Cashing In on Job-Satisfaction Numbers

What recent employment trends mean for you--and your career

by Mike O'Brien, Climber.com

Securing real job satisfaction may seem out of reach when the national unemployment rate still hovers at around 10 percent. But recent statistics about job satisfaction are a boon for highly skilled professionals. Whether you're looking to move up in your organization or shift companies entirely, here's how you can make the numbers work for you.

1. Determine what makes you happy at work (beyond a paycheck).
According to the 2009 Employee Job Satisfaction survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), employees care most about these elements:

• job security
• benefits
• compensation/pay
• opportunities to use skills and abilities
• feeling safe in the work environment

These results, however, focus almost exclusively on immediate and tangible rewards instead of on long-range growth--so be careful to keep your perspective.

The job elements that matter least to employees are equally concerning. They include:

• an organization's commitment to being a green workplace
• networking opportunities
• career-development opportunities
• paid training and tuition-reimbursement programs
• professional development programs

Many of these programs are exactly what most professionals need to take them to the next level in their work--either inside their current organization or elsewhere.

Still not sure what will make you truly satisfied in your work? Assessment tools available at career-management sites can help you identify what is most important to you, and then introduce you to your "perfect" company match.

2. Stay engaged and alert for opportunities
According to a mid-2009 study published by the Corporate Executive Board, a company's most "critical workers" are the ones most likely to jump ship.

Focusing on IT employees, but representative of any high-stress career field, the study showed that only 4 percent of employees surveyed considered themselves "highly engaged" in 2009, down from 12 percent in 2007. Moreover, the study indicated that these critical employees are 2.5 times more likely than the average employee to leave an organization to pursue new opportunities. Is it time for you to make the jump?

3. Write your own ticket.
Whether you're currently employed or in transition, know that employers are watching job-satisfaction trends carefully. According to a 2010 study conducted for The Conference Board by market-information group TNS, U.S. job satisfaction has dropped from 61 percent in 1987 to 45 percent in 2009, and fully 22 percent of respondents polled indicated that they don't expect to be in their jobs in a year's time. This is a problem for companies who want to attract and retain top talent.

How do you capitalize on this trend? First, keep your profile updated on your career-management site or online networking page, and take advantage of any training or development courses that demonstrate how serious you are about your career. Then proactively pursue either a new position or new projects within your current company that will not only showcase your skills but also allow you to do the things you enjoy most. If you're working with passion and doing work that you love, job satisfaction can't help but follow.

Mike O'Brien is an innovative entrepreneur dedicated to helping others create breakthrough success, and is the founder and CEO of Climber.com, one of the nation's leading online career-management sites. For more information about how to find your perfect career, visit www.Climber.com, or connect with Mike on LinkedIn.

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Take Advantage of Employee Turnover

4 ways to benefit from the impending employee exodus

by Maria Hanson, LiveCareer

According to a recent workplace survey for Adecco, conducted by Harris Interactive, the majority of workers are unhappy with their current job situation:

• 66 percent are dissatisfied with their compensation.
• 76 percent are dissatisfied with their opportunities for career growth.
• 78 percent are dissatisfied with the retention efforts made on behalf of their employers.

Career experts anticipate that this job dissatisfaction will translate into a mass exodus once the economy turns around. When more jobs become available, employees will be more than happy to leave behind job stagnation and flagging wages to hunt for better employment opportunities.

Companies that don't make changes now should be prepared to lose even their top employees. "We're surprised to see how many companies have not improved [employee relations] during the recession, but have become more Draconian," says HR specialist Glen Earl. "Those types of companies will see massive turnover."

You can take advantage of this impending employee exodus to further your career. Here are some tips from hiring experts:

1. Shoot for a promotion. As leadership positions open up, so do promotion opportunities. "If you've been frustrated by the lack of upward mobility, the next six months may represent the best opportunity for advancement in years," says David Lewis, of Express Employment Professionals.

Practical tip: Self-promote by sharing ideas and successes with upper management. And don't forget to emphasize your loyalty, "especially to baby boomer bosses," Lewis says.

2. Contribute to employee retention. Your company's top brass will probably be reeling from the impact of losing employees. One way to get in their corner is to offer suggestions on how to retain employees, says Lewis.

Practical tip: "If you hear frustration about the lack of a retirement plan, for example, suggest privately to your boss that they consider adding it so the company doesn't lose more employees," says Lewis. "Done correctly, you will win for loyalty, initiative, and foresight."

3. Aim for a better compensation package. Have you been hankering for a raise or better benefits? This may be the time you'll get everything you've hoped for--and more. "We will likely see the return of employees being sat down and kept happy with enhancements like perks, cars, cell phones, better benefits, deferred comp packages, profit sharing, raises, bonuses, commissions, and more responsibility," says Paul Sorbera, president of Alliance Consulting.

Practical tip: If you're not offered a raise, ask for one. But beware that asking for too much can make you look like a vulture and can even backfire. Before making any salary requests, check out your real market value with an online salary calculator.

4. Move out and move up. Some companies have treated their employees well throughout the recession and will likely hang on to their workers. But if you don't think you're getting what you deserve at your current job, it may be time to launch your job search.

Practical tip: If you are ready for a new job but not sure which direction to go, taking a free career test can be a quick and easy way to identify your best career path.

You may need to hone your skills--or acquire new skills and knowledge--to find a new job. Find the right degree and university program to help you achieve your career goals.

When you're ready to start applying for jobs, make sure your resume is in good shape. If not, use online resources such as a resume guide to bring your resume up-to-date and ensure its effectiveness as a job-search tool.

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Get on Your Boss's Radar

by Sara Eckel, PayScale.com

In a perfect world, diligently doing a good job would be enough to ensure pay raises and career advancement. But the truth is that you also have to put yourself and your work on display for your boss and other managers. Shy, unassuming people are often overlooked. "You need to be seen, and your boss needs to be very clear about your contributions. Otherwise, how can you expect to be recognized for your work?" says Nancy Ancowitz, a business communication coach and the author of "Self-Promotion for Introverts."

Here's how to raise your profile in the office:

1. Speak up. A University of California, Berkeley, study found that people who speak up in meetings were seen as more competent than their quieter colleagues--even when they added nothing to the conversation. If you're having trouble getting a word in over chatty colleagues, Ancowitz suggests making eye contact with the person leading the meeting and raising your finger. "Or sometimes it pays to just lean forward and say, 'Yes, Joe, great point!' and then dive in," she says.

2. Be an expert. Contributing to your company's newsletter or its internal website can help establish you as an expert in your particular specialty. It's also a good idea to come to meetings armed with facts and figures. "Be seen as the knowledge bank repeatedly so that your name is connected with your area of expertise," says Ancowitz.

3. Eat in. By dining in the company lunchroom, you'll open yourself up to casual chats with your boss and other high-level executives. But don't squander these opportunities on discussions of the weather. "To utilize the lunchroom properly, one has to have information to share," says Paul Klein, director of Cleveland State University's Career Services Center. Read the periodicals and blogs that cover your field. Keep tabs on your competitors' doings and on new developments in your industry. "This will enable you to talk to your boss on a higher level, while projecting an image beyond what you're already doing," says Klein.

4. Enlist help. If you're generous about giving credit to others--and you should be--then ask for a little reciprocity. "There is nothing wrong with saying, 'I'm up for a promotion or a raise, and I would love it if you would acknowledge my contributions at the next department meeting,'" says Ancowitz.

5. Step away from the screen. The best way to be visible is to make sure your boss sees you, not just your screen name. "Don't assume that your brilliant emails are telling your story. Your boss is human, and human beings look for connection," says career coach Darcy Eikenberg. So make sure your boss gets to see your face once in while. If you work remotely, schedule occasional meetings or lunches. "Face-to-face conversations are not passe in our high-tech businesses; they are still the gold standard for developing trust--which is essential for moving ahead," says Eikenberg.

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How to Handle Job-Identity Loss

What to do when you no longer have a job title

by Denene Brox, for Yahoo! HotJobs

It's a question that we all face when interacting with people: "So, what do you do?" And if you're unemployed or under-employed and looking for work, it may be a question you dread answering.

If your job title was a big part of your identity, normal feelings of shock and depression after a layoff may be intensified. But approached with the right attitude, losing your job can be a time to step back and redefine who you are in your life and career.

Debbie Mandel, the author of "Addicted to Stress," says about 70 percent of the people she works with define themselves by their job titles. "We tend to measure ourselves by our accomplishments--looking for external validation," says Mandel. "Much of this is rooted in our school days when we were graded for our work."

Need to put your job identity into perspective? Here are some tips to help.

Seek support
Even with unemployment at a 26-year high, many laid-off workers still feel alone and embarrassed. "They question if they fit in anymore," says Mandel. "A mild depression could set in, and a person becomes distracted and unable to focus--and worst of all, feels ashamed."

To combat feelings of depression and isolation, strive to be around people as much as possible. Depression and isolation are difficult to emerge from on your own, notes Philadelphia-based psychiatrist Joseph Garbely. Join a networking group or a support group in your area. Garbely also recommends seeking professional help in dealing with the loss. "Pre-emptive marriage counseling may be very helpful as the financial and emotional stress mounts daily. And creating a Plan B, for when you return to work, is an important guard against history repeating itself in the future."

Robin Ryan, career counselor and the author of "Over 40 & You're Hired: Secrets to Landing a Great Job," advises identifying the one or two people in your life who will cheer you on through this process. "Usually it is not your spouse, who is often too anxious over money issues [to help objectively]," she says.

Balance is key
In most cases, we define ourselves most by where we spend the majority of our time and energy. If most of your time was spent working, then losing your job can mean, in a very real sense, that you've lost your life. But now you can channel more energy into creating a more balanced life.

"My analogy is that life is a series of gardens that need to be tended to regularly. Each garden is vital to one's happiness. If you tend only your 'work garden,' your family, friends, health, and faith gardens will shrivel up and die," warns Garbely.

Reinvent yourself
Dominique Browning, the author of "Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness," says she experienced depression, isolation, humiliation, fear, and anger after being laid off from her job at a magazine--an industry hit hard by the recession. "Then I experienced liberation," she says. "The best part of being laid off has been forcing myself into reinvention, and into a different kind of self-reliance."

Browning made a list of things she'd always wanted to do and began redefining her life and her career. "I've reinforced my identity by allowing myself to find strength in the activities I have always enjoyed, by discovering new ones, and by giving myself a new work identity," says Browning, who now works as a freelance writer and blogger.

Browning has also learned to never say no to anything. "Say yes to all interviews, yes to all consulting assignments, yes to helping friends find their way. I'll try anything once, and see where new paths open," she says.

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Moving Toward a Meaningful Career

6 ways to find meaning in your job--no matter what it is

by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs

Mention "meaningful work," and many people imagine working at a homeless shelter or working on research that could lead to a cure for cancer.

But most of us work for companies whose ultimate goal is to make money, even if they do make products or have programs that help people. And even in organizations with the loftiest goals, there are employees who work primarily on mundane tasks.

If you're doing a humdrum sort of job at a typical for-profit company, is it possible for your work to be "meaningful"? Experts say it absolutely is--though you may have to redefine that word.

Mark Guterman, principal of MeaningfulCareers.com, explains that what makes a job personally satisfying and rewarding is not necessarily its philanthropic aspect. "Each one of us creates our own definition of a meaningful career," he says "Moving toward that definition--that's what creates meaning." For example, a parent may find meaning in any job that allows her to save for her children's college education.

Sometimes people change careers to find deeper meaning or gratification in their work. But you probably don't have to do anything that drastic. Experts offer these tips for finding--or creating--meaning in the job you have:

Figure out what you want from work. What makes you happy to go to work in the morning? Some people who have successful business careers find meaning in leadership. Others may be motivated by money or status.

"We have a society that judges that if you do well, you can't possibly have meaning," Guterman says. But if it's important to you, it can create meaning in your work.

And when you figure out what you want from work, make sure to recognize when you receive it.

Take the initiative. If environmental issues are your passion, can you add them to your work, even if it's outside of your official responsibilities? For instance, perhaps you could set up a recycling program for your company, suggests career expert and strategist Mary Jeanne Vincent. Or maybe you could automate some processes so your company can save paper.

Remember why you're working. Perhaps your definition of "meaning" is as simple as providing for your family--if that's the case, focus on that goal. This "eye on the prize" can help make even the most mundane work seem important, Vincent says.

Change your attitude, not your job. "A lot of people think there has to be a perfect fit" between their values and their jobs, Guterman says. But "changing jobs or changing careers is a big deal for most people." Instead of leaving a job that doesn't seem meaningful, try to identify the personally enriching things you can get from it--for instance, opportunities to learn new things, travel, or work with people who inspire you.

Look outside of work for meaning. If you truly can't make your work meaningful, try finding meaningful volunteer work or hobbies. "There is a whole group of people who never get paid to do work that's really meaningful, but they can bring meaning into their lives otherwise," Vincent says. Spending an hour a week on an artistic endeavor, for instance, can make spending time on unfulfilling work tasks more palatable.

Keep your options open. Your interests may change over time. What's meaningful when you're raising your children may change once those children are grown, for instance. "This is a lifelong process," Guterman says.

And keep in mind that the answer to the question "Is this particular job meaningful?" is usually not as simple as yes or no.

"People think it's got to be meaningful or it's not, but it's not that pure," Guterman says. "Meaning doesn't come in the answer. Meaning comes in the process."

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Health Care Employment Heating Up

Staffing shortages, health care reform are predicted to cause dramatic growth.

by Mike O'Brien, Climber.com

One of the hottest sectors in employment right now is health care, as new health care legislation opens the door to entice even more candidates into this critical--and understaffed--field.

Employment by the numbers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), unemployment held steady at 9.7 percent overall in March 2010, with the number of long-term unemployed reaching 6.5 million. More than 44 percent of all unemployed persons have been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

In the health care sector, however, employment is on the rise, with 27,000 new jobs filled in March, a 26.8 percent increase over February. There was a 9 percent increase in the number of nurses added to payrolls--and with new health care reform, those numbers will only grow.

What reform will mean for job seekers
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law in March, will bring a windfall of funds to retain and attract health care professionals. By funding scholarships and loan-repayment programs, the act seeks to increase the number of primary-care physicians, nurses, physician assistants, mental-health providers, and dentists, particularly in underserved areas. Nursing has been targeted as a must-grow area, and the act also seeks to increase the supply of public-health professionals available to serve in the event of U.S. health emergencies.

For aspiring or current health care professionals, opportunities will abound. Expect to see improved benefits and incentives (such as funds for continuing education), particularly if you choose to work in a remote or high-risk area with a shortage of health care specialists. If you're a nurse, all indications are strong that your compensation will increase markedly, as the act seeks to "address financial barriers that nurses and nurse faculty face today." Nursing education, training, and retention programs will all be highlighted to receive funds and attention.

Although the act will go into effect over time, two critical provisions for health care professionals are set to launch in 2011:

• Funding for community health centers will be increased to allow for nearly a doubling of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.
• Funding for new investments in hospitals and health care facilities to increase the number of primary-care practitioners, including doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

Positioning yourself for success
With health care employment opportunities putting you in the driver's seat, it pays to know what's important to you, because compensation alone may not be enough to justify a position at a new hospital or health care facility. By utilizing the services of a career-management site that allows you to create a unique career profile of your key employment characteristics, you can gain a better picture of what role--or employment opportunity--will suit you best. Other suggestions include:

Check out the benefits beyond the basics. What are the opportunities for continuing education, particularly education in new technologies?

Explore career-advancement and -expansion opportunities. What is a typical career path for your role in this particular facility, what is the typical turnover rate in the unit, and what unique growth opportunities do they offer?

Decide what you really want most. Is it pay, flexibility, the ability to make a difference, the chance to utilize the latest advancements in technology? Rank your preferences in order of importance and stick to your list to ensure long-term satisfaction.

And after you're hired? For health care professionals, the best advice is to keep yourself open to new opportunities as they become available. In this fast-moving profession, you can create your own career path to success.

Mike O'Brien is an innovative entrepreneur dedicated to helping others create breakthrough success, and is the founder and CEO of Climber.com, one of the nation's leading online career-management sites. (A key benefit of working with a career-management site is understanding employment trends--like health care--in time to take full advantage of them.) For more information about how it can help you find your perfect career, visit Climber.com or connect with Mike on LinkedIn.

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Avoid Internet Job Scams

by Rick Ellis, AIS Media

With unemployment at its highest rate since the early 1980s, record numbers of people are desperately searching for work. The Internet is the medium most job seekers turn to today--as do con artists, who use the Internet to prey on the unsuspecting. In today's economy, scam employment has become one of the fastest growing categories of fraud.

Fraud practitioners advertise on legitimate job-placement sites and message boards, or they send "job offers" by email. One typical guise is an international company that needs to hire U.S. citizens as agents to perform certain services. The scam is simple: the lure of a home-based job that requires very little work and pays big dividends draws victims, who end up losing money and, in many cases, becoming victims of identity theft (and sometimes even unwilling accomplices to crime).

Beware of requests to wire money
The too-good-to-be-true positions include payroll clerks, customer-service representatives, shipping managers, mystery shoppers, and craft assemblers--all promising hefty salaries, benefits, and huge commissions. The company obtains personal and banking information from the new hire, and checks are sent with instructions to wire a portion of the funds to a third party to cover expenses. In some cases, packages immediately arrive with instructions on re-shipping merchandise to international destinations. Once the checks are deposited and the packages are shipped, the dream job quickly becomes a nightmare. The checks the victims deposited are fake. The duped "employees" lose the money they wired and are often susceptible to theft and identity theft. And in many cases, they have also unknowingly re-packaged and shipped stolen merchandise, often purchased with stolen credit card information.

Beware of unsolicited emails
Spam has become the advertising tool of choice for many of the con artists. AIS Media, an Atlanta-based company that monitors Internet fraud, reports a dramatic increase in these scam emails--unsolicited emails featuring subject lines such as "Immediate Placement," "We Received Your Resume," "Business Request," and "We're Pleased to Offer You a Job." Thomas Harpointner, CEO of AIS Media, says, "Many of these scams are just newer twists on an old fraud. ... The scammers appeal to the desperation of the unemployed, who in many cases have been out of work for more than six months."

Beware of these red flags
Harpointner warns that if the posting appears too good to be true, it probably is. "Desperation should not cloud common sense," he says. "As job seekers scour the Internet and their email inboxes anxiously looking for ways to generate much-needed income, they should always maintain a wary eye for scams. Avoid responding to emails from unknown sources, and take the time to go online to research the company to see if credible information is available from legitimate news agencies. It should be obvious that companies are not paying big money for someone to do basically nothing from home. Red flags for job seekers include requests for personal information like social security numbers and mother's maiden names, and for cash payments from the applicant during an application process."

The FTC and the recruiting industry crack down
The Internet scams have caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which launched a crackdown on con artists who prey on unemployed Americans. In "Operation Bottom Dollar," the FTC--in cooperation with other federal agencies such as the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service--has begun targeting individuals and groups marketing deceptive and illegal jobs, as well as work-at-home and other Internet scams.

Con artists also place bogus employment ads on legitimate Internet job-placement sites, and the recruitment industry has stepped up its fight against them. Job portals and search engines have become proactive in attempting to reduce these scams by entering into partnerships to display FTC consumer information that educates job seekers about job scams. Recruiting sites, message boards, and other Internet services are quick to remove the scams as they are discovered, but with the fast pace of the Internet, the ads are posted as quickly as they are taken down.

Job seekers' caution and prudence are still the primary defenses against job scams.

Rick Ellis has an MBA in e-commerce and is AIS Media's director of channel partner development. AIS Media is an Atlanta-based Internet interactive company dedicated to stamping out Internet scams and fraud.

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