Annual Review and Outlook

In 2011, the container shipping industry again dampened prices to a level at which even the largest carriers lost money and invited the concerns of many stakeholders.

Driver availability will be the No. 1 issue affecting our industry in 2012. The recent recession brought large numbers of fleet failures and restructuring.

Despite a gloomy outlook for the world economy because of the eurozone crisis, ports worldwide will continue to handle goods, commodities and passengers, generating direct and indirect jobs and wages

In 2012, the economic difficulties of the post recessionary period may continue to have an impact on many importers and exporters globally.

The single most influential factor in the supply chain, transportation and logistics job market in 2012, and for the next 10 years is the aging population of the overwhelmingly white male work force.

The trends are clear by now. Asian economies are growing and Asian consumers and manufacturers are increasing consumption at a rate faster than their U.S. and European counterparts.

The unsteady state of the global economic environment in recent few years has left many organizations doing more with less.

Our 2011 prediction called for a renewed commitment to strategic sourcing and global distribution and investments in new distribution channels.

The trucking industry in 2012 will be largely shaped by two primary issues: the worsening shortage of qualified drivers and the outcome of legislative and regulatory policy developments regarding high

As we look ahead to 2012, we hope we don’t see a return to 2009.

Severe rate instability in the maritime environment, while not unfamiliar, will be significantly increased for the foreseeable future.

The U.S. Congress passed the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act into law in 1976.

Transportation is an asset-based network-operating business. Historically, the industry draws attention to itself when the network experiences disruption because of weather, labor or congestion.

While we thought 2011 would be a “bridging year” in preparation for major expansion in 2012, we instead saw further upheavals in financial markets that injected the type of uncertainty tha

The health of the global economy will be the big story in 2012. I believe there is great likelihood the following three events will occur this year:

Overcapacity equals Oversimplification. Some in our industry don’t learn from experience. In 2011, ocean carriers again suffered millions of dollars in financial losses.

As we embark on the new year, we need to take a closer look at what is happening in the industry as a whole and reassess our strategies to meet old and new challenges, as well as create opportunities

We expect to see a continuing push from our customers throughout 2012 to minimize on-hand inventory, and an ongoing effort to manage their businesses with leaner inventories.

As we enter 2012, the world economy is expected to remain on a course of growth and stabilization.

Public ports, terminal operators and steamship lines are destined to face financial pressures in 2012.

Think about it. Leaders and innovators make their mark on the world by thinking differently from their peers and predecessors.

Although ours is a world increasingly connected by technology, the most significant development we can expect in our industry in 2012 will highlight the financial, rather than the technological, conne

In the ocean freight industry, we’re flooded with large data sets that are growing exponentially with the millions of container orders processed every month.

No other industry has been hit harder in recent years than the global shipping industry.

The year 2012 will be characterized by uncertainty.

Over the past few years, I have written about different benefits of global trade platforms in the JOC Annual Review and Outlook.

One of the most important changes I foresee in the coming year is the diminishing manufacturing cost advantage that China currently has over the U.S.

Continued global uncertainty will characterize the environment in which we conduct business in 2012.

Who will control the majority of the freight, and therefore invest the most in supply chain technology, in 2012? Our answer: the third-party logistics provider.

We see more direct control of freight moving back to the country of origin this year.

The biggest concern for 2012 is the uncertainty in our industry and for that matter most industries.

Three seemingly unconnected trends are converging to affect the way business is conducted in the trans-Pacific: the development and expansion of the U.S.

America’s inland waterways system is the silent workhorse of our export market, moving some 60 percent of the nation’s grain to the world market.

Now that cloud computing has officially arrived in the mainstream IT world, practitioners in different industries are racing to figure out what it means.

Global sourcing relies on an extended multimodal transport system with security vulnerabilities.

[Editorial note: image removed/no longer available] 1. The “Wow” Factor. You have approximately 10 seconds to wow the company with your resume, so make them count. Your resume should be 75 percent about your accomplishments and 25 percent about your job description. Avoid using “we” — this is about you!2. Doormat Format. Yes, the fancy “Introduction/Goals” and heavy functional resume format your professionally hired resume writer created looks pretty, but it doesn’t tell your whole story fast enough. Don’t keep your prospective employer guessing what you did, when and where. Use a traditional chronologically formatted resume. If you aren’t specific, the delete button is! 3. One Page Wonder — may keep them wondering! One page isn’t enough no matter what your college guidance counselor said! If your career is well developed, it may take two or three pages, but be sure to focus on your recent career. Everyone wants to know what you’ve done recently.4. Truth or Dare. Make sure your resume is accurate. Don’t fib on the degree, don’t fib on dates of employment (sometimes indicating dates in years works better than months), because companies will check — maybe now, maybe later. It’s not worth a dare!5. Don’t Date Yourself. Keep graduation dates off other than for your highest degree. Keep dates off older irrelevant jobs.6. Mystery Novel. Now isn’t the time to try your hand at writing a novel. Make your resume easy to read — bullet points are best. No one likes the hiring process, and rummaging through resumes is the hardest part for the Human Resources Department and the hiring manager. How often have you wanted to read someone else’s resume? Short and simple, yet informative is best. Include the buzzwords, especially those appearing in the job description. The theme here is to make it easy for someone reading your resume to see how well you match their job description — i.e. the Fit Factor.7. Work, Work, Work! So you like to belly dance on the weekends — too much information! Who cares about hobbies? Get rid of them. This goes for unrelated achievements and awards, too. Sorry, no one cares if you made head cheerleader or president of the Chess Club. 8. Dress Up Your E-mail Address. Don’t ever use your work e-mail address for job applications or correspondence. A hiring company may perceive this as using company time to do something personal. Don’t even think about what would happen if your boss or those IT spies saw your e-mail; it could be the end of your current job. And make sure your e-mail address isn’t too cutesy. That may be fine for your Facebook pals, but ipartyhardyatlunch@yahoo.com may give the wrong impression to your potential employer.9. Job Hopping. A company will likely ask you about your career moves if you have made a few in short span of time or if you have a pattern of changing jobs as often as movie stars change wives. Be prepared to provide short, convincing explanations. No one expects a perfect resume, companies want to make a hire, so make it easy for them. Consider a brief blurb next to each job title explaining what happened — “Company filed Chapter 11” or “My dog bit my boss,” for example.10. Consulting. If your resume shows you are currently consulting, be prepared to back it up. It’s easy to say you are a consultant if you recently left you last job and are out of work, and it sounds good, too! However, companies are now asking for names of clients and details, so make sure you have a prepared list of your consulting clients, type, length of assignment and compensation. Make sure you’re not just consulting the Yellow Pages!Linda Lexo and Rick Miller are licensed customs brokers and Executive Recruiters at Tyler Search Consultants. Linda previously was director of brokerage global training for the Customs & Trade Compliance Division of UPS-SCS, and in earlier worked as a manager in human resources, where she handled recruitment and workforce planning. Contact her at llexo@tylersearch.com . Rick previously ran the trade compliance programs for Electrolux, Springs Window Fashions and Recoton and worked for U.S. Customs. Contact him at rmiller@tylersearch.com

The new Federal Maritime Commission rules on NVOCC Negotiated Rate Agreements will impact Shippers.

The Federal Maritime Commission’s new rules on NVOCC Negotiated Rate Arrangements, which will become effective on April 18, establish a new pricing option for licensed NVOCCs that is sure to be

Employment trends in the transportation industry today are a mixed bag.

[Editorial note: image removed/no longer available] You’re in the middle of an interview and realize all is not going well. “I’m not getting this job,” you think. “But who cares? It wasn’t such a good job anyway. The hiring manager’s a jerk, the office is too far away and I’d probably get a low-ball offer. Who needs their lousy job?” OK, that’s the left side (devil!) in you talking. The right side (angel) is saying, “Was it something I said or did? Should I have answered questions with more or less detail? Was I paying attention?” The problem is, you may never know, because feedback is a rare commodity. There are, however, at least 10 things you can do to avoid a self-imposed disaster. 1. Negative Talk Means You’ll Walk. The minute you complain about a former employer or boss, you have sealed your fate. It’s back to the unemployment line. 2. Money Talks. Yeah, like the loudmouth in the movie theater. Never bring up money first. 3. Me, Me, Me. Interview from the prospective employer’s perspective, not yours. Talk about what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. 4. Underdressed. This is not a beach visit. This is a dress rehearsal for your future. Dress for success — yes, that typically means business attire no matter what the position! 5. Talk Too Much/Not Listening. Keep your answers short and on point. Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal feedback or you’ll be answering questions at the state unemployment office. 6. Eye Contact. It’s uncomfortable, maybe, but there’s great strength in this human interaction. Show no fear! 7. Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Lose. Always keep it professional, even if the interviewer doesn’t — no foul language, smoking, burping or chewing gum! 8. Unprepared. Like the Boy Scout motto, always come prepared. Do the company/interviewer research before the interview! 9. Exaggerating on Your Resume. Don’t get caught exaggerating. Make clear the difference between areas of expertise and areas where you only have some knowledge — or risk your credibility. 10. Late Fate. Don’t be late unless you call ahead or you might as well not show up at all — better head back to the unemployment office. The coffee is usually good. Linda Lexo is a licensed Customs broker and executive recruiter at Tyler Search Consultants. She previously was director of brokerage global training for the Customs & Trade Compliance Division of UPS-SCS, and is a former manager in human resources, where she handled recruitment and work force planning. Contact her at llexo@tylersearch.com . Rick Miller is a licensed Customs broker and executive recruiter at Tyler Search Consultants who previously ran the trade compliance programs for Electrolux, Springs Window Fashions and Recoton. He also worked for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Contact him at rmiller@tylersearch.com .