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September 2020 Jobs Report: What do Job Seekers Need to Know?

The U.S. economy added 661,000 jobs in September, sending the unemployment rate down for the fifth straight month as the labor market continues to regain its footing after the Covid-19 disruption. 

The unemployment rate fell to 7.9%. According to the latest federal jobs report, that’s down half a percentage point from the previous month but still up 4.4% from February before COVID-19 shutdowns began.

The U.S. has replaced 11.4 million of the 22 million jobs lost in March and April, at the beginning of the pandemic. Job growth, though, is cooling, and last month marked the first time since April that net hiring was below one million.

Employers in leisure and hospitality, retail, healthcare, and professional and business services expanded payroll last month, adding 592,000 jobs.

  • Leisure and hospitality: 318,000 jobs added
  • Retail trade: 142,400 jobs added
  • Health care and social assistance: 107,000 jobs added
  • Professional and business services: 89,000 jobs added

Large gains in ambulatory care settings drove healthcare job growth, which added 52,800 jobs in September. The healthcare unemployment rate in September was 4.5%, with 2.0% unemployment in hospital settings.  

September saw continued growth in physicians (+18,000), home health care services (+16,000), and other health practitioners’ offices, BLS said. 

4 Simple Motivation Life Hacks to Start Using Today

One minute you’re killing it like a boss, and the next, you’re ready to wave a white flag on the day before lunch. Try these simple motivation life hacks to give yourself a boost when you’re not on your A-game.

Strike a power pose

Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and professor at the Harvard School of Business, gave a TED Talk on the significance of body language. Her premise is that non-verbal communication (i.e. body language) may be just as important as verbal communication. And one of the ways that you can communicate non-verbally is with a “power pose.”

Power posing is a controversial self-improvement technique or “life hack” in which people stand in a posture (picture Wonder Woman in a wide legged stance with her hands on her hips) that they mentally associate with being powerful, in the hope of feeling and behaving more assertive.

Cuddy’s research found that by standing in a power pose for as little as two minutes can increase your testosterone levels, which are associated with confidence, and decreases your cortisol levels, which are associated with stress. Try it it only takes 2 minutes!

Write a letter from your future self

Try reverse engineering your goals, instead of jotting down what you’re going to do. Try writing a letter from “the future” describing your accomplishments in the past tense. This can be a powerful way to stay motivated.

For example, instead of, “I want to be the <insert top career goal> in three years,” you would write a note dated in 2023 and say, “I’m the <insert career goal> and it’s everything I worked for, and it feels fantastic!”

Use your passwords as a motivational tool  

The next time prompted to change your passwords, use it to keep your mojo. While still using acceptable password practices— including numbers, uppercase, and lowercase letters and symbols—tweak your combinations to reflect what you’re working towards. Bonus: this habit makes them easier to remember and way more fun!

For instance, if this is your year for cultivating more self-love, your password could be: 2020+IAM+Love or if your goal this year is to save more money: 20$Save.

When you make these into passwords you regularly use, such as logging onto your laptop, it’s a subtle goal reminder several times a day. That’s better than typing in something meaningless like, 82>jhZ42.

Share Your Goals with Others 

If other individuals know what you are working towards achieving a particular goal, you are more likely to push through and succeed. However, if you immediately fail to achieve your goal, it can seem a bit tragic to realize that so many people know your destination. This is why it’s smart to share, but not boast on your new goal intention.

Try out some of these motivation hacks and let us know how they work!

 

The Pacific Northwest Lands as The Best States for Nurses in 2020

There’s a deeper appreciation for nurses as they risk their lives every day, during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the occupation’s risk and stress, the industry forecast is to grow at more than double the average occupation rate through 2028.

The best part of the country to work as a nurse, according to a recent  WalletHub report, is in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon and Washington come in at the number one and number two spots for best states in the country for nurses.

For the report, researchers assessed all 50 states on 22 weighted metrics related to the nursing-job opportunities and competition and the work environment in each market:

  • Overall nursing school quality;
  • The monthly average starting salary for nurses in a state (adjusted for cost of living);
  • The number of nursing-job openings per capita and
  • The number of nurses per 1,000 residents;
  • Any mandatory overtime restrictions;
  • The quality of a state’s public hospital system;
  • The ratio of nurses to hospital beds in a state; and
  • Whether a state has a nursing licensure compact law.

Overall the five best states for nurses in 2020 are:

  1. Oregon;
  2. Washington;
  3. New Mexico;
  4. Minnesota; and
  5. Nevada.

Oregon ranked as the top state for nurses in 2019.

Meanwhile, the five worst states for nurses in 2020, according to the report, are:

  1. New York;
  2. Louisiana;
  3. Hawaii;
  4. Alabama; and
  5. Oklahoma.

You can explore the full list of rankings and learn more about the methodology here. Contact INNOVA People today for our nursing opportunities.

 

 

You’ve Got 90 Seconds to Make a Good First Impression

Your resume nailed you an interview. While the average interview can last up to 40 minutes, 33% of hiring managers say they know within the first 90 seconds if you’re the person they want to hire.

To help put that into perspective, here’s what you can do in 90 ticks; that’s the average amount of time it takes to respond to a text message or sing the national anthem.

Your interviewer has already decided whether you’re the right person for the job, in that small window of time.

Here’s some insight into what other factors play on whether you make an excellent first impression.

Spend Time Researching the Company 

Do we really need to list this one? Surprisingly, 47% of hiring managers give a big strike for not doing your homework. Having little to no knowledge of the company you are interviewing with is the most common interview mistake.

It doesn’t take long to spend some time on LinkedIn or Google and find some recent news or learn more about a company’s history. Then drop that knowledge during the interview. Showing a genuine interest in the company goes a long way.

Dress for the Part

What you wear may be the deciding factor between two identical candidates and could get you the mental ax if you’re trying too hard. 70% of hiring managers said they don’t want candidates to be too trendy or too fashionable.

Keep it classic and simple.

Eye Contact

Not surprisingly, 67% of the hiring managers surveyed counted out candidates that had issues making and keeping eye contact.

Holding someone’s gaze for an appropriate period is a nonverbal cue that tells the other person you are engaged and want to keep talking. By contrast, breaking eye contact communicates you don’t want to continue the conversation and desire some distance, which can be rooted in the psychological need to protect yourself from anticipated embarrassment, shame, or other negative feelings that could come from the interaction.

Smile More. Be Confident

Preparation grows confidence. If you’re feeling extra nervous, crack a smile. Science shows it builds your confidence level. When 38% of hiring managers counted people out of the running that didn’t smile or show any confidence.

Need help preparing for your next interview? Contact INNOVA People for more tips to make a lasting first impression.

 

Why You Need a Hiring Strategy During Hyper-Growth

While rapid growth can be an exciting time for a start-up, it can also be one of the most challenging phases. People are the heart of every company so finding the right ones becomes critical during the expansion stage. 

First, hiring for start-ups needs careful consideration, despite the urgency that the exceptional growth rate imposes. Many founding teams don’t have the time or recruiting expertise to build and expand high-growth companies in such situations.

You can see the vision in your head, you know what needs to be built, and how to build it..but you just don’t have the talent in-house yet to do it. 

We’re here to help. 

With over 20 years of industry experience and a proven model, we can assess where you are today, plan, and execute where you want to go. You get the people that you need but also set you up for the future. So when you do this again, you are ready and know how to tackle this daunting part of your company’s growth life cycle.

This process also establishes a structured hiring process. According to Adam Robinson, author of the book The Best Team Wins, 90% of all companies lack a structured hiring process. Among all the other things that result from the lack of a structured or documented hiring process, the bad hires it brings to your company can hurt you the most. 

Learn more about INNOVA People’s proprietary program for talent acquisition that is two decades in the making for your start-up tech business.

Ted Talks in Ten

We could all use some inspiration right now. Take ten with TED Talks. From speeches on leadership, education to the practice of mindfulness, the highly popular TED talk videos are the perfect source of inspiration for taking small steps toward living your best life. 

While there are thousands to choose from, some of the most insightful talks take up less than 10 minutes of your time. 

Here are five of our favorites if you’re looking to expand your horizons, find some inspiration, and still get to that Zoom meeting on time.

Julian Treasure: “How to Speak so that People Want to Listen

Julian Treasure demonstrates some vocal exercises for anyone who wants to command the attention of a room business consultant and sound expert and shares tips on how to speak with power and empathy.  

Length: 9:58

Sunni Brown: “Doodlers, unite!”

Are you looking for ways to unlock some creative thinking? Sunni Brown insists that doodling is a method for improving comprehension and fostering more creative thinking. Brown makes the case by unlocking your brain via pad and pen. 

Length: 5:50

Andy Puddicombe: “All it Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes”. 

Can you recall the last time you altogether paused and did nothing for ten straight minutes? Yeah, we can’t either. Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, only by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. 

Length: 9:09

Ron Gutman: “The Hidden Power of Smiling”

Health entrepreneur Ron Gutman reviews a collection of studies about the simple act of smiling and reveals some surprising results: your smile can measure longevity, the act of smiling can boost your mood and stimulates our brain better than chocolate. 

Length: 7:26

Adam Atler: Why Our Screens Make Us Less Happy”

What makes us incessantly check our phones? Psychologist Adam Atler dives into the fascinating psychology that drives our tech additions and what you can do about it to live a more fulfilled life.  

Length:9:21

Have a favorite TED talk? Let us know, we’d love to hear what’s inspiring you.