Saturday, March 23, 2013

Recovering From a Mental Block!

My blogging took a short sabbatical for a variety of reasons.  Work, volunteer commitments, dreary weather, family time, sequestration all sound like good excuses to fall back on!  Quite honestly, I hit a mental block and did not feel like writing an entry that was meaningless.

Here are excepts of some of the topics I considered writing about but never got motivated to complete.  They are not presented in any order of priority, rather just as they came to mind.

While the job markets in my home state of NJ looks rather dismal still, states such as North Dakota, Arkansas, and Nebraska are showing some energy.  From talking to clients out in the Missouri plains region and most of Minnesota, these are not great places to search for jobs today.

Salaries being offered to new hires are still running anywhere from 30-50% or worse than they were in 2008.  Like it or not, we appear to be settling in on a disturbingly low new normal.

Work-from-home opportunities appear to be declining in number as more and more employers are emphasizing the need to see their team members on a regular basis.  One exception to this is the call center world.  I am noticing that some very large firms are allowing virtual call centers as a way to better provide 24/7 coverage.

Finally, is it just me or do we seem to be experiencing a massive mood swing?  From 2008 until late year, many among us (including myself) seemed very troubled by the economy, job market, cost of living, etc.  In recent months, that concern seems to have shifted into disinterest and indifference.  My concern is that people are simply giving up and letting things happen without weighing in with their opinions or personal efforts any longer.

Wow!  Getting all those topics off my chest (or perhaps off of my hard drive) felt good and will hopefully lead to more productive articles soon!