Job Hunting Trends for 2010…
Many patterns in our society act like the swing of a pendulum, first one way and then the other. The highs usually go too high, and the lows sink too low. The same concept fits hiring trends.
In the not to distant past we had the swing of the dot-coms, companies were being started almost every minute of each day. Then came the swing of the pendulum, companies folded, jobs disappeared, and now ten years later many of those buildings remain vacant.
Then we entered the 21st century and the hot industries were bio-tech and health-care. The Silicon Valley saw a growth of schools training people in the medical field; even the EDD started training people for the medical field. Unfortunately, after a while, the number of professionals looking for jobs far topped the needs of the industry and today many of these people are now seeking a new hot field.
The new buzzword for jobs in 2009-10…and maybe beyond…is “cleantech”. The government has injected huge amounts of funds for companies in a variety of connected industries - like batteries, smart-grid, PV solar, wind. These funds are allowing these companies to expand and also helping new companies to get a start. According to CNN Money (11/18/2009), the government stimulus money has produced 110,185 jobs in California. In discussions with Paul Davis, V.P. of Client Services here at the AA-Careers job hunting center, this year 25% of new customers are seeking career changes, and over 20% of them are taking “Green” jobs. The career positions cover the complete spectrum from engineering to engineering and testing developers to administration and merchandising.
According to an article done by CareerBuilder, hiring in the 2009 period in “Green” jobs increased nationwide by 13 %, and that will step-up again in 2010. Clean Edge.(October 2009) states “President Obama and Chinese President Jintao have both made clean-tech development and deployment a cornerstone of their leadership, targeting the creation of millions of new clean-tech jobs”. “Many believe we are just at the beginning of the clean-tech job creation era.” It could be the most significant growth area since the coming of the computer and the Net.
The top 5 industry sectors for clean-tech career activity, according to CleanEdge are:
1. solar thermal
2. Bio fuels & Biomaterials
3. Conservation and Recycling
4. Smart Grid, and
5. Wind Power.
Making job changes has never been simple. Many people using the old “Historical Style” resume have little or no success and tend to give up, using statements such as “they are only hiring people with prior experience”. Paul Davis and his staff at AA-Careers have been very successful for years using targeted resumes which contain more and highly specific information regarding the job hunter’s ability to make the company money or save them money, based upon past accomplishments. Think about your own accomplishments and how could they apply to the new rapidly growing “green” jobs.
Stay tuned for more hiring trends with our new job hunting blog!
