Wisconsin State JournalTHURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008 SECTION C

Go See DoYour guide to planning the weekend. TOMORROW WORK SMART

INSIDE: PUZZLES, ADVICE, HOROSCOPE | C3 • COMICS | C4 • TV | C5

MARIE MCINTYRE

Which jobs are

recession-proof?

PENELOPE TRUNK

Look at the big picture for your resume THE BRAZEN CAREERIST

Source: Average annual wages for the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) compiled from May 2006 data by the state Department of Workforce Development

Please see JOBS, Page C6

Please see TRUNK, Page C6

Credit, background check are both acceptable requestsQ I recently had a disturbing experience when apply-

ing for a job. After three phone interviews, I was asked to interview in person. That meeting went well, and I was told that I would be invited back to meet the

rest of the team.On my way out, I was handed two

release forms and told to return them within two days. These forms autho-rized the company to check my credit report, criminal background and driv-ing record, even though driving isn’t part of the job. Although I have nothing to hide, this request seemed inappropri-ate.

I responded by both phone and e-mail, saying that I would return the forms following a formal offer of employment, contingent upon a satisfactory background check. I also pointed out that unnecessary credit checks could lower my excellent rating.

Within a day, I was informed that my application was no longer active. Can the company do this?

— Rejected Applicant

A Although regulated by state and federal laws, the general practice of conducting applicant back-

ground checks is both acceptable and common. Employ-ers must have your permission, but if you don’t give

OFFICE COACH

DO WHAT WORKS

confidence in the spotlightRemember that inter-

views are not the time to be humble, so take credit for what you’ve done without feeling that you’re boasting. Appearing confident can be as simple as stating your accomplishments and suc-cesses.

Example: Tell me about a time you were involved with a team.

Average answer: Our team was challenged with the job of increasing conference participation by 25 percent. We improved our marketing campaign and achieved our goal.

Better answer: I was invited to lead a team whose job was to increase conference participation by 25 percent. After assembling a team that had people with marketing expertise, I guided the group in developing a new mar-keting campaign and we exceeded our participation goal.

Source: UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

WHAT THEY MAKE: MEDICAL MAvENS

THE BOTTOM LINE

sAVe Up for reTireMenTIf you want to spend retirement tanning on all-you-

can-eat Caribbean cruises, start planning today.While more than two-thirds of Americans in a recent

Bank of America Corp. survey said they had heard of Individual Retirement Account (IRA) savings accounts, only 40 percent said they had one.

“Baby boomers are putting more pressure on Social Security,” said Dan McNamara, who oversees financial planning and personal retirement at Bank of America. “Companies are not really offering as many pension plans, people are living longer and health care costs con-tinue to rise. You have to have a plan.”

Maintaining a post-retirement lifestyle akin to what you’re used to requires 85 percent of a working year’s pretax income for every year of not working, McNamara said, but 40 percent of those surveyed found it difficult to figure out how much money they’ll need to live comfort-ably in retirement.

Take advantage of financial calculators, company savings plans, such as 401(k)s, and individual, low-cost investment accounts.

I t’s very hard to write a resume because it’s such a macro view of your life, but

you live your life at the micro level, obsessing about daily

details that have no bear-ing on your work history. So I recom-mend to a lot of people that they hire someone to help them.

After all, spending money on a resume writer is one of the few expenditures that could

have good return right away.But some of you will be able

to do a decent job of rewriting your resume on your own. The first thing you’ll have to do is make some mental shifts. You need to rethink the goals of a resume, and reconsider the rules of a resume.

Here are three ideas that guide professional resume writers and should guide you as well:

Don’t focus on your responsibilities, focus on what you achieved.

A resume is not your life story. No one cares. If your

life story were so interesting, you’d have a book deal. The only things that should be on your resume are achievements. Anyone can do their job, but only a small percentage of the population can do their job well, wherever they go.

The best way to show that you did your job well is from achievements. The best achievement is a promotion. It is an objective way to show that you impressed the people you work for. The next best way to show objective mea-sures is to present quantified achievements.

Most people don’t think in terms of quantified achieve-ments when they are on the job. But on the resume, that’s the only part of the job that matters. No one can see that you were a “good team player” on your resume unless you can say “established a team to solve problem x and increased sales x%” or “joined under-performing team and helped it beat production delivery dates by three weeks.”

If you’re only putting achievements on your re-

Some job industries will fare better than others this year.By MARTIN CRUTSINGERAP Economics Writer

H ospitals, schools and the assembly line at an airplane factory look like pretty good

places to be with a recession looming and unemployment rising. Construc-tion workers, real estate agents and auto workers aren’t expected to fare as well.

The startling news that the economy lost nearly a quarter-mil-lion over the last three months is the starkest signal yet that the country has probably fallen into a recession,

with things on the job front expected to get worse.

“All the indicators suggest that we will see even larger job declines in coming months. Businesses are getting nervous and pulling back,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com.

While the downturn is expected to be short and mild, economists are still forecasting the unemployment rate, which jumped to 5.1 percent in March, will climb much higher be-fore the nation’s job engine sputters back to life.

Economists are forecasting a job-less rate that will peak at around 6 percent, but probably not until early next year, several months after the recession is expected to end. Analysts said as many as 2 million people could lose their jobs in the current downturn.

In an environment of a sluggish economy and rising unemployment, analysts said there will be some safe harbors where job demand will keep growing. First and foremost in this group will be health care, where the demographics of an aging population mean the demands for medical care will keep rising.

Also a bright spot in a generally bleak jobs picture will be education, again driven by the demographics of a rising population of school-age chil-

These sectors may be in for tough times

Madison is insulated from some aspects of the job market slowdownBy AMANDA PHILLIPSFor the State Journal

What is Madison’s employ-ment outlook during this time of economic uncertainty?

As is the case elsewhere in the country, demand is strong for health-related workers, but unlike some places, construc-tion jobs in Madison are hold-ing up as well.

“Jobs that are doing well are health-care jobs,” said Dennis Winters, chief of the Office of Economic Advisors at the Wis-consin Department of Work-force Development.

He said the Madison area may weather a downturn better than other places because of its increasing population, and the presence of UW-Madison and

Please see MADISON, Page C6

GOING STRONG:

Even in a recession, there’s always a need for jobs in healthcare and education.

SOME BELT-TIGHTENING: The housing and auto industries could suffer from decreased demand.

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$157,510Family and general

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$168,530Psychiatrists

$180,400All other physicians

and surgeons

Please see McINTyRE, Page C2