Employaid Blog

Congratulations, You’re Promoted!

Barbara Poole — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:36:05 +0000

These days, people are exposed to more news and media outlets than ever before. No wonder it is hard to make some noise in this hugely crowded world of information. If there ever was a reason for blowing your own horn, the time is now. Whether you are an employee in a gigantic corporation, a business owner launching a new product…/service, reaching the eyes and ears of people who should know about you and what you do is critical. This is all well and good. Nothing wrong with a little self-promotion right? But when does it become a little icky? When someone crosses the line, and becomes too much of a walking billboard of news that frankly, becomes annoying. There is a fine line between self-promotion being effective vs. annoying. For more information on making self-promotion successful, read my interview in the Philadelphia Inquirer, posted today. And for more information on handling work and life situations with success, check out www.employaid.com.

When is a Bad Thing Really a Good Thing?

Barbara Poole — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:45:36 +0000

When is what appears to be a bad number actually a good number? The April jobs figures came out this week, and employers added 290,000 jobs to the economy, indicating a long awaited turnaround to the jobs decline. At the same time, unemployment jumped to 9.9%, which on the surface seems bad. It’s actually good news, indicating that more workers are falling off the ranks of “underemployed”. meaning that they were not even counted as being out of work. These workers are streaming back into the employment market, and so the jobless number goes up at the same time. It really is a good thing. But, most economists believe that unemployment numbers will not secrease to the pre-crash averages of 5-6% until the middle of this decade.

Raging at the Screen

Barbara Poole — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:25:27 +0000

Web 2.0 has turned the Internet over to the people. Purchases are made, decisions are reached, opinions are formed, and impressions are indelibly forged by the open Internet. Whether it is Amazon, the NY Times, a Yahoo department, etc. comments are increasingly full of rage. Is it the end of civility? Or is it the freedom that being anonymous behind a computer can bring?

The intensity of comments made, the vicious remarks that are flung out, and the general crassness of tone speak to a deeper issue. As a people, we are angry with so many things. Government, health care, layoffs, economic collapse. It is a rage that is building up to a boiling point. Where to ferociously vent? Significant other? Try that, and it could be the couch tonight. At work? Maybe not, unless a pink slip is what you’d like for lunch. Raging at the screen is the place people go. It is an ugly place, best not traveled.

Ten Fast Track Ways to a Lay Off List

Barbara Poole — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:09:31 +0000

1. Be anonymous.

2 Can the idea of making suggestions.

3. Blindside your boss.

4. Miss deadlines.

5. Stay in your cubicle whenever possible.

6. Never approach any members of Senior Management.

7. Stay away from company social functions.

8. Be difficult and uncooperative on teams.

9. Do only what is asked of you.

10. Don’t volunteer for any extra projects.

So What About the Job Stimulus Money?

Barbara Poole — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:07:24 +0000

The Associate Press reports today that the job stimulus money created to support road projects in the US has barely impacted the rate of unemployment and done virtually nothing to help construction companies. President Obama is asking for another 75 million for a second stimulus money from Congress for more road and bridge building. Is this not like the fairy tale called the Emporer’s New Clothes? In the story, a foolish Emporer stands in front of a mirror in his underwear, only to be told by his tailors how becoming his new set of clothes are to him. Dumping billions of dollars into programs with little or no accountability on the part of agencies who receive the funds is fundamentally flawed. Dumping money into funding for short term relief (and when will the relief come? On the THIRD round of funding?) Continuous spending to band aid a problem with no long term strategy would be a flunking B-School paper.

Employ Yourself: The Entrepreneurial Career Choice Event

Barbara Poole — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:41:37 +0000

On Saturday, January 23, Employaid Events moves to White Plains, the backyard of NYC’ s fast moving small business scene, for an information packed start-up business Event, presented by Employaid.com and Pace University Career Services. We are opening our doors for a seminar filled with advice from world class speakers in the fields of entrepreneurship, personal reinvention, new business models, and mechanics of launching and running a small business. Each speaker has successfully reinvented their own career and will offer candid insight into the realities of change, mindset shift, and the nuts and bolts of running a business in today’s volatile economy.

Barbara Poole, CEO of Employaid.com stated, “The traditional resources available for small business have not kept pace with starting up in this volatile moment in our economic history. Although more individuals are turning to entrepreneurship, it’s not for the faint of heart. That’s why we created this Event. We especially wanted to hold it in a venue convenient to both New York and Connecticut entrepreneurs.”

Jody Queen-Hubert, Executive Director of Career Services for Pace University said, “ Charting one’s own path has never been more attractive. With record unemployment, we felt it was important to look at career alternatives and present the other side of the coin to our Pace alumni and the community. For those who have always dreamed of starting something of their own or those who are embarking on a second career to offer their professional services, this seminar should prove invaluable. ”

Confirmed speakers include:

Keynote Address

Entrepreneurship and You

Gary Whitehill, Founder at New York Entrepreneur Week www.nyew.org

Panel: Career Reinvention and Self Reliance

Kristen Jensen, Founder & CEO at Kristen Jensen Photography www.kristenjensen.com

Robert Valdes-Rodriguez Founder and CEO at RVR Neckwear www.rvrneckwear.com

Kate Gaffin, Founder at www.connectingtogreatness.com

Panel: New Business Models

Graham Lawlor, Founder at www.ultralightstartups.com

Lauren Porat, Co-Founder at Urban Interns www.urbaninterns.com

Melissa Lopez, Business Coach at www.eSourceCoach.com

Panel: Start Your Business Right

Alan Brody, Founder at www.iBreakfast.com

Ray Vandenberg, Founder and Partner www.vanfeliu.com

Barbara Poole, Founder at www.employaid.com

Light refreshments will be served.

Place: Pace University Lubin Graduate Center Auditorium

One Martine Avenue

White Plains, NY

Time: Doors open at 8:15 AM for check-in, coffee and informal conversation. Program begins at 8:45 AM and concludes at 1:00 PM

Register here: http://employyourself.eventbrite.com/
Note! If you are a Pace Alumni, please register for the Event here: http://tinyurl.com/yjzpnum

Directions: http://tinyurl.com/d6spb3

The Graduate Center is located two blocks from the Metro North White Plains Station.

For more information: Contact bpoole@employaid.com (203-470-3286)

About Employaid.com

Employaid is an online community for individuals everywhere to find the resources they need for workplace success, whether they are starting out, are ready to check out of a corporate career, or somewhere in between. Here members will find tools, strategies and skills to navigate every stage of their corporate career or self-employment.

About Pace University

For more than 100 years, Pace University has been preparing students to become leaders in their fields by providing an education that combines exceptional academics with professional experience and the New York advantage. Pace has three campuses, in New York City, Westchester, and White Plains. A private metropolitan university, Pace enrolls approximately 13,500 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lienhard School of Nursing, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, and School of Law

Facebook, Holiday Parties, and You

Barbara Poole — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:27:56 +0000

Everyone is beginning to realize that whether it is a friend, a date, an employer, or even a creditor, the first thing people do to get to know the real you is Google you, look you up on LinkedIn, or check you out on Facebook. Getting smashed at a holiday party? Doing something regrettable captured on film? While these questionable events may have been immortalized on Facebook, today you can start doing something about your reputation management. Just log on to Facebook, go to Settings, and then Privacy. For the first time you will be able to control who will see your photos, wall posts, and comments. So party hardy, and know that in the case of Facebook, you can close the curtains!

Are You Desirable?

Barbara Poole — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:54:49 +0000

Maybe you are to those in your life. Aquaintance, sibling, spouse, significant other, friend, lover – to those who know you – are one heck of a desirable ___________ (you pick the role.) But what about that changes when you’re looking for work? Just about everything. When you are presenting yourself as a job candidate, free-lancer, contract worker, consultant, or otherwise, how desirable you are is an unknown. It is up to you to create a compelling enough reason for the person you want to hire you to have reason to put you in the yes vs. the round file. What are the reasons that you had for buying your last laptop, car, cool jeans, or toy for your kid (or yourself)? Odds are because of the presentation of the merchandise and the latest buzz made whatever it was desirable enough for you to say YES. It is no less important for you to create a level of desirablility in how you present yourself to compel the hiring guy or gal to say YES.

Where’s the Golden Ticket?

Barbara Poole — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:37:48 +0000

There aren’t many golden tickets being handed out as a result of the federal money being made available for jon retraining, so says the NY Times today. In a revealing article, http://tinyurl.com/negqlq, a big factor is that the economy is changing. Many workers do not know where to turn, coming off of long term one industry careers, and and are now faced with the decision of what to try next. What someone decides to study today, thinking that it will be a growing area, may prove to be in decline by the time the course they take draws to completion. Competition to get into retraining programs is high, yet only 60% of students in a NY Times research study obtained jobs as a result of a Community College retraining course. Where does this lead? To self-reliance. A tall order for those among us who punched the clock in the manufactured orderliness of work. Those days are over.

The New Economy of Work

Barbara Poole — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:46:09 +0000

We’ve moved from how to escape from your corporate career, to how to tell if your company is going under, to how to deal when your industry implodes, to how to write a marketing piece instead of a resume, all the way to giving up on the job search and counting on self as the only sure thing. And we’ve done this in what – 8 months? If you’re feeling a little like “deer in the headlights,” you’re not alone. Moving from what was to the reality of what is makes the difference. There’s no more HR Department. There’s no direct deposit, there hadn’t been a new resume in a decade, and it’s time to get with the Program. If you are a mid-career person who is completely lost as to what’s next, the first thing to do is focus on what you know, and even more importantly, who you know. The new power may not be your paycheck (ha! what paycheck, right?) but instead, it’s the power of who you know, and how you contribute to the development of a community to support your efforts going forward. Collaboration holds the key to success in the new economy of work.