Squiggler

Best Cities for Servicemembers and Spouses to Find Jobs

The Military Spouse Career Center has an article in their most recent electronic newsletter detailing the 10 best cities for getting a job if you are former military or a military spouse. As a former military spouse who has some non-employment problems, I'm interested in such articles. I think, however, that the attributes that make these cities a good bet for the military would also apply to the general population as well. There are a few surprises on the list. I would not have thought of Oklahoma City, for instance.

The Best Cities for Servicemembers and Spouses to Find Jobs

         

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Finding the right job has more to do with location than most job seekers realize. Every year, more job seekers flock to large cities in the hopes of finding employment. However, large cities might have lower employment rates than smaller cities. According to a Forbes report, cities such as, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, all ranked low on the annual Best 100 Cities to Get a Job List. The reason: ebb and flow of the local economies, cost of living and median household income, negatively affected their standings.

While these large cities languished on this list, smaller, lesser-known cities moved up in the ranks. Most were chosen because of their affordable housing and immense job opportunities, especially for servicemembers and military spouses.

Here is Forbes list of the top 10 best cities to find a job:

No. 1) Washington DC
Politics isn't the only field this city has to offer. According to Forbes, this city has a burgeoning biotechnology sector. What's more, DC has a strong economy. While most cities struggled through the 2001 recession, DC survived with barely a scratch.

No. 2) Phoenix
The warm climate and strong local economy are big draws for retiring baby boomers and immigrants.

No. 3) Las Vegas
Expect more growth in "Sin City." Forbes reports that more immigrants will flock to this city for low-skilled jobs and retirees relocate there for the warm weather.

No. 4) Orlando, Fla. 
A boon to the defense industry and tourism helped push this city to the top of the list. And, Orlando benefited from the recent growth in the housing market, reports Forbes.

No. 5) Bethesda, Md.
Located on the edge of Washington, DC, Bethesda reaps all of the capital city's benefits. Several biotechnology firms are located in this city, which also houses the National Institute of Health.

No. 6) Richmond, Va.
Not ready to relocate to DC or Maryland? Try Richmond. There are just as many businesses located in Richmond that offer stable employment.

No. 7) Raleigh, NC
North Carolina has done a good job leveraging its resources, linking universities to private research firms. Additionally, the city offers cheap housing and beautiful golf courses.

No. 8) Jacksonville, Fla.
Jacksonville doesn't have the same tourist appeal as Orlando, Fla., but the city hosts its share of travelers. It is also a center for international trade. And, the city is home to companies producing electronics for the defense industry, reports Forbes.

No.  9) Oklahoma City, Okla.
Computer companies, such as Dell, have set up call centers in this city to avoid outsourcing overseas.

No. 10) Virginia Beach, Va.
Virginia Beach's economy relies in large part on trade and the military. Recently, more companies have set up back-office operations in the city, partly to take advantage of the military spouses who are available for part-time work.

Are you looking for a job in any of these cities? Log onto Military.com's Veteran Career Network to find Veterans who might live or work these areas.

Laugh for the Day

That's right, back with another great post from our favorite humor blog:

always low standards for research. always.

By Jon on Current Affairs

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) released a study this week that sent economists scrambling to reexamine long-held assumptions regarding the fundamental workings of our economy.

In the study, the EPI found that if Wal-Mart paid its workers more, the company would make less money.

We found it hard to believe too thinking perhaps it was merely an optical illusion or maybe just a Sudoku puzzle gone horribly wrong, but we’ve run the numbers several times ourselves making use of such complex mathematical concepts as subtraction (thanks for making me stick it out in the first grade, dad, instead of abandoning my education for a career in finger painting and "seeing how far you have to drop a watch to make it break") and sure enough, if you increase costs, profits go down. It’s just uncanny. ... More

Job hunting Español

Do you sit back and say the illegal immigration in this country, especially that from Mexico, doesn't really affect you? Well put aside the costs incurred by school systems, medical providers, especially emergency medicine, law enforcement costs and think about jobs. I'm sure you've heard over and over how the illegals are doing jobs that Americans won't do. First of all, this is nothing but a bunch of hooey. But, even more, here is the rub. Check any help wanted section of a major paper here in California or on the Internet. I'm sure it is the same in any border state, and perhaps nationwide. Job after job that requires the prospective employee to be bilingual. I've been struggling and trying to get back into the job market for a long time now. I would take almost any job out there, but I prefer an office job where my primary skills would be of best use. In yesterday's list, there wasn't a single job in an administration assistant/clerical category that didn't say bilingual preferred or required. I'm sorry, but there are two things that get me riled up, one is the idea that an American who wants to work is denied a chance for a job they are qualified for because they do not speak a language foreign to the country they live in. The second issue that riles me is the indiscriminate drug testing for jobs that are benign, i.e., don't require flying an airplane or some other such high risk employment that requires a high level response factor.

Maybe if we didn't make it so easy, like maybe requiring immigrants to LEARN ENGLISH, it would be alittle less attractive to come here.

I don't want to see mass deportations as that is an expense that I don't think we can afford as a nation, but I do think we need to go after the employers who hire illegals and bust their butts. I also think it should be as illegal to require an employee be bilingual as it is to say you don't want someone over the age of 21 or 35 or whatever. You can't specifiy race or age by law in an employment ad, why should it be legal to specifiy that an employee must be fluent in a foreign language just to accomodate illegals from that foreign country? Today Spanish, tomorrow Farsi.

We're watching you ...

You know what is really sad about the following article ... the left will probably think this is a great idea, while at the same time screaming for the President's scalp over the NSA surveillance of al-Qaeda electronic communications.

I'm at an age where I don't much care if an employer likes or doesn't like what they could find out about me through a Googgle search. Would I be so cavalier about it though if I were a twenty-thirty-forty something looking to get a foot in the door or to move up the ladder to speed along on the fast track? Most likely not.

This is worrisome to me ...

                          

Bosses google potential employees

NEW YORK, March 19 (UPI) -- More and more U.S. employers are investigating potential employees online to find out more about job applicants, say employment experts.

"People do need to keep in mind that the information they post online -- whether in a resumé, profile or otherwise -- should be considered public information," warns Danielle C. Perry, director of public relations at job Web site Monster.com.

From blogs to dating profiles, the World Wide Web has become a place where people air dirty laundry without a thought, making it a dangerous place to mix business with pleasure, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Employment experts say many companies are doing background checks online.

"If you have something on Google, it's better to let them know in advance," said Michael Erwin, senior career adviser at CareerBuilder.com. "Make sure what you put on your resume is truthful."

However, those with common names have little recourse if employers end up reading information about another person with the same name.

                           

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