Jobless Rate Drops in Pennsylvania Trend Expected To Continue

More jobs and lower unemployment over last three months mean your future employer will be checking your driving record.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the unemployment rate has dropped nationally and especially in Pennsylvania. This was not an earth shattering percentage, but a trend over the last three months. From a September high of 8.4 percent down to a new 7-month low of 7.4 percent. Dropping a full percentage point may not feel like much, but it is a far cry from states like California (11.1%) Florida (9.9%) Michigan (9.3%) or even the national average (8.5%). This drop in unemployment over the last 3 months means that PA is gaining jobs, and work is becoming available to those seeking it in Pennsylvania. However, there are still a lot of people out of work, so getting that job is harder than ever.

I mention this good news on my driver's license blog because now is a great time to make sure you are in the best position to secure these jobs as they become available. The usual checklist of items applies like, make sure you have an updated resume, and be sure you practice interviewing skills, but one of the most important factors is your PA driving record. Employers are being more selective when choosing who to hire, and they started digging even further into your background to ensure they are hiring the best person available. This means your PennDOT driving record, credit report, and online profile (Facebook, Twitter) are all fair game to hiring managers reviewing your job application.

In rough economic times you have choices to make on where to spend your fading funds, and in these times it is not a tough choice to let a traffic ticket, or even your car insurance slip through the cracks. In Pennsylvania these things can cause a suspension on your driver's license, and leave a black mark on your PennDOT driving record. Once one a hiring manager sees this, your resume or job application gets rejected, and you don't get hired. Don't let an issue with your driving record prevent you from improving our unemployment rate, every job counts!

First you need to request your Restoration Requirements Letter by contacting PennDOT if you are facing a license suspension. This free letter will outline what needs to be done according to PennDOT to get your license restored. The big issues are indefinite suspension and term suspensions. Indefinite suspensions can be cleared by responding to the court or agency listed. Usually these are minor traffic tickets that will result in no action or points being assessed (your employer will not see your point total on your record). You should however, be careful of more serious violations that may result in license suspension, enhanced points (3 or more points) and possible jail or other criminal penalties. According to License Restoration Services, violations like "no insurance" or "driving with a suspended registration" or "driving under suspension" are big red flags to name a few, and "you should always check with a professional prior to taking any action on moving violations" to avoid surprises like additional license suspension or increased penalties.

Once your current issues have been cleared and your PA drivers license restored, you can work on clearing past issues that might hinder your application process. Some of the issues are older major violations that may cause an employer to worry about you being "too much of a risk" or even mistakes made by PennDOT that could hurt you without you having done anything wrong. It is usually too late to fix this problems once the hiring manager has your resume or application. That job is lost. So the next step is critical for everyone, no matter if you think you have an issue or not.

Request your driving record! Getting your driving record from PennDOT is easy. You can request it online or through the internet. Getting your full driving history costs a total of $5 and will show you every violation from the date you were first issued a license number from PennDOT. These notations should be reviewed for both accuracy and impact. Once the timeline has been reviewed a professional can assist in determining if action is needed to prevent issues with prospective employers.

Armed with this game-plan you will put yourself in better position to secure employment and take advantage of the new jobs opening in Pennsylvania. As our economy recovers the number of residents going back to work will increase, but employers are expected to be very selective in who they hire, as there are still many out of work. Ensuring you have a clean record, and are capable of reliable transportation to your job will go a long way in keeping your job application and resume on the top of the pile!

Figures and inspiration courtesy of WSJ