July 31, 2003

Networking groups provide route back to employment
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 12:07 PM

From today's Boston Globe, a piece on the area's most active groups for folks in job transition, including WIND and the Westborough-based 495 Networking Support Group for high-tech workers:

"Unemployment has been a growth industry," said Brian Casey, a former software marketer at EMC who lives in Sudbury.

Casey has monitored the unfortunate trend from the front row. As marketing director for the 495 Networking Support Group, a two-year-old organization for people seeking technology jobs, he has watched the group's roster balloon to at least 1,600 members, 400 of whom are considered active.

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Area laid-off workers find new paths
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:24 AM

From today's Boston Globe, a piece on how area laid-off workers, many of them from high-tech, are coping in this economy:

As thousands of laid-off employees across the region continue to search for new work, some. . . have parlayed hobbies or side interests into job opportunities outside their original fields.

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Fed notes uptick in economy
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:14 AM

From today's Boston Globe:

America's economy, which has been poking along, displayed fresh signs of gaining momentum in June and the first half of July, the Federal Reserve said yesterday in its latest snapshot of US business activity.
- - - - - -
The Fed's First District, headquartered in Boston and covering New England, gave a "somewhat upbeat" assessment of the New England economy, saying retailers were reporting strong demand for housing-related products even as other sectors like tourism remain soft.

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July 29, 2003

Outsourcing to usurp more U.S. jobs
Posted by Richard Cook at 4:35 PM

This is a favorite topic of mine, because honestly, it freaks me out....

A study released by the research firm on Tuesday states that one out of every 10 jobs at information technology companies and at companies that provide IT services will move to emerging markets. It also forecast that one out of every 20 jobs within internal IT departments will shift overseas by the end of 2004.

read more at News.com
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Summer jobs = summer lovin'
Posted by at 1:43 PM

Have cheer Gen-Y'ers: Summer jobs don't always have to be the proverbial "bummer dude." Sure you might find yourself pumping endless streams of frozen yogurt and shuttling plates of fried seafood platters to surly, impatient tourists but there are fringe benefits too, argues Slate intern Avi Zenilman in this semi-satirical take on the "summer job hook-up fantasy."

...lazy youth of America, there is still hope! A summer job need not [be a bummer]...I've evaluated the jobs according to the factors that matter most to Generation Y: wages, availability, and last but not least, the hook-up factor.

Via gothamist. --------

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Job Doc: temp work advantages, salary shortfall, more
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:22 PM

This week's Job Doc from BostonWorks in the Sunday Globe addresses the advantages of temp work, what to do when your salary isn't meeting your needs, and more:

Temp Work

A good indicator that the economy is improving is when temporary employment agencies are doing lots of hiring. If it's been a few weeks since you have checked in with the temporary agencies, I would start to call around again. I like the idea of your working at temporary agencies right now. I can't think of a better way for you to get some very good exposure to many different industries.

Salary Shortfall

You have not given your current company a chance to respond to your need for more money. You have not given the company a chance to retain a valuable employee, and that is a loss for the company and for you.

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Job search diary: Brian balks at advice
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:13 PM

In part 4 of our series tracking a real-life job search, real estate analyst Brian McGrath disagrees on strategy with this career coach:

Lou Gaglini of Keystone Associates has prodded his client to think about trying something new: Branch out and consider jobs outside his real estate specialty. One obvious area is corporate finance, a field where McGrath also has experience but has not explored job opportunities.

What Gaglini wants, Gaglini isn't getting.

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Wearing ties can harm your eyesight
Posted by Jason Butler at 12:58 PM

The BBC made my day this morning with the report on how wearing your tie too tight can put you at increased risk of blindness.

In an article in the Journal of Ophthalmology, the researchers write: "A tight necktie can be considered a risk factor in men who prefer to wear tight neckties, men with thick necks, and white collar professionals."

D'oh. Three for three. I guess I'll just have to give up the suit and tie. Doctor's orders.
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Getting help from university alumni centers
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:39 AM

The New York Times reports on the increasing trend of laid-off MBA students getting help from their alma maters.

Like other business schools that have scrambled to help their displaced alumni navigate shaky economic times, with varying degrees of success, Emory's employs a full-time career coach focused exclusively on the needs of graduates.

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July 28, 2003

Turning many projects into few priorities
Posted by Jason Butler at 2:57 PM

If you try to do too many things at once, nothing gets done.

For those who work in organizations that rely on programs of projects -- multi-project environments where resources are shared across a number of projects -- there are usually a lot of things that need to get done. An environment of many projects typically generates many priorities for project resources and managers alike and can make that focus difficult to achieve.

As an operations management geek, I'm totally in love with this website and blog. There is an incredible amount of information there, and I'm sure I'll be blogging more articles as I work my way through.

Eternal gratitude to Phil Wolff for the pointer.

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July 24, 2003

Drop in US jobless claims boosts hopes for economy
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:15 PM

From Reuters, via Boston.com:

The number of Americans lodging new jobless claims plunged unexpectedly last week to the lowest level since February, bolstering hopes the economy may have finally shed the cobwebs of the 2001 recession.

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Time to hang out the shingle?
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:09 PM

In this prolonged economic downturn, a huge number of qualified, experienced workers have been laid off. Needing income in a very tight market, they are forced to be creative about finding work, a classic "necessity is the mother of invention" scenario. Career Journal's piece, "Frustrated Layoff Victims Turn to Entrepreneurship", reports on this new breed of small business start-ups:

With nearly three million jobs cut in the current recession and job searches averaging longer than they have in decades, some frustrated layoff victims have risked starting their own business, often by investing their severance or savings. Many likely will fail. Small businesses face long odds even in good times, and last year the estimated number of small-business closures, 584,500, exceeded the 550,100 start-ups, according to the Small Business Administration, a public advocate for small-business interests in Washington.

Yet many entrepreneurs insist the bet is well worth making. Some see entrepreneurship as a declaration of independence after years of working for others. Others say they have simply lost faith in the job market after months of fruitless searching.

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Turnaround for Mass. economy sighted
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:01 AM

From "Businesss in Brief" in today's Globe, signs that the local economy may be stabilizing:

The Massachusetts economy continues to struggle, but signs of a recovery are emerging, according to some indexes. The University of Massachusetts's . . .index of leading indicators, which forecasts activity, projected the state economy would grow at a 2.1 percent annual rate over the next six months.

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July 23, 2003

Alas, no more retiring at 30
Posted by Jason Butler at 11:17 AM

Michael Kinsley muses in Time about the end of the stock-option culture.

What hadn't occurred to me is how becoming rich, more or less unexpectedly, at the beginning of your adult life must make the world look different. Different than it looks to normal people who have to worry about money all their lives. Different than it looks to the conventionally rich, who get that way over the course of many years. Different, even, than it looks to those who inherit wealth and therefore grow up knowing it's coming. Of course! You get married, then you retire, then you have kids. That's life. In the stock-option culture, it makes perfect sense.

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Scary truths about the Graveyard Shift
Posted by Jason Butler at 11:14 AM

Business Week on the consequences of working the graveyard shift.

Social costs are also high. Night shifters don't go home, have dinner, watch TV, and then go to bed the way nine-to-fivers do. When the sun comes up, they still have to function in a world that's largely unaware they're running on fumes after working all night.

This disruption in life's routines might be why divorce rates are as high as 60% among all-night workers, and why they have 150% more stress-related gastrointestinal disorders.

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Ten tips to help IT pros become more marketable
Posted by Jason Butler at 11:07 AM

It's a tough time for tech folks right now, here are some tips from the Wall Street Journal on how to make yourself more marketable.

In all, 1.1 million new IT jobs will be created by 2004, reports the Information Technology Association of America. The need to find applications to reduce costs, integrate existing software systems and improve data security, as well as the continuing "Webification" of businesses, will drive demand for software engineers, computer-support specialists, network and computer-systems administrators, systems analysts, data-security professionals and information-systems managers.

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July 22, 2003

I.B.M. Explores Shift of White-Collar Jobs Overseas
Posted by Richard Cook at 6:02 PM

More info about tech jobs moving overseas...

With American corporations under increasing pressure to cut costs and build global supply networks, two senior I.B.M. officials told their corporate colleagues around the world in a recorded conference call that I.B.M. needed to accelerate its efforts to move white-collar, often high-paying, jobs overseas even though that might create a backlash among politicians and its own employees.

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Cost vs. value of career coach
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:20 PM

If you've ever asked yourself "What is a career coach, and is hiring one worth it?", see what the Job Doc has to say on the subject from Sunday's BostonWorks:

The most important question is not around the fees, but rather the ''value'' career counseling can provide you. I think the place to start is to review your own goals and expectations of career counseling.

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The Life of Brian, Part 3
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:49 PM

This week's BostonWorks in the Sunday Globe published the third installment in real estate analyst Brian McGrath's job transition diary. This time, the topic was interviewing:

McGrath is mastering the art of the interview. A Type A personality, he would never go to an interview without preparing. But, in contrast to most people looking for a job, he has benefited from being drilled on the most effective techniques by Keystone, which was hired by his former employer to help him find a job. He feels far more proficient in interviews today than he did during this mock interview three months ago - at that time, even a Keystone executive, playing the role of interviewer, could make him nervous.

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July 21, 2003

The life of a sports journalist
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:38 AM

Have you ever wanted to see what it's like to be a sports reporter? Boston.com is running a charity auction to shadow Gordon Edes around Fenway Park during a game in August.
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Stress lowers executive productivity
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:38 AM

From the New York Times: relentless stress hurts job performance.

[P]atients complained that they lacked clearheadedness and were making bad decisions at work. "They knew how stress was affecting them physically but were completely unaware of the toll it was taking on them mentally,"

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July 18, 2003

BostonWorks software upgrade
Posted by Jason Butler at 4:56 PM

Ok, so I've been a bad blogger this week; I've been preoccupied with a major upgrade to our software.

We've tweaked a lot of features, especially in the job search and the resume builder. So, play around with the new site, and let me know what you think!

Have a great weekend,
Jason
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Bring on the jobs
Posted by at 11:24 AM

It's official: Recession is over is the headline atop the Globe's business section today.

That, of course, is little comfort to the 9.3 million who were still jobless in June, or the hundreds of thousands who have lost jobs during the recovery.

''If the economy isn't growing enough to give people work, what's the difference?'' said Mark D. Trachtenberg, 43, of Brighton, who was laid off from the state Department of Revenue in September and has been looking for work ever since. ''I have a hard time believing that it's ended.''

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Looking while working
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:08 AM

A recent BostonWorks Independence Day poll found that 57% of employees are unhappy in their current job. What to do if you're one of them? The job market is pretty tight right now, so you don't want to lose your current spot. But how do you get out of it if it's a bad situation?

CareerJournal offers a piece - "Employed Job Seekers Face Tricky Obstacles" - on the challenges of looking for a new job while holding down your current one:

Conducting a search while employed puts you in that uncomfortable "between a rock and a hard place" position. You want to explore your options as freely as possible without threatening your current job. The objective is to balance your needs with those of your present employer.

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July 16, 2003

Ever want to be a "journalist"?
Posted by Jason Butler at 1:35 PM

Fox Sports needs a NASCAR writer, and they're auctioning off the job on Ebay.

Ever wanted to become a NASCAR writer? Bid now to cover NASCAR’s New England 300 for FOXSports.com. You just watch the race, and then give us your thoughts and perspectives.

We will put your column on FOXSports.com, and include your picture if you would like, and we will also promote your column on Fox Sports Net.

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July 15, 2003

Unemployed Australian man sent to escort agency
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:31 PM

When you're out of work you're often ready to consider almost any kind of possibility. But here's an opportunity that may have been a little outside this job seeker's core competencies, in more ways than one:

Returning to work took on an unexpected meaning for an unemployed Australian man when the government's job network told him to apply to an agency looking for female escorts.

Get the entire story on Boston.com.
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'Come on down' auto dealer Ernie Boch dies at 76
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 2:07 PM

If you lived in Greater Boston anytime in the last several decades, you know who Ernie Boch is, the voice of the Miracle Mile in Norwood and the man who redefined auto sales in Greater Boston. Ernie Boch passed away Sunday at the age of 76 at his Martha's Vineyard home:

''Come on down,'' he repeated time after time to attract customers to his pennant-lined lot in the suburbs.

''He was an icon, a real trendsetter who was doing his own kind of personal branding before it was popularly done,'' David Williams, executive vice president of the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association, said yesterday. ''He was one of the most successful people in our business ever.''

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Job-shift fight looms at Verizon
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:20 PM

From today's Globe, some potential union employment shifts at Verizon, news that may not be good for the northeast:

As it moves into contentious labor negotiations that could lead to a strike next month, Verizon Communications Inc. is pushing for far more flexibility to shift union work from the high-cost Northeast to lower-wage areas of the United States -- or even overseas -- potentially affecting thousands of jobs.

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A new kind of snooping arrives at the office
Posted by Jason Butler at 8:37 AM

Do you always feel like somebody's watching you?

A growing band of specialists in a field called human-resource forensics are using the latest technology to record everything from the Web sites employees visit to the files they delete to the data they download, even as workplace and legal experts are raising red flags about some of those efforts.

Though some forms of surveillance are perfectly proper, they say, using technology to spy on employees can damage workplace morale and, if taken to extremes, test the boundaries of what is ethical or legal. At the very least, these experts urge companies to think hard before turning their workplaces into areas where no one feels trusted.

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July 14, 2003

Teenagers Facing Hard Competition for Summer Jobs
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:58 AM

It's a tough time to be a kid looking for a summer job.

Governments have cut money that used to help put teenagers in jobs. Retail stores are increasingly favoring older sales clerks. And teenagers are suffering a kind of push-down effect of the bad economy: older workers are returning to the job market, the laid-off are settling for jobs they might once have thought beneath them and college students unable to find better work are hanging onto jobs that used to go to high school students, squeezing out the youngest workers.

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Email burdens cutting into holiday
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:56 AM

Can't face the thought of 3,000 emails waiting for you when you get back from vacation? You're not alone, more executives are bringing their laptops on vacation with them.

Nearly half of executives reported spending at least one hour daily dealing with work on their laptops during their holiday. While the survey showed that executives felt more rested after the holiday having kept on top of work e-mail, it did not reveal whether it created problems for the executives with their travel companions and family members. BSC did advice, however, that executives should set aside a fixed time range for working on-line and let clients and customers know that they would only be available during those times.

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On the Job: auto museum curator
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:53 AM

From today's Globe, read about Evan Ide, 29, UNH art history grad who is now curator of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum at The Museum of Transportation, Brookline:

I've been involved with cars and all things mechanical my whole life. I still like to get my hands dirty, which is not something you do at an art museum. If I have the time, I'll go down and crack open a hood, but I don't get to do it as much as I'd like. There's so much else to do.

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Managing the books in an entirely new way
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:45 AM

This month's "Transitions" profiles a former management consultant who packed it in, moved to the country, and now gets kids excited about reading and books:

You could say Duncan McDougall is an evangelist for reading. McDougall, who loves reading and books, left his high-powered job as a principal at a management consulting firm to promote enthusiasm for reading among children. McDougall travels to small towns in rural New Hampshire and Vermont to take new children's books to local libraries - and encourage the children of the community to get library cards and read.

Read the article from this Sunday's Globe BostonWorks section. --------

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The Life of a Realtor
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:42 AM

The Sunday Times had an article about the life of a Realtor.

The perception of real estate agents is that they show houses and collect large commissions when, in fact, they're investigators, psychiatrists, decorators, financial consultants and sympathetic listeners in a process that can go on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Interview primer for new grads (or) Lose the cellphone
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:35 AM

In a piece from the Sunday Globe's BostonWorks section on new grads inteviewing for their first real jobs, we learn that a college degree doesn't necessarily confer career smarts:

Another management trainee candidate's cellphone rang during a job interview and he left to take the call - and then returned 20 minutes later to continue the interview. "It just seems he was not really serious," Webster said.

And that may be point number one for college graduates this year who find themselves looking for their first career-oriented job in a tough job market: If you want to be taken seriously, take your job interview seriously.

Read the article and get some timely tips.

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Job search diary: manager declines only offer in eight months
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:23 AM

In the second in our series describing a currently laid-off manager's job search, real estate analyst Brian McGrath declines the only job offer he has received in eight months:

In a horrendous job market that provides few opportunities, Brian McGrath recently declined the only job offer he has received. Salary was the issue: The company raised its offer but could not match the base salary - in the $70,000 range, before hefty bonuses - he had earned in his last job, as a real estate analyst. He felt his only choice was to decline.

Read the piece from this Sunday's Globe.

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July 11, 2003

Fire commissioner suspends 18 over sick pay
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:29 AM

This morning's Globe is reporting on the issues the Boston Fire Department is having with alleged sick pay abuse.

Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Christian has suspended 18 firefighters without pay and issued official warnings to 48 others in a crackdown on what he sees as abuse of the department's new, more liberal sick leave policy.

Sick days have been a huge financial drain on the department, which has been paying off-duty firefighters overtime to cover the shifts of those who are ill, who also receive their full pay.

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Americans not the only ones who hate their jobs
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:25 AM

Although we tend to see everything through our "Boston is the hub of the universe" glasses, it's still fun to travel around the net and see what other cultures think about work and working.

Here's an article from the Hindustan Times, about how Indian workers are seeing a dark side to the call centre [sic] boom.

Rajit Gangadharan thought his dream had come true when a call centre offered him an attractive job soon after he finished a bachelor's degree in commerce....

But the dream soured for the 24-year-old when he began to see the flip side of his cool job: Long night shifts, irregular eating habits and few opportunities to meet his old friends.

"Social life is nil in such a job, as you spend 10 to 12 hours at the office at nights and then spend the rest of the day sleeping while others around you are active," said Gangadharan, who quit after two years to go back to business school.

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The Awkward Rite of Summer
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:15 AM

The New York Times discusses the facts of life for summer interns.

The workplace rules in the new guidebook for summer interns at Dixon Schwabl Advertising are explicit: Flip-flops are not permitted. Neither are belly-button-exposing shirts or glitter body paint. Downloading music from the Internet is forbidden. And aggressively pursuing coworkers for dates is a big no-no.

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New overtime rules
Posted by at 2:39 AM

The Associated Press is reporting: "House votes to let Bush administration proceed with revised rules on overtime."

The proposed rules would require overtime pay equal to one-and-a-half times the hourly rate for as many as 1.3 million additional low-income workers when they work more than 40 hours per week....

... The new rules, proposed in March, would require overtime for workers earning up to $22,100 a year, up from the current ceiling of $8,060 set in 1975. Numerous other changes would also be made in the complex regulations, including definitions of which administrative, professional and executive jobs qualify for overtime.

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July 10, 2003

Today's favorite co-worker
Posted by Jason Butler at 1:00 PM

Blogger (and fellow Syracuse alum) Amy discusses one of her least-favorite co-workers.

On my current work project there is a developer who has been consistently behind on all his deadlines and is in general a [not very smart person] with either little comprehension or little regard for the project requirements (my favorite line of his until today was that since he had coded it a certain way, that must be what the requirements were - even when presented with evidence that he was incorrect). Recently it has become quite apparent that his assignment is just not going to be done (at least correctly) and thus our project is [in danger of failing].

(via Boston Common)
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Legal maneuvers: Nixon Peabody leases space in 100 Summer
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:09 AM

In one of the largest downtown lease deals of the year, the law firm Nixon Peabody LLP has signed up for 167,000 square feet of space in 100 Summer St.

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Start of a trend?
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:04 AM

Piggy-backing on Jason's post on Microsoft dropping stock options, global auto firm DaimlerChrysler said it may take the same route:

Trevor Hale, a spokesman for the German-American automaker in New York, said the company had been considering scrapping options well before Microsoft's surprise announcement late Tuesday, but the policy review was made public yesterday after an executive was asked about it during an interview with a German newspaper.

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Telemarketers and buggy whips
Posted by Jason Butler at 10:00 AM

This morning's New York Times discusses the mixed feelings people have about joining the national "Do Not Call" list, which will prevent telemarketing calls to your home. They worry that they will be putting honest people out of a job if they don't let them call anymore.

Already, some telemarketing companies have told their employees to expect layoffs, according to Louis Mastria, a spokesman for the Direct Marketing Association, a trade group whose members include telemarketers.

Mr. Mastria said some consumer frustration was understandable, but he said he believed that policy makers had unfairly turned all telemarketers into pariahs. Mr. Mastria noted, for example, that President Bush announced the opening of the do-not-call registry two weeks ago at an event at the White House.

I feel bad whenever anyone loses a job, but I'm not sure now is the time for the "National Annoying Phone Salesperson Full Employment Act of 2003".
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Selling their soles: Nike to buy North Andover-based Converse
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:58 AM

Nike, based in Beaverton, Ore., valued the deal at $305 million, saying it consisted of an undisclosed amount of cash as well as the assumption of debt.

Founded in 1908, Converse's simple canvas Chuck Taylor high-tops became one of the most storied athletic products and were worn by many Boston Celtics, including Bird. But beginning in the 1980s the company failed to keep up with the emergence of Nike's new shoe technologies, not to mention the marketing machine it developed behind Chicago Bulls star Jordan.

Read the story.
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Microsoft drops stock options
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:53 AM

I never thought I would see this day. Microsoft will no longer grant stock options, relying instead on actual rewards of restricted stock to its 50,000 employees.

The announcement is the clearest sign yet that stock options have lost some of the cachet they held a few years ago. Microsoft's move also comes as some big investors are putting pressure on companies to award fewer options, calling them a prime example of corporate excess in the 1990's.

Microsoft, an icon of the technology world, was a leader in creating the stock-option business culture that is still popular among hundreds of companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

In today's analysis in the New York Times, Sarah Kershaw discusses the change's impact on the employees.

For [Microsoft Product Manager Francois] Ajenstat, cashing in the options is simply not worth it because they were issued at a price higher than the current level of Microsoft's stock. The options, as they say in the business, are underwater.

"You got the options when you started and at every review you got an additional amount," he said. "When I started I thought the options would be fairly significant. We heard about the Microsoft millionaires. I didn't dream I would become one of them, but I thought it would be better."

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State St. to hire up to 1,000 people
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:50 AM

Our Good News Story of the Week goes to State Street Corp., who is back in hiring mode:

State Street Corp., reacting to a strong and unexpected acceptance of its voluntary severance program, said yesterday it would hire 800 to 1,000 new employees to fill critical positions left empty by the program.

Read all the Finance channel stories. --------

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City of Boston schools get $13.6m Gates grant
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:44 AM

In this week's Education channel update, some welcome good news for Boston city schools:

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is giving the Boston public schools $13.6 million to speed up the transformation of the city's struggling high schools from large, impersonal institutions to smaller, more humane campuses of specialized schools.

The donation, one of the largest ever received by the district, will be paid over four years. It will help 7,500 students at 19 Boston high schools, which will include five new small schools the money will help create. The award gives a national boost to an elusive piece of Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant's agenda: overhauling high schools that have tried for years to boost achievement, curb violence, and keep students from dropping out.

Read all this week's Education stories.
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EMC deal bodes well for tech
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:39 AM

From this week's Tech channel update on BostonWorks, the EMC acquisition of Legato is seen as a positive sign for the whole tech sector:

EMC's deal with Legato comes as database software giant Oracle Corp. presses its $6.3 billion hostile bid for rival PeopleSoft Inc., in what could be the start of a stepped-up consolidation trend, and as the shares of technology firms are soaring again. The Nasdaq Composite index, heavily weighted with high-tech stocks, is up 30 percent this year.

Industry specialists caution they see no return to the tech boom of the 1990s. But after three brutal years of failing businesses, falling revenues and lost jobs, they sense a new mood of optimism taking hold among corporate executives and investors.

Read all this week's Tech stories.
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Several signs hint at coming recovery in job market
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:25 AM

From USA Today:

After years of decline, signs that the U.S. job market might soon improve are finally starting to emerge.

The biggest omen: The number of temporary help workers rose for the second-consecutive month, to 2.2 million in June following three months of declines, the Labor Department said last week. A rise in temporary help is considered a leading indicator of a turnaround in employment. That's because employers who need more workers but are still a bit gun-shy in an uncertain economy often hire temps as a precursor to full-time hiring.

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July 9, 2003

How much would you pay to lunch with Warren Buffett?
Posted by Jason Butler at 12:55 PM

Ebay is hosting an auction for lunch with the billionaire.

Here is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pick the brain of the one and only Warren Buffett. As CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and owner of other notable firms, Mr. Buffett is famed for his strikingly successful investment strategies and has earned the reputation of master businessman. He is, quite simply, a legend, and he will sit down with you and seven of your friends for a lunch within New York City.

If you are going to find your next job through networking, Warren Buffett is a good place to start.
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Pension shift may hurt midcareer, young workers
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:12 AM

Today's Globe reports a possible change in pension payout laws that could hurt some workers:

Baby boomer employees who retire early or change jobs could lose substantial amounts of their lump-sum retirement money under a Bush administration proposal aimed at giving corporations some near-term relief from paying for their growing pension liabilities.

Read the entire piece.
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July 8, 2003

Get a job, you lazy [person]
Posted by Jason Butler at 10:02 AM

Entertaining rant about a certain type of unemployed IT worker. (Warning, salty language).

"It's so hard to find a job, and these bills are piling up. Soon I'll have to switch to cable broadband and perhaps not eat at Chili's every night." complains every tech industry Bob I've ever met.

Suck it up and get a [darn] job at Kinkos Bob. Just for a while. Sell your SUV and get a vehicle that gets more than 4 miles to the gallon. Trim the fat Bob. Stop leeching off those around you and grow some [courage] and a spine, Bob.

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Diploma mills: A for enterprise, but F for ethics
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:58 AM

The Denver Post on diploma mills.

The Internet and the advent of e-mail spam allow these operations to tap a large and hungry new market. The problem: Some buyers of these diplomas are passing themselves off as doctors, expert witnesses and skilled professionals, using their fake educations to put themselves into positions where others may be put at risk.

As it turns out -- lying, cheating and stealing are not the best ways to impress potential employers.
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Bio-layoffs cool once-booming job market
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:55 AM

The Boston Business Journal reports on our local biotech industry's recent troubles.

The Massachusetts biotech industry is touted as having the potential to lead the state out of the economic doldrums. But after shedding nearly 1,000 jobs in the past six months, area biotechs are feeling the effects of the downturn themselves as they focus on later-stage drug research and set loose once-coveted life sciences talent.

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Will outsourcing save the world?
Posted by Jason Butler at 9:53 AM

There has been much gnashing of teeth about the loss of white-collar jobs offshore, but Brian Behlendorf in Salon finds those fears misguided, and tells us economic growth in developing nations is critical to our own future.

Those concerned about solving the world's problems should be falling over themselves to encourage developing nations to build a white-collar workforce, and to open that workforce to the world.

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EMC to buy Legato in $1.3b deal
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 9:01 AM

From this morning's Boston Globe, signs of life in the local tech community:

The state's largest technology company, EMC Corp., last night agreed to acquire Legato Systems Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., in a stock transaction valued at $1.3 billion, reflecting an emerging turnaround at EMC and possibly for the long-suffering tech industry.

Read the story.

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July 7, 2003

Top 10 tips for starting a freelance business
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:44 PM

With all the layoffs these days and a game of musical chairs in remaining positions, many folks are having a hard time finding a new job and are going out on their own. Should you be considering this route, here's a practical, no-nonsense piece from the Albuquerque Tribune website to help you with your thinking:

Running a freelance business is a great way to have your own time schedule and contribute with your talents in exactly the style and fashion you want. However, there are a few strategies that can make striking out on your own far easier.

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Interviewing by the dozen
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 1:36 PM

From the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor, a piece on how interviewing has changed:

There was a time in corporate America when the boss took 20 minutes to size you up and skim your résumé before leaping to his feet and barking, "Kid, I like the cut of your jib. Welcome aboard!"

But today, with employers comfortably ensconced in the labor-market driver's seat, hiring decisions based on instinct are practically unheard of.

Indeed, it's not at all unusual these days for a candidate to be grilled by six, eight, or even a dozen interviewers on various rungs of the corporate ladder as part of the overall screening process, say human-resources executives, headhunters, and other experts in modern hiring practices.

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Job Doc: overpreparing for an interview; crafting cover letters; more
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:23 AM

This week's Job Doc looks at four key issues, including the following:

Overpreparing for an interview:

Over-preparing is a little known destroyer of interviews. Few people recognize that the heavily prepared applicant is also the heavily distracted one.

Crafting effective cover letters:

The main difficulty with cover letters is that we try to say too much. A simple formula for creating a cover letter is similar to beginning the process of writing a resume. You start with categories or sections of the letter and then fill in the blanks.

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Avoiding career dead ends
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:17 AM

A survey by The Conference Board last summer found that more and more people feel caught in a job rut.

About half of those surveyed - 50.5 percent - said they were satisfied with their present job. That compares with 58.6 percent in 1995. Those surveyed who were 65 and older had the greatest job satisfaction at 55.4 percent, with the under-25 age group second at 55.2 percent. But satisfaction rapidly declined after age 25, with those age 35 to 44 in the least satisfied group at 47.4 percent.

Putnam and other specialists say graduates can avoid that trap with a little thought in advance.

Read the entire piece from BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe.
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Job search diary: lessons for a laid-off manager
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:13 AM

Read the first installment in a new series running in BostonWorks in the Sunday Globe, tracking step-by-step the job search of a laid-off manager in transition:

Most people don't really have a clue about the proper way to look for a job. In that way, Brian McGrath, unemployed at age 31, was like everyone else. He was luckier than most, however, in that his former employer hired a personal career coach to counsel him, prod him, challenge him, and cheer him on in his search.

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July 6, 2003

The Lure of Data: Is It Addictive?
Posted by Richard Cook at 11:42 AM

A piece about the current "Always ON" culture and its effects on productivity at work.

Mr. Meyer has found that people who switch back and forth between two tasks, like exchanging e-mail and writing a report, may spend 50 percent more time on those tasks than if they work on them separately, completing one before starting the other.

Read More
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July 3, 2003

Study: Anyone can be a boss; subordinates harder to come by
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:33 PM

Do you have what it takes? To be bossed around, that is?

. . .a new study released by Northeastern University this week found that anybody can be a boss.

According to the research, which will be published in the October edition of the Journal of Personality, most people can fit comfortably into a leadership role, but not everyone is cut out to be a subordinate.

Read the entire piece.

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Job outlook is promising in some areas
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:26 PM

News from today's Globe on the employment picture in the western suburbs:

The unemployment rate in Framingham and eight surrounding communities held steady at 3.9 percent in June, well below the state average of 5.5 percent. But the labor force has shrunk since last August, signaling that some chronically discouraged job-seekers in a region hit hard by the recession have stopped looking for work or left the area altogether.

The finding is contained in the annual economic profile of nine core western suburbs by the MetroWest Economic Research Center at Framingham State College.

Read more.
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Youths find job market lean and mean
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:21 PM

. . .and the not so good news this summer:

Just two summers ago, a high school student looking for summer employment could still pick and choose from about five different offers, according to some regional economic specialists. This summer, some specialists believe the numbers have flipped, with about five students often competing for the same job.

The depressed economy, coupled with minimal job growth, has led to what economists predict will be a record high unemployment rate among teens nationwide this summer -- the highest since 1965. The competition is especially tough now, with an increasing number of unemployed adults and college students with more experience and specialized work skills also applying for low-level jobs in retail or clerical support -- edging out high school students with little or no experience in some job sectors.

Read the piece from today's Globe West section.

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For more US workers, holidays just another day
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:16 PM

While other workers will be celebrating the anniversary of the nation's independence tomorrow, KeySpan dispatch supervisor Dan Zimmerman will be at work, just as he was last year on the Fourth of July, monitoring the four crew members who will dispatch gas company workers to sites in and around Boston.

A member of the nation's expanding 24-7 economy, Zimmerman works most holidays. ''My wife and I work around it,'' he said. ''She's used to seeing me leave for work on July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We actually celebrate our holidays later on. So, on Monday, after everyone is done with the Fourth of July holiday, we will be going to the Cape to start ours.''

Read the article from today's Globe.

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CEOs see hiring, spending in future
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 5:09 PM

Some good news for the holiday weekend from today's Globe:

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce yesterday released a survey that shows many of the region's top executives are planning to hire new workers as well as spend on new technology and equipment, another sign that the local economy may be heading for a turnaround.

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No more flip flops and shorts...
Posted by at 10:53 AM

As the economy and the unemployment numbers continue to maintain their current track, tech workers (both unemployed and employed) now have to make sure their presentation choices (both in attire and networking skills) are as good as their coding choices. The following article in today's Boston Globe "High-tech employee 1.0" examines how the common tech worker casual uniform may be a thing of the past.

''Once we got a little lean and mean, people had larger roles at the company instead of just coding,'' [Casey] said. ''They now have to meet with potential customers and that has meant a big change. It meant they'd have to act and dress the part.''

... Caroline Bogart, president of Bogart Software LLC in Litchfield, N.H., said human resource departments have become the primary gatekeepers at US companies for tech hiring and ''they absolutely care about appearance.'' ''HR departments do not understand the technology so they look at fit, and fit includes appearance and presentation,'' she said. ''They want to see how personable, friendly, and attractive the individual is. These are the things that come into play at the gatekeeper level, but make no difference at the technical level.''

Sure it's much easier to wear jeans and t-shirts to work everyday, however, it won't give you an edge in your current job or job search. Make sure your code is solid but, also make sure that your presentation is too.
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July 2, 2003

Confidence among Mass. firms leaps
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 11:27 AM

Confidence among Massachusetts businesses surged in June, with firms expecting economic conditions to improve by year's end, according to Associated Industries of Massachusetts. AIM's business confidence index posted its biggest monthly gain, 4.2 points, since January 1999, jumping to 48.2 from 44 in May.

Read the entire business brief from today's Boston Globe.

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July 1, 2003

A labor of love
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:50 AM

Robert McCloskey, the author and illustrator of one of the most beloved children's books of all time - a book that also introduced millions to the city of Boston - has passed away:

In ''Make Way for Ducklings,'' Mr. McCloskey told the tale of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their quest to find a safe place to raise their eight hatchlings. In doing so, Mr. McCloskey gave readers a duck's-eye view of Boston: of flying over the State House and Louisburg Square, of swimming in the Charles River and Public Garden pond, of waddling along Mount Vernon Street.

The book captures not just the cobblestones of Boston, but a bit of its character as well. When the ducks run into that bane of all Bostonians - traffic - their way is made clear by a big-hearted Officer Michael and his pals.

Read the full obituary from this morning's Boston Globe.
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Raytheon president takes over as CEO
Posted by Douglas Eisenhart at 10:24 AM

In local tech news today from the Reuters news service:

U.S. defense contractor Raytheon Co. Tuesday said its president, William Swanson, took over as chief executive officer.

Read the piece on Boston.com.

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