2007 promises to be a good year for job seekers

Admit it, you've been thinking about looking for a new job for a while now. It's not that your current job is all that bad. But there might be —must be! — something better out there. A job that pays a little higher salary, is more interesting, offers more flexible hours, carries more responsibility and prestige. Maybe someplace where the weather is warmer. Or cooler.

The good news is that 2007 may be a great year to finally do something about it.

A survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com has found that 40 percent of hiring managers and human resource professionals in the U.S. plan to increase their number of full-time, permanent employees in 2007. Hiring activity is expected to be strongest in the South and West, according to the survey. Forty-four percent of employers in the South plan to add new employees compared to 41 percent of those in the West, 38 percent in the Midwest and 36 percent in the Northeast. The survey said that 36 percent of hiring managers and human resource professionals plan to add new employees in the next three months.

PQNDT's own 2006 Salary & Benefits Survey indicated that NDT employment is growing in most parts of the country, meaning more openings and opportunities will exist in the coming year.

Other employment trends that emerged from the CareerBuilder.com survey include:

Higher Wages: Nearly half of all employers (49 percent) expect to increase salaries on initial offers to new employees. Thirty-five percent will raise compensation levels by 3 percent or more while 17 percent will raise compensation levels by 5 percent or more.

More Flexible Work Arrangements: Nineteen percent of employers say they are very or extremely willing to provide more flexible work arrangements for employees such as job sharing and alternate schedules.

Rehiring Retirees: One-in-five employers plan to rehire retirees from other companies or provide incentives for workers approaching retirement age to stay on with the company longer.

Better Training: In light of the shortage of skilled workers within their own industries, employers are looking for transferable skills from other industries. Seventy-eight percent report they are willing to recruit workers who don't have experience in their particular industry or field and provide training and certifications needed.

So, will you make a move? If you do, you will not be alone. A Yahoo! HotJobs survey found that nearly two-thirds of working adults would consider a new job in 2007. Seventy percent believe that the opportunity to find a job this year is better than in previous years.

The first step in taking advantage of what the current job market has to offer is to do your homework. Start with an internal check of your experience, skills and NDT certifications. What type of work do you like to do? Where do you have the most experience? What aspects of your current job do you like?

From there, you can begin to build a picture of a job that would satisfy your needs and desires. Then start the process of looking for that job. For that you can use some help.

Your next stop should be PQNDT's database of current openings, the most extensive NDT job database in the country. Enter in your own skills, certifications and preferences and you can access the jobs that meet your criteria. Or you can submit a resume on-line and we'll get to work finding a job that is a good match for your experience.

No matter what the reason for wanting to find a new NDT job, 2007 looks to be a very good year.



Do you have a comment to make on this article? We'd like to hear from you! Please e-mail your comments or questions to newsletters@pqndt.com.



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