This article originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal April 15,2009 By SUE SHELLENBARGER Lexie Oliver, 16, has been trying for weeks to get a summer job, to earn spending money and to feel productive. But the search has proven “really difficult,” says the Gainesville, Fla., high-school sophomore. After applying at numerous retailers and getting turned down, Ms. Oliver has made a decision: If she wants a job this summer, she figures she’ll have to create her own. She’s already working on starting a handmade jewelry business, finding materials, tapping a friend to build a Web site and asking relatives for help marketing her wares. Faced with the darkest summer-job market since the government began collecting data after World War II, a growing number of teens are turning to entrepreneurship. The government’s $1.2 billion youth jobs program is expected to make barely a dent in overall teen joblessness… Read More
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Twelve Years Down the Drain
This article originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal April 9,2009 By Elizabeth Wurtzel The credit crisis has cost us a dozen years’ wealth in a matter of months. Anyone who toils in the legal-industrial complex — better known as Big Law — should be able to tell you how we got here. Corporate attorneys like me, even those with the eyesight and insight of Mr. Magoo, all should have been able to see this financial collapse coming. The market has lost a dozen years worth of wealth in a matter of months. Millions of hours of manpower put in by investment bankers on Wall Street and the lawyers who enabled them — the kind that brought home those bright shiny bonuses that are now causing a populist uprising in the hinterlands — have been wasted away by what is kindly called the credit crisis. And whatever lessons… Read More
The Art of Your Story
This article originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal March 30, 2009 By Alexandra Levit Working on your `story’ is a major part of what we do together as we support you through your transition. Great article! For some, making the decision to change careers is the easy part. It’s harder to convince others, especially potential employers, that you’re doing the right thing. During your transition, you’ll often be asked why you’ve decided to move in the new direction. I’ve learned to communicate my story quickly, and more importantly, in a way that makes sense and puts listeners at ease. Beth Zimmerman, the 46-year-old president of business consulting firm Cerebellas, experienced a similar challenge when she made the leap to brand management after 10 years in architecture. “If I was lucky enough to get an interview, I was typically met with incredulity as to why and how an… Read More
Hate Networking? Don't Do It!
Social networking, networking events, speed networking, alumni networking. That overused term — Networking… it’s enough to make anyone overwhelmed and stuck. Especially if you’re someone who has been working steadily, paying attention to making projects move along the way they’re supposed to. Not to mention taking care of kids, home, pets and maybe Little League, and then staying on top of the news. But suddenly the apple cart is turned up-side-down — news of a lay-off comes. Now you’re supposed to start networking (can you hear the exasperation?). My clients routinely tell me ‘I hate networking!’ ‘Agh – it’s the networking that’s the worst!’ ‘I hate those time wasting events that you have to go to. Why bother?’ I have heard more versions of that statement. Personally, I love to meet new people. I love to learn about what others are thinking and learning and arguing about. I love to… Read More
The GRE: A Game of Chess
Here’s our latest blog from our guest blogger. If you’re thinking about graduate school this is a must read. Our blogger did such a great job on her GRE and her grad school applications that she’s gotten into one of her top pick schools! Here’s the low-down on the oft dreaded, but required testing game… The GRE: A Game of Chess The Graduate Record Examination, or GRE exam, is generally a mandatory requirement for graduate school applicants. The majority of schools and programs do require GRE scores from applicants though some schools waive GRE requirements based upon their own set of criteria – undergraduate grade point average, for example. Currently, the going maximum age for test results cannot exceed five years by your application date. In the past, paper versions of the GRE were the standard, but now that format is mostly reserved for international applicants testing in foreign countries. Read More
How Are the Guys Doing?
I work with a lot of men and have been thinking a lot about what male ‘issues’ vs. female ‘issues’ are. There have been a lot of things written lately about how men have been affected more by the economic downturn than women. Clearly this is true when we look at the numbers and the fact that so many jobs that have been lost have been in the manufacturing and financial arenas — male dominated job sectors. Most of us who work derive so much of our identity from what we do; men and women alike. I see this time we’re going through as a mind boggling, soul wrenching push — or nudge — to wake people up to see that they are more than what they do to earn a living. You may read that and say ‘Easy for you to say. You’re a woman.’ But I — and… Read More
What Have We Got For You?
I’m very curious about what’s happening ‘out there’. I read in today’s LA Times in a letter to the editor that this person can’t believe that even 30% of employed people feel ‘safe’ in their jobs. The piece is a complete bummer. I’m sorry that the LA Times chose to print this piece. I’m sorry that the media is fanning the flames of defeat and what looks to me like ‘resignation’. Yes, there are a lot of lay-offs and the job market is very tough. Does this mean that we should all buckle and fold and not lift ourselves up and get out there and connect and put our best foot forward? There are jobs out there. And there are ways to work; even if it’s for less money, less time, less security there are ways to keep yourself at it, on top of your search, on top of your… Read More
March 2009 Newsletter
Daisy Swan & Associates – March Madness (or, not…) What’s Inside: Welcome & Introduction, by Daisy Swan, MA, CPCC: The Los Angeles Career Counselor & Coach Lessons I’ve learned that have been helpful to me (and to others) Some Recommended Reads, Web Sites & Articles of Interest Upcoming Daisy Swan & Associates Events Welcome & Introduction, by Daisy Swan, MA, CPCC: The Los Angeles Career Counselor & Coach Hello, Readers! I want to thank those of you who have noticed that I haven’t sent out any messages of one sort or another, as of late. Indeed, my last Newsletter came out in August, when the winds of change were whipping up some strong waves. And here we are, in the midst of the storm, as the month of March begins. March is known for its winds and basketball games. I always thought that it was… Read More
Five Key Steps After a Layoff
This article is from The Wall Street Journal By Karen Blumenthal Published: February 25, 2009 Original Source One of the worst parts of being laid off is coping with fear and confusion about what’s ahead. You may not be able to control your exit. But you can make decisions about your money and how it will get you through the transition. So what do you do? Take a deep breath; don’t rush to pull the kids out of piano lessons or soccer. Instead, start working on a new financial plan. The new stimulus package, which extends unemployment benefits and helps subsidize health-insurance costs, should help. Then consider these five elements that your plan should include: Stay covered. Unexpected medical costs are the last thing you need when you’re out of work. The Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act, known as Cobra, lets many employees maintain their health insurance… Read More
Your Stimulus Plan
Wow. This has been some ride lately. If you’re reading this you may be looking for ways to cope with having been laid off, downsized, right sized, wrong sized, fired, or worried about all of the above happening to you. You may also be thinking ahead and trying to come up with proactive ways to approach your next moves in your career — Your Stimulus Plan. I’m with our President — we will recover from this chaos and more and new opportunities will appear. What does that statement do to you when you read that? Take a moment to notice. Are you skeptical? Too anxious and impatient to take a breath? Or do you brighten just a tiny bit? Any of these reactions will inform you of how your beliefs are affecting your actions, and therefore your outcomes. My previous post was about not engaging in job search… Read More
