Tina Brown, editor of The Daily Beast, recently christened today's job market as the "gig economy." Her point is that fewer people seem to have full-time jobs; instead they have contract gigs.
Being a freelancer or contract worker may actually be a practical way to survive this recession. It could also lead to new entrepreneurial vistas.
Whether it's a survival strategy or not, potential gigsters would do well to check out a recent article on the topic, "More Jobs Shifting from Full-Time to Contract." It has some great tips on how to manage the transition from W2 to 1099.
"The good news is contract work will never fully replace traditional employment," writes Larry Buhl, a freelancer. "The better news is many newly minted self-employed professionals -- also called contractors, consultants, and name-the-profession-for-hire -- actually prefer the freedom and variety of self-employment."
To navigate the "quasi-employee landscape of the 1099 worker," you need to be vigilant about your finances, and you need to network as much as you can. "Even when you've landed a good contract assignment, let your contacts know where you are and that you'll be available for work when the project is over," says independent career counselor La-Dana Renee Jenkins, as quoted in the article.
Becoming a freelancer remains an especially viable option for journalists, as newspapers cut staffs or perish. Sites like sologig.com, elance.com, and oDesk.com can help.
While on the subject of journalists, Jill Geisler of the Poynter Foundation has written a fantastic recommendation letter for all job-seekers within the profession: "10 Reasons You Should Hire a Journalist."
She's right on the money. Every job seeker should have such a champion.
Just about everything you need to know about building career success you could learn as a paperboy or papergirl.
That's the suggestion of Jeffrey J. Fox, author of the new book Rain: What a Paperboy Learned About Business. The book is a "business fable" that chronicles the adventures and lessons learned by a paperboy named Rain, and the simple tale has applications for just about any professional whose career is related to business.
The book notes several successful people who delivered papers in their youth: Tom Brokaw, Warren Buffett, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Walt Disney, Naomi Watts, Jack Welch, and Jerry Seinfeld, among others.
A successful businessman and former paperboy himself, Fox participated in a brief email interview with me recently.
Q: In writing Rain, why did you choose this form (fable/business fiction)?
A: I think that story telling is an effective way to engage readers. The stories, and hopefully the lessons therein, are more memorable and easier to personalize than the same messages presented in, say, a didactic essay.
One of the lessons in the book is to treat a job interview as a sales call. How might that approach help a job seeker today?
A job interview is always a sales call. Always! The candidate is both the product and the sales person. 95% of job seekers do not know this reality, and too often are inadequately prepared.
For example, how many times have you interviewed someone looking for a job who says, "So Mr. Musbach, what does your company do?" or "Do you offer dental insurance?" Job seekers of all ages and experience have to first understand that a job exists, directly or indirectly, to get and keep profitable customers -- readers, listeners, viewers, patients, parishioners, members. Job seekers must have some idea as to how they can help the hiring company get and keep customers, reduce costs, boost innovation.
What specific steps should job seekers consider taking to make their interviews more like successful sales meetings?
Job seekers MUST do at least the following:
* Do in-depth research on the hiring company, and on the hiring managers, if possible. One prime objective of the research is to answer this question: If I were the hiring manager why would I hire myself?
* After the research the job seeker must pre-call plan and practice the interview, the sales call. Craft questions to ask. Anticipate questions to answer. Plan how to dress, etc.
* Ask for the job! "Miss Hiring Manager, based on what you have told me I know I can do this job, and do it to exceed your expectations. I am prepared to start contributing today, tomorrow. Will you give me a try?"
What about your experience as a paperboy has helped you most in your career?
A paperboy's job is to deliver to a deadline, every day. No excuses. You do what you promise and give the customer what she expects. Such workplace discipline is often a point of difference.
As you mentioned in the book, there aren't many paperboys or papergirls these days. What similar work experiences do you think might help young people today in learning the good basics about business and professional success?
I can't imagine another job so entrepreneurial, so reflective of the anatomy of business than being a paperboy or papergirl. Other good child labor (and child labor is good) is to shovel snow, mow lawns, baby-sit, dog walking, work in the family business, milk cows, wax cars.
(Full disclosure: I was a paperboy for nearly six years, delivering the Cleveland Plain Dealer.)
As expected, the news today about unemployment was gloomy: 8.1 percent for February (up from 7.6 in January), as the economy lost 651,000 jobs last month.
But you have to remember that statistic doesn't tell the whole story. The rate may be lower in your local area, and you may work in a resilient industry. Or you may have skills (e.g. accounting, engineering) that make you employable in a number of different industries.
It's easy for the bad news about unemployment to generate notions that become accepted as true, even though they have little basis in reality. For example, "nobody is hiring." That is simply not true.
The government report today noted that the health-care sector continued to add jobs, along with educational and social services. And if nobody was hiring right now, then all the job-board sites on the Web would be shut down.
A new article, "6 Myths About Job-Hunting in a Recession," has more good examples of widely accepted notions that are not entirely true these days. For example:
Companies aren't interested in hiring anyone over 55
You should expect a salary cut
Experience and advanced degrees guarantee a job
If you're in the mood to read about more job-searching myths you should not believe, check out Liz Ryan's latest column, "10 Job-Search Myths Exploded."
My favorite: "If the job ad says 'No Calls,' you should call anyway -- it'll show that you're really interested." I guess something about those two letters -- N and O -- can easily be misunderstood. Happens all the time with little children.
The newly enacted stimulus plan -- formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- has been all the talk in the last week. But the sheer size of the effort ($787 billion) has made it a little overwhelming to figure out how exactly workers may benefit.
More than a week after the bill was signed, the actual employment benefits are still unclear, and probably will be for a while.
The Likely Winners
A new article on Yahoo! HotJobs, "6 Fields That Stand to Gain from the Stimulus Plan," sheds some light on what we might be able to expect. Broadly speaking, these six fields will likely see job creation: construction, the "green" sector (devoted to reducing dependence on oil), medical information technology, education, energy and utilities, and the federal government.
All this could mean good news for surveyors, construction workers and managers, medical transcriptionists, conservationists, electrical and mechanical engineers, accountants, civil drafters, and software developers, among others.
Better yet, some of the jobs listed above do not require college degrees; an associate degree or certification could be your ticket.
What Next?
If the news has you thinking about a possible career change, you're not alone. Hunger for such a change usually rises during a recession. But do some homework and reflection first, as recommended in the article, "Will a Career Change Work for You?"
Ultimately the stimulus plan is a gamble, but many experts believe it's the right one. With the administration's emphasis on transparency, I would love to see a "thermometer" tracking actual job creation from this plan. Maybe recovery.org -- or a very clever blogger or media outlet -- already has this in the works?
Hmm. I might have just given a good idea to producers of Anderson Cooper's CNN show, since he likes to "keep 'em honest." Go for it!
The downward slide of the recession is not only changing the job market but also people's attitudes about their jobs. You can summarize the shift in thinking with the song title of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young hit, "Love the One You're With."
You may not have your dream job; but if you've got a job right now, make the most of it.
Satisfaction Gets a Boost
Job satisfaction actually rose during the first year of the recession, according to an annual Yahoo! HotJobs survey. In December 38% of respondents said they were "very satisfied" with their jobs, compared with 28% in December 2007.
"For many people, the deepening recession and ever-present threat of losing their jobs means modified expectations and requirements for job satisfaction," says Liz Bywater, executive coach and president of Bywater Consulting Group. "Most people are just glad to have a job. They may be working longer hours, they may be picking up additional responsibilities as other jobs are cut, or they may not care for their coworkers or boss. Still, they’re employed. In today’s environment, that’s a huge plus."
Author and career coach Hallie Crawford agrees, saying that workers are looking on the bright side. "Because it's not a good time to look for another job, they are forced to be more positive and optimistic about theirs in order to maintain their sanity in a way. If they're unhappy there but have to stay, they might as well make the best of it."
Making the Most of Your Lot
If you're one of those workers and need help seeing the bright side, I recommend the article "How to Love the Job You Have," by Roberta Chinsky Matuson.
Of her many great tips, I'll cite this one:
"Right now it may feel like you have no choice but to keep this job forever. However, this won't be the case if you play your cards right. Use this recession as an opportunity to increase your options. Enroll in evening or online classes, volunteer to work on projects with high visibility and gain the experience you will need to move to a new place in your career. Who knows, this may just be the spark you need to reignite the flames of love again in the job you have."
Which reminds me of the wisdom in another song, "For Now," from the musical Avenue Q. The show's closing song reminds us: "Everything thing in life is only for now." This recession, your job -- only for now.
The huge number of books about how to better your career astounds me. I sometimes wonder if there really is anything new worth writing about.
But last year I read a book that seemed cheesy on the surface, yet the underlying principles have really stuck with me. The book is The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, by Patrick Lencioni.
Job Misery Is Universal
Lencioni illustrates his points about miserable jobs through a story about an executive who is looking for new challenges and a way to demonstrate his beliefs about management. That is the cheesy part, but it nonetheless works in making his point. Just don't expect literary fiction.
"A miserable job makes a person cynical and frustrated and demoralized when they go home at night," Lencioni says. "It drains them of their energy, their enthusiasm, and self-esteem. Miserable jobs can be found in every industry and at every level."
Lencioni blames much of the problem on managers, who are a key factor in the job satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) of their employees. A Yahoo! HotJobs survey pointed to a similar conclusion last year: 43% of workers said discontent with their boss was the main reason they planned to look for a new job.
The Three Signs
Lencioni identifies the three signs of job misery as anonymity, irrelevance, and "immeasurement."
Anonymity: Employees feel anonymous when their manager has little interest in them as people with unique lives, aspirations, and interests.
Irrelevance: This condition occurs when workers cannot see how their job makes a difference. "Every employee needs to know that the work they do impacts someone's life -- a customer, a coworker, even a supervisor -- in one way or another."
Immeasurement: This term describes the inability of employees to assess for themselves their contributions or success. As a result they often rely on the opinions of others -- usually the manager -- to measure their success.
Three Remedies for Job Misery
For workers who may be experiencing the signs of job misery, Lencioni recommends three steps to improve the boss-employee dynamic and enhance job satisfaction.
1. Assess your manager. Is the boss interested in and capable of addressing the three factors mentioned above? "Most managers really do want to improve, in spite of the fact that they may seem disinterested or too busy," Lencioni says.
2. Help your manager understand what you need. This could mean reviewing with your manager what the key measurements for success are for your job. Lencioni also suggests asking your boss, "Can you help me understand why this work I'm doing makes a difference to someone?"
3. Act more like the manager you want. "Employees who take a greater interest in the lives of their managers are bound to infect them with the same kind of human interest they seek," the author says. Or find ways to let your manager know how his or her performance makes a positive difference for you.
To sum up, I'll state the obvious: I recommend the book.
I've heard it a lot, and I say it a lot: If you are unemployed, you need to make looking for work your full-time job.
"Easier said than done" is a logical reply from many. After you've spent an hour or two browsing new job postings, tweaking resumes, and answering emails, what else should you do during the remaining hours of the day? Not to mention the rest of the week!
The advice is solid, nonetheless, especially in this time of rising unemployment and daily news about layoffs.
* Create a list of companies where you'd like to work. Use your connections to make contact with people who work at them. You don't need to ask them directly for a job; just call them to "talk about what it's like to work there," says Leslie G. Griffen, a career coach and principal of The Griffen Group.
* Join a group -- or several. Many job-hunters find meeting with other unemployed workers helpful for emotional and practical support. (For more, see these recent articles in the New York Times or San Francisco Chronicle.) Attending professional association meetings can be even more beneficial, since you'll meet people who are working in your field.
I am a big fan of getting involved in professional organizations -- even by volunteering -- as a surprising and valuable career booster. (Big shout out to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.)
A final tip I would add from my own experience: Set some daily or weekly goals. When I was unemployed after a layoff three years ago, I committed to sending out at least one resume per day in response to job openings that genuinely interested me (even if I had doubts about my qualifications or about the salary).
Even when I didn't hear responses to the applications I sent, I felt a sense of progress knowing that I was meeting my goals and moving forward to the day I would land my next job. Meeting goals also gives you a reason to celebrate and feel better during this tough period.
Last week the New York Times featured an article ("Working Hard To Look Busy") that explored the crafty ways workers are trying to convince others that they have lots of work to do.
The tactics are funny: refiling papers from 1980, sending yourself emails at work, or faking business phone calls. But the reality of not having enough work to do is not. It's excruciating.
The article notes, however, that very few of these schemes results in people keeping their jobs. So instead of loitering on eBay looking busy, why not look for another job?
Let me be clear: I'm NOT condoning the use of company time and resources for any personal activities. You could be fired for surfing job sites just as easily as browsing for dates on Match.com or chatting with Facebook friends.
But if you're not going to try industrious pursuits to make yourself more valuable (and possibly save your job -- see previous post), such as finding ways to make your employer more money or save money, at least the risk of job-hunting on the sly might have an upside.
Searching for work while you're already working is tricky, but it's also wise. I've heard HR people say that candidates who are currently employed often have an advantage over the unemployed. And in this economy, you need every advantage you can get.
But this is where the "wise" part comes in -- you have to be very careful how you proceed. In fact, you should NEVER send a resume or email a recruiter from your work email program. Employers can also monitor and track what's on your computer screen, so know that you surf at your own risk when looking at job sites during work.
Instead, use lunch hours and breaks to better effect, with a personal cell phone off premises, if possible.
The article "Be a Stealthy Job-Hunter" offers 8 great tips for successfully navigating this risky terrain.
Even just planning your exit strategy could pass the time faster than faux filing projects.
The historic inauguration of President Barack Obama made our spirits soar for a day, and I hope that inspiration fuels many of us to work together, to work hard, and to work for the common good.
But getting back into the daily grind brings daunting realities and difficult choices, especially in our jobs. Will my job be around at the end of 2009? Should I settle for less for the sake of keeping a job?
Such questions feed into an anxiety that is affecting more than a third of the workforce, according to a recent survey by Yahoo! HotJobs. About 34% percent of respondents said they are worried about their job security this year.
The feeling is certainly understandable, with rising unemployment and daily gloom from news outlets about layoffs and financial fears. In fact, I'm surprised the number from the survey isn't higher.
Being haunted by job-loss worries, however, threatens to make you a less valued employee, whether it's because of less productivity or a consistently foul attitude. I talked to some experts for a recent article about this anxiety trend, and they suggested several tips for making yourself less vulnerable to a possible layoff. Here are a few:
Go the extra mile. Do what you can to add value, whether it's finding ways to make more money or save more money for your organization. And make sure your boss knows about these efforts.
Nurture your networks. Stay active in professional organizations, take advantage of volunteer opportunities, and keep in touch with friends and associates.
Live within your means. As career coach Jerry Pico said, financial burdens can be a big source of anxiety, regardless of income or employment situation. "Living within a budget will allow you to sustain a comfortable life free of worry," he says.
Another interesting bit of data from the survey: Job satisfaction actually rose in 2008. More people claimed to satisfied at work (38%) than in 2007 (28%). The recession is improving how people feel about their jobs -- as in, "I'm glad to have one!"
So many good historic quotes highlight the importance vision, like this: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." That biblical quote is a bit dramatic, but it's worth contemplating.
Here's another inspiring one, from Helen Keller: "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." (Thanks, thinkexist.com!)
I like contemplating these sorts of quotes at the beginning of the new year. Now is a great time to think ahead, dream of possibilities, and make plans to achieve your successes.
In that spirit, I recommend the article "How to Create a Vision for Your Career." The piece features the advice of career expert Deborah Brown-Volkman, who suggests that you begin your vision-planning by focusing on your wants.
What do you want to see happen in your job or career this year? In the next three years?
It's easy to pay lip service to this idea, but I find committing to such a process is really difficult. I'm easily distracted by other things and just don't take the time to be so reflective -- even though I know it will be good for me in the long run.
The concept of sitting and thinking feels ancient and foreign to me, or maybe a waste of time that will yield nothing. I often feel that same way when I sit down to write, yet I'm usually surprised by results once I give myself over to it.
Fortunately, the article cited above helps get the ball rolling with 10 starter questions. The upcoming three-day weekend could be great for testing this approach and doing some goal-setting. Try it!
