These Companies are Hiring in September 2010.

As the economic recovery continues to march on, everyone from the analysts on TV to your neighbor down the street looks for a sign that the worst struggles are behind us. Because no one can guarantee that unemployment will decrease or that stocks will be more bull than bear, the best anyone can do is look for positive signs around them.

When all else fails, direct your eyes to the hiring activity of businesses around you. For a period of time a "Now Hiring" sign was a rare sight. Today, with some confidence and consumer demand, companies are hiring again. They need skilled workers who can boost business and help it grow.

With that in mind, we have put together a list of companies hiring this very moment. These employers in a variety of industries across the country are looking for good workers right now.

Here are the companies hiring in September:

Aflac
Industry: Sales
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Sales associates
Location: Nationwide

Allied Cash Advance
Industry: Credit union, finance, banking
Number of openings: 78
Sample job titles: Brand manager, district manager, customer service representative, branch team members, branch assistant manager
Location: California, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Virginia, Florida

Alpine Access
Industry: Customer service
Number of openings: 1,000
Sample job titles: Customer service
Location: Nationwide and work-from-home

Asbury Auto
Industry: Sales, automotive, mechanic
Number of openings: 100
Sample job titles: New car sales, used car sales, service advisor, auto tech
Location: Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey, Mississippi, Texas, Missouri, California, Arkansas

Blackboard Inc.
Industry: Computer Software
Number of openings: 95
Sample job titles: Software engineer, regional sales manager, sales specialist, technical consultant, complex hosting manager, software developer
Location: Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Indianapolis

Camber Corporation
Industry: Defense and aerospace
Number of openings: 300
Sample job titles: Acquisition professionals, cyber analysts, applications developers, IA professionals, software engineers, linguist, aviation engineers
Location: Alabama, California, Texas, Michigan, Hawaii, Virginia, DC, Florida, Ohio, and Maryland

Chesapeake Energy
Industry: Oil and gas
Number of openings: 496
Sample job titles: Facilities engineer, production engineer, reservoir engineer, director of procurement, field technician, driller, truck driver, rig mechanic, engineering technician, geologist, landman
Location of jobs: Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, Pennsylvani, New York, Arkansas

Chico's, Soma Intimates, White House/Black Market
Industry: Retail
Sample job title: Sales associate, store manager
Location: Nationwide

City National Bank
Industry: Banking, financial services
Number of openings: 141
Sample job titles: Financial sales advisors, relationship managers, residential lending officers, senior mortgage loan underwriters, operations supervisors, policy and procedures supervisors
Location: California, New York

Davaco Inc.
Industry: Retail, restaurant contract services
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Finish-out installers and lead installers, product merchandisers
Locations: Nationwide

Dendreon Corporation
Industry: Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology
Number of openings: 700
Sample job titles: Cell processing associates, materials associates, QA and QC associates, human resources, facilities, engineering, IT support and compliance, government affairs, validation, clinical affairs, medical affairs, APH network, product development, marketing
Location: Atlanta, Seal Beach, Calif., Seattle, Morris Plains, N.J.

Dollar Tree, Inc.
Industry: Retail
Number of openings: 1300
Sample job titles: Assistant store managers, store managers, distribution center associates
Locations: National

Edward Jones
Industry: Financial investments
Number of openings: 400
Sample job titles: Financial advisors, branch office administrators
Location: Nationwide

Examiner.com
Industry: Online media
Number of openings: 10,000
Sample job titles: Writers, photographers
Location: Nationwide

F5 Networks
Industry: Network, computer products
Number of openings: 115
Sample job titles: Senior software engineer, test engineer, field systems engineer, major account manager, territory account manager
Location: Nationwide

Glendale Adventist Medical Center
Industry: Health care
Number of openings: 55
Sample job titles: Business analyst, certified nursing assistant, charge nurse, director of perinatal services, LVN, monitor tech, occupational therapist, physical therapist, physical therapy aide, registered dietitian, registered nurses
Location: Glendale, Calif.

Humana Inc.
Industry: Health insurance
Number of openings: 400
Sample job titles: Registered nurses, case managers, pharmacists, pharmacy tech, sales
Location: Louisville, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona

Infor Global Solutions
Industry: Software/hardware solutions
Number of openings: 67
Sample job titles: Senior software engineer, business development, product manager, license manager, director of product management
Location: Colorado Springs, Tampa, Atlanta, Rancho Cordova, California, Ann Arbor, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Malvern, Pennsylvania, Greenville, S.C.

JBFCS
Industry: Health care, social services
Number of openings: 100
Sample job titles: Social workers, milieu counselors, registered nurses
Location: New York

The Mergis Group
Industry: Accounting and finance, engineering, sales
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Lead engineer, tax manager, mortgage professionals, quality engineer, CFO, controller, business development manager
Location: Nationwide

MRINetwork
Industry: Staffing and recruiting
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Account executives, search consultants, project coordinators, Internet researchers
Location: Nationwide

Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Industry: Educational and government contractor
Number of openings: 1,000
Sample job titles: Postgraduate research associates, evidence control specialist, desktop publishing specialist, health education specialist, health physicist, programmer analyst, property management specialist, administrative clerk, program specialist, administrative assistant
Location: Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Ohio, Colorado, Tennessee, California, New Mexico, Georgia.

Oldcastle
Industry: Sales, construction, manufacturing
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Outside sales, plant engineer, skilled labor
Location: Nationwide

Orkin Pest Control
Industry: Pest Control
Number of openings: 138
Sample job titles: Pest control specialist, national accounts sales director, security analyst, network engineer, branch manager trainee, administrative assistant, outbound sales specialist
Location: Nationwide

Ozark National Life
Industry: Insurance, sales
Number of openings: 100
Sample job titles: Licensed insurance agent
Location: Missouri, Illinois, Florida, Nebraska, Iowa

Paycom
Industry: Internet services
Number of openings: 50
Sample job titles: Outside sales representatives
Location: Houston, Austin, Ft. Worth, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, St. Louis, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Irvine, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Tampa

Securitas Security Services USA Inc.
Industry: Security guard
Number of openings: 300
Sample job titles: Security officer, supervisor, EMT
Location: Nationwide

UPS
Industry: Sales, warehouse and transportation
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Package handler, driver, accounting, inside sales, mechanic, outside sales
Location: 50

URS
Industry: Engineering
Number of openings: 2,150
Sample job titles: Architectural engineer, chemical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, environmental engineer, geotechnical engineer, construction management, estimating and scheduling, aircraft and vehicle technicians, facilities management, instrumentation and controls, logistics, project controls
Location: Nationwide

Vestas Wind Systems
Industry: Wind energy
Number of openings: 50
Sample job titles: Project manager, systems engineer, supply chain specialist, service performance specialist, SCADA systems manager, product manager, transport specialist, technicians
Location: Nationwide

Waggoner's Trucking
Industry: Transportation
Number of openings: 100
Sample job title: Truck driver
Location: Nationwide

6 Steps to a Schedule With Flexible Hours for Working Moms.

Do Your Homework

Just one in five working mothers with minor children say full-time work is the ideal situation for them, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Most want flexible hours.

But it's hard to find part-time work unless you're a sales clerk or preschool teacher. Indeed, the best way to get a satisfying, well-compensated part-time position is to negotiate a more flexible schedule with your current employer. You may not even need to reduce your workweek if you can complete your duties through telecommuting. Or, perhaps you can shift around work hours to accommodate doctor's appointments and school events.

Follow these six steps to achieve a flexible schedule at your current job:

Talk to friends and colleagues with flexible schedules. Ask them what they like or dislike about the arrangement. See whether it's hurt their career or earning potential. Make sure to think about the full range of possible schedules.

• a compressed work week means four longer days, but you get Fridays off
• working a 6 or 7 hour day in the office and finishing up after the kids are asleep
• job sharing may be the best solution for time-intensive professions, like law
• reducing your hours can be tough in client-driven fields; you don't want to get paid less and end up working full-time because of the pace of the industry

Think About Your Needs

Decide what schedule will work for your personal life. As much as you'd like to work less, you may not be able to afford the pay cut that comes with part-time work. Make sure you understand whether your employer reduces benefits for people who work less than full time.

Also, look at your work style and child care realities. Working from home may sound great until you're trying to concentrate on a report with three screaming kids underfoot. It can also be isolating, especially for introverts who need the encouragement of close quarters to interact with their co-workers.

Investigate childcare options. If your children are still little, see what you would save by cutting back on child care. Some centers don't really discount part-time care, so you might want to continue full time to retain the flexibility at work. If you have a babysitter, gauge how open she would be to a more flexible schedule with possibly fewer hours.

Make sure you have a backup for personal responsibilities, such as the inevitable sick child. Have a frank discussion with the people in your life to get them on board, whether it's your husband, mother or school carpool buddy.

Think About Your Employer

This is probably the most important step. It's really up to you to figure out how to cover your job responsibilities with the schedule you want. If others in your department are looking for better balance, they might be open to a group schedule that would give each person more time off while making sure all work is covered.

Determine which tasks must be completed in the workplace, which can be done on your own schedule, and which can be eliminated or delegated to another person. If you plan to go part-time, you will either have to eliminate certain duties or produce at a slower pace.

Write down your proposal. Ask co-workers with flexible schedules to share any documents they have, or look for templates on the Internet. Be sure to specify how work emergencies and crunch times would be handled.

Make Your Pitch

Take a deep breath. Now ask your boss to consider the new schedule. Again, it's up to you to make the case for how it helps the business.

If the initial reaction is frosty, ask your supervisor to simply consider the idea, or perhaps implement it on a trial basis. Try to work with your employer.

Implement the New Schedule

Communicate your new schedule to your superiors, colleagues and any customers. But don't go overboard. If you're planning to regularly check email and voicemail, only inform people who would need to reach you urgently.

The first few months may require some fine tuning for you to get the workload right. Try to set realistic deadlines and expectations, so you're not working overtime unnecessarily. Differentiate between urgent tasks and those you can delegate or delay.

Succeed With Flexible Hours

It's not a win just because they say yes. You need to stay in close touch with your boss, colleagues, and clients to make sure everything continues to go smoothly.

Remember that flexibility works both ways. Be willing to cover job emergencies, but make sure to take back the time off when work is slower. Nobody else will set those boundaries for you.

Be prepared for some resentment from others who want better work-life balance themselves. If confronted, gently remind them of the sacrifices you make for the schedule, whether it's checking email from home or earning less money. Don't apologize, or your co-workers will conclude that you have something to feel guilty about. Instead, be confident and perhaps they'll follow your example.

By Katherine Lewis,