Careers & Jobs: May 2011

DEAR JOYCE: I became the odd man out when the staff was slashed at the company where I was a department manager. I’m not sure, but I think my immediate boss caused my separation, which makes me a bit queasy about listing her as a reference in my job hunt. Can I leave her out when I prepare my reference list?

http://www.careercast.com/career-news/giving-your-references-out

Successful, Yet Unhappy and Bored

Q: I’m a national sales manager at a medium-sized company. I rose up the ranks, overcoming every obstacle to attain my success. I make a wonderful salary, am respected by my peers, and have a good reputation in my industry. My next career move would be to become the president of a smaller company or senior officer of a larger company, but I know that this isn’t a path I want. To be honest, I’m 35 years old and absolutely bored and feel that my success is empty. Close friends and family members laugh, and they say they wish they had my problems. But how can I find new mountains to climb?

http://www.careercast.com/career-news/successful-yet-unhappy-and-bored

Could Your Name Predict Your Profession?

A new LinkedIn study says yes.

LinkedIn data analysts evaluated more than 100 million profiles on the business networking site to suss out the most common CEO names.

The top name for women CEOs? Deborah. And for their male counterparts? Peter.

Here are the runners-up ...

http://www.careercast.com/career-news/could-your-name-predict-your-profession

What do you think? Have you noticed a pattern of first names among specific roles at your organization? Have your shortened your name to sound more friendly and accessible, or ditched your nickname in favor of your full first name to sound more no-nonsense? How about ditching your first name in favor of your middle name in the interest of sounding more professional?

http://blog.nwjobs.com/ninetothrive/2011/05/could_your_name_predict_your_p.html

10 Best & Worst Jobs of 2011

The 10 Best Jobs of 2011

http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/10-best-jobs-2011

The 10 Worst Jobs of 2011

http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/10-worst-jobs-2011

Jobs Rated 2011: Ranking 200 Jobs From Best to Worst

http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/2011-ranking-200-jobs-best-worst

The 10 Most Stressful Jobs: CareerCast

We don't need April to be labelled Stress Awareness Month to know how stressful the American workplace can be. And with fears of a double dip recession only adding top of the usual demand of performing your job at a high level, it's worse now than ever.

A recent survey conducted by CareerCast asked respondents to rank 200 different jobs based on the level of stress. To quantify workplace anxiety, the survey asked respondents to rate eleven stress factors found in the workplace: outlook/growth potential, travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk and meeting the public.

What they found was that stress can show itself in a number of ways. For real estate agents, it's the unusual hours, while the responsibility of caring for others, as in occupations like emergency medical technicians and airline pilots, can foster more palpable stress. Among newscasters and corporate executives, instead, it's the expectations of the job that induces performance anxiety.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/25/top-ten-most-stressful-jobs_n_852722.html#s268565&title=10_Real_Estate

10. Real Estate Agent

Stress Rank: 181
Stress Score: 38.57
Hiring Outlook Rank: 31 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 9.5
Income: $40,357.00

9. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

Stress Rank: 183
Stress Score: 39.68
Hiring Outlook Rank: 100 out of 200
Hours Per Day: Varies
Income: $30,168.00

America's 10 Least Stressful Jobs 2011: CareerCast

With so many unemployed Americans struggling to find any sort of paying work, the idea of obtaining a steady, low-stress job can seem like a pipe dream. But it is possible.

A recent survey by CareerCast pinpoints those careers with the lowest levels of stress. To quantify workplace anxiety, they asked respondents to rate 200 jobs by eleven stress factors: outlook/growth potential, travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk and meeting the public.

The results indicate that several factors contribute to a more relaxed working life, with job stability, a common trait among tenured professors or government employees, reported to be among the most critical. In the healthcare industry, which makes up more than half of the jobs on this list, that level of stability can be attributed in large part to the increasing medical needs of aging baby boomers.

Another factor that shouldn't be discounted, either, is workplace flexibility. Many in the tech industry, such as computer programmers and software engineers, are big beneficiaries of that often overlooked perk.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/07/usa-least-stressful-jobs-careers_n_858109.html#s274472&title=10_Chiropractor

10. Chiropractor

Stress Rank: 37
Stress Score: 13.58
Hiring Outlook Rank: 12 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8+
Income: $68,358.00

9. Occupational Therapist

Stress Rank: 35
Stress Score: 13.22
Hiring Outlook Rank: 8 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-8
Income: $70,193.00

8. Mathematician

Stress Rank: 31
Stress Score: 12.78
Hiring Outlook Rank: 19 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-10
Income: $94,178.00

7. Philosopher

Stress Rank: 28
Stress Score: 12.56
Hiring Outlook Rank: 68 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-10
Income: $61,221.00

6. Speech Pathologist

Stress Rank: 25
Stress Score: 12.43
Hiring Outlook Rank: 28 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8
Income: $65,143.00

5. Dental Hygienist

Stress Rank: 23
Stress Score: 12.07
Hiring Outlook Rank: 2 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-8
Income: $67,107.00

4. Computer Programmer

Stress Rank: 21
Stress Score: 11.76
Hiring Outlook Rank: 168 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8-10+
Income: $71,176.00

3. Software Engineer

Stress Rank: 15
Stress Score: 10.40
Hiring Outlook Rank: 5 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8-10+
Income: $87,140.00

2. Dietitian

Stress Rank: 14
Stress Score: 10.27
Hiring Outlook Rank: 103 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8
Income: $52,127.00

1. Audiologist

Stress Rank: 11
Stress Score: 9.44
Hiring Outlook Rank: 13 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8
Income: $63,144