Jobless crisis to become the new normal?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Tom Musbach
“Three years into the economic recovery, but for millions of Americans it hasn’t yet begun.”

Man hold sign: The Next Pink Slip Might Be Yours (Credit: Flickr/Bernard Pollack)

That sobering thought comes from an eye-opening and well-worth-reading commentary in this week’s New Yorker magazine about the extended high rate of unemployment in this country. I don’t read many economic reporters regularly, but James Surowiecki is an exception. He has a way of not making your eyes glaze over, despite the dryness of economic policies and stats.

He cites many reasons why we should be alarmed over the unemployment situation, including studies of how being unemployed is bad for your health and can increase your mortality risk. And he’s rightly troubled that the urgency isn’t alarming more people with the power to make a difference.

And I fear his conclusion is also right: We’re on the verge of accepting high unemployment as the norm.

“A long-term crisis, after a certain point, no longer seems like a crisis,” he writes. “It seems like the way things are.”
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What you can do to make your job more satisfying

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Tom Musbach

I read a good Forbes article yesterday, “How to Turn a Job You Hate into a Job You Love,” that has great insights worth saving. Because hating a job – even for an excruciating stretch that only lasts two weeks – happens to us all.

Custodian enjoying his job, folding towels (Photo: Flickr/evoo73)

Finding enjoyment at work. (Photo: Flickr/evoo73)

The common thread between all 10 tips is initiative. Sometimes you have to work to like your work. The main point is that job satisfaction is in your hands; you can’t expect your boss to read your mind and start making improvements that you want.

Career coach Deborah Brown-Volkmann has offered two other tips that are worth considering.

1. Let go of your need for outside approval.

Not everyone will embrace your ideas. This is only a problem if you listen to the naysayers rather than the champions. One person telling you your idea is no good can derail you even if four people earlier said they loved it.

It doesn’t matter what other people think, only what you think. If you are waiting for other people to applaud your ideas before you can implement them, you may be waiting for a long time. You may think that you need everyone to love what you are doing. While it would be nice to have approval, real approval comes from you and no one else.

2. Realize your career is only a slice of the pie.

When something is not working in one area of your life, it can easily affect the others. How can you make plans in your life when you are in limbo or there is uncertainty in your career? The problem with that thinking (or that question) is it keeps you from moving forward, finding answers, or taking action to do something differently. You lose perspective.

Many people define themselves by what they do, and when that is lost or in jeopardy, they are lost too. Your job and/or career, although a big part of your life, is only a piece of the bigger picture. It is what you do for a living, to pay the bills and take care of yourself and your family. Yes, you want a satisfying career, one that makes a difference for others. But if you don’t have that at the moment, don’t let your frustration or disappointment take over your entire life.

The above pointers are common sense and probably not new to you. But sometimes a solid reminder or two can lead to something revolutionary. Or maybe a new career – see “Filmmaker finds lemonade in a layoff.”

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For my Yahoo! friends who lost their jobs

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Tom Musbach

In what seems like an annual pain, Yahoo! axed some 2,000 U.S. jobs today. Having endured a layoff from Yahoo! over a year ago, I can sympathize.

Hand wielding an axe.I also have a few tips from surviving that ordeal that might help former colleagues who got cut in the RIF (“reduction in force” — a cloying acronym that tries to mask the pain of “mass layoff”).

6 things you must do after a layoff

Acknowledge that it sucks. It’s not your fault, yet you may still feel humiliated or worse. If your instinct (like mine) is to try and hide the pain, please don’t; it’s unhealthy. Let yourself feel the anger, grief, and/or disappointment. Healing will take time, but being honest with your feelings will move it along.

Don’t burn any bridges. Despite the pain, don’t badmouth former bosses or coworkers on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media outlets. (Your severance agreement might also have a clause prohibiting you from publicly maligning your former employer; don’t jeopardize your package.)

Tell people, especially loved ones and friends. This is another hard task because you may expect people to think there’s something wrong with you because you lost your job. But you’re wrong. You’ll likely be surprised by the encouragement and support, and it will help you to start feeling better.

Update your LinkedIn profile. Your resume can wait, but people will start searching your profile on LinkedIn once they hear the news. Update accomplishments while they are fresh in your mind, and definitely fill out the “summary” and “skills & expertise” fields, as they are searchable.

Also, as you left the building you might have had coworkers offer to help or – better yet — write you a recommendation. Take them up on it and ask them to post a brief recommendation for you on LinkedIn.

Take a break. This sounds counter-intuitive, but don’t start your job search right away. Take some time off to relax and do recreational activities that take your mind off joblessness. During my career I’ve been laid off twice; the first time I did not take a break, and that first week of anxiety and frantic activity was fruitless. You don’t have to take a long vacation or expensive trip, but at least take a few days off.

Apply for unemployment insurance. Even though you may have a decent severance package and think you’ll find another job before it runs out, don’t risk it (as I did). It actually takes a good month before you start receiving any money, so get the paperwork started.

Other random thoughts

The bright spot in today’s economic news is that the private sector added 209,000 jobs in March. Hiring in Silicon Valley, where Yahoo! is headquartered, is also heating up. Small consolation right now, I know.

Final note: If you are a coworker who saw others get laid off and want to do something nice for them, write them a brief recommendation on LinkedIn (don’t wait for them to ask). It will be a welcome and truly useful gesture they’ll appreciate.

I blogged more extensively about my six-month stretch in the Jobless Zone last year, and here are some of those posts:

Feel free to leave a comment here with other useful “layoff lessons.”

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April Fool’s Pranks on the Job

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Tom Musbach

Statue with a traffic cone on its head.I couldn’t let April 1 come and go without sharing some humorous examples of April Fool’s jokes on the job.

This year the “holiday” falls on Sunday, so many of us (fortunately) won’t have the chance to enjoy a prank in the workplace. Sometimes these moves can backfire, and the last thing you want to do is jeopardize your job while trying to make people laugh.

The two examples below run the gamut. The first is really brilliant, and it seems like it took a lot of creative work. But it’s really memorable. The second doesn’t involve much creativity, just a lot of waste. It also invites revenge.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

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A risky resignation for all to judge

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Tom Musbach

So far it’s been a fascinating week in the world of work.

Good riddance with a kick

'I Quit' noteThe biggest item may be the “I quit” op-ed that Greg Smith, the now-former Goldman Sachs executive director, published Wednesday in the New York Times. It’s a huge middle finger to the idea of not burning bridges when you leave a job.

A few choice morsels he says about his former employer:

  • “Goldman Sachs today has become too much about shortcuts and not enough about achievement. It just doesn’t feel right to me anymore.”
  • “It makes me ill how callously people talk about ripping their clients off.”
  • “Today, if you make enough money for the firm (and are not currently an ax murderer) you will be promoted into a position of influence.”

The overall tone isn’t malicious, and to many this sort of move might make him a hero.  Or it could make him toast, as one blogger called him. If he doesn’t already have another job lined up, did he just blow it with most potential employers?

Read the full piece and post a comment about what you think.

Crazy temp job?

Check out piece about how a marketing firm hired homeless people this week to be wireless  hotspots at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. The participants made $20 a day and were able to keep the “contributions” that attendees offered for their Internet connection time.

Reaction to the “homeless hotspot” project has been widely negative. Surprised?

And it gets wackier…

In case you’re making plans for a fun prank at work for April Fool’s Day, watch this video. Turns out the angry garbageman got fired for this “joke” …

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Scotland 2012 – Time for a break!

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Tom Musbach
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Scotland 2012 – public, a set on Flickr.

Took a quick trip with friends to Edinburgh, Scotland and had a great time. Barely thought about work!

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Even CEOs complain about too many meetings

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Tom Musbach

Is anyone satisfied with the amount of meetings in their workday? I can’t think of one, at least among my friends and former colleagues.

Same appears to be true for CEOs, according to a recent study that looked at how CEOs spend their time in an average 55-hour workweek. (I think they also ought to study if that’s really the average time CEOs spend at work.)

Chart showing that CEOs spend 18 hours/week in meetingsYou can see from this infographic (credit: Wall Street Journal) that meetings take up nearly a third of that week. While researchers weren’t surprised by the proportion, they nonetheless noted: “CEOs say they pin for more solo time to think and strategize.”

So many professionals I know have similar sentiments – most complain about having too many meetings.

And, to be honest, I wish I had more. But that’s probably because my job is still fairly new – check back in 6 months and see if I’m still singing the same tune. (Since much of my work – writing and editing – is solitary, I enjoy meetings as a way to interact.)

In the interest of using time better and making meetings more productive (and enjoyable), here are some good articles that offer helpful tips:

My favorite tip: Avoid PowerPoint. Nobody likes to sit through someone reading aloud bullet points on a slide!

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Charts: The job market’s momentum

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Tom Musbach

These two graphics — released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of the January jobs report — tell the story all by themselves.

Chart showing monthly jobs created

The picture of job creation. More acceleration would be nice...

Unemployment rate's slow decline

Going down. Need more gravitational pull!

 


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Top 5 sites for your job search

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Tom Musbach

computer keyboardHaving been unemployed for nearly half of 2011, I spent a lot of time on job-search websites. The list below represents the best for helping me find a job, and the sites didn’t waste a lot of my time.

I first compiled the list to help some of my relatives, but maybe it could help others who seek a new job or want hints for the hunt.

The 5 best sites to help you find a job:

LinkedIn: This is a must-do for all professionals, not just job-seekers. First, take care in filling out your profile – use keywords in the summary and skills section, get recommendations from former colleagues. Many recruiters will look for you here, and you want your major skills to easily found when they do searches.

Second, target companies you want to work for, then follow them onsite and check their job listings. Third, use the site for networking — start by finding people you know who are connected to companies you want to work for and ask them questions.

Craigslist: As long it has a section devoted to your locality, this site is still viewed by many employers as a great bargain for posting jobs. The volume of jobs here, divided into relevant categories, makes it great for browsing.

Monster: This is still the biggest job board, used by a huge number of employers. It’s worth creating a profile, saving searches (with email alerts), and storing versions of your resume. You’ll also find plenty of helpful articles about resumes, job interviews, and more. (Disclosure: Monster bought my former employer, Yahoo! HotJobs, so I may be a little partial.)

Indeed: At this site you can save a wide variety of searches, and it’s worth checking every day. In addition, this site aggregates listings from many other sites (including Monster) and save you time.

Specialty site for your industry (your choice): There are targeted sites for certain industries (e.g. local government, journalism, nonprofits) or for career types (e.g. nurses, freelancers). Some of the examples I used: Journalismjobs.com, Idealist.org, and oDesk.com. Do a little research, ask colleagues in your field for their ideas of best sites.

Don’t forget relevant professional groups (e.g. International Association of Business Communicators, National Association of Hispanic Journalists) and the jobs sections on your target companies’ websites.

Of course, websites won’t do it all. You’ve got to get out there and talk to others about your job search. Most experts say networking is the best strategy, and I agree. That’s how I got my current job.

For more ideas to help with job hunting, browse this site, check out my clips, or browse the sections on job interviews and job search.

Here’s another resource in case you had a New Year resolution to change jobs.

 

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New year, new job – for real!

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Tom Musbach

Sunrise in AnsouisSo many people resolve to get a new job every time we start a new year. I didn’t make such a resolution for 2012, but it happened anyway!

As many of you know, I spent six months of 2011 in The Jobless Zone before taking a job at Yahoo! Small Business. I was enjoying my job, when another opportunity came knocking. I wasn’t looking, but a former colleague from Yahoo! recommended me for a content-director position at a startup. I agreed to meet with him and hear about it, and after several weeks I ended 2011 with a job offer.

It was an unusual move for me to leave a job so soon after starting one, and in most cases I wouldn’t recommend others make such a move. But sometimes it works to take a risk and make an exception.

I started two weeks ago at JustAnswer, a site that gives people one-on-one access to verified professionals (e.g. doctor, mechanic, lawyer) when they want it. My role is to help the company’s marketing efforts through content, and here are some brief samples of my work:

Why Chocolate Is Dangerous for Dogs to Eat

Ways to Prevent Getting Type 2 Diabetes

Much more to come! And speaking of new jobs, an estimated 21 million Americans plan to change jobs in 2012. If you’re one of them, don’t forget the basics in your job search!

Or, if you’re looking to become your own boss, check out my article: “7 tips for becoming your own boss in 2012.”

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