orange county

Top Industries in California

Top Industries in California

With a population of over 3.8 million, Los Angeles is the largest incorporated city in the state of California. Los Angeles is also on the leading edge of many growth industries. Despite the Great Recession and severe financial problems in several California cities, many of the metropolitan areas have experienced substantial job growth. For example, between June 2008 and December 2009, Los Angeles experienced an increase of 22% in job listings. From 2010-2012, the state of California experienced an increase in jobs available statewide. Even though job listings declined from March to December in 2012, they began to rise again in January 2013. By August 2013 job listings reached a 39% increase, with a total of more than 1,000,000 jobs available in California. The Orange County city of Santa Ana experienced the largest increase in job listings.

The top jobs listed in California include:

Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Software Engineers
Sales Representatives
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Physical Therapy Assistants
Store Managers
IT Project Managers
Administrative Assistants
Salespeople
Senior Software Engineers
Account Executives
Assistant Store Managers
Financial Advisors
Registered Nurses
Healthcare Volunteers
Customer Service Representatives
Pharmacists
Application Architects
Procurement Managers
Business Analysts
Online Teachers
Document Translators
Financial Analysts
Mechanical Engineers and Systems Engineers

By 2016 the following jobs are expected to increase by higher percentages than other occupations in California:

Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
Computer Software Application Engineers
Forensic Science Technicians
Skin Care Specialists
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
Home Health Aides
Occupational Therapist Assistants
Mathematical Scientists
Traffic Technicians
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
Physical Therapist Assistants
Dental Hygienists
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
Dental Assistants
Veterinarians
Athletic Trainers
Special Education Teachers
Biomedical Engineers
Multi-Media Artists and Animators
Microbiologists
Physical Therapist Aides
Ambulance Drivers and Attendants
Medical Assistants
Database Administrators

Los Angeles, California has developed into one of the premier centers of economic and cultural activity in the world. When compared to the economy of the world’s top 20 countries, the Los Angeles five-county area ranks at number 16 and Los Angeles County ranks at number 21. The state of California ranks at number 9.

iStaffing Agency helps place professional candidates into Management, Senior and Executive level positions in Southern California. iStaffing Agency specializes in Human Resources, Accountants, Executives, IT Professionals, Loan Officers and other professional candidates in addition to candidates in the Entertainment and Nonprofit sector. For more information about how iStaffing Agency can help you locate your next career opportunity in Los Angeles County or Orange County, California please contact us today.

Information Technology Professionals

Information Technology Professionals

An information technology professional assists end users with problems concerning their computer systems or software. IT professionals might work as trainers, teaching computer hardware and software applications. IT professionals can work in a number of different places that are dependent on information technology, computer system networks and applications. IT professionals are sometimes referred to as computer support specialists or IT specialists.

Information technology professionals typically use their skills to help people solve computer problems in the workplace either through email, over the phone or through remote assistance. IT professionals are able to provide step by step instructions to fix hardware or software problems. IT professionals can also teach people how to use various software programs and explain to them how computer hardware interacts with the operating system.

There are many skills an IT professional must have. They must have experience and familiarity with computer hardware and software applications. They must also be willing to help customers understand how computers function. An experienced IT professional must exhibit patience in order to deal with different knowledge levels others might possess regarding computers. Frequently, an IT professional will be required to guide people through problems without actually seeing the computer or software. Using layman’s terms the IT professional must be able to guide the individual to a proposed solution.

Educational requirements for IT professionals vary. Most employers prefer a bachelor’s degree in information systems or computer science. However, there are also certification programs providing industry certification as an IT or computer professional. It is extremely important that IT professionals stay up to date on the latest computer trends, software applications and hardware devices.

Currently, the outlook for IT professionals is excellent. Over the next few years the employment of computer and information systems managers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. Even a few minutes of system downtime carries an enormous cost for businesses. Companies can no longer afford to have issues with internet connectivity, email communications, corrupt data or system failure. This is why IT professionals are in such high demand.

iStaffing Agency helps place professional candidates into Management, Senior and Executive level positions . iStaffing Agency specializes in Human Resources, Accountants, Executives, IT Professionals, Loan Officers and other professional candidates in addition to candidates in the Entertainment and Nonprofit sector. For more information about how iStaffing Agency can help you locate your next career opportunity in California, please contact us today.

Benefits of Continuing Education

Benefits of Continuing Education

In today’s competitive job market, continuing education is more important than ever. Continuing education programs benefit both businesses and workers. Businesses can benefit when they encourage continuing education as it allows them to maintain a highly skilled and specialized workforce. Workers that partake in continuing education programs benefit by receiving promotions, gaining more power in the job market or simply by becoming more valuable employees.

Continuing education refers to the acquisition or improvement of work-related skills by people who are already in the workforce. Continuing education includes both formal and informal training. Workers participating in continuing education might earn college degrees through formal programs, concentrate on professional development courses or participate in programs that include both formal and informal components. In general, continuing education refers to classes and seminars focused on job-related skills and knowledge.

Continuing education courses are available through:

High schools
Community colleges
Universities
Trade professional societies and organizations

Many of these channels offer night or weekend-only courses to accommodate workers. Training facilities offer state-of-the-art equipment as well as computer based training. Sometimes schools will pair up with businesses to offer programs. In addition, many companies offer their own continuing education programs. By offering these courses, businesses ensure that they maintain a steady supply of qualified workers.

People who continue to improve their work skills and knowledge are able to keep up with the latest technologies and business techniques. They receive the training necessary to climb the corporate ladder and realize additional career goals.

In addition to the most basic benefits, continuing education allows workers to better understand the purpose and goals of their occupation. Continuing education can help advance an individual’s occupation by providing them with the opportunity to obtain both theoretical and practical occupational knowledge while improving their problem-solving skills. However, the best benefit of continuing education is its ability to impart an attitude that encourages workers to find and use the best techniques available at any given time and to realize that these techniques must ultimately be improved or replaced.

Increasing Productivity in the Workplace

Increasing Productivity in the Workplace

There are many reasons why your company might need to increase its workplace productivity. Increased demand, entering a new market or the release of a new product can all require your organization to increase its output. Let’s take a closer look at the best ways to increase productivity in the workplace.

One proven method for increasing workplace productivity involves improving the physical surroundings of your employees. This might include incorporating more daylight, colors, open spaces and ergonomics into the design of your workspace. In addition, modifying workstations, improving safety or utilizing technology have all been shown to increase productivity and contribute to a company’s bottom line.

Consider creating an opinion survey to find out how employees view working for your organization. Be sure to use open-ended questions that encourage employees to explain how you can help them to be more efficient and productive.

Involve department supervisors and managers by scheduling a meeting to discuss strategies for increasing productivity. Effective strategies might include adding staff and reassigning jobs. Adjusting staffing levels can significantly improve lagging productivity. Introducing flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting and job-sharing can improve the utilization of your existing workforce.

When you are considering adding staff to increase productivity, be sure to calculate your cost to hire and compare it against your potential increase in revenue. While an immediate return on investment might be difficult to achieve, the additional staff is likely worthwhile for achieving long-term results. Utilizing a competent staffing agency can ensure that you locate top talent without having to use up your company’s resources to fill positions.

It’s extremely important to match your employees’ abilities and qualifications to the work that they perform. Employees that are unable to complete their work are probably in the wrong job. Your employees’ skill sets should always match their job requirements and responsibilities.

Once you have gathered all of the necessary information, compare the costs of increasing productivity using additional staff, improving the work environment and reassigning jobs. Be sure to consider the information received in your employee opinion surveys when deciding the benefits of each.

iStaffing Agency helps companies in California locate, screen and place professional candidates into Management, Senior and Executive level positions. iStaffing Agency specializes in Human Resources, Accountants, Executives, IT Professionals, Loan Officers and other professional candidates in addition to candidates in the Entertainment and Nonprofit sector. For more information about how iStaffing Agency can help your company with their staffing needs, please contact us today.

Preparing for a Temp Agency Test

Preparing for a Temp Agency Test

Today, experienced individuals have many options when looking for a job. An employment agency is an ideal place to start. Some job seekers chose to use temp agencies. Temp agencies provide short-term employment opportunities. Applying for a job with a temp agency involves completing an application, interviewing with a recruiter at the agency and taking a skills test. The test is used to evaluate certain skills, which allows the agency to match job seekers with the perfect job. Preparing for a temp agency test is not difficult and can go a long way towards finding the right opportunity.

Before you arrive at the temp agency, find out which tests will be required. Typically a temp agency will use different tests for different career fields. For example, a position as an administration assistant will include a typing test. Since the agency might require testing on specific software programs, you should also ask which software versions will be used.

If you are unfamiliar with the software or you lack skills that will be tested, consider taking a training course. Most community colleges offer one-day workshops, and the internet is full of free training courses. Even if you are familiar with the software that will be used during the testing, it is still wise to take a training course to refresh your skills.

Perhaps the most important part of preparing for a temp agency test is practice. Understanding how a program works or how to use your skills is not always enough to do well on the tests. Many temp agency tests are timed. Practicing your skills significantly improves your speed and accuracy.

The day of testing you must be both mentally and physically prepared. Make sure that you get a full night’s rest the night before the test and eat a healthy breakfast. When you arrive at the temp agency, turn off your cell phone and take a few extra minutes to refocus your mind so that you are able to properly invest your energy on the test.