Survey: Job Vacancies Are Hard on Those Left Behind, Too

on June 28, 2012

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According to a recent Careerbuilder survey, some companies believe that job cuts have left their organization a little too lean and mean.

Some 34% of employers believe that unfilled jobs have left the remaining staff overworked, resulting in lower-quality work. Roughly the same number of employers surveyed believed that the job vacancies caused a loss in morale; 17% thought the vacancies led to higher turnover.

And 23% of employers also believe that their companies suffered a loss in revenue because of those vacancies.

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Take a Hike: Job-Search Advice For Recent Grads

on June 25, 2012

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I remember it like it was yesterday, heading back to my college dorm with my friend Ed after taking our last final exam in our senior year. He looked at me and said, “Did you ever think this day would come? I mean, it’s the last day of school. Ever.”

I started to think about it, and he continued, “I mean, when we were little kids or in high school, you were always excited about the last day of school and summer starting, but in the back of your mind, you knew you’d be right back in school again in a few months. But this is it. Now we have to get actual jobs. We’re never going to have a last day of school again. Ever.”

So with that depressing scenario, my recent college graduates, what should you do now?

   Read More →

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How Good People CAN Get Jobs: Four Great Ways to Beat the “System”

on June 14, 2012

Gunsworthy14

We knew our post last week, Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs, was going to touch a nerve.  It’s like there are two job markets out there: one where companies can’t find skilled candidates, and another where qualified applicants apply and never hear a peep.  Something’s broken, and a big culprit is the multiplicity of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) that many companies use to handle online job applicants. But good news: there are ways to up your chances of success.    Read More →

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Who Says Moms Can’t Launch Successful Startups?

on June 14, 2012

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Last Saturday the New York Times’ business section ran an article (“Nurturing a Baby and a Start-Up Business“) about women with small children who launch high-growth tech companies. It profiled several women launching and running highly successful start-ups while they are pregnant or have very young kids and how their success is “dispelling the image of the tech entrepreneur as a single, usually male, wunderkind.”

The article goes on to say that the investing world remains skeptical about a woman’s ability to launch a tech startup and make it work while also raising young kids. Apparently some — but not all — venture capital firms are concerned that women with small children won’t put in the long hours and give the 150% required to make a fast-growth tech company work in the first few crazy years.    Read More →

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What I Saw at the New York Tech Meetup

on June 14, 2012

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We’re pleased to welcome Sheryl Victor Levy to the blog. As a coach for businesspeople who don’t want to be left behind by technology, and as a digital strategist in her own right, she always aims to be a little bit ahead of the curve. She’ll be blogging for us about the ways that digital marketing, advertising, and media are changing just about every other aspect of business — and what you need to know to use this knowledge to your advantage.

Last week I attended the June New York Tech Meetup, along with nearly 800 other guests. Given that the group as a whole has some 24,000 members, these Meetups are always in demand. I had an extra ticket, and I received more than 25 emails in less than 24 hours asking about it.

The event consists of two hours of presentations by local startups, and then an after-party (which yours truly was way too tired to attend). I have to say, the evening was pretty cool.    Read More →

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How to Handle the World’s Worst Interview Question

on June 12, 2012

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You know the one we’re talking about:  “What’s your greatest weakness?”  If you’re at a job interview and you’re not ready to say what your greatest weakness is, then your greatest weakness is being unprepared.

In a recent “Dear Lucy” column, Lucy Kellaway of the Financial Times looked at the right way to go about concocting an answer that will pass muster with the interviewer.

She says it’s dumb to name something that’s obviously a strength, e.g., “I’m too demanding,” “I’m too hardworking.” At best, you’re not fooling anyone, and at worst, your interviewer might think you’re “insufferably smug, deceitful, or [have] no self-knowledge.” (And it might even prompt the interviewer to ask the same thing all over again, in a slightly different way.)    Read More →

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Seven Smart and Savvy Ways to Start Your New Job Off Right

on June 11, 2012

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Congratulations on starting a new job. You’ve got a new outfit, a new attitude, and a new paycheck. Be sure you start things off right by being conscious of your surroundings and by managing your expectations. It’s not easy being the new guy. You’re psyched. They’re psyched. But nobody knows what’s really coming next. You radiated energy and intention in all those interviews. They did too. Everyone was on their best behavior. Now you’ll see them in their native habitat.

Some of your coworkers will maintain the facade longer than others, but soon you’ll get a glimpse (or a massive dose) of reality. Nobody ever really knows what they’re getting into until they are in place and fully present, with all their political and emotional sensors on high alert.

To ensure you get off to a smart, savvy, and successful start, focus on these seven factors.    Read More →

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Four Tips for Making the Most of Your Internship or Temp Job

on June 6, 2012

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It’s the classic Catch-22: You can’t get a job or change careers without the necessary experience … but how are you supposed to gain experience if no one will give you a chance?

The answer: find an internship or temp job! And this advice applies not just to recent graduates, but to ANYONE at any age, at any stage of their career.    Read More →

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Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs

on June 5, 2012

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There are still lots of unemployed or underemployed workers out there, but many companies say they just can’t find the right employees to fill openings. What’s behind this seeming paradox?

To get some answers, The Wall Street Journal talked with Peter Cappelli, a professor of management and human resources at Wharton, who just wrote the book Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs. He argues that some companies are obsessed with getting people with the perfect experience and stats, so they end up with no one: “for every story about an employer who can’t find qualified applicants, there’s a counterbalancing tale about an employer with ridiculous hiring requirements.”

Cappelli also lays the blame on overly rigid screening software, which is rejecting people who might actually be qualified: “applicants rarely talk to anyone, even by email, during the hiring process,” so there’s no way to clear up confusion over experience, job titles, job-history gaps, or anything else.

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Just Back from Maternity Leave? Get a Mentor Mom!

on June 4, 2012

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As you may have heard, the Big 4 accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has a program that matches experienced working moms with moms-to-be about to go out on maternity leave.

What an excellent program! It gives new moms an experienced “mentor mom” to talk to about all of the issues they are concerned about while on maternity leave and in those first few super-hard months back on the job. Issues like how to function on very little sleep, how to handle the separation from your little one, and the practicalities of pumping on the job. Love it!    Read More →

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