New York Magazine has an excellent feature this week profiling a number of New Yorkers who have lost their jobs in the past few months. The profiles range from a 40-year-old IT director at a financial services firm, to an actress who’s found that commercial work has dried up, to Citigroup’s head of diversity (I guess lofty ideas like a diverse work force go by the wayside when you’re a bank on federal welfare) to an online editor at the New York Sun, which set on Sept. 30.

The subjects talk a lot about the loss of self-esteem and motivation that comes with losing your job. One subject says, “Recruiters call about new positions, but it’s always the same old story. They say you are a great fit, and then you don’t hear from them for days. Nothing pans out. I feel helpless, like a failure. It’s your manhood, you know? I’m the only provider at home.” From another: “My girlfriend goes to job one and job two every day; if only I had so much to pack into a day. I’ll contemplate shaving and getting dressed to go scope out a host position at a bistro, but then I’ll really like that I still have my plaid boxers on and I’ll tell myself I could always go tomorrow.” And another: “My family likes to joke about ‘my vacation.’ ‘How’s the vacation going?’ Not really funny. I fell asleep for 30 minutes the other day and wished it could be like some Rip van Winkle thing, except instead of waking up 30 years later, I’d wake up and have a new job.”

The outlook isn’t bleak for all of them. Some are looking forward to reinventing themselves. Others are glad to be out of a job they really didn’t like anyway.

Something they (and you) might want to take a look at is an organization I’m part of called The Five O’Clock Club, which provides coaching for job seekers (both those who have lost their jobs and others who are looking for new jobs). There’s a real science to job-seeking and most people don’t have a clue how to approach it properly. Knowing the right way can mean the difference between a three-month search or one lasting four or five times as long. The Club offers group and one-on-one coaching and has a system that is very specific, time-tested–and it works. I’d be happy to tell you more. Feel free to get in touch with me at mitch(at)e2ecoaching.com.

Tags: Five O'Clock Club, job search, recruiting

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Here’s a comment from a colleague that sums up what many people are feeling these days:

Will the career I have chosen be around and will I be able to move with the times? I am in the business-to-business publishing sector. I have to make choices about expanding my knowledge base, keeping current on all aspects of the publishing industry and making sure my age does not become a hindrance. Interviewers need to see my value as a skilled manager.

This person is in the print end of the B2B publishing business and is expert on moving newsprint around the world and getting magazines published and delivered. She knows the technology involved cold, as well as the suppliers and the entire value chain. But she asks a good question: so what? Are the skills relevant to the future economy?

Let’s be conservative and say no. There is no reversal in the movement from print publishing to Internet, particularly for technology subjects. So being a star in this field is being a shooting star. In a few years or less, no one will need to worry about the printing plants, post offices, planes, trains and automobiles moving the proverbial dead trees around.

But the knowledge of someone who has been doing that for 30 years can be turned into something very valuable. If I were coaching this person, I’d ask her to consider these suggestions:

1. Make a list of every influential business contact you have around the world.
2. Make contact with the people on the list with whom you have the best relationships and ask them some questions to find out what they feel about the short- and medium-term future. What are their companies doing to re-tool for the next 1-3 years? How are they personally preparing in their respective roles?  And most importantly, what products and services will they need in the future that they do not currently have or know where to find?
3. Map out the B2B information value-chain from producer to consumer, creating two views: where it is today and where it will be in three years. (They may include different players, there could be massive attrition and consolidation and the roles that companies have played traditionally may change, so be creative.) Where are you on the spectrum? Where is your company?  Where would you like to be?
4. Make a bet in the next three months on where the next three years are going and adjust your career strategy accordingly. You may need more education and different kinds of relationships to become an expert in a new aspect of the value chain.
5. The age factor: My colleague is in her fifties and is worried about age discrimination. There is no short answer to dealing with this one because it is all a state of mind. If you feel your best days are behind you, who am I to argue? Think long and hard about what you control and maximize it. And ignore what you don’t control.

Tags: age discrimination, B2B Publishing

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You may have the most fantastic product or service in the world, but if you don’t connect with me in a way that makes me feel confident in you, I will not be your customer.

I was at a conference a few weeks ago and met people who were networking and pitching their services. One man had an interesting company but I could not connect with him. Why? He had several enormous rings on both hands, accentuated by very shiny nail polish and a huge gold bracelet. He may have been the world’s greatest subject matter expert in his field, but all I could see was his hands. I don’t remember a word he said. I know it’s not right or fair, but there it is.

Another man at the same conference had fingernails bitten down to the end. It was painful to look at. Am I obsessed with hands and fingers? I don’t remember what his business was about.

A woman who was there wore a very low-cut blouse….think I recall what she did for a living? No, I don’t.

Like it or not, most people, I think, are influenced by what they see in someone who may be a potential business partner.  We cannot focus on race, foreign accent, obesity,  disability or unusual style of dress that’s tied to religion–those kinds of things must be overlooked. Not to do so would be pure prejudice and bigotry.  What becomes difficult to ignore are factors that are in our own control. Particularly personal-style factors.

For some, over-the-top personal style is schtick–something to remember them by. The Donald’s comb-over. Liberace’s outfits. (I am dating myself.) Excessive piercings. (It’s one thing if I am looking for a tatoo artist, another if you want to be my financial adviser.) For business people looking to do business, personal style details are important. I think this is true even for people who aren’t 51 years old like me.  Or maybe this whole line of thought is really ridiculous. Hey, maybe those same people I didn’t connect with thought I was an oddball, too.

So how important is personal style for business people?

Tags: networking, small business, success

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