Fix What First?

Fix it first, three words uttered by President Barack Obama in his 2013 State of the Union Address, got me thinking after I took my nap during his final 10 minutes and woke up in time to witness Senator Marco Rubio's Big Gulp!  There are many things we need to fix first and bridges may or may not be at the top of the list.

In no particular order, here are some items that could top the list in an attempt to get our economy and employment market back in gear:

• Utility companies need to be compelled to make their grids up to date across the nation so the debacles of storms like Katrina, Irene, Floyd, and Sandy do not keep repeating themselves.  Imagine all the jobs that will be created including design engineer, field engineers, computer programmers, line technicians, etc!
• Public schools, colleges, and universities need funding to restore programs lost in recent years since we will not rebound without proper education being taught.  Partnerships should be struck with all the financial companies the federal government previously bailed out to put some of their riches into education creating jobs for educators as well.
• Contracts placed out to bid by our government for the purchase of just about every possible item one can think of should be open to all interested suitors from within the U.S., not just those on pre-approved vendor lists created by a select group of politicians.  Open bidding will reduce procurement costs and ultimately lead to more jobs.
• The length of time a patent for a prescription drug may be protected needs to be dramatically reduced.  As someone who has to take some relatively new medications, I can assure you the drug makers and insurance companies are out of control.  Opening up competition earlier for the producers of generic drugs will put more money back into our pockets to spend elsewhere and also should result in job creation.
• Mass transportation in many parts of our country is pitiful.  A program to upgrade and expand public transit is desperately needed and will again result in new jobs.

Undoubtedly, some of you are going to accuse me of bashing one political party or the other.  You would all be incorrect.  I hold everyone in the Senate and Congress responsible for getting the U.S. back to full speed.   All among us who are registered to vote need to let our leaders know that there is no time like the present to come together and find a way to create new jobs.

Hess Oil's Layoff Plan

Hess announced plans to shut down its Woodbridge, NJ refinery resulting in a loss of about 150 jobs.  This is not a good sign as we try to rebuild an unstable economy:

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20130128/NJNEWS/301280038/Nearly-200-Hess-workers-lose-their-jobs-under-plan-close-Woodbridge-refinery

Opportunity Knocks!

There are times when opportunity might knock at your door in unconventional ways and it is up to you to respond accordingly.  Not too long ago, I came across a former neighbor who had transferred out of the area to retain his job of  20+ years.  After a few years, he was again forced to relocate to save his position and, eventually, he was laid off as part of a huge reduction in workforce.

Luckily, he received the maximum amount of severance pay possible and had a nice amount of funds from his 401K plan and pension so he and his famlily were able to make ends meet.  Unfortunately, the cost of Cobra cut into their reserves and he started keeping his eyes open for a new opportunity.  One day, my friend took his car into a local auto dealership for service and overheard they were in need of someone to wash cars.

Beingsomeone who loved hanging around cars, this former corporate manager took a minimum wage level job washing vehicles several days a week.  After a few months, the service manager asked him if he would like to shuttle cars between their different lots and also help prepare them for delivery to customers.  He accepted this new job, overachieved and was approached once again.  The person who oversaw the staff who prepped all cars when sold had quit and they needed a new team manager.  The last I heard, he was now a manager of car prep, working 5-6 days a week, making a nice salary to supplement his needs and having a great time as well.

Way too many of us have had doors slammed in our face over the last few years, many of them padlocked shut.  It is essential to make sure that any door that is opened up for you to explore is given the deepest consideration before you consider closing it.  You never know what great adventure could be awaiting you!

Playing All Four Quarters

The college football season has finally come to an end!  Nearly 4.5 months is just too long and I pretty much stopped watching about 2 weeks ago but not before I got an inspiration for a blog entry!  The Rutgers Scarlet Knights provided that motivation but I promise you this is not a sports article.

Rutgers was well on its way to a season of historic milestones in total wins, making their first BCS bowl appearance, and perhaps having an outside chance at contending for a national championship.  All of a sudden, things took a downward swing for them and their final three weeks, including a dismal performance at the Russell Athletic Bowl, were disappointing on many levels.  For some unknown reason, the team that powered through opposition week after week, could not keep up their push beyond the second quarter of each of their last three games.  They came out like gangbusters, leveled off in the second quarter, and simply faded into the sunset after halftime.

Over the years, I have seen this pattern with many candidates who I assisted in finding new contract employment situations.  They entered their new job with a full head of steam, overachieving in every aspect of the job. After about 3 or 4 weeks, the word on the street is they seemed to lose energy and, while still competent, were not excelling any more.  After a few months, any chance of converting to permanent has been eliminated, and the contract was not extended.

Why does this happen so frequently?  I tend to go back to my least favorite word, entitlement.  All too many people seem to believe that once they are in the door and work hard for a short period they are entitled to all the perks available to them without continuing to go that extra mile.  Gainful employment, whether it be as a short term temp, contractor with potential to go permanent, or as a full time employee is granted as a privilege at the will of the employer.

Unless you are are willing to demonstrate a willingness to do excellent work at all times, every single day, you run the risk of losing that privilege.  This has always been the same general rule to succeed, but the need to play hard for all four quarters is even more critical in a challenging economic environment.

Don't Feel Guilty About Change

The movie Guilt Trip was not one of the most exciting(albeit entertaining) films I have viewed but there was an underlying theme which could be of value to job seekers.  A young scientist traveled across the U.S. in a compact rental car with his nudge of a mom trying to pitch his environmentally friendly liquid cleaner.  One retail company after another quickly grew bored of his highly complex presentation and blew him out the door.  On his last stop, he realized he was losing his audience and use his mom's idea of drinking the cleaner to prove how safe it was.  This approach met with great success and enthusiasm.

Think about your interview process.  Do you find that it seems like it has started to drag five minutes after you enter the room and the interviewer keeps looking at their watch, cell phone, the window, etc?  Perhaps, it is time to look for a way to somewhat alter your approach.  As soon as you come out of your next meeting, find a place to stop and write notes about everything that took place.  When you get home, analyze the interview and see when you lost your audience and what you had just said.  Look for a different way to answer the question that stalled you out.  Do this after the next 3 or 4 interviews and look for a trend.

Finally, make a conscientious effort to change your approach.  Most of us believe our way of doing things is the only way.  Sad but true, there are many methods of operation and sometimes, we are too stuck in our ways to notice we need a subtle adjustment.  As someone who is very resistant to change, I definitely advise you to consider making alterations if your current style is not ending up in job offers.

Screeching Chalk!

Do you remember the sound of chalk screeching on a blackboard, sending chills down everyone's back and causing entire classrooms of students to go into shock for a moment or two?  If you were educated in the age of smart boards, keep quiet for a minute!  Those of us who remember know just how awful that sound could be!  There are things that happen in the job search arena that replicate that annoying sound.

Very recently, a job seeker told me that they gave a company $4,000 to develop a marketing strategy guaranteed to deliver a successful job search.  What they got for their money was a poorly constructed resume and a web page dedicated to their search which was very generic and resulted in absolutely no results. The ongoing technical and coaching support which was part of the package seems to have vanished into thin air.

A hiring manager told me of a person they added to their staff who stayed about 4 weeks then jumped ship for double the money.  Just a few weeks later, it was learned that this individual was out of work because they gave notice without a confirmed offer and the new job was placed on hold before the reporting date.

Someone lamented to me that she was not receiving many bites from her resume.  I asked to see it and questioned how she could have gotten to the level she was working at with only an Associates Degree.  Her reply was that she had a B.A. and half of an M.B.A. but that they were not from a school in the U.S. so she left them off!

Decision making is a crucial part of running a great job search.  Please do not make unilateral decisions.  Seek out the advice of several people such as former classmates, relatives, former colleagues, career coaches, clergy people, etc.  Look for a common ground among those opinions and I am pretty sure you will avoid the screeching chalk torture!

Job Resources Related to Sandy

Many people have been talking about the jobs that will be potentially created as the Northeastern U.S. rebuilds from the incredible destruction brought on by Hurricane Sandy.  Quite honestly, it may be too soon to know the full impact on the job market but I did some research and found some sites which might be worth checking out.  What follows is just a start and you should look at all avenues to get back to work.  If there is a silver lining to the massive damages caused by this storm, it just could be that many people might find new sources of income for the next 2-3 years.

www.hurricanesandy.jobs  - Type in the state you want to work in and specify towns if you wish and a variety of jobs related to storm recovery will appear.

http://www.jobs4jersey.com/jobs4jersey/jobseekers/index.html  - Site is managed by the NJ Department of Labor and will provide you with information on what is needed to qualify for and acquire jobs developed in NJ as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

http://www.labor.ny.gov/ui/2012-sandy-services.shtm  - Similar to NJ, this site is operated by the NY Department of Labor and looks to have a lot of details related to employment made available due to the weather related events.

http://unemployedworkers.org/sites/unemployedworkers/index.php/site/blog_entry/disaster_unemployment_assistance_how_workers_can_access_the_program_sandy  - This is a national site with lots of information geared to unemployed workers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Digging Out of the Rubble

My priorities the past several weeks shifted, keeping me away from my blog for an extended period of time.  First, there was a self imposed hiatus as I shut myself down a bit to fend off a round of bronchitis (successfully I might say).  Unfortunately, the same day that my doctor gave me a clean bill of health, an unwanted visitor named Sandy stopped by and was a very ungracious guest.  There is no need for me to document the aftermath of a storm unlike any seen in my home state of NJ as I am pretty sure anyone reading this article, whether in NJ or across the globe, is well aware of what took place.

Crying over spilled milk is not my normal method of operation although this weather event led to gallons of spoiled milk and other perishables as well as loss of lives, homes, and businesses.  Life falls into perspective when disaster hits close to home.  Having lived near the center of tropical Storm Floyd many years ago, the impact this time was even greater.  One thing I have noticed is a change in personality of many people I have come across, a more mellow and reflective demeanor and definitely less of a sense of entitlement and more of a spirit of camaraderie.  Time will tell but I assume this will change as recovery progresses.

This blog is supposed to be about ways to improve one's employment standing and future articles will move back in that direction though I want to share a few thoughts today.  First, employers across the impacted areas seem to be doing their best to return to some sort of normalcy but we must realize the economic losses are massive so some patience may be needed.  Hopefully, proper aid programs will kick into gear to assist them.  Second, if you lost your job due to the storm, contact your local office of unemployment assistance as there appear to be programs to help you get through this time of need.  Finally, there are bound to be a lot of jobs related to storm recovery available so keep your eyes and ears open.  To name a few, companies who perform disaster recovery will need additional staff while the construction industry is going to be overwhelmed for at least the next 12-18 months and lumber and home improvement companies are going to next extra help too.  These are just a few ideas of industries who will benefit from the disaster.

You can sit back and feel bad for yourself or find a way to literally dig out of the rubble and use this as a way to redirect your livelihood.  I am hopeful that positive results will rise out of the horrible rubble that our friend Sandy left behind.