Jun

15

Mandatory corporate workshops: Aren’t we all stressed for time?

Posted by Dan

June 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment

This week, the publishing company where I work is forcing employees to attend a mandatory hour-and-a-half sexual-harrassment workshop. And here I thought we were actually busy here thanks to all the layoffs we’ve suffered.
Sexual harrassment is a big issue, and a huge problem. But, I’m not sure that forcing employees to attend a 90-minute workshop [...]

Jun

12

Interested in working in a struggling field? Go for it

Posted by Dan

June 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I’m working on a story for a major newspaper’s Jobs section. It’s an interesting one, taking a look at people who are entering certain career fields even though those fields are struggling mightily.
I’ve spoken to real estate agents and mortgage lenders, for instance. Both of these fields are going through tough times today. You can [...]

May

28

Desperate? Try a LaidOffCamp

Posted by Dan

May 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment

If you’ve been out of work for a long time, you undoubtedly need to vent. I understand that. That’s why I think the LaidOffCamp is a neat idea.
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting story today about these camps, which are held across the country. Basically, they offer the unemployed a chance to network, learn [...]

May

22

Does misery love company? Not when it comes to job losses

Posted by Dan

May 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I hate hearing from my neighbors or friends about their job struggles.
As a freelance writer, I’m struggling to meet my monthly financial goals. My print-magazine clients are all going out of business or cutting back on their budget for freelance writers. The online sources I’ve replaced them with pay far, far less.
This means I’m working [...]

May

19

Age can work against you in today’s job market

Posted by Dan

May 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Are you too old? How about too young? Either way, it might work against you in today’s job market.
At least that’s the news from the Wall Street Journal, which recently ran a feature story about the challenges that both younger and older workers face today. Guess it’s best to be about 35 or so these [...]

Apr

30

Laid-off workers turning to community colleges

Posted by Dan

April 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment

You never know how the recession is going to impact a person or institution. For instance, community colleges. They’ve long offered programs designed to teach adults very specific job skills.
Turns out, in a recession like this one, that’s a good thing to teach.
A story in the Dallas Morning News says that enrollment among students older [...]

Apr

22

Corporations’ new message: Leave your daughters at home!

Posted by Dan

April 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I never quite understood the point of Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. If I was a daughter or son, the last thing I’d want to do is spend time at either of my parents’ jobs. I saw enough of my parents, thank you, I didn’t need to see them during their working [...]

Apr

16

The rise of the unpaid furlough

Posted by Dan

April 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I heard from my very first editor yesterday. He knows I sometimes write scripts for comic-book companies, and he wanted me to put him in touch with one of the publishers that I sometimes work with.
Seems my former editor needs the work: He’s on a one-week unpaid furlough from the newspaper chain where he works.
He [...]

Apr

8

Laid off? Maybe it’s time to go back to school

Posted by Dan

April 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment

In March alone, U.S. employers cut 663,000 jobs. That’s a lot of laid-off and fired workers.
And finding a new job? That’s a huge challenge today. The nation’s unemployment rate, after all, has shot up to a staggering 8.5 percent.
Maybe this is why many laid-off workers have decided to go back to school rather than test [...]

Apr

7

What’s more important, job security or passion?

Posted by Dan

April 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I found an interesting discussion on the Wall Street Journal’s Web site today. This question-and-answer session addressed whether, especially in these trying economic times, it’s better to pursue a career that offers job security even if the field isn’t one that you particularly enjoy.
It’s a good question. I suppose in a normal economy, we’d tell [...]

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