Lucrative Layoffs: Surprising Success Stories in a Recession

by Claudine Benmar, PayScale.com


After working for years as a freelance market research consultant, Jay Boynton welcomed his new job at Washington Mutual bank in Seattle as a chance for some security. It seemed like a safe option -- a buffer, he said, against "the vagaries of the independent consulting life."

In December 2007, that security vanished and Boynton was laid off along with about 500 other WaMu employees. He had been on the job less than a year.

Watch the Trends

Was he forced to whittle down his savings? Did he resort to baking his own bread to save money? Not at all. That layoff, ironically, turned out to be a great career move for the 38-year-old. Tapping into his network of professional colleagues, within three months he had a job offer from a small, London-based consulting firm that had just opened a Seattle office. He's now a senior account manager, his pay has increased by 12 percent, and the work is more fulfilling professionally.

Because a smaller firm was willing to give him more responsibility, he's learned more. "A small shop offers immediate returns on experience. It also comes with higher stress, longer hours and lots of ambiguity," he said. "But from my standpoint, the instant trial-by-fire experience is not something that was available in a corporate job, so my education here has progressed much faster."

Boynton was able to survive his layoff by moving away from a struggling industry, namely banking. That's an effective strategy for bouncing back after a layoff, said executive career coach Meg Montford of Abilities Enhanced in Kansas City. "You have to do your research and look at trends," she said. "Is it just your particular company that's having trouble, or is it the entire industry?"

Consider Your Happiness

Depressing though it might be, a layoff is an opportunity to take a look at your career and make sure you're headed in the right direction, Montford said.

One of her clients, for example, had a great passion for environmental issues at the time he was laid off from his job as a project manager for a telecommunications firm. For him, the job loss became a chance to combine that personal interest with his career. Montford said he's now happily employed as an investment banker, working with businesses that produce clean energy.

For others, a layoff might be just the motivation they need to go into business for themselves. If that's the case, a little introspection goes a long way.

"One of the things I do when I'm working with a client is to go back to their early life and find out what made them happy then," Montford said. "Was it art class? Could you hardly wait for your music lesson? Was it all that time you spent caring for your pet? In childhood, we're so honest with ourselves. Sometimes the things that made us happy then can make us happy now, in our careers."

That's exactly the approach Valerie Gordon took five years ago when she lost her job as a manager for Les Deux restaurant in Hollywood. The owner relocated to Paris, and the restaurant foundered.

Adjust Your Focus

"There was no notice. They just said, 'We're closing,' and that was it," Gordon said. "I panicked for about five seconds" before realizing that this was an opportunity to make a full-time career out of something she had always enjoyed as a hobby -- making treats.

"I asked myself, 'What have I always loved?' And the answer was sweets," she said. "Chocolate making comes really naturally to me."

Gordon and her husband, Stan Weightman Jr., took about a month to think of various business ideas before settling on hand-crafted, artfully packaged candies. Before long, they were offering homemade toffee and other treats to a group of taste testers. One of them became their first investor.

The Los Angeles-based business, which they named Valerie Confections, now offers a wide range of artisanal chocolates, truffles, peanut candy, petits fours and tea cakes. The treats are especially popular as corporate gifts, and Gordon recently made Oscar-shaped chocolates for Vanity Fair's Academy Awards party. That's something she never would have been able to do as a restaurant manager.

"Financially, has my life improved? No. In fact, if you were to break it down to an hourly thing, it would be much less," Gordon said. "But the personal satisfaction has increased tenfold."

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Change Ahead -- How Will You React?

5 Tips for Adapting to Change in the Workplace
by Robert McCauley, Robert Half International


The current recession has left workers with many questions about their jobs. But one thing is certain: change. Economic conditions likely mean your firm is undergoing a transition, whether it's new management, emerging business priorities, a reduction in personnel or an increase in workload. How you pilot the winds of change can mean the difference between smooth sailing and rough waters.

Here are five tips:

1. Think through the "what ifs." Change can come without notice, leaving you little time to adapt. What would happen if you got a new boss tomorrow? If you were offered a promotion? If a colleague left, and you were asked to assume additional tasks? Considering how you would handle these types of scenarios will help you prepare for them.

2. Be in the know. Are you the first or last to learn what is happening in your department, company, or profession? Ideally, you want to be near the front of the pack. To be in that position, work on strengthening your relationships with coworkers. Getting to know others throughout your organization can help you stay apprised of new developments within the company. Reading industry publications can help you determine the skills employers seek, which technologies you may need to learn and how your field is weathering the current downturn.

Also, be aware of subtle signals that change is on the horizon. Is there an uptick in office gossip? Has your boss been in more closed-door meetings? Although you don't want to waste a lot of time speculating -- or be at the center of the rumor mill -- it can be helpful to be observant during uncertain times.

3. Learn from the best. Who in your organization is unflappable amid change? Invite this person for coffee or lunch to learn how he or she maintains grace under pressure.

4. Keep an open mind. Employers today seek professionals who are adaptable and open-minded. Let your boss know that you're willing to learn new skills or take on projects that might fall outside your normal duties.

5. Ask questions. If you're unsure of the effects a certain change will have on your department in general or your role in particular, talk about the transition with your supervisor. Discussing the issue with your manager also will allow you to ask questions and voice any concerns.

Finally, keep in mind that a strong network of support can help you manage changes at work. Trusted colleagues, friends, and family can provide you with an outlet for expressing frustration or worries. At the same time, chances are good that some of these individuals will have faced similar situations themselves and can provide advice for handling it.

Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 360 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit www.rhi.com. For additional workplace articles and podcasts, visit www.workvine.com.

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Pursuing a 'Plan-B' Job

by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs


Many professionals are finding it harder to land their dream job these days. In some cases, entire industries have been contracting and will continue to shrink. But when one door closes, another (somewhat similar, previously unconsidered, possibly less glamorous) door opens.

Here are a few examples of how professionals in a variety of fields could cast their job hunting net wider to land a "Plan-B" job with the skills they already have:

Commercial real estate manager -- liquidator. When a company goes under, there are many steps involved, such as how to value inventory and how to determine the value of the property. "Right now there is a greater demand for liquidators, and those in commercial real estate who have that knowledge can be good candidates for those jobs," says Sophia Koropeckyj, an economist at Moody's Economy.com

Stock broker -- investment counselor. In the wake of the Wall Street and banking meltdown, many investment banking careers are endangered. However, with the broker's knowledge of investment, finance, and value, and the consumer's quandary over where to invest, you have an opportunity. Investment counselors can help people determine their risk tolerance, financial plans, and -- something very important these days -- manage their debt. Counselors can find most job openings are at small firms, or they can start their own companies.

Construction manager -- green building retrofitter. New commercial and residential construction is cold, but green building retrofitting is hot. Real estate experts say commercial property owners are clamoring to make their buildings LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, in order to attract more customers. In addition, homeowners are seeing a value in retrofitting their homes to be more energy efficient.

IT professional (big company) -- IT professional (smaller company). Large companies have been disproportionately hit with layoffs in a variety of fields, but there are many more opportunities for IT professionals at small firms or start-up companies, Koropeckyj tells Yahoo! Hot Jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a strong demand for network systems and data communications analysts and computer software engineers, so if prospects at the big firms are drying up, prospects at smaller companies should be growing.

Copywriter/print designer -- project manager. It's more competitive than ever to find a creative job at an ad agency, but many project management positions are opening up, especially for people who understand how to work with tight budgets, according to Megan Slabanski, executive director of The Creative Group.

"If you have good organizational skills and understanding of an agency, or if you've been in any kind of leadership role, such as bringing in deliverables on time and under budget, you may already have what it takes to land a project management job," Slabanski says.

Auto salesperson -- "repo man." The economy has hurt sales professionals; it also created opportunities for people who repossess cars and other vehicles when buyers have fallen behind on payments. Employment requirements vary from state to state, but in general the bar to entry is not high. In addition, collection agencies have seen a sharp increase in workload, so opportunities for collections agents are increasing. These jobs require a tough skin; but if you have a lot of experience at sales, your ego is probably resilient.

The Common Thread

If there seems to be a theme in job opportunities, there is: making the best of a bad economy. Downsizing is in, both in personal finances and in corporate payrolls. Jobs or careers dedicated to helping people (or companies) better manage their finances, save money, get better value for their dollar, and avoid financial catastrophe should be more plentiful in the short term, Koropeckyj says.

"See how the job could fit into your overall career narrative," career coach Deborah Brown-Volkman tells Yahoo! HotJobs. "And ask yourself how long you will be in the job. Some people say 'I'm only going to do this a year,' and then 10 years pass and they're still there. Have a plan for what's next."

Step Down? Not Always

A Plan-B job might not be a step down at all and could be more rewarding than the Plan-A job. Moving from copywriter to project manager could mean more money. A human resources professional moving from a large corporation to a start-up would see a pay cut, but could have more growth opportunities and flexibility (and possible stock options).

A Wall Street analyst moving to investment counseling would see a more manageable 40-hour workweek and the satisfaction of directly helping people in need (and have a job title with less social stigma).

For many Plan-B jobs, you don't have to earn an additional degree, or even obtain a certificate, but they do require a re-positioning of your existing skills, according to Slabanski.

"The most important thing in a good economy or bad is to keep expanding your skills and knowledge," she says. "You don't need to be a jack of all trades, but if you stay current on what's going on in your industry and update your skills to what's needed today, you won't work yourself out of a job."

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6 Ways to Find a Stimulus Job

by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs


Now that President Obama has signed the $787 billion stimulus bill into law, money will begin flowing to local governments and industries -- and jobs will follow.

Where will these jobs show up, and how do you land one? According to Laurence Shatkin, career information expert and author of "Great Jobs in the President's Stimulus Plan," there is no clearinghouse for stimulus jobs.

"You'll generally be using some of the same tactics as you would in an ordinary job search," Shatkin tells Yahoo! HotJobs. "That means gathering information and building network connections."

There are, however, a few specific ways to make it easier to find a stimulus job:

Focus.
Forget about searching for a generic "stimulus job" -- there's no such thing, technically. If the president's plan works as envisioned, government money will create jobs, directly and indirectly, across a wide variety of fields -- I.T., education, construction, transportation, health care, energy, and the "green" sector -- for both white- and blue-collar workers. Start by focusing on one or two industries that will likely benefit from an infusion of government cash and may need someone with your skills, then go about looking for specific sectors and companies that may be hiring.

Do your research.
Once you've narrowed your fields of interest, start your research on the Web to find out who may be hiring. If you're interested in green jobs, for example, type "wind turbine" or "solar jobs" or "retrofitting" in a search engine and see what comes up, Shatkin said. In addition to searching on Yahoo! HotJobs, you can check out industry-related networking sites: sustainablebusiness.com for green jobs, ihireconstruction.com for construction jobs, higheredjobs.com for education are just a few examples. Some of these are open to anyone, regardless of training, background, or credentials.

Follow the money.
If President Obama gives a speech in Indiana about retrofitting manufacturing plants, or Vice President Biden talks in Philadelphia about expanding travel infrastructure, listen up. That's a sign contractors in those areas -- possibly in your own city -- will be clamoring for their share of government largesse. The next step is finding out exactly who is getting that money. Check out your local newspaper daily to see what companies may be getting government contracts; the front page and the business section should have the details.

Cold call.
If you've identified an industry that sounds promising, call a company to see if they or any competitors are hiring. Who do you call? Not human resources, according to Shatkin.

"This is not a call to ask for a job necessarily, but rather to get some information and to network. To do that, you want to reach someone who actually makes hiring decisions, preferably the chief operating officer." Shatkin suggests calling before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to lessen the chance of assistants running interference and "losing" your message.

Retrofit your resume.
Good news: You don't necessarily have to go back to school to land a stimulus-related job. Many positions will have on-the-job training, and others require no training at all, according to Shatkin. But to land one of these jobs, you would have a leg up if you tailor your resume to the industry. For example, if you are an accountant (or systems analyst, project manager, accounts payable manager, etc.) with experience in more than one industry, emphasize the field that most closely matches the job you're pursuing.

Plan for the long term.
Many of the stimulus-created jobs and careers will be around long after the economy recovers. Make sure you're ready for advancement by adding to your skill set now, recommends Harry Holzer, an economist at Georgetown University. "Even if you're going for a job that doesn't require training, you'd be better positioned for a long-term career if you diversify your skills by gaining additional training."

Shatkin and other job experts emphasize that jobs aren't going to flood the job market overnight.

"Job creation from the stimulus will be ramping up over the summer and throughout 2010," Holzer says. But if you do your prep work now, you can have the inside edge when the jobs do come online, and lay the foundation for a long-term career.

"In some newer fields, such as solar power, you can get in on the ground floor this year and be an 'old hand' in as little as three years," Shatkin says.

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Food for Thought on Lunch Interviews

10 Do's and Don'ts for Making the Best Impression Over a Meal
by Caroline M.L. Potter, Yahoo! HotJobs


Dining out is usually associated with pleasure and relaxation -- except when you're being interviewed for a job while you're eating.

There are many reasons why an employer will choose to conduct an interview over lunch. Says career strategist and workplace consultant J.T. O'Donnell, "A hiring manager may not want office staff to know the company is hiring for a particular position. Also, both parties may be pressed for time and unable to sacrifice office hours."

Outside of practical concerns, you may be invited on a lunch interview because "you're a leading candidate and an employer wants to impress you, or the position may involve heavy client interaction and business meetings and you're being evaluated for how you'll perform in such a setting," says O'Donnell, who blogs about career issues at www.careerealism.com.

Whatever the reason, in a tight job market, it's best to be prepared for anything, including breaking bread with a potential employer. Use these do's and don'ts to make sure you can land a job over lunch.


Do...

* Learn about the restaurant in advance. William Arruda, author of "Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand," suggests, "Use what you can learn about the establishment to connect with something about you. For instance, 'I understand this building used to be a printing press. I really like the architecture of these 1920s commercial spaces.'"

* Engage your interviewer about the restaurant and why they chose it. Arruda recommends asking questions such as, "Have you been here before?" or "Do you have a favorite dish?"

* Beware the overly affable interviewer. Jodi Smith, president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting, reveals, "Companies will often send you to a lunch interview with a 'friendly' employee -- someone around your age, with a similar background, who adopts a relaxed approach that may prompt you to let your guard down. While you certainly can interact less formally, be extra wary of what you say."

* Ask questions about the hiring manager first. O'Donnell advises, "Questions such as, 'How did you join the firm?' and 'What do you like most about working there?' are good ice breakers."

* Turn off your mobile phone. She says, "Do not check your phone -- not even once! Even if the hiring manager is checking hers frequently, DO NOT check yours!"

Don't...

* Immediately start selling yourself. O'Donnell, author of "CAREEREALISM: The Smart Approach to a Satisfying Career," recommends, "Let the hiring manager lead the conversation. She may not want to talk about the job until after lunch. Don't dive into selling yourself."

* Appear picky. Warns O'Donnell, "Aside from a death-inducing food allergy, order what's on the menu, being sure avoid onions and garlic. Order water to drink and a food that can be eaten easily with a fork. Pass on sandwiches, pasta, and messy dishes."

* Talk too much. "In both lunch and regular interviews, interviewers love to use the pregnant pause. It is phenomenal what people will say when nervous and faced with dead air, notes etiquette expert Smith. "When you are done answering a question, stop talking," she says.

* Order the most expensive thing on the menu, or multiple courses. "Keep costs down and order a reasonably priced item!" says O'Donnell. "Skip dessert and only have coffee or tea if the hiring manager orders it first. Demonstrate that you are fiscally responsible and are not taking advantage of the situation."

* Be rude to wait staff or show up late. According to a survey of advertising and marketing executives by The Creative Group, half of the respondents said being impolite to a restaurant's wait staff is the single biggest blunder a professional can make during a lunch meeting. Showing up late ranked second.

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Help with Health Insurance Costs after a Layoff

by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs


When you're laid off from your job, one of the many challenges you face is continuing your health insurance.

It's important to consider all your options. If you have an employed spouse, joining his or her plan may be your best bet. If your income is low enough, you may qualify for a government-funded program. If you're in good health, you may be able to find a reasonably priced individual policy.

Many workers, though, turn to COBRA coverage, which allows workers who leave their jobs to keep the group coverage they had while employed.

The problem is that you have to pay the premiums yourself. This can cost hundreds of dollars per month and is a tall order when you have just lost your income.

Now, however, the federal government is offering help with these costs.

"COBRA is an option," said Ankeny Minoux, president of the Foundation for Health Coverage Education, a national nonprofit that provides information for the uninsured on how to obtain coverage. "Before the stimulus bill, it wasn't always your best option."

Here are basic facts about COBRA coverage:

* It's available to workers who leave their jobs -- voluntarily or involuntarily -- if they had group coverage through their employer and are no longer covered. Their dependants can also continue their coverage through the group plan.

* It doesn't last forever: Normally, workers who leave their jobs can keep it for 18 months.

* It's not available if the group plan that covered you no longer exists -- for example, if your company goes out of business.

* The federal COBRA law covers employees of companies with 20 or more employees, though some states extend coverage to employees of smaller companies.

These facts haven't changed. What has changed is the cost. The federal stimulus bill that was passed in February contained money for the federal government to pay 65 percent of COBRA premiums for up to nine months for people who qualify.

"There's certainly plenty of confusion out there about how the subsidy works and the details of it," said Wendy Nice Barnes, vice president of human resources for eHealth, an online health insurance broker for individual and family policies.

Those details are still being sorted out; for updates, go to www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html.

Here's what you need to know about the federal subsidy:

* Only people who are laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and the end of 2009 (and their dependants) qualify for the subsidy. People who leave their jobs voluntarily or whose employment ended before Sept. 1, 2008, qualify for COBRA coverage but not for the subsidy.

* If you're eligible for another group plan (through your spouse's employer, for example), you are not eligible for the subsidy.

* If you were laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and Feb. 16, 2009, and turned down COBRA coverage, you will have a second chance to enroll. You should get a notice from your employer by mid-April, and you will have 60 days from the date of that notice to enroll.

* The subsidy is not available for coverage before Feb. 17.

* If your income exceeds $125,000 ($250,000 for joint filers), you will have to repay some or all of the subsidy with your income taxes.

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5 Tips for Layoff Survivors

Keeping Your Spirits Up When You Keep Your Job
by Caroline M.L. Potter, Yahoo! HotJobs


It's no secret that a soft economy is forcing employers to cut their workforces. According to the U.S. government, in the first two months of 2009, there have been over 1 million job losses -- on top of the 2.6 million losses in 2008. You may be among those who lost a job, or you may be a remaining survivor.

While folks who keep their jobs aren't getting a lot of sympathy these days, they may deserve it. It can be difficult to feel positive around the office and stay focused on your career when you've lost trusted colleagues and close work friends. Those people may have been the only reason you looked forward to work each day.

Jason Seiden, author of "How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What's Left of Your Career," notes, "Nothing puts a relationship to the test like someone getting fired. There are a number of reasons for this, but what's important is what you do about it." Seiden reveals his five tips for maintaining friendships and your career after a company layoff.

1. Offer up an assist.
You may be feeling helpless after job cuts, but you're not. The people who are leaving need your assistance. Says Seiden, who helps organizations hire, manage, and develop next generation talent,"Help everyone you can! When we go to bed at night during tough times, we want to know someone is looking out for us. Be that someone for others. That's your job as a human being." Provide job leads, resume help, networking introductions, or simply a sympathetic ear. He adds, "It doesn't even matter if it comes back to you later, it's just the right thing to do and you know it. Man up to the moment!"

2. Don't let too much time go by.
Work friendships often fail after layoffs or a firing because both people may feel tongue-tied. Seiden, who blogs about professional development at http://www.jasonseiden.com, points out, "This type of awkwardness is a function of uncertainty and passage of time. You can set time to zero if you move fast. And, the faster you reach out, the less your former colleague expects you to say. So move!"

3. Force yourself to focus on the positive.
It may be tough to feel charged up when you confront constant reminders of your coworkers' absences every day. So do something to avoid them. He advises, "If you have to personally move your stuff so you don't have to walk past an empty cube farm on your way in, do it; do whatever it takes to make it easy to ignore the bad and stay mentally engaged." Those worried about any repercussions for being proactive shouldn't. Seiden, who holds degrees from Wharton, where he attended as an undergraduate, and the Kellogg School of Management, where he earned an MBA, shares, "Believe me, you will not get fired for this. If anything, you'll inspire HR to rearrange the furniture."

4. Acknowledge (but don't indulge) your guilt.
If you worked closely enough with team members, you may be privy to how precarious someone's finances or relationship is and, thus, feel all kinds of awful about this setback. "Survivor guilt is real. So is the adrenaline rush you feel when narrowly missing getting run over by a bus!" Seiden exclaims. You can feel bad for your colleagues, but remember to be thankful that you've still got a job. "Take a deep breath, shake it off, and move forward," he counsels.

5. Stand out by stepping up.
You've survived a layoff, but you've still got to concern yourself with your employer's survival. Do whatever it takes to go out and bring in business. Seiden shares, "In times like this, dollar finding trumps cost cutting. If you are in a position to make a sale, make it. Build revenues. Now's not the time for cute, or even proper. Now is the time for cash!"

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Worst Resume Bloopers

by Maria Hanson, LiveCareer.com


Here's a rare view, directly from top recruiters, of some of the worst -- and all too common -- resume bloopers.

As Helen T. Cooke, managing director of Cooke Consulting, a management consulting firm, puts it, "Some examples of 'what not to do' will never be forgotten."

1. Language Blunders

Blooper: Spelling and proofreading errors.
Example: "Pubic Relations." And its related runner-up: "I'm good with the pubic."
The lowdown: If you didn't catch the problem with those words at first glance, you're not alone. "It's the most consistent and unfortunate mistake I see time and time again," says Allison Hemming, president of The Hired Guns talent agency.

Blooper: Grammar and proofreading errors.
Example: As one job seeker wrote: "I have no patience for sloppywork, carelessmistakes and theft of companytime."
The lowdown: Neither, we're pretty sure, did hisfutureemployer.

Take-home message: Use spell- and grammar-check, but don't rely on them, because they don't catch everything. Get at least one other set of eyes to review your resume, no matter how good a proofreader you are.

2. The Wrong Information

Blooper: Using an inappropriate email address.
Example: One job seeker said she could be contacted at hotgaldelite@xxxxxx.com.
The lowdown: Unless you're applying for a job in an adult film, get a new email address to put on your professional resume.

Blooper: Linking to inappropriate content.
Example: One job seeker linked to his body-piercing website which included "many photos of his own piercings," says career transition consultant Duncan Mathison.
The lowdown: The chain links featured in the photos were not the kind of links a potential employer was interested in.

Blooper: Providing irrelevant details.
Example: "One candidate listed she was a 'witch.' Seriously," says Chad Macy, a managing director for Technisource, a technology recruiting and staffing firm.
The lowdown: The magical powers of this witch didn't extend to job seeking.

Take-home message: Regarding personal information: When in doubt, leave it out. As a rule of thumb, don't include any information about your religion or irrelevant extracurricular activities. Only link to applicable and appropriate work samples. Make good use of valuable resume real estate by highlighting your accomplishments and customizing your resume to the specific position.

3. Reference Woes

Blooper: Providing invalid references.
Example: One applicant listed his parents as references.
The lowdown: Unfortunately, a glowing testimonial from dear old mom rarely counts.

Blooper: Badmouthing your references.
Example: Calling your former boss "a rat" and advising recruiters not to phone him for a recommendation, as one job seeker did.
The lowdown: That kind of talk doesn't generate warm fuzzies with a potential supervisor.

Take-home message: Choose your references carefully, selecting reliable sources who will present you in the best possible light. In fact, eliminate references on your resume altogether. Supply them only when asked.

One way to make the right impression is to take a free resume test. Ensure that your resume is memorable for all of the right reasons.

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5 Threats to Your Job-Hunting Stamina

by Heather Boerner, for Yahoo! HotJobs


Marathon runners know that the key to crossing the finish line first isn't brute strength but stamina. The same goes for the job hunt.

"A job search is always a mind game," says independent career counselor Cathy Severson of Santa Barbara, California. "You don't know if this is going to be a sprint or a marathon. Assume it will be a marathon, and you'll be pleasantly surprised if it's a sprint."

But it's easy to lose stamina -- and motivation -- especially in this economy. Watch for these stamina killers and their solutions:

Stamina-Killer #1: Ignoring Feelings

Been laid off? "You may feel confused, ashamed, even depressed," says Anne Perschel, president of Germane Consulting and an organizational psychologist who coaches executives and helps employees change careers. It's natural. But letting it fester will destroy your momentum.

"Job loss is probably one of the top three stressors in life," she says. "It affects your identity and your sense of value. When you have days where you feel down, make small steps toward your goal."

Stamina-Killer #2: Job or Bust

If the goal is just to land the job, you're setting yourself up to fail every day you don't get a job offer, says Severson.

"You never know when an offer is going to appear," she says. "When the focus shifts to the actual tasks, the job searcher feels a greater sense of control and is better able to handle the long haul."

Try these switches:

* Instead of "I will get a job in X field this year," try "I will send out five resumes this week."
* Instead of "I will have three job interviews this month," try "I will call five people for informational interviews today."

Stamina-Killer #3: Applying for Every Job

It's tempting to up your odds of an interview by applying for any job for which you're remotely qualified. Avoid that trap, says Perschel.

"[Job interviewers] will know you're not a good fit for the job" if you apply for anything, she says. "You'll get more rejections, fewer responses, and more negative feedback." Your momentum will wane.

Stamina-Killer #4: Negative People and Information

"How do you feel after you talk to each person in your life -- drained or energized?" asks Severson.

Apply that question across the board and you'll know what -- and who -- is sapping your energy so you can avoid them. Talk about your job hunt with only the most energizing friends, family members and colleagues, and seek out positive acquaintances.

The same goes for news: If you're paralyzed after reading or watching the news, avoid it. You can always go back to it when you feel stronger.

Stamina-Killer #5: Pursuing Work You Don't Love

If you're going after the same old work, it'll be harder to keep trying every day. Banish mediocrity and seek out the work you're passionate about.

Not only will it keep you going, says Perschel, but also it has a surprise bonus: It increases your chance of landing that dream job.

"Assume there are other people out there who have the same skills," says Perschel. "But that energy, commitment, and passion? It can be your real differentiator."

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Are Women More Recession-Proof Than Men?

by Kristina Cowan, PayScale.com


Rising unemployment is enough to make any worker nervous. In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the U.S. unemployment rate had climbed from 8.1% to 8.5%. A closer look at the numbers reveals another cause for concern, especially among men: February unemployment for men 25 and older was 8.8%; for women it was 7.0% (seasonally adjusted) -- the widest gap since 1948, when the BLS started gathering the data.

According to the BLS, as of January 2009, women accounted for 49.5 percent of the workforce.

Steve Hipple, an economist at the BLS, says men account for about four out of every five people who lose jobs. Hipple explains further, "During recessions, men are much more likely to lose their jobs because they are concentrated in industries such as construction and manufacturing that are hit particularly hard as the economy slows."

Different Approaches to Work

Some news reports and experts say this gap is partly caused by women's penchant for picking recession-proof careers, such as those in education and health care. Others, however, say there's no truly recession-proof industry, and that women's flexible approach to work enables them to better weather fiscal storms -- no matter what their career paths.

Laurence Shatkin, a career information expert and author of "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs," says his research shows that women tend to be concentrated in jobs that involve helping others, including education and health care. "Many of these needs for help don't go away in a recession, and many of them involve onsite and even hands-on work, so they can't be off-shored," Shatkin explains.

J.T. O'Donnell, a New Hampshire-based career strategist and founder of Careerealism.com, points to two other possible reasons for the difference: women are more likely to have flexible attitudes about work and more likely to emphasize building relationships. For example, women's emotional intelligence and understanding about the needs of employees and customers is a critical asset for companies.

"We are becoming a culture where the only way your company can survive is to connect with your customers in the down time. A customer may not be able to buy today, but the understanding and appreciation and ability to still connect with [a customer] in spite of the fact they can't buy [something] -- that's what they'll remember when the economy turns," she says. Women can often make that connection very easily, according to O'Donnell.

Solid Career Picks for Recessionary Times

If you're looking for work that can withstand a tough recession, here's a short list* of jobs to consider where women currently hold the majority of positions:

Job title -- Percentage of women -- Median salary
Physician assistants -- 62% -- $79,300
Registered nurses -- 90% -- $55,500
Reference librarians -- 71% -- $43,700
Curators -- 70% -- $42,300
Middle-school teachers -- 67% -- $41,700

Is Any Job Guaranteed for Men or Women?

While some fields are more resistant than others to fiscal upheaval, experts say no job or career path is entirely safe -- for men or women. Instead, it's best to focus on skills and strengths that will help insulate you no matter what field you pursue, they say.

"You need to have a key understanding of your top strengths. What are the things that are strongest and innate in you? Then focus on general job types that leverage those. So you go into a job and knock it out of the park every time, which makes you employable," O'Donnell explains.

*Job titles, percentages of women and median salary figures (5-9 years experience) are from PayScale.com. The job titles were suggested as recession-proof picks by Laurence Shatkin.

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How to Answer the Trickiest Job-Interview Questions

by Liz Ryan


Nearly everyone has been there. The job interview is sailing along, when all of a sudden, the interviewer asks you the question you've been hoping she wouldn't--for instance, "Why did you leave your last job?"

You pause to reflect: Do I say that my boss was psycho and that if I didn't quit I might have punched his lights out? Or do I make up a story on the spot, or take a sip of my coffee while I think of something intelligent? You don't want to end up reacting in the moment. On-the-spot improvisation is a great skill, but it's a high-risk endeavor when your next great job is at stake.

Here are some handy answers to potentially sticky job-interview questions. You might want to memorize a few of these!

How not to say, "My last job was in hell."
You hated your old job or you hated your boss (or both) to the point where you hated yourself for staying. Now you've left the place, either on your own or after being invited to take a hike, and as you meet prospective employers, you're finding that you've got some 'splainin' to do.

The question: "Why did you leave Acme Dynamite?"

The answer: "Oh, I learned a ton in that place, but I didn't see more challenges on the horizon there, and I knew I wanted to get into [whatever this job entails]. I didn't want to job hunt while I was working, so I've been pursuing my job search full-time--and having tremendous fun doing it."

But what if you were fired?
If you left your last job on your own, that's one thing. But what if you were, as HR people say, "invited to leave"? You know that saying "Well, they fired me" is a non-starter. The interview won't last very long once those words leave your mouth. Here are some alternatives:

"I had some great experiences at Acme Dynamite, but at that point there was a management change [the scope of my job was reduced / the department was reorganized], and my manager and I agreed that we'd reached a good juncture for us to part ways."

"Pitstop Productions was switching from an in-house sales force to an outsourced one, and there was nothing especially important for me to do there, so we agreed that I should move on."

How to explain an employment gap
Just when the interview is rolling along, the recruiter's eyes fall on that pesky employment gap of yours. You've got to account for your time, but how? Lots of us have jumped off the conveyor belt for a while, and may not have much to show for it.
The question: "Now, what were you doing between 2003 and 2005?"

The answer: "That's when Toontown Productions had just been sold, and I'd made some good investments and wanted to explore [origami], so I took a break from the corporate world to recharge and get clearer about my goals. That was a fantastic learning experience--I'd recommend a mid-career sabbatical to anyone--and it helped me decide what I'm passionate about at work. When I went to Pitstop Productions in '06, I had a wonderful, fresh perspective."

How to justify a short-term job
Who hasn't at some point taken a job only to quickly learn that doing so was a terrible mistake? If you can wake up to the horror quickly enough to bail within a month or two, you'll leave the short-term gig off your resume entirely. But if it takes longer for the terrible reality to sink in, you may have six or nine months of a going-nowhere job to account for.

The question: "Now, what was the story here at Rabbit Enterprises? You didn't stay there very long."

The answer: "They were looking for someone to [train fleas], and that's a specialty of mine. I got in there and put the program together, but the job was not so much a job as a consulting assignment. After the initial launch, the role was going to be strictly maintenance, so I made the move over to Roadrunner Inc."

Evaluate your resumes for quirks, and you can anticipate the trickiest questions an interviewer might throw at you--and you can prepare your answers well ahead of the big day. Get comfortable with your responses, stay in your power, and knock 'em dead!

Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, a former Fortune 500 VP, and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new-millennium workplace. Connect with her at www.asklizryan.com. (The opinions expressed in this column are solely the author's.)

Job Info , Jobs Sources , Career Opportunity

Salary Secrets Your Employer Doesn't Want You to Know

by Maria Hanson, LiveCareer


In down economic times, companies seem to have carte blanche to limit salaries and make low-ball offers. But that shouldn't be the case.

Below are the top salary secrets your employer doesn't want you to know. With this information in hand, you'll be in a better position to get the pay you deserve.

Employers don't always offer a fair salary.

Some employers think they're being fair, but they're not up-to-date with the latest salary information. Others may try to pay less than the market value because they're financially strapped. That's why it's important that you know exactly how much money you should be making. A free salary report can help you calculate how much you should be earning in any job.

You can negotiate your salary in a tight job market.

In a recession, many people would rather take a pay cut than lose their jobs. Raises are hard to come by and new hires may feel they have less negotiating power. But that doesn't mean it's impossible to bump up your salary; it's just a little more challenging.

According to a recent survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, 80 percent of HR professionals say employers are willing to negotiate salaries. So, if you're looking for a raise at your current job, come armed with your marketplace worth and make your case. And, if you've been offered a job that pays less than you like, don't be afraid to name your realistic asking price. Keep in mind that, if you got the offer, you're clearly the best candidate for the job -- even in this highly competitive job market.

New hires sometimes earn more than long-term employees.

When there's a strong job market, organizations need to do whatever they can to attract top candidates. This often means that starting salaries may be higher for newbies than they are for long-term employees. Given the current economic conditions, that's less the norm these days, but it still happens in certain industries. If you suspect that a new hire with similar responsibilities is making more than you are, use current salary data to approach your manager with the request to bring your salary up to par.

Your performance doesn't decide your pay.

While your performance is one important factor in the salary equation, your pay is also a reflection of many other factors, including:

• The job market -- lower pay is more acceptable in tighter job markets.
• Location -- generally the higher the cost of living, the higher your salary.
• Years of service -- in many cases, the longer you've been with a company, the higher your pay.
• Organization size -- large organizations tend to pay more than small ones.
• Education level -- in most cases, the more education you have, the higher your pay. Take a free education test to find out how going back to school can help you earn more.

If you're a valued employee who isn't making the money you deserve, you do have options. Know your value and make your case with the help of your free salary report. And know too, that many employers -- particularly larger employers -- have a little more in the "raise kitty" than they let on.

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Work Smarter, Not Harder--Here's How

by Stever Robbins

Despite technology's promise that someday we'll work less, we're working more and taking fewer holidays than ever before. Unless you're reading this in France. Then, according to The Economist magazine, you win, because you work less than 40 hours a week and take lots of vacations. The rest of us work hard but, well, stupidly. That's because we work hard at dumb stuff, instead of working smart at the right stuff.

To get the same results quicker, change how you work. Work faster, be more focused, and organize so you can make progress on multiple things at once. (But not by multitasking! Multitasking slows you down.) Happiness happens when productivity enables a higher-quality life, not frantic overachievement.

Work faster. Our first key to working smart is working fast. You'll have to get into The Zone, bringing your full focus to one task. Then you build momentum until you're totally cranking.

The Zone hates distractions: email, telephone, visitors, and your self-generated distractions. I know a CEO who blocks out four hours a day for focus time. With a closed door, email turned off, and his phone forwarded to voicemail, he actually gets stuff done. He rarely works all four hours, but blocking out the time guarantees one or two solid hours. Without distractions, he can do big-picture thinking instead of being sucked into details.

Increase focus. If you're like me, you hardly ever procrastinate--except for the really important stuff. The rubber bands get dutifully sorted by size, but that client proposal? Not so much. Another way to work smarter is to know that being busy isn't the same thing as being productive. When we're busy, we feel productive, but being productive happens only if we're producing the results that move our projects forward.

Email is a great way to waste time while feeling productive. If you spend an hour a day on email, that's 12.5 percent of your time. Unless that 12.5 percent of your time is producing at least 12.5 percent of your results, it's a low-value-added activity.

The same applies everywhere. The 80/20 rule says 80 percent of your output comes from just 20 percent of your efforts. So what? Well, do the math. If you double the time you spend on real-output-producing activities and stop doing the others, you'll double your output and spend 60 percent less time! If you started with a ten-hour workday, you'll get twice as much done in just four hours.

Say no. My favorite 80/20 principle is saying no. Most of us take on more than we can handle. Then our companies lay off 30 percent of the workforce and expect the same output from the survivors. Our overwork gets compounded by dumb high-level decision making.

If you're working at capacity and someone asks you to take on a new project, say no. If someone proposes a project that will fall in the 80-percent-work-for-20-percent-results category, just say no. Face facts, my friend: There's a limit to how much you can do. You can manage that limit and do things well, or you can ignore the limit and do a lousy job on everything. The choice is yours.

Work in parallel, but don't multitask. Multitasking is doing many things at once. Bad idea. But arranging work so many things are happening at once? Good idea. If you and a colleague are writing a report and a marketing plan, you could first write the plan and then the report. But look closely! Your colleague must review the report. So draft the report and send it to your colleague. While she's reviewing, start on the marketing plan. Both move forward at the same time.

We all work this way to some degree, but a little thought can help you find golden opportunities for parallelism. Delegation, for example. When you delegate something, it keeps moving while you're working on something else.

Another chance for parallelism is when something is being produced or shipped. The product is en route to your customer? That means more time for you to do other things. But if you putter around with low-priority tasks until you ship last minute, you lose the chance to work in parallel.

Think. Working faster, identifying your 80/20 opportunities, and finding the chance to work in parallel all take thought. So your highest-leverage activity is taking regular time to reexamine how you work. Try spending half of a day every two weeks to build a life and business that are productive. By productive, I mean happiness-producing for you, your family, and your friends. You'll be happier, you'll get more done, and you'll have a life. And that's what I call working smart.

Please send your questions about how to work less, do more, and survive in the modern work world to the Get-It-Done Guy at hotjobs-questions@steverrobbins.com.

Stever Robbins is the host of the top-10 iTunes business podcast The Get-It-Done Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More. He is also a cofounder or an early team member of 10 startups, an adjunct lecturer at Babson College, and an entrepreneurial coach. Find him at www.SteverRobbins.com.

(The opinions expressed in this column are solely the author's.)

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The Savvy Networker

Handling the Dreaded "Tell Me About Yourself" Question
by Liz Ryan


Most of us don't like to rattle on about ourselves, so the job-interview question "Tell me about yourself" can easily throw us for a loop. Where do we start? Do we talk about growing up in Kansas, or jump into our career as a cost accountant? We're paralyzed, wondering, "What does the interviewer want to hear?"

Our instinct to wonder what the interviewer will find relevant is a good one. The big mistake job seekers make when asked "Tell me about yourself!" is that they launch into a rambling story. The interviewer leans back in his chair, and here's what he's thinking: "If I can get outta this interview in 55 minutes, I can still get to the dry cleaner before it closes...."

We begin to lose the interviewer the minute we start talking about ourselves. As we tell our story, no matter how gripping it is, the interviewer isn't learning in any substantive way whether or not we can do the job. The only way we'll be able to get close to the mark (what the employer needs in its next cost accountant or office manager, that is) is to ask a question. But we've been asked a question ourselves. Can we turn that question around?

We can! Here are three ways to shift the "Tell me about yourself" request into a question that will let us dig into the employer's business pain--the reason the job opening exists in the first place.

Let's imagine that the interviewer says, "So, Justin, tell me about yourself."

You'll say something like one of these three things:

1. "Okay! I don't want to keep you here for hours, though. Could I ask you a question or two in order to tailor my remarks?"

2. "For sure. I'm an office manager, as you know. I'm very focused on desktop publishing and newsletter creation, and I love to manage projects and my boss's schedule. Shall we talk about day-to-day office management, or shall I tell you about some projects I've run?"

3. "Perfect. I was born in Minnesota and went to school there, before moving to this area three years ago--and now, to make my story more relevant, may I ask you a couple of questions about the situation here at XYZ Foods?"

Your trusty gut already knows that any way you respond to the command "Tell me about yourself" runs the risk of being 100 percent irrelevant to the interviewer. We can use our interview "air time" to learn more about the position and to discover where the interviewer's interests lie. Then we can talk about something that our conversational partner will care about! That's a much more satisfying feeling, believe me!

(Get more tips in Liz Ryan's "How to Answer the Trickiest Job-Interview Questions.")

Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, a former Fortune 500 VP, and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new-millennium workplace. Connect with her at www.asklizryan.com. The opinions expressed in this column are the author's.)

Jobs Sources

Staying on Track to Get Your Bonus

by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs


Bonus time has come and gone, and yours wasn't as large as you were hoping (if you even got one). Where did you go wrong -- and what can you do now to make sure that next year you get a healthy bonus check?

You first need to make sure you understand how your bonus was determined. Often, individual bonuses are based on a combination of the company's performance and the individual's performance.

What Goes Into a Bonus

The company performance part of the calculation "isn't usually all or nothing," says Laurie Bienstock, practice leader for strategic rewards at Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a human resources consulting firm. Generally, the company has to meet a certain financial threshold before it will pay any bonuses at all. After that, it scales up to 100 percent of the planned bonus money -- or even more, if the company does exceptionally well.

At many companies, individual performance also comes into play at bonus time. Sometimes individuals' bonuses are tied to the overall rating they receive in their performance evaluation; other times, they're based on whether the worker accomplished a specific list of goals.

Keep Your Boss in the Loop

When it comes to bonuses, communication with your boss becomes critical.

"If the bonus is directly tied to your performance rating, make sure you understand what you need to do to either meet or exceed expectations," Bienstock says.

If the bonus is based on a list of goals, then you need to be certain you understand from your boss what those goals are -- and how success will be measured.

"When you have that conversation with your boss and you walk away and you think this is what you're supposed to do, write it down and send it to your boss and say, 'This is what I heard, is this correct?'" says Jan Schmuckler, an organizational psychologist.

Measures Throughout the Year

It's equally important to keep talking with your boss during the year about how you're progressing so there are no surprises when you open your bonus check.

One of the most confusing parts of performance-based bonuses is what happens when you can't meet one of your goals due to circumstances beyond your control. Perhaps a project is canceled or delayed; maybe you move to a new job with new responsibilities. It's very important to talk to your boss when this happens. Can you replace some of your old goals with new ones? Don't make assumptions about how your boss will handle it -- and don't wait until the end of the year.

Not a Solo Performance

You may find it frustrating to have part of your pay tied to your performance evaluation or to how well the company does. But this is the way of the future. A recent survey of employers by Watson Wyatt found that 22 percent of U.S. companies had increased the amount employees could receive in bonuses, and 10 percent had made performance-based pay available to more workers.

"Companies are also raising the bar on how hard it is to achieve those," Bienstock says. Almost half increased the company's financial goals that are tied to paying bonuses, and more than one-third increased individual performance expectations.

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