Career Services Expert and Industry Advice - TruMann Consulting - assisting higher education institutions maximize the effectiveness of their career services

Entries in recovery (3)

Monday

30Nov2009

A Real Job Creation Program is a Must

Monday, November 30, 2009 at 5:26PM

Anyone see Paul Krugman's latest column in the New York Times? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11 /30/opinion/30krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

It's a must read for anyone concerned about career development and job creation. Quite frankly, it's important for all Americans who want to see more attention paid to the unemployment crisis and seek a viable solution to the current situation.

Later this week there is going to be a high profile summit at the White House that deals with with the high unemployment rate and how to achieve job creation. However, the invitees are mainly CEO's of successful U.S. companies and although having them involved is useful, there are other voices that understand job creation and related factors that also need to be represented. One very important step that Krugman mentions, is that if we really want to have a shot at putting people back to work quickly and helping new graduates find employment in a reasonable amount of time, we need a jobs program similar to some of projects that were launched during The New Deal. We believe that a comprehensive job creation program for Americans at various levels of experience and background is a must.

Another important step would be a real effort to loosen the credit markets and encourage institutions to lend monies to small and mid-size businesses, so that they can add head count and payroll. These employers have traditionally been the engine of job development for the U.S. economy. Right now many of these businesses want to expand, but don't have the resources or credit to do so, and the net result is very little job creation.

TruMann Consulting |

Career Centers: A Vital Resource During Tough Times

Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 8:03AM

Lately we have been hearing from career centers all over the country that are experiencing a large increase in traffic and inquiries from current students and alumni. This is not surprising considering the economic conditions that continue to create extremely competitive conditions in the marketplace. Although, many career center teams have expressed to us how helpless they feel, we believe that given the right strategies, this can be a tremendous opportunity for career centers to prove their worth and raise their profile and visibility within their campus community. How career centers approach the challenges of serving larger numbers of students and alumni is key to the type of support and resources the center will receive in times of constrained budgets. There are many concrete and somewhat simple things that can help establish a career center as the “go to” experts on the job market and also revive the morale of an often-overworked staff. More soon about some of the proven strategies that TruMann Consulting has introduced on various campuses to great success.

Update on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 8:54PM by

TruMann Consulting

So many career centers and career development professionals are busier than ever and many are exhausted and frustrated by the demands and pressures of these challenging economic times. One of the most vexing situations for most professionals is that of the client who comes in and claims "I don't know how to look for a job"!

"How To Recession Proof Your Job Search" is just one of many seminars that we have introduced at various campuses. The content includes identifying industries that historically have been "recession proof" and teaching students to think about applying their skills and interests to a wider range of employers. Frequently, job seekers make the mistake of only focusing their search on a specific industry, not realizing that they can create many more options by broadening their search to a wider range of fields and work settings. Students interested in "Madison Avenue" advertising positions, for example, will significantly increase their options by looking at corporate, non-profit, or web company in-house advertising departments.

Thinking broadly about jobs and potential industries, however, is only half the battle. Networking - both in-person and through social networking sites - is the single most successful job search strategy, especially during a down labor market. One of the most overlooked aspects of networking, however, is following up on the connections clients make. In response to the many questions we receive on this topic, we have very simple advice - "patience, persistence, and politeness". These "three p's" of follow-up are essential for today's successful job seeker.

TruMann Consulting |

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Sunday

15Nov2009

How to Solve A Jobless Recovery?

Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 4:45PM

In the last two days two columns have appeared in the New York Times Op-Ed pages discussing the continuing rise in unemployment. The first by leading economist Paul Krugman (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/opinion/13krugman.html) discussed some of the tactics that the United States has been using to try and turn things around. Krugman feels strongly, as he has for many months that the stimulus package was not bold enough and would not stop companies from laying off workers, and obviously he's right. According to Krugman, Germany was much more bold, by not only infusing much needed monies into the faltering German economy, but also by passing legislation that gave employers incentives for retaining their workforce and further introduced job sharing measures that mitigated the damage. The government also introduced other projects to keep it's citizens working and earning a paycheck.

The column that appeared in the Sunday New York Times, by Bob Herbert (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/opinion/14herbert.html), highlighted the plight of the working class, especially minorities, young people and single mothers who are unemployed at a frightengly high rate. Herbert cites some pretty compelling statistics that give these workers little reason to hope, since many of the jobs they held prior to the recession don't seem to be coming back anytime soon or at all.

Another group that has been hit particularly hard are experienced workers representing many different industries, who have been laid off because they are considered too expensive or their skills outdated.

So what can be done? Will additional stimulus money infused into the economy help? Is a large scale project, similar to some of the programs introduced during the Great Depression in order? Would new legislation that gives incentives to various size businesses to keep people on the payroll also make a huge difference? How about forcing lending organizations to open up the credit markets, allowing all types of businesses and non-profits to expand and hire new staff, and also allowing new small businesses to obtain start up monies?

What else do you think would work? We need solutions, so let's hear from you.

TruMann Consulting |

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