Laid Off Twice, Not So Nice

What do these three people have in common?

Susan Guldenschuh, an HR supervisor in Kentucky

Russ Singletary, a researcher now working for an Atlanta company

Attorney Inna Efimchik

Laid off? Close.

All three are victims of a phenomenon that seems particular to this downturn: The double layoff…

How to Save Money at the Farmer’s Market

I’m often asked insider tips on how to save money while gourmet food shopping. I always recommend Trader Joe’s for pantry basics. An herb garden is a wonderful and inexpensive way to have fresh herbs on hand. A CSA box split between friends can be an affordable way to access fresh, locally grown produce. But for my money (and time), nothing beats a friendly-vendor, -music-filled visit to my local farmers market.

A lot of people think that shopping at a farmer’s market is more expensive than buying at a grocery store. Well, sometimes that might be true. But I’ve found that with just a little bit of thought and planning, you can find great deals on fresh, often organic goods—all while supporting your local community and having quite a bit of fun. Just follow my guidelines…

Networking for Non-Networkers

Network, network, network.

After getting a JD from the University of Michigan and working at one New York’s top law firms, the last thing I anticipated was to be scrambling for a job. Welcome to the new reality. Part of my severance package was career counseling from an outplacement firm that offered coaching classes on networking. “Network” was their mantra—and if I’d heeded their advice more closely back in March, I might have avoided a few missteps.

Lots of people, including me, chafe at the idea of leveraging their contacts to meet people who might be in a position to help. And I’m not suggesting, as the New York Times recently did, that you start hitting people up for business cards on the subway. But it doesn’t take a degree in math to know that the more people you know, the more likely you are to hear about career opportunities. And assuming you make a good impression, anyone you meet is one more person who can recommend you, serve as a sounding board for ideas, or even a potential client once you have landed that dream job.

As I’ve learned the hard way, there are better and worse ways to approach people. These tips will help to make your networking more effective and efficient and get you on your way to landing a job—or at least figuring out the next step…

How to Keep Employees in the Downturnaround

The unemployment rate is still high and new layoffs are announced each day. In other words, we’re not in a recovery yet. But companies should start thinking now about what happens as the labor pool shallows out.

Right now there are countless people who have had to take unpaid leaves or were hired on the cheap; when the economic situation improves, don’t expect them to show much loyalty to their employers. They’ll be interviewing on company time, taking calls from recruiters and jumping ship like crazy.

I frequently receive calls from candidates tied to the automotive industry. A former director of human resources who had to take a job as the HR manager of a very small operation and a 25% pay cut asked me to find him a new position. He told me that he was willing to take a pay cut but in exchange for flexibility with vacation and company car, but the Japanese company we were dealing with would not negotiate. Even though he has more than 20 years of experience, he won’t receive any vacation time until year two of employment. The vacation time for the five years after that is only one week. Do you think he’ll be sticking around that long if he has a choice?

Smart employers will be prepared to keep strong employees and add new (or old) ones to stay competitive. Ask these seven questions to get on track…

The Zen of Job Hunting

Desperately seeking employment? Spending hours on job sites, with not an offer in sight?

“Give up,” writes Peter Bregman over at HarvardBusiness.org. “Not completely. But mostly. Stop trying so hard.”

We’re totally on board with this idea. Yes, it’s a tough job market. Yes, it’s important to be looking after your career. But that doesn’t mean obsessing over your resume, growing pale and wan because you spend hours each day scouring the internet for openings.

You can get burnt out just as easily job hunting as you can on the job, generate tons of stress and waste acres of time that you could be using to network, explore other opportunities, or simply enjoy your life while you’ve got it. Indulge in your passions, or test out activities you’ve always wanted to try. Broaden your horizons–you never know what new doors will open as a result.

But back to job hunting. Bregman, C.E.O. of Bregman Partners, a global leadership development and change management firm, offers these rules:

Are You On the Layoff List?

So many people report that being laid off came as a total surprise. One morning they show up for work as usual. An hour later they’re sitting behind their steering wheel stunned, with a box of pictures and books in the backseat.

It’s bad enough to lose your job. But to have it take you by surprise is just unfathomable. How can you read the tea leaves on something like this so that it doesn’t happen to you? Or so that it doesn’t happen to you again?

Here are some signs that you might be on a list of people to be laid off:

• Your company has hit hard times and has publicly announced that it will institute “cost-cutting measures.”
• Your industry sector has taken a dive on Wall Street.
• Your company has been acquired, and there’s someone just like you already ensconced in the acquiring company.
• Your company just bought your competitor, and there’s someone just like you in the newly acquired company…
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