President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

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2013 CES - Consumers Electronics Show

 




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Online recruiting

IF you are thinking of looking for a job this year, or are already searching for one, be warned: for some job seekers, the rules have changed. Technology and social media have altered the way some employers consider candidates. Simply sifting through job postings and sending out applications en masse was never a good route to success, and is even less so now.

One of the most important questions that many job seekers can ask these days is this: How searchable am I? Some employers aren’t even bothering to post jobs, but are instead searching online for the right candidate, said Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers, a career management firm in New York.

Not having an Internet presence can be damaging, Ms. Safani said. She is among those who recommend that job seekers spend serious time detailing their skills and experience on commercial sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, with an eye toward making their names a magnet for search engines.

“Having a blog can be a good way to show that you are a thought leader” while improving your professional visibility, she said. And consider YouTube as a way to enhance your searchability, she advised. If an employer comes across a video of you giving a speech or a training presentation, she said, you may gain an advantage.

More companies are turning to Twitter as a way to broadcast job openings, so you should use it to follow recruiters, industry leaders and individual companies, said Alison Doyle, a job search specialist for About.com. She said that by linking to articles and sharing your expertise on Twitter, you can enhance your professional reputation — though you should beware of the site’s potential as a time drain.

On Facebook, “liking” a company can mean receiving early notice of job openings and other news. But privacy concerns make Facebook tricky, Ms. Doyle said: Make sure you understand who is receiving which of your posts, or resolve to be thoroughly professional on Facebook at all times, she said. Be aware that hiring managers may see what you post on any of the major social media outlets, she added.

Old-fashioned, personal networking can still be an effective way to land a job, but online networking now supplements it in many fields. Both Ms. Safani and Ms. Doyle say LinkedIn is a very important Web tool for making those connections.

The site offers premium services for a fee, but almost all of the main features for job seekers are free, Ms. Doyle said. Spend a few minutes on the site each day making new connections, she advised, and keep your profile up to date.

To improve the chances that a connection request will be accepted, especially from someone you don’t know, send a personal message along with it, noting, say, your similar backgrounds, said Nicole Williams, a consultant who works as a career expert for LinkedIn.

Baldly asking someone at a company for help in landing a job is never a good idea, on LinkedIn or anywhere else. Share links and advice with people in your LinkedIn network before asking for a favor like an introduction to a hiring manager or a written recommendation that would appear on the site. If you are seeking a particular position, Ms. Doyle said, you might say something like: “I’m interested in this job. Do you have any information that you can share with me?”

Joining industry groups on LinkedIn can build your visibility. You can also join college alumni organizations or other focused groups, like one for working mothers.

Make full use of the skills section of LinkedIn, Ms. Williams advised, and the more specific you are, the better. Instead of saying that you have marketing skills, note the exact areas — direct mail campaigns, for example. LinkedIn can direct you to companies that are seeking these skills so you can follow them. Listing your skills could also bring you to the notice of a recruiter.

Be aware, too, that an employer may be viewing your application via a mobile phone. Mobile traffic involving job search more than doubled in 2012 over 2011 at the employment site Indeed.com, said Rony Kahan, a co-founder and C.E.O. So make sure you know how your résumé and cover letter look on a small screen. Résumés should be in a PDF format so they can be viewed on a variety of phones.

In the age of online applications, one school of thought holds that cover letters are a waste of time, but Ms. Doyle disagrees. Cover letters are still a great way to differentiate yourself from the competition, she said — and the rise of applications via cellphone just means they should be more concise, and specific to the job at hand.

from The New York Times

Economic performance of two-term US presidents

THE economic auguries for Barack Obama’s second term are not good.


The Economist has analysed the economic performance of all 11 two-term presidents since Teddy Roosevelt took office in September 1901 by comparing the changes across eight economic indicators (GDP, industrial production, household incomes, house prices, unemployment, consumer confidence, stockmarkets and federal debt) during their presidential terms. 

Oscar nominees for 2013 (video)

 



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Violent games and violent crimes (video)

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Slow economy boosts car-share business

 
If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em.     

That 's exactly what car rental company Avis will do: it will buy Zipcar Inc for about $500 million and will become the No.1 player in the fast-growing U.S. car-sharing market.

Car sharing allows customers to rent cars at an hourly or daily rate and park in convenient reserved spots.

"We see car sharing as highly complementary to traditional car rental, with rapid growth potential and representing a scalable opportunity for us as a combined company. The total market is projected to reach $10 billion over the next several years," Avis Chief Executive Ronald Nelson said on a conference call with analysts.

Zipcar, founded more than 10 years ago, made $4 million last year. It controls about 75 percent of the $400 million car-sharing industry in the United States.  Zipcar's business is at least five times larger than Hertz's and Enterprise's car-sharing businesses. It has more than 760,000 members, or Zipsters, with a presence in 20 cities in the United States, Canada and Europe.

The deal will position Avis as the market leader in car-sharing services in the United States.

Zipcar will operate as a unit of Avis and Scott Griffith will remain the unit's chief.

Citigroup is advising Avis while Morgan Stanley is advising Zipcar on the transaction.

edited from Atlantic Wire and Reuters

ArcelorMittal to sell stake in Canadian unit

(Reuters) - ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker, will sell a 15 percent stake in one of its Canadian iron ore operations, raising $1.1 billion to help pay off debt at a time of sluggish demand.

The group, which makes about 6-7 percent of the world's steel, will sell the stake in ArcelorMittal Mines Canada to a consortium including South Korean steelmaker POSCO and Taiwan-listed China Steel.

ArcelorMittal Mines Canada operates two large open-pit mines in the province of Quebec, where it also owns the Port-Cartier industrial complex that includes a pellet plant, storage areas and port facilities for shipping.

ArcelorMittal also owns the huge Mary River iron ore project in Canada's arctic, in which it sold a 20 percent stake to joint venture partner Nunavut last month.

As part of the deal announced on Wednesday POSCO, China Steel and ArcelorMittal Mines Canada will enter into long-term iron ore supply agreements.

ArcelorMittal needs the funds to help compensate a slump in Europe, where demand is estimated to have fallen about 8 percent in 2012 and 29 percent since the start of the financial crisis in 2007.

ArcelorMittal is one of Canada's top exporters of iron ore to steel markets around the world and its operations account for about 40 percent of Canada's iron ore output.

The transaction is subject to approval from the Taiwanese government, and is expected to close in two installments in the first and second quarters of 2013.

Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital Markets are advising ArcelorMittal on the deal, while Morgan Stanley is advising the POSCO consortium.

edited from Reuters

So you find certain words annoying? Whatever

"You know" 
"Whatever" 
"Like"
 "just sayin'"

When it comes to the most annoying words or phrases used in conversation, those four top the list in 2012, according to the annual Marist Poll.

"Whatever" headed the list, cited by 32 percent of adults, and next came "like," which 21 percent didn't like.

Runners-up included "Twitterverse" and "gotcha'."

The results mirrored last year's survey when "whatever" topped the annoying words list for a third straight year. But "seriously," named by 7 percent last year, dropped off the list entirely - really.

Marist questioned 1,246 adults in a U.S. nationwide, telephone survey.

Results showed differences by age and regions, with people younger than 45 or in the Northeast especially annoyed by "like" while "you know" offended more of the 45-and-over set.

Men and women gave similar responses overall, but whites were twice as likely as non-whites to find "you know" irritating. And people under 45 were more than twice as likely as those over 45 to be put off by "just sayin' "

from Reuters