Past Five

Unemployment Jumps the Shark

Unemployment jumped the shark today.  The elusive 10% barrier has been crossed.  What does this mean? 

 

As I was waiting for the report this morning, I "knew", as much as anyone can know, that it would cross 10 percent today.  The healthcare bill is up for grabs, two democratic states in 2008 (NJ and VA) elected Republican governors....the tide was coming and it was spouting, "No good news for D.C."

 

My thought is that as unemployment rises and this "jobless recovery" continues and the DJIA goes above 10,000....is this good for the current administration?  Does it scream to the American public, "do more, fast!!!" in order to save us?  I hope not.  All cycles are just that, cycles.  The government did the right thing in stepping in to save GM and the financial services bail out, now we need to let the market settle in...let capitalism take over...and let small businesses grow!

 

We need to encourage small businesses to become large businesses.  To encourage companies to go public.  To foster the creation of start up companies.  We must, as a society, embrace people who are willing to risk everything, reputation, savings, etc. to start a company.  Entrepreneurs are the job creators of America; hopefully our politicians will realize this.  Extending unemployment benefits another 20 weeks is not the answer.  Giving an incentive for people not to take any job is a disservice to the countless men and women who will do anything to put food on their family's table. 

The Millenial Generation

I was traveling back to Chicago from NY on a business trip on Friday when I met a college senior from Howard University.  She was getting a degree in international business, with an emphasis on finance and was interviewing at Goldman Sachs for a job in their Human Resources department. We talked about NY and how crowded it is and how people are cramped into apartments...she said she grew up in tight quarters in Saint Lucia, so NY would be ok. 

 

She said she expected nothing less than 60 hour work weeks...mostly because she knew if she didn't, there were others who would.  I asked about her education and coming to the United States; she told me how she started at a junior college and then transferred to Howard.  Started at a junior college and now was interviewing for a job at Goldman Sachs!!!

 

This "twenty-something" was articulate, intelligent, poised and motivated to continue to grow and get a job.  She wasn't looking to make a million dollars, but simply an opportunity to work hard, make her parents proud and accomplish something. 

 

Sometimes society and the media are quick to stereotype people...most recently with the millennial generation as the “entitlement generation”.  I disagree with that, and I meet twenty- something’s all the time who prove to me that individuals are just that...individuals!  All employers should search for the right person, not based on media-created stereotypes.  Sometimes they are hard to find...but when you get the good ones...they prove how powerful one good employee can be. 

Happy Holidays - You're Hired!

Contrary to common job search myths, most companies don’t cease hiring during the holidays. The months between Thanksgiving and the New Year are often the busiest of the year. With many managers scrambling to make the most of their annual budget, and others planning for January, companies are looking to add staff, or research for next year’s hires, before midnight on December 31, 2009.

Showing up when others are taking off may land you that new position to ring in the New Year!

Swim in the Smaller Pool

The holidays are swiftly approaching, and the majority of Americans will use this time as a welcome vacation from their tedious careers. Don’t make this mistake. The pool of job seekers actively pursuing open positions is significantly smaller during the holiday season, and unemployed job seekers should capitalize on this smaller pool of competitors. In a time of gluttony and excess, when others are focused on the holidays, utilize this time to prove to employers your determination and focus.

Stave away the winter blues by vowing to advance your job search one day at a time. Set a goal to complete one substantial step towards employment each day. For example, connect with 15 new contacts on LinkedIn, research five companies and apply to postings on their Web site, or attend a networking event.

Earn Extra Holiday Cash and Career Experience

Regardless of your employment status, seasonal or part-time work during the holidays is an effective way to earn extra cash and gain valuable work experience. Job seekers who take on additional part-time employment within their desired career path are viewed as going above and beyond the expected employment strategy. In some cases, a part-time or seasonal position can even lead to a full-time job within the company or industry of your career dreams.

Capitalize on Gatekeeper Absence

During the holidays, many administrative staff members request time away from the office. Gatekeepers, executive assistants, for example, who protect the process of connecting with management, will often be absent, making it more likely to reach the decision-makers within a given organization. Also, many managers spend more time in the office in the winter months to compensate for time off taken by their staff. Use this time to your advantage; call the company and ask for the hiring manager directly. In this economy, managers receive a plethora of responses to each job opening, and making a tactful and professional phone call inquiring about the status of your application can go a long way.

Don’t wait until the week before Christmas to inquire about open positions. Increase your chances of getting hired this holiday season by submitting your application early, and beat the post-Thanksgiving rush.

Challenge Yourself

I am at my six-year-old daughter’s ice skating time...7:30 A.M. on Saturday morning. My four-year-old son went to the bathroom in his pants twice already today, so sitting in an ice rink for 60 minutes listening to music and watching 15 kids skate doesn’t seem as bad as it did last night!

 

A boy, who is probably 12, shares the ice time, and he won junior nationals, many competitions, etc. I’ve seen him skate at times when my daughter was in a show. Even to a novice dad...he’s really good. While I was watching my daughter, Kylie, I saw this boy’s pants had ice all over them. He never falls, I thought to myself. Then he fell again...and again. Huh?

 

He falls in practice...and then he doesn’t fall in the competition. He pushes and challenges himself when it doesn’t count...and fails. Then he is ready when it does count. Internal talent is a drive to be better; a desire to prove that you're better...than your competition and better than you were yesterday. It’s no different for adults and the work world. Push yourself all the time. Try new “tricks” to see if you can be better. Challenge yourself.

 

It's actually quite fun when you win and improve! Kylie's not too shabby either...

One Thing Not to Procrastinate

While every worker, hourly or salaried, is motivated by different things, I am having a hard time believing that so many people are taking so long to realize what is going on in the economy. Everyone may not follow the stock market; however, when companies are going out of business and the government is taking ownership stakes in others…I would think the people would start to realize how bad things are.

 

Well, I still hear people complaining in the elevator in my office building that they “can't wait until Friday”…and it's only Tuesday! This weekend, at my kids sporting activities, I had one parent tell me how sad they were that their spouse is working so many hours. I couldn't take it…I told her they are lucky they can continue being a one income household. The response was, “Do you think it is really that bad?” There are certain industries which will remain good: legal, education, health care…however, there are still a lot of poorly managed organizations which will not survive this economic downturn.  If you aren’t working harder and doing more to help your company make it through...don't be surprised when you are asked to leave. I was speaking with the CEO of a $30 million company last week, and I told him that his money would be better spent on an $80,000 employee who will work 24/7 than a mediocre $40,000 employee who he isn't seeing a return on. If you aren't contributing to the organization's bottom line, you are adding to the fears of management.

 

So, when I hear the barista complain about having to close down the Starbucks, I think there are a lot of people on the market soon (read: Financial Services) who might want that job at the coffee shop to pay the mortgage. When I hear my clients tell me they have a salesperson complaining about having to meet clients for dinner or make “extra” calls…I think, if you aren't bringing in revenues you're in trouble. It's time to look around your office, your company, your friends and realize that now is the time to hunker down and earn your keep. Your family will be there when the economy improves...make sure your job is too!

What Can You Offer?

People are scared. They are scared of terrorists. They are scared of the recession. They are scared that their homes have lost value. They are scared of losing their jobs. Having vision of what can happen is good...being scared is not a good thing. What can you control? Find out, and take back that control.

Over the past three weeks, my firm has let four people go due to either performance and/or attitude. We have had very open communication with the 70+ employees who work here about these terminations...and we have let people go in the past, so it's not a new thing. We have even encouraged the staff to seek out the coworkers in the units in which these former employees worked to hear first-hand the problems that existed. With that said, some members of the company are still thinking, "Am I going to lose my job?"

The ironic thing is that people look at me as the president and owner of The LaSalle Network and say, "You don't have to worry about losing your job." Fact is, in the 14 years I have been working since I graduated college (University of Colorado Buffalo's will return as a football power!), the only time I have ever worried about my job is as owner of the company. Reason being, I have to depend on so many people to do their jobs in order for me to succeed. When I was a sales rep or a manager of a sales team, I knew my performance and results all the time. I was good and executed and sold. I never had to worry about my job. I took an interest in all aspects of the business so I became more valuable to my company and then busted my butt to succeed. The results were that I knew I had job security because my numbers were always outstanding.

You can't control whether terrorists are going to blow up your plane. You can't control a recession. You can't control what someone will pay you for your home. What you can control is how hard you work, and what the results are from the work you put forth. So, many people say they don't want a career they live for - they want balance. I saw an interesting movie the other day, Michael Clayton. One line from the movie about work/life balance was: "If you really love what you do...that is balance." It made sense to me.

People need to worry about how they can do their jobs better. There is a simple fact: if you are good at what you do, you will find more enjoyment, and if you enjoy what you do, you will do it better. Stop worrying, and start executing!

After Work Socializing

This is a big part of the career experience, for a number of reasons. To begin with, it is important for you to invest your time beyond the "9-5" experience. By showing your coworkers that you want to spend time with them, you are opening up the communication doors at a whole new level. You don't have to be a big drinker, all you need to do is be able to smile, talk and listen.

The key is, do you genuinely care about making this relationship work? If the answer is no, it's just a job, and you don't want to spend anymore time with your coworkers than the 40 hours you must, it will show through. If you don't want to get to know them, you are losing out on a valuable experience!

Why would you not want to expand your social horizons and become friendlier with a new group of people? I read once, you can never have too many friends...and the ability to make friends with people whose income is dependent on the same things as yours is a good thing! "We're in this together" is the message you should send to your team. Plus, it can be a great opportunity for you to get to know people you don't interact with every day. Who knows, maybe one day they will actually be able to help you accomplish something.

Plus the coworkers get sick of your excuses as to why you can't join them.

1. The man's excuse of "My wife won't let me go" is unfair to wives everywhere. They want a night off to go shopping, drinking with friends or simply to watch reality television by themselves while eating fluffernutter sandwiches in bed alone.
2. Women...you're men can fend for themselves. You know, he'd rather have fast food any way, or simply drink beer and watch rodeo on ESPN 2. Let them have their night.

So, lose your lame excuses, invest in your career, and have some fun, make some friends and don't drink and drive!

Communication is Crucial in a New Job

I heard a wonderful story about an employee we just hired as a recruiter at The LaSalle Network. He was speaking with a tenured employee and talking about running advertisements to recruit candidates, as well as other methods to attract talent for our clients. When the point was brought up about using an on-line resource, the recruiter responded, "I know how to use it, however, I want to know how LaSalle uses it."

What a refreshing view. So often in work, employees are hired because they have industry experience and can bring an existing level of competency without being trained. However, every company does things differently and it is important early on in your new job to make sure how you are doing things is the way your manager(s) and coworkers do it as well.

Obviously, there is another option as well. That is to go ahead and say to your manager, "This is how I do 'x'...does this fall in line with how you want it done or how we do it as a company?" Either way is perfectly fine, because you are showing those around you that you are on board as team member and you are willing to conform if necessary to be a productive member of that team. So often people who are experienced in their field join a company, unit, team...and immediately go in to show they know better and this is how it should be done. Communication is so crucial, and the ability to be humble enough to say, "Is there a different or better way," can be a make or break ability in your career transition.

Take great notes of the questions you have, create a log of suggestions you have regarding how you have done things in the past, and make a meeting with your manager to have a free-flowing conversation on a regular basis to make sure you are executing the right way...not just your way.

Tension Over Quitters and The Let Goes

Studies have shown over the years that when someone in your office quits or gets fired, that within 60 days someone else will leave the organization. All of a sudden, there is a tendency of employees to look around and if their coworker was fired, say "Could it happen to me?" and if their coworker quit, they tend to say, "Is there something else, something better out there for me?"

This is not just a work phenomenon, it also happens socially. When someone's friends start getting married, it usually goes in bunches as well for much of the same reason. While I am not an expert in relationships, the work environment is something I do understand. When you have been working at a company, you have to assume that the conversations you have with your manager, your manager's manager, and human resources are for the most part confidential. Especially if they are regarding poor performance and/or discipline issues. If this is true, then it is the same for your coworkers.

So, when a coworker is let go, you must - I repeat YOU MUST (for your own sanity) - assume they had meetings with management about their performance, attitude, etc. Most terminated employees will have negativity, understandable for the most part since their income was eliminated, so you have to have objectivity when looking at the situation. If you were having a meeting about poor performance or attitude, would you want an e-mail broadcast to the entire company? Of course not, so assume your coworker was let go for a very strong reason. If you have been treated well by management, given respect and opportunity, don't let that feeling of good slip away because a coworker, perhaps even a friend, was let go.

So what about if a coworker quits, gets a job for money, a job closer to home, etc., etc.? Wish them well and explore if their departure could create an opportunity for you to grow within the company. If you weren't unhappy yesterday...if you weren't looking for a new job yesterday...why start today? Also, when a coworker leaves, voluntarily or involuntarily, ask yourself this question: Before they left, if you had to list the top 2 or 3 reasons your worked at your company, was the fact that they worked there one of those reasons? Usually it's not and should help satisfy your feelings of insecurity.

Only you are responsible for your career experience. Make many strong relationships with people at your level and above who can serve as confidants, mentors, friends and support. It's not about a relationship with one person, it's about making new work relationships everyday and realizing that the one thing - the main thing - you really have in common is that you both made a conscious choice to join your company! Give it your all every day. It's your career...it's your life!

Bad Bosses of Primetime

In honor of National Boss' Day today, I was up bright and early this morning to chat with Judy Hsu at ABC7 about bad bosses of prime time and how to deal with the real-life versions of them. Bad bosses at the office can be hard to handle, because unlike TV, you can't just change the channel.

Here's some bad bosses of prime time, and how to deal with their real-life counterparts.

Michael Scott - The Office

Michael Scott considers himself as a "friend first, boss second, and probably an entertainer/comedian third." He holds office meetings at Hooters and keeps a supply of "World's Best Boss" mugs in his desk drawer. He's the epitome of a bumbling, deluded and crude leader who's in a position for which he's ill-suited.

How to deal: Dealing with an incompetent, overly friendly boss like Michael Scott entails some coaching on your end. Point out his mistakes, but do so in the guise of advisement. Stroke his ego, be honest and show your loyalty, and your own Michael Scott will keep you around a long time and may even work to get you promoted.

Jack Donaghy - 30 Rock

Jack Donaghy is an almighty boss who's eccentric, outrageous and suffers from a major God complex. He insists on wearing tuxedos after 6:00 pm, even if there's no special occasion and brags out overcoming a peanut allergy through sheer will power. Bosses like Donaghy place themselves high above the rest and expects others to do the same.

How to deal: With this type of boss, it's best to humor him and follow his rules. Create the illusion that you buy into his godliness, and he'll christian you one of his favorites.

Mr. Burns - The Simpsons

Mr. Burns rules through intimidation. Demeaning and demanding, nothing is ever enough for this type of boss (Burns denied Jimmy Carter and George H. Bush entrance to his birthday party for being "one-termers"). Bosses like Burns regularly make threats and follows through with them, which leads to high turnover rates due to firing.

How to deal: Bosses who rule by fear don't last long in real life because they eventually scare aware every one of their employees. So, if your boss is like Burns, you might want to look for another job.

Wilhelmina Slater - Ugly Betty

Wilhelmina Slater is the ultimate scheming boss. She views people as a means to an end. She keeps a board of people she wants fired, spies on the office with hidden cameras and writes off anyone who gets in her way as a casualty. Bosses like Slater are master manipulators and see employees as pawns in their power game.

How to deal: Bosses like Slater value honesty and loyalty. If you decide she's the type of boss you're willing to work for, be open and volunteer information. Follow these tips and you may be promoted from pawn to rook.