Archive for April, 2009

Over these last two months, we have been working hard to process a wealth of feedback from our viewers. Early on, it became clear that our Job Board Directory (JBD) needed some work.

The majority of jobs posted on the internet come from Monster and Careerbuilder. Millions of listings, in fact. But beyond these, there are hundreds of trade groups and niche job boards that post high quality opportunities. Then there are services like Indeed and SimplyHired that aggregate job listings from many different job boards without actually listing any unique or proprietary jobs. It’s a little bit of a mess.

Our Job Board Directory does not post jobs. The JBD is a portal to all of these hundreds of job boards where you can figure out which ones are the best for your unique job search. In the JBD, you can peruse hundreds of job boards based upon the industries that they specialize in or the ways that other job seekers have rated them.

It is designed to be the first stop in your job search, but not the last.

As of Monday, the JBD has an entirely new look and structure. We even added a few job boards to the database. Over the coming weeks, we will be adding even more. Check it out and let us know what you think. And if you have used any job boads in your search, use the JBD as a way to rate and comment on their usefulness.

Everyone has a bottom line: an industry, position or company that they vow to never work in and avoid at all costs. No matter where your bottom line lies, the scary truth is that this troubled economy may leave you feeling as though you have little choice or options.

Your confidence is shaken, you begin questioning your qualifications, and before you know it, you find yourself in desperation, accepting a position in which you are overqualified, underpaid, overworked, unappreciated - and dressed as a hotdog. Okay, your situation might not be that extreme, but you still need to prepare for the possibility of professionally “backtracking.” Many less than desirable jobs have some redeeming qualities that could be useful in leveraging your way back up the ladder of success. The only problem is that you still have to interview for them.

How do you survive an interview for a position that doesn’t quite match up to your ideals? You may decide that settling for a job you don’t really want is hardly worth the energy used to muster the fake smile and enthusiasm, which is one way to survive it.

But if you find that the short straw is better than no straw, you’ll need to have a plan.

The first and most obvious task is to not let your potential employer on to the fact that you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. This is where that fake smile and enthusiasm will come into play - you need to psych yourself up and find solid reasons, other than the fact that you’d like a paycheck, for seeking out the position. Make a list of those other pros - experience is generally a good place to start - and practice your delivery; after all, you need to be able to convince yourself before you’ll ever be able to convince any hiring authority.

Next, like any interview, research the company and convey your interest. The position may be a step (or several) below what you’re used to in terms of pay grade, prestige or even responsibility, but that doesn’t mean it can’t open up new doors.

Finally, you’ll need to answer for yourself, as well as the interviewer, where you see yourself future-wise. Again, this is true for any job seeking situation, dream job or not - employers want to know that they’re investing in your longevity. If there’s a possibility of growth within the company that could get you even inches closer to your ideal, you need to educate yourself on it and indicate your willingness to participate in the process, even if it means paying some dues first. But you won’t get a chance to pay any dues unless you appear genuine, and that’s tough to fake. Of course, you can’t know everything before an interview, and if you come across some red flags that you just could not handle, it’s important to trust your instincts and be upfront.

For example, I interviewed with a staffing agency for a strategic coordinator position serving a general clientele of financial institutions. The recruiter was vague about the responsibilities, but drew me in with the specs on salary, benefits and the fact that the position was temp-to-hire. At the interview, I discovered that the position entailed coordinating the repossession of automobiles on defaulted accounts. Even worse, the recruiter didn’t miss a beat telling me about how tow-truck drivers had been chased away with baseball bats and later refused to cooperate with these coordinators, a problem he claimed required more “creative” solutions.

As I knew my conscience would have a problem with coordinating anything that would take away a person’s transportation, and ability to work to pay off a loan, I thought it best to tell him. After all, there’s no bailout for being down on your luck and making stupid decisions with your money. Or is there?

Living in Manhattan, I spend about 20% of my salary on rent every year. When I spent five months unemployed, the rent didn’t fall. Pulling together such a large sum every month was a constant scramble of unemployment checks and odd-jobs.

But the tides are changing.

If you live in California, a sand state, or Motor City, then you’ve already seen real estate prices fall as much as 50%. But in some areas — especially greater NYC– real estate has been stickier. According to Tyler Cowen, the median price in Westwood buys you 100 median-priced houses in Detroit. For the NY home owner, that’s been good news. But for us renters it’s been brutal.

According to a number of industry experts, however, many of the more resilient areas are poised for a correction. This is by no means good economic news. But for embroiled job seekers it will take some pressure off of the wallet. Conservative estimates put NYC housing 15% lower in a year. Pessimistic ones ratchet the decline up to 45% over two years.

Anecdotally, it feels like this has already started to take hold. Our landlord lowered our rent 8% without a whole lot of prodding. In the neighborhood, comparable properties are renting for as much as 15% less than we pay already. For high-rise buildings and newly-rentable condos, it’s not uncommon to see the first 1-2 months of rent free with a one year contract.

I’m rooting for the housing market to stabilize. But in the mean time, why not take advantage of falling prices?

We just concluded a survey here on TheCanned.com about job seeker priorities. As you might expect, the priorities reflect the times.

If I had asked the average job seeker what he was looking for two years ago, I bet the top answer would have been either more money or more prestige. These days, prestige has fallen off the map. Only 3 percent of our 275 respondents listed “prestige” as the most important factor in their job search. A cool-headed 15 percent said professional development which, given the times, is perhaps the best tactical move.

Ringing in at No. 1 with a 15 percent margin of victory: stability. Coupled with 22 percent of the voting pool who said I’ll take anything!, this survey paints a desperate picture.

But what does it mean to chase a “stable” job in such unstable times? Aside from working for the federal government, stability is tough to pin down. The Treasury is hiring, and I’d label that department stable. From there on out it gets murky. Perhaps, after all, the best indication of a company’s stability is whether or not they are continuing to hire. If this is true, it is redundant for jobseekers to chase stability.

Instead, try thinking two moves in advance. Of course paying your bills comes first. But after that, try looking for positions that will set you up for future career growth. You’re probably not going to get rich during the next year. But given the opportunity to develop professionally, you can be first in queue when the market picks up.

Compensation and prestige still matter; they just matter as a potentiality rather than as an immediate reality.

So you got canned and are now facing a lack of funding for the more enjoyable things in life. Sure, you may have had to cancel your Netflix and cable subscriptions, but look on the bright side — you now have fewer distractions to keep you from discovering more creative and less costly ways to appreciate your new abundance of free time. Here are just a few ways that you can have some fun without assaulting your wallet.

1. Keyword search: Free. Search local newspapers, magazines and the Web for free events in your area, and bring a friend! April is National Poetry Month — celebrate by attending a reading! For those of you in the Indianapolis area, Charles Simic, last year’s Poet Laureate, will give a free, public reading at Butler University on April 21.

2. Revive game night. Bring your copy of Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit out of retirement, call your friends, and get playing!

3. Seaweed soiree. Invite your nearest and dearest to help you make Sushi dinner! For around $45 you can roll enough seaweed to feed about 8 people - it’s much less expensive than dining out, and much more fun!

4. Get Lost. The fact that you cancelled your cable is no excuse for missing out on this (or another) primetime network show. Host a Lost party and use the commercial breaks to discuss the multitude of questions you will undoubtedly have just five minutes into the show.

5. Four squares. Buy some chalk and a kickball, go take advantage of the spring weather, and have yourself a four square tournament. I am not even kidding. And while you’re taking a break from the ball bouncing fun, give that sidewalk some art!

6. Sing for your life. It’s Karaoke time — grab some friends and find a bar that has it! If you have access to play it, Singstar is the karaoke option of preference for those who like to belt out tunes in their usual tone-deaf style without a huge crowd present. Either way, you’re sure to have a good time.

7. Get bikini ready. Feel more confident in your one or two-piece swimsuit this summer and use getting canned as an excuse to get in shape. Taking a jog is always free!

8. Don’t skimp on the Holidays. Get creative and plan an adult-friendly activity for an upcoming holiday. Recently, my roommates and I hosted an adult Easter egg hunt — the eggs were filled with hilarious dares and, of course, candy! You’re never too old for candy.

There are hundreds of job boards on the internet, many of which are either very specific or very worthless. To help people find the best ones, we created the Job Board Directory on TheCanned.com.

Over the last month we have gotten a hundred or so comments on this section. People write things like:

• “I need a job. can do concrete management work. (Redi Mix) Have beena rebar detailer and estimator for last 6 years +”
• “Interested in strategic marketing/branding position in the New York City/Westchester/So. Connecticut area”
• “Looking for an instructor position in the Cosmetology field”

These comments tell me two things: First, the job board directory is confusing and needs to be redesigned (it has been and a shiny, new directory is coming soon). Second, people need some guidance about how to network and job search online. Since we already covered The Truth About Job Boards, let’s take a look at online networking.

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter… these can all be valuable resources in your job search. Chris Brogan writes some decent articles on building personal and business networks if you’re interested in lots of details. If you’re intersted in the quick scoop, from the perspective of a job seeker, then keep reading. Read the rest of this entry »

Recessions are like wildfires– they are destructive in the short run, but ultimately necessary to clear away the dead wood and rubbish. Companies get bloated and inefficient in boomtimes, then purge when the economy corrects itself.

In an ideal world, the first guy to get canned would be the least valuable. The all-knowing boss would rank all of his employees in terms of salary-weighted output, then estimate his budget shortfall and can the appropriate number, starting from the bottom of the list and working his way up. In reality, politics and superficial evaluations determine layoffs.

Fox doesn’t like it. In a forthcoming “reality” TV show, Someone’s Gotta Go, employees at struggling small businesses vote on who gets canned. Camera crews document the whole affair, including candid interviews and lots of (presumably) over-dramatic build-up.

Needless to say, Someone’s Gotta Go is already stirring controversy.

Regardless of the perversion of the idea — a network benefiting from the misery of others — this thing is going to be a hit. People who have recently been fired will watch it out of schadenfreude. People holding on to their jobs will watch it like a train wreck.

I, for one, am counting the days until fatal consequences work their way into reality TV. Our voyeurism have come a long way since The Real World. It’s only a matter of time until the reality TV version of The Most Dangerous Game, where men hunt other men for sport.

Until that day, I guess we’ll all have to watch people get fired on Fox. It’s far from escapist, close to home, and maybe just perverse enough to be entertaining.

There were only 59 shark attacks last year, down from 73 in good ‘ole 2007. Live Science speculates that the fall is linked to fewer beach-goers in these tight times. Either that, or unemployed people are just less appetizing than nine-to-fivers.

If I were a shark I would go for overfed, undersexed, inactive desk-jockeys. The veal-like quality of the office worker is far superior to the learning-to-cook, finding-time-to-work out, making-time-for-love jobless person. Not to mention, layoff beards are a known deterrent to sharks.

In all seriousness, vacation properties are gearing up to get killed this beach season. And they will. This is far from the lighter side if you’re looking for work in the hospitality industry, but a silver lining for the rest of us. Fuel costs are way down and hotel occupancy rates haven’t been this low since people stopped flying after 9/11. Not only are hotels courting travelers with recession specials, but you can probably squeeze them for more. People often don’t realize this, but hotel rates are negotiable. Your average booking agent has the discretion to knock as much as 20 percent of your rate without even contacting a manager.

Not to mention, your joblessness gives you the superpower of flexibility. Why blow a weekend in a beach town when you can relax, apart from the crowds, Monday through Friday? Travel Zoo regularly updates a Top 20 List featuring last-minute vacation deals. Or have the Priceline Negotiator, William Shatner, put your flexibility (and frugality) to your advantage. And there are always the perennially-inexpensive options: hostels, campsites, family and friends.

The point is, the price of a vacation can get damn near close to free these days. Try taking a break from the job-search grind to enjoy yourself. Consider it economic stimulus for the shark community.

This is an embarrassing confession, but I am, what some might consider, a “guppy.” What I mean is that after four-plus years of classes, projects, tests and term papers, I find myself proudly toting a degree but lacking the combination of dazzling experience and applicable skills that would compel potential employers to hire me.

You may be a “guppy” as well if you find yourself asking the question, where is the job board for recent graduates with buckets of relevant knowledge and only mediocre résumé experience? Perhaps you have received a smattering of rejection emails, claiming your qualifications are impressive, but not quite in tune with the hiring manger’s search parameters. The truth is, my guppy friend, your opportunity to get even a pinky toe in the door of your choice career field is drying up as I type this article.

Recent graduates must face the possibility that entry-level jobs providing the elusive on-the-job training for future, more lucrative positions may grow even more scarce in the coming years of this shaky economy.  Companies are seeking to further trim the fat of their budgets and heap the grunt work on to more seasoned personnel. But fret not, small gills — there are steps that we guppies can take to improve our overall marketability. First of all, and this rings true whether you fall among the guppy ranks or not, it is imperative to remember that you have options. Options are the best friends you can have right now: weigh them wisely. For your consideration, here are just some of the many options at your fingertips:

1. Intern. Okay, school is over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get that edge you crave oh-so-much by taking on an internship. Use your degree as a negotiation point — after all, you know what you’re doing!

2. Volunteer. This is a great time for you to scour your city, do some networking and find opportunities to donate your services in exchange for that valuable hands-on experience. Someone you know may know someone who knows someone who needs help in something that you are good at.  Approach them and offer your talent and time. Don’t think of it as an unpaid internship minus the college credit; consider it a valuable addition to your resume.

3. Switch it up. Still waiting tables since earning your marketing degree because you’re scared you won’t find anything better? Don’t hurt your chances of breaking into a field just because you’re already getting paid.  Get on the job boards, put out your resume, and try to find a position relevant to what you’d really love to do. Things aren’t that bad.

4. Become a big fish. There are tons of organizations (ahem, Peace Corps) that need dedicated guppies, like you, to go out into the world and make a difference. Not a bad way to just keep swimmin’.

5. Do your own thing. Get a group of people together or go solo and start a project, a Web site, a publication, even a company! Take an idea that matters to you and run with it. Make something happen for yourself — be the one to invest in you.

6. Jump overboard. Now might be a good time to consider working abroad, while you’re still young and have fewer responsibilities on your plate. Take a year or two, explore and live out of your element, and see what you’re made of. You’re guaranteed to surprise yourself.

7. Go back to school. If you feel that your background is inadequate, then earning a second Bachelor’s degree might be a good choice. Focus on enhancing your current skill set, networking to improve your chances of finding future opportunities in your field, and enjoy being able to put off those loan payments just a little longer.

These are just a few of the many options available to help guppies like us get out of the puddle and swimming in the big pond.

Got canned? Don’t let the pink slip spoil your travel plans — a well planed vacation can be the best time to reassess your life.

For every door that closes, another opens. Or so the saying goes.  While being let go may feel as if that door has been slammed shut in your face — and a huge, double steel-enforced, iron-clad door at that.  Look at the situation this way: the opportunity to finally figure out what it is you truly want to do in life is at your doorstep.

A great way to deal with the uncertainty of being unemployed is to travel or go on a vacation. After all, a vacation can be the best time to recharge our emotional batteries. It affords us the opportunity to temporarily step back from the personal and financial concerns that often accompany a job loss. What more, a trip away from home can initiate the process of self discovery. It can also be a time to reevaluate your career goals, or merely an excuse to learn a new trade or skill. But whatever it is, your sojourn need not break the bank.

Travel Web site Travelandleisure.com has just published a list of the best vacation destinations for the laid off and unemployed. So if you have the means, go ahead — expand your horizons, figure out what you love to do and open a new door.

1. Join the non-profit network Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

For those looking to live a more ecologically friendly lifestyle, WWOOF is an international exchange program that provides room and board accommodations to volunteers in return for part-time work on an organic farm. If self-sufficient farming is your gig, this is definitely an opportunity worth exploring.

2. Stay for free: House Swap

A “house swap” or “home exchange” is a vacation arrangement where two individuals or families agree to exchange homes while on vacation. For a small fee, Web sites such as www.homelink.org and www.homeexchange.com aggregate listings of those looking to exchange homes and match participants across the world.

3. Set Sail

www.CrewFile.com is a free international database that aggregates job listings for yacht crews and maritime jobs. Through their online database you can search for crew vacancies on an array of ships varying from mega yachts to commercial fishing boats. The best part: you don’t need to know how to sail or even have an experience on the open waters.  Captains and stewards are willing to train the right candidates.

4. Hit the Slopes

Have you ever considered joining a ski patrol or becoming a snowboard instructor? If you’re looking to develop the required skills or simply need class and test prep time to become certified, The Base Camp Group offers world-class instructor training at affordable prices. The program specializes in one-on-one sessions where trainees are shown the fundamentals of technical coaching, prepped for exam certification and are trained in safety and first aid response.

5. Save the world

Worried about the manatees in Gambia? The Earthwatch Institute is an international non-profit organization that focuses their efforts on protecting endangered species and conserving the environment. Ever year nearly 4,000 people volunteer to field research and conservation projects in over 50 countries.