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Select Articles Written by CCI Advisors and Industry Experts

10 Questions to Help You Hire Better People
Think Like an Employer!
Retirement for Teens?
Beyond the First 90 Days
Career Advancement:
Important Behavioral Characteristics to Move Into and Be Successful in a Leadership Role
Twitter: The Networking Barrier Buster
Birmingham Employment Trends: Seniors Work Longer, Return to Work
Top 10 High Growth Functions for Job Seeking Executives in 2010
LinkedIn Quick Tip
Senior Executives Are Not Happy
Seven Reasons Why Job Search on Twitter is Serious Businesss
Background Checks
The Never Ending Evolution of Social Media
Turnarounds Aren’t Just for Businesses
Rewriting the Rules of Job Search: How Twitter Can Help
Why you should review your career now
Tips for Making a Smooth Financial Transition While in Career Transition
Should Men and Women Have Different Financial Strategies?
Time to be Prudent, Even if you Have a Job
Strong First Impression: Creating a Résumé That Stands Out
Toot Your Own Horn
Business Networking Success - 10 Action Tips To Get More Mileage From Your Networking
Setting Goals To Achieve Balance In Life
Five Steps to Finding Your Ideal “Occupassion”
Wallace Trains All for Career Success
Hiring 101 in 2007
Prepare for Your Exit Interview
On The Job Training: Five Lessons for Today's Executive
Can I Effectively Change Careers Without Starting Over?
The New Competitive Edge: Career Management Firms?
Help! I've Been Fired! How do I Handle It in the Interview?
The Importance of Having a Mentor
The Impact of Outsourcing on Training/Education
Even More Articles!

Business Networking Success - 10 Action Tips To Get More Mileage From Your Networking

By Lynda Goldman

Does a networking event make you break into a cold sweat? Have you ever returned from a business event wondering why you bothered going, since you never seem to get any new business?

You’re not alone. Business events can be daunting. It can be downright intimidating to enter a room filled with strangers, break into a crowd where you don’t know a soul, and make small talk with people you hardly know.

Studies show that over 40 percent of adults feel nervous about meeting new people. One survey showed that about 75 percent of people feel uncomfortable at business and social events. Perhaps this is because our parents always told us not to talk to strangers when we were young.

But the rewards for networking can be enormous. Networking isn’t hit and run Ð meeting someone, exchanging business cards, and dashing off to the next person. It’s about building sincere, honest relationships. It’s an ongoing process that connects you to people in all areas of your life.

Here are 10 action tips to help you succeed at networking:

1. Learn networking skills. Most successful networks are not born that way. They learn the skills of networking, because they know that the rewards will be increased business and connections that will help them build their business.

2. Think about networking as a way to build long term relationships Ð not to sell on the spot.

3. Be approachable and friendly. You’ll attract people to you. Smile, make eye contact, and approach people. They will be grateful that you made the first move, and they will be happy to talk to you.

4. Act like a host, even when you are a guest. Offer to help people find the restroom or the coat check. Treat them like you would treat a guest in your home.

5. Always follow up. Nothing happens unless you follow up, and not many people bother to make the first move. Take the time to send a handwritten card or note, or an email. Or pick up the phone and call. So few people do this, that you’ll stand out in the crowd.

6. Think about how you will introduce yourself. Create a memorable tagline to help people remember you and your company.

7. Plan your conversation before you leave the house by thinking of topics of interest for the people you will meet. Think about the event, and how you can build on topics relevant to the conference or venue.

8. Listen carefully to people, and pick up on topics. Find common ground and expand on it. Find out what people are interested in, and what problems they are having. This way you’ll find out if you can help them or refer them to someone in your network

9. Think of yourself as a solution-finder, rather than a sales person. Not everyone can use your product or service, but the people you meet can often refer you to friends and colleagues. Aim to build long-term relationships that lead to a bigger circle of customers.

10. Be cheerful and have fun at your networking event. You’ll attract people and make a great impression.

About the Author: By Lynda Goldman, author of 30 books including How to Make a Million Dollar First Impression. Get 2 free reports: 7 Business Casual Crimes and How to Solve Them and 13 Foods that Sabotage a Business Meal at http://www.impressforsuccess.com/signup.html

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=239652&ca=Business

Hiring 101 in 2007

Hiring managers want to hire the best qualified candidate. The candidate, however, has to be qualified and be a great networker, resume writer, interviewer and a detective capable of unearthing a great employer. That leaves the employer at a disadvantage.

Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations recently issued a report (UN publication GA/AB/3763) that should make all hiring managers take notice. He told the GA that the UN had to have as a goal to “speed up recruitment,” … and Êtake “targeted steps” to find the people the organization needed, rather than waiting “for them to find us.”

To compete for the best workers in this market of sub 3.5% unemployment, you have to figure out how to “speed up recruitment” and “find the people you need.”

Speeding up recruitment

There are some simple steps you can take to speed up recruitment. Here are a few:

Make it a priority. When the operations manager for Career Concepts Inc. gave us a two-week notice, company president Marlene Wallace wasted no time finding a replacement. How fast was Marlene? It took just 6 business days to hire a new operations manager. “If you truly need to fill a position, make it a priority,” said Marlene. “You have to ask yourself this simple question; 'if I can wait to hire someone, do I really need to fill that position?'“
Examine your process of hiring. Has it gotten bloated and overly complicated? An executive recently told me “If I need someone tomorrow, I can call a temp agency and have him there the next day. But for a permanent hire, I have to work with HR Ð their minimum turnaround time is five weeks, but usually longer.”
Test before you look. Bill Hart, CEO of Summerclerk.com who is developing an online startup, e-Interview says: “When a company requires a personality profile, they usually reserve them for the final candidates. Thus, they interview candidates that may not meet their profile for success.” Bill is reversing the process. At e-Interview candidates will take the personality profile first. Then employers search for people most likely to succeed at their company and then interview only those with the appropriate profile.

Find the people you need

Few companies have the budget of the UN. Recruiting is expensive, but technology and fresh ideas can help you become a magnet for talent instead of a barrier to entry.Here are three ideas to help you find the right candidate:

Human resource managers must teach. Hiring managers how to recruit and interview, even if they do not have an immediate opening. You must teach hiring managers to constantly be on the look out for good talent. Remember, you hired that person for his or her expertise, not for the ability to recruit. So you'll first have to train them to be ambassadors for your company.
Try something new. Recently, Select International (www.selectinternational.com) showcased its “Virtual Job Auditions (VJA).” According Kevin Klinvex, co-founder and EVP of Select International, VJAs assess prospective employees in a host of employment scenarios. For example, entry-level manufacturing candidates monitor equipment and multitask on a “virtual” production line. Executive-level candidates are placed in a “virtual” office setting, where they must monitor their in-box, respond to inquiries and field phone calls.
Try something else new. When I interviewed Bill Hart, we digressed into the all-important recruiting question of Alabama's head football coach. As we drifted back to “real world” recruiting we asked “if scouts identify potential players as early as the 8th grade, why can't corporations do more of that?” Sure, there is the occasional science fair winner who gets identified and perhaps the student with the perfect ACT or SAT score is wooed by colleges, but what about the rest of us? Think about ways your company can scout talent. Be aggressive Ð get the best before your competition signs all the talent in today's limited talent pool.

A few changes could be all it takes

These examples are presented as a springboard for your own creativity. Hiring 101 in 2007 does not require a major overhaul of your human resources department. But it does require an acknowledgement that we are in a tight labor market. If you want the very best, take a tip from Kofi Annan: “find the people your organization needs,rather than making them find you.”

Chris Harlow is the senior executive advisor with Career Concepts Inc. Prior to joining Career Concepts, Mr. Harlow was president of Advanced Information Management Group Inc. and vice president information systems for San Diego Gas and Electric.

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Prepare for Your Exit Interview
by Kent Jacobson, a.k.a. “Mr.Success”

Deciding to change jobs was the easy part, telling you boss and going through the exit interviews is difficult and you need to be prepared. So, you have decided to leave the company and turned in you paperwork to your manager after much thought and introspection, what you need to prepare for are the next three to four exit interview sessions. This process is similar to buying a new car and getting bounced from one person to the next, they try to counteroffer and talk you out of leaving al the while trying to wear you down. It is always fascinating to me how companies can come up with extra $$$ when you tell them your leaving. Trust me on getting ready, you need to be prepared or you will wake up tomorrow and go back to you same position, in the same company and will soon be just as miserable as you were when you decided to leave the first time. There are three areas of planning for the exit interview process that you need to prepare for.

Step 1. Prepare a notification letter that you will give to your manager. There are two subjects to cover in your letter; planned exit date and brief explanation on why you are leaving. The question on “why” you are leaving will be asked several times, it is better to put you thoughts in writing so you can refer to them later. In your explanation, be succinct and straight forward in a positive manner. Do not single out any person or event that could turn against you and be the sole focus of discussion that may eventually turn into an emotional confrontation. Be firm in you convictions and refer to your letter for guidance, refer to professional growth, demonstrated company stability, communication, work environment, you now the reasons, put them in writing. After you complete the letter, have a trusted peer or family member read it back to you for critique and comment. Plan for staying the customary two weeks, this is the professional approach and allows time for management to try and back fill and cross train as appropriate.

Step 2. Realize when you turn in your letter, the psychological game begins. Be prepared with a counter offer when asked. I say “shoot for the moon”, because if they say yes, you do not want to have any regrets. The people you speak with will try to negotiate and talk you out of leaving. Be prepared for this and firm in your decision to resign. Common questions you will be asked besides why? are: “What company are you going to? ” My response would simply include comments such as, the company name is not important for our discussion and not any of your concern. There is no reason for you to disclose this information to them, other than giving them an opportunity to degrade that company and convince you going there is a poor choice.

“What would it take to keep you here?” Counter with, “what are you offering? ” You know what you want because you are prepared, but do not disclose that information first, let them offer you something. Think before you open your mouth! “Why haven't you discussed improvements for the company before? Maybe we can implement some of your ideas. Bla bla bla” I say... in my opinion the company should be doing these improvement activities anyway, why are they waiting for a person that is leaving to jump into action? Don't buy into this strategy; you have been around long enough to see what the priorities are and what actually changes from a leadership team perspective. If the company was on top of their initiative, you would have already seen activities for improvement. “Have you thought about what this will do to your pension & retirement? Often the comment is, if you say for xx years, your pension will double or triple by the age of 55. Think about all the money you are loosing” ...stop and think: I don't have that money now, how can I loose it? Again, you have researched the POTENTIAL impact to your pension and retirement when you were preparing to leave. I say potential because these people you are talking to have no more of an idea that the company will be profitable let alone still be operating in 5 to 15 years than you do. This will probably come from the human rResource (HR) manager, and will be the last straw in trying to tell you what a poor decision it is to leave.

All in all, you should spend no more than 5 minutes with each person you speak with after your initial discussion with your manager. The reason I say this is, you can be assured they have spoken to their management and HR about your desire to leave and been coached on counter offers, discussion points etc. Realize that anything they have to offer will be should be of no interest to you, be professional and polite to a point, they are only trying to get you to stay. What can you do? Take the initiative when speaking to each subsequent person by asking what do you want to know that is not in my letter? This is a great tactic to see if they have even read it, if not that should also tell you a lot.

In summary, leaving a position is going to be emotional, think through your decision completely, discuss with your trusted peers, family and friends. Consider the options and above all be prepared for the exit interview barrage. You can do it, go with your instincts as well because you don't want to wake-up with any regrets!

Be Prepared For Your Exit Interview
Copyright © 2007 Kent Jacobson a.k.a. “Mr. Success”
Visit his website, Shortcut 2 Success at www.Shortcut2Success.com

On The Job Training: Five Lessons for Today's Executive

If you are sitting in your corner office thinking that your career is safe, think again

The magazine Electric Perspectives (September 2005) quoted a Booz Allen Hamilton study that stated “While the typical employee turnover rate in the United States is 12 percent (excluding layoffs and temporary employees), CEO turnover rates are only slightly lower, at 11.7 percent. Also, the increase in CEO turnovers has been enormous in the last 10 years-300 percent since 1995. Overall, 14.2 percent of CEOs at the world's 2,500 largest companies left office last year, compared with 9.8 percent the year before.”

To improve your chances of beating these odds, you need some on-the-job training, executive style. Here are five quick lessons that could make the difference.

Create a Vision. Just what are you known for in your company? Are you the one they point to when discussing the company's most successful information system, or strategic plan? Leaders always have a vision and great leaders implement them. They make a statement and they make a difference. In his book “On Leadership” (Free Press 1990) John W. Garner notes “Consider a corporate chief executive officer who has the gift for inspiring and motivating people, who has vision, who lifts the spirits of employees with a resulting rise in productivity and quality of product, and a drop in turnover and absenteeism. That is leadership.”
Know Today's Technology. Believe it or not, there are still corporate executives and board directors who are ignorant of today's technology. Yet, here we are in the beginning of the technology age. Just how long can you last without understanding the technology that supports your company? If you do not understand it, how can you fund it, drive it, manage it or use it to your advantage?

Would you ever think of telling your boss that you were robbed last night because you forgot to hire a guard and lock the safe door? Yet all over the world tech-challenged senior executives sit around in amazement when they learn that some kid in Bulgaria broke into their computer and stole all the credit card information. I say those executives ought to be the first to go!

While he may have a bias in his remarks, the remarks are nonetheless true: “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don't think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other.”-Bill Gates
Manage by Objective. Business guru Peter Drucker ('The Practice of Management' - 1954) coined this term to describe a process of agreeing upon objectives within an organization so that management and employees buy in to the objectives and understand what they are. Do you set objectives, discuss them with your employees and make sure everyone understands them?

Behind my desk there is a drawing of a man in a car near a typical suburban home. However, in the driveway there is a fully grown tree, blocking the way to the garage. The question I ask visitors is “Does this man have a problem?” Most say he does. But how do they know? You see, if he is just driving by, he does not have a problem. If he wanted a tree in his driveway - once again - no problem. Not until he sets his objective to park his car in the garage does he have a problem. Thus, a problem is simply an obstacle to an objective. Too many people start chopping down the tree, before they understand where they want to go.
Understand Company Politics. I don't mean that you have to be a double talking, cigar smoking, lying backstabber. Nor do I mean you have to be a tiptoeing political correctness wonk afraid to express an opinion or make a decision that might not always benefit everyone. I mean that you should understand how things work around you - get to know that invisible organization chart and who really runs the company. There was a time when being a politician was an honorable thing to be. It meant you listened to others, heard all sides of an issue, crafted a compromise and used your stature to lead, not to bully. Exceptional executives practice this art and so should you.
Brag a Little. Unless you are working for your mother, don't expect anyone else to brag about you. Find a way to communicate your successes and those of your staff and share them with everyone else. Being in IT for most of my career it was difficult to convey weekly successes. After all, a system that was only 50% completed was as useful as one that hadn't even been started. So I devised ways to communicate weekly objectives and compare progress and success against those objectives. Soon, instead of complaining about how long something was taking to develop, others were commenting about how much effort we put into the project. Perhaps Walt Whitman expressed it best when he said “If you done it, it ain't bragging.”

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Can I Effectively Change Careers Without Starting Over?

Many people would love to change careers, but are afraid that they will take a huge step backward financially. This doesn't have to be the case. Follow these steps and you stand a good change of retaining your value during the transition.

First, identify realistic goals for a new career. This step involves identifying your reasons for wanting to change, as well as what you're looking for from your next career.
Now you must determine your core skills that transcend industries.
Remember, skills are transferable and will broaden your appeal Ð job descriptions will typically narrow niche you.
Identify your accomplishments Ð business and otherwise Ð and then prioritize the skills you have utilized and enjoyed.
Target companies that need talented people with your skills.
Identify and talk to “decision makers” who can tell you their needs and then determine how you can help.
Quantify your achievements that fit the employe's needs.
Don't settle for less than you are worth!

The New Competitive Edge – Career Management Firms?

While in the 80s, upwardly mobile career oriented professionals invested in MBA's, today's “blue chipper” is hiring a career management team to aid in accelerating his or her career.

Recent studies are showing that, increasingly, savvy professionals are obtaining the services of career management firms to gain assistance in identifying and maximizing their career goals in today's volatile employment market.

Displaced professionals not only are seeking help in finding employment, but are recognizing the need for development of competitive edges, innovative job searching techniques and the honing of skill sets to effectively manage and grow their careers in these uncertain times.

In short, it's not our fathers' workplace anymore. Staying with one company, moving up the corporate ladder and retiring with the gold watch is definitely not the norm today. In fact, the 2002 Bureau of Labor statistics reports that the average professional's tenure with a company now is just three years.

Watching the corporate bottom line is a necessity for employers in this economy. With the advent of more downsizing and outsourcing by companies, today's workers feel the need to exercise more control of their careers and lives by hiring outside professionals to assist them.

Career management assistance comes in many different forms. These services can run the gamut from resume development and posting to outplacement organizations hired by companies for their downsized employees.

Still, others utilize individual “career coaches” on an as-needed basis, and many opt for full-service career management firms who employ teams of professionals ranging from licensed professional counselors to executive recruiters to aid the job seeker or serious careerist.

A proliferation of professional associations cropping up in the career industry is but one indicator of this growing trend. Members of these organizations must meet specific criteria and are offered opportunities for continuing education and credentialing in the field. They, also, provide an enormous base of affiliates and resources internationally, from which the career firm can draw to better serve the client.

A few recent statistics give us a broader picture to illustrate why career management services are in demand now more than ever. First, the good news from a recent Time magazine article:

U. S. Labor Dept. recorded a net growth of 126,000 jobs in Oct. 2003, the LARGEST one month gain since the recession “officially” ended.
While unemployment held steady at 6%, economic growth leapt to 7.2% in the 3rd quarter and worker productivity rose 8.1%.
Want ads for financial services jumped 49% for last 6 months through September and rose 39% for jobs relating to computer software. (Monster.com figures)
Construction jobs increased by 147,000 since February 2003.
63% of recruiters polled by Execunet report that they are confident to “very confident” of employment prospects for executives in the next 6 months.
Forecasters expect the economy to keep growing at a brisk 4% pace through 2004, supporting predictions that payroll will add jobs at a rate of 100,000 per month.

On the other hand …

Since the beginning of the recession (March 2001) the U. S. has lost 2.7 million jobs. Many lost in manufacturing are gone for good.
8.8 million remain unemployed- One in four for an average of seven months.
The Temporary help sector has added 150,000 jobs since April of 2003, and 1.4 million hold part-time jobs due to inability to find full time employment.
Forrester Research (a much-cited think tank) predicts that about 3.3 million U.S. service jobs will be off shored in the next 15 years, taking $13.6 billion in wages. Many of these white collar positions are in information technology, but they are also encompassing the engineering, financial services, human resources and telecommunications fields.
Studies show that by 2004, more than 80% of executive boardrooms in the United States will have discussed offshore outsourcing, and more than 40% of U.S. enterprises will have tried a pilot program or actual outsourcing either offshore or near shore (Canada, Mexico, South America etc.)
Kathleen Madigan, editor of Business Outlook magazine, writes, “One out of every three private sector jobs is now at risk of being outsourced … It means the career you studied for and spent oodles of tuition money on in college probably won't sustain you for your working life.”
… Business Week

And, right here at home … according to the Department of Industrial Relations:

In October, 1993, 58,600 Alabamians worked in the apparel manufacturing industry. In October, 2003, 41,200 or 70% of those jobs are no longer here- most filled offshore.
More specifically, forecasters predict by 2010, production management positions will decrease by 17.8%, general management, business and financial occupations by 11.3% and sales representatives by 14.5% within the apparel industry, which is centered primarily in the Southeast.
Within the same time span, Alabama lost 40% of its coal mining jobs, and though automobile manufacturing jobs have increased, these positions primarily have required education and specific skills.

Of course, the point is that, “the times- they are a'changing” and staying abreast of current market trends and maximizing your own marketability by utilizing objective career professionals is an idea whose time, it would appear, has come.

As Jack Chapman, nationally known career advisor, speaker and best selling author of “Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute” writes,

“Add up the dollars! If a career manager is able to get a mid-level professional to work 3 to 4 weeks sooner than they would on their own, that's an additional $2000-5000 or more actual dollars in the job seekers pocket. Add to that 10% higher pay because the job requires his real capabilities and another 10% or higher due to expert advice on salary negotiations, now he's added $5000-10,000 or more to his coffers. That's just the first year. Over a 30-year career lifetime, a professional career management team could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars to the serious career professional”

A good return on investment?

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Help! I've Been Fired! How do I Handle It in the Interview?

First, take some time to review your achievements. Being fired is an emotional experience. You need to take some time to rebuild your confidence.
Then, objectively review why you were fired. What would, or could, you have done differently? Do an honest assessment of your responsibility in the situation.
List the lessons you have learned from this experience.
Don't blame others. Even if it wasn't your fault, you will sound like you are whining.
Understand that the interviewer will assume that you will talk about your new company in the same manner you talk about your previous company. Again, stay positive.
Prepare and practice your response to questions concerning your termination. The question will come up.
Finally, don't lie. You don't need to reveal everything, but you do need to answer their questions honestly. top

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The Importance of Having a Mentor

One of the most difficult challenges entrepreneurs face is that they often work in isolation. Entrepreneurship cannot be effectively taught in school or easily learned from a book.

Whether you are a sole proprietor or have employees, you may not have anyone with whom to brainstorm new business strategies, explore marketing plans and pricing structures, solve employee issues and more.

Many budding entrepreneurs find that the answer is a business mentor.

Firstly, a good mentor will be able to direct entrepreneurs to experts in key fields and assist them in building a group of strategic business partners or Board of Directors.

These essential people include (1) A banker, or, in some cases, venture capitalist, (2) a CPA who will assist you in tax planning and P & L, (3) an attorney, (4) an insurance and benefits expert for yourself and employees, (5) in todayÕs world, an I.T. or computer “guru” to keep you technologically efficient and competitive.

Your mentor will also be able to identify resources in the community and professional organizations within your field to broaden your network and visibility.

Additionally, a good mentor will be certified to administer and interpret specific entrepreneurial profiles designed to uncover your potential strengths and weaknesses in starting and growing a business.

Perhaps, most importantly, your mentor will assist you in outlining and developing actions plans for success and keep you, the harried business owner, FOCUSED and ACCOUNTABLE for meeting the goals you have mutually established for your organization for continued growth.

Marlene Wallace is president and owner of Career Concepts, Inc., a career management and development firm. She is also a certified member of Career Management Institute and International Association of Career Management Professionals.

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The Impact of Outsourcing on Training/Education

With a fast changing global economy impacting the majority of the businesses in the United States , people are starting to asking some important questions: “Why should I get more training for a job that may be shipped overseas? Am I just holding onto a sinking ship? What can I do to be prepared for the changes?” Engineers, architects, analysts, IT professionals, and manufacturers have all tasted to bitter truth that we are a global economy. Outsourcing and especially “off-shoring” have consumed careers that we once thought of as stable. If the job can be done over the phone, on the computer, or at a desk it can probably be outsourced.

How do these changes impact the need for continued training and education? To answer this question you have to accept two basic facts: 1) Professionals must keep current and expand their knowledge in desirable areas to be successful in today's competitive market, and 2) Outsourcing and off-shoring are shifting the needs of domestic companies.

When considering the changes in companies' employment needs, two questions that many professionals are asking themselves are: “What areas of training will truly help me find a stable and growing career?” and “How do I set myself apart from my peers?” With the influx of innovations in all career fields, remaining among the leaders in a given field is difficult at best.

The good news is that with every change in the market place there is opportunity for the savvy professional. In order to take advantage of the opportunities we have to identify corporate needs that are unlikely to be moved offshore. The fastest growing area of non-exported careers is in fields that are people intensive. Think of positions that require face-to-face interaction or close proximity to the job and you will begin to see the future of employment in the U.S. Project management, training, sales, team building, leadership development, education, health care, maintenance and service industries are some examples of fields that are difficult to offshore.

Smart professionals realize that the days of taking just any continuing education course or earning a generic degree will not necessarily increase their value to present or potential employers. If you are watching the trends you will notice that universities are trying to respond by combining their MBA programs with other disciplines in order to add value to the degree. Licensure, certifications, and continuing education still have merit, but all educational endeavors are increased in value if the training helps raise the marketability of the professional. Ask yourself this question, “Is the training you're presently pursuing going to make you more valuable in today's market?” Not sure of the answer? Then consider this:

Not all parts of any industry can be sent offshore. Engineering, for example, has been hit very hard by the offshore wave - especially design work. Maintenance and project management, however, are more difficult to provide over the phone.
With the impact of lower labor costs in other countries, margins are squeezed tighter for US companies. This places a premium on managers and executives who are trained/certified in “lean processes” (i.e. Six Sigma …).
If one industry is sagging, then others are usually picking up. The steel industry has been hurt greatly by the competition with China . While this will close some doors in the US , it will also open doors in the fields of import/export, distribution, shipping, transport, and international relations.
Fast paced change is nothing new in business. With improved technology and more access to information, rapidly increasing change is here to stay. Skills such as leadership development, negotiation skills, and expert people skills will continue to be in demand. Training in these areas provide skills needed in all companies.
If your job has already been shipped out, then look at skills you have that are transferable to other growing industries. Industries such as health care, banking, real estate, residential construction, and insurance are traditional industries that have remained strong.
The fastest growing trend in the U.S. is personal business ownership. If this is a secret passion of yours, then maybe now is the time to make that move. Before you jump in, however, find mentors or resource people who can help you think it through.
According to Mike Murdock (The Uncommon Millionaire), only 10-15% of an executive's job involves technical skills. The rest of their job requires people skills, organizational skills, and leadership skills. People skills and leadership skills cannot be sent offshore. Technical skills can.

Change is not synonymous with crisis. The Chinese character for crisis is the combination of the two symbols “dangerous” and “opportunity.” On which one are you focused?

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