Watch yourself pronouncing this

Out here in Phoenix land, some businesses have created their own “currency,” called PHX BUX.

It’s a coin, not paper scrip.

The idea is to corral consumers into shopping locally. Each store owner in the system buys a coin for a dollar—and the coins are worth a dollar at the cash register of another participating store.

The store owners often give a little premium to someone using a PHX BUX coin—such as an extra “frequency” stamp on their coffee card.

This has been tried elsewhere, too, in Michigan and the Berkshires in NY State.

The store owner says the biggest plus is to get people talking about money and life.

This will date me, but when I was a sprout, back in Missouri, they had these red and green plastic disks called “mills.” There were to pay part of a penny in tax. That’s when they didn’t just round up and suck it out of your pocket like now.

OK--look alive!

Dawn Fallik, WSJ, Aug 18, 2009, says you have to keep your skills sharp while sitting at home and/or job hunting.

Stay connected with your industry associations—check those websites once a week. Get the magazine or whatever.

Go to conferences in your industry. Ask if they have special rates for the unemployed—they may even comp you if you were a past member.

Join local groups—like the chamber, offer to run a committee, get involved.

Take classes—not online, in person.

Take entry-level courses in stuff you don’t know, such as web design. Get an advanced certification in your field.

See what training programs you can get courtesy of the state (the state state, not this behemoth welfare state).

Write about your industry, start a blog, find five people you always wanted to talk to and interview them for your local paper.

But on that last—don’t get all gushy and offer to do it free, see what they say. Eager freebers are ruining my business.

Food for thought

I felt like writing about some delish recession grub or something, but nothing came to mind, so back to the workplace stuff. The food pix is just to be ironical, which I felt like being, sue me.

According to Dana Mattioli, WSJ, Aug 18, 2009, women and men are being tossed almost equally—sort of.

A study in the Harvard Business Review found that women with MBAs have fared almost equally. Among men with MBAs, between 2007 and 2009, 36% were promoted and 10% lost their jobs. For women, this was 31% promoted, 12% fired.

5.4% of men and 5.2% of women over 25 are unemployed right now.

In Europe, another study showed, women were promoted many points less often than men. Some scientists say this is a “woman” thing in Europe.

In another finding, women were willing to relocate almost as often as men were. There goes that myth.

In one case, the hubs was the trailing spouse twice.

What does all this mean? Equality in adversity? You tell me.

Outplacement no big woo for some

Time was, when you lost a big exec job, they provided outplacement services to cushion the blow.

Now, according to Phred Dvorak and Joann S. Lublin, WSJ, Aug 20, 2009), companies are skimping on such services, limiting the time they can be used.

Resume services can be impersonal and rote, or even wrong, from these services.

Many times employees (40%) don’t show up for outplacement or prefer cash. Two-thirds of companies that had layoffs offered the service.

Employees are angry, the cos say—and that anger gets transferred to them.

One feature is an office to use to look for work. Companies don’t track how many people get jobs, though, although some are gearing up to do this.

Sometimes, anecdotally, the advice is weird—one client was told not to drink diet Coke, it makes you look immature.

One woman did not like the resume a company did for her—too many dates on it, pinpointing her age. They sent it anyway—with a cover letter with a typo in it.

To make it worse, the same typo letter and weird resume approach from another client went with hers to the same potential employers.

Both went to File 13.

For you young people, that’s the trash.

Chronic illness in the recessed workplace

Candace Choi, Associated Press, says esp in a recession, absences and taking lots of sick leave can hurt.

But if you have a chronic illness, soldiering on in fear can tip your health over.Talk to your boss. Explain what you need. How many days will you have to come in late or leave early, say for chemo.

Know your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act—www.jan.wvu.edu.

If you have used your sick leave, you may get disability days..maybe at reduced pay. A week to five months is considered short-term disability and usually insurance will be continued.

Under long-term disability, 60% of pay seems to be the norm. You can get laid off during long-term disability, though—your job is not guaranteed. ‘

After 12 months on the job, you qualify for 12 weeks of family leave a year, This is unpaid, but health insurance is continued.

Or you can try for the Big Kahuna—Social Security disability, which is about $1100 a month and takes years and probably an attorney to get. The lawyer gets $5000-plus when the back claim comes through.

Still, you have to step up and see what you can do.

Let's spiff up the old image

Christina Binkley, WSJ,.Aug 21, 2009, talks about an ad exec in NY who wears a suit even in a casual office environment. He likes to look polished. Sometimes people say, “I hope you didn’t wear that for me,” and he says, “You’re worth it.”

Execs these days also spell out words in emails and use the cap key. none of this lower case stuff...

Another guy was always using swear words—he sort of went back and apologized.

One in ten people is unemployed—if you were laid off, just say it. Even if you were fired for cause, people may assume you got hit by the economy. Don’t be too detailed.

And don’t make a video calling your former employer obscene names. These are all over YouTube. Not a brilliant move.

Out here in AZ, spiffing up may mean a bola tie (rock around your neck). Resist.

OK, that’s me—I hate those. I got in a lot of trouble saying that in a newspaper column. Why, Barry Goldwater even started a Bola Tie Society out here—they meet. Didn’t know that until it was too late.

Become a er...field analyst

If you speak Arabic, are ex-military intelligence, or have some other skill the alphabet agencies might want—why not consider intelligence work?

Even if you have a lot of debts, if you have enough skills and show a proactive intention to get rid of your debts, these agencies may consider you.

Check out: http://www.intelligencecareers.com/

Also: CIA, NSA, and other govt websites. You are a researcher—find those urls.

If you hold dual citizenship with another country, you may have to give it up. Discuss this upfront.

Do they supply the trench coats? Doubtful.