A journal of events, trends, 
challenges and opportunities
in the employment marketplace.

Autumn, 2007 Issue

Employment Trends . . .

Career Opportunities
Continue to Abound 

IT SEEMS AMAZING THAT HIRING activity could have sustained its record-breaking pace for so long, yet the latest job index stats from Monster indicate that it has done so ever since it jumped to an unpreceden- ted level in March, 2007. 

Hiring Demand is Strong at All Levels.
It doesn't seem to matter if the positions are for entry level trainees, individual contributors, supervisors, managers or key executives -- there are plenty of opportunities being offered by companies both large and small.  Demand in many markets seems pent-up enough that hiring is likely to continue even if there is a reduction in business activity.  

Opportunities Abound for All Generational Groups.
It also doesn't seem to matter much if the candidates are Baby Boomers, members of Generation X or relatively new "Gen-Y" workforce participants -- multiple opportunities exist for all three groups.  As those Boomers who are nearing retirement age begin to leave the workforce in increasing numbers, they are creating additional openings for Gen-X'ers and Gen-Y'ers as well as for other Boomers.

Demand is Even More Intense within Niche Markets.  
It seems almost axiomatic that the narrower the niche, the tighter the supply and the greater the demand.  So if you are a Candidate whose skills play a unique role in the success of the enterprise that employs you, now is the time to take steps to advance your career.     

Develop Your Intrapreneural Attitude.
Your first step in seeing new possibilities within is to nurture an attitude that supports initiative.  Outmoded concepts of your job as a "position" you "occupy" that comes with certain "entitlements" will have to go.  Replace them with an assertion and a belief that your success in the workplace is what you make of it, that the opportunities for growth, development and achievement go hand-in-hand, and that those opportunities are present every day.

To help with this nurturing process, ask yourself often what you can do and have done to make your workplace a better one.

Develop An Intrapreneur's Analytical Skills.
Corporations tend to organize themselves into revenue centers and cost centers.  Where does your work fall into that spectrum?  If you work for a cost center, how can you reduce those costs, and how can the services you provide also serve to increase revenues?  If you work for a revenue center, what can you do to increase those revenues even more, and how can you achieve that goal while decreasing costs?

Wherever you find yourself  situated in the revenue-cost stream, search for ways to both increase revenues and decrease costs.  When you find and implement them, these contributions will take on a golden glint that can be seen from the highest corporate altitudes.

Do Your Job, but Look Beyond its Boundaries.
Banish the thought that you should only do what is in your job description.  Your job is to do your job, then to do other things that will help your company -- every day.  Begin by examining your upstream and downstream workflow relationships.  Who provides you with the information and tools you need to do your job and how could that process be improved?  Who are the "customers" for your services within the company and how can you help them become more productive?

But don't stop there.  Look at your department as a whole and at other departments.  As you begin to apply your intrapreneur's analytical skills, you'll be surprised at the opportunities for contribution you'll see.

Do Your Homework. 
Don't expect that just because you come up with an idea, it will automatically be implemented.  For adoption to happen in a corporate environment, three conditions must be met:

• Practicality.  You must have worked out the details and have tested that the idea can be put into practice.  Then you need to have the numbers that prove its efficacy.

• Scalability.  You'll need to be able to show that your idea will work on a large enough scale to make a significant difference to your department or company.

• Acceptability.  The improvement you propose must push the envelope, but not so far that it operates outside the realm of acceptable business practice or the boundaries of the corporate culture in which you work.

Most successful intrapreneurs find that they must try several approaches before achieving appropriate solutions to the problems they're trying to solve.  They also find ways to "try the best methods out," "get objective input" and "gauge their results" before proposing their solutions to management.      

Ask Questions; Take Risks; Document Your Results.
When you see a process or procedure you think could be improved, find diplomatic ways to ask the questions that will put you on the trail of a solution.  You will have to take on some level of risk in order to achieve a successful result, but you can minimize its downside by meeting the three conditions outlined in item #4.  Then do the documentation necessary to (1) establish your role in creating the solution; and, (2) assign a quantitative (and monetary) value to its impact on the problem it was designed to solve.