Posts Tagged: recession
Career Trends to Watch in 2011
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Future of Careers Generation Y/Millennials on January 13, 2011 at 3:31 pm
Happy New Year! Over the holidays, I spent some time thinking about the career trends that are most on my mind as we head into a fresh new year. Here are my thoughts, and I hope you’ll share yours in the comments.
1. The job market is not improving fast enough for most Americans. I have to agree with a recent New York Times op-ed by Bob Herbert, which pointed out that, while many data experts are painting a somewhat rosy picture of the economy in 2011, prospects for the 15 million+ unemployed Americans are still very grim.
Citing a Rutgers study, Herbert provides this chilling assessment: “The recession has been a cataclysm that will have an enduring effect. It is hard to overstate the dire shape of the unemployed.” I, for one, am committed to keeping this issue top-of-mind and working to find creative and effective solutions. As always, I will continue to share as many tips, tricks and tactics as I can to help more Americans get the jobs they want and need.
2. Fortunately, recent grad hiring is a bright spot. The good news if you’re looking for an entry-level position is that the job market is improving at a faster rate for recent grads than most other demographics. The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2011 survey has shown that the job market for the Class of 2011 is off to a good start.
According to the organization, “Employers responding to the NACE Job Outlook 2011 Fall Preview survey reported plans to hire 13.5 percent more new bachelor’s graduates from the Class of 2011 than they did from the Class of 2010. When asked to describe the overall job market for Class of 2011 bachelor’s degree graduates, the largest group—almost half of employers— characterized it as ‘good.’ In comparison, last year, the largest group saw the job market as just ‘fair.’”
This doesn’t mean it will be easy for the Class of 2011, but we are definitely heading in the right direction when it comes to entry-level hiring.
3. Job categories are being forever changed. In the op-ed I mentioned above, Herbert also cites another New York Times article, which highlighted the fact that many of the jobs being added to the U.S. economy are not full-time positions with salary and benefits. Instead, “temporary workers accounted for 80 percent of the 50,000 jobs added by private sector employers in November.” This is not a new trend. Temping, freelancing, “permalancing,” adult interning, “free agenting,” consulting and other forms of non-full-time, non-salaried positions have been on the rise for years and they will continue to grow in 2011.
While many people opt for this arrangement as a lifestyle choice, for many other people it is the only option they have. If you are a recent grad or any job seeker, you need to seriously consider launching or re-starting your career in one of these employment situations. Although they may not be ideal, for many professionals these gigs have turned into the only way to get a foot-in-the-door of the workforce.
What other trends will you be watching in 2011? Please share!
New Research on Millennials and the Great Recession
Posted in Future of Careers Generation Y/Millennials on May 13, 2010 at 12:46 pm
On Tuesday night I attended a dinner hosted by the Atlantic Media Company in Washington, DC, to discuss the results of the brand new Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll, which offers a look at the economic experience of the Millennial generation.
There were about 20 of us at the table, including representatives from government, think tanks, media outlets and labor unions. The discussion was moderated by Ron Brownstein, who is not only a well-respected journalist and father of a Millennial, but, I learned, is also a fellow fan of Lost. (Yes, he was careful to end the dinner before Tuesday night’s episode.)
Here are some of my main takeaways from the discussion and the poll:
Job security is trendy. One of the more surprising findings of the poll is that 55% of Millennials say their goal is long-term employment with a single employer. And, when asked to rank their most important workplace priorities, job security was number one (with money a close number two). Personally, I believe this will change as the economy improves. I just don’t see Gen Y-ers sticking with traditional career paths with all of the options and portable benefits available in the new economy. In fact, many of the dinner attendees joked that they don’t even want to work for their current employers for the rest of their careers.
Read the rest of this post on my “College to Career” blog at MyPath.com…
Tips for staying afloat in a grim job market
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Job Search Tips Networking and Personal Branding Recommended Career Resources on February 10, 2009 at 8:17 am
If you walked around midtown Manhattan during the summer, you might have seen the financial executive, in his late 40s, who paraded around in a sandwich board declaring “Experienced MIT Grad for Hire” and handing out copies of his resume.
A few months later, you might have come across a group of job-hunting, 20-something recent graduates promoting their skills though sidebar advertisements on Facebook and links to their online resumes.
What intrigues me about these methods is not just the guts these job seekers displayed. It’s the different generational approaches to self-promotion. The baby boomer gravitated to in-person, face-to-face networking; the Millennial went right to the Web.
If you are looking for a job in the current recession, my best advice is to borrow from the playbook of both of these self-promoters: combine “old-fashioned” methods with new technologies. Diane K. Danielson, my colleague and co-author on the book The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking, calls this a “clicks and mix” strategy, and it’s an important marketing strategy if you’re looking for a new position.
Here’s why: Young adults are competing in the job market with much more qualified people who have been laid off and need to find any job they can. At the same time, older professionals are competing with younger workers who are willing to be hired for less money and security. And, in this economy, every job seeker has to try every job-hunting method available.
Here are some self-marketing tips for job seekers of all generations: click here to read the rest of this article on ABC News on Campus…
On CareerTV: “Feed Your Future” Recession-proof your job search”
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Internships Job Search Tips Networking and Personal Branding Recommended Career Resources on February 8, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Many thanks to CareerTV for interviewing me for a new segment, “Feed Your Future,” sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. If you’re a student at UT-Austin, please come to the LIVE event on Monday, February 9th at McCombs School of Business. Click here for more information on this FREE event.
To watch the video, click here.
Video on PwC.tv: How to recession-proof your job search
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Internships Job Search Tips Networking and Personal Branding Recommended Career Resources on January 14, 2009 at 9:07 am
The bad news: 2008 was the worst year for jobs since 1945.
The good news: It’s a new year, and with that new year comes new advice, new tips and new resources for job hunters.
Recently, PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the best places for young professionals to launch a career, invited me to provide tips to help students and recent graduates find jobs and internships right now.
Click here to watch the 5-minute video and to download a list of 10 ways to recession-proof your job search.
If you have additional questions, feel free to submit them here.
Your career questions answered
Posted in Uncategorized on January 7, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Each month I’ll be answering reader questions over at ABC News on Campus. This month’s Q&A includes issues such as job hunting in a recession, job hunting in a new city, finding finance positions and assessing the value of internships.
Essential recession reading: 5 new articles for young job hunters
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Internships Job Search Tips Recommended Career Resources on December 18, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Yesterday I was a guest on NPR’s Talk of the Nation on the topic of “Where to Look for Jobs in the Recession.” Laurence Shatkin, author of 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs, and I shared our tips, and host Neal Conan took calls from listeners.
Many listeners shared upsetting stories of layoffs and difficulty landing new jobs, and many also offered suggestions on what companies and industries are still hiring. We discussed opportunities in healthcare, education, accounting, trucking, energy, defense and more. Listen to the full program here.
We also talked about the fact that job hunters today have to cast a very wide net in their jobs searches. To that end, here are several recent articles that offer an abundance of suggestions, resources and opportunities: (more…)
Bright spots in the bad economy: 5 places to look for jobs right now
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Recommended Career Resources on December 7, 2008 at 2:40 pm
There’s no doubt the big career story of the moment is the November unemployment report, which stated that the U.S. experienced the biggest monthly job loss since 1974. In total, we’ve lost over 2 million jobs in the past year. This is, obviously, very bad news for job seekers (although, according to Fortune magazine, slightly less bad for those with a college degree — hat tip Keppie Careers).
I believe that constant news about the bad economy leaves job seekers with two choices: 1) focus on how bad the job market is and feel paralyzed, or 2) understand that it’s bad and look for opportunities anyway.
I’m going to recommend door #2. To help, I spent some time this past weekend looking for bright spots in the bleak job market. It wasn’t easy; there’s a lot of terrible news out there. But there are definitely opportunities in this recession.
Here are five of them: (more…)
What are you doing to shine? 5 ways to stand out in tough times
Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials on October 27, 2008 at 7:34 am
I was struck by the last line of a recent article in BusinessWeek about career strategies for a recession. The line comes from an executive coach who says:
“If you can shine at this moment, you’ll shine forever.”
That’s a pretty strong statement. I’m not sure if any one time period can define an entire 40- to 50- year career, but I agree with the coach that your actions right now are crucial. If you want to stay employed and even advance in tough times, you have to go the extra mile. Here are some tips for how young professionals can shine in an economic downturn:
1. Be solution-focused. Now more than ever, it’s important to bring your boss and clients solutions rather than problems. Instead of saying, “Bad news. The printer has just raised his rates and we don’t have the budget to do our monthly mailer,” shine by saying, “The printer has raised his rates. I’ve researched three other possible printers that are less expensive. Here are my recommendations for how to move forward.”
2. Spend time on highest-priority projects. Now is not the time for busywork. Ask your manager what projects are most important right now and spend most of your time and energy on those. Check in regularly to make sure your work is always as relevant as possible.
3. Be visible. Getting your work done is very important, but it’s meaningless if no one knows what you’re accomplishing. Do not — I repeat, do not — fall into the trap of keeping your head down and hoping that your work will speak for itself. Send positive updates to your manager, speak up at meetings and get up and walk around a few times a day. (To avoid looking like you’re not busy, use your walkabouts to discuss current projects and ask colleagues if there’s anything you can do to support them.)
4. Be a resource. Another way to shine is to be the go-to person in a particular area — industry news, company policies, trend research, a complex financial model, sentence structure, whatever is important in your company (hint: it won’t be helpful to be the go-to person on the best local happy hours). If your expertise is valuable to your colleagues and you’re generous about sharing what you know, you’ll help to make yourself indispensable.
5. Study other stars. Finally, pay close attention to the professionals in your company who are thriving in tough times. Who is getting promoted? Who is landing plum assignments? Who is everybody talking about? There’s no escaping office politics, especially in bad times when everyone is feeling a bit more competitive. As a young professional, you can learn a lot by studying and emulating the actions, attitudes and relationships of your company’s most popular people.
What are your strategies for shining in dark times? Please share!
