by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Finally. Some encouraging news from the corporate trenches. Despite job cuts and rising unemployment rates, it seems that middle managers in several key industries are in short supply and companies are willing to pay higher salaries than ever for the right candidates.

In a recent survey, HR executives at both Fortune 500 and smaller firms said that they expect a shortage of mid- and senior-level managers in 2008 and estimate that they will pay 5 to 15 percent more in salary to fill manager slots in accounting, finance, marketing, sales, engineering, information technology, clinical, and midlevel management.

The survey, conducted by recruiting outsourcer Hyrian, also found that 78% of HR executives felt retention would be their most pressing business issue in 2008.

These results don’t seem to be make sense given the recent economic and job market headlines. However, the demand for talent in accounting, healthcare, and other industries is continuing to grow despite the unemployment rate.  At the same time, many baby boomers are moving toward retirement and most companies have been neglecting succession planning and training and development because of budget demands. The result is a shortage of qualified managers in many cases.

This is definitely good news for middle managers. And how often does that happen?

Popularity: 24%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

There’s an interesting article on Yahoo! (by way of AllBusiness.com) titled  5 Ways to Keep Your Job During a Recession.

There are a lot of articles like this one popping up, so it’s pretty clear that people are feeling job security anxiety these days. And this piece features some good advice. It’s always a good idea to boost your visibility (in positive ways only, of course) and marketability. Another tip that wasn’t mentioned — focus on maintaining a strong relationship with your boss (and, ideally, your boss’s boss) and make sure he/she knows about all of the valuable things that you do. Make sure that decision makers are aware of the value that you provide to the company.

However, I think the most valuable advice comes in the conclusion of the article: "And, because there’s no guarantee that you will retain your job in a recession, no matter how hard you try, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. On your own time, update your resume. Also, make sure that you are still networking with old bosses, coworkers, and business contacts. Don’t wait until you are laid off to keep your contacts and resume fresh. You will get better results if you are prepared ahead of time."

Amen. The bottom line  is that there is no way to control whether you’ll keep your job during a recession or even during a strong economy. Today, all corporations go through layoffs and it’s hard to predict when or how they are going to happen. It’s not only companies in underperforming sectors that lay people off. You can waste a lot of time and energy worrying about layoffs that would be better spent preparing to minimize any negative fallout if it does happen.

I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but I think people should keep in mind that strong performance is no guarantee that you’ll stick around. I have seen many valuable employees get laid off and many slackers survive job cuts. I have wasted many hours gossiping about layoff rumors, speculating about the safety of my job, and ostentatiously "adding value" in every meeting to show how indispensable I was. All of that while I could have been working on my resume.

The truth is that layoff decisions are often made for reasons that have nothing to do with performance. Sometimes an entire department is laid off or just the people who make the highest salaries in a certain group.

That’s why you can’t ever take it personally. Future employers know that getting laid off is no reflection on your value as an employee or a person. In fact, most job candidates at this point can probably boast at least one lay-off on their resumes.

So yes, you should keep performing well. This is no time to slack off. But stop gossiping, worrying, and biting your nails. Instead, use your spare time to step up your passive job search efforts and start looking for your next position. Even if you don’t end up needing a new job, it’s always a good idea to keep your options open.

Popularity: 21%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

I am very excited to report that Publishers Weekly has reviewed Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams (which will be published on May 13).

If you click through, you’ll see that my write-up comes right after reviews for two other very interesting-sounding May titles — Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever by Joel Derfner and Sex: How to Do Everything by Em & Lo.  It’s hard to compete for attention with titles like those, but here’s what PW had to say about Escape from Corporate America:

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Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams

Pamela Skillings. Ballantine

Journalist Skillings aims to rescue Americans from corporate tedium in this entertaining and informative guide to walking away from an established—albeit stultifying—job and forging a more rewarding career. With insight and humor, Skillings enumerates the stages of “Corporate Disillusionment” and the features of the “toxic workplace”—the bullying bosses, moronic co-workers, “terminal boredom” and rampant racism and sexism. A multitude of questionnaires, exercises and worksheets helps readers determine their dream job, assess expenses and assets, and plot an escape plan to break free of corporate life without going bankrupt. Skillings also provides pointers to those readers who simply want to be happier in their current jobs—including negotiating for more flexible hours, telecommuting and taking sabbaticals. Vignettes of successful fugitives from the corporate world populate the book and an extremely useful “Escape Tool Kit” supplies information on where and how to find career coaches, health insurance, job listings and a wealth of other much needed resources when embarking on career change. Comprehensive, informative and witty, this book will be indispensable to those looking to start new careers with concrete plans and well-defined goals. (May)

Popularity: 24%

Office Holiday Party Survival Guide

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

It’s that time of year again. The office holiday party is supposed to be a festive occasion, but we all know that some people can take a good time a little bit too far. That can be incredibly entertaining to watch, so remember to pace yourself and let somebody else be the poor chump that everyone will be smirking about tomorrow. After all, the drunks at this party are the same people who may be determining your year-end bonus and you can’t count on them blacking out and forgetting all of your transgressions by morning. The following are some common office holiday party blunders that can continue to cause shame and regret well into the new year:

• Inappropriate Intoxication — Keep your drinking to a minimum, especially if you’re a lightweight. There’s a fine line between happily tipsy and embarrassingly inebriated. Beware of open bars as free drinks tend to go down much more easily. At my first-ever office holiday party as a recent college grad, I watched as one of the young associates got ridiculously drunk, passed out on the dance floor, and had to be taken away by ambulance and treated for alcohol poisoning. The CEO rode along to make sure he was okay (probably for liability purposes). It was no surprise when the poor guy was transferred to the Bombay office soon after.

 

• Inappropriate Affection — It’s generally best to avoid drunken public make-out sessions with bosses and/or coworkers. What happens at the holiday party never stays at the holiday party especially if there is tongue involved.

 

• Inappropriate Attire — Leave the Santa sweater at home. You may think you’re being ironic, but you still look like a doofus. It’s hard to see executive potential in somebody wearing a Santa sweater. At the same time, avoid trying to look too hot (I know that’s hard for you). Showing off your goodies at work (even a work party) is likely to lead to gossip and attention that you don’t want.

 

• Inappropriate Dancing — Take a lesson from Elaine. Displays of spastic dancing will not soon be forgotten by your peers.

Popularity: 22%

Telecommuting Is Good For You (And Your Company)

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Your dilemma: You’d love to work from home a few days a week but your boss thinks telecommuting is just an opportunity to slack off and watch Oprah. Well, I’ve got just what you need to make your case: Real numbers from an academic study that shows that telecommuting is better for both workers and bosses.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University looked at data on 12,833 telecommuters and found that telecommuting programs have beneficial effects for both the workers and their employers. Study results showed that telecommuters reported more job satisfaction, less motivation to leave the company, less stress, improved work-family balance, and higher performance ratings by supervisors. Managers supervising telecommuters also reported that their performance was not negatively affected by working from home.

And if your boss argues that face time at the office is necessary to foster good work relationships, you can oh-so-diplomatically beg to differ. Telecommuters who worked away from their offices for less than three days per week did not see their work relationships suffer Those who were out of the office for three days per week or more, however, did see their bonds with co-workers diminish.

If you have been fantasizing about telecommuting, now may be the time to pitch the idea to your boss. Approximately 45 million Americans telecommuted in 2006. If you want to join their ranks, your best bet is to put together a written proposal for your boss. Address any of her potential concerns and explain the business value of the arrangement for the company. Perhaps you will be able to start work earlier or work later because you can cut out a long commute. Or maybe you can deliver higher-quality work in an environment away from the cubicle-farm distractions where you can focus. Cite the results of the Penn State study to help make your case and show that you’ve done your homework.

Be prepared to compromise. If your manager remains skeptical, offer to do a trial run for a few weeks and see how it goes. Then bend over backward to show that you can be even more productive from home than you can be in the office.

If all goes well, you will soon be be enjoying the benefits of the telecommuter’s life. Of course, there are also challenges to making telecommuting work, but most find that the increased flexibility and the reduced commute time are well worth any effort required to adapt. Just ask those guys from Penn State.

Popularity: 32%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Forget about all of the pilgrim crap. The best way to think about Thanksgiving is as a time to express gratitude for all of the great things in your life — your friends, your family, your health, your access to massive quantities of poultry and pumpkin pie.

And don’t forget to say a little thanks to the universe or your deity of choice for your job. You’re probably rolling your eyes right now if you’re stuck in a corporate job that doesn’t make you happy. Or if you’ve been recently downsized or restructured or otherwise unceremoniously shown the door by your corporate overlords.

But trust me, there are plenty of things to be grateful for if you really think about it:

Give Thanks for Your Paycheck — If you’re collecting regular paychecks or severance payments, you’re doing better than a lot of people. That’s not to say that you should settle for a job that’s only about the paycheck or avoid taking risks to find more fulfilling work. You can have both a paycheck and a meaningful career. And you will.

Give Thanks for All That You’ve Learned — Your experience in Corporate America has made you wiser. You have learned valuable business skills, developed a network of helpful contacts, and built a resume.  You’ve also learned a lot about what you DON’T want to do for a living. All of these things will come in handy in your dream career — whether it’s starting your own business, becoming a third-grade teacher, or writing the Great American Novel.

Give Thanks for the Fire Under Your Ass — Sometimes, people need to be miserable in order to find the motivation to change. If you know anything about Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey or have seen a few Hollywood films, you know that the hero must go through crisis in order to achieve victory. A wise woman in one of my writing workshops put it this way — "a character doesn’t change unless you light a fire under his ass." What this means for you is that you will probably never take a leap until you feel flames on the seat of your pants. That fire could be the burning passion for your new career or it could be the slow, smoldering misery and/or frustration of a job that doesn’t inspire you. Whatever your inspiration, if you find yourself giving thanks for a brilliant new career by next Thanksgiving, you have that fire under your ass to thank.

Give Thanks for a Day Off — Most good corporate citizens in the U.S. get a paid day off for Thanksgiving. Many even get two (say thanks twice in this case). And if you’ve been laid off, look at it this way: You can do whatever you want for Thanksgiving and you don’t have to clear your plans with any boss this year. Take a break from the job search and do what so many terminated executives say they’re going to do — spend more time with your family. Or ditch your family if they’re a pain in the butt and spend time with people who are more supportive. Eat well and wear loose-fitting clothing.

Popularity: 18%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

A new survey from recruiters Robert Half International and CareerBuilder.com reveals that the war for talent is in full effect and that top candidates are taking advantage of their bargaining muscle. A few very interesting stats:

   
• 6 out of 10 hiring managers complained of difficulties in finding fully qualified people. Nearly two thirds felt that the environment will be just as challenging next year and more than a quarter said they believe that hiring willl be even more challenging.

   

• 6 out of 10 candidates said they would be likely to negotiate a better compensation package today, compared with just under 3 out of 10 who felt the same way last year.

What do these numbers mean? "With an employee-driven market comes a shift in negotiating power," Matt Ferguson, chief executive of CareerBuilder.com, said in a press release.

The survey also found that hiring firms are responding to the shift by intensifying their efforts to attract and retain star performers. Nearly a third of firms had put new staff retention programs into place over the last twelve months.

Interestingly, the research also revealed that companies and workers have different ideas about which benefits inspire loyalty.

Companies focused on offering bonuses and higher pay (23% and 16% of responding companies, respectively). While more money is always a good thing, employees said that they were more likely to choose one job over another based on factors such as flexible schedules (65%) and telecommuting opportunities (33%).

I think that both companies and employees should pay a lot of attention to this survey. Its findings closely correspond with what I heard from hundreds of corporate employees during the research for my upcoming book.

If you’re a hiring manager at a big firm, the message is clear. Flexibility is extremely important to today’s best and brightest. Yes, people want to be paid fairly, but they also want to have lives outside of the office.

If you’re a top performer, this research is a good reminder that there is no need to settle for working at a company that doesn’t treat you well or in a job that doesn’t inspire you. You’ve got the leverage to pick and choose.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want and deserve when it comes to compensation and benefits. I know firsthand from my interviews that there are companies out there that are willing to invest in you and keeping you happy and productive.

Popularity: 13%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Tired of hoarding vacation days and justifying every moment out of the office? Maybe you should send your resume to IBM. At IBM, every employee gets three weeks or more of annual vacation time and the company doesn’t keep track of how much time is taken. The downside is that IBM also doesn’t let workers carry vacation day over from year to year. You either use it or you lose it.

According to a recent New York Times article about the policy, IBM employees like the accountability and rate the firm’s laid-back attitude toward work and vacations as a top reason for staying at IBM.

Of course, some IBM employees interviewed for the article didn’t seem to be making the most out of their vacation freedom. Several noted that they check their voice mail and email frequently while on vacation and that bosses sometimes ask staff members to cancel time off in order to meet deadlines. Some complained that heavy work loads made it difficult to take much time off at all.

I think IBM’s policy is a step in the right direction. A corporate-wide attitude of flexibility toward time off can only be a good thing. However, it’s also important for work loads to be reasonable and for all managers to encourage their staff members to take time off when it’s due to them. Innovative policies only get results when people are actually allowed to use them.

Popularity: 7%