>> The economy is going to continue to be in the toilet, despite any reports otherwise.  There will be too many job seekers, too many laid off people, and way too much age discrimination.

In 2010 we heard the ratio was five job seekers for every job posted (which, as we all know, doesn’t mean they were real jobs).

If this continues then we have 4 out of 5 of every job seeker that simply won’t get a traditional job.  SO MAYBE IT IS TIME TO STOP LOOKING FOR THE TRADITIONAL JOB?

Maybe it’s time to look for something else. I wrote about this in my first post for 2011: The Job Search Rabbit Hole, where I talk about how perhaps we are down the wrong rabbit hole… !

>> I don’t think employers are going to hire normal employees like they have because it is so expensive.  Between healthcare, benefits, etc. it is just too expensive.

I don’t see this changing, ever. We’re headed down a bad path. This does present opportunity, though.  Look at how the so-called beltway bandits operate in the D.C. area.  It’s too hard to hire new federal employees, so companies have started to fill the gaps and the owners can make a ton of money off of the inefficiencies of the federal government (and their employees make very good money, too).

Maybe that “traditional job” needs to be replaced by owning a company, whether you have employees or not (in which case you’d simply be a contractor/freelancer).

>> I think we’ll see a lot more people go the freelancer/contractor route, as well as try their hand at a business idea.

Two thoughts:

First, get started now, learn what you need to, refine your pitch and product and get the wrinkles ironed out.  When the opportunity comes you’ll be better prepared than if you have to hustle down to get your business license, etc.

Second, if you have experience with this, perhaps there will be a lot of opportunity to help others navigate this water.  In other words, there will be opportunity to be a consultant to new consultants and freelancers.

>> And maybe more of the deinstitutionalization of the corporate structure, as we know it.

What I mean by this is that companies will continue to change.  This change is painful for us, but it is a necessary part of business evolution.  When some kid from Harvard can make a simple website that has a market cap bigger than many Fortune 500 companies, and is poised to control the world (Facebook), and two dudes from Stanford can turn the way business is done upsidedown (Google), with very little investment and no manufacturing needs/issues (inventory, low margins, etc.), things have to change.

If indeed the world is changing, what does that mean for companies – how are they going to change?  And how do those changes impact us?

I think it means we all need to act more like CEO of Me, Inc. and less like Employee #134982342.  We have to be more aware of our surroundings and more in control of how we act on opportunities.

We can’t rest once we land a job.  We must continue to be vigilent, continue to network, continue to work on our brand, etc.

2011 is a year of intense career management.

I remember when I commuted to his office with him and his peers, sometimes they would talk about money.  They would say something like “you won’t get rich but as long as you manage your money well you’ll always be okay.”

During employment and throughout retirement, it was a sweet gig.  Not so sweet that you wouldn’t look at the private industry people with their big bonuses and stuff, but the sweetness was in the SECURITY.

WAS.  Past tense.

Check out this post on HuffPo: Government Jobs No Longer So Secure.

If you want to get a sense of how insecure these jobs are today, set up a Google Alert for “layoff” and whatever word best describes your industry or profession (or even company).  You might be surprised to see all of the layoffs in that area.  I have done this since about October and I’m shocked to see the percentage of layoff announcements with so-called secure jobs.

A question then becomes: if we aren’t getting the security there, where do we get it?  OR, what is the new draw of those gov’t jobs?

I am a second year MBA student getting ready to graduate and am looking for a job. Please let me know how JibberJobber can best help me.

I love this question… and it goes deeper than what JibberJobber, a job search organizational tool, can do for you. Let me share 5 thoughts with a college student getting ready to find their first job:

1. Record things now. I remember the college days, and all of my buddies… we were so tight we’d never forget one another, and definitely not lose track of one another. And I have lost track with just about every single one of them. One thing I wish I would have written down their parents contact information so I could get back in touch with my buddies through their parents.
2. Think like a professional. Get out of the “I’m just a student” mentality and realize that the minute you walk out the door with your sheepskin people don’t think of you as a student. Get out of it now… even before you graduate. So, what do professionals do? They network. Build relationships. When someone comes in as a guest lecturer, think about how to develop a professional relationship with them. Same thing goes for professors… who should (hopefully) have industry contacts.
3. Figure out your marketing material. AKA, your resume. I’ve heard resume writers talk about the college resume, and I’m amazed at their perspective. You can write your own resume, of course, and you are smart, but I would advise you to get a resume writer who has experience with recent grad resumes. Start with Career Resumes, of course.
4. Help others. Help. Help. Help. When you give leads, make introductions, etc.  There is more value for you in helping others than in helping yourself.  It’s personally rewarding, and it will come back to you.
5. Realize you are going to be in career management mode for the rest of your career. You already know this, perhaps, but just to hammer it home. Unemployment and job search cannot be treated as the pink elephant that you only face when you are looking for a job. Always, always always do career management stuff. Always nurture professional relationships. Always keep a list of target companies. Always _________ all the other stuff (which is a lot, but it’s a process).

Again, you are in an enviable position!  Go forth and conquer!

Originally posted as part of a tip about salary negotiation (33 things to think about when negotiating your executive compensation), these things are essentially a laundry list of the kinds of job benefits you could see as part of your employment package:

* 401K eligibility requirements
* Bonus structure
* Business travel
* Car/Allowance
* Cell phone, PDA, laptop, etc
* Child care
* Club memberships
* Competitive work clauses
* Dental
* Disability
* Educational reimbursement
* Equity
* Flexibility and influence in hiring decisions
* Funding for research, start-ups or other discretionary projects
* Hours or work schedule
* Insurance coverage
* Job functions
* Life Insurance
* Location of work
* Medical
* Office or contents of office
* Optical
* Parking
* Pensions (if applicable)
* Profit sharing
* Relocation assistance
* Retirement provisions
* Salary
* Support structure (e.g. administrative support)
* Termination clauses and terms
* Title
* Training programs or mentoring
* Vacation time

This list can be a bit overwhelming, so as we get to the three things to take with you, let’s start by knocking out the overwhelm, and:

1. Rank them. Not 1-33, heaven forfend. Break them up into three categories: “Must have,” “Nice to have,” and “Don’t really care.” Don’t be rigid about putting 11 in each category. It’s better to be honest with yourself and really think about what matters to you, so you can make well-informed job search decisions.

2. Consider the bigger picture. Job benefits contribute significantly to both your “total compensation” as well as your work/life balance and job satisfaction. For example, would you take a modest reduction in salary in order to telecommute two days a week, saving gas and giving you extra time with your family? For some professionals, that’s a slam-dunk yes. How about you?

3. Don’t limit yourself. As we noted in a previous post, “Every year, in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For issue, they review the benefits offered by the listed companies. And the one of the best sections every year is their ‘Unusual Perks’ list.” Though the list above covers the most common benefits you could encounter, it’s not the be-all, end-all. And some of those unusual options might be enough to propel a company up to the top of your targeted job search list.

Suddenly, salary questions are getting a bit more complicated.

If ever there was a time to consider the broader job offer package and what it delivers, this is it. From flexible work hours to telecommuting, 401(k) matching to stock options, the base salary you get from your employer (or the one you offer to a prospective job candidate) is becoming less of a factor in the job decision these days.

Don’t get me wrong – base salary isn’t becoming irrelevant by any stretch of the imagination. I’m simply pointing out the fact that, in previous job surveys, quality of life plays a much higher role in job satisfaction than salary alone.

You probably knew that, but did you take it to the next level? Considering what’s going on in our economy, and knowing how expensive it is to find and recruit new talent, isn’t it that much more important to look at the whole pay package now?

And how much more satisfied will people be if their companies take into account the current economic situation when crafting job offers and reviewing best practices for benefits to existing employees?

Look at gas prices alone. Employees can literally save hundreds of dollars a month if they have a 9/80 or 4/40 work schedule; if the company promotes carpooling, vanpooling, or public transportation options; and if employees are allowed to telecommute one or two days a week.

Telecommuting still isn’t what you’d call “widely available” to people, but it could be with one simple tweak to expectations. Just set a goal. Say, “I’ll let you stay home to work today, but I want X, Y, and Z done to show for it.”

Check out this CNNMoney.com story to learn more about how folks are feeling in this economy….

1. Do you get them at all?
2. If so, does your company contribute to them?
3. Are you contributing to them?
4. What are your tax implications?

As forehead-smackingly dumb as Question #1 may seem, not every company offers executive benefits. But “in 2007, with new requirements from the Securities and Exchange Commission mandating that companies disclose the value and change in value of their executive benefits plans, it will be even more important to know where a company’s benefits practices stand in relation to those who the company competes with for key talent,” said [Ward] Russell, [President of The Todd Organization], an executive benefits consulting firm.

The Todd Organization “reviewed proxies and other financial disclosure documents to determine the prevalence of executive benefits at 276 publicly-held companies which are headquartered in the United States. All of these companies were selected as America’s Most Admired companies by Fortune Magazine in 2006.” And here’s what they found:

92% of companies offer one or more nonqualified benefit plans

86% of companies offer voluntary deferred compensation programs

81% make at least one company contribution to a nonqualified benefit plan

64% offer one or more supplemental executive retirement plans (SERP)

And it’s a safe bet the number decreases as you get off the Most Admired list.

Now, to the final questions: What are you contributing, and what are your tax implications? Check with your tax professional to be sure – that’s the advice I have to give, regardless of the fact that I’m about to spout off some tax-related advice – but you still have time to make contributions to your retirement plans for the 2007 calendar year. Where do you put your money? In a Roth, a SERP, or some other fund?

The answer’s going to depend on the number you want to appear on your 1040 – or the number you want to get below, in order to hit a different tax bracket. Pay for a tax pro. Speaking from experience, it’s the best thing I did for the last eight years or so.

And if you’re not getting those executive benefits? Russell’s quote suggests you could do well if you started discreetly looking for a new opportunity.

As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.

And when it comes to job benefits, many people either know there’s something out there they’d like to have as a benefit, which they’re not getting at their current company. Like child care assistance, for example. I never worked at a company that offered it, but I knew of companies that did.

Or they don’t know it’s even possible to get a certain thing as a job benefit. I’m not talking about perks like free sodas and a company ping pong table. I’m talking about big things like adoption assistance. That’s a new one on me, and apparently it’s accessible to 11% of corporate employees nationwide.

At least, that’s what the National Compensation Survey:  Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2007 says. The results of this survey were released in August, and if you want to check it out, it’s a breezy 39-page, table-filled read in PDF right here.

The result of a penny or two of your tax dollars, this Bureau of Labor Statistics survey offers a comprehensive overview of one of the main drivers of employee satisfaction in our country. Considering that competition for qualified talent is heating up, the ball is in your court as a professional, executive, or manager to find the position that suits your needs right down to the ground.

Actually, that ball was in your court all along, but the Robert Half/Career Builder study linked in the previous paragraph just goes to show the odds of you getting what you want have improved over the past couple of years.

Check out this previous blog post for another list of potential benefits you could be getting, and as you polish your resume for your job search, don’t limit yourself to considering what the perfect job looks like – why not try to get closer to your perfect lifestyle?

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.

No, what I’m talking about is how many of us (yes, I’ve been guilty of this a lot of the years) just accept what’s offered to us in our work and our lives, rather than actively living by a set of values and choosing to accept or decline based on those values – or to go out and get something for yourself when the choices you’re offered don’t work for you.

I took some time to go over the Work Values Checklist from Monster.com today, and found it to be a simple and powerful tool for getting your values up into your conscious thinking level – which is a great start, because the more you’re aware of those values, the better chance you have of making decisions in line with them. And that leads to a more satisfying work life (and life life).

The one thing that didn’t quite ring true for me was the “golden handcuffs” description of the Extrinsic Values. Sure, people use certain qualities of their work as excuses to stay in a position. But if those qualities are of importance, then you need to know that to be able to find the right job elsewhere, especially if your current position fails you on the Intrinsic and Lifestyle Values.

(Maybe I’m just being fussy, but I would’ve liked to see a greater acknowledgment of their importance.)

If you set aside 15 minutes or so to go through it, I think you’ll be pretty pleased with what it reveals. And if you’re not sure how this will help you in your executive job search, consider this quote from the end of the article:

Finally, write two or three sentences describing or summarizing how your values will translate into your ideal job. Knowing what’s important will help you prepare for your next interview or help you find increased satisfaction with the job you have.

It’ll also help with your resume preparation, I daresay.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.

One of the biggest issues you’re going to hear about this political season is health care, and I just came across some collected information at The Huffington Post about the various candidates, which compares their positions on health care.

Unfortunately, the areas on workforce-related health care issues aren’t competed, so you may have to keep an eye on the individual candidates. Helpfully, the post linked above has links to the campaign websites for each of the candidates, some directly to their position statements about healthcare.

Now, why is this such a big issue? And why does it matter to your executive career – in your current position and any future one? Well, regardless of your political affiliation, the candidates within each party all have different views from their competitors. And all of their plans will have different effects on your pocketbook.

It’s a slippery slope. Health benefits are one of the biggest employee expenditures, outside of payroll and payroll taxes. So whatever happens will affect your company’s bottom line, which affects the health benefit they offer their employees, which then affects the deductible you elect, with affects how much you’ll spend, and as your family grows and you get older…

You see where this is going.

Long story short: There are bigger issues than health care in the world today, ones perhaps more deserving of attention when deciding for whom you should vote. But health care is the one that will hit home hardest for everyone in America. So maybe, just maybe, it’s worth a closer look come election time.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.

We’ve been talking in depth about what to do regarding our health insurance once the baby comes. I’m on a catastrophic plan, as is our 5-year-old son. My wife’s on the same plan, as well as a separate plan which provides much better benefits.

So when our next child comes, we can:

1. Add him to the catastrophic plan, which means we pay through the nose with all the doctor visits we’re sure to make in the first year.

2. Add him to the separate, better benefits plan, which adds a couple hundred more dollars a month, but then we can add our 5-year-old to that plan as well at no additional cost.

3. Drop my wife from the catastrophic plan, and then I’m the only one on it, which makes that plan a couple hundred less per month.

4. Tear our collective hair out, because the options are just “lesser of all evil” options.

And this is indicative of the kinds of choices you may face in your new job search. Thousands of dollars per year ride on the health care benefits offered by your company, the company of your spouse/partner, and your family planning.

In fact, the Kaiser Family Foundation released a report last month examining how “the average growth in health spending exceeded the growth of the economy as a whole by an average of 2.5 percentage points.”

According to their website, the report “also examines the impact of health care costs on families, with insurance premiums rising 87% between 2000 and 2006, more than four times the growth in wages.”

With this kind of expense growth – and considering the senior care issues you may be about to face with your aging parents – it may turn out that a lower salary offer paired with a great health plan may be the better choice for you.

So before you leap at the big number, take a careful look at the health benefit situation – and don’t forget to factor in the vision and dental as well.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.