What Is Your Job Market IQ?

I've put together a fun quiz to test your job market IQ. It's good to know your odds and the playing field if you want to get a job. Have fun!

1. What is the average length of time it takes someone to find a job?
a.) 3 weeks
b.) 8 weeks
c.) 12 weeks
d.) 16 weeks

2. In 2006, what percentage of college graduates moved back home after graduation?
a.) 25
b.) 40
c.) 47
d.) 66

3. What percentage of recruiters run searches of candidates on the Web to screen applicants?
a.) 29
b.) 67
c.) 77
d.) 82

4. Employers plan to hire ____% more new college graduates from the class of 2007 than from the class of 2006.
a.) 5
b.) 12.5
c.) 17.4
d.) 23

5. Employers in the _____ expect the biggest increase in hiring.
a.) South
b.) West
c.) Midwest
d.) Northeast

6. ___________ is the major that is number one in demand.
a.) Chemical Engineering
b.) Accounting
c.) Education
d.) Computer Science

7. What do employers rank as most important in a new employee?
a.) Communications skills
b.) GPA
c.) Bilingual skills
d.) Outgoing personality

8. Who is most likely to get a signing bonus?
a.) Civil engineer
b.) Social worker
c.) Librarian
d.) Newspaper reporter

9. What percent of college grad job seekers don’t have a resume yet or say their resume needs help?
a.) 78
b.) 56
c.) 30
d.) 15

10. What percentage of the workforce is looking for a new job this year?
a.) 25
b.) 50
c.) 75
d.) 100

(Statistics for this quiz were compiled from surveys from SHRM, JobWeb, ExecuNet, and Collegegrad.com, and dol.gov)

1. d 2. d 3. c 4. c 5. a 6. b 7. a 8. a 9. a 10. c

10 points
You are a job search expert! Do you have a job yet? If not, call JobBound, we’re looking to hire a brilliant, superstar summer intern like you. You’ve aced one test, see if you can pass a more Difficult Quiz.

7-9 points
Pretty good! You have a good grasp on the job market, and you know the odds. You know all about getting a job, now you just have to do it. You passed this test, but make sure you are JobBound by taking Quiz #2.

5-7 points
Not so good, not so bad. Average score. Unfortunately, average won’t land you a dream job. If 75% of the workforce is looking for a new job this year, you want to make sure you stand out in that crowd. Brush up your knowledge and you’ll be hired before you know it. Make yourself job ready now. Take the Resume Quiz to see if you need JobBound’s help!

1-5 points
Wake Up! There’s a world out there! You’ll be entering the job market before you know it, and you want to be prepared. Unless you want to be part of the 66% of graduates that move back in with mom and pops after graduation, you better improve your performance. We’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself by taking Quiz #2.

www.jobbound.com

Networking and Getting "LinkedIn"

I've said it before, networking is the key to getting your foot in the door at a company. You can email your resume or cold call the HR Director, but the chances that you'll be noticed are slim.

In the Orange County Register, workplace columnist Michele Himmelberg gave some insight on finding great networking opportunities. Michele asked me to weigh in on the subject in her Career Q & A, and I included an excerpt from her piece:

"Networking doesn't always mean attending networking events or keeping a massive Rolodex, Karsh said. You can make networking a part of your everyday life. When you meet people or talk to friends, just mention casually that you're looking for a new job, or hoping to do something different. Sometimes they may know someone at a company or in an industry you're looking to get into.

Karsh also suggested online networking sites, such as LinkedIn, as a way to build contacts with a click of the mouse. LinkedIn officials claim their online network includes 7.5 million professionals from around the world, representing 130 industries. When you create a profile, you share your networking contacts and gain access to thousands of other professionals.

Karsh came out of the recruiting world, and he knows that recruiting directors love to hire people who network because it makes their lives easier.

When looking at a stack of 300 resumes and trying to find the perfect candidate, it always helps a recruiter to have a personal recommendation, Karsh said. When I looked at the stack of 300 as a recruiter, I usually had another stack of about eight resumes of people who had their resume sent to me from someone in our company. Since that employee was sending them to me with a note, it meant that they had at leascreenedcreened the candidate. I wouldn't pick all eight, but I'd probably interview four of the folks who had networked their way into the company."

www.jobbound.com