5.23.2009

What is really necessary?

Project consulting seems to run parallel to the Real Estate industry with regard to the condition of the economy determining the slant of the market.

When the economy is great, business is going gangbusters, and there exists a Seller’s Market for Project Consultants. You can hold out for the absolutely best project, the best pay, the best benefits package, the best perks – and there may even be a bidding war for consultants with exceptionally hot amenities.

At the other end of the spectrum – as many of you are painfully aware – is our current market, a Buyer’s Market. In this scenario it is the hiring manager who has the power, who can hold out – for a 99 44/100% match to the job order, for a consultant who is prepared to accept a substantial reduction in rate, for a consultant who matches the personality of the team, and (sadly) a consultant who looks the part. A Buyer’s Market does not allow for the gluttony of a Seller’s Market.

Today we are in a Buyer’s Market – them’s the facts. And this Buyer’s Market, based on historical data, will continue far into verifiable recovery.

If you are seeking a new assignment during this Buyer’s Market, you may be well-served to determine which of your standard Seller’s Market expectations are really necessary to you today. And adjust your negotiations accordingly.

5.08.2009

Face it!

(This article shamelessly plagiarized from The Charlotte Observer at www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/711391.html)

Photographer takes a shot at helping unemployed folks

A Charlotte photographer is offering free portraits for job-seekers this month.

Southern Light Photography of Charlotte will take the portraits from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, 3:30-6 p.m. Thursday and 3:30-6 p.m. May 22. The head shots, which usually cost $100, can be passed out with resumes, business cards or online applications to help job-hunters stand out from the crowd, studio owner and photographer Jeff Carsten said.

The recession has slowed business at Southern Light. For Carsten, the portraits are a way to pass the time – and help people who are looking for work, he said. He calls the event “Saving Face for the Unemployed.”

“I've been unemployed twice in my life, and it was demoralizing,” Carsten said. “If we can raise people's spirits and give them a leg up in the job market, I'm in favor of it.”

Job-seekers interested in the free portraits should come to the studio, at 2331 Crown Point Executive Drive, Suite A, during the portrait times. Photographers will use a standard studio background, retouch, color correct and crop photos and burn them onto a CD.

Carsten recommends professional attire. No appointments are necessary.

5.05.2009

Don't Take That Vacation!

In 2005 when ComputerRecruiter was laid off, I decided I would take a couple of weeks off before starting the job search. I wanted to sta-cation, do some home improvements and spring cleaning, work on my tan and my mani-pedi.

I’ll start looking in a month, I thought. How long could it take for someone with my stellar skills to land a fabulous new assignment? You don’t even want to know the answer to that question!

Let me just state a fact – it is worse today than in 2005. And my advice to you – don’t take that sta-cation. Take time to grieve over the weekend, and begin your 40-hour-per-week job search at 8 am Monday morning.

Search the job boards, network on LinkedIn and Facebook, search the Careers page at local corporations, check your local/regional Business Journal for business information, find and attend local networking groups, check out telecommuting opportunities (such as http://www.flexjobs.com/), seek out expert resume advice (do not limit IT resumes to two pages!!!), and make phone calls. Every day.

You can paint your bathrooms and power wash your exterior siding on the weekends. You can sleep when you’re dead.

Especially now, when it feels like we’ve hit rock bottom and are trying to pick up the steam to begin a slow ascent back to solvency – I think I can, I think I can – it’s important that you not be lulled into a delusional complacency about finding your next assignment.