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If you’re networking for a job, it’s already too late

As Hunter Muller sees it, professional networking is analogous to the TV game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

“It’s the power of the network, the power of the lifeline that helps people out,” said Muller, president and CEO of The Advisory Council, a Norwalk, Conn.-based IT research and advisory service.

But for many people, there’s a delicate line between networking and job hunting. IT and other executives who mingle with their peers to find new positions often end up distancing themselves from the very people they’re counting on for support, according to IT executives who spoke last night at a meeting of the Fairfield (Conn.) and Westchester (N.Y.) chapter of the Society for Information Management.

“There’s too much emphasis on networking and job hunting,” said Adrie Reinders, president of OHM Inc., a Netherlands consulting firm and co-author of the book, The N Factor: How Efficient Networking Can Change the Dynamics of Your Business.

“People who are networking to find a job create distance [with their peers] because they’re about taking and wanting and networking is about giving and sharing,” said Jeff Skulsky, CIO at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Tarrytown, N.Y. “If you’re networking to find a job, it’s too late,” he adds.

Sometimes soft-pedaling can be more effective.

When Rhona Kannon transitioned from a career as an IT professional into the IT recruiting market, she reached out to 150 people she knew but she wasn’t pushy. “I said, ‘Hi, how are you, this is what I’m doing now’ without asking them for business,” said Kannon, a partner at The Cambridge Group Ltd., a recruiter in Westport, Conn.

Those contacts, explained Kannon, responded well to her easy-going approach and she credits them for helping to build her business as a recruiter.

Networking “is about approaching people on their terms” without necessarily expecting something in return, said Ed Pospesil, chairman of the Technology Executives Networking Group, a Guilford, Conn.-based network of 3,600-plus IT executives.

It’s also an essential tool for would-be IT executives, said Pospesil.

“The people who network are those who make it to the executive ranks,” he said. “The worker bees don’t.”

How to make your mark with recruitment agencies

Get the CV right

Recruitment consultant Kim Smith knows within five seconds if a CV that comes across her desk is worth reading.

“[Consultants] have very short attention spans,” says Smith, division director of Robert Half Finance & Accounting in Auckland.

“If a resume doesn’t grab us we go on to the next one. It takes five seconds. Literally.”

Most of the 50 or more CVs Smith receives a week are discarded. The reality is that many jobs are filled by recruitment agencies and if a job hunter doesn’t manage to grab a recruiter’s attention, they may be overlooked.

“Even in this candidate-short market I get bombarded with resumes every day,” says Smith.

“If the candidate is good but the resume does not portray their strength they will not get a second chance.”

A good CV, says Smith, should be no longer than two to three pages, “devoid of verbiage”, have lots of bullet points, and put the core skills including education and experience at the forefront.

Understand how agencies work

“Candidates need to understand how recruitment works,” says organisational development consultant Scott Constantine of the Grafton Consulting Group.

“They need to do serious research about the industry and the jobs they are looking for so they can understand what the other side is looking for.”

Constantine says many job-seekers make the mistake of thinking that the recruitment consultant works for them and can get “mortally wounded” when they realise that the relationship isn’t working for them.

“It is a fact of life that the [recruitment consultant's] client is the company and the fees are generated pretty much from commission.”

Telephone etiquette is vital

Recruiters are busy people and it’s important to cut to the chase when you phone them. Quote the job reference. Swat up on what you want to tell them before picking up the phone.

“We absolutely love our candidates and at the same time they need to realise how busy we are and sometimes we are not able to give them the love and attention they feel they deserve,” says Smith.

“But if you are willing to work with us and be value-added in conversations with us you will get all the time you need.

“The worst thing ever you can do is ring and say: I just want to check if you got my resume.

“And if I don’t know you from Adam, I don’t want you to ask me how my day is going and that’s not just because I’m a brash American.

“I am constantly on the phone and we run around with our hair on fire.”

Constantine adds that it’s best to keep regular contact without hounding a recruiter. Contacting them every single day just gets their backs up.

“Recruiters are not extraordinarily geared up for in bound calls,” he says.

Handling agencies is a balancing act. Melita Sharp, director of Career Coach Consulting says: “Recruiters will not automatically remember you, you may be the 25th candidate they’ve seen this week. The onus is on you to keep in touch.”

What makes me stand out?
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Job loss not end of world

Over the past 10 years, Tom Wall of Loudonville, N.Y., watched as his position as commercial photographer for WNYT Ch. 13 changed.

He had been at WNYT for 25 years and had built a career he enjoyed. However, the business of television changed, and Wall noticed that he wasn’t having as much fun as he once did.

It wasn’t like the early days when he was pinching himself because he “got paid to do this.” Many of the special projects he worked on - like the “Kids Follies” and the “Freihofer’s Run for Women Post Show” were scrapped to cut costs. His workload was decreasing, and he kept asking himself, “How long can this last?”

He and his wife Noelle talked about the fact that the job wouldn’t last forever. Wall knew it was coming. Still, when he was told on Jan. 10 that his position was being eliminated, the reality came as a shock.

“It’s difficult to know how to react - there is uncertainty. How do I tell my wife, my kids? Nobody wants to find themselves in that position,” he said.

The reality is that in today’s volatile job market, many employees will find themselves in that exact position as Wall at one time or another. Losing one’s job, whether expected or not, can throw any employee for a loop. The loss of a job can crush one’s self-esteem and rob him or her of a sense of identity.

The trick to working through a job loss, say experts, is to stay active and positive, perhaps easier said than done. Here are some tips on what to do and what to avoid when suddenly faced with an unanticipated job search.

1. Make a graceful exit. Relationship expert April Masini of www.AskApril.com, suggests you suppress the urge to say something you might later regret. “Thank everyone (at your former place of employment) for their time with you. Don’t boast false bravado. Be sad if you feel sad. But continue to be professional.”

2.Don’t panic. Luke Schmonsky, associate director of the Career Center at The College of Saint Rose, agrees that this is easy to say when you’re not the one who just got a pink slip. However, he advises job seekers to avoid making a knee-jerk reaction (like accepting the first job that comes along) that could send a job seeker down the same career path as before, even if it’s not the right path. “One of the main things that people should do is reflect on why the position didn’t work out. Some people become misplaced in the job market and end up with positions that don’t necessarily fit their career goals.”

3.Assess the positive. When you’re feeling down, listing all of your transferable skills can be a positive experience, explains Schmonsky. “Transferable skills are skills that people obtain in various positions that can pertain to another position. Skills make you marketable and often people don’t realize how many they have.”
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What to Do When You Hate Your Job By Marty Nemko

Do you dread going to the office on Monday morning? If so, you’ve got lots of company.

With the unemployment rate quite low, you’d think job satisfaction would be high, since employers, theoretically, would have to coddle their workers to avoid losing them. But the opposite seems to be true. Employees are increasingly unhappy at work, according to the Conference Board, with only 50 percent of people satisfied with their jobs today. That’s down from 79 percent in 1985. And if a recession is on the horizon, as many economists think it may be, the job market is sure to get tighter—and workers even edgier.
(bilderlounge/Getty Images)
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A few obvious factors, like low pay or excessive hours, drive down job satisfaction, but our global, technology-driven economy is also making it harder to find fulfilling work. Many of the pleasant parts of a job, such as dealing one-on-one with people, are being replaced by machines or more efficient processes. Sales junkets are being replaced by teleconferences, for instance; gut feeling is often overruled by computer modeling. Global competition often whittles down companies’ profit margins, forcing them to ask their best professionals to work longer hours. Among people earning $100,000 or more, for instance, one third work more than 50 hours a week, according to polls by Zogby/MSN.

To get ahead, workers increasingly need multiple skills. In addition to a core competency—accounting, say, or software engineering—many companies expect their employees to be entrepreneurial and IT savvy and speak another language. To be able to keep up with all that, of course, you must be a master of stress management, too. And even talented employees are increasingly being hired as temps, dumped when a project is over or the job is shipped overseas. With employers demanding more, job security declining, and the need for efficiency squeezing fun out of the job, it’s not surprising that ever more workers are unhappy.

So should you quit a job you hate? Maybe—but many disgruntled workers bail out too fast, mistakenly assuming there’s nothing they can do to make their current job better. Simply switching jobs doesn’t always make people happier, either. Sometimes it’s not the job or the company that’s the problem, but the individual. So before quitting, consider some practical steps to help deal with these common scenarios:

You’re overwhelmed. Maybe the work is too hard, or there’s just too much of it. Possible fixes: Hire a tutor or take a short, pragmatic course to help improve your knowledge. Ask for help—it sounds obvious, but many people don’t do it. Trade some of your most onerous duties with a coworker who finds them easier. Avoid needless perfectionism and put aside the things that can wait (possibly forever). You can even hire a “virtual assistant”—usually, a live person in India—for $6 to $15 per hour, at sites like Brickwork India and Your Man in India.

You’re not up to the job. Tempting as it is to blame others, sometimes employees just don’t have the skills, smarts, or drive required to thrive at their jobs. But that doesn’t mean solutions are out of reach. If tasks continually seem too difficult, for example, start or join an online professional group like those on Yahoo!, where people help each other solve thorny problems. Find a smart retiree who might tutor you. Tweak your job to make it more interesting; you’ll be more likely to succeed. Ask trusted friends and coworkers to list your weaknesses—and insist that they be honest. Then gulp hard, and carefully consider their advice.

You have a nightmare boss. It often takes gumption—and humility—to work with someone like that, but it might be better than the alternatives. Instead of confronting a cranky boss, ask what you could do better; if nothing else, you’ll earn a bit of respect for soliciting feedback. To deal with a hothead, have a tepid response ready so you don’t react impulsively: “You make some good points. Can we meet later to discuss them?” If you feel you have to go over your boss’s head, develop a face-saving premise for doing so: You’d like to approach a senior executive, say, because he’s an expert in a subject you’re working on.

Straight Talk on a Tough Subject for Job Seekers - Resume Fraud by John O’Connor

So in Las Vegas, Nevada, at a casino in March of 2005 I found an attorney talking about résumé fraud, prosecutions and lies. As a certified professional resume writer and career coach, I paid good money to attend a conference to hear about this subject. Experienced litigator and trial attorney Patrick H. Hicks from The National Employment & Labor Law Firm Littler Mendelson provided a clear and outstanding picture of the prevalence and impact of résumé fraud as well as the value of the résumé writer and career coach in this employment marketplace during the Professional Resume Writers and Research Association annual worldwide conference.

With over one hundred arbitrations and mediations, Mr. Hicks understands contract interpretation, employee discipline disputes, EEOC, and more. He has represented significant numbers of employers in wrongful termination and employment discrimination litigation and trial work, Title VII proceedings, and he counsels employers on the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, employee terminations, workplace violence, and pre-employment screening. How well was his message received? Let’s just put it this way – if he could have taken all the questions asked in his two-hour talk he would have had 1000.

The bottom line was this - regardless of the job market climate and regardless of the level of the person, personal integrity matters and it counts on a résumé. Résumé remain marketing tools and a credibility-building matter of disclosure. Good, common sense should apply – tell the truth. From Mr. Hicks’ point of view he has seen many employers win lawsuits and he has won suits simply on the resume fraud issues.

As some of us clearly know, job seekers often stretch the truth when it comes to résumé. It used to be called lying but straight talk has given way to political correctness. For example, I had a client who was within just a few semester hours of his four-year degree. Months after I started working with him he admitted to me that he had fudged a little bit because I knew I wouldn’t get a medical sales interview without the four-year degree. As a résumé writer, when I know someone has fudged I can coach them not to. Each and every certified résumé writer and career coach that I know encourages clients to tell us the truth so we can coach and create proper documents and search strategies for them. In fact, it’s hard to coach someone on a lie anyway! As I explained to the job seeker and my client, the company may not find out immediately but it will be grounds for termination if he is caught. I explained alternative medical sales opportunities that might not demand a four-year degree and encouraged him to finish his degree online over the next six months.

Most career professionals and the clients they serve agree that a résumé needs to be a marketing tool, a persuasive document that does not need to, even in the case of federal résumés, dump information on the reader just to be truthful. For example, I have seen drafts from our potential clients that say things like Reason for Leaving: Downsizing. Do we really need to reveal the downsizing in that way in the résumé – I think not. It wears well to use credible, reliable facts and achievements to build the case for our career transition clients. That’s what we do in the most inventive ways. Clients pay us for that keen and uniquely individualized perspective . But it’s not what we do that gets clients into trouble. They get into trouble by permitting themselves to lie to us and ultimately to potential employers.

How big a problem is résumé fraud? Let’s just point out some serious facts:

* It costs companies and organizations thousands of dollars to hire new candidates. These candidate costs can often average $5000 or more depending upon paid recruiting fees of up to 30% of first year’s income.
* Let’s look at the big picture. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that occupational fraud and abuse costs organizations about $600 billion annually, or roughly 6% of gross revenues.
* It has been reported that ninety percent of the personnel directors surveyed by the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) reported résumé untruths ranging from past salaries to personal identification.
* Falsification has had a nice run with the Internet. Many people use the same techniques as an identity thief. The Internet provides the foundation of a fountain of information, resources, databases to hack into, mock degrees and everything else for someone who wants to do this wrong right.
* ADP Screening and Selection Services suggested that they found more than 50 percent of job applicants submitted false information on their résumés and employment applications that was uncovered during employment and education checks in 2003 compared with about 40 percent in 2002.

Educational backgrounds seem to be the most fertile ground for fraud. It gets easy to make false scholastic claims, changing areas of concentration and then to minors or degrees never obtained. Usually fraud comes through in changes in employment dates, salary manipulation, job titles and duties, and other negative sounding information that may come up on background checks.

Although it is not the résumé writer’s job to supply highly-detailed application forms, complete hiring interviews and multiple reference checks, professional résumé writers employ good judgment to each project and encourage clients to do what is right. Career coaches and outplacement specialists need to continue to advocate honesty in our practices, to teach and even educate clients how they can creatively and imaginatively promote but not falsify their backgrounds to earn new positions, promotions and job assignments. The art of this balance puts career transition and résumé writing professional in a unique and very important position in the world of employment according to Patrick H. Hicks.

Many recruiters (internal and external) have become very careful in how they qualify and verify client information. How important is the résumé today? It is the foundational tool they use to interview, verify and follow-up. They do look for incongruities and evidence that demonstrates the candidate does not have the background to match his or her qualifications. But even with strong recruiters, background checks and previous employer verifications, many clients squeak through. But time becomes a factor and companies sometimes figure out that they can prove résumé fraud later if they need to so it’s to their advantage perhaps not to invest company time and money to do it fully.

Let’s turn the tables a bit and let me ask you this – have you done a background check, employment verification and criminal records history on every babysitter who has ever worked for you? Wouldn’t you like to know who will be watching your kids? Should you do this? Are your kids worth it? But the answer is probably no, isn’t it? It’s human nature to take the easy way out of situations and unfortunately it’s people who handle hiring.

Patrick H. Hicks suggested that job seekers remember this – courts are holding that material misrepresentations on an employment application and résumé constitute just cause to terminate an employment contract, reduce or deny benefits, including disability benefits, over time.

More and more cases appear. One example is the Supreme Court in Sarvis v. Vermont State Colleges, No. 99-390 (March 2001) finding that the plaintiff had carefully prepared his résumés and supplemental materials to lead the community college to believe that he had made a full disclosure about his past work experience and qualifications. The Supreme Court concluded that “principles of fraudulent inducement support a rule allowing an employer to avoid liability for breach of contract arising from an employment relationship induced by an employee’s fraud. Thus, misrepresentation during the hiring process can be a basis for rescission of an employment contract.”

The Court held that as a matter of law, such misrepresentations may constitute misconduct sufficient to support a just cause dismissal. Further, the Court held that “because honesty is an implicit duty of every employee, plaintiff had notice that his misrepresentation was grounds for dismissal.” The Court also rejected plaintiff’s claim that his firing violated Title VII (Employment Discrimination) holding that the federal statute does not prohibit employment decisions based on a person’s criminal history.

So there you have it – tell the truth, whether it be on your résumé, your job application, or who broke the window with the baseball. Very few if any person has a blemish free past or the perfect credentials for that just right job. It is far better to to learn and know how to handle the blemishes of your career head on than to simply cover them up. Good résumé writers and career coaches can help the job seeker gain perspective on imperfections and imaginatively present your past, thus eliminating the need to lie. Personal integrity is each person’s responsibility. Tell the truth in securing new opportunities in your worklife. You will face enough challenges and worries once you have the job.

John M. O’Connor is the President of Career Pro of NC Inc.(www.CareerProInc.com) a comprehensive career services organization specializing in Executive Search, Talent Acquisition, and Consulting.

Many clients, especially young professionals just starting out, often ask about future trends for employment and opportunity. My answer is always the same it depends on current supply and demand. Population and population trends are the biggest contributors to determining supply and demand of employment opportunities for the future.

With automation and advancing technology the some industries have slowed while others have exploded and new ones are developing daily. Any new industries and the ancillary careers that emerge from them are a good place to start. The industry shift tends to be toward more skilled positions so an education or formal training is a must for today’s young adults.

As our younger generation grows up we will need more educators to teach the children, and as baby-boomers move into their retirement years, the need for more healthcare jobs becomes necessary. These population shifts alter the demands that will determine future trends in employment. Although projections show increases of 14% from 2002 to 2012 in the American workforce, the demographics change considerably.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in the next half dozen years the fastest growing industries will be Technology at 35.8%, Healthcare at 34.5%, Nursing industry increasing 27.3%, Human Resources at 26.2%, and Criminal Justice and Education/Teaching both at 24.7% rounding the top five growth industries. So, when looking into industries with largest potential for available jobs the above industries are the top contenders.

Now if my clients are looking strictly at the income opportunity then I would suggest looking at a different index also released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics which shows the largest salary and wage changes for the next decade. Occupations listed below are expected to provide the largest earnings potential increase, starting with Software Publishing leading with a whopping 68% increase followed by Computer System Design and Related services, and Management, Scientific and Technology Consulting services both increasing earnings by 55%, Employment service come close at 54% and Social Assistance (except child day care) at 47% and finally Motion Pictures and Video increasing by 31%.

While many of the advancing growth industries are dissimilar from the highest income candidates, the computer related industries and health care still look most promising in terms of both opportunity and income potential. But before my clients run to change their career goals I try to remind them that it’s although income and opportunity are important if this is their planned career field for the next 20, 30 or 50 years they should make sure it is one that will offer them appeal, interest and enjoyment for many years.

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Kris Plantrich is the owner of ResumeWonders Writing and Career Coaching Services. She is certified in Resume Writing and Interview Coaching, experienced and affordable and is nationally published. Reuse of this article is encouraged but must include a link to http://www.resumewonders.com .

Tips for the 50-plus job seeker

Question:

I am 54 years old with 10 years experience in mental health and 13 years as a headhunter. When I was in the employment industry, I would send a younger job applicant for an interview. Now my karma has caught up with me. I could go on, but I will skip to the chase. To your knowledge, are there any effective employment/recruiting firms that deal exclusively with the 50 plus age group? And, do you have any thoughts about a firm/agency specializing in advocating and placing people in my age group? — Anon email, California

Dear “Anon”:

Yes, I’d say your karma caught up with you, and I do have comments, but first …

I would love to see private advocacy/placement groups develop throughout the country. In California, The State of California Employment Development Department, Senior Worker Advocate Office, is working for senior workers forty and over and to raise public awareness of the issues and problems that confront these workers. Certainly other states have similar programs. Just Google “Job placement for seniors - ‘your State”‘ and follow the information.

No matter where you live, AARP is working for you, and United Way has a division to assist older workers with job placement.

Now, why did you send the younger applicants first when you were a head-hunter? The answer is important to understand how the placement industry works. Employment agencies and headhunters work on behalf of the client-companies who pay the fees, so they send in the applicants that they feel have the greatest chance of getting hired. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just the system, and why it’s so important to know what you are ready to do for your next employer. It’s up to you to sell yourself and be your own advocate.

Consider the following:

– Experienced older workers are increasing in numbers, and are staying eligible for work for many more years that ever before.

– Older workers do not necessarily demand more money, but are generally worth more because of productivity.

– Older workers are reliable, have fewer on-the-job accidents, and do not necessarily increase group insurance rates.

– While younger workers are receiving much better educations, it’s hard to beat the old school work ethic.

You need a job. Keep these three tips in mind and you’ll likely get hired for a satisfying job within only one week. If you’re sick of living off unemployment insurance benefits, read this short article.

It’s true. If you were to even move out of state today, these tips will score you a job almost instantly. Put an end to frustration once and for all. Finding a job can be simple actually.

#1. Use Your Network

The best shot you have at finding a job in the least amount of time is by using your network. It’s not just about who you know, it’s also about who they know. When you inform your friends, family members, and acquaintances that you’re looking for work in your field, tell them to spread the word. You’ll be amazed at how fast the news of you wanting a new career travels throughout your city, even among a network outside of you own that you have never met.

Not only does this save time in the job search, you won’t have to convince a company as much about your character. No need to sell yourself to a potential boss because you’re already sold. Companies love to hire based on testimonials of people they already trust.

#2. Target Companies Who Hire Like the Military

This is a lightning-quick way to find a job. Distribution centers, factories, and other large-scale operations hire like the military. They normally have high wages and the best financial and health insurance benefits. While you can get a production, maintenance, or transportation job with little or no education background, there are several positions in fields like HR, IT, and Management. Don’t forget about receptionist and security guard positions.

While networking find out whether your city (or within working distance) has for example, a plastics plant, rock mine, automobile factory, retail distribution center, the list goes on…

Then to save time, call and ask how to apply. Large scale operations such as these are looking for new workers on a daily basis. Follow up in a few days to schedule your first interview and drug screening.

#3. Put Your Resume On Your Local Jobs Website

You already have a resume typed up. Now submit it to circulate quickly among local businesses and companies. Just about every city has a local jobs website these days. You can find out about it in the classifieds section of your local paper. All you have to do is copy and paste or upload your resume to the website for interested parties to find in searches.

It’s absolutely critical to title your resume with words that involve your area of expertise. Even if you’re a general laborer, put something like “labor and production” in your title. Your resume will get into the right hands with hardly any work on your behalf.

Consider this as well. If your name is circulating throughout your network and beyond, chances are an employer is going to log onto the local jobs website and search for your resume based on your name. Again, it would be wise not to waste much time searching on your local jobs site, but rather allowing employers to find you, a method in which (in a way) preserves your values.

Conclusion

No more stress, worries, frustration, or unemployment insurance benefits. Network, target large scale companies who hire like the military, and put your resume on your local jobs website. Do this and you’ll be on your way to efficiently finding a fulfilling job within a week.

America’s Deadliest Jobs

Overall, workplace fatalities edged down last year to 5,703 from 5,734 in 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For many of us, the most dangerous part of the workday is the commute, but for many others, each workday is risky business.

The nation recently watched rescuers’ efforts to reach six trapped workers in a Utah coal mine. In the same month, divers searched for bodies through debris and low visibility in the Mississippi River after a deadly bridge collapse in Minnesota. Then there are the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from all over the world in combat.

For many of us, the most dangerous part of the workday may be the commute, but for many others, each workday is a real risk. Fortunately, workplace fatalities overall edged down last year to 5,703 from an adjusted 5,734 in 2005, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures.

Mining does not statistically rank among the most dangerous occupations, and related accidents have generally dropped since passage of the Mining Safety & Health Act in 1977, which tightened safety standards. Still, it is a relatively dangerous occupation: fatalities in the coal mining industry more than doubled in 2006, largely due to the Sago Mine disaster in West Virginia. The rate of fatal injuries in the coal mining industry in 2006 was 49.5 per 100,000 workers, nearly 12 times the rate for all private industry. This represents an 84 percent increase from the 2005 rate of 26.8 fatalities per 100,000 workers.

“Employees in coal mining are more likely to be killed or to incur a non-fatal injury or illness, and their injuries are more likely to be severe than workers in private industry as a whole,” according to the BLS in August. Also in August, heavy flooding poured into two coal mines in eastern China, leaving 181 miners feared dead; earlier this month, 172 miners trapped in the flooded mine were pronounced dead as officials cited bad management as a main cause of the tragedy.

China’s coal mines are the world’s deadliest, with thousands of fatalities a year.

Every August, the BLS releases its report of fatalities in the work place — and every year, the single deadliest job in the United States is commercial fishing. This year was no exception.

Based on the latest BLS data, the following jobs have the highest fatality rates in the U.S.

dangerous%20life%20of%20fishermen.jpg1) Fishers and Fishing Workers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 142
Total Deaths: 51

Dangers: Work in all kinds of weather, often hundreds of miles from shore with no help readily available; crew members risk falling on slippery decks, leading to serious injuries or falling overboard; potential hazards include malfunctioning fishing gear and becoming entangled in nets.

2) Pilots and Flight Engineers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 88
Total Deaths: 101

Dangers: Risky conditions are most acute for test pilots, who check equipment for new, experimental planes, as well as crop dusters, who are exposed to toxins and sometimes lack a regular landing strip; helicopter pilots often engage in dangerous rescue.

3) Loggers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 82
Total Deaths: 64

Dangers: Loggers are susceptible to high winds, falling branches and hidden roots or vines that present great risks around chain saws and other heavy equipment.

4) Iron and Steel Workers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 61
Total Deaths: 36

Dangers: Most work at considerable heights, with the greatest cause of injury or death coming from falls.

5) Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 42
Total Deaths: 38

Dangers: Some also work at great heights, occasionally in extreme weather; often, workers are exposed to fumes and hazardous materials that can impair their respiratory systems.

6) Farmers and Ranchers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 38
Total Deaths: 291

Dangers: Many farmers operate heavy machinery, the biggest sources of hazards on the job.

7) Electrical Power Line Workers (Installers and Repairers)
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 35
Total Deaths: 38

Dangers: Power lines are typically located higher up than phone and cable lines; dangers include both slipping and falling from high altitude and electrocution risk.

roofers.jpg8) Roofers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 34
Total Deaths: 82

Dangers: Slipping and falling from roofs, ladders or scaffolds are the most common causes of injury or death; heat-related illnesses also occur on hot days.

9) Drivers (truckers and salespeople)
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 27
Total Deaths: 940

Dangers: On an absolute basis (as opposed to a per capita basis), highway fatalities are the No. 1 killer on the job; most accidents stem from tired drivers veering off the road, rather than from multi-car accidents.

10) Agricultural Workers
Deaths per 100,000 workers: 22
Total Deaths: 158

Dangers: Workers in crop production risk exposure to hazardous chemicals sprayed on crops or plants; those working on mechanized farms must also navigate the hazards of tools and heavy equipment.

Of the 5,703 fatal work injuries last year, 5,202 occurred in private industry. Manufacturing fatalities were up 14 percent in 2006.

How to Get a Better Job Without Really Trying

f you recoil from networking events, never get around to putting out feelers and have no clue how to “work a room,” congratulations! You’re the ideal candidate for a terrific new job.

In human-resources lingo, you’re a “passive” prospect–and a hot commodity these days because employers know that top workers are often treated well and thus may not be looking around. So-called passive recruiting isn’t new, of course. It’s what executive recruiters have always done. But the tactic is increasingly being used for positions lower down the corporate ladder, and that trend is being facilitated by giant databases of employment data gleaned from publicly available sources like press releases, SEC filings and articles in trade publications. Companies use all of this info to sift for high-quality passive prospects. The industry leader, ZoomInfo in Waltham, Mass., has 27 million profiles in its database, while lesser-known competitor Ziggs.com has about 3 million. In other words, you’re probably in there.

And if you aren’t, you should be. More than a fifth of the Fortune 500, including blue-chip names like Pfizer, Sony and Microsoft, use these outfits as part of their recruiting process. “It’s a great hiring tool,” says Suzanne Villar of Alliance Enterprise Group, a Louisiana recruiting firm specializing in engineering and other technical professions. “I can get detailed results based on all sorts of search criteria, so it’s easy to come up with a pool of potential candidates.” Human-resources consultant John Sullivan, who has advised Oracle, Nike, Charles Schwab, Intel and Starbucks, among others, says candidates gleaned from these databases have a unique cachet. “They tell you who is the best or most noted in their field regardless of whether they have a current résumé or even want a new job,” he says.

The bottom line: Even if you’re not looking for a new job, you want potential employers to see you in the most flattering light. Fortunately, it’s easy to take control of your profiles.

• FIND YOUR PROFILE You’ll need to complete the online forms at zoominfo.com and ziggs.com. If you don’t already have a profile, you can create one. Either way, it’s free, and it takes less than 10 minutes for the basics.

• SET YOURSELF APART Next, enter details that differentiate you and increase the chance that you’ll pop up during a search. If, for example, a recruiter is looking for ad buyers with television experience, he’ll find your name only if your profile includes your stint at NBC.

• BUILD YOURSELF UP You can also edit your profile to your advantage. Make sure it includes all your most impressive experience (like the highest position you held with past employers), professional organizations you belong to and certifications you hold. You can also delete incorrect or unflattering information, like a job you held for only a short time. (ZoomInfo discourages people from puffing up accomplishments by requiring you to enter former employers’ Web addresses when you edit your profile.)

• RAISE YOUR PROFILE One of the easiest ways to augment your information is by joining professional organizations. ZoomInfo lists these memberships at the top of your profile, even above your job history, so they are one of the first things a recruiter will see.