Employaid Blog http://employaidblog.com Uncut Observations on the Working Life Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:16:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 en So What About the Job Stimulus Money? http://employaidblog.com/2010/01/11/so-what-about-the-job-stimulus-money/ http://employaidblog.com/2010/01/11/so-what-about-the-job-stimulus-money/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:07:24 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=53 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.

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2010/01/11/so-what-about-the-job-stimulus-money/feed/ Employ Yourself: The Entrepreneurial Career Choice Event http://employaidblog.com/2010/01/05/employ-yourself-the-entrepreneurial-career-choice-event/ http://employaidblog.com/2010/01/05/employ-yourself-the-entrepreneurial-career-choice-event/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:41:37 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=51

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

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2010/01/05/employ-yourself-the-entrepreneurial-career-choice-event/feed/ Facebook, Holiday Parties, and You http://employaidblog.com/2009/12/09/facebook-holiday-parties-and-you/ http://employaidblog.com/2009/12/09/facebook-holiday-parties-and-you/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:27:56 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=49 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!

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2009/12/09/facebook-holiday-parties-and-you/feed/ Are You Desirable? http://employaidblog.com/2009/08/20/are-you-desirable/ http://employaidblog.com/2009/08/20/are-you-desirable/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:54:49 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=45 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.

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2009/08/20/are-you-desirable/feed/ Where’s the Golden Ticket? http://employaidblog.com/2009/07/06/wheres-the-golden-ticket/ http://employaidblog.com/2009/07/06/wheres-the-golden-ticket/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:37:48 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=42 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.

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2009/07/06/wheres-the-golden-ticket/feed/ The New Economy of Work http://employaidblog.com/2009/07/01/the-new-economy-of-work/ http://employaidblog.com/2009/07/01/the-new-economy-of-work/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:46:09 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=40 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.

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2009/07/01/the-new-economy-of-work/feed/ Survive at Work http://employaidblog.com/2009/01/26/survive-at-work/ http://employaidblog.com/2009/01/26/survive-at-work/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:11:13 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=38 A few months ago, career columns were all about how to leave your job, or escape from your job, or develop a social media job search strategy, or write a resume, or present yourself to a prospective employer in ways that would dazzle, and so forth.  In the wake of 500,000 layoffs and far more on the horizon, job search has been eclipsed in the media by advice on job preservation.  This slideshow on how to save your job, presented by CNN/Money Magazine, would make a great screen saver.   As the economy worsens, the added stress of saving your job while looking for a job makes for a rocky path on the road to the New Economy.

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2009/01/26/survive-at-work/feed/ Reality in 2009: Migrating to a New Industry http://employaidblog.com/2009/01/14/reality-in-2009-migrating-to-a-new-industry/ http://employaidblog.com/2009/01/14/reality-in-2009-migrating-to-a-new-industry/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:36:06 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=24 Here we are in January.  It is traditionally the time of year when bookstores display huge stacks of books on weight loss.  In a “what’s up with that deal?”, cookbooks are selling like hotcakes at this time of year as well.  What is happening here is that two ends of the spectrum are going on at the same time, and one end can very well cancel out advances made at the other end.

In a similar fashion, the traditional push at the New Year is to satisfy career goals.  There are lots of great books and materials to help in the search process.  But, much like the Dr. Doolittle character called Pushmi-Pullyu we’re experiencing an employment paradox.  It is a moment in time when millions of  lofty career aspirations are being cancelled out, since industries are drying up faster than someone can post their resume online.   What does all this mean to you?

Searching for a career in the same way that conventional wisdom dictated even a year ago doesn’t cut it anymore.

Financial services, auto manufacturing, real estate construction are just a few of the victims of the economic collapse.  What will you do if your industry dries up?   Many workers are returning to school as a way to mark time while searching for their next position.   Still others are lost in a downward spiral of staring at the online boards in the vain hope of finding employment in the same old way, hoping against hope that buried deep in the listings they will find a spot that suits them perfectly.

Who succeeds in this new employment economy?  People who understand product marketing, and learn to position themselves as a desirable commodity in the new world of work.  Here are five tips for making product marketing work for you:

1. Understand your current industry.
To completely evaluate your industry means researching not only news stories, business web sites, and seeking out the words of experts. It also requires you to know about pay scales for positions comparable to yours, as well as geographical regions the industry gravitates to, and projected economic factors that could slow or propel the industry forward.  You can also do some Informational Interviewing. Talk with people in new industries as well as your own to get their views on who’s hiring, who’s firing, and the employment  picture going forward.

2. Figure out the themes in specific positions within industry sectors.
For example, if you are studying health care institutions, you will hear lots of talk about satisfaction scores, and the competition for patients’ voluntary admissions to obtain procedures.  It becomes obvious that high levels of customer service are going to be necessary to lead healthcare into the next decade.  Start-ups?  Lots of quick decision making.  Manufacturing?  Leaner business processes and green energy efficiency.  You get the picture.

3. Evaluate where you stand.
This is usually where the getting stuck part happens:  OK you say, that’s very interesting, but I don’t have any experience in any of these things.  But, dear Employaid Member, odds are you do, in some shape or form.   This is the time to grab a coffee and tally up your significant career achievements.  Next to each accomplishment, list out the reasons why you were successful.  Was it great skills, a super mentor, a supportive team, technical ability, and so forth.  Look at each situation in the way a hiring manager would be reviewing your resume: from the outside in. Now compare where you stand against the trends you’ve gathered in your own industry analysis.   The skills you “own” make up your personal portfolio.   These are your golden tickets, yours to leverage outside of your current industry.  In areas where you know you need to get stronger, begin an all out campaign to acquire the skills you need in the shortest amount of time.  (Subscribe to industry journals, read at least one major news source daily. Enroll in a fast track certificate program. Join a professional trade association.  These are but a few ways to gather the knowledge that you need.) Why the rush? Savvy marketers know that audiences are fickle, and the darling of one moment may be yesterday’s news.   While you are off marking time in school, the world can turn upside down, and you’re back to square one.   Yes, college without a doubt provides a platform for success.  However, in the new economy, speed to market is key.

Success in the New World of Work comes to those who can most quickly migrate their skills to new industries.

4. Package yourself for success.
When I talk with people, I often ask the question, “If you were a box of Cheerios, how would you market yourself?” That’s a tough one for many to answer. It requires a person to go beyond what they need in a position to think about what an employer needs to hear to get to the next step: your particular brand coming off the shelf and into the cart. The process gets a little trickier when applying for jobs in different industries. What will you highlight for a position with a start-up, vs. a position with an established health care provider? What will you feature on the front of the package for each variation in position or industry? It is the same reason there are Honey Nut Cheerios, Whole Grain Cheerios, and so on. Variations on a theme are called line extensions by marketers. It is all about taking the same product and changing it slightly to attract a different consumer. How many line extensions can you create for your next position? How easily will you be able to repackage yourself for your next move?

5. Never stop marketing yourself.

Once upon a time, life was very predictable. Get to work at 9:00 AM. Punch the clock. Head to the cube. Take a break at 10:30. Get the direct deposit. Take a week’s vacation in June, when the kids are out of school. For those who remember Bob Dylan’s words in the song, “The Times They are a Changin.” Legacy companies who offered the veil of security are becoming extinct. Company loyalty in the way our parents understood it to be is a thing of the past. The skills you’ve acquired in your current search are ones that need to stay in play on a continuous basis. Much like the “Ready Go!” bag developed by Homeland Security, developing a Ready Go! Career Strategy is essential for success. One thing is for sure, is the fact that careers as we have come to know them have forever changed. The average life span of employment is now 2.5 years. Odds are you’ll be migrating to a brave new world before you know it.

 

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2009/01/14/reality-in-2009-migrating-to-a-new-industry/feed/ College is Over…..Get a Job! http://employaidblog.com/2008/08/27/college-is-overget-a-job/ http://employaidblog.com/2008/08/27/college-is-overget-a-job/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:02:00 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=20 From College to Cubicle

Employaid is thinking Career Placement!   We’re committed to being a resource to upcoming college grads who are entering the workforce.

In September, we’re shooting videos about the whole college to work scene. Whether you or someone you know is  in career entry mode, or you can remember that time and wish you knew more back when it was your turn, your ideas are valuable to us.

Please post your ideas for videos to help college seniors and grad students get ready to enter the workforce.   From researching companies, networking, and everything in between, these are tough times.  For now, lives conducted through IM’s and texts must be converted to real conversation!

As with all of our videos, we’re delivering McBytes of information that can be viewed in about three minutes. Thanks in advance - help college grads hit the ground running. They need every paycheck they can get :) Scripting starts next week - get your idea on film and receive credit for it on Employaid.com by responding ASAP.

]]> http://employaidblog.com/2008/08/27/college-is-overget-a-job/feed/ Don’t Pick up the Bait http://employaidblog.com/2008/08/05/dont-pick-up-the-bait/ http://employaidblog.com/2008/08/05/dont-pick-up-the-bait/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:30:29 +0000 Barbara Poole http://employaidblog.com/?p=18 I am writing this tonight on the way to St. Petersburg, Russia.  It is a place I never thought I would visit.  A world of mystery, harshness, and over-reaching government.  Of all the places to find an analogy to life in corporate America, this was the last place I thought I would find it.  But there is one.  I learned that Russian police have such meager salaries that they seek to fatten their wallets by harassing tourists for money.  It goes like this: at any moment, a tourist can expect to be approached by a policeman, who demands passport and documents for inspection.  The cop finds “an irregularity” and immediately demands payment of a fine.  If you push back, he will eventually go away without the fine.  However, if you’re not a Russian native, you will not be as lucky.  Another situation involves petty thieves who will throw a wallet on the street, and wait until an unsuspecting tourist picks it up.  At that moment, he leaps out and demands that the tourist pay back the money he “stole” from the wallet.  While wallet scams can happen in Russia, we’re also talking about petty crimincals in other metro areas where people are desparate for survival.

Times are tough in today’s job economy.  And in corporate America, the landscape is just as rough.  How often does it happen that employees in companies that are experiencing layoffs and restructurings are called out for faulty reports, hours irregularitiess, or any infractions too many to list here?  The fact is that as jobs become more precious, people become more intense in their desire for self preservation.  Whether it is a “document irregularity”, or a symbolic wallet on the street, savvy employees learn the art of being participant observers in the movie called work.  They are as much in the movie as they are observing it, giving themselves strategic advantage over those who will intentionally trip them up for their own gain.  The moral of the story:  Push back if the message you receive is a faulty one, and whatever you do, run from a wallet on the sidewalk like it has the plague.

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