Tag Archives: Gray & Christmas

‘Tis the Season for Networking, Making the Most of Your Holiday Party

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A recent non-scientific survey found that nearly 70% of organizations are expected to hold some type of holiday event in the coming weeks. More than half (55%) are doing some on a workday or near the end of the day. Most (60%) limit the festivities to employees only and less than a third (30%) are staying on-site.

No matter the type, size or location, these events are often meaningful to employees. They can also be beneficial for the individuals who play the game correctly. A few tips from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas:

  • Arrive early:  This might be your best opportunity to talk with senior executives while things are still relatively quiet.
  • Work the room:  It is easy to simply socialize with the members of your department, with whom you work with day in and day out. However, you gain if you use this occasion to meet people in other departments. You never know who can help your career.
  • Do not over indulge:  Free alcohol can quickly lead to excessive drinking. Stay in control. You do not want to do anything embarrassing to you or your employer. Even if your alcohol-induced actions do not get you fired, they could hurt your chances for advancement.
  • Be friendly, but not too friendly:  The company party is not the place to try out your latest pick-up lines. The risk of such behavior being seen as sexual harassment is high.
  • Avoid talking business:  This is not the time to approach your boss with a new business idea. Save that for Monday morning. Instead, find out about his or her interests outside of the office. Find a connection on a personal level. That connection will help you on Monday when you bring up the new idea and it could help when it comes time for salary reviews.
  • Attend other companies’ parties:  If a friend invites you to his or her company party, you should go.  It is an opportunity to expand your professional network, which  is critical in this era of downsizing and job switching.

Men Seeing Unemployment Turnaround Following Recession

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The term “man-cession” is foreign to me. I had no idea that’s what someone has dubbed the recent economic recession. Even though it’s kind of a silly term, when looking at the unemployment numbers from the recession, it does seem to make sense.

Let me explain: As a casual observer of world and national news, I understood how the recession affected millions. What I didn’t realize, however, was how unemployment among men jumped during the recession – much more than it did with women.

It turns out that employment among men plummeted by more than 5.2 million between November 2007 and December 2009, due of course, to losses in male-dominated industries, such as construction, manufacturing and financial services. Employment among women only dropped 1.9 million during the same time period. Those statistics are courtesy of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. with data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The good news for guys is that the economic recovery is favoring their gender – since January 2010, male employment has increased by 1.7 million. For women, employment has only grown by about 365,000 in the same time frame. Over the past year, the number of employed women has actually fallen by about 85,000, whereas 686,000 males have gotten jobs.

There’s still a long way to go for the male employment sector, however – unemployment is at 8.9%, more than twice the 4.2% it was before the recession hit.

While the numbers might point to a “man-cession” of sorts, we can’t forget that women still only earn about 78 cents to the dollar that men earn. So, while more women might have kept their jobs during the recession, those jobs are lower-paying than many of the jobs that were lost in the male-dominated sectors.

I can’t see “man-cession” turning up in my every day vocabulary; more than likely I’ll just stick by the old standard recession and hope that a continued recovery happens as quickly as possible.

Going Beyond the Ordinary Job Search

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While job creation has picked up in recent months, the long-term unemployed continue to struggle in attempting to re-enter the workforce. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas offers the following for those caught in that predicament:

Re-ignite and re-connect with your network
There may be a large portion of your network with whom you have not spoken to in several months.  Now is the time to re-connect with and expand your network.  If you have not joined online networking communities like LinkedIn, do so now and start connecting with former colleagues, classmates and other acquaintances.  If you are on LinkedIn, revisit your list of contacts, because chances are good that their professional or personal situations have changed in recent months.  So, not only do you have a reason to check in with them (to congratulate or otherwise acknowledge their changed circumstances), but that change could put them in a better position to help your job search.  From each existing contact in your network that you reconnect with, make a goal to get the names of two to five new contacts they know who might be able to help with your employment search.

Move away from resume-centric job-search strategy
Most Americans take the traditional approach to job search: scour the help wanted ads and send out resumes by the hundreds.  The only difference is that the help wanted ads have moved from the print newspaper to the Internet.  The biggest problem with this approach is that the resume is really just a way to weed out candidates.  A long employment gap on the resume is going to stand out and not in a good way.  Even without the red flag of prolonged joblessness, relying on a resume to get your foot in the door is a numbers game that favors the employer.  You might as well be playing the lottery.  

Uncover the hidden job market
The other problem with relying too heavily on help wanted ads — whether online or in print — is that these represent a small fraction of the available jobs.  We estimate that as few as 20 percent of the available jobs are ever advertised.  The other 80 percent will be filled through employee referrals, personal connections and other backdoor channels.  This is why expanding and staying connected to one’s professional and personal network is critical.  It increases the chances of being in the right place, at the right time, when one of these hidden opportunities arise. 

Reset expectations
You may need to consider working for less money than you imagined, working in a different industry or accepting a job title that differs from your aspirations.  However, your primary objective at this point needs to be getting back on the payroll so you can start filling in the experience gap.
 
Remain positive
Don’t be defensive or take on the role of the victim when it comes to your prolonged unemployment.  Avoid phrases like, “no one is hiring” and “nobody wanted me.”  Focus only on the positive attributes you possess, what you have done to keep your skills fresh.  If the topic of your prolonged unemployment comes up, don’t dwell on it.  Move past it quickly with a statement like, “There have been many opportunities, but a mutual fit has been difficult to achieve.  During this time, however, I have had the opportunity to round out my experience through (education, professional development, volunteer work, etc.)”
 
Step outside of your comfort zone
An aggressive job-search strategy often requires you to do something that makes you uncomfortable.  You will have to tell people you have not seen in ten years that you lost your job.  You will have to cold-call employers about job opportunities.  An aggressive strategy also includes asking a friend or former business associate for the names of five people who might be able to help with your job search, and then calling those people to request a meeting.  

Tattoos No Longer Taboo in the Workplace

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When I was growing up, Cracker Jack was one of my favorite snacks – not so much because of the flavor, but because I loved digging through the mountain of caramel corn to find the prizes. I always hoped for the fake tattoo, which I proudly displayed to family members, my Cabbage Patch Kids – even my beloved puppy who was my partner in crime during countless adventures for 14 years.

Recently, I read a press release by Chicago-based global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. that talks about something I never had to worry about back then: the impact of tattoos on a job search. It suggests that the growing popularity of tattoos over the last 20 years (approximately 45 million Americans have at least one) has contributed to body art becoming more socially acceptable in the workplace.

According to the company, employers are most concerned with hiring the best person for the job and if that person has tattoos it’s not a big deal in most cases (although some professions such as banking, accounting and law are more conservative in their approach). Also, many of the people involved in hiring decisions are young and have less traditional views about worker appearances.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas discourages candidates from hiding their tattoos during interviews unless they are offensive or they think the employer would object to them. One easy way to find out? Ask the receptionist. If the company doesn’t approve of tattoos, it’s the employee’s responsibility to conceal them.

The firm offers some additional interviewing tips related to modern trends:

  • Piercings: With increased security at many corporate offices, too much bling could set off metal detectors. In addition, too many piercings might be a distraction for the interviewer. Also, it would be prudent to remove tongue and lip piercings, as these often make it difficult for others to understand what you are saying.

  • Cell phones: Cell phones should be turned off and stashed away in a bag or briefcase. Even on vibrate, a cell phone going off can be a major distraction in the interview.

  • Portable music players: Keep the iPods at home. If co-workers see you with ear buds in your ears all day long, they will assume you are not listening and possibly not working very hard.

  • Dress for the job you want 

Vacating the Workplace

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The economic woes may not be over yet, but times have changed enough for more employees to enjoy summer vacations in the coming months. So say the workplace experts at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

I do, however, have a problem with the advice on staying connected even while away. Read on.

According to John Challenger, "Where we will see the change this year is among the employed who, despite their job status, were hesitant to take paid leave during the recession for fear that it would further erode their already fragile job security. This year, while employers have been slow to ramp up hiring, they have clearly shifted from a strategy focused on downsizing to one emphasizing retention. In this environment, it is much easier to put in for vacation days."

Through the first quarter of this year, announced job cuts declined 69% from the same period a year ago. In fact, the first-quarter total was the lowest for those three months since 2000. And the 38,326 job cuts in April were the lowest for any month since July 2006.

"The threat of downsizing never really disappears," Challenger adds, "but job security is in a much better place this year. Some employers may, in fact, encourage workers to use vacation time to decompress. The temporary and very mild impact on workplace productivity caused by vacationing staff is more than offset by a rested workforced that is likely to be more productive over the long term and probably more loyal as well."

The workplace authority says that while job security is improving, it is still recommended that employees keep the lines of communication open with employers.

"You don’t have to spend a part of every vacation day working, but you want to take your cell phone and laptop and make an effort to occasionally check in with the office. If you want to be missed a lot, do not disconnect," Challenger says. "As employers shift toward retention mode, many will be eager to let you enjoy your vacation without interruptions from work, but make no mistake, your efforts to remain connected, even if unecessary, will be appreciated and remembered."

Not sure I buy that last piece of advice. Being available for true emergencies, if needed, is one thing. But checking in for the sake of showing you are still engaged while you are supposed to be resting and rejuvenating is another. There’s a reason it’s called vacation.               

Experts Predict Slow Jobs Recovery for 2010

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When it comes to the employment outlook, the private sector name to know is Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The Chicago-based outplacement and consulting firm offers this look ahead for the 2010 job market. The overview: positive news but tempered with a great deal of caution.

After starting the year with the heaviest downsizing in nearly a decade, the number of announced job cuts declined dramatically in the second half of 2009, providing hope for an eventual job-market turnaround.  The turnaround should become more evident in 2010, as job creation finally begins to outpace job losses.

However, while hiring is expected to accelerate in the new year, unemployment could remain stubbornly high, as millions of Americans who abandoned the job search out of frustration – and, therefore, not counted among the unemployed – reenter the labor pool. 

The economy is just beginning to pull out of the worst economic downturn in decades.  Since the recession began in December 2007, employers have announced nearly 2.5 million job cuts.  The heaviest downsizing occurred between July 2008 and June 2009, with more than 1.6 million job cuts announced.

Job cuts appear to have peaked in January 2009, reaching 241,729, the highest monthly total since January 2002.  In the months to follow, announced layoffs steadily declined, but the monthly average remained above 130,000 through the first half of the year.  Since July 1, however, monthly job-cut announcements have averaged about 69,000.  In November, job cuts fell to 50,349, the lowest monthly total since December 2007. 

“The end of the year is typically when we see a surge in layoff activity.  The fact that job cuts continued to decline in the fourth quarter is a good sign that the job market has truly started the recovery process.  Unfortunately, the recovery process is slow, so it could be several months or even years before unemployment returns to pre-recession levels,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

There were approximately 15.4 million unemployed Americans in November, up from 7.2 million in November 2007, just before the recession began.  In addition to the unemployed, there were 6.0 million Americans in November who want a job but were not considered part of the labor force because they had not sought employment for at least four weeks.  That figure is up from 4.2 million in November 2007.

According to Challenger, some of the areas that will begin to see renewed job creation in the new year include health care, information technology, government, financial services and energy.