Last year, GM and Chrysler each also announced plans to hire about 1,000 engineers. This emerging optimism about the ability of the American auto business to regain profitability, market share, and attractive branding has been palpable at the auto show. Some analysts anticipate double-digit growth in the 2011 sales of vehicles produced by U.S. manufactures.

A sign of the (energy conscious) times, in which gas prices could hit five bucks a gallon, many of those exhibiting in Detroit are showcasing their electric vehicles. Ford has introduced its very first plug-in, electric minivan. In addition to the electric-only version of the minivan, there are a hybrid version as well as a "traditional" gas-only model.

Job applicants who demonstrate drive have the edge over even more technically qualified candidates. And, if you're ambitious, the timing is great for a job search. During 2011, the job market is picking up significantly in fields such as health care, food preparation, retail, accounting, information technology, beauty, and social work.

The ambitious are now in demand because of changes in the economy during the 21st century. "Those hiring and promoting learned from the downturn and intense economic volatility that's it's no longer enough to do 'just a job,'" says Michael Francoeur, Dale Carnegie Training instructor and executive coach.

Actually, there are 10 standard mistakes that applicants make on interviews, any one of which means the end of you as a serious candidate, reports Fins.com. This list of 10 comes from speaking with nine serious players in recruitment and job search field.

In essence, the message of the coverage is: Ask the right questions before you sign on the dotted line and apply for five-figure educational loans.

With dwindling success, it mutated from a social networking site to an entertainment portal. Likely, after the cuts are made, parent company News Corp. will step up its efforts to sell it, reports Liz Gannes on AllThingsDigital.com.

News Corp., headed by Rupert Murdoch, has been pitching Myspace to private-equity firms. When stripped of the costs of maintaining so much staff, Myspace might become more attractive to potential buyers. Gannes mentions the possibility that it might be pitched to Yahoo, which itself cut 600 jobs last month.

Given the high-pace metabolism and sometimes short lifespan of players in the online space, it's often a Darwinian struggle to determine which players will survive and thrive and which will become obsolete.

With fewer journalism job opportunities available as many newspapers have either gone out of business or downsized greatly, many journalists have migrated to either into some form of online publishing or into the field of PR. Fewer jobs in journalism mean that many college students with a passion for the written word are now majoring in communications as opposed to journalism.

Many of his clients, upon being interviewed by authorities, gushed how pleased they were with the results Malik obtained for them. He took only cash and charged between $500 and $4,500 a case. He learned about law it seems not by attending law school, but from what he picked up from his own arrests. A tale right out 'Catch Me If You Can,' Malik was observant and bright enough to understand what motions to file and what documents were required.

His luck ran out when he represented a client at the Skokie, Ill., courthouse hearing. Perhaps he was just off his acting game. Officials asked about his credentials and that was the end of Malik's career as a "lawyer."

Malik's success is a strong argument for returning to the apprentice system of learning to practice law. Such an approach sure did right by Abraham Lincoln. More importantly, apprenticeships might just lead to a job -- something law school is doing less and less of these days. Issues relating to the viability of law school in the current economic climate are brought up in the The New York Times article "Is Law School a Losing Game?" Unlike Malik, too many of those who do manage to graduate from law school can't find work practicing law and often owe six-figure student loan debts.

However, after he leaves those long hours in the White House, Gibbs could probably earn as much money as he wants to earn. That's called The Revolving Door Syndrome.

Specifically, Bernanke said:

"A number of indicators of job openings and hiring plans have looked stronger in recent months, and the initial claims for unemployment insurance declined through November and December. Not withstanding these hopeful signs, with output growth likely to be moderate in the next few quarters and employers reportedly still reluctant to add to payrolls, considerable time will be required before the unemployment rate has returned to a more normal level."

Bernanke views the recovery as "self sustaining" because of consumer and business spending. He noted that real consumer spending rose at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the third quarter of 2010.

Clearly, Williams' story has plenty of lessons for others who are down-and-out. These suggestions start off with stopping self-destructive behavior. For two years before he was re-discovered Williams had been substance free. Had he not been, the chances of him forging such an amazing comeback would have been diminished.

Second, know your strengths and go with them. Williams never lost sight of his speaking talent or the knowledge that its best setting was radio. A lot of folks have written off radio. Not Williams. He refers to the medium as the "theater of the mind."

And, third, be quick on your feet. When the public keeps accusing the Obama administration of not creating jobs, Williams swings back with the reality that people such as himself, are finding jobs. In fact, he has his pick of jobs. That quickness underlies the new economy in which success comes through opportunism -- that is, identifying possibility, pouncing on it, and exploiting it to the maximum. Forget plodding and too much planning.

In Sin City there are eight unemployed for every job posted online. In the D.C. metro area, which includes parts of Maryland and Virginia, there is roughly one jobless person applying for each position posted on the web.

The rosy picture in the Washington, D.C., area reflects all the government-related employment. That's mirrored in other areas with government hubs such as Austin, Texas, Oklahoma City, and Hartford, Conn.

Although state governments like the one centered in Hartford tend not to be hiring much right now, they haven't been experiencing large-scale layoffs either. All that could change, though, if the fiscally minded Republicans start chopping budgets at the federal and state levels.

The areas doing the worst, such as parts of Florida and California as well as Detroit, usually have not been able to bounce back from the hits to real estate, tourism, construction, and manufacturing.

MySpace, purchased by News Corp., hasn't been able to position itself in the marketplace as an entertainment site after it seemed to capitulate in it's fight for social networking dominance, with rival Facebook. Sources, ranging from WSJ.com to AllThingsD.com, reports Mike Shields in AdWeek, predict layoffs this month. The estimated numbers are between a third and a half of its 1,100 employees.

Yahoo, which has been in the midst of trying to reinventing itself in order to take on Google, has had several rounds of layoffs, totaling 2,700 employees cut, during the past four years. The company denies the current rumors that it is planning to reduce its staff by about 20 percent, reports Michael Arlington at TechCrunch. Yahoo currently employs about 14,000 employees.