities.
Network! - The oldest form of job hunting but in a new generation. Get out and talk to people at bars, restaurants, conferences, trade shows. Collect business cards and make contacts with friends and family.
Networking 2.0 - Your kids are on there, maybe you are a kid and you're on there. What is it? Social Networking of course. Use it to network with others in your field. Start on a site like Facebook and look for colleagues, old friends or past employers / co-workers. Participate in forums and discussions. Don't be shy, ask questions and also answer them.

This concludes Part 2 of this discussion. Tomorrow we will continue down the networking path and talk about blogging and branding yourself in a crowded niche. Until then, happy hunting Tampa!

Greg Rollett

Oh, and Drivers get ready for the Tampa Employment Guide and Careers in Gear 'Driver's Job Fair' this Saturday, April 12th. Get all the info by clicking here!

A Successful Job Hunt

I am rolling out a new series about a successful job hunt over the next week. I have been writing an awful lot about it online, for upcoming articles and books and speaking about it at job fairs and conferences and thought that I would put it all together for you in this nice, neat little series.

Part 1 is simple: What makes a successful job hunt?

Resume: The more times change the more they stay the same. That one sheet of white paper that details your life’s worth of accomplishments is still the admission price when looking for and getting your foot into the door of a company.

Skill set: Employers are looking for a match. If you fit that match, you get the call. If you don’t, start positioning and training yourself to gain the skills and knowledge that mesh you with the company of choice.

Networking: The age old concept of networking is still a very highly held determining factor in landing a great career. Think of all your friends who found jobs due to their parent’s relationships, or the Fraternity and Sorority connections. What about the waitress who talked it up with the CEO of a sales company, and the next week was working on his sales team? Networking and building trust with hiring companies will put you on the fast track to a great position.

Desire to make a change: No matter what career change or job hunt you embark on, it starts with you, your mind and your motivation. You cannot find a new position by letting it come to you. A proactive approach is the key and that starts with your mentality and outlook on life.

Happy hunting Tampa and we'll be back on Monday for part 2. Where to look?

-Greg Rollett

How Rising Fuel Costs are Impacting the Transportation Industry

Fuel is the second largest expense in the transportation industry, right behind good old labor costs. With the seemingly endless rising of oil and gas prices, how does this affect one of the county’s most important industries?

For one, it has opened the eyes of many big shots to alternative fuel solutions. Not to say, there is going to be a full on switch anytime soon, but at least there is visibility for the future.

According to Truckline.com:

After years of paying some of the highest diesel fuel prices on record, interest in renewable fuels is gaining momentum. Motor carriers are beginning to embrace high-quality biodiesel in low percentage blends in efforts to extend the nation’s fuel supply. At the same time, the industry is transitioning to ultra low sulfur fuel to support the next generation of diesel engines designed to reduce emissions.

Sounds like a great start to me!

With a very exciting Driver’s Job Fair coming to Tampa on Saturday, April 12^th, we hope that the industry is taking the right steps to ensure that one of the nation’s largest growing industries will stand tall in the coming years.

If you have any input as to how the trucking and transportation industry can make changes/improvements to the fuel situation, please join the conversation in the comments. If you have any questions about the Careers in Gear Driver’s Job Fair, or would like to attend, have a booth or sponsor, please email me at greg.rollett@employmentguide.com.

Happy hunting Tampa!

Greg Rollett

It’s Not About the Tools, But the End Result

Here at the Employment Guide, we have a plethora of products for job seekers to take advantage of when they are in the position to search for a new career, part-time job, continuing education, and even work at home experiences.

Whether you are picking up a paper, using online job boards, signing up to social networks, blogging, watching videos or coming out to hiring events and job fairs, the goal is almost always the same: Get your foot in the door for an initial interview in the attempt to land a new job.

So if the end goal is the same, how do you get there? Frankly it doesn’t really matter as long as you do get there. Now some jobs and employers use certain types of media and advertisements, and you may miss their message if you are not looking in all the right places. However, there are great opportunities for employment in any medium that suits you. That is the key and employers are starting to realize it.

With the development and continuing growth of Web 2.0 technologies, companies are realizing that their message needs to come across in as many mediums as possible to attract the quality job seekers that are needed to fill their vacancies.

At the end of the day, the tools you use depend on you! That is the one great advantage we have here at the Employment Guide. We can offer you the chance to see great hourly and skilled positions at your convenience, in the medium that works for you.

The opportunities are out there for you to explore. It is up to you to make that call, polish up the resume and make a solid first impression at the interview. We can only offer the tools to get you excited about a career change.

Happy hunting Tampa!

P.S. Careers in Gear Presents the Driver’s Job Fair April 12th! Click here for more info!

-Greg Rollett