Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search and Work Life
Job-hunting tips from the June 16, 2008, issue of
QuintZine.
Reports the Conference Board: Social interaction platforms, including MySpace and Facebook,
have grown dramatically in recent years, with more people joining every day. Once a niche activity,
online social networking now engages millions of consumers and has become an integral
part of many people's lives. Currently, one out of every four people
online visits social networking sites, according to the Consumer Internet Barometer, which
surveys 10,000 households across the country and tracks who's doing what on the Internet.
About half of social networkers visit these sites daily. In fact, half of these people say they log on several times a day. Among other
household members, those age 12 to 17 are more likely than their siblings to be daily users, with 57 percent saying they frequent
social networking sites at least once a day.
Women are more likely to frequent social networking sites than men. In general, women use the Internet more than
men for personal communication.
The No. 1 reason cited by the vast majority of online consumers -- at least four out of five -- for visiting social networking sites
is to be able to connect with friends. In addition, about half of all users report using sites like MySpace and Facebook to
update and maintain their online profile, email, and connect with family. At least one out of five social network users logs
on to blog or meet new people. Among the 30 and over working-age population, one out of eight uses social networking
sites to conduct business.
With the price of gasoline now at $4+ per gallon, it would seem to be the ideal time for more companies to initiate
and/or expand telecommuting programs, says outplacment firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas. These programs
would probably be welcomed with open arms by workers seeking ways to decrease fuel costs and increase
work-life balance. However, the downturn in the economy could be the biggest obstacle to increased telecommuting.
When companies begin struggling to turn a profit, they tend to want all their people on the front line.
Further, with the constant threat of downsizing looming over employees' heads, now is not the time to decrease face-time
at the office.
The current economic conditions, especially gas prices, may contribute to increased anxiety, stress and conflict in the office.
As skyrocketing costs of food and gas hit both working parents trying to provide for their families, and other workers trying to keep
their homes or pay off student loans, tension in the workplace may follow.
Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia of The Herman Trend Alert believe that the recent spike in unemployment figures, the biggest percentage-point
gain in 33 years, indicates that that employers are holding on to their skilled, experienced workers, while those with lower skill levels
are considered more expendable and easier to hire back -- as employees or contractors -- when conditions improve.
What these data reflect, Herman and Gioia assert, is that the US has a real problem with its under-resourced schools -- schools
that are either not engaging students enough to keep them there or preparing them for the job market. "As a nation, we need to wake
up to our workforce development challenges, including the lack of connection between employers and the community and technical colleges,"
the futurists say.
For nations abroad, these data also mask critical skilled-labor shortages that present real opportunities for them. Lacking the trained,
skilled labor here will mean location of future facilities in places like Brazil and Southeast Asia, where there are pools of skilled workers,
capable of handling work that US employees cannot. -- From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business
Futurists. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc., (800) 227-3566.
Reports the Conference Board: Social interaction platforms, including MySpace and Facebook,
have grown dramatically in recent years, with more people joining every day. Once a niche activity,
online social networking now engages millions of consumers and has become an integral
part of many people's lives. Currently, one out of every four people
online visits social networking sites, according to the Consumer Internet Barometer, which
surveys 10,000 households across the country and tracks who's doing what on the Internet.
