Utah’s economy continues to outpace the United States, though we’re losing ground on key economic indicators, we’re losing that ground more slowly than the nation as a whole and many states around the country.

September 2008 Unemployment Rate Utah VS. USA Click for latest employment situation report
Utah: 3.5%	U.S.: 6.1%
Year-Over Nonfarm Growth
Utah: 0.1%	U.S.: -0.4%

With economists and pundits expecting the worst Christmas shopping season in a generation.  Like Alisa Roth with Marketplace says it, “It’s hard to believe. But it looks like Americans may have quit shopping. Retail sales fell nearly 3 percent in October. And that’s the biggest drop since the Commerce Department started keeping track back in 1992.”

Things aren’t getting nicer, either:

Jerry Yang at Yahoo! calls it quits, meanwhile Republicans appear to be pushing Detroit off the cliff they’re facing.

How is the economy and recession (which Jeff Thredgold estimates began nearly a year ago) affecting YOU, personally?

What have you changed about your lifestyle? No-longer online window shopping? Stricter budgeting? Only perusing certain aisles at the grocery store? Job change? Changes in retirement goals?

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS. What’s happening out there?

If you’re vying for a position at a company, there is a fine line you must walk between looking like everyone else and being so different you don’t fit in at all.

Here’s a few simple ideas I can suggest for getting around the gatekeepers, receiving straight feedback, and (if you’re right for it) the job.

• Research: Candidates who do their research on their target company immediately jump ahead of the rest when all skills are equal. And, don’t just regurgitate what the website says, dig deeper. Find out competitors, read analyst reports, blogs, insider opinions or comments left around the web by employees. Really look into the organization!A key research item people don’t consider is the people who you may know that work (or have worked) for that company. Respect their time (a.k.a. buy them lunch) and see how they would recommend you move forward with approaching the company.
• Focus your Message: No joke, I received a resume today that said, “Objective: Any management position anywhere in your company.”  I have no idea what the rest of the resume said because I moved on instantly.Your goal is to coordinate all of the various skills and items on your resume into a cohesive, easilly-digested, sugar-coated tablet of skilled resume goodness. It needs to be an authentic representation of who you are (and what you’ve done), but it also needs to easilly/bluntly/obviously answer the question: “What will do you do for me that nobody else can do?”The most-crucial step of focusing your message is to also focus on your target audiences*! Will you speak to a recruiter first? A hiring manager? A gatekeeper of some other sort? If you’ve done enough research, this should be clear.* I made “audiences” plural on purpose. Don’t think for a second that your messaging to the recruiter and the VP should be the same!
• Consistently Deliver the Message: Red flags get drawn all over your application when your story seems to change without rhyme or reason.Know your availability, know your schedule, know your salary expectations, and above all, know your elevator pitch – cold.Your presentation to whoever you speak with, on the phone, by email, or in-person, should reflect both the intensity and passion you want to bring to the job, plus your humanity and personality that would make working with you a breeze.Candidates who shift their message, or push too hard with their message, are equally as likely to be turned down as candidates who don’t have a rational message at all.

What other things have YOU done to find success with standing out from the crowd? Please share!

Checkout medical jobs at Health Jobs USA.

How to do this?

LISTEN TO YOUR COACH

Your “coach” in this sense is your best advocate. They want you to win.

My usage of the term here comes from the Miller-Heiman sales training series where a “coach” is defined as a certain individual of particular influence in the “buying” process… here, the so-called sale is you-being-promoted.

The unique and very special role of a Coach is to guide you to your particular sales objective by leading you to the other Buyers (people with other types of influence on the decision) and by giving you information that you need to position yourself effectively with each one… Your Coach’s focus is on helping you make this sale. [The New Strategic Selling by Robert B. Miller and Stephen E. Heiman, p. 68-69]

The point is, find the person in your organization who wants most for you to win, and can introduce you to the other people who will ultimately make the decisions about your promotion, etc… the “buyers”.

Your coach might be:

• Your boss
• Your CEO
• The CEO’s admin
• Your recruiter
• An outside consultant
• Another team’s director
• The receptionist

When you determine who your coach is, ask for their time. Buy them lunch if you need to get them offsite, and let them know what you’re trying to accomplish and ASK FOR THEIR HELP and ADVICE.

Note: Make sure to give them the opportunity to back out. Coaching doesn’t work when they don’t really want YOU to win THIS promotion. If this backfires on them–if they even sniff that in the air–they will run from you like you have the plague.

Finally, remember the COACH watches from the sidelines. Strategy and Timing. YOU have to EXECUTE. Nobody ever blamed a coach when the receiver fumbled the ball. Don’t forget your part… execution.

GO, FIGHT, WIN!

Angel Matos is led away by his coach after kicking the match referee

And, sometimes, things simply don’t turn out as you planned it. But, like most things in life, its not what happens to you, but how you react to what happens that matters. And, yes, there is a right way and a wrong way to handle job-search defeat.

… and there’s also a very wrong way.

I thought of this when I learned about Cuban Olympic Taekwondo competitor Angel Matos, who lost his match due to what he felt was an unfair disqualification… he took too long for a medical injury break.

Feeling that you were disqualified unfairly is one thing, but how he reacted to the disqualification is totally something else, and totally inappropriate:

From AP: “Cuba’s Angel Matos deliberately kicked a referee square in the face after he was disqualified in a bronze-medal match, prompting the World Taekwondo Federation to recommend he be banned for life.”

Angel Valodia Matos (L) kicks Taekwondo Referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden after being disqualified from an olympic match

Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov. Matos was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who will require stitches in his lip. Matos spat on the floor and was escorted out. [Source: NBCOlympics.com]

Watching video of the altercation makes it clear Matos was warned of the timing, and apears to have been disqualified fairly.

In terms of job searching, there are countless reasons why a company may have disqualified you from landing the current position. Whatever they tell you may seem trite or even insulting… if they deliver the news at all.

But again, it’s how you react to the dissapointment that can make all the difference. Here’s some possible reactions that might not land you a job there, but will ensure you don’t get “banned for life” in terms of possible employment by that company, or the people who work there:

1. Thank them graciously.
   Some thoughtful, but simple thank-you notes to those who interviewed you could go a long way to making sure you aren’t a sore loser. Keep it very simple:
   Mary,Thank you for considering me for your position. Sorry it didn’t work out this time, but I am glad you found the right match. Good luck with your endeavors and please let me know if there is anything I can do for you in the future.

   Take care,
   [Signature & contact information]

2. Don’t go away mad, but please… go away.
   For some, thank-you notes might seem too out of character. No problem. But, emails or voicemails pleading or begging for another chance just adds insult to the situation–for you, and the company that turned you away.Just let it go. Really, it’s better that way.
3. Don’t let grudges develop.
   If you see these people at events or other functions, be cheerful and cordial. Ask a polite question about the project you were being considered for, but BEWARE not to show off, or get overly exuberant with your former would-be employer that you end up making a fool of yourself (think: lampshade images from company christmas party-kind of foolishness).Be courteous and genuine, but be BRIEF. Wish them well, and be on your way.

What do you think? How have you handled losing a job opportunity better than Matos lost his gold-medal opportunity?

• At least you’re not being fired.
• Maybe this is negotiable.
• What an opportunity to find something new!

Yahoo Hot Jobs posted a great set of questions you should investigate before agreeing to any kind of pay-cut, but before getting to that, the most immediate and important thing for you to do when presented with a reduction in salary is to NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING:

When your supervisor breaks the news to you about your pay cut, do not accept anything immediately. In other words, refrain from conveying any type of agreement, either verbally or in writing. If pushed, you may say something to the effect of “This is a lot to process right now. I need to think about this and discuss it with my family this evening.”

Once you’ve had a chance to catch your breath, here’s the things Yahoo suggests you should ask your superiors, followed by some things you should ask yourself:

Questions to ask your boss(es) include:

• Is this a mandatory or voluntary pay cut?
• How much will your pay be lowered by?
• Who else is affected by the pay cut?
• How long will the pay cut last?
• Could there be retroactive reimbursement?
• How will this affect raises, bonuses and benefits?
• Are you going to have to work longer hours or take on additional tasks?
• What are the company’s plans to turn things around?

Questions to ask yourself include:

• How much do you need this job?
• Do you have faith that the company will recover from this setback?
• Can you trust what your superiors are telling you?
• Is it time to move on?

At the end of the day, if you feel you’re being strong-armed by the company into accepting less wages, the red flags should start waving. I recommend seeking legal counsel and weighing your options very carefully. To protect yourself, do what you can to collect and document information that you might need to use later on, if necessary, to protect yourself if a court-case develops. As yourself: “If I am suddenly forced to leave the company, will I need this?”

The key is to control what you can control, knowing that you are as ready as possible. Here are some other tips to help you out:

1. Attend to your surroundings.
   Taking a tip from Penelope Trunk, make sure your surroundings are right. Be ready, place and time. This is a crucial first step that many people overlook. Life is busy, but being ready speaks a lot:

   “Don’t take the interview when you are at your desk and can’t talk freely. Don’t take the call when there is too much noise in the background. And don’t walk from one place to another because the breathlessness that comes from walking and talking at the same time subconsciously conveys lack of authority to someone who doesn’t know you.”

2. Keep Notes at the Ready
   This is an excellent benefit to phone interviews… you can keep NOTES!

   Maureen Crawford Hentz over at QuintCareers says it like this. You should “consider keeping some notecards or an outline in front of you to remind yourself of key points you want to cover with the interviewer. You don’t want your responses to sound scripted, but you don’t want to fumble for important points either. Do also have your resume in front of you so you can remember highlights of your experience and accomplishments.”

3. Get Some Practice

   Alison Doyle at About says, “Talking on the phone isn’t as easy as it seems. I’ve always found it’s helpful to practice. Have a friend or family member conduct a mock interview and tape record it so you can see how you sound over the phone. Any cassette recorder will work. You’ll be able to hear your “ums” and “uhs” and “okays” and you can practice reducing them from your conversational speech. Also rehearse answers to those typical questions you’ll be asked. “

4. Know your skeletons
   Nobody’s perfect, but everyone has reasons things happen. Be ready to answere questions about things like “job hopping, being fired. Avoid weak excuses. NEVER CRITICIZE YOUR FORMER EMPLOYERS.Role-play and rehearse your responses to difficult or uncomfortable issues that may come up in the conversation.” [Source: HimJobs.com]

Here’s some of the takeaways:

“Unemployment is still below the generally-accepted measure for ‘full-employment’ of 4-5%,” Robert Merrill, Technical Account Manager for SOS Engineering and Technology, said. “This means that people who would otherwise choose not to work are taking jobs and staying employed.”

“Current travel prices have become a particularly poignant concern for job-hunters,” said Robert. “Many recent placements we have made resulted from people wanting to limit their commutes or ’stay closer to home’”

“I would be cautious to believe that we have hit bottom,” concludes Robert, “but Utah seems to have an interesting connection with industries either benefiting or otherwise unaffected by national events (energy, transportation, natural resources, military). The combination of those things leads me to believe Utah will likely have an even-stronger opportunity to take-advantage of the new technologies and innovations our companies are already investing in.”

Note: Matthew Reinbold and I participate togetether in producing the Couchcast Internet Talk Radio Show

1. Real and Wage Inflation
2. Intense Competition for Talent
3. Corporate cost-cutting
4. High Energy/Commute Costs

The hardest part to pin-down is that the economic indicators show a market that is schizophrenic. Utah’s high tech job market is part recessionary and part booming. There’s both signs of weakness, but signs of boom-cycle madness.

If there were ever a time to unveil the invisible hand and see what’s really going to happen to this economy over the next six-12 months, now is the time… those who navigate this juncture well stand to gain a lot of opportunity, while these massive icebergs of clashing forces might very well crush entire sections of our economy and workforce if we’re not paying close attention.

Real and Wage Inflation

The Fed won’t admit there’s inflation yet, even though everyone else is worried about it… but one trip to the grocery store tells you a dollar doesn’t go as far these days. This plays into issues 3 and 4, and is the driver for issue 2.

Bottom-line: If the same amount of money you made last year isn’t cutting it, talented people will demand higher wages for the same jobs they were doing a year ago.

If the company they currently work for won’t pay up, no problem, they’ll just move.

Intense Competition for Talent

As a recruiter, I use every tool I can find. The job boards, these days, are as silent and un-exciting as a Hillary Clinton rally in Payson. The war for top-talent has moved from remote, tactical operations using unmanned email probes and remote-controlled resume submittal to (continuing the analogy) hand-to-hand, street fighting. Candidates are being approached at every angle, from every recruiter, in very creative ways…. and they’re getting hired, too!

At the Blogger Dinner last Thursday, Steve Spencer quipped something like: This is just like the late 90s. It doesn’t matter if you can actually do any of the stuff on your resume, but if you have the right acronyms, you’re hired!

(And, yes, Steve’s company is hiring… tell ‘em I sent ya)

Corporate Cost-Cutting

Client after client of mine has issued cost-cutting warnings. Several more companies are putting in-place hiring freezes, readjusting their priorities, laying people off or closing down all together.

This hyper-sensitive focus on costs can be unacceptable to a workforce already in high-demand.

One jobseeker for a Salt Lake-based IT Outsourcing firm told me last Thursday that his current employer has”implemented a new performance-based pay plan where you get a “very low base wage” and, if you hit certain quotas every day, you will get paid more.

The story goes that these employees, if they are industrious little busy bees, can earn even more than they have been making, but the employees don’t quite see it that way.

“Its a joke,” my jobseeker friend told me. “I’ve done the math. It is impossible to make anything close to what I have been making. I am outta here.”

There’s bound to be losses when a company needs to refocus. A recent article by Tiffany Hsu in the Baltimore Sun explains this very well:

“It costs a lot to let someone go,” said Don McNamara, president of Heritage Associates Inc., a management consultant company based in Laguna Niguel, Calif. “So we’ve got to circle the wagons and pull in a little bit.”

Businesses, he said, can cross-train employees in multiple roles to boost productivity and restructure to remove inefficiencies…. but employers can’t cut too many expenses and perks without risking driving workers away.

“You’ve got to be sensitive to your people and make sure morale isn’t one of the things you cut,” McNamara said. “If this comes as a surprise to them, they might be tempted to update their resumes at another company.”

High Energy/Commute Costs

Even thinking about high gas/energy prices makes me exhausted, but the simple fact is we are receiving regular calls and updates from our candidates seeking more commute-friendly work options, telecomuting, shorter commutes, or other benefits to offset the incredible rise in fuel costs this last year has seen. For once, the State has taken a lead here, generating (I predict) pressure on many new fronts to allow employees to have more control over when, where and how much they work.

On the flip-side, a lot of people who otherwise want to keep their current job are interested right now in part-time, flexible, contract-based work options too. That is an unforeseen consequence of these higher prices.

Summary

At the end of the day, companies are asking their employees to do more with less, while these same high-demand employees are not afraid of feeling out their options and making a more lucrative move if needed.

I fear, for companies too cost-conscious, this will become a race to mediocrity unless they very creatively examine their work demands, and be very open and honest with their employees. Find out what they need/want and even while cutting costs, you can make work fun and, heck, maybe even more productive.

These are generally very talented individuals who like their current job/employer, but are looking for additional work to take on.

Likewise, these same people are usually willing to take a decrease in their “day-time wage” for a flexible work opportunity because of the, well, flexibility of it.

Some are cutting their pay-rate down as much as 75% of what they would deserve in a day-time/full-time gig because they are not looking for just income, but additional income.

If you are a software development manager and I was willing to experiment with adding flexible/additional staff (especially if you’re already considering outsourcing where there are time-differences anyway), this might be the time to seriously consider bringing on a swing/night shift (your programmers are already there all night anyway, right?) and acquire some excellent talent at a discount.

Of course, finding the people to do this is what we do all day (at SOS Engineering & Technology, where I work). Even if you had your own person in mind, contracting them through an agency like mine (so you would not have to hire them permanently, or deal with 1099 messes) can remove a lot of headaches and legal issues down the road.

If you’re curious about how an agency like mine could help you, please feel free to contact me.

If you know of companies that are accepting candidates for non-traditional work hours, and you want to share, please feel free to leave a comment!

Don’t lie. Admit when you don’t know something… but immediately prove to me that you can assemble the resources to get it figured out.

This is the age of Google, not Brittanica.

You don’t have to be a ‘Know It All’, but you should be a ‘Know How to Find-out It All’.

Funny thing is, like most “advice”, it sounds pretty plain and, well my millenial little sister would simply reply with “duh…”

But maybe someone will take value from it. What do YOU think? Have you ever LIED in an interview?