No Surprise – Healthcare Industry Among Top Recession-Proof Fields

Number OneWe continue to be un-surprised by report after report confirming what Allen School Online students already know – that jobs serving the healthcare fields are never in short supply.  This is probably one of the main determinants that factored into your decision to pursue an Allen School Online diploma.  True to form, the latest report, courtesy of Time.com confirms that indeed, healthcare industry jobs top the list of safest, most recession-proof jobs.

Can You Describe an Instance Where You Screwed Up at School or Work?

Healthcare Field Job InterviewThis is the very type of loaded question interviewers are increasingly asking of candidates for job positions.  Ah, how quaint seem the days when they used to ask you about your 3 top strengths and weaknesses.  Listen, the job market is more competitive now than it has ever been.  Hiring managers are forced to sort though thousands of candidates before making the best choice and they are getting more pointed in the questions they’re asking.  They just don’t have the time to beat around the bush and with so many in line for the available jobs, they feel emboldened to ask more penetrating questions.  Questions like: “What bugs you about your co-workers or your current boss?”  or “If you’re currently employed, how do you have time to make this interview?”  They’re fishing for answers that shed light on how you’d be as an employee.  Forbes magazine put out a list of ten new and interesting interview questions used by hiring managers, what they’re really asking and how to best answer them.  Click here to read it before you head out to your next job interview.  You’ll be glad you did!

Privacy Concerns When Submitting Online Applications For Employment

Sooner or later, most people will have to apply for a job online. The number of employers who utilize the online application method to find the best people continues to grow. Some people feel that the online application process limits their ability to showcase particular skills and stand apart from the competition. It really does not have to be that way.  Here are some suggestions on  how to use the electronic application process in an effective manner. Continue reading…

Gift Yourself a Job for the Holidays – Step Up Job Search

While Others Bake Holiday Cookies, Your Job Hunting Chances Improve

If you buy into the myth that holiday job searching is a waste of time, you are losing one of the better job searching seasons of the year. During this holiday job searching season, you enjoy reduced competition for jobs, easier access to decision makers who are actually in the office, and the opportunity to help people spend their budgets before year end.   Careerbuilder.com has an article up explaining exactly why job seekers should NOT take a few weeks off for holiday merriment.  Click here to read the story.

Hiring Managers Requiring Your Facebook Password?

We’ve recently been following stories of hiring managers and employers who require job candidates to share the passwords to their Facebook and other social media profiles.  The idea here is that the employer or hiring manager can then log into the candidate’s social media profiles and “poke around” to make sure there’s nothing untoward or otherwise disqualifying about the job seeker.   Does your personal life outside of work have any bearing on your qualifications for a job?  Do employers have a right to peer into your life outside of the workplace as a prerequisite to offering you a position?  Yahoo! has a short video report about the trend here.  View the video and then share in the comments about whether or not you feel this is acceptable recruitment practice or a grievous overreach on the part of employers.

BLS: 19,000 Medical Office Jobs Added in April Alone!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an Employment Situation Summary wherein it examines the state of hiring in different career fields.  The latest Summary revealed that in April 2012 alone, more than 19,000 new jobs in medical fields were added to the American workforce.  That’s quite an impressive number given the overall sad state of affairs regarding employment in general.  Better yet, the top of the list, the number one job title in the medical field for new jobs added in April was none other than Medical Assistant.  Also in the top 5 was Medical Records and Health Information Technician.  Aren’t you pumped to be involved in studies at the Allen School Online now?  Compared to students in other fields of study, this report would indicate that you’ll have an easier time finding work once you receive your certification than others.  You’re so smart!

We’re Number One! (In Hiring for 2012)

The folks over at Yahoo! Education published a list of the hottest career fields for hiring in 2012.  Not surprisingly, the very top of the list, the number one hottest hiring position for 2012 was medical assistant.  The article reports that employers intend to hire medical assistants at a rate 10% higher than they did in 2011 which was also a banner year for people seeking employment as medical assistants.  If you’re a student of medical billing and coding or medical assistant training at Allen School Online, you’re in exactly the right place at the right time.  If you’re still considering this program, what are you waiting for?  Now is the time, and this is the place!

Great Data from BLS on Medical Billing and Coding Employment

The website, medicalbillingandcoding.org is chock full of tools and data you can use to learn more about the employment environment for your chosen career field. And I have to say, the data looks pretty good. The salary figures, the projected growth of the industry, and other related statistics all point to a positive environment for jobs in medical billing and coding.  Stop by their site and see for yourself, and be sure to check out our programs at the Allen School of Health Sciences.

Get a Real Job! **UPDATED**

This story has been exposed as a hoax.  Sorry for any inconvenience! You may have seen this story on the Interwebs today about the sneering banker who left a 1% tip on a $135.00 lunch tab at a restaurant in tony Newport Beach, CA.  Worse than that, he circled the “tip” line on the credit card receipt (where he filled in the whopping $1.35 gratuity) and left the server the nasty-gram, “Get a real job!”  What a Jerka-saurus Rex!  Now, you probably won’t make as much as a bankster with your certification in Medical Billing and Coding from the Allen School Online.  But you will have what no one – not even an overly entitled, imperious jerk like this banker – could ever accuse of being anything other than a “real” job.  A good job, with a respectable salary and benefits.  So keep on studying and remember to be nice to one another out there!

CNN: Healtcare Jobs a Bright Spot For Hiring

CNN recently reported on something that as an Allen School Online student you’re likely already hip to.  If you’ve not yet decided to study medical billing and coding or medical office assistant with Allen School Online, you should read this article from Yahoo! Education entitled, “How to Prepare for a Booming Health Career”.  The money quote: “Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor show that 3.2 million jobs will be created from 2008-2018. And according to a July 2011 CNN Money article, “Health care jobs a bright spot for hiring,” an aging population and health care reform will most likely lead to an increased demand for health care workers.” Success in life is often all about timing.  With that in mind, you might agree after reading the above linked piece, that this is an excellent time to pursue a career in the medical office.