No Pay Raise; What Else Could You Ask For?

Let's face it, many of us see our annual pay raise as a way to feel some amount of value in the workplace. It reaffirms one's place in the company and it is something many people look forward to even more than they do the company picnic or Christmas party.

Hewitt Associates research shows that average raises in 2010 were only 2.7%.  Although still lower than the prior average of 3%, the 2010 rate was higher than the average 1.8% in 2009.   

If you are one of those workers who might get a lower than expected or get no annual pay raise this year, it is time to explore your options. What else can you ask your employers for in lieu of a pay raise this year?

Consider asking about Titles, Time or Transfers.


Title.
What about a change in title? Would that make you feel rewarded? Would that make you feel better about not getting a pay raise? Remember - part of your mission in your current work is to always be preparing for your next opportunity. Could a change in your job title have an impact on your future career? Would a more contemporary job title mean something to you?

Time.
Would some extra time off do the trick for you? For many people this could be it. Except of course for those workers who can't get to choose when they use the time off. There are those workers who think that if the company can't afford to give a pay raise, things must be really bad. That said, the last thing they want to do is be away from the office. You know - out of sight out of mind? Think about asking for time off in lieu of a pay raise this year.

Transfer.
So you can't get a pay raise, don't want a new job title or can't get any time off - could you get a transfer into another position offering a higher base salary? Many people forget the option to transfer into other roles at work. After all this may be the only way for you to get a salary increase you want or need this year.

Look around for abandoned assignments if others have been laid off. Ask about picking up some of these assignments for a bump in salary. After all you will be saving the company money long term.

What would you consider in lieu of a raise?

Working the Recruiters' Last Nerve

This is not what you want to do if you are aiming for success in the job search. 

Sure, you are trying hard to find a job in a tough market and in some cases you are probably desperate for work.  The last thing you want to do however, is annoy the recruiter or HR professional who is really on your side.

This article in the Wall Street Journal gives some good tips on how to connect with recruiters in your industry niche, without getting gimmicky.  My favorite tip in the article?  Do not launch into a sales pitch about yourself, the minute you meet with a recruiter or headhunter.  You may actually be talking yourself out of a job. 

Another key to working with recruiters is to maintain contact with them while you are employed. You could actually become a source of business leads for them.  They will remember you when you have to call on them later.  Don't forget that networking principle - Givers Gain!

Is the Recession Changing How Companies Hire?

A new article in The Economist magazine says - Yes!

Here are just four of the ways that this global recession is impacting hiring practices per this article. It could impact the job search strategy you execute moving forward.

1. Screening now and making offers but not to start working until next year or sometime after the recession ends. Companies want to be ready to ramp up when things turn around. Look for employers to defer start dates, "giving them six months or a year to travel or do public service."

2. More companies are hiring freelancers, contractors and part time help. This eliminates the costs associated with full time benefits. Many new college grads, including MBA's have to be satisfied for now with temporary work assignments.

3. Companies are pulling back on the perks they use to offer to attract the best and the brightest. With much talent in the marketplace, employers realize they don't need to offer the same incentives.

4. Less opportunities are now available for international students who thought they would be able to get lucrative job offers after graduation from US schools. Many companies are looking at local talent first.

Read the entire article here.

What changes are you seeing in recruiting at your company?

Is your Career Going the Way of the Pontiac!

(Photo is courtesy of General Motors)

General Motors is saying goodbye to the Pontiac! It was a good car, a faithful car but no longer has a place within the mission of the organization in this very competitive market place. It is a sad end for one of America's well known "muscle car" brands.

This fantastic photo of the Pontiac in it's hey day made me wonder, if cars could speak, would Pontiacs everywhere say they saw it coming?

Of course we all know that Pontiacs can't speak, but how would the GM employees who worked on the Pontiac answer the same question? Could they say that they saw it coming?

My question today is - Can you tell if your job or career is moving towards obsolescence? If it is what can you do about it?

As employers continue to down size and right size for our new economic realities, so must employees. Here are some tips to consider if you think your job or assignment might be on the chopping block or you are dealing with other recession career issues:

1. Do not put too much stock in what others say. Evaluate the situation for yourself and use your own good judgment. Remember it was only the end of last year when GM's management said that if they did not receive financial help from the government that jobs would be lost. Guess what? Jobs are still going to be lost. In fact, In addition to terminating the Pontiac brand, GM also announced they were eliminating 21,000 more jobs before the end of 2010.

2. Start scanning the environment and building new job skills that are in demand. Look inside your existing company and then look inside your industry as a whole. Learn about the direction of your industry and where you fit.

3. Make an effort to connect with and support other people. Our tendency sometimes is to think we are alone in our job or career anxiety. This is not true. There are others in the same boat and creating a network of supporters is one way to advance.

4. Act for the present, but stay focused on the future. Remember, your goal should not necessarily be loyalty to company, but lifelong employability.

5. Manage your workplace stress. Employees are facing unbelievable levels of workplace stress during these challenging economic times. Many workers are stressed by extra assignments, workplace bullies who are acting up, declining retirement funds and worries about whether or not their jobs will withstand the next round of budget cuts. Getting a handle on workplace stress is a must!

Of course there are no guarantees that even if you do all the right things, you won't be downsized. However, take the time to manage your own career. No one else can do that for you.

Do you have any tips to share about a job or career that could be approaching obsolescence?

Workplace Bullies Are Acting up During the Recession

Dr. Bertice Berry, sociologist and author calls them “internal terrorists." Workplace bullies, Berry says, "are people who don't understand their own purpose or potential, and because they don't, they try to destroy the purpose and potential of someone else. They would make things wrong to prove that they are right.”

Have you seen workplace bullies in action recently? Seems some people have.

If you have to deal with workplace bullies at the office, you mostly chalk it up to one of the annoyances of the job and not let it affect your work. In some cases when it turns into a you-go-or-I-go situation, some people do walk away from the office, the department or the company. You know the old cliché – people don’t leave jobs they leave managers and the people they work with. Well that is easier said than done when there are more people than available jobs.

It is becoming the you-go-before-I-go .

That was the essence of the conversation by the couple in the check-out line behind me at Trader Joe’s yesterday! One shopper was telling the other about the undue pressure she was feeling from an office bully who was intimidating newer staff to push them out. She stated that this bully was telling junior staff about positions in other departments for which they should apply. The bully had apparently gone so far as to tell two newer employees, that she had not been in agreement with them being hired since she knew that they would unnecessarily stress the company financially.

I guess I have been so focused on encouraging folks to stay positive and pay kindness forward, that I wasn’t thinking about workplace bullies who try to intimidate others out of a job in an effort to keep their own.

One of the newer employees was afraid to take the issue to management, for fear it put a spotlight on him as a troublemaker.

It crossed my mind that the person telling the story may have been misreading the situation. Is it really bullying or is someone just strategically trying to manage their own career? Is it an unsophisticated attempt to try the if-you-go-then-maybe-I-don't-have-to-go strategy?

It sounds like the real possibility does exist that in a tight job market, the workplace bully in some people might be rearing it's ugly head.

Thoughts?

Stimulus dollars may end up helping illegal workers

By Franco Ordoñez
fordonez@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009

Some construction jobs created as a result of federal aid could go to illegal immigrants.

Thousands of N.C. jobs and millions in wages created from the federal economic stimulus package could wind up going to illegal immigrants.

Congress stripped language from the $789 billion package that would have required employers to verify the legal status of workers paid with stimulus money.

The White House estimates the package will generate or save an estimated 105,000 jobs in North Carolina over the next two years.

While it's impossible to say definitively how many illegal immigrants will get jobs, multiple studies estimate at least 14percent of the construction labor force is in the U.S. illegally. Experts say actual numbers are likely much higher.

North Carolina could get $1.3billion for highway and school construction, which, based on federal estimates, could mean more than 5,000 jobs for undocumented workers.

“That's not right,” said Jon Holstead, 24, a Charlotte electrician helping to build Salome Church Road Elementary School near Lowe's Motor Speedway. “You have Americans out of work, but you have illegal immigrants coming to work.”

The stimulus package was a popular topic this week at the school construction site where Americans and immigrants work side-by-side. Several immigrants on the project told the Observer they are working without proper legal papers.

A masonry worker, Juan Luis, 28, said Latinos are struggling as much as anyone.

“People say Latinos take our jobs, but no one wants to do the kind of work we do,” he said. “Americans just don't see it that way.”

More than $770 million of the state's stimulus money is expected for roads. A 2006 Observer investigation found illegal immigrants – using Social Security numbers that were fake, stolen or belonging to dead people – working for major N.C. road-building companies. Using a sample of payroll records from large contractors, including Rea Contracting and Blount-Sanford Construction, the newspaper found questionable Social Security numbers for a third of 85 workers.

Observer calls to several road companies were not returned Wednesday.

The unemployment rate in North Carolina was 8.7 percent in December; in South Carolina, 9.5 percent. Last year, S.C. Gov Mark Sanford, who's one of a handful of Republican governors who are considering turning down money from the stimulus package, signed legislation that requires S.C. businesses to verify immigration status. North Carolina has no such law or policy.

The House of Representatives included an amendment in the original stimulus bill that would have required all recipients of stimulus money to use E-Verify, a federal program that checks Social Security numbers. House and Senate negotiators removed the requirement in the final version.

U.S. Rep. John Spratt, a Democrat from York County, S.C., has voted for verification systems and supported the House bill with the E-Verify provision included. But he noted, “I don't think E-Verify should be made mandatory until it is made accurate and reliable.”

Supporters of E-Verify acknowledge errors but say the program still effectively identifies illegal immigrants.

“Would it keep out every illegal? No,” said Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that advocates stronger immigration enforcement. “Like in anything, is there going to be fraud? Sure. … The point is this could be an important tool to deter illegal employment.”

Although they voted against the overall stimulus package, local GOP legislators such as Rep. Sue Myrick, supported keeping verification in the bill.

The office of Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Cherryville Republican, said he joined other Republicans in a letter disagreeing with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which recommended not including E-Verify in the stimulus package.

Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, said in a statement: “E-Verify is an important tool to help us enforce laws already on the books, and it is unfortunate the Senate was not given an opportunity to vote on the provision.”

Opponents of E-Verify says it would hinder the economic recovery.

In a recent statement, the Immigration Policy Center, a pro-immigrant research group, said E-Verify is “deeply flawed and ensnares American job-seekers in database errors, adds to the costs incurred by employers required to use it, and does not actually prevent undocumented immigrants from getting jobs.”

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that expanding the federal verification program could cost $17 billion over the next 10 years.

A 2006 study by the Kenan Institute at UNC Chapel Hill estimated that Hispanics poured more than $9 billion a year into the economy even after saving or sending home 20 percent of their income.

The spiraling economy has sent some immigrants back to their home counties. Those who remain are vying for far fewer jobs – often in competition with blue-collar American workers.

During a break from installing fire sprinklers at the Salome Church Road school, Thomas Peck, 29, and Robert Vanderburg, 26, sat in Peck's truck to discuss the economy and their hopes for the stimulus package. Looking over at the Latino masonry workers, they said friends could use some of those jobs.

“The more immigrants come over here the less jobs we have,” Vanderburg said. “They come and work for $6 or $7 an hour. An American needs $15 to $16 to get by.”

Higher Education Jobs are Not Recession Proof

Many career experts will advise that jobs in higher education are typically considered recession proof. This is clearly not the case with the current recession since higher education institutions are seeing their endowments shrink through losses on Wall Street. Schools like Cornell University where 14% of the operating budget comes from endowments are looking at all options to cut their budgets.

Bloomberg News reports that, "The global financial crisis has battered higher education endowments, squeezing budgets and forcing schools to consider job cuts and bond sales to raise cash."

Here are some examples:

- Yale University's endowment lost 25% of it's value in 2008.

- Princeton University is expecting a 25% loss in their endowment and plans to sell $750M of debt.

- Cornell University lost 27% of their endowment in just the last 6 months of 2008.

- Columbia University lost 15% in the second half of 2008.

- Harvard University reported losses of $8 billion, representing a 22% loss in their endowment. University Business is reporting that Harvard will offer buyouts to 1600 non faculty workers in an effort to cut cost. This represents about 10% of their workforce.

Source - Bloomberg News, University Business

6 Surefire Ways to Recession-Proof Your Career

Recession fears continue to shake some workers' confidence about their current jobs. Here are some tips to help you “recession proof” your job.

§ Take a class at a local college or university and get serious about some additional training. Experts widely believe we are living in a "knowledge economy". The more committed you are to lifelong learning and training, the more recession proof your career will be. Education is very accessible today via online programs, onsite training and flexible weekend programs.

§ Keep meeting targets and objectives at work. Find ways to do more with less, work as efficiently as possible and look for ways to help your company save money and increase productivity. Keep your "Kudos File" current. This is where you keep all the compliments you have received on your work. It will help you quickly update and disseminate your resume if needed.

§ Join a professional association and become involved with other people in the same career. Maintain your contacts or connect with people you may not have talked with in a little while. Keep in mind that you are not connecting to ask for information or help, but to bring support and value if you can.

§ Volunteer for tasks outside your job description but don’t neglect your responsibilities. Become the "go to" person on the job without taking on everyone’s projects. If your company has already had job cuts, you may pick up additional assignments outside of your regular duties. These extra assignments could be a way to gain new skills. However, you do not want to take on more than your bandwidth can handle. Although you do want to be seen as a team player, you don’t want your own projects and assignments to suffer.

§ Do environmental scans both inside and outside of your organization. Pay attention to the marketplace. Don’t just watch the stock market. Stay abreast of what is happening with your company's key customers and suppliers. If your company’s suppliers and customers are having a hard time, your company may very well be facing the same issues.

§ Consider other ways to use your skills and make money part time. Do you have skills that are in demand? You might be able to earn some additional income? Imagine for example you work in a medical billing capacity for a large hospital, could you possibly take on additional medical billing work for smaller independent medical offices? Not only does this help you build a network of other potential employers who have sampled your work, it could actually lead to starting your own business.

Is it a Good or Bad Time to Look for Jobs?

In addition to doing daily tracking polls to see the state of the political race is between John McCain and Barack Obama, the Gallup polling organization also looks at how Americans feel about domestic employment issues.

The results? Eighty two percent (82%) of Americans think that now is a bad time to find a quality job. Per an article at Gallup, "Today's 82% of Americans rating now as a bad time to find a quality job far exceeds the 56% and 54% who felt this way in October 2007 and October 2006, respectively."

Although Americans are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the job market, there are job seekers who are still getting interviews and getting offers.

Here are some quick tips for those seeking work in tough times:
1. Be positive. Nothing really happens without positive thinking.

2. Get connected and rejuvenate your contacts. Share information with other people and remember that in networking - "givers gain".

3. Think outside of the box about ways to sell yourself and stand out from the crowd.

4. Volunteer. This might be one of those "out-of-the-box' suggestions, but it works. This is a great month to get involved with "walking for the cure". Who knows who might be walking with you.

5. Be steady. An erratic job search strategy will have you running in many directions and not walking through the job search process in a focused way.

6. Flip the script or switch careers or fields. If you were a victim of the job losses on Wall Street then consider a financial career in a growing sector such as healthcare.

7. Work with recruiters and head hunters.

8. Take a "fill-the-gap" job with the right company, where movement will be possible at a later time.

9. Think about going back to an old company. Hopefully, you left with your good reputation in tact.

10.Ask for help and support. Too many people really try to conduct their job search in a vacuum. Ask people questions and be open to the feedback you receive. Consider using professional services of a resume writer or job interview coach. Remember that in the US, job search expenses are tax deductible.

11. Try to figure out exactly where the job search strategy is falling apart. Is it the resume, the job interview, the follow-up or the access?

If you just need to get funds, there is no shame in going around the corner to get a job if you must. This will at least get you a paycheck relatively quickly.

Politicians Don't Understand; We are in a Recession!

Sometimes I think I am not paying enough attention to the media or I am not listening to enough talk radio since I don't hear a lot of talk about the recession in which I think we are mired. Since I am in the career development profession, I am meeting a lot of people who have lost their jobs or are afraid of losing their jobs. The 6.1% unemployment rate announced last week by the Department of Labor, confirms that people have a lot to worry about.

I actually didn't need to hear the numbers to know that many people are having a really hard time making ends meet and are experiencing difficult times.

Here are some of the barometers that I see just in my everyday routines:

1. The length of time it takes for me to get on to the freeway via the on ramp. I was thinking traffic was light because it was a slow summer. However, the kids are back to school and the traffic from nearby new housing developments has lessened significantly.

2. The unbelievable costs of everyday food items. My jaw totally dropped on a recent trip to the supermarket to find that a bottle of domestic Canola Oil cost almost the same as a bottle of imported Olive Oil.

3. The number of conference participants willing to share a room with a colleague at a recent career conference.

What are your everyday barometers?

As folks become more concerned about job security and career stability I thought some readers might want to revisit a few of our posts about surviving a layoff or recession proofing a career.

- What's Your Career Half Life?
- The Ailing, Failing US Economy hits City and State Employees
- Top 25 Careers to Pursue in a Recession
- 3 Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Job or Career – Part 1
- 3 Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Job or Career - Part 2
- Life After Layoff

The Ailing, Failing US Economy hits City and State Employees

Always considered "safe employment", state and city employees could get caught in the next round of layoffs. Falling revenues from sales tax, income tax and and real estate taxes led Bob Brusca, Economist with FAO Economics in NY to say in a CNN Mondy article, "This isn't a wrecking ball to a healthy economy, but it could be the straw that broke the camel's back."

States planning to cut jobs include Tennesse,2000 positions; New Jersey, 3000 jobs; Ohio, 2700 jobs and Detroit, 1300 jobs.

The first 6 months of 2008 has seen the US economy lose almost a half million jobs. The report in June brought the number of job losses for the year to 438,000. Job losses were expected and have ocurred in:

Manufacturing - 33 000 jobs
Construction - 43 000 jobs
Retail - 7 500 jobs
Business and Professional Services - 51 000 jobs

If you are in any of these sectors you should be scanning the environment for pending changes and strategizing to be ready if you are forced to make a career change after a lay off.

Find more information here:
- Ways to Keep Learning as Your Company Falls Apart
- Times are Tough. Can You Still Find the Right Job?
- US Economy Loses 63 000 jobs in February

US Economy Loses 63000 Jobs in February

Some experts continue to say that the US economy is not yet in a recession, but may be approaching one. The 63,000 workers whose jobs were shed in February 2008, might disagree and think the recession is already here.

Some sectors already hard hit with layoffs include real estate, automotive, construction and banking.

This latest report on job losses for February reflects the largest drop in the last five years since May and June 2003.

As you take in this news of a tightening economy, your stress level might be increasing a bit. Your goal at this time should be to keep being productive at work and continue to scan your work environment for how you can help your company maintain a healthy bottom line:

Here are some suggestions:
1. Keep thinking about creative solutions to possibly lower costs
2. Explore ways to help your company find new clients
3. Go the extra mile with existing customers to keep them happy
4. Be responsive to your vendors
5. Look for collaborative opportunities inside your company

As you think about ways to help your company, think also about ways to help yourself:
1. Plan and evaluate your plans periodically
2. Look around the internet for free online resume help to prepare your marketing documents.
3. Rejuvenate your networks and keep in touch with others. Offer help where you can.
4. Keep an eye on employers in your industry or related industries that are growing or hiring despite the slowdown.
5. Start updating your Kudos Folder.

Additional resources:
Staying Up and Productive in Down Times
3 Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Career - Part 1
3 Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Career - Part 2
30-Days to Career Satisfaction - Read the 30 blog entries for November 2007 starting here.

Top 25 Careers to Pursue in a Recession

The number of Americans who filed jobless claims increased by almost 20,000 over the projected amount this last week ending 2/23.

Coupled with layoffs in the homebuilding and automotive sectors, this is futher indication of a softening US economy.

HR World has identified the Top 25 careers they think will continue "go on like clockwork" or see growth even when disposable incomes shrink.

The Top 10 from the list are:

-Health Care
-Energy
-Education
-Utilities
-International Business
-Public Safety
-Funerals
-Accounting
-Federal Government
-Pharmaceuticals

Check out the entire list here and add others that you think are also good in a recession.

Green Collar Jobs?

Everybody's talking about "going green", "green collar jobs" and the "green economy".

A recent article in the Washington Post offers this explanation of what these might be all about. The term "green collar", which has been around since 1992, is primarily used by those who have been involved with environmental work. It is a spin off from the terms "blue collar" or "white collar"; both terms we know pretty well.

If you are looking for a recession proof career - consider going "green". Raquel Pinderhughes at Urban Habitat identifies and lists "green" jobs in these 22 specific sectors:

-Bicycle repair and bike delivery services
-Car/truck mechanic jobs, production jobs, and biodiesel gas-station jobs
-Energy retrofits to increase energy efficiency and conservation
-Green building
-Green waste composting on a large scale
-Hauling and reuse of construction materials and debris (C&D)
-Hazardous materials clean-up
-Landscaping
-Manufacturing of solar panels, bike cargo systems, green waste bins, etc.
-Materials reuse
-Non-toxic household cleaning in residential and commercial buildings
-Parks and open space expansion and maintenance
-Printing with non-toxic inks and dyes
-Public transit jobs related to driving, maintenance, and repair
-Recycling and reuse
-Small businesses producing products from recycled materials
-Solar installation
-Tree cutting and pruning
-Peri-urban and urban agriculture
-Water retrofits to increase water efficiency and conservation
-Whole home performance, including attic insulation, weatherization, etc.

3 Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Job or Career - Part 2

Recession fears are really shaking some workers' confidence in their current employment situation. In fact I spoke with two people last week who saw changes on the horizon with their employers.

Here is Part-2 of "Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Job or Career":

 Volunteer for tasks outside of your job description while not neglecting your responsibilities. In a Slacker Manager blog post, Anita Bruzzese, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist on workplace issues, encourages workers to become the "go to" person on the job. "You don’t want to be a doormat, of course, dumped with all the bad stuff, but being able to step in and keep it all from going down the dumper will not only endear you to everyone, but help develop your reputation as a key player," says Bruzzese.

 Do environmental scans both inside and outside of your organization. Pay attention to the marketplace. This does not just mean to watch the stock market. Keep on top of what is happening with your company's key customers and suppliers. Even when you work in one of those so-called recession proof careers like Education, Healthcare or Security, there are still niches that might not do well. For example, during a recession, parents may opt to pull children from tutoring programs to save or conserve money. Although this is the Education sector, private organizations are more susceptible to cuts than say K-12 or college education.

 Think about other ways to use your skills to make money. Do you have job skills that you might be able to capitalize on to get some additional income? Imagine for example you work in a medical billing capacity for a large hospital, could you possibly take on additional medical billing work for smaller independent medical offices?