Let me start by saying that I’m using “Dad” for the sake of simplicity. This is a non-gender question. But my editor asked me to stick with one gender, so as a father, I’m writing this column as “Dad.”

Some people tell me that they find it very difficult to tell their children that they’ve been fired. Does a 10-year-old even know what the word “fired” means? And how much do teenagers even really understand? Can you just blame the “R word”: recession? Let’s face it, adults barely know what the word “recession” means, so for your children of any age, they just know that Dad (or Mom) is now home all day, not working.

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The demands on job seekers, in respect to writing resumes, seem to increase daily. Of course, it’s not really that often, but it does seem as if the list of resume dos and don’ts has grown exponentially over the past few years. It hasn’t. In fact, much of what was important 20 years ago – yes, I’m old enough to actually remember – is still important today … with a modern twist. Adding email addresses to headings and using keywords to catch the attention of scanning equipment or software are pretty much all there is that differs.

Including keywords was probably important 20 years ago, too, but went by another name, the way “reputation” morphed into “personal brand.” Anyway, what’s important for job seekers to know is that adding words to their resumes that pertain to their career fields or mirror those they read in job postings will get them noticed faster.

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Today’s released unemployment number ate deceiving: they do not reflect those that have given up work, stopped collecting unemployment, or work
part time–unemployment is more like 20% even higher in some cities like Detroit.

Yet at least half of all American’s do have jobs, and can keep them.

Don’t “assume” you will eventually become a statistic. My book “Bulletproof Your Job” (HaprerCollins) is a great tool, with tricks, yes tricks, and secrets on how to keep your job. Even you are of work, visit my website www.bulletproofyourresume.com to find the secrets on how to get your resume noticed.

Read the NY Times Article >>

Do you work with someone who you think would go on a violent rampage if they got fired?

Have you ever seriously thought about that prospect? How can you not, with the reality of today’s headlines jumping out at us?

The common theme of these tragic killings is that someone has been fired or is recently unemployed, has become deeply unhappy, and feels “wronged” by the boss and co-workers. Now they’re out for revenge. For an already unstable person, getting fired is the final push over the edge that turns him or her into a homicidal, vengeful, cold-blooded killer. These individuals somehow lose their coping mechanism and turn on their bosses, co-workers, and anyone else in the way.

I detest the phrase “going postal.” It demeans our nation’s postal workers, who work so hard in what are often monotonous, routine jobs. I didn’t invent the phrase and try never to use it. However, this single phrase does help us picture this growing pattern of violence at work – which might increase as more and more Americans get fired.

Remember, ever since the “R” word – RECESSION, of course – has become the media buzzword, it’s become a blank check for the boss to fire anyone. Bosses use the recession as an excuse to fire those they have been dying to get rid of.

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Today’s career fairs seem anything but “fair” to me.

Have you noticed lately how every local TV news report has a weekly segment on a career or job fair? The footage may as well be recycled week after week: the camera pans over a long line wrapping around a corner. Then the reporter (always with surprise and a newsworthy sense of self-importance – almost as if he’s breaking a story as hot as Lewinsky and Clinton) marvels over the record attendance.

Um, is this really news? My God, half the country is unemployed, and people are lining up thinking they might land a job. Surprise! Someone give that reporter a raise.

My absolute favorite part is when the reporter corners one of the attendees and gets her to talk about how she plans to stand out from the crowd.

Oh no, wait, this is the best part: then that same person talks on camera about how she’s now begun to make friends in the job fair lines because they all recognize one another from the previous week’s job fair. Hmmm… it might be time to reevaluate that whole “standing out from the crowd” strategy.

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It is important to remember even if the unemployment rate reaches 10 percent, that means 90 percent of Americans are still working.

So, do not to get caught up in the emotional anxiety of assuming you too will lose your job. The fact is that most Americans will continue to keep their jobs. Yet, workers from all companies will be let go to meet the bottom line. It’s just for show (and yes it is just for show).

Let’s face it, even the meanest boss hates to fire anyone, but when the “recession” word is used in conjunction with lay-offs, it’s really a blank check to fire anybody with no real reason needed.

Work is not a democracy. If you weren’t old enough to be working during the 1991 recession, the idea that you’re not just judged on merit or performance is probably new to you. It seems repugnant; however, get your head out of the sand.

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The economic news gets worse by the day. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate surged to 8.1 percent in February, its highest in 25 years, with 651,000 jobs lost last month.

Financial industry workers have been hit hardest by the recession. But in recent weeks, there have been waves of layoffs at companies like I.B.M., where workers once seemed safe from the economic storm.

In this sinking economy, what should you be prepared to do if you lose your job?

• Katherine S. Newman, professor of sociology
• Michael Melcher, executive coach
• Michael Gates Gill, author and Starbucks worker
• Stephen Viscusi, author and headhunter
• Harley Shaiken, labor expert
• Bob Adler, self-employed consultant

Read the article >>

Being perceived as being younger both emotionally and intellectually is often more important than looking younger. In this recession you need to learn the fine art of being perceived as younger as well as looking younger. So if you’re over 40, here are 10 tips:

1: Buy teeth whitening strips. Shallow for sure, but having coffee-stained teeth won’t do you any favors in interviews.

2: Get on Facebook today. If you don’t know how to join, let your kids show you. Use Google and know what Wikipedia is. Learn how to text and TiVo.

3: Check out your local Apple store and ask to learn the difference between an iPod Classic, iPod Touch, and iPod Nano.

4: If for some reason you still remember your SAT scores, keep them to yourself. No one cares and scoring has changed, so you’ll just wind up aging yourself.

5: Pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly before an interview. Nothing gets you more up to date on the youthful world of pop culture.

Read the other 5 tips >>

Have you been distressed lately about the economy, your job or your boss? If so, you wouldn’t be alone.

When times are toughest, most of us tend to wait out the storm rather than seek out other, perhaps even riskier opportunities.

In his new book, Bulletproof Your Job, author Stephen Viscusi says that your “primary objective” at work is to protect your job because it is “your most valuable asset.”

Forget the financial crisis; the issue is more primal than that. “Here’s the cold hard truth: If you don’t click with your boss, all that merit and pedigree won’t get you anywhere when your job is on the line,” writes Viscusi. “What really matters is what your boss thinks about you.”

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Think your job is safe? How can anyone know for sure in this economy when it’s not uncommon for big companies to axe hundreds of people in one day, and for small companies to fold with no warning?

Stop worrying and start taking action to protect your position—and possibly earn a promotion and raise. Here’s your six-point plan to make sure you don’t just survive the tough times—you thrive.

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