How to Protect Your Job in a Stormy Industry

The New York Times 'Career Couch' includes some very topical Q&A. While the questions are targeted at the financial services industry, the advice is broadly applicable.

The bottom line? “Just because financial services is down, don’t believe that there are no opportunities and lose hope in the process,” he said. “It only takes one job. Keep your perspective.”

Read the full Q&A here...

Background Checks: What You Need to Know

businessweek.com: "With background screening now the norm, employers and employees should be aware of how checks are done and how to protect themselves..."

This article offers practical advice on some things applicants AND employers need to know:

JOB APPLICANTS

• Check prior background reports
• Know who's checking your past
• Act fast if something is wrong

EMPLOYERS

• Know what you're getting from a background check
• There's no national database of all criminal records
• Know how reference checks are done

Read the full article...

Online networks may help job-hunting: surveys

"Job seekers should tap into online networking sites to help hunt down potential employers, new surveys suggest.

The polls, conducted in Canada and the United States on behalf of California-based recruitment firm Robert Half International (RHI.N), showed that most executives believe that professional networking sites will prove useful over the next three years for job seekers...

RHI provided five suggestions for benefiting from online networking:

• Craft your profile carefully
• Ask for recommendations
• Build your list of contacts
• Don't post anything you wouldn't want an employer to see
• Don't stop networking once you have a job"

Apply the 80/20 Principle with The FreelanceSwitch Client Analyser

Freelance switch has just added a cool new online tool called the "Client Analyser". It is based on the 80/20 or Pareto Principle:

"The way it works is that you put in your clients, answer some questions about them and then it lines up the data into tables, showing you where the results are coming from so you can compare and contrast them. The more clients you add, the better it works.

You should note, it’s not meant to be a very serious tool, more just a lightweight look at some of your client list. If you put in the minimum 8 clients and just guess values you can go through in about 10 minutes or so, and longer for more clients and more precision..."

Freelancers can also use Coworkers.com Reviews to rate and compare their various client contacts. The more data that can be gathered about a client portfolio, the more meaningful the insight.

Take Those Numeric Ratings and - Make Them Motivational

about.com: "Do numeric ratings make a contribution in the workplace? Done well, I believe numeric ratings can motivate excellent work performance; done poorly, numeric ratings undermine your positive work environment... these six recommendations set the stage for what makes an appraisal rating system, for employees or non-employees, sound, and potentially - motivational...

1. should be objective rather than subjective;
2. should be job-related or based on job analysis;
3. should be based on behaviors rather than traits;
4. should be within the control of the ratee;
5. should relate to specific functions, not global assessments,
6. should be communicated to the employee."

As the article states "Numeric ratings can have a positive impact on your company". Read the entire article to see other guidelines, as well as common things to avoid.

Already hip to this? Create a Coworkers.com review now

Why Your Google Reputation Can Hurt Your Career

"More and more recruiters are turning to Google as part of their due diligence efforts for hiring decisions. The article quotes a couple of incidents where potential employers backed away from offering a job, once they Googled the candidate.

Fortunately, it’s not all bad news. Hiring managers might find something positive about you..."

Read the rest at marketingpilgrim.com

Building Credibility: 11 Ways to Show You’re a Professional

Here's an interesting article from freelanceswitch.com:

"When it comes down to the wire, your potential clients are trying to figure out which category you fall into: the good or the bad.

So how can you show that you’re an honest and hard-working freelancer? A lot of the time it’s the little things that count the most..."

Here's a summary of their key points:

1. Have an established pricing structure
2. Create a clean and professional brand
3. Pay for a professional telephone service
4. Show Professional Endorsements
5. Proudly display your previous work
6. Proudly display client testimonials and comments
   
7. Dress appropriately for client meetings
8. Always be well-groomed
9. Have lots of detailed information on your website
10. Maintain a confident voice in your industry
11. Always be willing to say no

Of course, you can address points 4 and 6 by Requesting Reviews via Coworkers.com...

Always Be Prepared: 5 Tips for Unexpected Job Loss

This is a helpful summary of things to keep in mind as a 21st century worker.

"Whether you’re Joe Torre or Joe Cubicle, your at-will (more aptly, fire-at-will) contract may come to an end unexpectedly. If you’re smart, you may have seen the writing on the wall and given yourself time to prepare. Life isn’t always that obvious, so you should be thinking ahead and protecting yourself. Here are some tips that you can start putting into effect now, particularly if you are not the sole controller of your employment destiny..."

The main points of the article include:

• Keep three to six months in accessible funds.
• Keep your resume and portfolio current.
• Always be networking.
• Get recommendations without asking.
• Study your industry.

Companies try to retain older workers

Hey everyone, hope you had a great Labor Day. Now get back to work!

The LA Times has a story that will be of interest to the older part of our demographic. Along with the aging of our population, older workers are more in demand than ever. Anyone who has ever tried to debug PL1 code or fix a car from the 1970's certainly understands why this is the case...