As I sat in a kayak this weekend, I spent time thinking about how I have changed my own labor situation in the last few years. After 30+ years of working mostly for other people I have now been working for myself almost 3 years. Many of my clients have only worked in large corporations and they keep asking if I would go back inside if I get the chance? After all, I worked for global companies with at least 5,000 employees for at least 20 years. OK, I am 55+, so fewer companies would be willing to hire me, but don’t I find it desirable?

Security is a state of mind. I seriously believe I am better off controlling my own destiny than being subject to the whims and decisions of a larger company and other executives. Even though I might make more money right now working for someone else.

Labor is a state of mind. At least now, when I invest 70 hours a week, I know I will reap more of the rewards for my effort. It feels less like “work.” I CHOOSE what to do today and tomorrow. What I am building cannot be taken away from me as easily as it could at a larger corporation. Even a corporation of 3 people.

I worked in Manhattan for 20+ years. There used to be a very popular poster that there was Manhattan and then there was little else. You could see the edge of the earth just beyond the Hudson River. You had little or no work value if you were not working in NYC.

Well, I have outgrown that sentiment and finding my value in anyone or any company outside of myself. Working for myself doesn’t feel so much like work.

Topics: career strategy | No Comments »

I recently started coaching someone who has been out of work for 2 years and has been in denial because she has won 12 marketing communication awards. Although her positioning rhetoric got more “sales-y” at 18 months, Mary’s search and networking activities were otherwise generic. The campaign did not offset prejudice about her age (a matronly 52) and being out a long time. Did you know 70% of hiring managers avoid candidates who are out of work? (a)

Long before she panicked, she should have been test-marketing alternative strategies to see which offered her the best ROI (Return On Investment.)

I asked her what she has been doing in her spare time. She admitted that she loves travel and gardening. Has won 5 awards for gardening. Would love a marketing job in travel or gardening but has no paid experience in either.

Here are strategies she is now exploring in order to create more options for herself:

• Create kick-ass “whitepapers” to demonstrate her marketing knowledge in depth in formats that will additionally showcase her award-winning publication design abilities.  Find ways to circulate them to hiring managers including those she has already met.
• Produce B2B or B2C publications on gardening or travel to be used to demonstrate that, although she has never been paid by those industries, she has lots to offer.
• She is going to quietly shadow a salesperson selling to resorts to learn more about VOC (Voice of the Customer) for the hospitality industry.

If what you have been doing is not working, have you considered something new?

(a) http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/16/news/economy/unemployed_need_not_apply/index.htm

Topics: career strategy, hidden job market, solving problems | No Comments »

I get asked frequently if the job market will be back to where it was in 3 months, 2 years or when? While I believe the job shrinkage in the current market has been exacerbated by the recession in the short term, there are much bigger, longer-term trends that are more important to understand and plan for. Most of you have not thought enough about them.

The greatest effect will come from globalization:

• As of 2007, more of the US GDP (Gross Domestic Production) resulted from world trade than domestic. That trend will continue and increase in speed. (a)
• As of May 2011, 50% of all Electronic Engineering Masters degree holders in the US (not just students) were foreign nationals. 70% of PhDs. (b)
• The number of manufacturing jobs in this country have fallen 44% since the peak in 1979. They are projected to shrink 1.25 million between 2008 and 2018 even though they have increased in the last 18 months. (c)
• While there are only 6-8 million ex-pats (ex-patriates) from the US living abroad, there are 200 million ex-pats globally. Workers from the US are not the talent of choice. (d)
• The top 25% of Chinese students or the top 28% of Indian students outnumber the number of Adults 18+ in the US. They will be looking for work and opportunity in the near future.

Paying attention yet? If you think that “after the recession” things will go back to where they were 5-10 years ago, you are in denial. You need to learn how to manage and adapt your career strategies now in order protect yourself for the future. Stay tuned, we will be talking a lot more about this.

(a) Russell Institutional Research 2010
(b) President’s Council Jobs + Competitiveness May 2011
(c) Bureau Labor Statistics 2008, 2011
(d) UN Secretariat, Dept of Econ Affairs 2005, US State Department 2010

Topics: career strategy | 2 Comments »

My apologies for stealing a bit of phrasing from Dr. Suess. Here is the point: Building your reputation as a SME (Subject Matter Expert) is one of the most effective strategies you could use to foster long-term career growth.

If you are a thought leader on a subject, you need to be creating instances where you can showcase your depth of strategy to others in your industry. Maybe it is a speech or board role at an association, a blog, whitepaper, newsletter article, or PowerPoint/Keynote presentation stored in your LinkedIn profile. Concentrate on 1-2 methods where you will be most comfortable and effective demonstrating a depth of understanding not possible in a resume or networking encounter over a beer and burger.

This is not just about job hunting. This is about entrenching knowledge of your credentials in the community over your long-term career. One of my Director-level coaching clients makes a point of writing a new article for a trade magazine every 6 months. She has received scores of phone calls from CEOs asking to meet her as a result of those articles. She has, with about 20 hours of writing, established herself as a high potential and in the top 10-15% of folks in sustainable energy nationwide.

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, networking | No Comments »

I have noticed that among the women execs I know there are “feminine” traits that sometimes get in the way of success in the corporate world. I value that women and men frequently process information and decision-making differently. The business world (and society) will benefit when 50% (or more) of the executives in the C-Suite and on the Board are female. The best answer for a company will always result from looking at a situation from many diverse perspectives.

However, if I look at the collection of women I know in executive roles, many of them have put up their own roadblocks to rising up the ranks even more quickly by expecting a higher standard of emotional synchronization in the office than most men require or know how to interact with. Several of these women have passed on $200+K jobs because the cultural fit wasn’t perfect, when a man would have taken on the same business challenge not caring if he was a very different style from the other people around. No culture is perfect. Focus on the question: “Can I make a this business better?”

It is true that a strong corporate woman is frequently called a “bitch” when a man using the same style might have been praised. Nevertheless, top management will promote the person who can “separate the wheat from the chaff“ and make the right business decision for the situation. Consideration of culture and feelings may be a luxury not affordable here.

Will you be called a bitch more often? Maybe. Probably! Once you have arrived in the C-Suite you won’t care so much.

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, solving problems | No Comments »