Take Control: Where Are the Hot Jobs?

March 10, 2008 — -- Even on the heels of the dismal job numbers, I've spent the last three weeks on the road putting on career fairs across the country and I've seen firsthand as dozens of employers in all fields -- from aerospace to retail -- are hiring.

Click here to join Tory's tour in Chicago and click here to learn about joining Tory in Detroit.

Is it easy to be looking for work right now? Definitely not. It's a struggle that nobody relishes.

But all hiring has not come to a halt and it is possible to find work. You might be one of hundreds of people applying for a position, but instead of saying, "There's no chance they'll pick me" or "Why bother trying?" turn that thinking around.

Say to yourself, "Someone has to get hired and I'm going to do everything to make sure it's me." For every rejection, you're one step closer to an offer, so don't allow the frustration get the best of you. Pick yourself up and keep plugging away.

Top 5 Cities to Find a Job:

1. Salt Lake City, Utah, tops the list in job growth with opportunities in nursing, education and banking.

2. Witchita, Kan., where aircraft and petroleum industries have bounced back and looking to hire for their production lines. There are also plenty of opportunities for health care workers.

3. Austin, Texas, is a vibrant and young city with an entrepreneurial spirit, so a good place to think about opening a small business. Also a wide range of career choices in technology.

4. Atlanta, Ga., is a hub for the financial and technology industries with positions in accounting, civil and electiral engineering and jobs at Fortune 500 companies like Coca Cola, UPS and Home Depot.

5. Fort Worth, Texas, with job opportunities in teaching, construction, even vision care products and air craft equipment.

Fast-Growing Career Fields

HEALTH CARE GREW BY 36,000 JOBS LAST MONTH ALONE.

Service jobs in health care are one of the highest growth sectors -- and grew by 36,000 jobs last month alone. These opportunities range from home health-care aides and medical assistants to equipment technicians and occupational therapists. For some of these, certificate programs can be completed in as little as a year, so it's viable path to pursue at any age.

DEMAND FOR TRAINERS EXPECTED TO GROW IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

In both workplace and academic settings, demand for trainers is expected to grow steadily in the next five years because of the need to keep up with fast-paced change in the classroom and the corporate world. These positions train teachers on new curriculum and train employees on new business practices, services and technologies. You can take courses to become a certified trainer. Or if you're a natural mentor and leader, you can often become a trainer using your existing experience. For example, going from sales specialist to training specialist.

GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT: UNCLE SAM EXPECTS TO HIRE 200k NEW EMPLOYEES.

Government management: In the private sector, only about one quarter of all jobs are management and professional level; in government that number is closer to 80 percent. From managing public housing to a wildlife preserve, positions exist in just about every discipline: finance, HR, communications, technology. The same applies to a college or university system: These are like communities of their own with an abundance of management roles, though the educational requirements tend to be higher in academia than government. Just last month, government at all levels added 38,000 jobs; Uncle Sam expects to hire 200,000 new employees in the next year.

COSMETOLOGY: INDUSTRY WANTS MORE PROFESSIONALS.

Beauty is big business. Specialty salons are opening everywhere -- from malls to Main Street. There are 1.7 million professional salon employees, which outnumber the 1.1 million lawyers in America. And the industry says it now needs more new professionals than it can supply. Licensing requirements vary by state, but can be completed in as little as s few months of intensive training for hair stylists, nail technicians, aestheticians and more.

ON THE RISE: GREEN COLLAR JOBS.

The emerging green collar sector -- which involves products and services that are environmentally friendly -- is booming. With global warming the "it" topic, clean tech has become a hot new area of venture capital funding, which together with government initiatives could create million of new jobs. The 8.5 million people who now have jobs in renewable-energy and energy-efficiency industries could grow to as many as 40 million in the next 20 years. These jobs are everything from bike repair and home weatherization to traditional fields like finance and marketing that focus specifically on going green. Anticipating the growth in green collar careers, many Web sites are now devoted to this specialized category.

For more fast-growth occupations, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which can be found here.

Tory Johnson is the workplace contributor on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the CEO of Women for Hire. For more,visit www.womenforhire.com.