By Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 16, 2017 at 5:19 PM, updated February 17, 2017 at 3:02 PM
PISCATAWAY — Rutgers University has issued a formal apology after banning students from a job fair for wearing blue suits, colored shirts, brown shoes or other attire that violated a strict new dress code for the event.
The controversy started Feb. 10 when several students who arrived at a career fair for the Rutgers Business School were turned away, according to The Daily Targum, the university’s student newspaper. Students were told they could return if they changed clothes, but some owned only one suit or lived too far away to drive home and make it back in time, the Targum’s report said.
Rutgers told NJ Advance Media it could not confirm how many students were turned away.
Ridgewood NJ, So, you’re a smart, imaginative, persuasive millennial and – contrary to the bad rap your generation usually gets – you’re willing to work REALLY hard. You’re just waiting for all those boomers and Xers to get the heck out of the way so you can have your turn at the brass ring.
But why wait?
You and your well-educated and connected friends are in a great position to create your own success – by creating your own business. Survey after survey finds that millennials have a true entrepreneurial mindset; you like flexibility and independence, and you’re determined to pursue your passions. And, thanks to the accomplishments of others before you (the young founders of Airbnb and Uber, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg), you’re likely to get more support and less eye-rolling should you strike out on your own.
“With more resources available to start-up founders, and a new respect for what innovative thinkers can do, there’s no need to wait around for your corner office and executive title,” says Matt Stewart, an entrepreneur and co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), an internship program that provides practical business experience for college students. “Why sit and dream about climbing the ladder at someone else’s business when you can create your own?”
The idea of building something from nothing is daunting but doable, says Stewart, who started his company with just four employees in 1993 and now operates nationwide. Here are some of his tips for getting started:
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Create opportunity by finding a business model that delivers solutions to an urgent need that customers have. Your customers should already understand your product or service and believe in its necessity, not just think that it would be “nice to have.” • Define what makes you unique. Once you’ve picked a service or product to focus on, find out what makes you different. Research competitors to determine their customers’ likes and dislikes. How can you pair your individual experience with a solution that addresses what’s missing in the marketplace? • Understand that competition is good. Try to avoid starting a business that doesn’t already exist. If there are similar products or services to yours, it means there’s a demand. Now it’s up to you to figure out how you can deliver something that’s different and better. • You don’t need to start the next Facebook. Don’t worry about entering the market with a huge company. Instead, focus on providing a great solution for a niche group of customers ¬and then over-deliver. You can’t service 1 million customers if you don’t know how to service 10. Focus on your first 10 customers. • Ready, shoot, aim. Don’t wait to get started. You won’t know if you’re onto something unless you start making sales. Your idea isn’t validated until you have paying customers. Don’t spend too much time planning; start engaging with potential customers as soon as you can.
If the fear of failing is holding you back, Stewart says, remember that there’s no better time to take a risk than when you’re first starting out.
“Meanwhile, you’re gaining work experience, learning to be a leader, and doing it on your own terms,” he says.
About Matt Stewart
Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), which provides business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners.
Washington DC, On Thursday , President Donald J. Trump signed legislation (House Joint Resolution 38) to stop the costly “Stream Protection Rule” from further harming coal workers and the communities that depend on them.
H.J. Res. 38 blocks an overly burdensome regulation from harming the coal industry.
The regulation was expected to reduce coal production, leading to fewer coal jobs across the country.
The blocked regulation threatened the coal industry with millions of dollars in compliance costs.
Complying with the regulation would have put an unsustainable financial burden on small mines, most of which are in the Appalachian Basin.
The blocked regulation would have duplicated existing regulations already in place to protect Americans.
GIVING COAL COUNTRY RELIEF: Since 2009, the coal industry has declined, leaving workers and communities without a lifeline.
Since January 2009, the coal mining industry has lost over 36,000 jobs without any relief in sight.
From 2009 to 2015, coal production declined by over 177,000,000 tons across the country.
From 2009 to 2015, over 600 coal mines closed.
A PROMISE TO COAL WORKERS: Before President Trump’s inauguration, he promised coal workers he would support them and reverse the harmful actions of the past administration.
November 21, 2016, the Trump-Pence Transition Team pledged to “end the war on coal” and review harmful regulations created under the Obama Administration.
September 22, 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump called out harmful coal regulations: “I will rescind the coal mining lease moratorium, the excessive Interior Department stream rule, and conduct a top-down review of all anti-coal regulations issued by the Obama Administration.”
August 8, 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump pledged to the American people: “We will put our coal miners and steel workers back to work.”
GETTING GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE WAY: President Trump has been steadfast in his commitment to reducing the regulatory burden on all Americans, their pocketbooks, and their businesses.
President Trump has required that for every new Federal regulation, two existing regulations be eliminated.
President Trump has placed a moratorium on all new regulations by executive departments and agencies that are not compelled by Congress or public safety.
President Trump directed the Commerce Department to streamline Federal permitting processes for domestic manufacturing and to reduce regulatory burdens on domestic manufacturers.
President Trump signed an Executive Order expediting the environmental review and approval processes for domestic infrastructure projects.
President Trump signed legislation to eliminate a costly regulation that threatened to put domestic extraction companies and their employees at an unfair disadvantage.
President Trump directed the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a full review of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to ensure associated, burdensome regulations receive proper scrutiny.
President Trump ordered re-examination of the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule, to make certain that it does not harm Americans as they save for retirement.
Washington DC, Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump signed legislation (House Joint Resolution 41) eliminating a costly regulation that threatened to put domestic extraction companies and their employees at an unfair disadvantage.
This creates a level playing field with companies like BP who were formed solely for the purpose of bribing, ie political contributions, PILOT, jobs, taxes and so on foreign governments to exploit the natural resources.
Critics of the Gulf Oil spill have long claimed BP bribed its way out of trouble in the gulf with a huge payment to the Obama Administration.
H.J. Res. 41 blocks a misguided regulation from burdening American extraction (oil )companies.
By halting this regulation, the President has removed a costly impediment to American extraction companies helping their workers succeed. This legislation could save American businesses as much as $600 million annually in regulatory compliance costs and spare them 200,000 hours of paperwork. The regulation created an unfair advantage for foreign-owned extraction companies.
BUILDING ON PRESIDENTIAL ACTION: President Trump has been steadfast in his commitment to reducing the regulatory burden on everyday Americans, their pocketbooks, and their businesses.
President Trump has required that for every new Federal regulation, two existing regulations be eliminated.
President Trump will initiate fundamental changes to the United States healthcare system to reduce the financial burden on Americans by getting the government out of the way.
President Trump has placed a moratorium on all new regulations by executive departments and agencies that are not compelled by Congress or public safety.
President Trump directed his Secretary of Commerce to streamline Federal permitting processes for domestic manufacturing and to reduce regulatory burdens on domestic manufacturers.
President Trump signed an Executive Order expediting the environmental review and approval processes for domestic infrastructure projects.
President Trump directed the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a full review of Dodd-Frank to ensure associated, burdensome regulations receive proper scrutiny.
President Trump ordered re-examination of the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule, to make certain that it does not harm Americans as they save for retirement.
Ridgewood NJ, public frustration continues to grow towards the New Jersey Assembly spending so much time and energy attacking President Trump instead of focusing on any of New Jerseys myriad of serious problems.
Trenton is ignoring everything from property tax relief, school funding, pension payments and reform, the list is endless. New Jersey ranks the number one state to move out of, and ranks near the bottom in almost every economic category, but instead of working on the difficult issues the state faces , Trenton Democrats and some Republicans assisted by the New Jersey media are engaging non-stop Trump bashing.
Assembly, New Jersey, 39th, Republican Holly Schepisi summed it up best ,”Tomorrow we have a “special” voting session in Trenton to vote on such pressing NJ matters as providing guidance to our municipalities on affordable housing, fixing the Pension crisis, reforming the school funding formula…..just kidding! Instead of fixing any of NJ’s major issues, we are voting on at least seven political resolutions targeting our President.”
Schepisi went on to call out her ccolleagues, ” Over the past several days several of my colleagues in the State Legislature have indicated they would try to move forward legislation protecting “Sanctuary Cities” who lose federal funding by mandating the State of NJ pay these cities any monies lost by their refusal to comply with federal law. While I understand the motive behind such bills seeks to protect the legislators’ constituent cities, the practical implications are financially destructive for all of the non-sanctuary areas of the State.
New Jersey is almost broke. We have not made a full payment on our pension obligations in decades. A majority of our schools receive virtually no funding from the State. Indeed most of the areas I represent receive less than $500 per student per year. On the flip side, below are just some of the numbers of aid currently being provided to our “Sanctuary Cities”. If these bills were to go through, the State would be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars of additional aid into these communities. MONEY THAT DOES NOT EXIST.
In Newark,19-percent of all city residents are undocumented entrants. Newark currently receives $206.7 million in federal aid, amounting to $733 per resident or $2,932 per family of four. This aid is on top of an additional $742 million in school aid given to Newark by the State of New Jersey and $31 million in transitional aid also given by the State of New Jersey.
Jersey City, also a sanctuary city with more than 10 percent of residents being undocumented, receives $148 million in federal aid on top of $417 million in school aid given by the State of New Jersey.
Other NJ sanctuary cities include:
Trenton – $10 million in federal aid, $229 million in State school aid
Camden- $52 million in federal aid, $280 million in State school aid
Union City – $32.5 million in federal aid, $179 million in State school aid
West NY – $17 million in federal aid, $94 million in State school aid
While rest of country showed strong 25 percent growth in solar jobs, New Jersey’s solar employment fell by 14 percent
The solar sector helped the economy grow last year by creating 51,000 jobs across the nation, but not in New Jersey, once one of the biggest success stories in the industry, where more than 1,000 jobs were lost.
While the rest of the country witnessed a 25 percent increase in job growth in the sector, New Jersey solar employment fell by 14 percent, according to the nonprofit Solar Foundation. It is one of only four states to experience a drop in jobs in the field, its annual report said.
The annual survey is startling given that the state experienced its second-biggest growth year ever, installing 353 megawatts, according to data compiled by the New Jersey Clean Energy Program. The state has more than 66,000 solar projects deployed.
For years, solar has been one of the fastest-growing segments of the economy, but the annual report by the foundation suggests otherwise. Its survey of thousands of solar businesses said total jobs in New Jersey fell as of November 2016 to 6,056, a drop from 7,071 over the previous 12 months.
New Jersey is one of 23 states still trying to boost its tax revenue levels to pre-recession levels, according to a Pew Charitable Trust report.
At its peak, the fourth quarter of 2007, the state took in $8.7 billion in revenue. It hit a low point at the end of 2011, with only $7.1 billion in revenue that quarter.
As of the end of 2016, the state’s quarterly tax revenue was 10.9 percent lower than the third quarter of 2008, Pew found, as the state took in $7.8 billion.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Zippa a career website , New Jersey is, and has been since its founding, a state in change. We’re growing, we’re progressing, we’re constantly on the move, it seems, financially, industrially, technologically, and of course, in the
New Jersey is, and has been since its founding, a state in change. We’re growing, we’re progressing, we’re constantly on the move, it seems, financially, industrially, technologically, and of course, in the
New Jersey is, and has been since its founding, a state in change. We’re growing, we’re progressing, we’re constantly on the move, it seems, financially, industrially, technologically, and of course, in the work force.
Some jobs that were popular fifty or sixty years ago are unheard of these days. Jobs that will be popular in fifty or sixty years — we may not even be able to guess.
But today, what we can guess are which jobs are going to be the most beneficial in one year, or even a few. Because we’ve crunched the data, and we’ve come up with a list of the fastest growing jobs in New Jersey.
Here are the top 10, and below, we’ll show you the top 100:
Okay, so really–this is pretty cool. Who would have thought, even twenty years ago, that home health aides and operations research analysts would be so in demand? Not only does this mean we’re progressing in some important areas, but it also means you might just be able to snag yourself a more secure job. (https://www.zippia.com/advice/fastest-growing-jobs-in-new-jersey/)
Rising costs are putting basic necessities out of reach for 37 percent or 1.2 million New Jersey households, according to the United Way ALICE Report released by United Way of Northern New Jersey.
“ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed; Study of Financial Hardship” shows that the minimum costs to survive in New Jersey rose by 23 percent since 2007, outpacing the rate of inflation of 14 percent. The report finds that it costs a single adult $24,300 to survive annually and $64,176 for a family of four with two children under the age of five.
By Stephen Stirling | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on January 16, 2017 at 7:30 AM, updated January 16, 2017 at 7:53 AM
Charlene O’Brian doesn’t want help.
The 38-year-old single mother of two has built her life on being a strong, independent woman. The Hardyston divorcee has a full-time job training educators, which she balances with raising her 7 and 10 year-old boys, the latter of which has special needs. In her spare time she runs and designs grueling obstacle courses, the kind that make even the biggest fitness buff think twice.
But O’Brian knows today she needs help. She just doesn’t know where to turn to get it.
“It doesn’t make me feel good. It’s been a struggle,” O’Brian said. “But it makes me want to make a difference.”
Baby Boomers: your millennial children are worse-off than you. Millennials earn 20 percent less than boomers did at the same stage of life, despite being better educated, according to a new analysis by the advocacy group Young Invincibles. (Jan. 13)
By Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author
on January 12, 2017 at 5:18 PM, updated January 12, 2017 at 5:48 PM
Online retailing giant Amazon is planning to add 100,000 full-time jobs in the U.S. over the next year and a half, including 2,500 in New Jersey, the company said in a statement Thursday.
The jobs include entry-level work and skilled positions like engineers and software developers. The full-time positions will also come with benefits.
The company already employs 11,000 people at seven sites in the state. The new hires will work at additional “fulfillment centers,” the company said.
The remainder of the new hires will staff facilities in Washington, Texas, California, Kentucky, Illinois and Florida.
The news comes as Amazon also announced it would be opening a bookstore at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, one of five stores the company plans to open in New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.
In July, the company announced plans to lease a 617,000-square-foot warehouse in Teterboro as part of its plan to grow its footprint in the state. In 2015, the company cut the ribbon on a massive shipping facility in Robbinsville.
Some businesses can’t handle the increased burdens.
Scott Shackford|Jan. 4, 2017 11:30 am
David Joles/TNS/Newscom2017 ushered in minimum wage increases in 19 states, some more reasonable than others, and some of which are just the start of a series of massive jumps.
There will undoubtedly be “winners” and “losers” in these government-ordered increases, those who see actual raises vs. those who find jobs harder and harder to come by. And it’s going to be a challenge to evaluate what truly happened. We are seeing increased automation of low-level low-skilled service jobs. Jacking up the minimum wage is going to increase the speed by which it happens, but it would be foolish to think it wouldn’t eventually come regardless.
Houman Salem, who owns a small fashion house in the San Fernando Valley out in Los Angeles, took to the op-ed pages of the Los Angeles Times to explain why he’s packing up and moving out of California. Los Angeles famously decided to eventually jack up its minimum wages to $15 per hour and the entire state followed suit.
Salem’s commentary is particularly interesting because he writes about wages as a piece of a larger regulatory burden that affects his ability to do business. He explains that the minimum wage increase is the straw that broke the camel’s back because of how difficult California makes it to operate a business:
A morning in America moment?
by
Luke Kawa
December 15, 2016, 11:39 AM EST
It feels like another ‘Morning in America’ moment — the animal spirits are just waking up.
Following the election, a number of indexes that track confidence have jumped, with respondents citing the potential for deregulation and tax cuts once President-elect Donald Trump takes office as the cause of their increased confidence.
Homebuilders are the latest segment of the economy to testify to this surge in optimism.
The National Association of Homebuilders’ index of sentiment soared to an 11-year highin December, despite the sizable rise in bond yields since the election.
