Looking for Work in Hard Times

In case you haven't noticed, we live in interesting times. And about the only way you wouldn't have noticed is if you were in a coma, in an underground bunker for the past several years, or you are a very uninformed individual. Today, we have high unemployment (and going higher), a ravaged economy (no thanks to our titans of industry), and civil unrest throughout the globe. With this background, many Boomer's are faced with an early termination of their careers (highest-paid front line personnel are the first to go), or they find themselves in early retirement with less spendable income than they thought. Whatever the initiating issue, a lot of people find themselves looking for work.
Given that one must look for work, the choices are:

• Perform an extensive job search and look for traditional work. If you find it, you work in a cubicle, and have a management structure populated with people that have contributed in large part to the problems we have today. Since you will be the first hired, an older employee, and probably higher paid than your peers (but still lower than your previous job), you will be the first to go when hard times hit.

• Perform an extensive job search and look for non-traditional work. These jobs are harder to find and are harder to fill. However, they provide an opportunity for the job-seeker to expand their skills and expose them to new opportunities. Pay can be comparable to the traditional job. It can also be a little less. However, benefits of the start-up or non-traditional business can range from numerous perks (free lunches, beer Fridays, casual dress) to non-traditional perks (in-house exercise, concierge services, and similar benefits).

• Become an independent contractor. Using services such as Elance, anyone with a skill that is in demand in the marketplace can become an independent contractor. Though the individual is responsible for the all benefits, it provides the opportunity for the individual to work in a wide variety of environments, with a wide variety of businesses, and generally expands the worker's business experience. Pay can range from subsistence to quite lucrative, depending on the skills, the work, and the deadline.

• Start your own business. This can range from a business on a shoestring to a fully-funded corporate enterprise. The two things necessary are you must have an idea that can be translated into an executable business strategy, and you must have a business idea that will have demand in the market. If you have the skills, some areas are always in demand: plumbers, electricians, woodworkers, and similar skillsets. I addition, if you are a technology professional with Java, Perl, PHP, or other Web programming skills, it is usually easy to find at least temporary work applying these skills.

Even in a down economy, there is demand for skilled individuals. The problem is finding the work, matching your skills to the opportunity, and selling yourself. Future articles will explore these job-search aspects in more detail.

If you have suggestions, additional insights, or other comments, we'd love to hear them.

Pop-Up Businesses

In the February 25th issue of Businessweek, futurist David Zach discusses his prediction of an emerging trend toward "pop-up businesses" in the next 10 years. Pop-up businesses are defined as dynamic groups of people with specific talents who are dedicated to achieving a goal and then disbanding. Think of it as a temporary company. Think of it as a business that uses a temporary staffing agency to fill personnel needs, but where the entire company is temporary. Finally, think of it as an entire company built around a project--a project with a beginning, a deliverable product or service, and an end.

The pop-up business is interesting in that it has the advantage to tap into the vast underutilized resources of retiring baby boomers, other aged and retired executives, skilled personnel now swelling the unemployment lines, and various people--from moms to high school and college students--who just need a little extra income. Yet, it does not have the pressure of most traditional businesses--staying in business. This is a sea-change in the way business trade takes place. The advantages are many:

• Low overhead; simply rent space or office virtually from where ever the employee resides.
• Easy business forecasting; leaders know what they need, how long they need it, and the cost.
• No "bench" expense; a problem with many traditional companies is the need to keep people on the payroll in anticipation of new business. Not so the pop-up company; they only hire what they immediately need.

Of course, there are many disadvantages or a least undefined issues to be addressed:

• Who guarantees product/service? If the company is no longer in existence, who will stand behind the product? This may give rise to yet another emerging business--product guarantors.
• How do they build a business reputation? If you are not in business over the long-term, issues of brand, reputation, and market ownership have no meaning. Who will hire the pop-up business? What will the criteria be for engaging is they are always new? It is in this area that the emerging social networks will play a role. The pop-up business will become organized and institutionalized crowdsourcing and the brand and reputation will reside with the individuals in the pop-up business.
• How will the be engaged? Looking in the yellow pages or on the Internet for a company with given products, services, or attributes will not be possible--the pop-up business does not exist until needed. Therefore, new ways of contracting will be needed. A starting model may be Web sites such as http://elance.com. The pop-up business becomes a social network phenomena where markets are created to bring together business needs with individuals who can meet the need. The difference from Elance will be the emergence of the "general contractor" or leader of the pop-up business who manages the hiring, scheduling, financing, and delivery of product or service.
  

The possibilities boggle the mind. Read more about the original discussion at:

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0225_inventions/16.htm

What do you think? We would love to hear your opinion.

House Approves COBRA Premium Subsidy for Jobless Workers

With the number of unemployed Boomers rising each day, I thought some of you may find the following article encouraging. Titled, "House Approves COBRA Premium Subsidy for Jobless Workers," if actually signed into law, it could provide subsidized COBRA benefits for workers who are 55 and older until they turn 65! With health insurance one of the major concerns for jobless workers in the market today, this may be a great benefit. The link to the article is here:

http://tinyurl.com/aohodc

After reading the article, if you think it could benefit you, I would highly recommend you contact both your Congressional representative and your Senators. Millions of voices have a way of making them listen.

Let me know what you think.