Looking for new career ideas to "insure" against unemployment? On this podcast, I interview Amy Bryan, president of New York Young Insurance Professionals. Amy shares her story of making the choice to pursue a career in the less-than-trendy insurance field and talks about why she thinks this is a great option for recent grads.

Here are some things I learned:

• The average age of employees in the insurance industry is 55! This means that a significant number of jobs will open up as the Baby Boomer generation retires.
• Insurance companies need talent in a wide variety of areas, including design, programming, sales, marketing, actuarial services and more.
• Amy has never met that perky woman in the Progressive commercials.

Listen to the podcast now.

Have you considered a career in the insurance industry, or do you recommend I interview someone in another under-appreciated field? Please share in the comments!

Life and Career Coach Kevin Tucker, of C-Cubed Career Consulting & Coaching, shares four tips on landing your next job!

Focus. You must say "no" to things that get in the way of your goal of landing the career of your dreams. It's easy to fill your schedule with "stuff", but at the end of the day, how did your actions really get you where you went to be?

Change may need to happen. At the end of the day/week, take a look at your schedule. What needs to stay? What need to go? What is in alignment what your goals?

Decision making. Naturally, we react differently to various situations. But I would challenge you to think in a different paradigm. Be proactive. By the way, making decisions that are in alignment, will compliment both your business and personal situations and will yield some great results!

And finally, you need to ask yourself, "what is the cost for not taking action in aligning your schedule?" The results of this question will dictate your desire for change.

In life, we constantly have many different things that want (and sometimes require) our attention. It could be the career, health, relationships, family, fill in the blank here... But it's always up to us to decide where we take our actions. All the best in your search!

As a nationally Credentialed Career Manager, Coach Kevin Tucker has been partnering with individuals like you for the last 25 years. Through the military, as a minister, a human resources executive, and finally as a career and life transition coach; he has continually been able to help motivated individuals find their calling in life! Check out more at www.CCubedCareer.com.

When you go on vacation, how often do you check your work email? Is it harder to unplug if you work for yourself? Do you ever really leave the office at the office? This week’s #careerchat discussed these questions and more.

September 7, 2010: Taking Time Off

Takeaways from the chat:

• Define your vacation priorities first: Do you want to spend more time with family, or have quiet time to work on a project?
• If you take time off to relax, you will be more efficient and refreshed when you return.
• If you’re constantly checking in at the office, what does that say about your team? Trust your colleagues to support you.
• Leave emergency contact information in case something comes up—and define what an “emergency” really is!
• As an entrepreneur, it’s hard to “switch off” when you’re always thinking about your business. But you still need a break to stay fresh and creative.

(With thanks to @Careerbright, @DrWoody, @michmerc, @PaigeHolden, @KyleMcShane, @buona_vita, and @Austin_Curtis)

Full transcript here.

Resources:

• From TECMidwest: Our CEOs need to make sure they unplug for a successful business. Priscilla Kemp says it well.
• From DrWoody: "Attention is the holy grail". When we are connected are we paying attention?
  
• From Jelfster: Right Management survey: Two thirds of Americans didn't use all their alloted vacation time in 2009.
  
• From Careerbright: Fewer travelers unplug while on vacation:  77 percent of Americans stay connected for social reasons.

Special thanks… To our top participants: @MaggieMistal, @PaigeHolden, @Kblennon, @Austin_Curtis, @SaleStart, @CaSuPe15, @buona_vita and @DrWoody.

Each Tuesday at 12:00 pm CT, Becky Benishek (@MyPath_MP) and Amanda Gulralski (@bizMebizgal), Gen Y career expert and publisher and cofounder of bizMe.biz online magazine, host an hour-long Career Chat on Twitter (#careerchat). Joining us was Mark Jelfs from the MyPath team. You can learn about upcoming topics and submit your questions by following @MyPath_MP and @bizMebizgal.

Next week Tuesday, Sept 14, we’ll discuss office politics. What problems do you see in your workplace? Do some people get unfair advantages? If you think you’re not involved, you may be surprised. Follow #careerchat on Twitter!

Other chats:

7/13/10 All About Interviewing

7/20/10 Job Searching While Employed

7/27/10 Negotiating Your Pay Package

8/3/10 Flirting With Office Romance

8/10/10 Generational Differences in the Workplace

8/17/10 Intern Chat

8/24/10 Personal Branding and Social Media

8/31/10 MBAs and Professional Certifications

Job interviews can be stressful, but in reality there are only 22 questions that you really need to prepare for. We provide the questions and possible answers that every job seeker should master.
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The latest Manpower survey for 4th quarter hiring prospects (Oct 1- Dec 31) is out!

Here's the scoop:

We continue to see a moderate hiring increase compared to a year ago.

• 15% of employers surveyed across the nation anticipate an increase in hiring activity.
• Only 11% forecast a decrease.
• 71% don't intend to make any changes at all.
• The remaining 3% are undecided.

11 out of 13 industries surveyed have a positive outlook for this quarter.

• This includes Mining, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Professional & Business Services and Education & Health Services.

All U.S. regions see a positive net employment outlook.

• Most upbeat hiring intentions: Northeast and South.
• Most reserved hiring intentions: West.

However...
Employers in the government and construction sectors anticipate decreased hiring; local and state governments are struggling financially.

Watch the video clip and download the full Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (United States, Q4 2010) report here.

Want to find out about your specific market, or local/global region? Select reports here.