Cowlitz County Express Job Seekers Blog

Stay positive and dodge the drama. Humans like to gossip. It’s fun to talk to your co-workers about managers that might be less-than-perfect, or project members that just aren’t carrying their weight. You get a certain buzz from feeling like you’re “in-the-know” on a juicy situation. It’s something we all do. But there are plenty of reasons to minimize gossiping in the workplace, especially if you want to grow your career. Let’s dig in. Gossip breeds negativity Gossip is rarely positive. The more you gossip, the more you’re dwelling on harmful feelings and emotions. That can get tiring after a while and trap you in a cycle of negativity. Gossip is usually born out of a place of self-doubt (you want to impress others with your insider knowledge) or jealousy (Carmen only got that promotion because she’s friends with the director). Instead of talking to others about the latest faux-pas, act to further your career and surround yourself with folks that uplift and inspire you. If they gossip about others… …

It isn’t impossible, but you have to be prepared. Maybe you love to brew coffee. Perhaps embroidery is your favorite thing. It’s even possible you want to dedicate your life to raising alpacas. Whatever your passion, if it results in a product or service, there’s someone out there making a living off it. However, before you quit your job to paint or to open your own clothing boutique, there are a few things to keep in mind. What’s Your Passion? The answer might seem obvious, but a passion isn’t just something you enjoy doing. A passion is something you’re meant to do; it completes you. Say you love to drink coffee. You might think that would mean you should open a coffee shop. But there are ton of jobs connected to coffee, from coffee tasting to coffee farming to working in a coffee shop. Basically, there are many, many jobs that could fulfill your passion; so don’t focus on only one position. Is This Something You Can Do All Day …

Which one is right for you? Job seekers frequently worry what their interviewer is thinking of them. They want to be perfect job candidates, ideal matches for the job description. They want to be liked, both as a person and as a prospective employee. But job seekers must also consider whether the company they’re applying to is right for them. Even if you’re a perfect fit for the company, if the company isn’t a good fit for you, you probably won’t end up happy. This is where culture comes in. Before you start interviewing, decide what your preferred company culture looks like. Do you want your co-workers to be a second family? Or is your job a place to get work done and get out? Let’s figure that out. Family A family-oriented work culture is one in which “everybody knows your name,” from accounting to marketing to the CEO. Your boss might see your kid’s play or organize a fundraiser when your co-worker’s mom is ill. There are periodic company …

Is it too late to enter a new industry? Every day we wake up, get out of bed, brush our teeth (hopefully), take a shower, and go to work. That’s our routine, day in and day out. Each day has a little bit of the same, and that’s great, if you enjoy whatever that “same” is. But what if you wake up and realize you want to do something different? Maybe you’re an administrative assistant and wish to move into sales, or you’ve worked in warehouses all your life and would like to try something in an office building. The only problem? You’re over a certain age, and it can seem dauting to dive into the job search again, especially a whole new industry. However, with a few exceptions (medicine, law, ballet, basically anything that requires years of specialized training), you can do anything. Here’s how to get started. Match Your Experience to Your Dream Job The first thing to do is figure out how the experience and skills you …

Calculate your odds of success with an accounting position! Despite already having experience with several jobs, many working adults are unable to answer that age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Our Job Spotlight monthly blog series is designed to help you answer that question. In this series, we review all the basics of specific jobs, from salary and duties to why people do the jobs they do. Accountant/Finance Note: The Accounting/Finance industry is a broad category, so the following applies generally. In this month’s Job Spotlight, we’re crediting audiences with some information about accounting/finance positions. The outlook for this position is bright, as employment is projected to grow 10% between 2016 and 2026, a rate higher than most occupations. Responsibilities include dealing with financial records and making sure taxes are paid on-time. Required Education Bachelor’s degree Pay Although pay varies depending on a variety of factors (e.g. experience, industry, geographic area, etc.), accountants/finance employees make $70,500 annually on average. What Accountants/Finance Employees Do: Accountants/finance …

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, a leading cyber economy researcher, “cybercrime damages will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021—exponentially more than the damage inflicted from natural disasters in a year, and more profitable than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.” Businesses at all levels invest significant resources each year to cybersecurity, but one of the most common targets of nefarious individuals and organizations seeking access behind the firewall are a company’s employees. So, for our May question of the month, we’re asking about one of the most basic lines of defense against cybercrime—your password.   View Survey

Here’s what you had to say. You like working at your current job, but the main reason we work is to make money. So we asked, if another company comes along with a job offer, how much of a pay increase would it take for you to stay with your current company? Responses were fairly evenly split. 16-20% increase: 21% of the vote 11-15% increase: 19% of the vote 5-10% increase: 19% of the vote 21% or greater increase: 18% of the vote 3-4% increase: 7% of the vote 1-2% increase: 4% of the vote Other responses included: Depends on what the new job offer is. Too many variables to decide: location, moving, reputation of the new business, etc. It’s not always about money. No increase. I’m outta here! These results show that it really does vary by position. The “should I stay or should I go” number is different for everyone. However, your current employer isn’t going to know your number unless you ask for it. So, when negotiating, …

The first quarter of the year is almost over, and the job market is still doing very well. Express surveyed business owners, decision makers, and human resource professionals about the overall hiring trends in their markets and how they impact their hiring decisions. Optimism for a strong 2019 continues into the second quarter as recession concerns remain low for the year. Forty-one percent of survey respondents said their employment markets are “trending up” in the second quarter of 2019, and only 11% forecast a downward trend in employment activity. Additionally, 95% of respondents reported that they do not currently live in an area in recession and do not expect the country to enter into a recession within the next year. However, it is notable that nearly half (48%) said they foresee a recession within the next two years. The top segments hiring in the second quarter of 2019 include: General Labor (Industrial): 39% Skilled Labor (Industrial): 33% Administrative/Office Clerical: 18% Accounting/Finance: 8% Engineering: 8% Segments creating the most NEW positions …

Tomorrow is Administrative Professionals Day. A day to celebrate admins of all types, from front office managers to assistants, data entry professionals to payroll pros, to bookkeepers and more. And what better way to celebrate than to see how far we’ve come? Secretaries No Longer Think back to 40 or so years ago. Admin professionals weren’t really a thing. Instead, people in this position were known as secretaries. Although they worked hard, long hours, there was a certain notion that these individuals were lower in status than others. The position wasn’t seen as something with any career trajectory. The term “secretary” still carries connotations of pencil skirts, sharp reading glasses, and a certain word-per-minute typing ability, but today’s admin brings so much more to the table. There are many businesses that can’t function without their admin. Admins keep the lights on (literally, when they come in the morning, and figuratively in all other ways), make coffee (nobody else knows how the machine works), greet clients, set meetings, coordinate between departments, …

Is it Worth It? You like where you live. Maybe you’ve already bought a house and your kids are enrolled in a great school. But you don’t like your job, the people you work with, your boss, or some combination of all three. You could also use a pay raise. You’ve tried searching for a different job locally, but nothing seems right. But then you hear about a great job opportunity. The problem? It’s in a totally different state. It can be hard to decide if a new job is worth moving for. Here are a few things to keep in mind before accepting that out-of-state job offer. What will you gain? The first thing you need to figure out are the benefits that moving offers. For instance, you’ll like your job more, you’ll work at a company with opportunities for advancement, you’ll get higher pay, etc. Consider neighborhoods and, if you have kids, school districts, too. It’s important to think about not only your career, but also your family …