As of March 2019 there were 1,016 active rigs off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. Oil production from US federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico reached an all-time annual high of 1.65 million barrels per day in 2017.According to the Energy Information Administration, "Gulf of Mexico federal offshore oil production accounts for 17% of total U.S. crude oil production and federal offshore natural gas production in the Gulf accounts for 5% of total U.S. dry production." But what kind of positions are available on an oil rig?

Salary negotiations often freaks people out. Linda, 57, is a program manager who called to say, “I can’t do it! Robin, I’m terrified of trying to negotiate for the salary offer. What if they rescind the offer?” I haven’t heard of that especially when it is so hard to find good, talented people these days. Yet, it took a great deal of coaching to reassure this Baby Boomer that she had nothing to lose if she followed the strategies I laid out in our consulting session. She did and was astonished that they conceded quickly and she’s making $8,000 more than they originally offered and also has an extra week of vacation, too.

Technology has radically changed our day-to-day life over the last few decades. Job seekers have new tools and new challenges as they navigate the job market. Video interviewing, interview scheduling software, and the internet have helped organize the process of hiring new candidates. This has saved precious time and money for hiring managers. Here are some of the more subtle ways the job search has changed over time.

The Woodlands Church Job Fair is an annual event that brings employers and job seekers together for the benefit of all. JobSparx is proud to be a media sponsor and attendant every year.

The JobSparx team was excited to attend the 2019 HR Symposium and connect with hundreds of HR departments from all over the Houston area.

Chef is a term that has taken on a new meaning recently in the hospitality world. If you know how to cook you now are referred to as "chef". Well let's look at what a chef is and what he/she does. The Qualities of a Great Sous Chef would require knowledge of all of the stations in a kitchen and the responsibilities of each of those stations and the Chefs that operate and manage those areas of the kitchen.

JobSparx was proud to sponsor the Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) and Between Jobs Ministry (BJM) hosting their 2019 Spring Career Fair on Tuesday, March 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Harrell Family Opportunity Center, which is located behind NAM’s main building. It was free of charge to the 400 job seekers who attended as well as over 50 recruiters and employers like Southwestern Energy, Houston Methodist Hospital, National Oilwell Varco, and Wells Fargo Bank. Companies in attendance ranged from the City of Houston to Marriott Hotels and spanned a variety of industries such as oil and gas, education, law enforcement, finance, and medical. Job seekers were able to meet with Workforce Solutions, NAM THRIVE, and Lone Star College, as well as with representatives from non-profit and veteran organizations in the area. Participants also had the opportunity to attend a special Job Readiness Workshop led by Bill Proctor of NextStep Career Management.

In contemporary times, almost as a cultural practice, education has been elevated to the level of an initiation rite into the modern world. With the aid of formal educational training, people acquire the skills of reading and writing. It is obvious that literacy, the ability to read and write, has become a requisite for coping with numerous challenges of modern times. As a strategy for ensuring that no child is denied the opportunity of acquiring formal education, not sending a child to school is a criminal offence in some parts of the world, especially in the West. In addition, some governments assist their citizens to acquire formal education by either subsidising the cost or making it available at no cost (at the basic level, at least).

Achieving excellence in our work is an integral part of feeling genuinely satisfied in life. We want our careers or businesses to blossom, making us financially secure and content with our achievements. Here are seven stepping-stones that lead to career growth and excellence. When used as part of a total action-plan, these stepping-stones can contribute tremendously to the fulfillment that you desire.

There is no typical wind-farm size, but some can contain hundreds of turbines; huge pieces of machinery that push the limits of transport, arriving in single pieces. Planning, building, transporting, foundations, constructing, and maintaining even a single wind turbine is a lot of coordinated work; even the massive blades are glued together by careful eyes and hands. All of this is good news for industrial workers who've been hit especially hard by the economy.

Let’s face it. Job hunting can be extremely stressful. After all, between updating resumes, following up on potential job leads, going out on multiple interviews, getting extra education and certifications while dealing with bills and other pressing obligations, the process can have a profound effect on one’s mental and physical state which can sometimes lead to anxiety and depression. That is why it is critically important to develop positive coping strategies to ease the stresses that come with job hunting. Without positive coping strategies, it is very easy for an individual to succumb to depression without even realizing it. Exercise provides an excellent way to relieve that stress. How you ask? Easy.

Why should you pursue a career in commercial truck driving? That is a very good question. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have enough valuable information to answer it yourself.

We attended the 2019 SOS Job Fair in Magnolia last friday, these are some of the photos we took and companies we spoke to.

The sport of rodeo can be fascinating, both inside and outside the arena. Rodeos provide entertainment for both children and adults, but the sport also provides employment to a number of people across the country and around the world. From the contestants themselves to the individuals who care for the animals, many find employment opportunities in the sport of rodeo.

The million dollar question is this: can your resume get through automated and HR screeners so that you will get the all-important phone call to set up an interview. And is that call for a great job? At the right level and for a good salary? When you are over 50, you need to start worrying about these things. In a study using 40,000 fake resumes, the results showed compelling evidence that there is definitely age discrimination in hiring. You definitely don’t want your resume to scream I’m OLD! You don’t want it to say I’m dated and the employer to assume so are your skills and abilities.

The Gulf Coast Symposium on HR Issues invites HR Professionals from all over Texas to gather and improve their company’s bottom hiring line with networking, education and new technology that will take them into 2020.

Internships are sometimes hard to find, and finding a paid internship can be like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. More and more companies are paying interns a normal wage because they are using the internship as a really long interview.

Career well-being is feeling good about the work you do. It means you can truthfully answer "Yes!" to the question, "Do you like what you do each day?" We know that when our career well-being is solid and stable, we are healthier, happier and more successful over all.

While there are plenty who make lists of all the activities they will do when they are done working, there are others who keep themselves on the job because they have no idea what they would do if they stopped. First and foremost you need to have a retirement plan on how you will spend your time.

Every day I get letters from people saying that they are behind the curve in computer literacy. Houston has plenty of resources to help you get up to date on your tech skills, and help you prepare for the new job you want.