thecareerbeat.com Blog

Ready for disposal: vacation?

Vacations are supposed to relieve anxiety, not cause it. Yet many people are stressing out about vacations — particularly about whether or not to take them.

Whether it’s the cost of traveling or the fear of losing your job once you’re gone, many Americans are deciding to scrap their vacations this year.

Recession Victim?

When asked how the recession has changed their 2009 vacation plans, 61% of Yahoo! HotJobs site visitors responded that they are not taking a vacation at all. An additional 7% said they are taking less vacation time this year.

The informal online poll, conducted in the second week of May with over 6,000 responses, includes participants who are unemployed.

Last year we saw a similar trend, when 51% of respondents planned to skip vacation.

“Vacations are usually the first thing to go when people feel job or economic pressure,” says Joe Robinson, a trainer in work-life balance and author of “Work to Live.” He continues, “We’re programmed to believe that free time is worthless, a frill to shove aside, but vacations are as important as watching your cholesterol or getting exercise.”

Rescue Plans

Experts have offered some great tips, including:

• Remind yourself: Vacation is not a luxury.
• Put aside some funds each week. Even $20 or $50 will help finance a small trip.
• Plan leisure activities near home.

Some employers are also forcing workers to take vacation this year, which can save the company money — especially through a forced shutdown, as at the holidays. It can also be good for workers, especially ones who might be hoarding vacation time as a hedge against possible unemployment. (An understandable impulse, to be sure!)

For more on how to safeguard your vacation, see the article “Vacations Take a Hit from Recession.”

Poll: Email keeps blurring work-home boundaries

More than a third of Yahoo! HotJobs visitors said they check work email after hours several times per week. While this phenomenon may seem like a necessity for many workers these days (due to the recession), it can also be unhealthy.

Q	How often do you check work email after work hours (nights, weekends)?
Many times per week	36%
A few times per week	10%
Occasionally	13%
Never	17%
I’m not employed	24%
4146 Votes to date

For some helpful advice about how to handle the blurring of boundaries between work and home, see these:

• Wireless Working: Rudeness Made Easy? 
• Wired at Work: Avoiding the ‘Leash’

Poll: Almost half have been out of work 4 months

According to a Yahoo! HotJobs poll last week, 40% of site visitors said they have spent 4 months or more on unemployment benefits at some point in their careers.

But even more — 43% — said they have never collected unemployment. An encouraging sign, perhaps?

Q	What is the longest amount of time you’ve received unemployment benefits?
Never	43%
1 month (or less)	6%
2 months	5%
3 months	7%
4 months (or more)	40%
5432 Votes to date

Chart offers great perspective

This chart presents a very interesting view of what’s happening in the labor market. The surprising item is the number of hires compared to the number of separations.

There is still plenty of hiring going on!

So often you here people get discouraged today and say things like, “Nobody is hiring,” or “There are no jobs available out there!”

But this layout suggests that the scene isn’t as bleak as many frustrated job seekers might think.

Sure, it’s still tough out there, but the data laid out here gives some encouragement to persevere in the job search!

On salaries big, small, and sweet

A recent article tracking the best- and worst-paid professions found many food-service workers at the bottom of the pay scale — when strictly looking at annual wages.

Not surprisingly, medical jobs were among the highest-paid. Surgeons topped the list ($206,770), followed by anesthesiologists ($197,570) and orthodontists ($194,930).

Bottom three: Combined food-prep and service workers ($17,400), fast-food cooks ($17,620), and dishwashers ($17,750). The rewards for being a barista or “sandwich artist” are definitely more than monetary.

But now a new contest offers one VERY lucrative food-service job: Scooping ice cream. You could make $100,000 in one day — courtesy of Edy’s Grand Ice Cream.

Who wouldn’t want to make $100K in a single day of work? Whether you’re a foodie or not, employed or not, this sounds as irresistible as a triple-scoop waffle cone on a hot summer day. The promotion coincides with the 80th birthday of Edy’s Rocky Road, a flavor that gave people something to smile about during the Great Depression.

The contest involves writing about how you would use the $100K salary to fulfill your American dream. For more details, check out www.icecream.com and follow the “Taste of Recovery” links.

Poll: Most job seekers don’t use Twitter

According to the latest Yahoo! HotJobs poll, only 8% of respondents said they have used Twitter to help with a job search. Lots of untapped potential!

Q	Have you used Twitter for help with a job search?
Yes	8%
No	92%
5226 Votes to date

Many Twitter users have found enterprising ways to learn about available jobs and contact recruiters. It’s a tool worth exploring. I use Twitter as a way to share tips about job searching and career issues; you can follow me at HotJobs_editor.

Check out this blog post for more tips on using Twitter for your job search.