Career Protection, an agency that offers employees counseling on negotiating better benefits, severance pay, and retirement packages, has released its Annual Layoffs Forecast for 2008, and it ain't pretty.Over 1,375 corporate executives nationwide completed the confidential annual survey regarding workforce reduction plans (Survey conducted January 2-25, 2008). And the results yielded a 37% increase in companies planning layoffs and reductions in their workforce this year - the worst such forecast in five years.With the economy on the verge of a recession, if it isn't already there, grim layoff news is not a surprise. However, now is an excellent time to remind you that in some cases, severance packages are negotiable. Upon accepting one, a company will expect you to sign a General Release of Legal Claims in exchange for the package, this is your leverage. While we've never personally used Career Protection or similar services, with the job market in a state of … [Read more...] about Severe Job Cuts Loom in 2008
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Would You Take a Rocket to Work?
I'm all for cutting down my commute time. Forget the HOV lane, you'll blow by everyone as you suit on a Thunderpack by Thunderman Aerosystems. The lofty $90k price tag is out of my budget and I work a little too far from home. Apparently, the contraption only keeps you airborne for about a minute. Will we see rocket-powered humans on our way to the office in our lifetime? … [Read more...] about Would You Take a Rocket to Work?
How to Deal With Negative People
Episode #78 of the Working Podcast brings you free career advice and employment news: - Tristan Loo, founder of the Synergy Institute talks about maintaining your motivation and dealing with negative people in part two of our interview. - Roger August Young, a listener of the Working Podcast, performs a song about struggling at work to please Uncle Sam. - The Career Filter explores NotchUp, The Work Review and Catch the Best. There are three ways to listen: - Stream on our homepage (shows plays instantly) - Stream from the player below (about a 60 second load time) - Download direct … [Read more...] about How to Deal With Negative People
Get Paid to Go on Job Interviews
Company: NotchUpSlogan: Opportunity Knocks.Pros: Get paid for your interview time; Improves the talent pool; Incentives the job hunt for passive candidates Cons: Benefits the people who need the least help; System can potentially be gamed; Stealth startup NotchUp hopes to turn the interview process on its head by having employers reward candidates for their time. A calculator, that factors in your current position, experience, education and salary helps you determine what price to set. However, you are free to pull an arbitrary number out of the sky. Payments are made via Paypal.Sorta like a good faith payment, if a company is willing to pay for your interview time, you can be pretty sure you're not just there to fill some EOE quota. The company also pays NotchUp a fee for each interview that is carried out.What I do like about the concept is that it forces talented workers to shake off some of that complacency dust. No matter how good a job seems, … [Read more...] about Get Paid to Go on Job Interviews
The Best (Fictional) Companies to Work 2008
FORTUNE Magazine has done it again. They've "wowed" us with their "100 Best Companies to Work For: 2008"Are YOU jealous? Don't be. Even Google has gotta have a crappy, passive-aggressive, nightmare-of-a-boss. Or stinky people who don't understand the concept of personal space. Or, dare I say it, the potential for layoffs. America loves this list. They'll spend weeks Googling it. Personally, I don't get it. A truly great place to work lives in your head more than anywhere else. So, here's a list of our own: Jobacle's 100 Best FICTIONAL Companies to Work For. Since they're not real companies, work can't suck as bad! Help us complete the list! Please leave a comment below with the fictional company you'd wanna work for and why. We'll complete the list and go through your picks on a future episode of the Working Podcast. Please subscribe! 100 Best FICTIONAL Places to Work (once you help us finish it...) Arcade Flower … [Read more...] about The Best (Fictional) Companies to Work 2008
Office Animals: Which Do You Work With?
He got his start laying pipe for the Atlas Water and Sewer company. Eventually, he climbed the ranks, becoming responsible for a staff of 800 and annual revenue exceeding $120 million. His name is Victor Kipling. This is his weekly column. With the advent of Chinese New Year in a few weeks, you'll be pleased to know that we say bye to the Pig and welcome to the Year of the Rat! Legend has it that the Buddha invited animals to attend a new-year celebration, and those that attended were forever honored by having an eternal place in Chinese calendars and astrology. And, if you're a good customer at your local Chinese take-out, you may find a calendar next to those egg rolls between now and Feb. 7th.What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with life as we know it at the workplace? Well, when you consider how often all of us liken our bosses, peers and subordinates to various animals, there are some parallels and maybe even inferences to be drawn here. … [Read more...] about Office Animals: Which Do You Work With?
Lessons From the Stars: First Impressions
The two seconds you get to generate an initial feeling in someone is HUGE. Sure, you can change their minds with subsequent interaction, but a first impression has the power to stay with someone for life. For example, when I met my wife (about 12 years ago) I thought she was a gangster chick and she thought I was a Puerto Rican player. After one date I quickly discovered that she was a school-teaching softie and she learned I'm about as Rican as Christian Hans Andersen. So much for first impressions.We were able to debunk the myths we had created in our minds by simply spending some time together. Unfortunately, you might never get to that point with a potential employer. Similarly, famous people are often judged on exchanges that take up mere seconds of their lives. That's why you'll often hear strong opinions from people after they've had an encounter with a star, "He was so nice and down to earth."Why? Because he signed an … [Read more...] about Lessons From the Stars: First Impressions
Talking Age Targets Mature Job Seekers
If you're a "mature" worker living across the pond in Europe, congratulations, you have a new career portal, TalkingAge.com.Seeking the so-called 'grey market,' the Website aims to offer career, financial, HR and social networking opportunities to elder job seekers.According to those spry folks at TalkingAge:"The over 65’s spend the longest amount of time online, and Internet surfers over the age of 50 account for nearly a third of all time spent online by British Web users. Significantly, nearly half of over 50’s want to work beyond retirement age, yet more than 80% have already experienced some kind of ageist rejection by employers. TalkingAge combines jobs, communities and advice for the first time to serve this increasingly crucial segment of the workforce."Of course, targeting jobs to people of a certain age is a legal no-no, so the jobs posted are available to candidates of all ages.Like many of the new Websites we tell you about, this one is in … [Read more...] about Talking Age Targets Mature Job Seekers
A Dream for American Workplaces
Stuck at work on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Yeah, we are too. But that doesn't stop us from honoring Dr. King by dreaming out loud:We have a dream...That companies pay you what you're worth. Pay is based on your experience, accomplishments and ability to perform in the future. We have a dream...That America's vacation day standard increases (Brazil = 30, Finland = 35, Russia = 28, etc.).We have a dream...That passive-aggressive behavior is abandoned and if someone has something to say to our faces - they say it!We have a dream...That everyone gets an hour for lunch and that everyone TAKES their hour for lunch.We have a dream...That more industries adapt the education system work model; either give the summer off or six weeks on, two weeks off.We have a dream...That the work week shrinks to four days. We guarantee that everything would still get done.We have a dream...That stinky foods are banned from the office.We have a dream...That employers realize only .01% … [Read more...] about A Dream for American Workplaces
Master List of JOB VENT Sites
Venting about work can be very therapeutic, but it can also be a dangerous habit-forming addiction. Rehearsing anger is not only bad for your career, it is bad for life. However, on occasion, there is nothing like anonymously releasing your work frustrations. There are certainly no shortage of Web sites that allow you to rant about your boss or expose your co-workers annoying behavior. Stick with Jobacle, one of the world's leading career advice blogs and your source for free career advice, employment news and Master Lists about work!Disgruntled WorkforceBlog that accepts work rants. Writing must be approved by site owner. Simple.FuriocityFrom apples to work - rant about anything.I Gotta RantMessage board for rants on anything.JobacleA little shameless self-promotion. The Working Podcast, the #1 career Internet radio show plays your rants! Just leave a voice mail at 888/786-1080 and listen to a future episode for your venomous … [Read more...] about Master List of JOB VENT Sites