Five of the 10-Best Job Markets in Florida

If you're wondering which state owns bragging rights to the hottest labor market in America, look toward the Sunshine State. According to a new Bizjournals study, Florida is home to five of the 10-best labor markets. Cape Coral-Fort Myers holds first place in the national rankings, while Sarasota-Bradenton, Orlando, Lakeland, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale are also in the top 10.

The report says these Florida markets rank high due to strong job growth and low unemployment rates. The five Florida markets have collectively added half-a-million jobs since 2001, led by gains of 194,900 jobs in Miami and 158,000 in Orlando.

"It's getting easier for recruiters to drum up business here," says Claudia Faust, founding partner of Strategic Alliances in Plantation, Florida. "Certainly, there are industry sectors in which it is manic finding talent. For example, in the construction industry post-hurricane season, including civil engineering and commercial construction. Healthcare is huge here, too. Florida also has quite an active technology sector, below the national radar screen, but still robust."

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, located in southwest Florida, has 230,000 jobs. The report cites an influx of new residents and healthy tourism sector that are driving the rapid expansion of that employment base, which is growing by almost 1,000 jobs a month.

The workforce in Cape Coral-Fort Myers has expanded by 32.5% during the past five years, the fastest growth rate among the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas. Sarasota-Bradenton is second in that category at 26.8%.

"There is a lot of need. In the Tampa Bay, Orlando, central Florida markets, from an IT exclusive perspective, there are more needs than we can fill," says Tom Byrne, director of recruiting staffing services at Rita Technology Services in Tampa, Florida.

"I'm guessing that the Naples and Ft. Myers areas are maybe more retail- and hospitality-driven. There are very few big businesses down there, but as the population expands in Tampa, what is happening is that there is only so much room for new construction. More people are moving south to the Ft. Myers area, and unless you're retired, all of those people need to be working," says Byrne.

In fact, Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Sarasota-Bradenton have the lowest unemployment rates in the national study group, 2.6%. The only non-Florida market below 3% is Boise, Idaho.

Moving down the list, the report says the next-hottest job market is found in Las Vegas. Rounding out the top-10 are Phoenix; Sarasota-Bradenton; Orlando; Riverside-San Bernardino, California; Lakeland; Boise, Idaho; Washington, D.C.; and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.

New Orleans landed at the bottom of the list. The report alleges that hurricane Katrina's aftermath cost New Orleans roughly one-third of its employment base. The area has seen a 30.2% decrease, or 188,600 fewer jobs, compared to five years ago, the report says.

Others in the bottom-10 include Detroit; San Jose, California; Dayton, Ohio; Lansing, Michigan; Rochester, New York; Springfield, Massachusetts; Boston; Milwaukee; and Worcester, Massachusetts.

— Elaine Rigoli

10 Crimes of Work Fashion

Fair or not, appearance matters in the workplace. Just ask Desiree Goodwin.

The Harvard assistant librarian sued the university in 2005, claiming she was rejected for jobs or passed over for promotions 16 times because her supervisors viewed her as just as "pretty girl" who "wore sexy outfits," according to media reports.

When it comes to professional perception, clothes make a difference. According to a survey by Office Team, an administrative staffing firm, 80 percent of workers say a person's work wardrobe affects his or her professional image.

This means that dressing appropriately is a must if you want to be taken seriously at work. But knowing what's acceptable attire isn't easy in today's workplace. Business-casual dress codes vary widely between companies, and even between departments. The following items, however, are almost never acceptable to wear to work:

1. Poor-fitting clothing: Too-tight clothing is never flattering and usually too revealing, but too-baggy clothes make you look sloppy and unprofessional. Pant length also matters -- if you're showing too much sock or leg, expect to be teased all day about an upcoming flood.

Redemption: Find a good tailor. It's a rare person who actually looks good in clothes directly off the rack. Buy an item to fit the fullest parts of your body, and the tailor can nip in the rest.

2. Too much perfume or cologne: You never want your co-workers or clients to smell you before they see you, and a colleague could be severely allergic to your favorite scent.

Redemption: Apply perfume or cologne with an extremely light hand. If you spritz too much, put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and dab off the excess.

3. Shorts or too-short skirts: Showing too much leg is never a good professional move -- for women or men. Revealing a little leg makes men appear overly casual or sloppy, and makes women look more sexy than serious.

Redemption: Men should stick with long pants, and women should wear shorts or skirts that hit within an inch-and-a-half of the knee.

4. Out-of-control hair: Whether it's frizzy coifs or bushy beards, wild hair just doesn't look professional.

Redemption: Women should invest in a good haircut and some styling products that can reduce poufiness and make hair easier to manage. Men should keep their facial hair well-trimmed, or better yet, go clean-shaven.

5. Dirty, ripped or torn jeans: Even on casual Fridays, ripped jeans look too dirty and messy for the workplace.

Redemption: When you do choose to wear jeans to work, make sure they are well-fitting and in extremely good condition.

6. Cleavage: There are very few legitimate jobs where showing off your chest is a good career move.

Redemption: Cover up. Whenever possible, avoid wearing anything low-cut to the office. If you can't part with your V-neck shirts, simply buy a few camisole shirts to wear underneath them.

7. Tank tops: Showing too much skin in the office is never a good idea in the office, and tank tops are especially inappropriate for men.

Redemption: If it's hot outside and you're going out with friends after work, simply keep a cardigan at your desk to cover up. That way, you'll stay comfortable in frigid air conditioning and look professional when your boss stops by.

8. Noisy jewelry: An armload of bangles or long, dangling earrings are perfect choices for a bar, but downright distracting in the office.

Redemption: Keep your office jewelry simple. A small pendant, stud earrings and a delicate bracelet look much more professional than trendy pieces. Save your flashier jewelry for happy hour.

9. Gym attire: Even in the most casual workplaces, yoga pants, shorts, T-shirts and running shoes make you look sloppy and apathetic.

Redemption: At the very least, wear nice jeans and professional-looking shoes. If you're going to the gym or catching a flight after work, change into your comfortable clothes in the bathroom on the way out.

10. Extremely high heels: Extremely high heels are too sexy for the workplace -- not to mention impractical. Few things would be more embarrassing than wobbling or tripping over your extreme footwear in front of the boss.

Redemption: The highest heels you should wear to the office are 2 to 3 inches. That way, you'll actually be able to walk in them, and they'll be comfortable enough to wear all day. You might feel shorter, but you'll no longer fear grates or sidewalk cracks.

Article At: CNN.com

- ACA Talent

10 Avoidable IT Interview Flubs

A study released the week of Aug. 28 by Menlo Park, Calif., staffing firm Accountemps found that one of the most common mistakes made by candidates in job interviews was having little or no knowledge of the company, according to 47 percent of the senior executives surveyed.

While IT recruiters and managers still peg a lack of preparation near the top of their lists of interview gaffes, they cited many others that turned interviewees from dream candidates to inevitable nightmare employees in a matter of moments.

Below, eWEEK rounds up some of the worst offenses, and while we're certain that none of you would ever make such obvious errors, it never hurts to review before your next interview.

1. Late to the interview means late on projects and deadlines

You'd think in this day and age that something as simple as showing up to the right place on time would be a no-brainer, and yet, hiring managers said that candidates arrive tardy all the time.

Brian Gabrielson, national practice director for Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professional services in Mountain View, Calif., said that interviewees sometimes forget that when the competition is tough, it often comes down to the little things like punctuality.

"All things being equal, I'm going to pick the person who showed up on time, looked me in the eye and had manners," said Gabrielson.

Showing up on time is more than the icing on the cake, however. It conveys to potential employers that you will be equally punctual with deadlines, and that you will be organized enough to keep projects in line.

2. Lack of enthusiasm means you don't care about your work

One of the most aggravating interview gaffes noted by IT recruiters was a lack of enthusiasm for the job.

"One of them actually said, 'I don't want to work with people. I just want to be left alone to do my job,'" Gabrielson told eWEEK. "Can you imagine the impression that left?"

This lack of interest in the job also applies to individuals too eager to move up the ladder; even if a company has high hopes for you, they still need you to start with the task at hand.

Heather Galler, CEO of JobKite, a Land O' Lakes, Fla., national job site said: "A client told me about someone interviewing for a help desk position, and when asked what kind of work they wanted to do, he said 'I sure don't want to get stuck answering phones all day!'"

While Galler attributed this comment to the risk that sometimes comes when a more senior person says that they are willing to do simpler work, needless to say, this individual's chance at getting the job was immediately nixed.

3. Little to no company knowledge means you lack research skills

Do your homework, hiring professionals told eWEEK, or risk embarrassment.

"I've seen guys who said 'I really want to work here and what you guys do is great' and then when asked what we do that interests them, they can't answer. They haven't read your Web site and they don't know your product and then they're shocked that someone tried to quiz them on it," Josh Coates, founder and CEO of software company Berkeley Data Systems, based in American Fork, Utah, told eWEEK.

This lack of interest in the job also applies to individuals too eager to move up the ladder; even if a company has high hopes for you, they still need you to start with the task at hand.

Heather Galler, CEO of JobKite, a Land O' Lakes, Fla., national job site said: "A client told me about someone interviewing for a help desk position, and when asked what kind of work they wanted to do, he said 'I sure don't want to get stuck answering phones all day!'"

While Galler attributed this comment to the risk that sometimes comes when a more senior person says that they are willing to do simpler work, needless to say, this individual's chance at getting the job was immediately nixed.

3. Little to no company knowledge means you lack research skills

Do your homework, hiring professionals told eWEEK, or risk embarrassment.

"I've seen guys who said 'I really want to work here and what you guys do is great' and then when asked what we do that interests them, they can't answer. They haven't read your Web site and they don't know your product and then they're shocked that someone tried to quiz them on it," Josh Coates, founder and CEO of software company Berkeley Data Systems, based in American Fork, Utah, told eWEEK.

5. Too negative is too much: Spells P-R-O-B-L-E-M

No matter how rough you had it after the dot-com bust; no matter how inefficient your current department is, and no matter how bitter you are that your career may not be where you imagined it would be, do everything in your power to shut your yap about it in an interview.

"Negativity is not going to get you a job—at all. Even if you've been laid off, bitterness is never going to make you seem like an appealing candidate," said Galler.

Simply put, complaining and negativity sets off alarms in the minds of hiring managers, and signifies the type of problem employee nobody wants on their team.

6. Arrogance or dominating the interview signals conflict on teams

While confidence in your work and skills is near-universally desired in the workplace—what better to assure your future employers that you can get the job done—arrogance, confidence's extreme cousin, is a repellant.

"Let's not forget that you are interviewing for a job—you're not entitled to it. Maintaining a professional composure is very important," said Gabrielson.

Self-importance in an interview environment also begs for a "take-down," as one manager noted.

"Speak only about what you were personally responsible for at your last job, because it will only take a few specific questions to uncover a lie," said Coates.

7. Too quiet means you lack confidence in your work

Nobody expects all techies to be extroverts, but the days of working in a dark room in the end of the hall are over. Companies want their IT professionals to be able to speak up and offer solutions in meetings, and appearing too shy and mumbling in an interview will not land you that job.

"A while back it was more okay for a techie to be an introvert. There were a lot of coders tucked away in cubes all day. But the market has changed and now people are looking for business acumen and a knowledge of what their business is about," Gabrielson said.

Furthermore, not looking your interviewers in the eye can make them uncomfortable.

"When there's no eye contact, you kind of wonder what's going on in there," said Gabrielson.

8. Misstating qualifications means, well, you're a liar

Dishonestly stating qualifications on IT resumes came up as a frequent mistake, even fibs of the white lie variety.

"When I was an IT recruiter, I used to see a lot of overstating of qualifications. For example, people would say they had Java experience but they meant Java script. People would often have quickie or dumbed down versions of the technologies we'd requested," said Galler.

Worse yet, your co-workers are going to find out if you're not the expert you purport to be, which will cause friction, delayed projects and worse, loss of respect.

9. Speaking only tech-ese means you won't work well with others

If you think it will impress interviewers to speak in all "ones and zeroes," consider the way you felt that last time someone spoke to you in a language they knew you didn't understand. Very likely, you felt condescended to, and this will be the effect you will have on that HR hiring manager.

"In order to have a successful interview, you need to be able to style flex-speak to your audience," said Galler.

Doing so shows that you will be able to do the same when speaking to business team members or CEOs, and it shows an adaptability desired in candidates.

10. Not saying thank you is not welcome

While the once-rigueur sending of a formal thank you note after every interview may have been replaced these days by e-mails, every hiring manager mentioned the importance of this step.

"The thank you is very important. It's one of those things that could show that you're different from other candidates with the same qualifications. And don't forget to use that grammar and spelling checker," said Gabrielson.

The thank you note is also a chance to win bonus points, or correct errors made in the interview.

"Sometimes a candidate will follow-up with an e-mail that says that they thought up the question you had stumped them on, and now have a better answer. That really impresses me," said Coates.

Article At: eWeek.com

- ACA Talent