Still plenty to offer an employer!

Recently I came across a white paper from a few years ago and gave it another look-see. It was worth the read and I would suggest that, while a lot has changed about the labor market since being published, "Grey Matters: Engaging the Older Workforce" by Manpower, Inc. (2007) tells an important story about the hidden talent pool. You can find an overview here athttp://us.manpower.com/us/en/research/whitepapers/grey-matters.jsp, with the ability to download the entire white paper as well.

I read a staggering statistic this morning that over 80% of those currently employed will conduct a job search in 2011. So in addition to the thousands of unemployed, the job seeker population is about to potentially explode. What's interesting is that many employers are still finding it hard to get the talent they need. Is it the "needle in a haystack" dilemma or is there already a significant gap in what employers need and what is being found in the talent marketplace.

If you are a baby boomer, the white paper is a source of hope. If you are an employer looking for talent, the white paper is a source of help. Either way...it's a good read!

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Reality Check - Keeping the job search course in a down economy.

According to Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, more than 40% of unemployed people have been unemployed for 6 months or longer and that it may take a long time for those individuals to return to "normal" working conditions (60 Minutes Interview - 12/5/2010 http://bit.ly/fH0hrZ). I offer this statistic not as a de-motivator, but as a reality check for both individuals and employers.

The 60 Minutes interview link above is worth a watch - it's about 14+ minutes in total, but was very enlightening and apparently rare. Bernanke seems to share expert information to the wide public in the hopes of educating and persuading. He makes us aware of some facts that seem germane to decision making for individuals and businesses and it also seems he's working to persuade the nay-sayers of his recent policy actions to see the economic situation more broadly and more long-term.

For individuals, particularly the unemployed, this report highlights the harsh reality of the overall state of employment or unemployment in the U.S. Highlights includes such fact as:

• 9.9% or greater unemployment rate for 16 months
• Unemployment rate not going down - same as mid-2009
• 8.5 million lost jobs from the peak of the downturn to the end of 2009; only 1 million jobs back since that time, not accounting for new employees entering the workforce
• Prediction that it could take 4-5 years to return to a 5-6% unemployment rate

Another assertion Bernanke makes is that individuals unemployed for longer periods of time can experience skill erosion and diminished attachment to the labor market. So the picture this all produces for the job seeker today is that it's imperative to have a thoughtful and long-term job search plan. To keep from the pitfalls, job seekers should plan for a longer than usual search. It was once thought that for every $10,000 of needed income it would take one (1) month of search - that's probably increased some, so keeping connected to job service organization, volunteer opportunities and other networks will mitigate the skill erosion and labor market detachment.

Remarks I think were more directed to business were Bernanke's assessment that the primary source of risk for another economic slowdown are related to unemployment. He states that if we continue to have high unemployment over a protracted period it could send us in the wrong direction. This seemed to be a call to action for business - lowering of interest rates is likely forthcoming and with that some stimulation to the economy - he talks about having faith in the U.S. and from the top financier of our country, which speaks to how businesses should consider adding jobs. He also acknowledges the educational gap contributing to unemployment - unemployment rate for College Graduates is 5%, while unemployment rate for High School Graduates is 10% or more.

The subject of education cuts across both the individual and business planes. If you believe this is a contributing factor to the unemployment situation then, job seekers need to keep skills current or potentially re-skill for job changes. Businesses in or connected to higher education could benefit from more job seekers returning to school. The dilemma is this: Where does the money come from to pay for higher education. Most grand (stimulus) funding is starting to diminish, unemployment benefits may or may not be extended and the only other alternative would be student loans. With the number of "baby boomers" and the percent of unemployment in that population, are they going to want to be saddled with new student loans?

This is no doubt a complex topic, but we have to talk about it at an individual level. If unemployment benefits are not extended, that might mean that nearly 15 million unemployed people would have no source of income come Christmas (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). This is obviously a policy issue, but that starts with the attitudes and actions of individuals.

It's a difficult time for unemployed people. It's a challenging time for our country. What can you do - on a personal level - to make a difference? Refer a friend to a job, help a friend with his/her resume, agree to keep a position filled at your small business and contact your Congressman to show support for unemployment benefits extension. This is a long road. Some of us at at the end of it and some are at the beginning, but let's all appreciate this is still an issue that, according to Bernanke may last several more years.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Virtual-employees - Now I'm just making stuff up!

Employed, un-employed, under-employed, over-employed, self-employed - these statuses have been about the "what" of employment and who is considered in these classifications. What about the "where" of employment?

Many years ago and certainly before it was named or vogue, I was a virtual-employee and also managed virtual-employees. I guess a common colloquialism might be employees that "wore fuzzy slippers" - connoting a person who needs only roll-out-of-bed to their home office/desk. I can honestly say that with very minor exception I was usually dressed in some form of "business casual or casual" every day I worked from home.

With this "fuzzy slipper" connotation often came ideas that employees working from home, watched TV, did laundry, ate bon-bons, etc. The thought was that there couldn't be real productivity or accountability from this scenario. But entrepreneurial folks will tell you that the ability to save on the overhead of an office might be the key to getting a business started and back in the 90s companies like IBM were exploring this model as a means to save on overhead, but also to avoid the constraints of geography.

Maynard Webb, CEO of LiveOps, a call-center services company http://www.liveops.com/ has built an entire profit model on the idea that creating a workforce that is completely flexible to the needs of its clients is key to growth and success. LiveOps employs more than 20,000 operators nationwide - these operators (call-center agents) are contractors that work from home, selecting their clients and work slots in blocks as small as 30 minutes. Now this may be more plausible in the call-center occupation as it is materially a job that can be done from anywhere as long as the skills of service match the needs of the clients. That said, there are any number of other occupations that this model might serve.

My own experience was a little different than the LiveOps example - I was an executive at a very large Fortune 500 company and also managed virtual (at home) employees across the country. We were all employees (W-2) and not contractors, but the premise of the way we worked was much the same. It didn't matter where we were, we were servicing clients everywhere and they didn't much care where we reported everyday as long as we were with them when they needed us.

Some similar companies that use a virtual service model - mostly in the IT space and often using freelancers are ODesk http://www.odesk.com/ and Elance http://www.elance.com/p/landing/buyerA5.html. These and LiveOps along with other models are based on a "supply-chain" model - a "just-in-time" concept of sorts. It makes sense.

So here's my question. Naysayers would probably suggest that there might be risks associated with the virtual-employee model - how do you ensure productivity, quality and such? The fact of the matter is that these are tangible/measurable aspects of work. It simply takes managing performance by results rather than by attendance and effort. What's the fear and is the world (and by world here I mean the U.S.) ready for a full-on virtual-employee model (where the work supports it)?

Give it some thought - what do you already think about virtual-employees and does what you've read here shift that thinking in some way?

I personally loved being a virtual-employee! It was hard at times to stay motivated and focused. There was an aspect of isolation I dealt with at times. Much to the contrary of the typical connotation of bon-bon eating, I often didn't stop for lunch and there were countless times that I lost complete track of time - ending my Fridays after 7:00pm. There were two true draw-backs for me: 1.) my work was ALWAYS there and it felt like I was being a slacker if I didn't attend to things immediately. (Maybe that's an over-responsibility factor of wanting others to KNOW I was "really” working) 2.) my family and friends often thought I had all the time in the world on my hands - wasn't I free to do as I pleased, when I pleased? Couldn't I just stop anytime to finish the chores, pick up the dry-cleaning and generally meet the needs of others?

If you are un or under-employed or maybe if you feel over-employed and are looking for an alternative way to do good work in the future, consider the "where" of your employment situation!

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Self-Employment - Real or Rationale?

I plan to explore the topic of self-employment in a variety of ways, but to get started I wanted to prod a bit about what is thought of self-employment as a status of employment today and maybe more importantly in the future. What values are associated with self-employment and how might they be changing and why?

I can recall years ago if I spotted the term self-employed on a resume I was immediately (and trained to be) suspicious. Based on the economy of that time (late 80s - early 90s) self-employment was mostly associated with those that had become un-employed and had now thought of labeling themselves self-employed to fill gaps on a resume. Honestly, I'm not sure this was statistically supported, but it was certainly the sentiment shared my many in Corporate America, more specifically with HR and hiring professionals.

It was thought that un-employed individuals grappling with stints of joblessness would "create" a business - often "consulting" and just hang a shingle. The question in the minds of HR and hiring professionals was: "Is this legit or a rationale for someone who couldn't get hired?" - And if it was the latter, was there a good reason they couldn't get hired...hence the suspicion. There wasn't a set of values that placed autonomy, creativity, choice, financial freedom and entrepreneurship in a positive light.

Today - and I can attest to this anecdotally and personally, self-employment is not only happening (legitimately), but based on the recession, it has become not just a viable choice for many, but a necessity for some. I would be one of the "some".

In late 2008 I was part of a downsizing - I had contemplated starting a consulting firm in 2003, during a prior unemployment time, but didn't feel it was good timing. Facing a very different market in 2008, I pulled the trigger. I purchased an LLC, designed a brand/logo, printed business cards and launched a website. I began with a couple very small clients, but the market was very slow so I continued my full-fledged job search. While I still dabble with a consulting gig here and there, it became economically necessary for me to secure traditional employment.

Many others in our community were not only able to follow this path of self-employment but make it a meaningful stand-alone business or as a compliment to eventual traditional employment. About a year ago, a good friend of mine suggested she would "never go back" to working for someone else. She referenced the book "Free Agent Nation" by Daniel Pink - among other concepts, Pink suggests that in the past employers provided security while in exchange employees provided loyalty. Pink believes that this exchange is no longer at play today and is the catalyst for a shift to freelance workers, contractors, consultants or other various ways one might define the self-employed of today.

As an aside - this friend did eventually return to a more traditional employment situation, but out of complete necessity. She is very unhappy and plans to return to self-employment when she is financially able. (Most of her decision was based on assess and costs associated with health benefits – a reality of this status of employment.)

Self-employment is the only "employment" status I haven't discussed so far. Whether you start a business of your own or work as a consultant or contractor (1099 worker) for a company, you may or may not have some of the same benefits, risks and rewards that other "employment" status individuals do. This is more a matter of relevant value - what's important to you, what is worth a trade-off and what is your tolerance for risk.

Self-employed individuals work hard and put in long hours - we turn on the lights and we turn off the lights, but they're our lights. We choose the work we do...except when we have to accept work we need to pay that light bill. We can be more flexible with the fees we command...when the market will tolerate it. We can be loyal to ourselves and to our dreams. We may give up some security for those dreams, but it may be worth it. If we have a passion for something, we can give it our all. If we have the self-discipline to focus (when no one is watching) we might be successful. We could enjoy more freedom - spend more time with family...as long as we haven't committed to a deadline - one where we are the only person who can deliver.

If you are considering self-employment or are currently self-employed and thinking of abandoning your efforts, consider making a simple relevant values list. Make a list of what you value most - time, money, space, solitude, collaboration, flexibility, variety, autonomy, risk, transparency, etc. Prioritize your list. Then, overlay the reality of making a living as a self-employed individual and see what matches up. Is this for you? Is this for you today?

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Your job and your work - are they the same thing?

Several summers ago I was just starting a new job at a new company. I was discussing how excited I was with my uncle and he asked me about the “work” I would be doing. I responded by telling him my job title and rattling of the list of responsibilities I would have. He asked me a very simple but powerful question: "How do you define “work"”? I started to re-purpose some of what I had just said and he stopped me and asked "Does “work” have to result in compensation – what about all of the other valuable things you do"?

I eventually stopped talking and started listening. My uncle had been in Corporate America for his entire career. In later years he also bought and ran a farm and much later still, he taught classes in organic farming to weary farmers from all over the state – they had come to join him for a pasture walk on his 100 acre farm just south of La Cross, WI in a small town called Coon Valley, WI - population 200. That day he talked to me about work in a new way - a way I'd not conceived of before. This stuck with me and has become part of how I define "what I do for a living", today.

The distinction that I'm attempting here is between the value often assigned to where we go to work or our title and responsibilities, compared to the actual contribution or difference we make to people and organizations. The first I would define as a "job" and the second I would define as "work". This distinction is important because it's often how we self-identify, self-actualize and certainly how we derive value. If we see "job" and "work" as synonymous terms then we might be missing a way to encompass more in how we define and value ourselves and what we bring to society.

I'm not intending to pass judgment in any way, merely establish a more thorough way of defining the broad range of activities we all engage in as part of how we thing about, talk about and value "work". If I go to work each day at ACME Company and doing my job gives me what I need, then there's no need to read any further. A good day’s wages for a good days work is a respectable perspective to have about one's "work". I would define this as more the notion of having a "job".

If like many of us, we define our worth by not only the wages we make, but also the value we transcribe in doing the "work" we do, then "job" is an insufficient concept and term. And what about the "work" we do outside the walls of our employer? We teach our children how to be adults, we teach our fellows how to be better spiritual beings, and we teach our aging parents how to use the Internet or an ATM machine. We volunteer time in schools, organizations and places of worship. We take care of our homes, we help our neighbors’ plant trees or build additions, and we give of our time, our minds and our might in an effort to be valued citizens. Is this all not part of the concept of "work"?

If we identify ourselves by the "work" we do rather than the "job" we have it seems possible to more aptly derive the kind of robust value that is reciprocal to the effort we contribute. This speaks to the idea that "everything counts" (paid positions, internships, temporary positions, volunteer roles, mentoring roles, etc.) rather than defining the "work" we do by the constrained walls and hours of a place of business or set of responsibilities.

From an employer’s perspective it’s important to me to know all of the experiences, talents and skills a prospective employee will contribute to my organization. Some of those might have been the result of non-job related activities that are no less valuable to the talent acquisition equation.

From a job seeker’s perspective it’s fair to include everything on your resume, your online profile or while discussing a potential position with an employer. That’s why outplacement experts coach job seekers to take a thorough inventory of ALL experiences, talents and skills they possess before they start writing a resume, networking or marketing themselves to potential employers.

What do you think? How do you define "work" and do you count every activity you engage in as part of that equation, whether you are compensated monetarily or not?

For those of you still looking for “work”, this might be a good exercise to embark on – you may discover things about yourself that you wouldn’t have considered relevant and valuable to an employer before.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

p.s. Two past blog posts you might also find useful when exploring this subject: "Non-Profit Jobs" http://bit.ly/9sxhXS and "Will you do what it takes to get the job you want?" http://bit.ly/aRxBxa

Can someone be over-employed?

I was reading an article by Mark Whitehouse titles "Unfilled Openings Frustrate the Jobless" (The Outlook, October 11, 2010) and got to thinking about the people left behind at my former employer. I wonder how they are feeling about all of the work they absorbed after the massive downsizing? Mark's article focused on the delays still being seen in hiring across the US. Do they see themselves as over-employed? Do their employers see them as over-employed people as well?

The reasoning for continued delays in creating openings and filling current openings is being pinned to a lack of confidence in consumer demand. In this same article, Jeff Joerres CEO of Manpower, Inc., says employers are taking a lot longer to fill positions even when presented with the right candidate and he expects to see this condition continue through 2011.

So here we are:

First, those still employed or possibly over-employed, are left taking on the work of their former colleagues. Once the market does start to shift, will those employees feel put-upon and tend to leave for a perceived greener pasture? It's hard to say, but it reasons out that there may be a mass exit of sorts once things shift in the economy. We already know that the employed are more sought after than the under or unemployed, so wouldn't it be fair to say that those employed when the market really shifts, will still be in the most competitive position for job change and employment?

Second, if this lack of confidence continues through 2011 as predicted then will the under and unemployed stay trapped in this status and is there a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy happening. The longer someone remains under or unemployed the less likely they will be seen as valuable to a prospective employer, or so the logic would suggest. Employers are fearful of over-hiring. Employers have, in some occupations and industries, been able to take longer, remain pickier and exclude potentially qualified candidates due to their current "employment status".

Whether you are over-employed, employed, under-employed or un-employed - What do you think about the situation?

For those of you under or unemployed...

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Excluded from consideration for being unemployed?

When I read "Looking for work? Unemployed need not apply" an article from http://money.cnn.com/ by Chris Isidore (June 16, 2010 4:25 AM ET) I was not so much shocked as disappointed. Certainly screening out those candidates that are unemployed from applying for a job isn't illegal, but what does it say about the value we place on a person's temporary employment status rather than what a person can contribute to the success of an organization.

A recruiter friend of mine said to me recently "there are no bad employers and there are no bad employees, just bad matches." I think there's truth in this. Except for companies that are engaged in unethical business practices or employees that steal from their employers, it’s all a matter of gradations.

Having been involved locally with Milwaukee JobCamp http://www.milwaukeejobcamp.org/, a collection of recruiting and HR professionals that created a sort of boot camp for job seekers, (creators are all voluntary and seekers pay nothing to attend all day resume writing, networking, online social media and expert speaker sessions) I can report that there is a sense of compassion and commitment to help those that need this kind of support. JobCamp4 took place a couple weeks ago and the attendance, while down from the JobCamp3 event in July (1700) to 1100, was still a much needed day of hope for many still searching for work.

In the http://money.cnn.com/ by Chris Isidore (June 16, 2010 4:25 AM ET) article I read about employers nationally that would not consider candidates for jobs that were not currently employed. In the article, senior level HR and recruiting executives reported that this practice is "more prevalent than it used to be." The explanation given is that there are so many candidates for each opening; this is one way to trim down the list to a manageable number. Mostly this was seen as a bad idea and that employers were in fact missing two important things in applying this practice. 1.) Potentially good candidates that they would never even take the time to interview. 2.) An employer tax break recently passed exempting them from having to pay the "6.2% of a new hires wages in Social Security taxes" for the rest of 2010.

If this practice is common even in some limited way it speaks to a few things that I think are important as we examine the identity of what it means to be unemployed. First there is this idea of insiders and outsiders or haves and have not’s at play. There are groups of individuals; in this case employers that are deciding for those that are now outsiders (non-employees) that they aren't welcome. Second, other insiders, namely other employed individuals are welcome and given access. So those without (often through no action of their own) are kept “out” while those already “in” maintain access to the inside or in this case employment. Like the Scarlet "A", it seems that the unemployed have a Scarlet "U" for unwanted or undesirable, as their badge of shame.

Having at one time been an unemployed person for over a year, there is plenty of guilt and shame that comes built in to the status of unemployed without the help of others. Losing a job is like any other loss and the process that goes with it is the same. We experience shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. There are practical aspects that contribute to feelings of guilt and shame like not being able to pay ones way, take care of obligations or family members, etc. The stigma of being unemployed is a bit self-inflicted, but being further excluded contributes to a sense of unworthiness too. It was quite challenging to get up every day and face the rejection and harsh reality of a job search. I'm glad I didn't know about this exclusionary tactic then.

The phrase "pursuit of happiness" keeps coming to mind here. How is my finding a job (personal freedom) coming into conflict with someone else's personal or public success? What is it about an unemployed person that, by nature of that fact alone, makes them unworthy of consideration? I think that it gets down to one thing. As a society we are suspicious of what we don't understand. If we haven’t experienced unemployment, we make fast judgment that it's due to performance or some fault of the person who finds themselves unemployed.

I would ask us all to take a look at the situation more closely. Unemployment is still at 9.5% according to the BLShttp://www.bls.gov/. According to many experts (Manpower Employment Outlook Survey - Press Release http://bit.ly/aIE3m8) while there seems to be reason for cautious optimistic, the full economic recovery in terms of job loss is still a ways away. According to USA Today (10/13/2010) there is “a record 30% out of work at least a year."

Unemployment can happen to anyone. If you haven't been unemployed, someone you know, maybe even someone you love has. This is reason enough for insiders to consider the unemployed as part of the larger insider group. The currently unemployed but the future employed.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Loyalty - What can you expect as an employer and employee?

There was a time when loyalty, both on the part of employer and employee, was held as a valuable attribute in the employment game. Companies would tout that you could work your way up in an organization, invest time in learning how to be a good employee, own stock in the company (by way of a 401k or other stock option purchase) and even consider retiring from a company. The same held true for employees. I recall being encouraged by my parents to stay in a job I didn't love for the stability of employment and all that entailed.

By the time I entered the "gown-up workforce" in 1985, those promises had changed a bit, but there was still an expectation that employment would last for a period of time, until the company and the employee felt the return-on-investment (ROI) was fair. Generation X employees, as we refer to them now, didn't seem to have the compulsion to stay in jobs for more than a couple of years. In fact they often were labeled as "job hoppers", a term that still exists in recruiting and hiring today.

So from both an employer and employee perspective, taking into consideration the current economic climate and overall unemployment rate at 9.5% according to the BLShttp://www.bls.gov/, what can employers and employee expect from each other?

Right now from an employer standpoint, it's not possible to say that loyalty is as highly ranked an attribute as say, flexibility, adaptability and dealing with ambiguity. As employees rally back from unemployment and underemployment, many people I know, including yours truly, have re-engineered their lives to accommodate for expected future times of un or underemployment. Many, like me, took a different path altogether and when faced with a longer than anticipated period of joblessness, went back to school, took part-time jobs, stated our own business, etc. The loyalty for "employees" shifted to a self-loyalty model.

Event those that lasted in their job over this painful time of joblessness, have heard and seen the message loud and clear. Their friends and colleagues were victims of circumstance, so they in turn have taken notice. There is this idea that once the market really started to recover in some significant ways, there will be a mass-exodus by those left behind in the joblessness story, those that stayed, took on more work, took pay cuts, stayed in jobs they didn't love, but stayed to keep from being one of the many who didn't have a choice.

Companies want to keep good talent. Talented people want to do good work, be compensated fairly and know that the relationship of employer and employee is mutually beneficial. If that means that loyalty turns into something we have yet to define, that may be one of the byproducts of our employment circumstances today.

I think that employers overall can expect that employees will want to have a way to protect themselves and to keep marketable skills sharp. Employee, in general, can expect that employers will, not more than before, expect employees to "want" to stay, but accept it when that's not in the cards.

If you are still un or underemployed, this is a good thinking exercise to go through. What are the attributes you look for in an employer and how do you know they really exist beyond a mission statement. Know what you want and know what is being offered and from "the trenches" keep you network healthy and have a Plan B.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

How do we define the unemployed and underemployed?

In future posts I would like to explore what it means (in our community, however we define that) to be unemployed and underemployed. What I plan to get at here is three things: the difference between unemployment and underemployment, how we define what it is to be unemployed and how we recognize the state of underemployment.

My posts to date have mostly been advice to the unemployed, but I think that this exploration is very relevant to those still in job search. How we see ourselves and therefore position ourselves to others is based, in part, on the taxonomy we use to articulate our worth. Our worth, or at least the worth we determine ourselves to have and the worth others put on our skills, experiences and talents, is in direct relationship to matching what we have with what an employer needs. More importantly it's how we are able to be selected and ourselves select a suitable job match.

Further to this idea I would like to take some time to examine the values and beliefs that have and do define what it is to be unemployed and underemployed in our community. My scope here is going to be on the U.S. The question that I would like to tackle is this: How has the most recent economic downturn together with the disguised talent shortage and the retiring baby-boomer population, shifted how the unemployed and underemployed is viewed and treated in our community?

This is kind of a set-up post, but I hope to engage some of my followers in the discussion so it's also a "call to action"! In the words of the recently unemployed or maybe underemployed Jerry Maguire, "Who's coming with me?" (1996) http://bit.ly/cqUFrP

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Will you do what it takes to get the job you want?

This post will cover three really important concepts. 1.) Being open to non-traditional employment options, 2.) Commit, but don't get too dug in, and 3.) Money isn't anything if you can't get yourself some.

First I want to say that while helping others to conduct job searches; I've been conducting my own since December 2008. Seems like a lifetime ago and just yesterday all at once. Today I am happy to report that I have landed a fantastic position at a dynamic company with smart, funny and creative people. How did I get here? That is the question of the day...

I have to go way back for this little story...back to 2003 in fact. In mid-2003 I was downsized from a company where I had worked for 17 years. I had been fortunate to grow-up with the company and along the way completed my Bachelors Degree, got married a couple of times and survived a diagnosis of Breast Cancer at the age of 34 (TMI - maybe, but the context of our lives is important, so here it is). There were many other events that took place over those 17 years, but it's accurate to say that I worked hard, took risks, changed the lives of those I worked with and was changed by those same people too. It would be an understatement to say that I was "dug in"!

After many months of search I was asked by an acquaintance if I would be open to "contract or temp work". After about six months into a grueling search (grueling because I wasn't very well networked in my community so I was literally starting from scratch...and remember this is pre-LinkedIn), I contacted a good friend of mine who happens to work for one of the largest global staffing firms. She was kind enough to point me in the direction of two of their branch offices and make those important introductions. One thing led to another and about a month later I was offered a three month contract position at this same staffing firm's headquarters. The assignment, as I would learn to call it, lasted four months.

In those four months I learned their industry, their culture, and their customers and met as many people as possible everyday! This is important concept #1 - It's an advantage to look for a job from within the walls of an employer. After my assignment ended there wasn't a permanent position suited for me, but a couple months later the Director of the department I had worked in called to say that she had a new role opening up and thought of me - she felt I would be a great fit. This role wasn't an exact match to what I was looking for and I had a few other options in my pipeline by this time, but I felt that I'd be able to leverage my prior four months of experience and that would let me get a quick start at success.

I held a number of progressive positions at this firm and in late 2008 was part of the third wave of a reduction in force (RIF), on the heels of the economic downturn of 2008. There were many waves of RIFs to follow at this employer and many others in our community, across the country and the globe. If you're reading this you or someone you know understandings this all too well. While at this last firm I filled my drawers with things, put books and photos on my selves, I was even part of staring in a company branding video - yep, that's me "dug in again". It made leaving the place and the many friends I had made over those five years quite difficult. Ironically a month after my RIF I was contacted my one of their branch offices with an offer to return to another part of the firm's global team on a contract assignment for three months. While I made some efforts to parley that into another longer stint, the economy wasn't on my side this time. I was offered outplacement as part of my severance package and took full advantage of those services.

Just like at my prior employer, I worked hard, carried work home and made myself available nearly anytime for those that needed me. This is important concept #2 - In both cases, I don't regret my commitment, but what I wouldn't recommend to anyone is this. I became the place. Too much of me was invested. Too much of whom I was came from where I worked and what I did while I was there. There's a better way.

So I'll fast-forward a bit here...from the end of 2008 to present I took a contract role for three months, went through outplacement services, started my own consulting company, went through job/education services at the DWD, enrolled in a graduate certificate program with stimulus grant money, took two classes, got a 3.5 GPA, took a part-time job with a local non-profit, took small consulting gigs, networked, networked, networked, met and met with tons of people (all of whom were willing to help me if I could articulate what I needed and all of whom contributed in some way to my employment today), volunteered, did things I didn't think I could do and said "yes" to as much as possible, believing that all of this activity would pay off. It eventually did, just maybe in a side-ways sort of fashion. This is concept #3.

Concept #3 is possibly a little hard to swallow, but hear me out. During my roughly 19 months of under or un-employment I, like so many, had to do a little down-sizing of my own. I share this for the sole purpose of perspective. Others had it worse and still others had it better...no shame, no remorse, and no regrets. I eventually moved in with a friend rent-free. I sold my 2006 fancy-pants car and bought a reliable 1999 car for cash. I worked out payment plans with nearly all of my creditors; I went back to my cash-flow thinking of my early 20s. I asked my family for money. I let people buy me lunch or coffee. All of this was a lesson in humility!!! To say I'm grateful for those willing to help me and for what I have in my life just doesn't cover it! I also evaluated for the first time in a long time what I "NEEDED" to make in terms of a salary.

Now I want to be clear here - It's important to know and value one's self-worth. I certainly had moments when I doubted that. What allowed me to really see and understand, for possibly the first time in my life was this! Did I want to be right (right in that I have a real market value) or could I agree (with myself) that I wanted to be happy?? I chose happy. I am employed at a really small company so what I do means something everyday - lots of visibility and transparency! I get to be the best-version of myself (my whole self) everyday and feel valued. I feel a part of something and my efforts are palpable in our results. Oh yeah...I stated here as a contract employee before I was hired as a permanent employee (back to concept #1). I carry my purse in with me every day and I leave with it every night. I'm committed, I work hard, I get passionate about the work when I'm here and the only thing left on my desk at the end of the night is a phone and a laptop that belong to the company. It's a love affair when I'm here but when I'm not it's not. I'm happy, they're happy, there's mutual respect. The likelihood that my time here will be short is quite high - as start-ups go...we'll be acquired sometime in the next few years and anything could change. What won't change is how I view the concept of "work" for the rest of my years doing it!

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

You wouldn't send a partially written resume would you?

My apologies. My last post might have been sweet to some, but it wasn't short to anyone (even me)!

This one will be.

If you are going to have a LinkedIn profile, and I suggest that you do, have a completed profile. If I "google" you or look for you on LinkedIn and I find a partial profile I might think you aren't committed, you aren't able to follow-through, you aren't detail oriented or you aren't really serious about your search.

Remember that many recruiters use LinkedIn as their primarily source for "hot candidates", so don't miss out!


People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Get out of your house! Go, now, yes, immediately...

This will be short and sweet. This isn't new news but if you haven't been in search for a few years and you weren't afforded outplacement services, it's possible you haven't heard this...so here it is. The plain truth. You will not likely find your next new job in your house sitting behind your computer screen.

My suggestion to you is that you spend about 30% of your time in the first few weeks of your search building your job search network on LinkedIn and IRL (in real life) and then cut that time back to maybe 10% for maintenance throughout your search. It will take you a few weeks to get your new resume in order, create a couple versions, establish a few themes and variation of your cover letter and develop a plan on how you will approach the market and your search in particular. Once you've done all of this, most (80-90%) of your time should be spent out of the house meeting with people.

I would suggest a good balance and combination of group networking meetings (join a group or two - there are many to choose from), networking events, informational interviews (contact me if you don't know what this is all about and how to make them productive) and actual interviews.

It may make you "feel" more in control of your search by applying for countless jobs online and scouring job boards for positions that are posted. Keep this in mind. Jobs posted online most likely have a pipeline of candidates ahead of you, so I'm not suggesting you shouldn't apply, but do so with this knowledge. Also, take time to match up your applications with your network...find out who you know that works at the company you are applying to and ask them to support your efforts.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Job seekers not on LinkedIn...don't exist!

Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's really true these days. If you are a job seeker...of practically any age or profession/occupation and you aren't using LinkedIn, you aren't on the radar screen of recruiting firms or HR professionals within companies. Now, that's not the only reason to use LinkedIn and I don't consider myself an expert - but I might know a few! What I will say, as a long-time hiring manager and more importantly a professional that has been a job seeker a couple of times over the last seven years, is that LinkedIn has been a real game changer.

In the last few weeks I've met with college interns, professionals early in their careers and old-timers (like me). One thing is true...connecting with people that can help you in your search is a key to success and doing this without the benefit of LinkedIn is painful.

Let's go deeper:

Let's say you are interested in working at XYZ company. You have 50 people that are on your contact list (not on LinkedIn) and you ask them all if they or someone they know work for or have worked for XZY company. All 50 say "no".

Here's the problem. These 50 people certainly know for sure whether they have worked at XYZ company. But can all 50 of those people say for sure that within their contact list they don't know someone at XYZ company or that their contacts don't know someone who works at XYZ company...you get the picture. With a few key strokes LinkedIn can help you determine if you, someone you know or someone they know, works or has worked at XYZ company. It's brilliant and powerful and it works!! (It's a lot like Six Degrees of "Kevin Bacon")

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Arriving Early to an Interview

I do share some of this kind of thing in one of my job finding tips packets, but it's worth a post here. When asked to interview in person...

Scope out the location if you're unfamiliar with the area - saves getting lost the day of the interview and being late.

Get gas and prep your wardrobe the day before so you aren't rushed and so that you don't run the risk of getting gas on your suite, showing up smelling like "Petrol Fragrance #5".

Take water or accept water, but you won't need coffee, you'll already be nervous enough and it's too hard to manage.

Yes, send a thank you note! Hand written or email...that's a style and context question, but always always send a thank you note.

There's more to say, but for today I'll end with this. DON'T be too early. Had someone show up 20 minutes early for an interview this week. That's almost worse than being late. If you arrive early, sit in your car and wait to enter. Ten minutes early is maximum and that's pushing it in my book.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Non-Profit Jobs

IMO,...

I was speaking to a job seeker last night and mentioned to him the website Jobs That Serve - Milwaukee http://epic.cuir.uwm.edu/entech/jobs/ - He hadn't heard of it and while I think it's pretty well known, I didn't want to miss an opportunity to share something that might help others.

Remember, Non-Profits don't have a lot of money to advertise, so looking on their website directly is advisable as well. Another way to cultivate leads like these is to search on Linkedin - not just their job board, but within your contacts...you can never tell if you will have a 2nd or 3rd degree contact at the Non-Profit you are dying to work for!

A little on the 101 side, but even if you find a posted position (on a company website, job board, etc) use your Linkedin site to determine if you know anyone there that can recommend you, serve as a reference or give you some intel on the company/organization culture.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Have you been searching a while?

I'm going to start a little in the middle. We'll cover other stuff at some point, but I wanted to get a few things out for people to use right away. First - why listen to me? Well, maybe you shouldn't, but I've been a job seeker a couple times and I've been a Hiring Manager my entire career. Read on or don't :)

A few ideas to share today:

1.) If you've been in search for a while - take a vacation. Just like when we have jobs, we need a breather now and then. A chance to recharge. Not a long one, but a day or so.

2.) If you've been in search for six (6) months or more, it's time to take a step back and get some perspective. Call your closest friends together and ask them to evaluate your job search work. Are you doing the same thing over and over again and it's not working? Stop. Do ONE (1) thing differently today.

3.) If you've been in search for six (6) months or longer and you haven't considered: a.) contract work b.) volunteer work c.) internships, do so now. I have found success in contract work and volunteer work that lead to jobs.

Like with anything in life and as Yogie Berra once said "If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else." - If you have a plan, evaluate it and make changes to it. If you don't have a plan, get one.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!