Are You Earning Enough?

Find a Job - Job Opportunities that Pay Well

UPDATE : The US government has published information on average wages - to see which are the best paying jobs in America see - Top Ten Best Paying Jobs

Apparently this is a great time to be graduating from college/university. As Baby Boomers retire employers are looking for new talent. The number of managers expecting to hire new graduates this year has risen to 79% compared to 70% last year. A survey carried out by CareerBuilder shows starting pay is up too, with 42% of hiring managers aiming at increasing salaries compared with last year.

Pay Scales in the USA

According to the same survey entry-level pay in the US is :-

• $30,000 - $40,000 for 35% of companies, up from 28% last year;
• 16% will pay $40,000 - $50,000 (10% last year);
• and 12% expect to pay $50,000 or higher ( 7% last year).

Employers will however take a close look at your grades. About one-third of hiring managers in the CareerBuilder poll want to see a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and 10% insist on 3.5 or better. There is also a lot of competition, with employers reporting receiving an average of 73 applications for each entry-level job.

An excellent place to go for information if you want to find a job in the US is Anna Ivey's website, it is full of useful advice, she also has a blog (and she looks hot too!). Her mission as she says herself is to “help you – college students and recent graduates – figure out what the heck to do with yourselves.” According to Anna, Gen Y job-seekers make 5 basic mistakes. Here they are briefly, for the full details see the link below.

1. Parents are too involved
“keep your parents' advice entirely behind the scenes; recruiters shouldn't experience any direct involvement by your parents.”

2. MySpace mistakes
Beware of what you post on MySpace, recruiters can, and do, check out profiles. Google your own name to see what comes up.

3. Failing to network
“Let your network know that you're looking for a job, … and make sure to follow through on any leads.” [Personally I have mixed feelings about this advice. My son was looking for a job recently and "our network" was of little use and in some case slightly embarrassing, as people felt obliged to do something although they clearly had no desire to do so, and as such it turned out to be a waste of time. Fortunately he managed to find a job under his own steam. I guess it all depends on how well-connected or well-intentioned your "network" is. But WTFDIK!]

4. A simple "thank you"
“A short email expressing your gratitude and promising to stay in touch is all you need. … being polite is just one more way to stand out from the crowd.”

5. Bad voicemail greetings
Keep it professional and don’t answer the phone if it isn’t appropriate to do so.

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