“Many fresh graduates have a hard time finding jobs because their skills and educational background do not fit the needs of businesses”

Whether you agree or not with the above statement by the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), let’s face it, finding a job is not as easy as you think it is. And getting an education doesn’t even guarantee a job for you in the future. It’s really difficult to pinpoint the main culprit in this case because there is a myriad of reasons and a million other factors why people are unemployed or have a hard time getting employed. But there are three things that I have noted about this problem. First thing that I have noted; skills, then education, then business needs. But the main gist boils down to: “Are your skills and education fit for the current business need?” As simple as that.

The fact is, even if you have finished a degree with flying colors if I’m in need of a Chef for my food business, your IT education and the skill you have acquired is futile (at least for my need). It’s difficult to put a square peg in a round hole. That’s what it is. Will you then have to get another education, just to suit my needs? I don’t think that would be wise. First of all, it will take you time. By the time you get the skill that I need, I may no longer require what you can offer me.

This is becoming a common problem in our society these days. You can see this scenario in almost every college or university. You will find students enrolled in courses that are the current need of most companies. Unfortunately, before they complete their 4 or 5 year study, it would already be filled and thus, are no longer in demand like when they first heard about it. 

Supply and Demand

The labor market as with any other market that we know abides by the basic principle of supply and demand. If the supply is low and demand is high, price goes up and if the demand is low but supply is high, the price goes down. The case of nursing graduates in the Philippines is a concrete example of how the law supply and demand affects our employment climate. Many student nurses have actually focused their goals on works abroad because there is an increasing need for medical workers (demand). Thus many have looked into it as an opportunity. And every year we have been producing thousands upon thousands of nurses. But the country’s demand could not measure up to the supply. There’s just too many of them. Even if there is a good demand outside, it’s still an uphill climb to many graduates considering the financial aspect of applying abroad.

Melting Pots

The BPO industry have become a melting pot to many skills and talents that was not absorbed by the current businesses that is more specific with its talent requirement. Thus, when you work in a call center you’ll be surprised to see how diverse the pool of people are in terms of the college degrees that they have attained. You will find graduates of education course, medical related courses and other unusual degrees  that you expect to find in a specific niche. It’s not bad to see them there of course. It’s good, because at least, they are being productive. But it is also disturbing because they are not where they are supposed to be. It’s good to have a hand, but if your hand is on your forehead, then that’s a different story. The same thing goes with our labor market. It is disturbing, in a sense that people who should be teaching are not in the schools (unless they are in the training departments), and nurses who should be taking care of patients are up on their toes with headsets.

These people are working in the call center, not because they lack the education. You can see them in these areas because that is where opportunities are available. Who could have known or even imagined that they will be working as call center agents? I bet not one of them thought about that when they first enrolled for college. The only thing that I can surmise is that, they are all excited in being a nurse because in 4 or 5 years time, they are hopeful that they will be getting their dream job. They will be landing on high paying job.

Government Solution
A recent labor market study by the Department of Labor and Employment called Project JobsFit: The DOLE 2020 Vision aims to solve the problem of skills mismatch and prepare the labor force to job opportunities that are expected to have a good demand for manpower.

The result of the study highlights the in-demand and hard-to-fill occupations of the key industries that are projected to be the main source of employment growth in the country for the next ten years. This study will impact the incoming college students as this will help them choose the right course that will give them a greater chance of landing a job once they graduate.

If you are about to make the big decision that will impact your future career and employability, why not spend a few minutes and see whether some of these suggested fields will fit you.

Get a glimpse of their findings and weigh out if the agency really pinned down the 108 in-demand and hard to fill occupations. You can also download the complete list here:
Image credit: Bureau of Local Employment
Thumbnail: GenXFinance

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There will be a slight change that will affect Freelancers and all Paypal users who use Unionbank EON debit cards to withdraw their earnings. Starting August 1, 2010 there will be a new policy regarding card holders withdrawal fees. As indicated in Unionbank website advisory:

For oDesk users who regularly withdraw their earnings every Wednesday, this simply means that on the third and fourth week of your earnings will be slashed P20 ($0.44) when you withdraw. And if your withdrawal is below P7000 ($155 based on a $1= Php45 exchange rate) this means you’ll get another P50 ($1.11) deduction.

This may not be so big a change, but for those who are earning a little less than $155 per week, it may be a wise decision to withdraw your earnings every two weeks. Otherwise, you may want to get an extra work to exceed the $155 mark to avoid the deductions. Is there a better alternative to this? I’m not sure. But it would be good to check on other banks if there are current offerings for Paypal users where you get less charges and no maintaining balance as what is currently being offered by Unionbank.

And to make sure that you don’t get shocked when you check on your EON accounts, here are the current charges and fees being imposed on your EON cards for your reference:

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Being too reliant on only one payment option has proven to have serious consequences.  And if you are working in oDesk, you know [tweetmeme]exactly what I mean. I’ve seen the forum filled with dismayed people, frustrated providers and helpless freelancers who couldn’t do anything about their payouts because they only use Paypal for payment transactions. Let’s face it, technology is not foolproof. Paypal, Moneybookers, Payoneer or whichever institution you are using, gives you no guarantee that they will be up all the time. But you can safeguard yourself from delays and bill payment rush when a sudden service interruption occurs.

I’m quite certain that many have actually hopped on getting a second or third option next to Paypal because of the Paypal-oDesk incidence. And honestly, I just came to an epiphany that there are deeper reasons why you or every online freelancer must have a backup payment option.

Exchange Rate

If you are from a country other than the US and receives the final payout in a different currency other than US dollar, getting an alternative financial institution can give you a favorable advantage to withdraw your funds with the higher exchange rates and lower fees. The current rate that Paypal charges ($1 per withdrawal)is considered minimal, but what I’ve noticed is an unusually big difference in the exchange rate that Paypal imposes compared to prevailing currency exchange. At some point, I was getting $1 to Php43 but it’s actually $1 to Php44.5 Well of course I know that Paypal wants to earn as well, but a peso per dollar would have been more reasonable. I’m not sure if how much I’ve earned since I first used Paypal or oDesk but I’m certain that if I have been more vigilant and got me more option to withdraw my funds, I could have saved a few hundred if not thousands of pesos.

Flexibility

Since I started accepting projects outside of Elance and oDesk, I’ve had a couple of clients who actually gave me the option  to elect my preferred payment option. This is primarily beneficial for me since I can choose an institution like Xoom or Swiftcash so I can quickly receive payments at no extra cost or just a fraction of it if my client would require me to share in the overall transfer fee.

Availability

Maintenance, hacking, internet downtime, these are just some of the many other reasons that may cause an institution to be unavailable when you need their service. I understand that most of the financial institutions are committing to get their system a 100% uptime but it’s just too difficult to neglect the reality that what ever technology they have, however sophisticated they may be, it’s still not foolproof and invincible to even the simplest glitch that could cripple their operation. Thus, getting an alternate payment option can ensure that you get paid on time when your primary option is unavailable.

Speed

Let’s face it, not all of us have the patience to wait 3 days or even 2 days just to verify an account. And not many will be agreeable to getting their payouts late because many are depending on this source of income to pay bills and other obligations. If this fits you, then you should create a plan B to minimize if not eradicate delays and late fees.

In my experience, the quickest way to receive payment have been through Xoom money transfer. With Paypal, it takes 2-4 business days to withdraw to my bank account, and even longer if your client’s pay by echeck. And if you have a team where you subcontract your other projects, I’m sure they will be as frustrated as you are.  Getting alternatives can help you keep up with emergencies and time sensitive financial obligations like mortgage payments, house rents, internet bill payments, etc.

Simplicity & Convenience

Instant money transfers provides a lot of convenience to both parties. The procedures are a lot simpler, easier and requires lesser effort to make. No need to have a credit or debit card, verify it, and unnecessary lost of funds is avoided (just like what happens when you set up for a moneybookers account)

Security

Whenever I encounter accounts that has a pin or password, it almost always tells me that I need to take extra care. Because those same passwords and pins or security words are actually what makes my accounts vulnerable. As compared to instant transfers, the moment it’s released, the funds can be easily withdrawn, and does not compromise your whole nest egg but just a single instance. One of the steps that I’ve taken is to ensure that I don’t leave substantial funds overnight on my Paypal account. I just feel that security is not too strong. I’ve read forums where people’s Paypal accounts where infiltrated and it simply made me a bit paranoid and ultra conscious that I withdraw funds to my bank as soon as it reaches my Paypal account. I guess the more unpredictable your next step is, the safer you are. So the more options you have to withdraw your funds, the bigger your chances of eluding your would be attacker.

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There is a lot of spam going on right now with oDesk providers who are part of the gDev team. The original message which started from a [tweetmeme]simple “hi” turns out to carry more than what meets the eye.

UAE based company, gDEV FZ LLC who claims to be the biggest employer in oDesk started sending out invitations and hiring providers for a fixed rate fee to undergo several tests and a Skype interview that’s intended for various technical and customer service positions. Well, who wouldn’t be enticed to grab the opportunity? gDEV offers $40-60 fixed rate fee for spending just 3-4 hours of taking the exams and a few minutes of Skype interview, and the best part, if you get hired, you get a whopping $10 hourly rate or more depending on the nature of your job. That seemed to be a dream job to many freelancers who are still living on a feast and famine kind of life. But that seems to be perceived as too good to be true when all these grievance messages started to sprout.

Are the gDEV invitations just a hoax then? I don’t think it’s enough ground to say that they are not legitimate. Delays are part of the hiring process. And as applicants, I guess, it may as well be taken against us if we show impatience.

gDEV has already issued a stern warning for those who will continue with the flared messages. To those who were not able to rein their patience and have not put their complaints in proper channeling, it may have just caused you a quicker kill on your chances.

Again, patience is a virtue.

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It was just a few days ago when I celebrated my birthday and reaching this age (no need to guess, i’m 31) is surely a miracle and a blessing beyond words. Yet it didn’t end there, I just received a notification that as of March, I was included in the Top VA’s in oDesk.

“Congratulations! There are hundreds of thousands of providers on oDesk, but you were one of the top performing ones in your category this month. Rankings are based on a combination of the dollar amount of the jobs you completed this month and the feedback score received on those jobs. You can promote yourself with the appropriate badges below – embed them into your blogs, websites, and social media profiles.”

So for now, you’ll see my badge quite a lot to encourage others to reach for their goals, not only in terms of earnings but in terms of client satisfaction.

Below are the Best Virtual Assistants on oDesk for March 2010 !*

oDesk Buyers, you might want to get in touch with these providers soon. They are the cream of the crop and they’ve just completed big jobs. So, they’re available now, but probably won’t be for long. Click on their profile to check out their work and contact them for an interview.

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I have reached my first milestone as freelancer just before the end of February by hitting my first 1000 hours on oDesk. Who could have imagined that i’d last this long. I don’t think that even my friends in the call center would actually think that it was possible. But by God’s grace, it’s now 1000 hrs and counting. It’s 1000 hours of learning, and exploring the different facets of working at home, online.

I’m very grateful to the first person who hired me and who continue to be my employer up to this moment. I have learnt a great deal from him and each day wraps another string in building a stronger professional relationship.

I continue to uphold my desire to build a long term relationship in every work or to every employer I deal with. And as I have stepped into a new phase, this is the same legacy that I’d like to build in my team, the Cebu Virtual Solutions.

One thousand hours would not have been possible if I was doing it all on my own. My wife have been particularly instrumental in this milestone as well. And so are the people who prayed for me and my family.

Cheers to 1000hrs and Cheers to more work assignments!

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