Social Responsibility

The September 11 observances were so moving. Some of the people who posted to my Comments on another site shared remarkable things. Some who wrote to me privately told of things that can be proven. Their statements show the bad faith and puppeteering of the day’s events. Just as with learning that the re-election of Bush the Younger was an inevitability, I was disappointed but no longer shocked at the news.

Explanations for the Inaction

Perhaps that loss of shock and social indignation is the reason so many of us allowed the snowballing effect of allowing our rights to be usurped. That was probably accompanied by (as in the Nixon regime) being overwhelmed with so many social, economic, and career upheavals that the only thing we could do was simply try to make the band-aid work to patch the gaping hole in our social fabric and livelihood.

I received many posts from a fellow in Morocco. The posts show the effects of the bombings and uranium that contaminates the environment. The quotes he provided and the anecdotes of life in the war zone(s) make me hate the fact that we, like sheep, accepted the increasingly fascist rule under the Reagan/Bush/Bush regimes and that we never had the motivation to exercise our rights as citizens to remove the ones (especially the last one) from office for failure to do the will of the people. Indeed, the majority of the people were willing to swallow the swill passed off as patriotism and a worthy national cause as truth. We blindly marched to the edge of the cliff and our own destruction in lemming style.

Racial Damnation

The fact that minorities, especially Blacks who are doomed to live out their lives in the ghetto, existing with poor education, lackluster values, their only hope contained in the deals they’re able to do to earn more than minimum wage and overcome the restrictions of welfare is consciously devastating to me. The fact that there are those who would, by example and deportment, damn others who are not of that ilk (and never were) is also disappointing to me.

The fact that Blacks carry such a burden from one generation to the next for eternity is not a curse but a test of how resilient the race can be. It is a test of each person with any part of an identity with that race to show the best of who they are. We are leaders, all of us, and we must lead by example.

When can we stop and relax? Only when behind our own doors and still being the best we can be for our own selves and for the sake of proving to our God that He has made a good steward in us to carry out His works in marvelous ways. Each time we go slack, we invite those who would keep us under their foot and in social bondage, we confirm their low opinion of us. We sin against ourselves. More importantly, we confirm that we are an example of what can be expected of the race — the poorest in personal habits, language, work product, knowledge, and everything else.

I still remember the words of my Second Grade teacher. I can’t remember what caused her to make the pronouncement. And in the mid 1950s, elementary school classes were a mix of colors and races, all children simply there to learn and be part of the mix without regard to the differences. But she told her charges, “. . . because you are Negro, you will have to be twice as good [as the Whites] in order to be considered half as good.” Her words were to encourage us to learn as much as we could and to put that knowledge to use in all aspects of our lives.

Where are those values today? Do we teach those values to the youth of today? I think not. I believe we teach them to expect to be subjugated and cut out of the race to be best. They then opt for their own entrepreneurial path, not realizing they do not have the training and knowledge to embark on such an endeavor. Thus, they stumble and do business in a poor and slipshod way, thereby setting an example that minority, and especially Black, business people are not a good choice for goods, services, advice and so on.

How should we survive? Will we overcome?

ROI

It was 40 years ago this morning that I began investing and the significance of making good choices became acutely underscored in regard to education, training, good listening skills, and communication. The awareness of where to network, as well as how, became another important factor at that time.

Being a member of a minority group meant, as my Second Grade teacher advised her students, being twice as good as our white counterparts so that we could be considered half as good. That meant being prepared for the rejections that would occur throughout our lives that were based on the mere color of our skin and texture of our hair no matter what the venue. But that lesson had to be taught in an indirect manner so that it felt as though it was intuited knowledge. Thus, acceptance and the true meaning of diversity, recognizing all of the races and cultures and ethnicities and blendings that caused our existence could be embraced and celebrated. That also spelled understanding discrimination without needing to endorse it nor waging a war about it. Sometimes the best way to defeat the hate is to simply wall it up in a container and then stow it.

These are all fine things to consider. It’s admirable to aim for accomplishing them as far as developing a person with a meaningful existence who will increase the value of their workplace. They will improve the community for the fact that they passed through that space and did positive things as they impacted it. They strove to do the best possible in the workplace and everywhere else. These are the factors in our investments. But its the return on investment, the ROI, that gives us the bottom line on whether the training and development was properly handled.

Do they fight resistance with all of the tools at their disposal, being selective about which to use at the proper time and in the right measure? Or do they become complacent and accept the dregs that smack of insult instead of the measure to which they have worked to earn and merit?

What type of ethics do they ultimately practice, whether in spite of or because of our training? The question also needs to be raised as to whether our input and training would have made a difference. We question whether we should have been more adamant about certain matters as our capital was being developed. There are some who would tamper with our product and interject negative influences that should not have been part of the training. Still others will attempt to approximate what they see us using but they have no sense of how to replicate the lessons. Therefore, their theft mangles the training and undermines the development regimen so that remediation is not just necessary, it is mandatory.

The issue of knowing when to let go in order to test both our own selves as to our abilities at development as well as the product to see how well it performs becomes critical as time passes. It’s important to do periodic quizes. Taking the small steps to curb disaster are easier in those small increments rather than wait until one payload is ready to be delivered and fails.

After going through all of the development and training of our investment in our future, we want to see our dividend and returns at least doubled. If they aren’t, there’s disappointment in the effort. What still needs to be considered in this regard is whether we’re using the proper measuring stick. It could be that we’re using the one for the architect when the activist logorithm is the correct rule. No matter. It’s important to have a sense of how much return we’re getting on that investment.

The Word Is “Green”Peace

Irrespective of what I’m attempting to complete of the articles and blog posts started as far back as April and May, Greenpeace representatives are dotting the landscape around downtown L.A. to raise awareness. I’ve been accosted by six of their people in the past two hours and within a distance of two blocks.

The first representative has a clever way of capturing her audience and overcoming “No.” She opens by asking if I have a minute to talk about Greenpeace. The response is “No.” She replies with something on the order of well we’re already talking and that’s part of the minute I’m asking for and proceeds to start speaking about Greenpeace.

Her words are actually quite interesting. There’s something about companies that aren’t being socially responsible with the environment and how Greenpeace is making an effort to encourage them to be more responsible in regard to the way they’re doing business. But I have yet to get to a place where my laptop and I can become symbiotic in order to record this information as it’s delivered. So I simply walk away while saying I don’t have time.

The representative has been effective in persuasive speaking. She has put an issue before me and caused me to think about it. As I make my way to the next bus stop, I peruse the concept of how many companies have indeed gone green, to what degree, in what ways, and how much more effort is required to satisfy such organizations as Greenpeace. I’m already quite aware that the new marketplace for jobs is in the “Green” industry. Thus, answers to these and other questions begin to develop predictors of tye number and types of jobs that will grow out of this effort.

Will getting people more involved in being socially responsible as it relates to the environment actually make a meaningful difference in our quality of life? Will this renewed effort actually create jobs for our slagging economy?

I finally reach a Starbucks and put out of my mind that this is one corporation that is making “green” efforts by supporting ethos water and fair trade coffees which are independent coffee grower cooperatives that develop and sell at a guaranteed fair market market price.

It’s possible to learn more about becoming responsible and “green” by going to the Green America Business Network. In perusing the many facets of being green, you can literally be knocked off your feet as you see the simple, short list of suggestions for becoming “green” and responsible. Is it any wonder that this is the new burst of energy and burgeoning industry of the New Millennium?

We may think that jobs are shrinking and being cut out but that is not true. What we need is a good crop of these New Millennium babies who can be creative with the ways we do things. The ones who enjoy the earth and appreciate the give and take relationship that needs to be maintained in order for us to retain the essential balance between industrial progress and using the most responsible means to achieve progress.

I’m accosted by the Greenpeace workers a second time as I step out of Starbucks’ frigid house so that I can rewarm my body to it’s normal temperature. This time, it is I who wants information from Greenpeace and they are the ones who are backpedaling. Which corporations are being responsible, is what I ask. The response contains easily recognized names such as Apple [Green], HP, Microsoft. But I press the issue. In what ways are they being responsible? There’s some hmm’ing and hawing and one of the three comes up with an excuse to not speak with me any longer because they’re not allowed.

In order to overcome the objection, I reveal my identity as a journalist in the recruiting industry and that I’m very interested in the new “green” industry that holds so much promise for employers and recruiters. But the cluster of representatives say they are not allowed to talk while they are in uniform. I overcome the objection by telling them that I’m working inside the Starbucks and I would like to interview them, to record what they have to tell me about the corporations that are being responsible and what other methods can be used to do even more. But the objection comes up again that they are not allowed to do that.

“That” is quite nebulous. I assure them that I would not be having them do any solicitation. I merely want to interview them in order to capture their words about the green policy. Again, they say they’ll have to check but they’re not allowed to do interviews while in uniform.

Well, it seems to me that as long as I was a mere ant in the ant trail of Life I was fair game for being captured and pulled into the hyperbole about being green and the benefits of supporting Greenpeace. But when I became a person who would listen attentively and then report what I learned, they could no longer speak to me. In fact, the cluster of three or four representatives disappeared about five to ten minutes after I returned to my table at the Starbucks.

Let me leave you with these thoughts. The Green Industry is very definitely here. There are many types of jobs available in this new industry. Take a look at the Greenpeace home page to see the many inroads that have already taken place and what they have to say about what can still be done to open up new ways to save the environment and the economies of both this and other countries. Just considering those last five words makes me feel we don’t have to be in the economic depression if we use the Green initiative to pry open those doors.

Oh, that’s right. There are all those other considerations that also get in the way of hiring the best. But this is at least a start.

Back in the Trenches

Yes, it’s been a while since there were regular posts regarding any subject on this blog. The absence has been even more protracted on each of my other blogs. You’d think that I’d be much more conscientious about keeping up my writing schedule in light of the fact that I’ve been invited to blog on at least two other sites. But there are only two posts on Talent Management Tech and nothing published as of yet on Toolbox for HR.

Just to let you know, the blog on Talent Management Tech is called “From My View” and allows me to do my forecasting on various topics as they relate to talent management issues from many perspectives. Toolbox wants my words on the “how-to”s and best practices of HR. What I’ll be providing are some past words of advice and observation as reminders for all of us and then some new recommendations.

To that end, it’s time to tell you that one of the reasons for the silence is that I’m back in the trenches. This time I’m looking at the pool of talent that is available, observing practices in various types of companies, taking note of communication systems, and noting what works and what is misleading.

There’s so much grist for comment that it’s overwhelming. Broad brush strokes simply cannot be used at this time. Compounding the observations is the fact that they’re made about systems that exist on Los Angeles’ Skid Row. It isn’t the easiest of places to be in any sense. Nor is it the healthiest place to be. But Skid Row teaches one profound lesson: You have to take everything on a cases-by-case basis. There is no single statement that can be made about the collective whole of the denizen. Likewise, it would be imprudent to take the public relations statement about the organizations here and use that as gospel pertaining to what can be expected. In that regard, diversity is definitely a key word.

In this environment, it is possible to see how parents are using their skills and where skills are needed. From that emanates an appreciation of why so many of our youth are focused on the superficial aspects of tasks and seem to feel a certain entitlement that has not been earned through endeavors to merit privilege, advancement, or acknowledgment.

There are deep pockets of lack when it comes to good leadership skills. Because of the deficiencies, there are people holding responsible positions over people who are in need of many forms of services and support who simply do not have those skills but use their positions in improper ways in order to flaunt their power.

My different blogs touch on different perspectives of the management and hiring processes. The posts that deal with those topics will be placed on the appropriate blog. However, that is another explanation for why there has been such a period of silence. With so many issues wanting their time of discussion, it becomes not only confusing but overwhelming as to where to start first.

Compounding the where and what issues are also the dynamics of being in the environment. As I said, abuse of power is nearly everywhere. It attempts to compensate for the lack of skill in that area. That abuse slides into situations that then become questionable ethics, things such as intentional interference with business opportunity, harassment, and discrimination. Another thing that begins to emerge into the light of day is the fact that in many instances the untrained leaders and ones in positions of responsibility are found to word documents and reports in ways that cast a pall upon the subject of the report. In turn, the person is refused services or opportunities to which they actually have. Some call these statements “misstatements.” I have called them lies; but then, I tend to get excited when it comes to abuse for the sake of abuse and without appreciation of the short- and long-term consequences.

Out of all of these negatives, is it possible to find value-adding human capital? There are training programs here that purport to train and ready people for various types of jobs. Again, it is impossible to make a blanket statement about the population because it is so profoundly diverse. It is nearly mandatory that you take the time to become acquainted with nearly every person who completes an application in order to evaluate them on a case-by-case basis. There are some pearls, there are some who are the underpinnings of any organization, and there are some who will prove to be excellent for seasonal or contract work. The ages for the talent run the spectrum. Many of those over 50 are quite desirable but pushed into the background for various reasons. You have to hunt for what you want.

Nevertheless, there has been a long lapse of time since I last talked with you about anything relating to the employment industry. The silence is being broken.

Grass Is Greener Syndrome

Back in the ’90s, my news producer friend and colleague and I talked about how we admired the status of the other. Kevin said I had a choice situation with being freelance because I could pick and choose what type of content I wanted to work. I admired Kevin because of the stability of his job. He always knew where the work was coming from, it was regular, the pay was established and paid at a regular (survivable) rate, he got to be among others in his profession and be a team member when necessary or a solo as required.

I look back on that conversation now as I reflect on situations that involved The Press in recent times. Now I have more appreciation of his words. It was quite an experience to watch The Press crowd the Board of Supervisors hearing room on the day they discussed the closure of King Hospital and the brouhaha regarding Sheriff Baca’s actions not too many days before. The corps was quite professional and caught all of the content.

But a trigger event changed everything that was happening in the auditorium. The Press was compelled to react because of the advertising dollars that would fund their air time for coverage of the “sexy” news. The more appealing (and on that day, compelling) story was the fact that Paris Hilton’s hearing was about to take place. The Press needed to go to the story and capture the footage so they would have the more timely content.

So when word came down that Paris was ready for her hearing, the corps consumed approximately 10 to 15 minutes while literally all of them filed out of the hearing room to their vehicles in order to make their way two blocks away to the Criminal Courts building.

Is the news what is important to the populace or is the news what the media determines is most compelling in order to maintain a well-informed and knowledgeable public? The call goes to which of the stories will get the most viewer eyes and therefore the higher ratings for the station. That then spells viability for the station and its business.

Kevin didn’t spell out the subtle nuances of his statement and admiration of my position as a freelancer. Discretion dictated his being quiet about the implied message and allow me to figure it out as time passed. So maybe it has been a good thing that I’ve never formally worked in broadcasting although I have as an independent.

Choices are replete when we’re trying to determine the career path that’s right for us. Unfortunately, we get stuck on those job titles that are the main headings and forget about the subtitles and related situations that could have a lot more appeal and more openings. It would be wise for us to look at the main heading and then do a free form analysis of related titles.

The longer I do this, the more I hear others offering the same counsel that I have in the past (as well as currently). One of the things I keep hammering at is check the Occupational Outlook Handbook to review not only the main job titles listed but also the related occupations under that title. It isn’t necessary to get stuck in a hopeless job search for something you ultimately discover is not what you want to do. There are quite a number of related things (or ways of doing them) that offer the exhilaration we all seek in our work lives.

Related Content:

• Identity and Selflessness
• Fortuitous Rejections

All It Takes

As if I don’t have enough to do, I have a series of meetings with government agencies the rest of this week. It seems they’ve stopped doing something very vital (paying me) and it’s causing a compromise in my agenda (paying my bills). Today’s meeting was striking because of the couple of questions that were asked asked. It was as though some angel were listening and watching and giving signals on what the job seeker should be doing during their interviews.

The precipitating questions were, “What is the highest grade you’ve completed in school?” and “Do you have any special education or training?”

In response to the first question, I answered two years of law school. In the back of my mind I was screaming and saying, “It wasn’t a grade as in high school. It was actual advanced studies.” But I just mildly responded without commentary. Commentary wasn’t necessary.

Things blossomed when I answered the second question. The litany went something on the order of:

• Mediation. In response to when, I said 1994.

• Tutoring. Literacy tutoring as well as youth tutoring. I wasn’t asked for the years in which these activities occurred and did not volunteer them.
• Disability accommodations for the visually impaired and through the Arthritis Foundation, learning disabilities, and several others that I can’t remember right now.
• Domestic violence. I’m a domestic violence advocate as well as a legal domestic violence advocate.

By that time, it was difficult to remember whether there was any additional “special training or education.” But that list that rolled off the top of my head begged the question,

“So do I get the job?”

The interviewer and I both laughed. With all of those qualifications, it was more than appropriate to ask. Yet how many job seekers do so? Scant to none is the answer I’d venture. Why so few who will ask for the job after more than qualifying theirselves for it? Perhaps modesty is the answer. Then again, perhaps it’s due to fear. But there’s nothing to fear. Fear of failure? No. With that list, there were only successes and those under one’s control who would sneak to be reunited with you in order to stay with the program and keep growing. There were not litanies of failure.

Job seekers need to rethink their interviewing strategies. Maybe all it takes to get the job is to ask for it.

Job Search Effectiveness

There are so many in the media who are more than enthusiastic about jumping on the “tight labor market” bandwagon. It seems like everyone and his neighbor is harping about how hard it is to find a job and the extraordinary lengths to which people need to go in order to find one.

Are you having trouble finding candidates who are qualified to fill your reqs?

On yesterday’s news, a guy was interviewed. He stands on a street corner everyday at 5:30 AM with a sheaf of his resume under his arm. He passes out his resume until 7:30 AM and then goes elsewhere to do other job search activities. He said he highlights a few things here and there in his resume and relies on the person who’s reading it to do some intuitive, active reading to draw lineals from one experience to another.

There’s a flaw in that thinking. Recruiters who review resumes only have about one minute, at best two, to see the matches for the job req they have on their desk. If it doesn’t jump out at them within that time, it goes into the slush pile until the next time they’re looking for that same generic job title.

The other thing this guy who stands on the street corner does is yet another of the sins he’s committing against himself. In the discussions, we’ve shared about the one-minute impressionand how that boils down into the 15- or 30-second elevator pitch. Apparently the resume distributor has those first three elements of the positive impression down pat.

But when it came to talking about what he wants, he dismally failed. The reporter was adept at asking what he’d done before. We got a vague answer about management here and supervision there but nothing we could sink our teeth into. (Maybe I wanted to go see this guy. I may have something to offer him.)

The reporter pressed on. The next question was what type of job the resume distributor wants. This was the moment. He was asking for the world and the world was at his feet. His answer was, “well, I’ll take whatever is out there at this point in time.” After going through all of the efforts, he had no specific job he is angling to get.

I have to wonder how his resume points anyone to the precise thing they want let alone what he wants. No matter what shape our economy is in, there are certain things that are just basics. They have to be there in order for us to get started on a good job search. The resume distributor has put together a job history on paper and made thousands of copies of it which he diligently gives away to every passerby. But he hasn’t done any type of evaluation of this document nor attempted to tailor it to his search. In fact, he hasn’t even shaped his search!

Resume Distributor had the opportunity of a lifetime dropped into his lap. The reporter for statewide radio news asked him what type of job he wanted. His 10 seconds of fame and opportunity were there. All he could come up with was “I’m open to anything right now.”

Maybe he should have said, “. . . anything related to XYZ industry.”

I’ll bet I could have gone to the Occupational Outlook Handbook and found at least a dozen job titles that are related to this guy’s last job. From there, we could have worked on finding some things that are good matches for his personality and background and started a job search for him.

Since Resume Distributor didn’t give any clues about his background, let’s choose a generic job title and see if we can brainstorm some related job titles.

Accountant
bookkeeper
tax preparer
auditor
financial analyst
financial advisor
IRS agent
inventory taker
stock clerk

It might be fun to try some other job titles and see what alternates come up. At least we’d have some things to think about in case, during these times of change, some categories are simply being phased out.

Options for Good-Paying Jobs

PayScale puts out a monthly newsletter that has some good, relevant articles. The reason I point this out is not for the sake of promoting their newsletter. The reason I point this out is because they’re featuring several articles that provide food for thought and encouragement in this seeming shrinking employment world.

First, you need to know that it isn’t necessary to get an advanced degree in order to earn big bucks. In “Best Jobs with 2-year Degrees,” ten different occupations are highlighted. What I want you to do is take into consideration the different industries that are represented by those ten occupations. They are

• health
• entertainment
• construction
• IT
• medicine – for animals
• electronics

Stop and consider that these industries represent something I spoken of several times in the past as enduring places for employment opportunities. They are in industries that are necessary for daily life. It’s surprising that food and food handling isn’t among these titles but veterinary medicine is pretty close.

Another thing I recommend as you pore over this list is to get a copy of the Occupational Outlook Handbook in sight so that as you look at these occupations, you can get a good idea of some job titles and occupations that are very closely related to them. In that way, you’re not stuck in yet another glutted market and nowhere to turn. With alternatives, the options can be limitless.

The Women Focus

PayScale’s focus is pretty savvy. They are fully aware that women have been striving for decades to achieve income parity in high paying occupations.  So it shouldn’t be surprising that in this month’s newsletter they feature the “Best-Paying Careers for Women.”

Not only do they discuss the options that are family amenable for those who have not yet started raising families, they also talk about things to consider as you make those choices. It’s no longer an “all or nothing” or a “his options or nothing” consideration. It is now possible for women to have a good sounding trumpet in the choices available.

Additional Topics

There are a couple of other related articles in the newsletter that talk about high-paying green jobs and how to choose a career path. Unfortunately, the green jobs they discuss are all C-level titles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Information Officer, and so on. And there’s not a lot of detail provided about being a greenie. I’d recommend you pass on that article.

Likewise, the piece that discusses choosing a career path is done in broad (but useful) brushstrokes. There are no recommendations for evaluative tests to identify interests and strengths. Instead, they rely on personal history for failure and success. These do have some merit and for that reason I would say take a glance at “Expert Tips for Choosing a Career Path.”

New Job Search Strategies and Venues

I’m guilty and admit it. I’ve been publishing information you’re seeking but not here. It’s being published inconsistently in the places where it is appearing. All of these scatterings are becoming confusing. Time to regroup, be organized, and become consistent. (You can help me on that last one. Which of these three locations is the one you consider the place for me to provide this information?)

We already know that the economy is abysmal. Although economists won’t admit it, we are in an economic depression. Carefully study and compare our current situation to the 1930s and you’ll see the tick marks starting to add up to nearly equal numbers.

What’s interesting is how much we’ve grown in complexities in just barely a century. During the Depression of the last century, getting a job consisted of seeing a “Help wanted” sign in the store window, having a willing mind and able body and limbs, then handing the sign over to the owner with some positive conversation and the statement, “I’m willing if you’ll have me.” The owner did their on-the-spot screening and decision making and you either started or went along the sidewalk to the next place. These days, there’s personality screening, skills testing, physical and substance evaluation. There’s examination of whether you can get along with the staff as well as whether staff can get along with you. You examine the premises to determine whether it suits your tastes and whether the hours and shift are to your liking. It’s become very complex.

Some things we used to just suck up in order to stay focused and centered on getting the job done so the business could be a success (and we could keep working) become the focus to the exclusion of what the business is about. Maybe that’s one of the reasons our layoff and outplacement rates are as high as they are.

Whatever the issues, we’ve got jobs that are being cut from payrolls so that businesses can stay afloat. And we’ve got industries that are struggling to stay alive. Which means the time has come for us to rethink how we go about doing our work, where the work is located, and how to get the work. We need to consider what’s involved in staying on the payroll or getting called back. And those are the things I’ve been talking about in all three venues as well as some new ways of thinking about networking.

Entertainment

People in the entertainment industry have said it each time an awards ceremony is approaching. We need to think short term and contract. There’s too much work in the short run in all the areas that need to be covered. Those of you who are good in production and have Mac skills (not to mention graphics abilities) should be looking for and finding some tantatlizing opportunities that are contract in nature. That means they have price tags that can probably be negotiated. A two-hour project can easily turn into that plus a one or two day engagement if your work is good enough.

The key is to think short term and contract when looking for work. It’s no longer necessary to pledge your last dying breath to the company. Businesses are looking for ways to cut costs, not increase them. So to the extent you’re amenable to a hit and run relationship, where hit is each time the company needs the remote help throughout the year, you’re in business.

Other Industries

This contract and short-term work situation isn’t limited to the entertainment industry. Something that’s related to entertainment is makeup. And there’s word in the news that affordable makeup is quite a lucrative move — even for $60 per hour psychologists.

Speaking of psychologists, the other point that’s being made is that there is a growing need for people in all phases of health care in the public health care domain. This is because more people are losing their jobs along with their company-supplied health care insurance. The fallback is public health care and state-provided care.

A word to the wise is that you be sharp and stay sharp if you go into public health care at any level. Here in California we have facilities that are being closed rather than risk having inept personnel delivering poor to negligent care to the unsuspecting, consuming and in-need public. Lackadaisical attitudes and work habits are not the lasting qualities for these sites. Communication skills are imperative, that is, being able to talk with people in order to make them feel not only comfortable in distressful situations but also that they are being respected and receiving all the type and quality of care being given to mainstream denizens.

As the construction, banking, and real estate industries are floundering and people are wondering whether this is the prime time to dive in and start from the floor and move up or not, there is word that new jobs are coming out of this flattening. Green and energy is the way. Jobs in sustainable energy and renewable resources are becoming the alternatives. Look into what is transferable and what it takes to become a specialist in this area. You’re standing in the threshold of becoming tomorrow’s specialist and expert.

Tangential Services

The pressures from these new employment opportunities and ways of searching are creating new ways of doing things. This blog post is not for just job seekers. Nor is this blog. It is for all participants of the employment game.

For example, around 2004 we talked a lot about whether it was ethical to poach employees from a current client’s workforce in order to fill a requisition for another client with similar types of workers. Now the poaching issue has ramped up several degrees. The poaching is happening on an interstate basis and the cry of “no foul” is still that “we’ll do anything we want to do.” In order for that one to fly, we’ll just overlook the fact that there’s some form of interference with doing business happening in these situations so that we can still look ourselves in the mirror tomorrow.

Never fear. Some report that layoffs in the HR department are increasing. However, the HR network of experts says there’s a growing trend toward outsourcing HR needs with a network of experts. Some are available through state governed networks where the State certifies and maintains a list of experts in certain specialties.

Look for new ways to network, even at the office. We’ve had Fegen suites since the early 1970s that turned shared office space and virtual offices in the ’80s and ’90s. What’s now happening is space is becoming more a members office environment, at least here in the Los Anageles area. You can use an individual work station, with Internet access, for a few hours or all day. Other options available are weekly or monthly access for either a work station or actual office space. There’s mail and other support services in addition to conference room availability for meetings, presentations, and so on.

This may be an option for up and coming entrepreneurs who need to keep a cap on expenses while allowing their business endeavors to thrive. One of the questions you need to ask of yourself is whether the mix of tenants (as well as in the neighborhood) is right for your business and services. If they complement, it should be optimal. If it’s just a hodge podge without rhyme or reason, it may take too much work to make it work and all the services to be as cost effective as they could be.

Finally, there’s still another new service that should be useful to all three sides of the hiring desk. Indeed.com has a new service that I think I remember will be on a monthly basis. It provides a summary of the number of job postings that have been made in 12 industries and the amount of increase or decline in each. Very helpful information to have for all three sides of the hiring desk. Whether job seeker, recruiter, or hiring manager, it helps to know what the trends are in your industry and therefore get a better view of the dynamics that are driving answers to your advertising and not. If they’re not answering, you need to look at what elements are impacting you and take measures to do something about it.

Busy Times

Yes, these are busy times. These are compelling times. And it’s all exciting because we’re yet again on the verge of watching new ways of doing business and job search being taken in a new direction. Whether they’re better and less complicated is still something to be evaluated. But it’s definitely exciting.

Testing cf. Knowledge

One of the good things about laundry day is that I’m given the opportunity to get out and be social for at least three hours that day. It gives me the chance to meet other people, share in conversation with them, learn something from them, gain new knowledge. And this past Monday was no different.

This time, my laundry buddy (I’ll call her Shelly) and I struck up a conversation because she was wearing a dress that looked like one I recently bought but haven’t had the courage to wear yet. She confirmed that we’d bought from the same store and that it was probably the same style. And then we started getting acquainted.

She has a young child and is concerned about the quality of education that she’ll receive when she needs to go from the nursery school she’s presently attending and into First Grade. The child is already writing in cursive as well as reading and writing sentences. We talked about the private school options available in the neighborhood and in the community. One thing we both observed is that the Los Angeles Unified School District in our community is not serving its constituents well. Sending the child to a public school is causing Shelly great concern.

She shared her experience with East Coast universities compared with what she experienced here in California. She admitted that the East gave her much more of a challenge. I didn’t ask if the challenge could have been attributed to her freshness to Life and inexperience but took her words at face value. She also shared that CSUN offered very little challenge. Her academic exposure has been in one of the more difficult sciences, pharmacology, and urban planning. She’s also worked at City Hall and gained insight into how things operate there. Now she works part time as a tutor.

I told her it’s as though the teachers either don’t care about their charges or else are so overwhelmed that they cannot do what they were hired to accomplish. The other explanation is that the teachers aren’t qualified to handle the work. Shelly felt the observations were entirely correct but was slightly reticent to admit as much. She just kept praising the excellence of the preschool she’s found and looks forward to finding the next school that will present as much challenge and learning as it does.

At the risk of sounding pompous in that previous paragraph, I’ll supply a little background to my words. I was a candidate for the School Board in South Pasadena in 1989. During the campaign, I interviewed several of the teachers in the district to get a feel for their needs. Likewise, I paid close attention at the School Board meeting when the exchange students from Germany provided their feedback on their experience with American schools (especially upper middle class schools such as South Pasadena, a close rival of San Marino and La Canada). Additionally, I listened carefully as I talked to students about their impression of their learning experience. I was interested in the types of young people I was meeting and what the schools were producing.

The teachers complained that they’re given so much administrative work that they can’t do what they were hired to do — teach. There’s not enough time to do it. The next complaint was insufficient supplies and equipment in order to deliver state of the art instruction on equipment that is currently part of the work world. Even with a classroom aide, the teachers were being stretched to the point of snapping. Still, the South Pasadena schools were measuring up on the Stanford 9 exams and going toe to toe with San Marino year after year.

Parents in the community complained about the fact that they were reaching into their own pockets to keep the schools on par. They spoke of the dollars spent on public education for their children and wondered whether it would be more cost effective to simply give up on South Pasadena schools and send the youth to private schools instead. Financially speaking, it was becoming the same as doing so without the assurance that the charges would succeed as well as in the other environment. But then by choosing a private school, the youth no longer had that distinction of saying they were South Pas grads.

The exchange students were quite direct in their assessment and very unreserved in expressing it. They were bewildered at the amount of homework required every night. Several said it was as though the amount of learning was measured by the volume of homework assigned. But the homework was poor in quality and taught very little. At home, they would have about 20 minutes of homework that was rich in challenge compared with one hour or more of American homework that was very easy and quite repetitious.

How interesting it was to finally have power in the house again this morning and the ability to hear the news. The story that caught my attention most was the one regarding schools and how much training the students actually receive compared with the volume of homework that is meaningless in content. Students withstood volumes of testing that didn’t seem to justify the basis for the testing. It was merely to test in order to say that the students were tested. Did Shelly share our conversation with someone in the media? That wasn’t possible. Why would a reporter want that story? What newsworthiness could there be in a laundromat conversation about education? But there was the story, complete with an expert who has conducted a study of the topic and who had come to the same conclusion.

What does this say about the education we’re providing our youth? What does this say about the workforce readiness of those who seek careers and high positions? It says we’re not properly training them. It says we’re not providing the types of meaningful challenges that will benefit them in the real world. Thus, when it comes time for them to perform at peak levels, they will crumple as they reach. They will crumple for many reason.

• They were not prepared
• They didn’t understand the fundamentals of the task, therefore, they overlooked many small details
• They weren’t sure of when to ask questions
• They weren’t sure of what questions to ask
• They relied on the advice of friends and comrades
• They overlooked the advice and counsel of veterans
• They took the easiest way
• They did not plan
• They waited for someone else to do for them
• They had the impression that “professional” meant stylish
• They had the impression that “leadership” mean bullying and forcefulness

Even if they do not gain these skills and knowledge sets in school, the reinforcement (or procurement) needs to happen in the workplace. To the extent there are supervisors who also do not know (or remember) the whys of the practices nor take the time to explain the bases for doing things in a particular order, we will continue with the losses and setbacks that are part of the talent loss and corporate guerrilla warfare for qualified workers.

Whether in school or in the workplace, the lack of proper training, homework anemic in content, challenges bereft of meaningful achievement and comprehension will take a toll on the social fabric. No miracle savior of any magnitude will be able to turn the tides nor save us from our destruction.

It all starts with proper training, sound education, testing that searches for meaningful measures of learning — not testing for the sake of testing.