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PRESS RELEASE - How Students Are Succeeding With Our College Preparedness Program
"I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it."
In the Summer of 1952, Florence May Chadwick set off to swim the 26 miles of ocean that stretches from the coast of California to Catalina Island. After about 15 hours, a thick fog rolled in. She swam for another hour before, unable to see the shore, she gave up and asked to be pulled into one of the support boats that flanked her.
She later learned that she quit just one mile from her goal.
Florence tried again two months later, and, again, a thick fog set in.
But this time she kept going and made it, she later said, by keeping a mental image of the shore in her mind.
"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." - Helen Keller
- Helen Keller
Thanks to friend and partner Ric McNally for pointing me to this lesson.
Society Conditions Us to Be Unethical
Article By: Terry Clancy – www.OnwardEducation.com
Don't be a rat. Don't be a whistleblower. Don't be a tattletale. These are things everyone has heard time and time again while growing up in our society. As children our parents tried to teach us right from wrong. They spent months and years drilling into us how we should act and the consequences if we do the wrong thing. And isn't that how we as parents are teaching our own children?
This can be very confusing for a child. Often times when a child sees another doing something they have been taught is wrong, they will tell a teacher or a parent. The other children then label him/her a tattletale. Peer pressure is often more powerful than the parent's instructions, so what does the child do the next time he/she sees another doing something wrong? They stay silent and look the other way.
This idea is reinforced throughout our lives. Just look at many movies and television shows. It's a very popular scenario; a character on the wrong side of the law is made out to be a hero. There's a code that you do not “rat” anyone out. Now, I'm not suggesting that we stop watching these shows. In fact, I like them as much as the rest of you, but we need to be clear on how to act in actual situations in our own lives.
What did you do the last time you saw a co-worker do something considered by your company to be unethical? Did you confront them or report their behavior? Or, did you look the other way? These are difficult and uncomfortable questions because we've all been in this situation. None one is 100% ethical in every aspect of their lives. We're all human and it's impossible to be perfect. With that said, what we need to strive for is to increase the percentage of times when we are doing the ethical thing. Through continued exposure to ethical discussion and training it will be possible to close the gap between our current percentage and 100%.
It also seems to have become acceptable in our society to engage in unethical behavior if after having been caught you apologize. Now it helps if you seem sincere in your apology, but that's not always necessary. It really says a lot that people are willing to forgive such large transgressions, but where are the consequences for unethical actions? Even as a child you were punished for wrong doing.
Besides societal conditioning, the other major reason why people act unethically is fear. People are afraid of losing their jobs. For instance, perhaps they know of a boss's unethical behavior. Others fear confronting someone engaging in unethical behavior. They would rather stay quiet and in their comfort zone. Some people just don't know the right thing to do, so they look the other way. We need to look beyond the conditioning and fear and look to what is right for your company and your community. Doing the ethical thing is not the equivalent of being a rat, whistleblower, or a tattletale. Doing the ethical thing will pay big dividends in life and at work. In this depressed economy, we need all the tools in our toolbox to stay in business. Ethical behavior by a company will keep customers coming back and draw new customers to you.
For more information on ethics training for your employees please visit; www.OnwardEducation.com.
Permission is given to reproduce this article only in its entirety.
Ric and Team,
Looking forward to working on the OE Team!
In this tough economic time where we are confronted with multiple and challenging employment decisions, it is rare that we find both wisdom and levity bound together so poignantly.
HOW TO RECRUIT THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB? Put about 100 bricks in some Particular order in a closed Room with an Open window. Then send 2 or 3 candidates in the room and close the door. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours and then analyze the situation. If they are counting the Bricks, put them in the Accounting Department. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.
If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations. If they are sleeping, put them in Security. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources. If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing. If they are staring out of the window, put them on Strategic Planning. And then last but not least. If they are talking to each other and not a single brick has been moved, Congratulate them and put them in Top Management.
Good Monday morning to you,
Phil Lower
For your edification:
http://cohort11.americanobserver.net/latoyaegwuekwe/multimediafinal.html
by Bob Hill
Are you in one of the country's premier job markets? A new Web tool from indeed.com reveals which cities offer the most available jobs per unemployed resident. You might be stunned which city ranks head and shoulders above the rest.
The chart lists the 50 largest U.S. markets. The job-to-unemployed ratios are based on numbers from indeed's national database of job listings and unemployment rates, so there may be a slight margin of error based on how those markets are shifting, as well as unlisted job postings, etc.
Some of these markets are slightly deceiving because they offer a lot of highly specialized jobs that can't be filled by unqualified applicants (or vice versa).
Here are the top 10 U.S. cities in terms of available jobs per candidate:
While these markets offer opportunities in terms of growing business, emerging trends and a constant influx of new prospects, consider the following five markets that were ranked at the bottom of the list:
By Steve Tobak
August 17th, 2009 @ 12:06 pm
If you could look back over an unsuccessful person's life, it might tell you a story of missed opportunity and bad advice. The reverse is probably true for a successful person.
When I look back over my life and career, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of potential influences and paths I could have taken. I'm not sure why I chose certain paths and not others, or what exactly determined which advice I followed.
Maybe it was just dumb luck, but I don't think so. I think some things people say really resonate with your mindset and situation at the time. In those rare cases, you not only follow the advice, but you remember it as pivotal in your life or career. A casual piece of friendly or professional advice, given at a time when you're open to it, perhaps need it, can change everything.
Here are ten things people have said to me over the years that stuck with me and, in all but one case, had a significant effect on my life by precipitating career and life changes. In most cases I can recall every detail about the event, even if it happened decades ago.
Bottom Line: With the exception of the “shaving” line - which I just can't forget no matter how hard I try -these are ten sentences from ten events that materially shaped my career and life. They're not exhaustive by any stretch, but the point is that a handful of instances can change your world, but only if you're paying attention. So are you … paying attention?
By Jessica Stillman
July 30th, 2009 @ 11:28 am
Even if you've perfected your pitch and learned to summarize your accomplishments in a compelling and concrete way, interviews are not safe ground, especially for those who are relatively new to them. Interviewers have plenty of tricks up their sleeves, not least of which is questions seemingly designed expressly to trip you up. Putting aside the loathed “what are your weakness?” question, blog Cube Rules describes another type of interview question that seems to have no correct answer, calling these “forced choice questions” and giving examples:
Helpfully, Cube Rules also throws the floundering interviewee a life buoy, suggesting ways out of the bind. Perhaps the simplest solution is to says yes to both answers. For example, in response to the second question above, CR suggests a possible reply: “I like working alone when I need focus and productivity to complete my work. But I like working with people to brainstorm ideas, help get better solutions to problems and help others for what they need.” And if saying yes to all options doesn't work? Then there is an alternative:
A second way to answer the forced choice is to pick a third option that isn't presented by the interview question. “Do you work better with a manager that gives you free reign to complete your work the way you want or do you like being micromanaged to get your work done?”
For that type of question, you ignore both options presented and offer up a third alternative to answer this question. “I like a manager that provides clear direction, is open to seeing early versions of the work so we can make sure I'm on track, and to help clear obstacles that might prevent me from getting done.”
Thanks, Cube Rules, that's one problem sorted out. Of course interviews still have plenty of other dangers. What's the most impossible-to-answer interview question you've ever been asked?
Unhappy at work? You're not alone.
The recession has left a lot of people out of a job, but many of those still employed aren't very happy at the office. That's because layoff survivors are often stuck with increased workloads, fewer benefits and even less pay. But they're staying put -- at least for now.
Fifty-four percent of employed Americans plan to look for a new job once the economy rebounds, according to a survey from Adecco Group North America.
The sentiment is even stronger among younger workers. Of those ages 18-29, 71% say they are likely to look for new jobs once the economy turns around, the survey said.
"In times of uncertainly people tend to hunker down and protect their turf, as a result of that they are staying in their current positions," explained Gautam Godhwani, CEO of job search site Simply Hired.
Waiting on a rebound
Lois DiTommaso, 28, is frustrated with her current situation, even though she has remained fully employed as a trim assistant, responsible for details like buttons and zippers, at a well established fashion label over the last year and a half.
Layoffs at her office have left her with more responsibility, longer hours and no annual salary increase.
Despite growing dissatisfaction at work, "no one is going to quit," she said of herself and her coworkers. "There's nowhere for me to go, I need my job," she explained.
DiTommaso is eager to start a new job search, once other fashion companies start hiring again.
"I can't wait for the job market to improve," DiTommaso said in anticipation of finding another position in her industry.
She is also realistic about the competitive pool of applicants she will face, including those with greater skills and experience willing to take a paycut and demotion. "Some of the people that got laid off are higher up and I'm not as competitive," she admitted.
Laura Wheeler Todd, 35, has already started looking for a new job, with no success. She is an accountant at an adolescent rehabilitation center in Alabama, but layoffs at the facility have left her in charge of medical billing and insurance coding as well.
"I'm doing two people's jobs right now," she said, which means late nights and often taking work home. "If there was more stuff out there I would absolutely quit."
Now, Todd says she is considering jobs outside her field as well -- even waiting tables like she did in college -- if it means a fresh start.
"I thought I would never have to put ice in a cup again," she said.
Making lemonade
Disgruntled workers shouldn't necessarily switch jobs the first chance they get, said Joanie Ruge, senior vice president of Adecco Group North America.
Before jumping ship, Ruge recommends that workers approach their employers first. "If you're feeling a little bit burnt out you should talk to your employer about flexibility or working from home," she said.
As conditions improve, business owners may be willing to offer flexible work hours, telecommuting or other perks to hold on to their top talent.
In the meantime, "try to play chess when the world is handing you checkers," suggests Rusty Rueff, career and workplace expert for Glassdoor.com. Workers struggling with increased workloads can take this opportunity to partner with their coworkers, become a team leader, take on more responsibility at a higher level and expand their skill set.
"This is a tremendous time to experiment in the jobs they are in," Rueff said. "Make the most out of it."
by Nancy F. Smith
Just looking at the numbers, it's hard to be optimistic about the job market in the coming years. Since the recession began in December 2007, the economy has shed approximately 7 million jobs, taking the unemployment rate to 9.4 percent. The total number of Americans who are out of work stands at 14 million, a 26-year high. Another 9 million find themselves in the category of involuntary part-time workers, a jump of 3.7 million in just over a year. That's a staggering 23 million people in need of full-time work. Plus, the economy must create 125,000 jobs a month just to stay even with population growth, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's a daunting task for the healthiest economy, but the U.S. is still mired in the worst recession in 80 years.
If history is any guide, unemployment will continue to rise after the recession bottoms out, according to Steve Hipple, an economist with the BLS. The last recession began in March 2001 and ended that November, but the unemployment rate didn't peak until June 2003.
Here's the good news: Even within an ugly trend, there are millions of happy stories. In February, 4.8 million workers were laid off — but 4.3 million workers were hired. The key to being in the 142 million who held onto their jobs or the 4.3 million who got new ones is to make sure you're positioned to be a winner. To do that, you'll need a clear picture of what the new workforce will look like. And it's shaping up to look very different.
One key factor shaping the post-crash workforce is the relative ascendance of women. Since May 2007, the number of jobs held by men aged 25 to 64 fell by 4.7 percent a year; for women in the same age group, the loss was 1.7 percent. Women aged 55 to 64 gained jobs while every other group in the prime working years lost jobs. The gap in jobless rates between men and women has been increasing. According to BLS data, the April unemployment rate for men was 10 percent; for women, 7.6 percent. That 2.4 percent gap is an all-time high.
As the numbers suggest, it is male-dominated professions that have been hit hardest — construction has lost about 450,000 jobs so far in 2009, manufacturing has lost 1.2 million jobs since September 2008, and the financial industry dropped 352,000 from April 2008 through April 2009. “This recession has been much tougher on brawn,” says John A. Challenger, CEO of the global outplacement company Challenger Gray & Christmas. “Jobs in health care and education, in natural sciences and services — industries that have been more equitable in their hiring practices — will show much more growth.”
Take Action: Now's the time to figure out which industries have the best prospects for job growth, where those industries are most likely to be located, and what it would take for you to be competitive in those job markets. Be prepared for significant changes over the course of your work life — not just new jobs but new careers.
“The opportunity cost for retraining is low now,” says David Autor, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “If you're not working anyway or you're working at a job with no future, now's a great time to learn the skills for your next job. It's a challenge to decide you're going to invest time and energy in something totally different, but it's the surest way forward.”
Just one example: Speaking at a conference in early June, former Environmental Protection Agency head Christine Todd Whitman said that Miami Dade College teamed up with Florida Power and Light to train nuclear engineers. The graduates had well-paying jobs as soon as they graduated.
Boomers have always been a hard-working group, clocking the highest participation rates in the workforce and inflating the job numbers of each age cohort they pass through. They are now between the ages of 45 and 63, and they're still hogging jobs. The participation rate for 55- to 64-year-olds in May 2009 was 65.6 percent, a jump of 1.3 million workers over the year before.
Now this flood of boomers is approaching retirement age on the heels of a double financial whammy. They've seen a decline in the value of their homes, and 401(k) portfolios have fallen by 30 percent. The average 401(k) balance at the end of 2008 was $56,000, down from $78,000 in 2007. Their only option is to keep working.
The old guys are not only holding onto their high-seniority jobs at the expense of younger workers, but those who have already retired are pouring back into the market, taking jobs at the low end of the skill and pay distribution — stocking grocery-store shelves, clerking at fast-food joints, even working construction — the kinds of jobs traditionally held by young high-school graduates, according to Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. The result: The number of Americans 65 and older who are working has risen by 700,000 over the past two years, to 6 million, while the 16- to 24-year-old group has fallen by 2 million, to 18.3 million.
Take Action: If you're a boomer, don't be dissuaded from staying on the job — it's the best way to make up the losses in your portfolio. “If you're 60, you can work an additional two years beyond 65 to recoup the losses,” says Pamela Hess, director of retirement research at Hewitt Associates. “Or you can save 41 percent more a year, a near impossibility.” What's more, that's two years you won't have to draw down your savings. And postponing Social Security until you're 70 years old increases your payout a whopping 75 percent over what you'd receive at 65.
If you're not a boomer, know that the big squeeze on your employment prospects isn't permanent. “In the long haul, the labor market is very flexible and will accommodate the labor supply,” says Alicia H. Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. And eventually the boomers will retire.
President Obama promised the $787 billion package would add 3 million to 4 million jobs. Most of the funds are mandated to be spent in the next two years, but the impact in many areas will be much longer term. Here are four areas that will get a relatively quick hit from the package but also have the potential for longer-term job growth.
Take Action: Go green. Don't discount the idea of green-collar jobs just because it seems trendy and, well, because it's hard to figure out exactly what green-collar jobs are. “One way to think of them is like blue-collar jobs on green projects,” Challenger says. Knowledge workers such as environmental engineers and architects will have new opportunities, too. “To conform to U.S. laws, green manufacturing plants will be built here rather than offshore if they want access to the funds in the stimulus package,” Challenger says.
The 3.7 million jump in the number of part-time workers, to 9 million, is the hidden bombshell in the unemployment story. These increases are often a bellwether that more layoffs are likely, according to Susan Lambert of the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. The BLS defines involuntary part-time workers as those who are working less than 35 hours a week because their employer has cut their hours or they can't find full-time work. Today the national average workweek for hourly workers is 33.2 hours — “the lowest average work hours in 30 years,” says Lambert. “A lot of people who think they have full-time jobs are not getting full-time hours.”
This trend has been developing over the past 20 years as employers embraced just-in-time labor management, Lambert says. In retailing, for example, 70 percent of the store clerks were full-time 20 years ago; now it's 30 percent.
As for wages, flat is the new raise. Other than a year-over-year uptick of 3 percent in May, wage growth has been pretty much stagnant for the past year. And according to research by Columbia University economist Till von Wachter, anyone who's entering the workforce for the first time or has lost his job during a recession will suffer significant and persistent wage losses for years. “Typically, these workers will make 20 percent less for maybe 20 years, sometimes longer,” he says. “It's not just supply and demand. There is something about being out of work and looking for a job that has an impact on earning power.” Nor is the impact limited to the unemployed. Workers who keep their jobs in firms that lay off large numbers of workers lose earnings.
Take Action: Presumably you're doing everything you can to stay on the job, even if it means cutting back your hours. In the meantime, be prepared to be part of a more “flexible” workforce in the future by coming up with a contingency plan for freelance work, networking like crazy, and drafting multiple resumes that emphasize different skill sets.
Then schedule a meeting with your boss and make sure she thinks you're doing as great a job as you think you're doing. Worst-case scenario, you're instituting an early-warning system. Best case, you're first in line for a promotion when the economy finally bounces back.
The Job Hunt: Don't Be Sidetracked By Myths Surrounding Today's Job Market Published on 3/20/2009
http://www.midwestbusiness.com:80/printer/article.asp?newsletterID=19621
CHICAGO – There have been a growing number of stories lately about the double-dip recession in light of bleak economic reports on factory orders and consumer confidence.
For the job seeker, all of this negative news begins to mount until it feels that the search for employment is entirely hopeless. Job seekers may have acquaintances telling them “XYZ company just laid off 500 people; you shouldn't apply there” or “you will never find a job in the telecommunications industry; it's the weakest sector in the economy”.
So many people start fostering these myths that they become easy to believe.
Job seeking is about the individual and being liked. Job seeking isn't about how a specific industry or company is or isn't performing. It doesn't even matter if the company is hiring. If you present the right attributes and are well liked by the interviewer, the company will create a position for you.
With the job market in its current state, there is undoubtedly a flood of myths being espoused by various parties. Following are perhaps some of the most commonly believed myths.
A company announcing job cuts or one that is in bankruptcy should be avoided since they're not hiring. Companies in turmoil are not only hiring but many are willing to pay a good salary to top-tier candidates.
Contrary to what most job seekers may believe, the company that is having difficulties and is even announcing sizable layoffs has a more urgent need for qualified people than many economically fit companies.
Not only do most other job seekers avoid these situations (thus reducing the competition) but such companies may be willing to pay a premium to those who can prove they have what it takes to revive the business.
Disregard the myth that adverse reports about a company mean there are no job possibilities at that company. The fact is someone has to run the business. Large layoffs will frequently involve realignments and restructurings that can create new job opportunities.
What constitutes a company in turmoil? Look for layoff announcements, a firing of the president, multiple senior-level job changes, the closing of facilities, a rapid decline of the stock price, the cutting of dividends and negative broadcast or printed stories.
Companies today are not interested in hiring candidates older than 55 years in age.
Older workers are highly regarded for several reasons. For one, employers see them as valuable assets in the struggling economy because their experience and skills make them better able to do the work of two and sometimes three younger, less-seasoned workers.
More important, companies are looking ahead not just to a recovery in 2009 or 2010 but 5 to 10 years down the road when a labor force depleted by retirements won't be able to fill the jobs our economy is projected to create. As a result, it will become more and more important for companies to find ways to keep older workers from retiring.
The projected number of jobs to be filled (167.8 million) will outnumber the available workers (157.7 million) by 10 million over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If you have spent your entire career in one industry, it will be impossible to find a position in another industry.
In reality, quite the opposite is true. Companies are most concerned with a candidate's core skills and how they can be applied in their industry. In fact, an employer may be seeking people from outside its industry in order to gain new perspective and new ways to approach old problems.
Job seekers should be encouraged to consider many different industries. Casting the widest net possible will greatly improve your chance of success. Job seekers should realize they can take their base skills (whether it's in accounting, information technology, project management or marketing) and apply them to any number of industries.
There's no reason a marketing manager for a manufacturer of brake parts can't shift his or her skills to become a marketing manager for an agricultural company or a hospital (two areas that are hiring right now).
Unless a company is advertising open positions in the newspaper or on the Internet, don't bother contacting anyone there about a job. A very small percentage of jobs are actually found through a newspaper or Internet ads because a very small percentage of the available jobs are listed there.
Job seekers should be focused on ways to create opportunities by actually getting out and meeting people and visiting prospective employers. It's a system that results in a lot more face-to-face rejection, but in the end, a job is usually found much faster.
One technique that has proven successful is simply showing up at the office of a prospective employer without an appointment and waiting to see the manager you want to work for (but don't go to the HR department unless seeking a position in that area). Even if the company isn't officially hiring, several positive scenarios could result.
Perhaps there's an opening the company was going to fill internally but will now consider you as a candidate. Perhaps there are no openings but the manager liked you so much that he or she will create a position for you. Perhaps the manager has no jobs to offer but knows other companies that are hiring and will recommend you for consideration.
Follow-up calls are annoying. If the company is interested, they will call you. On the contrary, a follow-up action is essential in process of finding a new job.
The manager with whom you interviewed has at least a dozen other responsibilities on his or her plate. A follow-up call and/or letter should not only remind the person that you spoke but also what separates you from other candidates.
A follow-up action also demonstrates your interest and enthusiasm about working for that employer. Such a small percentage of people actually follow up these days that the candidates who do really distinguish themselves from the rest of the pool.
Because of the economy, it's likely that you will have to accept a salary lower than what you earned in your previous position.
If an employer goes to the expense, time and effort to find a qualified candidate, it wants that person to stay. While a candidate may accept a salary lower than his or her previous salary, chances are that individual will continue job searching after being hired and leave as soon as a better offer comes along.
That being said, in a competitive job market the burden of proving you're worth the higher salary is much greater.
The face-to-face interview (even in the Internet Age) is still the key to job search success and the ability to garner a higher salary. Candidates must be able to provide supportable evidence of their achievements for other employers and explain how their experience will be valuable to the new situation.
In this economy, companies are looking for individuals who can save money and/or make more money. If candidates can point to specific ideas, plans or actions they developed that contributed to significant cost savings for their former employer, that is going to be regarded favorably by any employer.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas President James E. Challenger is in his fourth decade of job search counseling after pioneering outplacement as an employer-paid benefit. He has authored three books including “Secrets of the Job Hunt” and his most recent Job-Hunting Success For Mid-Career Professionals”. Challenger lives and works in Chicago.
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