EmploymentMetrix.com

Will New Tax Cuts Energize Employers To Start Hiring Again?

Yesterday, was an important day, as President Obama delivered his second State of the Union Address.

While what was shared last night was similar in tone to what we heard the previous year, there was something unique happening in the chamber.  In response to the recent events that occurred in Tucson, members of congress sat together, rather than divided by party.  In regards to the untraditional seating arrangements, President Obama said, “What comes from this time will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but if we can work together tomorrow.”

And we hope they can—as the subject of jobs was again a hot topic. The creation of new jobs and new industries was talked about, as well tax cuts and incentives for businesses to hire with the goal of creating more private sector jobs in 2011.

So will it work?  Will these new tax cuts lessen the fears that corporations (large and small) have had when it comes to hiring?  Will new jobs be created?  Well, we like most of you certainly hope so! 

So what do we at Beyond.com, the world’s largest network of niche career communities, believe will happen between now and the 2012 State of the Union Address?

Currently, our team is busy analyzing the employment trends that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2010, but I can tell you that they’ve already noticed a 59% gain in online job posting when comparing the first six months to the last six months of 2010.  Which is great news! 

It looks like employers are starting to hire again, and we hope that that trend continues as more organizations start to feel more comfortable with the state of the economy.  This recovery however, will be a slow and steady one, as we don’t expect things to change overnight.

Additionally, as we work towards achieving clean energy breakthroughs and pursuing efforts to improve our infrastructure, in 2011 we predict that there will also be job increases in the following industries:

• Healthcare and Medical
• Information Technology
• Accounting and Finance
• Management and Business
• Media and Communications

While these are merely predictions, we hope that we can work together to make it happen.

Friendships in the Workplace: Do They Work in Your Favor?

Many of us watch television shows or movies focused on the relationships of co-workers. In fact, at one point or another we’ve all heard the names McDreamy or McSteamy, in reference to those handsome doctors on Grey’s Anatomy who appear to have their personal lives and careers intertwined into one seemingly perfect situation. At least some of the time (otherwise it wouldn’t be considered the drama that it is).

The good, the bad, and the ugly of friendships among co-workers are depicted on such drama series and as a result it can make us real people hesitant when it comes to forging friendships with our colleagues. And this got us thinking…

Recently, more than 18,800 business professionals across the Beyond.com Network of thousands of niche career sites were asked if one should form friendships in the workplace, and more than 89 percent said that friendships with colleagues both inside and outside of the office are a good idea, so what about the remaining 11 percent that said otherwise. Who’s to say, who’s right and who’s wrong?

We decided to take a closer look at the benefits and what factors can hinder your work situation when you make friends in the office.

Pros

• Increased Happiness: They call it work for a reason, but when you work with your friends, it can certainly make going to the salt mines more enjoyable.
  
  
• Successful Teamwork: While one may believe that limiting their contact with colleagues will inevitably keep them on task is in an old school state of mind, as many jobs today require an element of teamwork to achieve success. With that said, when you connect on a more personal level with a coworker your collaborative efforts will feel effortless when it is time to get to work.
  
  
• Commitment in the Workplace: When you work with friends, you feel more of a tie to the organization as it provides you the opportunity to work with those people who you care about.
  
  
• Mentorship: Establishing a relationship with coworkers that are more experienced in a particular area can provide you with the guidance and insight you’re looking for to increase your productivity and further your career.

Cons

• Damage to the Friendship: If a dispute between you and a colleague whom you are friends with occurs over a work related matter, it can affect the friendship outside the office.
  
  
• Sharing Information: Knowing your boundaries with a coworker who is also a friend can sometimes be ambiguous. How do you know for sure that you can trust this person with certain information?
  
  
• Take Advantage of the Friendship: Sometimes people take advantage of a relationship and use a friend at work that is in a higher position for personal gain.
  
  
• Reduce Productivity: Petty arguments between friends that are also coworkers will most likely reduce productivity inside the office.

In general, you don’t have to be best friends with everyone at work. If you end up finding a few people you can connect with—that’s great. And if you don’t, just keep in mind that you’ll catch more flies with honey (even if not everyone is your cup of tea).

Special thanks to our intern, Ariel Several for contributing this article.

Beyond.com, Inc. Expands Technology Team and Names James Bright as Enterprise Architect

Beyond.com, Inc., the world’s largest network of niche career communities, announced today the recent hiring of James Bright as Enterprise Architect for the organization. In his role, James will work with the Beyond.com management team to help establish a roadmap for the future that encompasses the vision and strategy of the company.

James brings more than 15 years of information technology experience and leadership to Beyond.com, including a track record of successful execution of the technology roadmap at both the technical and business levels. In addition, his expertise runs deep in the social networking arena as a founder and former Vice President of Orbius Inc. which was also recently acquired by Beyond.com.

Previously, James has worked to deliver valuable and scalable applications for several organizations including VerticalNet Inc., QuarterArcade.com (co-founder) and eMoneyAdvisor. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.

"James brings a phenomenal track record along with technical and business expertise which will enable Beyond.com to grow even faster in the years to come,” says Rich Milgram, CEO of Beyond.com. “We are excited to have him join our team and we are looking forward to him being extremely successful."

Go Viral—Get Hired!

Traditionally, when you are looking for a new job, you prowl online job boards and you reach out to your network, you don’t think of going to YouTube, but it might not be the craziest of ideas.  After all, there are quite a few success stories; here are just a few highlights:

Justin Bieber – I’m not Bieber’s target demographic, so when Justin Bieber was the top trending topic  on Twit  ter, I had no idea who he was (I had to Google him to see what all the fuss was).  But the story with Bieber (if for some reason you’ve been living under a rock) goes like this…Bieber went from boy to pop R-B singer thanks to his mom posting videos of him performing to YouTube.  He was discovered at age 13 and soon signed by Usher’s record label and now every teenage boy has his flip and switch hairstyle.

Greyson Chance – Greyson Chance owes his budding career to YouTube as well, notice that he also rocks a Bieber style haircut, despite being majorly influenced by Lady Gaga.  So how did Chance get noticed?  He performed Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” at his sixth grade music festival where his performance was posted to YouTube and received over 36 million views.  As a result he was invited to perform on The Ellen Degeneres Show after the comedian personally watched the video—since then Greyson has been signed to Ellen’s record label, ElevenEleven.

Ted Williams – Ted Williams has been all over the news this week as his story is pretty great.  The 53 year old homeless man was standing on a freeway exit holding a sign that said he had a golden voice. The Columbus Dispatch paper stopped and took a chance on him.  They filmed him doing some radio spots and from there his luck changed almost instantly when the video went viral.  Now his voice is in demand with job offers from Kraft, The Cleveland Cavaliers, The NFL, The Ohio Credit Union, and ESPN.

Well, now I know this probably isn’t the best way for someone looking for a job as an accountant or software engineer to land a job, but it is still pretty cool to think that people are landing jobs and might I add GREAT jobs thanks to viral videos.  Just goes to show you that you never know when (or from where) your dream job will land in your lap.  Just don’t end up like a laughing stock, like this guy did.