Category Archives: Economy

5 quantum skills of IT, accounting, legal, and operations professionals

Posted on February 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

5 quantum skills of IT, accounting, legal, and operations professionals that will change your career and your company in this article.

Previously, I explored the forces driving fundamental changes to the IT business model. This is leading to what is being called the Quantum Age of IT–an era in which IT success and value is driven less by technology and more by relationships and interactions. We examined how this is leading IT organizations to develop five organizational traits to become learning organizations, disciplined organizations, transparent organizations, intimate organizations and, finally, dynamic organizations.

read more here.

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Can you be offshoring resistant?

Posted on January 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. (Rod Serling)

IBM consolidated all of the development work for one of its major initiatives in Bangalore.  I can’t even find Bangalore on a map without taking a few minutes.  At first I thought it was the capital of Maine. (My wife says to tell you this is supposed to be a joke.)

In my business, recruiting, some parts are being offshored.  Sales companies are sending telemarketing offshore.  Engineering is going to cheaper climes.  Data entry is sent to other countries through our great telecommunications system.  And many companies no longer have permanent offices or cubicles for large numbers of their “thought” workers.  They work from home or on the road.

It is a fact of life.  Manufacturers had to face the music decades ago.  Now it is everyone else’s turn.  The economics of a world economy are not going away. You need to assess your skills and job starkly.  Can your job be sent to Vietnam or Indonesia?  What do you offer that is superior to their college educated workforce?

David Foote defined three categories of “offshore-resistant” jobs in the computer field.  They are enabler jobs, customer-facing jobs, and infrastructure jobs. I think he has the right idea, but he is an optimist.  Some of the jobs he thinks are offshore resistant will go overseas.

In your field, what are the offshoring resistant jobs?  Which jobs cannot even be moved to California or Alabama? A recent study showed that half of the outsourced jobs are outsourced within the USA.  The jobs leave your company and stay in the country.

There is a larger reason than potential unemployment to figure it out.  The jobs that are most difficult to offshore are the most likely to be stable.  They are more likely to have constantly increasing salaries.  As the baby boomers retire, those jobs cannot be filled by unskilled labor.  While the workforce shrinks, competition for people who can do those critical jobs will increase.  Compared to today’s wages, some people are going to be paid outrageously well.

In your field, what are the offshoring resistant jobs? Just knowing will change your career.

Something to do today

Invite your boss or his boss to lunch.  Take the chance to ask him what jobs are most and least likely to be offshored.  It is worth paying for his lunch to find out.

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Later:               Prepare to be a manager

You are underpaid, right?

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Posted in Economy, Finding jobs

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Salary changes by city – the best and the worst

Posted on October 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Being in the highest or lowest paying city is not related to how much money you keep after your expenses are paid.

Here is a list of the highest and lowest paying cities, and some things to consider before moving.

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Posted in Economy, Raises

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Job safety and job ethics

Posted on October 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

I made a 2 year commitment to the first company that hired me out of college.  I said I would do that job and not quit.  I had a safe job.  I was over educated and working hard. “Safety first,” I thought.  I was happy to make that commitment.  A year into it I got a sweet job offer. A huge promotion into another company.  I was torn.  I couldn’t take the new job.  3 months later I was laid off by my old company.  I had made a commitment to my company, but they could not keep their commitment to me.

Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the word ‘safe’ that I wasn’t previously aware of. —  Arthur Dent in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”

Since then I have learned a few things about “Safety First” and job ethics.

“Safety” is important.  Just remember, you are only safe if your company is making money and you are a significant part of that money making machine.  By the way, all that safety goes out the door if someone buys your company.

Job ethics works just like a contract. A contract is of no effect unless both sides receive something of value.  You should live up to your commitments.  Absolutely.  But, if your company is not living up to their commitments, your side of the commitment disappears too.

Staying with the company was the right thing for me to do.  The company was sold a month before I was laid off, and 75% of the capacity of the whole industry was cut over the next month after the company was sold. They had to lay me off.

I learned to feel good about fulfilling my commitments.  I also learned to be careful about what I commit to.  I paid a steep price.  I learned, and have used what I learned for the rest of my life.  It was worth it.  I made a 3 year commitment to EDS a little later.  I fulfilled that commitment too.  That also was worth it.

Something to do today

What commitments have you made?  What are the commitments made back to you?

Write down both sides of the agreement.  Does it make sense when you look at it today?

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Next:   I believe in luck

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Posted in Economy, Finding jobs, Perseverance

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17 non- obvious signs your company is in trouble – The tsunami is coming

Posted on September 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

Some signs of company trouble are easy to ignore.  They aren’t obvious signs of trouble.  They can even look like progress.

In the great Indian Ocean tsunami some people survived because they knew the signs of a tidal wave of disaster waiting to happen.  They had learned, “When the sea retreats far past the beach, run for the high ground.  It will soon come roaring back.”  It is a natural occurrence before a tsunami.

Job disasters have signs of impending doom like the tsunami causing water to retreat from the shore.  Think about it.  What happens before a car plant closes down entirely?  Work is cut back.  Minor layoffs occur.  Sales are obviously dropping.  Cars stay on dealer lots for longer and longer.  Rebates and special incentives are used to sell cars.  Managers, supervisors and foreman are laid off.  Finally the plant closing is announced.

An old Thai proverb says,

At high tide fish eat ants.  At low tide ants eat fish.  (Thai proverb)

A healthy company succeeds by doing effectively what a dying company struggles unsuccessfully to do over and over.

Signs of doom I have seen where I worked included:

  • A new quality program annually.
  • No more flowers sent to funerals of workers and their family members.
  • Business travel cut backs.
  • On the job training cut back to “just in time” training.
  • Payments for outside tuition cut back.
  • Technology innovation specialists moved back into production jobs.
  • Promised bonuses cut back or not paid.
  • Refusal to let employees transfer to other areas in the company.
  • Relocation expense reimbursement eliminated.
  • Sudden personal interest in the workers by the company president and chairman.
  • Empowerment training during declining markets.
  • Not replacing people who quit.
  • Reorganizing more and more often.
  • Stock price dropping.
  • Replacement of salespeople at a quick clip.
  • A frenzy of competitor acquisitions.
  • A sudden focus on getting “good press” or being in trade publications.

When you see the signs of impending problems, you may still have years to prepare.  Or you may have days.  The important thing is to start preparing without being part of the problem.  Take positive steps in your own sphere of influence.

When the water retreats from the shoreline, it may look like a great time to go out and pick up the fish left behind.  When your boss is sacked, it may seem like the perfect time to get into management. And it may be true.  But be careful and look for signs that a tsunami is coming to wash your whole company away.

 

Later I will talk about how businessmen in India cope with far worse problems than Americans can even begin to understand, and do it with a smile.

Something to do today

Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper.  On the left put signs of company strength, reasons for optimism.  On the right put a list of troubling signs of decline.  Now pick how you can help accentuate the positive or eliminate the negative.  Not only will your actions help your company, they will insulate you from layoffs and prepare you for a new job.

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Tomorrow:     Businessmen from India

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Posted in Economy, Focus, management, Promotions, Quitting or Fired, Training

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How many people are looking for a new job?

Posted on August 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

…workers think their career paths have slowed since the recession and that they will require significantly more time to meet their career goals. About half of employees also reported that the only way to grow their careers is to find a new employer.

However, most employees… more…

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The war for talent is starting, it is getting ugly.

Posted on March 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

The talent war is starting up again.  I’ve been seeing it this month as I try to find highly qualified programmers and accountants.  Click here for an article about how it will destroy many teams and employers.

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Posted in Economy, Finding jobs, talent

8 Signs That You Will Be Laid Off Or Fired

Posted on March 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Getting fired is nature’s way of telling you that you had the wrong job in the first place. (Lancaster)

True stories:

Susan is going to be fired. She appears to be clueless. She is a great person but is not getting the job done. She’s in a genteel company where people are expected to take hints. She has not taken the hints. She has been all but told to find a new job. She refuses to accept that. We’ve even read the tea leaves for her after her boss asked us to help get her out of the company. She refuses to accept it. Susan is going to be fired for not being above average. It just makes no sense to her.

My old friend Larry was at a major computer company. Every year his reviews were stellar. Then one year his review changed from “superior” to “needs improvement”. Larry asked, “Is this a hint?” The reply was, “It is what it is. You’ll need to figure that out.” Two weeks later Larry had a new job with a 25% pay raise. He’s still at that new company and still getting superior performance appraisals. Larry was being pushed out because his salary was too high, even though he was worth every penny of it.

The two main reasons for firing or laying off people are that they are not good enough, or they are too expensive. For either problem, some of the signs are the same, such as:

  • Pay raises less than the rate of inflation – particularly NO raise
  • A job review with average or lower ratings
  • Reduction in responsibilities or some of your duties given to others
  • Being on probation (some people actually miss this one!)
  • You are asked to relocate to a place you won’t go
  • Your company, division or location is losing money
  • A competitor just won a big contract you should have won
  • A new boss promises to “revitalize” your group, division or company

If you are wondering about your own situation, take the bull by the horns. Ask your boss two questions:

  1. Are there going to be layoffs?
  2. Should I start looking for a new job?

If you have the guts to ask, he just might tell you the truth. It’s better to know for sure if your boss will tell you. If your boss lies, you’ll still get a feeling for the truth. Find out. It’s better to look for a job while you are still employed rather than when you are jobless.

Do you have even one of the 8 signs in your job? Go talk to your boss. Do you have three or more of the symptoms? Look for a job no matter what the boss says.

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Posted in Attitude, Economy, Focus, Quitting or Fired

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How fast can I find a new job?

Posted on January 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

The modern steam locomotive can cross the plains at the lightning speed of 15 mile per hour.  The only thing faster is a telegraph. (circa 1870)

How fast can you find a new job?  Let’s talk about the Beatles.  They were an overnight sensation…except for the years they spent playing clubs in Germany and England.  Years lost to the world.

I bet you know a guy who quit and had a new job a week later.  He wasn’t even looking when he quit.  He told you so.  So how long will it take you to get a new job? No one knows.

The best thing to do is keep your current job and start looking.  Use your network.  The first thing to ask them is not, “Find me a job,” but, “How’s the job market?”  Get the people you know to tell you how long it took for their acquaintances to find a job.  This will tell your network to keep their eyes open.

Be careful how widely you let it be known you are looking for a job.  If you are employed, use your network, recruiters and respond to ads.  If you are unemployed, you might use ResumeRabbit to send your resume to 50 internet sites.  You have to understand that you will be getting calls for a year or two if you put your resume on the internet.

Executives often look a month for every $10,000 in income they want.  If they are earning $120,000 then they may search for a year.  Technical experts are often either hired within days of their search beginning, or they take 12 months to find a job.  Why?  They may have critical skills, but there is no job until someone else quits or a project starts.

Your job search will be over much more quickly if you will commute a long distance or relocate.

Let’s get serious about money.  Are you overpaid?  Do you have golden handcuffs that will keep you from leaving?  Then you may never find another job without taking a pay cut.  If you are underpaid, you’ll get a new job quickly.  That’s just a fact.

How fast will you get a new job?  No one knows.  So it is probably best to start looking while you are still employed.

Again, here is the first step to finding out how fast you can find a job.

Don’t just ask your network to help you find a job.  Ask people how long it took for folks they know to find a job.  Search for stories of quick searches and also ask for horror stories.

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Posted in Economy, Finding jobs, Networking, Quitting or Fired

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Permanent employment DOES exist

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 1 comment

The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty, not knowing what comes next.  (LeGuin)

Success isn’t permanent, and failure isn’t fatal.  (Ditka)

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. (London)

Here is what happened to me:

Our company made a record profit.  The industry was booming.  The company was sold for an unbelievable amount because its future was so bright.

95% of the employees were laid off by the end of the next month . We were in a boom no one thought was a bubble.  The bubble burst.  The company had to lay off almost everyone. I lasted until the end of the next month.

10 years later I was employed by a huge computer company.  The world was good.  This was a permanent job.  I had been there 9 years. I was safe.

Then I got a letter from a friend at corporate headquarters.  There were going to be layoffs in 3 months.  I asked my bosses. They denied it.  My contact said, “I read the memo.”  I quit for a new job one week before the layoffs were announced.

What has happened to permanent employment?

Permanent employment does exist.  It exists in your skills, networks and planning.

Union negotiations, trade laws and employment contracts are all useless against the tides of change.  Your guarantee of permanent employment comes only through your own efforts and flexibility.  Permanent is what YOU bring to the table.

Even people who have been in the same company for 20 years have switched careers 3, 5 or 10 times.  During my 9 years at EDS I had 4 very different job paths in 9 years.

Look at where you are.  Prepare for the changes that absolutely will come.  Learn new skills.  Pay for your own training if you have to.  Get certifications.  Pay for the tests yourself if your company won’t.  Get trade magazines for your specialty and industry.  Bring ideas to the table where you work.

The world is changing.  You can either benefit from the changes or lose everything you have.

Permanent success means constant change.  Make your job permanent, though your career changes.

Something To Do Today

List what you can do to become a “Permanent” employee.  Meaning you always have a job.

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Posted in Accomplishments, Attitude, Economy, Networking, Perseverance, Promotions, Quitting or Fired

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