Entry-Level Jobs with Good Pay

By Michelle Goodman

Competition for entry-level work is starched-shirt stiff right now. Finding a high salary entry level job is harder than at any time in the last 70 years. But grabbing the first minimum-wage, dead-end gig that comes along won’t serve you well in the long run. After all, you don’t want to live in Mom and Dad’s basement forever. A better strategy is to pursue a career that allows your responsibilities -- and your income -- to grow year after year. Here are eight of our top picks for those who are just starting out, and their median annual salaries according to online salary database PayScale.com.

Environmental Engineer. Have a bachelor’s degree in engineering? You’re in luck! According to the U.S. Department of Labor, environmental engineers make among the highest starting salaries of all college graduates. Entry-level positions in the field are similar to “an apprentice situation,” says workplace expert Alexandra Levit, whose latest book is “New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career.” “As you get more senior, you receive more independence to work on your own, eventually supervising your own staff.” Median annual salary: $68,628.

Network systems / data communications analyst. Not a computer science major? Not to worry. In information technology, getting field certification is often more valuable than a formal education, Levit says. Once you cultivate an area of expertise, such as network security or enterprise software, “You can very quickly become the go-to person in the organization and eventually the head of IT,” she says. “And you can make a very, very good living.” Median annual salary: $61,949.

Marketing research analyst. From high-tech and biotech to retail and hospitality, consumer-driven industries rely on market data to make smart business decisions. If you have a business marketing or statistical background, you may be able to analyze data from the get-go in this field rather than starting as “a [low-paid] telemarketer,” says Dr. Laurence Shatkin, author of more than 20 books for job hunters, including “200 Best Jobs for College Graduates,” which he co-wrote with Michael Farr. “Then you work your way to the point where you’re managing how the data is gathered and what questions the market researchers ask,” he says. Median annual salary: $58,423.

Copywriter. Fancy yourself the next Don Draper or Peggy Olson from “Mad Men”? Why not try your hand at writing ad copy? “Here’s something for the English major to be doing now that journalism doesn’t seem to be such a prospect,” Shatkin says. Although you might start by contributing text to lower-profile agency projects, in time “you can be involved to the point where you’re developing entire ad campaigns,” Shatkin says. Median annual salary: $53,288.

Sales associate. The beauty of sales is that you can enter the field even if you majored in art history, Shatkin says. “With a lot of products, you can learn what you need to know from a short training program,” he explains. “And sometimes you’ll work with a more experienced salesperson your first few days out.” To boost your income, he says, you can transition into selling bigger ticket items or you can move into management. Median annual salary: $45,656.

Lobbyist. “There are all sorts of places where lobbyists exist: lobbying firms, public interest groups, trade organizations,” Levit says. “You can start with an unpaid internship and move within a couple years to making six figures.” To get your feet wet, Levit suggests volunteering for a political campaign or interning on Capitol Hill for a few months to see what causes interest you. Median annual salary: $66,929.

Public relations assistant. “PR and digital marketing are hot hot hot,” Levit says. “Everyone is switching their traditional marketing to online and they can’t fill positions fast enough.” Expect to work your hide off at a PR agency, a field with a high burnout rate, Levit warns. On the plus side, she says, annual promotions are the norm, with the path from peon to supervisor fairly short. Median annual salary: $42,810.

Financial analyst. Yes, the financial sector took a beating during the past year, but finance jobs are starting to bounce back, Shatkin says. So if you’re looking to put that business, finance, or statistics education to use, consider analyzing financial data for a living. “Analysts contribute to the decisions that financial managers make,” Shatkin explains. Specifically, financial analysts make investment recommendations to the banks, insurance companies, securities firms, and other businesses employing them. From this starting point, Shatkin says, the sky’s the limit -- all the way up to company controller, CFO, or CEO. Median annual salary: $60,952.


careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

Where Are the Jobs in My Local Area? Small Business Is Hiring

By Carol Tice

If you've been focusing your job search on major corporations, you may be missing out on the hottest hiring spot in our slowly dawning economic recovery: small business. Small businesses employ just over half of all private-sector workers, according to the Small Business Administration, and generated 64 percent of all net new jobs over the past 15 years. Historically, as businesses start to hire again coming out of a downturn, small businesses lead the way.

Hidden in December’s depressing 84,000 net job losses was one interesting indicator of a small resurgence in small-business hiring: Small businesses in the service sector added 11,000 jobs that month, an ADP study showed.

In this troubled economy, many people are asking themselves, “Where are the jobs in my local area?” and “How can I target jobs at small businesses?” We spoke to two experts who offer search tips for finding the well-paid, small-business jobs that may emerge in the coming year. Our experts are Drew White, chief financial officer at small-business financial research firm Sageworks; and author Debra Yergen of the Creating Job Security Resource Guide.

Sales. At the top of the list of roles small business owners in all industry sectors will fill first are sales positions, says Yergen. As soon as small businesses sense the economy is turning, they'll add sales staff to try to capture more business.

To find local small businesses in your sector that are hiring, network at business events, or look at niche industry Web sites online, Yergen says. Some employers who are tired of getting overwhelmed with resumes when they post jobs on major online portals are using niche sites instead. General Sales Manager. $59,400

Green jobs. Fueled by federal money from the stimulus bill, environmental jobs are forecast to grow in the coming year. Try specialty job-search sites in the sector such as ecojobs.com to find openings in hot niches such as solar-photovoltaic installers and wind-turbine service technicians. Government-contracting rules require that a portion of awards go to small businesses – you can look on Recovery.gov to find names of companies that have gotten stimulus contracts. Project Manager, Environmental. $65,200

Computers and technology. This is another area the stimulus bill directed ample funding toward, especially healthcare-related technology. A recent search on computerjobs.com for security-related jobs turned up nearly 700 postings for computer security specialists, information systems security managers, information security analysts, and similar posts. Security Administrator, Computer Network. $71,800

Maintenance and repair. When money's tight, companies seek to save on expenses, and tend spend more on maintaining and fixing their equipment. Many repair companies are either small, local businesses or locally owned franchisees of a national chain. A good site for careers in this field is mepjobs.com, Yergen says.

"Things keep breaking," Yergen notes, "and when companies are watching their hard costs, they will repair whenever possible." HVAC service technician. $44,000

Food and beverage. Food-related businesses continued to grow modestly last year, particularly in grocery, says Sageworks' White. Seek out niche, locally owned grocery stores to find small-business job opportunities. A good job site for this industry is careersinfood.com. Jobs in the sector include roles behind the scenes in areas such as finance, IT, buying and public relations, as well as bakers, meat cutters and customer-service reps. Assistant Manager, Restaurant. $37,200

Outpatient medical centers. Follow sales-growth trends here to spot possible small-business job opportunities, says White. Niches within healthcare that saw solid sales growth last year include outpatient medical centers, which grew 12.4 percent last year. Though some are national chains, many outpatient centers are locally owned small businesses. Well-paid jobs in this field recently listed on the job site Medicalworkers.com include physical and occupational therapists, registered nurses, and outpatient clinicians. Occupational Therapy Assistant. $43,300

Non-physician health practitioners. Second in sales growth with an 11 percent gain are offices of non-physician health practitioners such as chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists and mental-health practitioners. Many such healthcare practices are small business owned by the doctor-partners. For one example of the opportunities here, the job site Optometry.com had more than 250 recent job listings including openings for opticians, optometric assistants, optical sales managers and lab technicians. Optometric Assistant. $36,300

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

Green Works: Low-Cost Training for a Green Job

By Siri Anderson

The green economy is coming – some say it's already arrived – and around the country new types of careers and programs that offer short training for green jobs are popping up rapidly, while old jobs are changing to align with sustainable practices. Green services and products are already in demand, and workforce development experts agree that this movement is going to have enormous impact on jobs of every level.

“This will affect all areas of the economy in ways we are only beginning to find out,” says Julian L. Alssid, executive director of Workforce Strategy Center (WSC), an East Coast-based organization that consults with economic development agencies and educational institutions to help state and regional economies grow. “If we do this well, green will become a part of every job.”

Green enthusiasts believe that blue collar and white collar will one day be ideas of the past; with “green” collar leading the way of the future. Do you know how your job could change to “go green”? And could the green economy present an opportunity for you to increase your marketability and earning power?

Low-Cost Training for Going Green at Work

One of the unique features of the green economy movement is its efforts to include the poor and socially disadvantaged as a starting point for change. According to Marcy Drummond, vice president of workforce and economic development for Los Angeles Trade-Tech College, in most economic shifts, “The poor are first to be left behind. We wanted them to be first [to succeed].”

Over the past three years, this LA community college has pioneered team-taught, comprehensive programs aimed at overcoming traditional barriers that underprivileged students have in attaining a degree and long-term, gainful employment. A range of green certifications are available at LATTC, from solar panel installation and weatherization to sustainable architecture and landscaping. Program lengths range from just a couple of weeks to two-years for a certificate.

Programs like these aren't solely for the underprivileged however, and the first place to look for a similar program in your area is your local community college. Drummond says that more and more programs are going to be available in the near future, especially because much of the stimulus money will be funneled to these institutions first.

The Green Collar Office Job

If you don't work in the energy industry, green may still impact on your position. Vicki Krantz, director of business and professional programs at UC San Diego Extension, is seeing that, “Really smart firms are thinking about every stage of the life of their product.” And this goes far beyond just production, packaging and transportation.

UCSD Extension is one of the first institutions to start training for green jobs from the business point of view, training students for going green by incorporating sustainability into all levels of an organization. Accountants can take carbon accounting classes to track a company's carbon footprint. Marketers can develop skills in green marketing so that their claims to be a green company are valid. Managers can take classes on how to include sustainability into corporate strategies.

Though a lot of buzz is on emerging clean tech, solar tech and bio fuels, according to Krantz, the best businesses of any industry are going to set the vision for sustainability and encourage all employees to translate that into their discipline – from the receptionist who reduces paper use to the CEO who makes fewer business flights each year.

The Green CEO and Entrepreneur

If there's any evidence that the green movement has begun from the ground up, it's shown in how few business leaders are prepared to enter the highly regulated energy field. They want a piece of the pie, though, so they’re learning quickly. Charley Polachi, partner and co-founder of Polachi, Inc., has been a member of the steering committee for the Clean Energy Fellowship Program, a course started in early 2008, designed for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to get into clean tech industries.

The unique feature of clean tech is the degree to which it is regulated – there are a whole new set of rules and a large infrastructure already in place that business leaders need to understand before jumping in. In the Clean Energy Fellowship Program, entrepreneurs and CEOs learn how to navigate the regulation, come up with funding and develop partnerships with very big companies so that their innovations can become a part of the larger energy infrastructure.

This program was the first of its kind in the country, and admission is highly selective. However, there is a lot of interest in expanding, and other organizations have been looking at the Clean Energy Fellowship program as a model to prepare future green-business leaders.

Green Works: Nab Short Training for a New Job

“All you need to know is there's a lot of money, in terms of training,” says Alssid of WSC. The stimulus package and consumer demand are supporting huge investments into programs that help to “green” jobs. However, Alssid also cautions, “This is in a totally emergent state... it will be up to the individual to zero in on those places that are doing this well. So do your homework.”

The importance of community colleges shouldn't be underestimated in this. They have the resources to create programs quickly, and they will be the first to access stimulus funds. Workforce training centers are also great places to ask for help, and every state has their own way of organizing them – search “your state” and “workforce development” on the internet to find one in your area. In addition, Web sites such as GreenForAll.org, CareerVoyages.gov, and Online.OnetCenter.org have excellent information on career outlooks, training programs and financial assistance.

“If you take advantage of this now, it'll be an edge. Within a couple of years it will be standard,” predicts Krantz of UCSD Extension and, “don't think of this as a passing fad at all. This is the new normal.”

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

How To Negotiate A Starting Salary For A New Job

When you are negotiating a starting salary for a new job, knowing the appropriate starting salary and successful negotiating techniques is invaluable . We've teamed up with acclaimed salary negotiation expert and author, Jack Chapman, to bring you practical advice on negotiating a starting salary for a new job.

Five simple starting salary rules:

Rule #1) Postpone talking about starting salary until there's an offer on the table

Rule #2) Let the other person name a figure first

Rule #3) Repeat their starting salary offer and be quiet

Rule #4) Share your researched starting salary range and establish your individual value

Rule #5) Clinch the deal and deal some more

Starting Salary Rule #1 - When to Discuss Starting Salary

There's not much point in discussing starting salary unless you're sure you're going to get an offer, make sense? But more than that, it's not to your advantage to talk about your starting salary. When an employer asks "what are your salary requirements?" or "what are you currently earning?" they are gathering information on your likely expectations. There are maybe two or three right answers to this question and more than 20 wrong ones. Too high and you're screened out, too low and you'll lose money in the initial offer, or you'll be eliminated as under-qualified based on your low salary requirements.

The proper time to discuss your starting salary is after the job position has been defined and you are sure the employer understands what you are bringing to the table.

Until then, a good postponing phrase would be, "All I'll require is a competitive salary. I will likely be using PayScale and other resources to help determine that -- as I presume you will, too. So I'm confident the starting salary will take care of itself, if I'm the right person for the job."

Starting Salary Rule #2 - Who Goes First

When they're ready to make an offer, here's a second piece of timing advice: don't haul out your research too soon! When it comes to discussing your starting salary, let the employer go first. That way you have a firm starting point that you can be assured of, when it is your turn. Generally, you'll want to bump the starting salary up 5-10% or more. But, in the worst case scenario, if they go first, you certainly won't get less than their initial offer. Additionally, there is always the chance that they will exceed the starting salary figure you were planning to mention.

NOW do you show your salary research? NO.... Not yet.

Starting Salary Rule #3 – Repeat The Offer And Be Quiet

Once they go first, you respond by repeating their starting salary offer and remaining silent. If they have given you a low-ball offer, and they know it, now is the time for them to increase their offer. Okay, I’ve heard the offer, I’ve greeted it with silence, now do I get to use my salary report?

Maybe...

Starting Salary Rule #4 - Share Your Researched Range and Establish Your Individual Value

If you are reading this article, you have probably done some research about what your salary should be. If you haven't or want more accurate and reliable salary information, complete our brief salary survey to determine what the average salary and salary range is for your new position.

Now that you have the salary information necessary for negotiating, I want you to learn the value of having PayScale salary report in hand. The best way to leverage a PayScale salary report for a successful negotiation is to set your own expectations about how you will use your report. Know what information your report contains, and especially know what the data represents - what is behind the numbers - before taking it to the boss or a potential employer.

When you compared your research with your offer, you were either under market, over market, or right in the range. If your salary research indicates that the offer is below the range for your specific job and responsibilities, now is the time to share your research with the employer and discuss how the employer arrived at his/her estimates. Often you will find some points of disagreement on which to negotiate an increase.

Keep in mind that the employer will likely view compensation data differently than the employee. Two common points the employer may wish to discuss are the sources used to obtain the data in the report, and whether the data in the report matches your job profile, the company profile, and job location.

Finally, when a company wants to buy your time and effort, remember it's a human being who makes the decision. It isn't a cut and dried assessment; it's a rational-emotive process that takes into account many factors that aren't always fair or logical. Your awareness of these factors can greatly improve your chances for improving your salary.

Starting Salary Rule #5 - Clinch the Deal and Deal Some More

Finally, you receive a salary that you can live with and is fair. Do you sign it then? Well, yes and no. Yes, you now have a firm base to agree to, that you know you will be happy with. But, don't stop! It is now time to put your attention on the other factors of the salary-equation gold mine.

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

Recovering from Job Loss

by Phil Rich, Ed.D., MSW, DCSW

The New Reality of Job Loss

We've seen many changes in the work environment over the past decade and beyond, with multiple layoffs as companies have "down sized" and "right sized." Jobs once secure for life now rarely exist, and people entering the work force today are likely to experience multiple job changes during their careers.

The Impact of Job Loss

Much of the material on job loss and getting back into the work force touches upon the need to "re-mount," instructing the reader to design a plan and get back into the action. Appropriately, they direct the reader to not fall into despair, self pity, or anger. Many friends and family members will also urge the reader to find a way to move on.

But all the pep talks in the world can't necessarily overcome the real and deep reaching impact of job loss. It's important for newly fired people to not feel that there's something wrong with them just because they can't follow the advice of family, friends, and books and simply move on.

The Consequences of Job Loss

There are at least two primary aspects to job loss: "practical" reality, and "emotional" reality. In the first case, job loss also means loss of income and benefits. In the second, there are equally real emotional consequences: effect upon self image, emotional difficulties, fears about the future, and perhaps concerns about how we may be seen by others.

The Work of Recovery and Rebuilding

The chances are that people will find a new job. It may not be their first choice, but it will resolve the practical realities. But a new job doesn't necessarily lead to a satisfactory outcome, financially or emotionally. Regardless of the new job, emotional issues may not be at all resolved.

Unresolved issues may significantly affect the way in which people see themselves. In turn, this will directly influence the way they approach finding a new job, what they will accept for employment, and how they settle into their new job and life style. Accordingly, part of the work in job loss recovery is dealing with the emotional consequences. Seeking and finding a job without recognizing, understanding, and addressing emotional consequences may undermine successful recovery.

Recovering and Rebuilding After Job Loss

"Recovery" describes the ability to work through a challenging time without becoming overcome by circumstances, swept away by emotions, or feeling defeated. It means coming through intact and solvent, and finding yourself, not just back in the saddle, but emotionally satisfied and perhaps stronger and wiser.

The Stages of Recovery and Rebuilding

Viewing recovery as a series of stages, each with a goal and tasks, is useful. It helps people understand their experience as a process that develops and changes over time, and can help them to maintain their composure even when they may feel anxious and insecure. It also helps to know that their experiences are probably quite "normal."

Stage One: Coping.

However it comes, job loss is often quite shocking. This stage begins with a sense of disorientation as people are thrown off balance by this turn of events. The broad goal of this stage is to survive this initial period without doing anything damaging to self, future options, or relationships. Tasks of the stages include:

• Adjusting to this new reality
• Handling immediate emotional responses
• Dealing with issues of self esteem and humiliation
• Coping with family issues

Stage Two: Surviving.

As people enter this second stage, disillusionment begins to fade. They begin to deal with issues of survival and emotional and financial stability. This stage involves laying the foundation upon which people will re-build their lives, and includes emotional, practical, and financial tasks.

• Stabilizing immediate life
• Building support
• Managing emotions and behaviors
• Maintaining perspective.

Stage Three: Assessment and Planning.

Building on the stable base created during stage two, the primary goal of this stage is the assessment of needs, skills, and dreams, and primary tasks include:

• Taking stock of life
• Assessing choices
• Developing plans
• Re-building self image.

Stage Four. Decision Making and Self Renewal.

The work of this stage represents the end of this journey; from basic recovery to self-renewal and self-determination, and involves the active implementation of plans.

• Implementing decisions
• Accepting personal responsibility
• Taking emotional risks
• Re-gaining self confidence.

Passage to Recovery

There's no "right" pace for this journey, no "correct" length of time spent in each stage. Some may quickly move from one stage to the next; others will have a more difficult time, and may get stuck. But rebuilding after job loss is a process that takes place only over time. How much time will depend on the personality of the individual, his or her approach to life, resilience, and support system.

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy