Did you know?

• 80 percent of available jobs are never advertised
• The average number of applications submitted per post is 118
• 20 percent of job applicants get interviews
• The average length of an interview is approximately 40 minutes
• The average time a candidate waits for a decision on an open job is 24 hours to 2 weeks
• 42 percent of professionals in the US are uncomfortable negotiating

This infographic, compiled by Interview Success Formula, a program that helps job seekers to deliver powerful interview answers, illustrates how job seekers can navigate through the job search today and how to do well in the process. Some takeaways to note include:

Check out the full infographic here.

Payscale recently released a survey of the top tech companies comparing leaders including Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Google and others on salary, perks, job satisfaction and much more. Here are a few interesting findings:

1. Most vacation time: Facebook (3.6 weeks)
2. Highest median starting salary: Nvidia Corp ($99, 400)
3. Most common schools hired from: Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Rice University, University of Washington, Santa Clara University, University of  Texas
4. Companies offering  paternity leave: Facebook and Microsoft
5. Companies with the most men: Nvidia Corp, (92%); Facebook and Microsoft (79%); most women: Monster (58%) and LinkedIn (42%)

I recently read Green Career Central’s excellent recommendations for building a target list of green companies. If you are interested in researching green jobs, check out Green Career Central founder Carol McClelland’s suggestions below.

1) Newsweek Green Company Rankings – Click on the headings to sort the data based on any of the following categories: Rank, company, country, industry sector, green score, environmental impact score, environmental management, and disclosure. Reading about the methodology will help you understand the meaning of the various scores.
a. Top 500 US Green Companies
b. 15 Greenest Companies
c. Top 500 Global Green Companies

2) GreenBiz.com’s State of Green Biz 2011 Report – This report that summarizes the most important trends of the previous year is released every February. Each section of the report highlights key companies making significant progress. Highly recommend reading this report from cover to cover to get a sense of the green economy in general while also scanning the appropriate sections of the report for possible companies.

3) Certified B Corps – A new legal structure is gaining traction in the US. According to the website, B Corps use “the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.” You can check out the 476 companies that are currently B Corps. Use the tabs on this page to slice and dice the data by industry, state, affiliations, and impact. Click on a map for a visual representation of where these companies are located.

4) Climate Counts – This site helps consumers understand how companies in various sectors stack up when it comes to combating climate change. This report is helpful to see which companies are just starting their efforts and which companies are making progress within a particular industry sector. Their latest data are to be released today, December 7, 2011.

5) State Report – Check out this list of green companies in Oregon.

6) Product Report – In some cases you can glean valuable information about which companies are green by seeing how the companies’ products stack up. In the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics you’ll learn some interesting information about how green (or not green) a variety of electronics companies are.

According to a recent survey conducted by YourTango and ForbesWomen, 75 percent of women surveyed said they would not marry someone without a job and 65 percent said they wouldn’t get married if they were the one who was unemployed. But 91 percent of single women said they would marry for love over money. Huh? Some of the other survey stats intrigued me as well including:

• 55 percent of women would give up their careers to take care of children if their partners asked them to but only 28 percent would ask the same of their partner.
• 77 percent of women believe they can simultaneously have a fulfilling relationship and family life, as well as a successful career yet only 43 percent said their work/life balance is what they would like it to be.
• 62 percent of women in a relationship said they only spend 3 waking hours with their partner during the work week.
• 42 percent of women said that if they had an extra hour each day they would spend it alone rather than with their partners, friends, or family.

Is it possible that women have been conditioned to want love over money, but the prospect of being with someone who is unemployed challenges a need for stability? Is there a biological predisposition for women to assume the man will be the primary breadwinner?

And what about the work/life balance issue? Is it conceivable that women have been told for so long that they can have it all that they naturally believe this is so, even when their lives don’t reflect any such work/life balance? Do woman want it all and then decide to “chuck it” once kids come into the picture and there is an opportunity to raise a family full-time?

I don’t have the answers to any of these questions, but I think the survey represents the state of flux, turmoil, and confusion that many women feel. We want it all, but having it all simultaneously seems to be mathematically impossible. Maybe there just aren’t enough hours in the day to have it all at the same time. Are there other options? What do you think?

According to a recent survey of 313 hedge funds conducted by accounting and consultancy firm Rothstein Kass, 75 percent of respondents expect more funds to launch this year and 60 percent expect fewer closures.

The survey suggests that due to increasing allocations from institutional investors, as well as a more stable economic environment, hedge fund managers report the highest level of optimism recorded since the financial crisis.

Follow the link to read the 2011 Hedge Fund Outlook Survey.

According to a recent job search trends report published by the Career Thought Leaders Consortium, a think tank for career industry leaders, job search is changing fast. Resumes and hiring managers’ attention spans are getting shorter. Google is the new resume and LinkedIn for job seekers is no longer optional.

Download your free report now to learn all about the latest trends in job search.

I know that Tuesday was International Working Women’s Day, but since I think we should celebrate working women (and men!) everyday, I decided to hold off on this post so it could get some air time on one of the other 364 days of the year when women are making meaningful contributions to the world of work.

According to a recent report by Forbes, there are 20 careers dominated by women. The top 5 are:

1. Registered Nurses
2. Meeting & Convention Planners
3. Elementary & Middle School Teachers
4. Tax Examiners, Collectors and Revenue Agents
5. Psychologists

Women are also outnumbering men in some fields you many not have expected and more women than men are accountants, business operations specialists, and medical scientists. Here’s the full list with the breakdown of the percentage of women in the field.

1. Registered Nurses (92%)
2. Meeting Planners (83.3%)
3. Elementary and Middle School Teachers (81.9%)
4. Tax Examiners, Collectors and Revenue Agents (73.8%)
5. Medical and Health Services Managers (69.5%)
6. Social and Community Service Managers (69.4%)
7. Psychologists (68.8%)
8. Business Operations Specialists (68.4%)
9. HR Managers (66.8%)
10. Financial Specialists (66.6%)
11. Tax Preparers (65.9%)
12. Education Administrators (62.6%)
13. Insurance Underwriters (62.8%)
14. Accountants/Auditors (61.8%)
15. Veterinarians (61.2%)
16. Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners and Investigators (60.6%)
17. Budget Analysts (59.3%)
18. Medical Scientists (56.9%)
19. Advertising and Promotion Managers (56.5%)
20. Financial Managers (54.7%)

This month’s Career Collective topic is trends, tools, and hiring practices for 2011. I love writing about career tools that help job seekers keep informed. Here are a few of my favorites.

TweetMyJOBS Imagine having job leads delivered directly to your computer or smart phone just seconds after they are posted by employers. TweetMyJOBS has leveraged  Twitter to create close to 10,000 Job Channels for job seekers to “tune into” (follow), which are location/job type specific. A job seeker simply has to register with tweetmyjobs.com, enter the location and type of job they are looking for, and then follow the appropriate job channel (or channels) that match their profile. After that, jobs that match this profile are tweeted directly to the job seeker via their preferred communication channel, and can even show up as text messages on their mobile phone the instant that the job gets posted. This gives the job seeker a leg up because they get the best chance to be the first to apply to these jobs. Employers also have the early-bird advantage of reaching targeted job seekers instantly as soon as they post a job.

Green Career Central is an online coaching and resource center dedicated to providing career guidance, coaching, and resources to clarify the ever-evolving world of green career possibilities for professionals. In addition to helping people identify the best way to leverage their skills, passions, and experience in the new economy, Green Career Central supports members by using proactive job search strategies to find the job that matches their goal. Career and work-force development professionals also rely on Green Career Central for updates about the emerging green/clean/sustainable economy and for resources they can share with their clients.

Brand-Yourself.com is a toolset that empowers you to promote yourself across the social web and diagnose, build, manage and monitor your entire online reputation from one central hub. Job applicants, professional service providers and small businesses use Brand-Yourself to create an online presence that wins them new jobs and clients. Brand-Yourself’s personal branding algorithm grades how effectively you are building your brand as you improve your visibility, credibility and involvement across the web.

Glassdoor is a career community that lets people find jobs and anonymously contribute information about positions at specific companies. This includes salary and other compensation details, ratings on key attributes of a job such as career advancement, work-life balance and opinion of senior management. In addition, visitors to Glassdoor can get an inside look into the hiring process through our interview questions and reviews, or virtually check out a company through office photos.

Quint Careers (officially Quintessential Careers) is a comprehensive career tools site designed to help people find their ideal careers and jobs — from students trying to discover their career passions to mature workers re-entering the work force… and everyone in between!

The Riley Guide is a free directory of online employment and career resources. The focus is on sites, resources, and services that are free for the job seeker, but some fee-based sites are also listed if they are truly unique in what they offer and justified in charging for their service (meaning they offer something that is worth buying). The guide is very broad in its coverage, listing resources and services for hourly workers through chief executives and linking to resources from around the world. The Riley Guide also offers advice on using the Internet in your job search and things like resume preparation, networking, and even how to turn down a job offer you just don’t like.

You can read my colleagues’ posts on trends, tools, and hiring practices for 2011 here:

Social Media Recruiting to Grow Further in 2011, @debrawheatman

Another Year, Another Job Search Begins, @GayleHoward

In 2011, Increase Your Prospects With Better Differentiation, @WalterAkana

4 Lessons Learned From Job Search in 2010, @Careersherpa

Your Career Action Plan for the New Year, @KatCareerGal

Trends Job Seekers Should Look For in 2011, @erinkennedycprw

Things Every Job Seeker Should be Thinking About in 2011, @expatcoachmegan

Let your presence be known or send out a red flag, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes

How to find a job in 2011: Pay attention to emotional intelligence, @Keppie_Careers

2011 Employment Trends Supercharged with Twitter, @KCCareerCoach

3 Traits for Facing Weather, Employment and Chronic Illness, @WorkWithIllness

Everything old is new again @DawnBugni

Career Trend 2011: Accountability + Possibility = Sustainability, @ValueIntoWords

What Was in 2010, What To Expect in 2011, @chandlee

The Future of Job Search: 3 Predictions and 2 Wishes, @JobHuntOrg

In honor of Halloween, this month’s Career Collective topic is scary resume and career mistakes. Here are the top ten mistakes I see job seekers make.

1. Inflate their qualifications or lie on their resume. While a resume is not a legal document, it should be an accurate representation of your experience and achievements. I advocate for showing your employment history in the best possible light, buy lying is never wise.
2. Forget to proofread their resume. One of the easiest ways to show an employer you don’t pay much attention to details is to submit a resume with a typo. Check, double-check, and triple check your document. Use spell check and ask a few different people to proof the resume before sending it to employers.
3. Send the same generic cover letter to every employer. The cover letter is the perfect opportunity to make a connection with the employer and explain how you can help solve their problems. Don’t go vanilla here. Tailor your cover letter to the employer and position you are applying to.
4. Neglect to research the company before the interview. With so much information on the Internet there is no excuse for not knowing about the company you are interviewing with. Use Vault, Glassdoor, WetFeet, Jigsaw, and LinkedIn to unearth important information about the companies and people you are interviewing with and don’t forget to take advantage of the research resources available at many public libraries.
5. Ask everyone they know for a job. Unless you want your friends and colleagues to stop returning your calls, don’t just ask everyone you know for a job. Instead ask for information about a company, a person, an industry, etc. Let your contacts know you value their knowledge and insights. Through these exploratory conversations they may be able to point you in the direction of a possible job opportunity even if they can’t help you land that job directly.
6. Neglect to send a thank you letter following an interview. It’s not just a courtesy. It is an opportunity to make a second impression on the person you just interviewed with and remain top of mind. Send the thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview. A few paragraphs with a thank you and a recap of why you are the perfect match for the job can help keep you on the hiring manager’s short list.
7. Fail to leverage their network. Some people feel that reaching out to their network for contacts means asking for favors. It doesn’t. See #5.
8. Snub social media. Imagine being able to go into the offices of everyone you know and look through their Roledex (remember them). That’s what social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter allow you to do.
9. Complain. It’s easy to blame the company or the economy for your job search frustrations. But it won’t get you a job any faster. Find a few close confidents you can vent to and don’t spread your frustration to others. Keep a journal to help you chronicle your search journey and help get your feelings out.
10. Give up. This is perhaps the scariest one of all. And there are a lot of people out there that have given up. Unemployment benefits won’t last forever. At some point you will have to get back in the game. If you have dropped out of the race for several months, getting back in is much harder. Keep at it. Plan job search activities every day. You will be scheduling meetings with friends and colleagues, doing Internet research, building your online network, working on your resume, practicing your elevator pitch, etc. There is a lot to do. Job search is a full-time job. Now’s not the time to take a vacation.

Read what my colleagues have to say about scary resume and career mistakes here.

• Where Are the Wild Things, Anyway?, @WorkWithIllness
• Is Your Job Search Making You Feel Like a Smashed Pumpkin?, @DebraWheatman
• Hiding in Plain Sight, @WalterAkana
• Don’t make these frightful resume mistakes, @LaurieBerenson
• How Not to Be a Spooky Job Seeker, @heathermundell
• A Tombstone Resume:Eulogizing Your Experience, @GayleHoward
• Oh, Job Search Isn’t Like Trick or Treating?, @careersherpa
• A Most Unfortunate Resume Mistake No One Will Tell You, @chandlee
• Oh no. Not the phone!, @DawnBugni
• Halloween Caution: Job Seeker Horror, @resumeservice
• Boo! Are you scaring away opportunities or the competition? @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes
• Your Career Brand: A Scary Trick or an Appealing Treat?, @KCCareerCoach
• How to avoid mistakes on your resume, @Keppie_Careers
• Sc-sc-scary Resume Mistakes, @erinkennedycprw
• A Flawed Resume is a Scary Prospect, @KatCareerGal
• Job Search Angst: Like Clouds Mounting Before a Storm, @ValueIntoWords
• Does Your Career Costume Fit You?, @expatcoachmegan

This month’s Career Collective question is What is your favorite resource for job seekers? Some of my favorite resources for job seekers are those that allow you to research a company or industry and gain information on key decision makers. Many of the best jobs are in the hidden job market, meaning they are never formally advertised. By building inroads with the right people at the companies you are interested in targeting, you can gain a competitive advantage over job seekers spending most of their time in the open job market, mainly the job boards. By proactively building relationships with industry and company insiders, you increase the likelihood of remaining top of mind should a position become available. Here are a few of my favorite resources for job seekers.

Jigsaw is an online directory of more than 8 million business contacts. Every contact in Jigsaw is complete with full name, title, postal address, hard-to-find email address and telephone number (75% are direct dial). Membership is free and you can get a contact by adding one of your own. For each one you add, you get access to any other in the Jigsaw directory. If you’re too busy to add contacts, you can sign up for a premium account. A monthly fee of $25 guarantees you 25 contacts a month.

FTT Research Leverage information on millions of domestic and international companies and in-depth coverage of thousands of the world’s top business enterprises to identify target companies and business contacts and accelerate your job search.

The Vault allows job seekers to read employee surveys on particular companies and view message boards for sharing job search information.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports comprehensive information on the training and education necessary to be qualified for different professions, working conditions, job earnings, expected job prospects, and job descriptions.

Career One Stop profiles high paying occupations as well as growing and declining industries.

Interested in hearing about more job seeker resources? I am facilitating a free webinar called Find Hidden Job Leads Online and at the Library that will be broadcast in over 100 libraries across the country on September 29 at 3pm EST. You can check with your local library to see if they are participating.

In the meantime, check out the advice on job search resources from my esteemed Career Collective colleagues.

• If your industry does not participate online, you can lead the way, @Keppie_Careers
• 6 Ideas to Put In Your Toolbox, @WorkWithIllness,
• Your Best Job Search Resource? You!, @WalterAkana
• In a Job Search, Knowledge is Power, @barbarasafani
• Jump Start Your Job Search Now!, @resumeservice
• Favourite Resources for Jobseekers, @GayleHoward
• The Best Job Search Tool Ever, @careersherpa
• Find What You Do Best, Know Your Stuff, and Connect, @chandlee
• 27 Recommended Blogs for Entry-Level Job Seekers, @heatherhuhman
• Invaluable Resources for Job Search Success, @heathermundell
• Favorite Social-Media Resources for Job-seekers, @KatCareerGal
• Canadian Resources for Job Seekers, @EliteResumes @MartinBuckland
• A Self-Empowering Job Search Resource, @KCCareerCoach
• Covering your bases: 5 ultra-useful online career resources, @LaurieBerenson
• Favorite resources for Job seekers, @DawnBugni
• Top 3 Resources for Job Seekers to Position Themselves as Experts and Increase their Visibility, @expatcoachmegan
• Time as a Career Resource: How “Not” to Squander It, @ValueIntoWords