April 28, 2008

Whoever said women can't drive
Posted by Diane Danielson at 11:57 AM

surely forgot to mention that to Danica Patrick.  I'm a little late with this post, but wanted to give Danica Patrick her due.  Last week, she became the first woman to win a major Indy race.  I've been rooting for her since her fourth place showing in the Indy 500 in 2005, and so great to see her compete with the big guys.  Picture and story from Yahoo News:

MOTEGI, Japan - Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps.

Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval after leader Scott Dixon pitted with five laps left and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan came in a lap later.

"It's a long time coming. Finally," Patrick said. "It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."

The 26-year-old Patrick won in her 50th career IndyCar start, taking the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race.

Yes, that's Helio from Dancing with the Stars that she beat out!  Click here for the full story.

One interesting sidenote.  Danica won with an extra 10-lb weight in the car because the "racing gods" have implemented a new rule where they have to weigh down the cars of "lighter drivers" (i.e. Danica) because it's not fair if she weighs 100 lbs and her male racers weigh 165 lbs.  I do see how weight can make a difference.  Just as it does in horse racing.  In any event, Danica, just keep winning with those extra weights and give them something else to complain about!

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April 16, 2008

Summer jobs seekers face crunch
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 9:59 AM

Officials at job programs in Boston that provide summer employment for city teens are concerned that because of the economy, charities will cut back on donations to the programs, thus cutting the number of summer jobs available. The Globe reports:

"It is difficult even in good times to get private-sector jobs for these kids, and it's going to be even tougher this year," said John J. Drew, executive vice president of Action for Boston Community Development, which, among other services, subsidizes jobs in nonprofit agencies for youths age 14 to 21 from poor families.

"A lot of work sites are telling us, 'We can't take as many,' " because entry-level positions that were in the past filled by high school students are being snapped up by college students, said Aaron Tanimoto, the agency's program director. "You can see how the economy is bumping everybody down."

Boston isn't the only place where the uncertain economy will impact the hiring practices of summer businesses. MSNBC reports that we could be headed for historic lows in teen employment this summer. SnagAJob.com, a website for hourly jobs that helps connect job seekers with hourly employment at many national chains, conducted a survey of 1,100 companies that shows many companies will be scaling back their hiring this summer.

According to the survey, 49 percent of hiring managers at retailers and restaurants did not anticipate adding any additional employees this summer, with a almost a third of them saying they don't have the budget this year. Because the competition for available opening will be fierce, SnagAJob offers tips for teens hoping to land a position this summer:

• Start your job search as soon as possible, if you haven't already. The survey found that 76 percent of hiring managers expect to fill their seasonal jobs by May, so you can’t wait until school lets out to find a job.

• Have a positive attitude, and demonstrate it to hiring managers. While you'll earn valuable work experience at a summer job, having a positive attitude is more important than bringing on-the-job experience. Show your desire to land a job by being enthusiastic in a job interview, learning about the company beforehand, and expressing a willingness to do the required tasks, especially positively interacting with customers and co-workers.

• Be aggressive about your job hunt, applying online and in person. If you apply for an hourly job through a company’s online posting or directly at its website, your application will be routed directly to the hiring manager making a decision. Additionally, select several places where you’d really like to work and follow up with an in-person visit. This shows that you’re extremely interested in the position, and you can confirm that your application is being considered.

• Be able to work the desired schedule. In hourly positions, you must be able to work the shift a company needs, an especially critical need for companies hiring for nights and weekends. Indicate on your application all of the times you are able to work. After all, 28 percent of hiring managers said the most important thing they look for in a summer job applicant is their ability to work the daily schedule the company needs.

However, there may be good news for teens near the Cape who want to earn some money this summer. Many employers on Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard are actually scrambling to find employees because of tougher immigration restrictions on foreign workers who usually fill many of the summer positions, the Globe reported last week:

Cape employers, who have relied for years on more than 5,000 seasonal workers from Jamaica, Bulgaria, Poland, and other countries, say they are unlikely to find replacements for all the cooks, waiters, housekeepers, and landscapers they need this summer. Some businesses are delaying openings, cutting back hours, and making plans to get by with fewer employees.

"Right now I'm hearing from employers who are beyond anxious," said Jane Nichols Bishop, a consultant on Cape Cod who assists businesses seeking foreign workers. "Some of my clients are delaying their openings by a month or more, or not booking all their rooms, because they don't have enough staff."

Among those they hope will help fill their vacant jobs are unemployed people from New Bedford and Fall River, foreign laborers winding down the season at Florida resorts, and local students and retirees willing to be coaxed into the labor force.

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Should you "friend" your boss on Facebook?
Posted by Diane Danielson at 9:54 AM

To friend or not to friend ... that is the question ... on Facebook. What happens when your boss wants to be your friend, or should you send a friend request to your boss?  This is a question looked at in the Boston Globe today.

Ali Riaz has 126 friends on his facebook.com account. Ten of them are his employees.

Click here for the full story.

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April 7, 2008

More 'green' jobs in Massachusetts
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 10:02 AM

Massachusetts: The green state?

As many companies around the state and the nation continue to shed jobs, one industry seems to be gaining steam: the 'green' sector. Gas prices are high and show no sign of slowing down, so a brighter spotlight continues to be placed on energy efficiency, whether in the home, in the car, or at the workplace.

A story in the Globe's Sunday real estate section focused on a home in Westport that is being built to be completely 'off the grid' by using a wind turbine for power and geothermal wells to heat and cool the home. Although such things are expensive, they save money over time. And as traditional energy costs continue to grow, it seems logical that the use of new energy technologies will grow as well. So it's no surprise that many companies devoted to 'green' power and energy-saving techniques are expanding.

One such company is Evergreen Solar Inc., a business in Marlborough that creates solar-powered products. The Globe's Sacha Pfeiffer reports in Monday's Globe that the company will double the size of its manufacturing facility in Harvard. The company will also add about 350 jobs, many of them being production jobs, along with some technician, engineering, and supervisory positions.

The move, which helps position Massachusetts as a national hub for clean-energy industries, is the second phase of a growth plan that would more than triple Evergreen's workforce from its current 300 workers to about 1,000.

Evergreen's decision to significantly bolster its presence in the state is a victory for Governor Deval Patrick's administration, which has vowed to make Massachusetts a leader in clean energy, such as wind and solar power.

Last year, Evergreen selected the former Fort Devens for a solar panel factory that would generate about 350 jobs. That plant, funded in part by a $44 million state incentive package, will open this summer.

Although the company was wooed with slightly better financial incentives from other states, it decided to stay and grow in Massachusetts because of the Patrick administration's focus on alterntative energy in the state, according to Evergreen's president and chief executive, Richard Feldt. And Evergreen isn't the only company to see Massachusetts as a great place for green companies:

Besides Evergreen, the state recently attracted a wind blade research facility that will be built near the Tobin Bridge. In addition, Greatpoint Energy, a Cambridge company that specializes in coal and natural gas conversion technology, is building a pilot facility in Somerset.

So, are you interested in a green job? Last November, the Globe Magazine profiled a few of the professions in the eco-friendly industry, as well as their salary ranges, eduction requirements, and job outlook. Check out the photo gallery here to get a sampling of just what some of these green jobs entail.

Also, be sure to check out Boston.com's Green Living page at boston.com/green, as well as the Green Blog for the latest in everything environmentally friendly.

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April 2, 2008

High concentration of tech jobs in Mass.
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 10:43 AM

The American Electronics Association released their annual "Cyberstates" report Wednesday, which takes a state-by-state look at tech jobs in the US. The report showed that Massachusetts ranked second in the nation in the concentration of tech jobs, beaten only by Virginia. The Bay State also ranked sixth in overall tech jobs. The Globe Chris Reidy reports:

The high technology industry in Massachusetts added 5,100 net jobs, an increase of 2 percent, in 2006, the most recent year for which data is available, and there were 87 high tech workers out of every 1,000 private-sector workers in the Bay State, the second highest concentration in the United States...

Massachusetts workers had an average salary of $94,770, which is 79 percent more than the state's average private sector wage of $52,798, said the report, which added that Massachusetts ranks fourth nationwide in research-and-development spending on a per capita basis and second in venture capital investments with $3.5 billion.

One down-side: Massachusetts lost 18 percent of its high-tech work force, or 52,600 jobs, between 2001 and 2006, the report said.

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