Bend and Deschutes County are “now hiring”

It’s now spring and the help-wanted signs are sprouting.

“The most recent numbers we have are from March, and those numbers all pointed to a really high hiring demand; right now there is well over 4,000 new ads for Deschutes County,” Damon Runberg, state economist for the Oregon Employment Department, said Tuesday.

Data from the department shows help wanted ads are up 5 percent from last year.

An early snowpack allowed the ski resorts to ramp up, and in the second half of winter came construction, which is a boost not usually seen in February and March.

“And so we had this double hiring event that occurred, and normally we have one or the other, either the strong tourism in the winter or we can do some construction — we actually had both,” Runberg said. “So that explains the really hot start we’ve had in 2016.”

“Help wanted” signs in the windows may promise more than minimum wage. Bill Anderson, CEO of Mid Oregon Credit Union, said, “We are expanding in our contact center, in some of our back office support and also with our commercial services, basically in all areas.”

In terms of growth, Runberg said, “As annoying as it is to have a wait a little longer at your favorite brew pub, it’s definitely good to keep seeing those people come into Central Oregon while there’s jobs available for them.”

Here’s a list of tips on how to ace that interview and get the career of your dreams from bankrate.com:

Balance dream opportunities with open mindedness,
Polish your resume and cover letter,
Network your way in,
Do your research before the interview,
Dress for success,
Calm nerves by remembering what you offer,
Watch body language and small talk,
Ask thoughtful questions,
Followup appropriately,
Negotiate your salary.

Find more details on these tips at http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/10-winning-ways-to-land-the-job-you-want-1.aspx.