Careers in the New Year

The beginning of the year is always the best time to make your big life decisions, right? New year = fresh start. Last week’s blog discussed setting and reaching your goals for the year, this post will focus on arming you with the knowledge to wage a successful campaign for one of your most important decisions – an employment search. Whether you’re finishing school and ready to jump into an office environment, out of work and searching for a job, ready to climb the next rung of your organization’s ladder, wanting to check out of the daily corporate grind for a position with a non-profit, or simply looking to understand what your value is on the open market, now is a good time to understand the market for 2014.

According to a recent article from the Society for Human Resource Management, your chances of finding something new, different, and better are very good. Not only have the months leading up to 2014 shown growth in the total number of available jobs, this trend will continue well into 2014. Plus, recent studies have shown:

·         27% of US organizations will add jobs within the next six months with the unemployment rate continuing to drop (National Association of Business Economics 2013 Survey)

·         Businesses will hire more recent college graduates than in previous years (National Association of Colleges and Employers 2013 Survey)

·         Software developers and technical staff will see significant job and salary growth in 2014 (Robert Half International salary guide)

And perhaps most interesting:

·         83% of employees indicate they will be looking for a new job, with an additional 12% auditing the employment market to assess their worth as an employee

As an organization dedicated to promoting the leadership of young professionals, JCI USA and local Jaycee chapters around the country like us are ready to help you maximize your skills and increase your knowledge base through proven trainings, seminars, and materials. We encourage our members and interested visitors to check out JCI USA’s Twitter and Facebook page for numerous opportunities to help you achieve your next step in personal and professional growth. You can also connect with our local chapter here.  Feel free to share any tips or techniques you’ve learned over the years – we’d love to hear from you!