Finding a job in the new labor market

Today I read a blog I located through a Linkedin group. The blogger describes the path she discovered as she searched for a professional position in this difficult labor market.


Please note, I use the economic term labor market, not job market. Students in my classes will recognize one of my pet topics. Labor is the resource being bought and sold, not the job. I completely understand why job seekers view this as a job market. Much time and effort is being spent on the supplier's side to land that perfect employment opportunity. It feels like the supplier of labor is actually procurring a job. In our classes we discuss the labor market; households supply labor and firms demand labor. Right now there is decreased demand for labor due to multinational recessionary pressure.



In an executive summary from Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, it is reported that by 2018 there will be a shortage of Americans with college degrees. This is a bright spot on the economic horizon for young college graduates who are currently struggling in their search for gainful employment. The article is careful to point out that this increased demand is for labor possessing human capital in the form of college degrees.



Another point deserving attention is the blogger's use of branding and social networking. The CLC: Callahan Learning Community blog addressed branding in the second post. I am hopeful that future microeconomics classes will show an interest in exploring the branding of self as a marketing concept for their own labor. Next week on Tuesday June 22, Keiser University Sarasota Student Services Office is hosting a seminar entilted Managing YOU, Inc. in our auditorium. Patricia Matthews of HR Audits and Workplace Solutions Consultants will address strategically managing a career like you would a business.




Later today I will be "attending" a webinar on putting e in learning. Perhaps this will tie in with the value of social networking to education.