As the United States steps into the second quarter of 2007, Americans are looking forward with renewed eagerness for a better future. Despite a housing slump continuing into the first quarter of 2007, there is strong positivism that growth will pick up later during the year as the worst of the slow down in the housing sector has already passed.
There are already many signs of revival. Reports are indicating that despite the slow overall crawl in the economic growth at 1.7 percent, individual sectors are picking up. Consumers have increased first quarter spending at a rate of 3.8% annually. Thus, the bulk of the strength of the U.S. economy is in the hands of Americans themselves. This accounts for around 2/3rds of the economic activity in the country. Business investments are also on the upwardly swing again. This showed an increase of 2 percent in the first quarter of 2007.
Further, the United States Federal Government anticipates the economy to be resurgent this year. In his January 2007 state of the economy report addressed to the Union of States, President George Bush highlighted key indicators to prove this fact.
According to the President, the annual rate of growth of the United States economy was 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. Further, the U.S. economy has witnessed the addition of more than 7.8 million jobs since 2003. Of these, more than 180,000 jobs were added in March 2007 alone.
Rather than large conglomerates, the focus is now on entrepreneurs and small businesses to generate employment. So, what does this mean to individuals like you? Is it not sensible for all these jobs to be advertised so then you could apply and wait for an appropriate response? The answer lies in being proactive. Surely, it makes no sense to sit and wait for opportunities to trickle through.
It is a well known fact that only about 20 percent of job openings are advertised openly. The main avenue for informing the public about these openings is through want ads in the newspaper, trade magazines, and other publications as well as job posting boards. Employment agencies and executive-search firms are another source of open-market positions. The other 80% of job openings remain unadvertised - meaning you will not find out about them unless you dig.
Rather than taking the reactive approach to job-hunting, it is for you to go utilize the best tools that you possess to uncover opportunities and make a go for them. It can be a great tool for uncovering hidden jobs where supposedly no openings exist. It can mean the difference between $15.00 an hour and $150,000 a year.
Opportunities do exist out there. According to the well-known adage, Winners never quit and quitters never win. It is up to you to figure where and how far you want yourself to go!
www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-26-100-million_x.htm
www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2007-04-27-gdp_N.htm
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MBA Jungle
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American Management Association
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BusyExec.com
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Foreign MBA News
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iVillage
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