Spouse’s Personality Can Influence Career Success.

Your spouse’s personality can influence your career success.

Joshua Jackson a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, co-authored a paper with Brittany Solomon, a graduate student at Washington University. They looked at 4,544 heterosexual, married adults ranging in age from 19 to 89 years.  On-the-job performance was measured with surveys conducted each year to gauge job success. Participants supplied input on job satisfaction, salary increases and the likelihood of job advancement.

Results generated showed employees who scored highest on job success tended to have spouses with a high score for conscientiousness. The results were the same for both men and women.  A spouse’s conscientiousness had a larger impact on the other’s income when they did not work themselves.

One assertion is that this occurs as a side effect of a healthy and intimate relationship, where one partner does things to compliment the other, developing habits that positively penetrate the work environment. 

Differentiating Yourself Among the Crowd at Recruiting Events

For job searchers, it can be extremely difficult to differentiate yourself at a large event where literally hundreds of applicants are aggressively in pursuit of gaining the attention of a human resource professional or other representative from a firm. 

Don't be distraught. Remember the role of a recruiter is to represent and position the firm in the most favorable way and serve as an the in-person extension of those fancy, glossy brochures they sometimes hand out or re-emphasize information already on the website. At the end of the day, they are exhausted having to repeat this commercial.

Stand out, in a good way. So what's your goal? You want to obtain their contact information, gain as much inside information about a position without sounding clueless or intrusive, and make an impression so that they remember you when you contact them shortly thereafter.

But how does one stand out? Aside from a professional personal appearance, which is the baseline starting point, find your edge. Prepare before the event and aside from reading the company site, read recent articles about the company that generated interest in publications/online. You can bring up the news event to the recruiter if it is something neutral or favorable about the company, but certainly avoid anything negative or controversial. Better yet, think of a way to integrate this new information and tie it to how it impacts the company's strategy (or a select division where you have an interest). This will demonstrate a deeper level of interest of the company since you have given some independent thought outside of a news story, which many applicants might replicate. 

Another way to stand out? Recruiters will remember you better if you can arrive early. It shows you are interested and on top of your game. When there is a line of 10 applicants or networkers vying for their attention, your conversation may become easily forgotten. Arrive early, be succinct, and tell them you will follow up with them the next day.  

Convince Your Boss to Allow for Telecommuting

According to the Global Workplace Analytics and Telework Research Network, up to 30 million Americans telecommute one day per week.  

This is a telling sign - but of what? Is it employers competing to lure new talent or commuters pushing back to save on time, costs and gain a more balanced life? 

The jury is still out depending on the region, industry and type of company. Having said that, for those employees trying to convince the boss that this is a good option for both parties, consider the following: 

Demonstrate More Productivity. If you can prove the productivity in your tasks in a detailed manner, he/she will get the message and see how it translates to growth and profitability. 

Know your Worth. Have you received con

sistently good performance reviews? Having this track record and reputation with not only your boss, but team members would put you in a more favorable position for the request. 

Put Yourself in the Bosses Shoes. How much are is your personal presence and immediate accessibility required for urgent tasks? How will he/she be able to address this issue if other colleagues view this approval as favoritism? Work through these questions beforehand so you can help him/her address these potential issues. 

Stay Accessible and on Top of Deadlines. The beginning will be a transition for everyone. but it is critical to have a functional work space, a reliable phone and internet connection. By doing so, you will avoid the skepticism that this plan is workable. Meet all your deadlines, and continue to build a track record of reliable turnaround.  

Start with One Day. Ask for one day a week in the beginning to test the waters. Then, follow up by setting a date to review your performance as a telecommuter. Going forward, you can rely on positive performance reviews  throughout this stage to increase your at-home work schedule in the future.

The Power of Personal Contact

Emphasis has been placed on electronic communication, and the benefits and pitfalls on this form of communication have been well researched. During a job search, recognize that emails and direct mail are both a good starting point for initial contact. There is less of an interruption on your part as a job seeker and the person on the other end doesn't feel as blindsided compared to a cold call.

The problem is, direct mail and email make it easy for someone to trash your items - a delightful, personable voice on the other end of a phone conversation is much more difficult to turn down.

Going a step further, a one-on-one in-person meeting increases your chances of establishing a true relationship. By setting goals with each point of contact, a job seeker can build up to a solid, professional relationship, leading to point of contact at a company, a mentor, a job lead/referral, or ultimately a job.

The key is the sincerity and well-thought out plan with each point of contact. An email must be concise, sincere and direct. When someone is contacted out of the blue, it is obvious they know you want something from them, expect it, so just get to the point of what you are looking to achieve (either initially or ultimately, or both, depending on the situation) and work towards that personal contact. After several failed attempts to meet for coffee or have a brief meeting, it can be best to move on. Sometimes the contact is just not helpful and it is better to move on. 

Job Growth by Sector

A forecast by Moody's Economy.com shows a breakdown of US employment sector growth by state in years 2010-2012. The sectors including construction, financial/professional services, trade/manufacturing, transportation and leisure all show negative trends at -2.3% or more throughout most of the country.

Government and Educational/Health Services show neutral to slightly upward growth of 1-2% or more providing further evidence of the shifting dynamics as a result of the financial meltdown and priorities of the Obama administration.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-02-06-new-jobs-growth-graphic_N.htm

Economy.com will be tracking these trends and updating the map by state on a monthly basis.

Actively Unemployed

With the unemployment rate reaching 8.5% this week, hundreds of thousands of workers are actively looking for jobs. They are scouring the Internet, calling headhunters, notifying family members, etc. How does one differentiate themselves during these hard times? There are so many talented and skillful professionals out there competing for that next job.

In one word: Preparedness. The worst thing one can do is not prepare for an interview. While researching the company through its website and googling news articles are a start, committing time to follow industry trends, economic conditions and job fundamentals are critical components. A powerful mindset might include thinking about how one would lead the group if hired.

Go beyond thinking about the role of the position you are aiming towards and think about how your potential future boss would run things. What types of concens would he/she have? Think about the last job you had, and all of those lingering projects that others never bothered to perform or slipped by the wayside. Are these types of projects also needed in the new role/company you are targeting? If you can come up with enough of these projects and perform some of the heavy lifting now, you will be that much more valuable not only in the interview, but also the first few months upon hire when you are on the spotlight.

This type of work not only adds value, but keeps you fresh during your unemployed time, and will demonstrate a proactive nature, strong will and confidence when meeting with potential employers.

Feeling down in todays market?

Lets face it - this market is really tough today. Massive layoffs from subprime slowdown has left many companies, the 800 pound gorillas and small boutique firms, completely uncertain about growing divisions which has led to hiring freezes.

If you're one of the unfortunate talented professionals who were subject to the whims of this market downturn, there is very little to worry about in my opinion for several reasons. The first and most important, is that the Fed has responded, albeit rather slowly yet forcefully, fueling market liquidity combined with a much needed lower interest rate environment - factors which will all positively impact a stronger 2nd half particularly for financial institutions. Another positive is that a layoff in today's economy is not looked upon as bad when everyone today has a friend or family member that has had the same back luck. It is almost the norm!

Finally, and most strategically, is that in such times of uncertainty, companies are open to ideas and leadership, so it is a great time to focus your efforts and build skills in areas where the market is increasingly focusing its attention to: risk and credit are hot areas right now and given the changing landscape, should continue to be two important skills to have for years to come.