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Jobfox Top 25 Most Recession-Proof U.S. Job Candidates: October 2008 Rankings Report

First Look at Post-Bailout Job Market

About the rankings

The Jobfox Top 25 Most Recession-Proof U.S. Job Candidates: October 2008 report identifies the jobs, classified by specific professions, that are in greatest demand by recruiters and other employer agents using Jobfox to search for and find new or replacement workers. The rankings of professions included in this report reflect the most wanted U.S. professions during a 120-day period ending October 28, 2008. The rankings are based on employer job postings that were initiated and remain open over the 120-day period.

For this 120-day period, Jobfox extracted a stratified random sample of more than 4,000 U.S. job openings from more than 2,000 employers from its database. From the sample, Jobfox identified more than 150 distinct professions for which employers were seeking candidates. This report focuses on the professions that were most often the targets of Jobfox employers.

Also captured in this report of the most wanted professions, are the current median salary ranges and the desired median salary ranges of candidates seeking new employment opportunities. Median salary ranges were determined from a stratified random sample of more than 100,000 Jobfox candidate profiles that were matched to specific professions during the 120-day period.

Economic Downturn Gives Top 25 New Look

Jobfox's October rankings provide the first detailed look at the initial impact on the most wanted jobs following the U.S. government's announced bailout plans to help revive the financial industry and general consensus among companies and consumers that the economy is at or near a recessionary period (two or more consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth). Octoberï¿½s rankings demonstrated much movement in company hiring priorities:

Five new professions were added to the Top 25 rankings in October: No. 18 Medical Administrative Services, No. 20 IT Security, No. 22 Higher Education (Faculty), No. 23 Product Management and No. 25 Human Resource Generalist.
Falling out of the Top 25 in October were: Database Administration, Advertising (Online and Offline), Testing/Quality Assurance, Business Analysis (Research) and Business Analysis (Software Implementation).
Others Moving Up: Technology Executive (up eight spots to No. 16 in October) and Counseling/Social Work (up seven spots to No. 4 in October).
Others Moving Down: Mechanical Engineering (down five spots to No. 9) and Electrical Engineering (down four spots to No. 14).

Top 10 Regions: Best Bets for Job Seekers:

Atlanta Region: Mechanical Engineering, Accounting Staff, Account/Customer Support, Sales Representative/Business Development, Nursing.
Boston Region: Account/Customer Support, Administrative Assistant, Nursing, Medical Administrative Services, Higher Education (Faculty).
Chicago Region: Tax Reporting/Accounting, Auditing, Higher Education (Administration), Account/Customer Support, Marketing Executive.
Dallas Region: Restaurant Management (Front of House), Account/Customer Support, Sales Representative/Business Development, Logistics and Distribution, Accounting Staff.
Washington, D.C., Region: Accounting Staff, Intel, Software Design/Development, Networking/System Administration, Sales Executive.
Houston Region: Mechanical Engineering, Sales Associate/Cashier/Stock Room, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Receptionist.
Los Angeles Region: Claims, Counseling/Social Work, Commercial/Corporate Banking Services, Mechanical Engineering, Sales Representative/Business Development.
New York Region: Sales Representative/Business Development, Senior Executive Assistant, Retail Banking, Claims, Market Research.
Seattle Region: Counseling/Social Work, General Trades/Labor, Restaurant Staff/Utility Personnel, Retail Banking, Restaurant Management (Front of House).
Silicon Valley Region: Product Management, Sales Operations, User Interface Design, Auditing, Recruiting/Staffing.

Jobfox Top 25 Most Recession-Proof U.S. Job Candidates: October 2008*

Rank	Prior Month's Rank	Professions	Current Median Salary Range**	Desired Median Salary Range**
1	1	Sales Representative/ Business Development	$55K-$65K	$65K-$75K
2	2	Account/ Customer Service	$25K-$35K	$35K-$45K
3	6	Accounting Staff	$35K-$45K	$35K-$45K
4	11	Counseling/ Social Work	$35K-$45K	$35K-$45K
5	3	Software Design/ Development	$75K-$85K	$85K-$95K
6	5	Administrative Assistant	$25K-$35K	$35K-$45K
7	8	Networking/ System Adminstration	$55K-$65K	$65K-$75K
8	7	Nursing	$35K-$45K	$45K-$55K
9	4	Mechanical Engineering	$55K-$65K	$65K-$75K
10	9	Sales Executive	$75K-$85K	$85K-$95K
11	14	Project/ Engagement Management	$75K-$85K	$85K-$95K
12	12	Finance Staff	$65K-$75K	$75K-$85K
13	13	Accounting/ Finance Executive	$55K-$65K	$65K-$75K
14	10	Electrical Engineering	$55K-$65K	$65K-$75K
15	16	Senior Executive Assistant	$45K-$55K	$45K-$55K
16	24	Technology Executive	$105K-$115K	$115K-$125K
17	15	Resturant Manager (Front)	$35K-$45K	$45K-$55K
18	NEW	Medical Administrative Services	$25K-$35K	$35K-$45K
19	17	Retail Banking	$35K-$45K	$35K-$45K
20	NEW	IT Security	$75K-$85K	$85K-$95K
21	18	Recruiting/Staffing	$55K-$65K	$55K-$65K
22	NEW	Higher Education(Faculty)	$45K-$55K	$55K-$65K
23	NEW	Product Management	$75K-$85K	$85K-$95K
24	25	Store Management	$35K-$45K	$45K-$55K
25	NEW	Human Resource Generalist	$45K-$55K	$55K-$65K

*Top 25 most wanted professions by Jobfox employers during a 120-day period ending October 28, 2008.
**Defined by Jobfox candidates with matching profession profiles during a 120-day period ending October 28, 2008.

Definitions of Professions:

Account/Customer Support: Non-technical customer service representatives in a call center or corporate environment. Includes account managers with assigned clients.
Accounting & Finance Executive: Management and oversight of accounting/finance functions.
Accounting Staff: Accounting functions and processes within public or private organizations.
Administrative Assistant: Administrative and secretarial support of department or individual (excludes Legal Administrative Assistant).
Advertising (Online and Offline): Account management, media planning, creative, production and budgeting, including individuals at an advertising agency or in-house department.
Agent/Client Services: The sale of insurance, including ongoing client interaction.
Auditing: Examination and analysis of accounting records to determine financial status, including in-house and work with external organizations.
Business Analysis (Research): Collection of research that is turned into value-added information for organizations, including work inside companies or with consulting firms.
Business Analysis (Software Implementation): Management, configuration and customization of software in a corporate environment or with a consulting firm.
Chemical Engineering: Professionals who apply and use chemical engineering principles, including the development and production of industrial chemicals and processes.
Civil Engineering: Individuals in the civil engineering field, including the design and construction of structures as well as surveying of land and water tables.
Claims: Individuals who are employed, primarily by insurance companies, to investigate and settle property and bodily injury-related claims.
Commercial/Corporate Banking Services: Individuals such as bank managers, commercial portfolio managers, underwriters, etc., who work in a bank that deals with commercial clients, including loans/deposit services.
Construction/Craftsman: Workers who install, maintain and repair anything mechanical or electrical.
Construction Management: Individuals who manage construction projects in their entirety or in phases.
Counseling/Social Work: The practice and delivery of cognitive, expressive or behavioral therapy, including social workers.
Database Administration: Administration and support of company databases, including database creation, monitoring and troubleshooting.
Electrical Engineering: Design of electrical systems or complex electronic circuits within a structure, facility or power generating environment.
Finance Staff: Involved with planning and budgeting, financial analysis, investor relations, reporting, partnerships, due diligence, investments and valuations.
General Trades/Labor: The installation, maintenance and repair of non-technical equipment and products, including residential commodities such as telephone, cable and appliances.
Higher Education (Administration): Provide instructional leadership through executive roles and oversee or perform the day-to-day administrative responsibilities of higher educational organizations.
Higher Education (Faculty): Positions that oversee the administration of courses for academic departments and similar disciplines.
Human Resource Generalist: Focus on employee relations and a wide array of HR issues including staffing, compensation and benefits.
Intel: Individuals involved with distilling and analyzing intelligence from various covert and mainstream sources including linguistics.
IT Security: Responsible for the network security of a company including management control, operations control and technology control.
Loan Operations: Involved with the back-end activities associated with loan processing, including paperwork, maintaining customer files, underwriting and the granting of loans.
Logistics and Distribution: Management of the inbound and/or outbound transportation of an organizationï¿½s materials, including both raw materials and finished goods as they travel from the supplier to the end customer.
Market Research: Conduct market research to determine the potential success of products or services including professionals at companies or with external research firms.
Marketing Executive: Management or oversight of the marketing function.
Mechanical Engineering: Analyze, design or manufacture of mechanical systems, including maintenance of these systems.
Medical Administrative Services: Involved with the day-to-day administrative procedures of an office or department including reception skills, insurance claims and basic laboratory/patient activities.
Medical Assistant: Performs administrative and clinical tasks in support of medical office operations.
Networking/System Administration: Installation and monitoring of computer networks, including system administration controls.
Nursing: Includes RNs, LPNs or nursing assistants at hospitals, residential facilities, private practices, home care, etc.
Procurement: Responsible for fulfilling organizational needs for products or services, including the purchase of goods necessary for the operation of an establishment or the purchase of materials necessary for manufacturing.
Project/Engagement Management: Lifecycle project management, from concept introduction to closeout.
Product Management: People in charge of managing existing products or developing new products, including tasks such as promotion and maximizing profitability.
Real Estate: Includes property managers, leasing agents, property appraisers and real estate sales.
Recruiting/Staffing: Involved with the recruiting/staffing functions, including recruiters, talent acquisition specialists, schedulers and coordinators.
Receptionist: Answer phones, greet visitors, handle call-routing issues and handle deliveries.
Restaurant Management (Front of House): Operations of restaurants and other food service establishments, including restaurant managers, general managers, bar/beverage managers, banquet managers and all other assistant managers.
Restaurant Staff/Utility Personnel: Non-management operations of restaurants or other food service establishments, including bar staff, bus person, dishwashers, host/hostesses, servers and other kitchen staff.
Retail Banking: Work in a branch of a retail bank, including branch managers and tellers.
Sales Associate/Cashier/Stock Room: Covers cashiers, stock room employees or sales associates of a retail store (excludes managers).
Sales Executive: Managers of a team of sales representatives or entire sales department. Responsible for territory assignments and commission structures.
Sales Operations: Support of sales teams including assistance with contracts, responding to RFPs, managing commissions and overseeing sales administration.
Sales Representative/Business Development: Focus on the typical full-sales cycle and business development, including inside or outside sales.
Senior Executive Assistant: Providing the highest levels of administrative/secretarial support to senior-level management or C-level executives, including research, preparing statistical reports and handling information requests.
Software Design/Development: Design or development of software, including architecture, user interface, applications, operating systems, device drivers, etc.
Store Management: Daily operations of a retail store, including buying, loss prevention, merchandising, operations and store management.
Supply Chain Management: Individuals who manage supply, from both internal and external sources, to meet customer demand, including scheduling of production, capacity planning, selecting and managing contract manufacturers and tracking performance versus demand.
Tax Reporting/Accounting: Preparing, filing and reporting taxes for individuals or corporations including tax analysts, managers, specialists, planners, etc.
Technology Executive: Management of the corporate IT function, including software managers for ISVs or consulting firms.
Testing/Quality Assurance: Testers, quality assurance engineers or testing managers who test applications ï¿½ primarily software ï¿½ using manual or automated testing tools.
User Interface Design: The engineering design of software applications, Web sites, computers, appliances, machines and mobile communication devices with the focus on the userï¿½s experience and interaction.

About Jobfox
Jobfox is the Internet's fastest-growing career site for connecting working professionals with corporate recruiters. A first-of-its-kind capability for job sites, the new Jobfox Intros^TM service provides more than a list of jobs. Jobfox Intros gives candidates a foot in the door via personal introductions to employers. With My Jobfox Connections^TM, employers maintain automatically updated talent networks for filling immediate hiring needs as well as maintaining longer-term relationships with top candidates, for future staffing needs. Visit Jobfox today.

Media contact:
Barry Lawrence
blawrence@jobfox.com
O: 703.748.0162 x1106 M: 703.869.9592

Jobfox, Jobfox Intros, My Jobfox Connections, Jobfox Mutual Suitability System and BetterMondays are trademarks of the company. All other company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.