You might’ve already heard about President Obama’s proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9 per hour in an effort to tie in earnings with the cost of living - something several Americans have been struggling with, especially women. Why is the minimum wage a women’s issue? In 2012, the National Women’s Law Center posted an infographic based on Catalyst and the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, which illustrated the fact that 64 percent of minimum wage workers were women. That translates into about 1.87 million adult women (age 20 or older) who only earn the minimum wage. “The reasons behind women’s concentration in low-wage jobs – and their relative absence at the top – are complex,” said Julie Vogtman, Senior Counsel for the Family Economic Security Program at NWLC. “A theory known as ‘devaluation,’ holds that the pay in jobs that women typically perform is lower precisely because they are dominated by women.” Phillip N. Cohen explains ‘devaluation’ in his article "Devaluing and Revaluing Women's Work." In the article, Cohen states that these low-paying jobs are labeled as ‘women’s work,' where things like childcare aren’t exactly high-paying jobs due to cultural bias that comes from a lower social status, or the advantage some employers take on women because they’re “politically weaker.” Vogtman went on to say that the current wage gap between men and women is largely attributed to the disproportionate representation of women in low-paying jobs. “The typical woman working full time, year round is paid just 77 cents for every dollar paid to her male counterpart,” she said. “That’s why a higher minimum wage is a critical step toward fair pay: raising the minimum wage will help close the wage gap because women are the majority of workers who will see their pay go up, and we would expect to see a narrower wage distribution.” States like New Jersey have already taken major steps towards raising the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 an hour, while Maryland and New York also have plans to raise their minimum wages as well - which is good news for all women struggling on their current minimum wage salaries. In addition to these states, Vogtman noted that California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, among several others, have proposals to raise the minimum wage as well. “Some of these states are among those that have minimum wages above the federal level, but lawmakers are recognizing that even $8.00 or $8.25 an hour is not enough for workers to meet their basic needs,” said Vogtman. “In Massachusetts, for example, the legislature is considering a bill to raise the minimum wage to $11.00 per hour.” It's unclear how many of these proposals will pass in 2013, but so far it looks like several states are in support of raising wages, which will not only help female minimum and low-wage earners, but their families as well. “Minimum wage and low-wage jobs make it harder for women to support their families, even as women are breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families, “ said Vogtman. Though raising the minimum wage is a crucial first step to help those who are in or just above the poverty line, $9 an hour won’t be enough to sustain families of three or more. “Discrimination, harassment, wage theft, and unpredictable and nontraditional schedules often accompany minimum wage and low-wage work,” said Vogtman. Addressing the job quality problems that low-wage and minimum-wage workers have been facing since the recession should also be taken into account towards the needs of the women who hold the majority of these jobs if we want to take the minimum wage issue seriously. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.