Written by Pamela Skillings

Financial services headhunters are going to be VERY busy this week as resumes start flying in response to the news that Lehman Brothers is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch is about to be acquired by Bank of America.

A Reuters article this morning quotes employment experts who predict that recent developments could lead to a loss of up to 50,000 more jobs in the financial services sector. “The golden years of compensation in the financial services industry are over, and it doesn’t help with the Bear Stearns people still looking for work,” said Michael Karp, chief executive at executive search and consulting firm Options Group in New York.

The Lehman and Merrill headlines are just the latest reminders that there is no such thing as job security anymore (as if we needed or wanted another reminder). Even the most seemingly-stable job at the biggest company can disappear.

The experts are advising downsized financial services professionals to look for opportunities on the buy side, at smaller firms, and in overseas markets like Russia and the Middle East. And if you were in financial services primarily for the money or the “stability,” now might be a good time to start investigating alternate career paths.

It’s a stressful time for those working in financial services. I know what it’s like from personal experience. I have worked through countless layoffs, mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations in the finance sector (and I only got laid off twice). I once even clung to my job while a 200-year-old global investment bank crashed and burned because of a rogue trader. I can tell you that the turmoil will eventually pass.

But below are links to some previous posts that might be useful for anyone currently feeling stressed out by the threat of impending layoffs:

• How to Prepare for a Layoff
• How to Get Started in Freelancing or Consulting — A Guide for the Recently Laid Off
• 7 Reasons to Change Careers Now (Never Mind the Recession)
• How to Keep Your Job During a Recession
• 10 Ways to Stay Sane in a Stressful Job

Written by Pamela Skillings

If you or anyone you know is feeling stuck in a career rut or looking for support in achieving a career goal or finding more fulfilling work this fall, I would love to be able to help.

I am getting ready to kick off a new 6-Week career change workshop in New York City and we are looking to wrap up enrollment this week by filling the last few spots. I should have blogged about it sooner, but there’s still time if you’d like to join us.

This program is a totally confidential small-group workshop designed to guide people through:

1. Diagnosing current career issues

2. Setting career goals

3. Exploring career options

4. And developing and implementing individual career action plans.

I structured the workshop to provide the best benefits of both individual career coaching and a networking/professional support group. It’s a great opportunity for anybody who might be thinking about launching a new phase in their career before the Fall season is over. I’m even offering a money-back satisfaction guarantee to show how committed I am to helping you get results.

Get all of the details about my career change workshop in New York City.

Written by Pamela Skillings

Name: Nicole Witt
Previous (corporate) occupation: Strategic Consulting and Brand Management
Current occupation: Business Owner, Adoption Consultant
Website(s): www.TheAdoptionConsultancy.com and www.AdoptANewLife.com

1. Tell us a little bit about your corporate career path.

I spent four years in consulting, then earned my MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell. I always had thought about running my own business, and even took a lot of classes in entrepreneurship, but somehow found myself back at work for one large corporation after another. This time around, I was doing Brand Management and, although I was quite successful, I was terribly unhappy. I always knew deep-down that I was just not a corporate kind of person.

2. What made you decide to change careers?

After my husband and I went through a personal crisis with infertility, and ultimately became parents, I just couldn’t go back to what I had done before. It suddenly felt completely meaningless. Additionally, I couldn’t justify the control my career would have over my life in exchange for nothing but a paycheck. So I decided to follow my passion. I launched The Adoption Consultancy to help other couples struggling with infertility to become parents through the miracle of adoption.

3. What were your biggest career change challenges?

• Everybody’s #1 – Money. Adjusting to the initial lower income was tough, but it just made it that much sweeter once I started making money again.
• #2 – Fear and self-doubt. Another fairly common one, I believe. But I knew it was possible because other people were making a living in this field. I just kept telling myself, “If they can do it, I can do it.” It turns out I can!
• #3 – Recreating my definition of success. This was a tough (and ongoing) one. In my previous world, success was defined by title, salary, office location, and lots of other corporate nonsense. Sometimes I struggle to remind myself that my definition of success is different now, and I have achieved it! When I’m wrestling with this one, it often helps to picture my kids telling their friends what I do. I’m so much more proud of them knowing that I help to build families, and that helps me come to grips with my lack of access to a corporate jet.

4. What are the best and worst things about your new career?

The best is that I love it! I jump out of bed in the mornings eager to get to work. I am pursuing my passion and my calling and am making a lasting difference in the world. There’s nothing better than talking to my clients right after they’ve become parents. Another wonderful aspect is the flexibility that my work provides. I bring my kids to school in the morning. I spend Wednesday afternoons with them. I’m home whenever they’re sick. And I never have to worry about missing a game or recital due to the whims of my boss!

The worst things are the rare times when an adoption doesn’t work out, sometimes dealing with difficult clients and having to pay for my own benefits.

5. What advice would you give to someone who feels stuck in an uninspiring job? Do you have any success secrets to share?

Take the leap! You can do it. Define what success means to you, what you need to do to get there, and start tackling it one step at a time. That’s the trick. You don’t have to do it all at once, but if you create a realistic plan and work it one step at a time, you WILL achieve your goals. There are ways around every obstacle that is out there. You NEVER want to look back on your life and think ‘what if.’ The time is now!

Written by Pamela Skillings

The Labor Day episode of America’s Toughest Jobs put our fearless contestants behind the wheels of loaded 18-wheelers. Their task was to guide their 80,000-pound vehicles up 500 miles of the most rugged terrain on earth above the Arctic Circle.

I have to admit that the second episode didn’t quite match the first in terms of drama and entertainment. That’s probably because most of the contestants were surprisingly capable big rig drivers — including Michaela and Eric, two of my favorites from last week.  Luckily for us viewers, there were a few exceptions:

1. Chris, the investment broker from Queens — Poor Chris had a lot of trouble with downshifting his truck.  I think the most terrifying part of this episode for me was learning that the brakes in big rigs are practically useless and proper downshifting technique is key to keeping the trucks under control. But Chris’ real problem wasn’t his driving.  It was his attitude.  How dumb do you have to be to mouth off to one of the judges on the task and call him an ass? Chris was not only asked to give up the driver’s seat twice, he was eventually kicked out of the truck and forced to ride the rest of the way with the producers. Nobody was surprised when Chris was voted one of the four worst performers. Despite a poor performance in the final elimination task, Chris got lucky and will go on to compete another day.

2. Bryce the personal trainer from WI and Rommel the karate teacher from NJ — These two both had some trouble behind the wheel, but managed to perform respectably on the elimination task.  I’m glad they’re staying for now — they’re both nice eye candy and seem likable enough, if not particularly entertaining so far.

3. Amy the Wall Street executive from Boston — Amy helped to bring a little drama to the show with a scary moment in the driver’s seat when her truck went out of gear and appeared to be hurtling out of control. But the real drama came when Amy’s driving partner Rie (the model from Portland) voted her buddy Amy as one of the worst drivers. Amy didn’t take that very well. Then, despite a promising start, she botched the final elimination task and was sent packing. We learned in the show post-script that Amy later quit her job on Wall Street and is contemplating her next career move (Amy — If you’re reading this, email me if you’d like to share your story of escaping from Corporate America).

So what do you think? Does America’s Toughest Jobs make you grateful for your warm and dry cubicle? Or does it make you long for more adventure?

Next week: gold digging.

Written by Pamela Skillings

Why do we call it Labor Day when the whole point is to take an extra day off of work?  Because Labor Day was originally established in 1882 by the American labor movement as a yearly tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Most of us are probably going to spend Labor Day enjoying the last days of summer weather on the beach, in the park, or in the backyard.

But Labor Day is also a time to reflect on work and your career path in general (preferably while reclining in the sun somewhere with a cold drink in your hand — it’s less painful that way). Are you happy about how and where you’re putting in all those work hours? Does your current job allow you to use your talents and contribute the way you’d like to? Does the idea of spending another year laboring in your job inspire feelings of excitement or dread?

There’s something about returning to work after Labor Day weekend that has come to symbolize a fresh start for many of us. Maybe we’re conditioned to think that way from our back-to-school days. I almost feel like going shopping for new Jordache jeans and a shiny new Trapper Keeper (oops, showing my age and my 80s roots).

With the vacation days of the summer behind us, we dive into new projects with a new enthusiasm. That is, if we’re lucky.  For those of us who are unhappy in our current careers, there can be a major letdown after the distractions of summer have passed and it’s back to business-as usual.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Channel that fresh-start enthusiasm into plotting your escape to a more fulfilling career. After all, hiring managers are also coming back from summer vacation and getting serious about filling vacant positions. Consultants’ phones are starting to ring off the hook as clients figure out how they’re going to spend that third-quarter budget.

Why not pick up a shiny new notebook at a Back to School sale near you and spend some of your Labor Day downtime jotting down ideas and plans for the next phase of your brilliant career?

I guarantee that it will be a lot less painful to go back to work on Tuesday morning if you’ve got a plan in place to find labor that you love.

Have a happy Labor Day weekend!

Written by Pamela Skillings

I have a new favorite show. America’s Toughest Jobs is the kind of reality TV that I love. The only drawback is that it’s hard to make fun of the losers on this show — even those who get eliminated are tougher than I am (and more interesting than 99% of the rest of the reality TV contestants on the air).

Here’s the premise of the show: Thirteen men and women from “safe and comfortable careers” are sent to compete in the most dangerous and demanding jobs on earth. Each week, the weakest link is sent home.  The last contestant standing at the end wins $250,000, the  value of the combined annual salaries for all of the dangerous jobs featured on the show.

In the first episode, the contestants go crab fishing on the Bering Sea.  Crab fishing is considered the deadliest job on the planet — the injury rate is almost 100%. Crab fishermen and fisherwomen endure subzero temperatures, 30-foot swells, 40-knot winds, and the back-breaking work of chopping bait and heaving 800-pound pods off of and back onto the fishing boat. This episode will definitely give you a new appreciation for your next order of crab legs.

So how did the contestants do?  read more…

Written by Pamela Skillings

If you read Escape from Corporate America, you know that it’s full of the personal stories of corporate escape artists and their advice for others who feel stuck in their careers. I spent months tracking down and interviewing amazing people who had busted out of their cubicles to pursue their dreams.

When I was feeling trapped in Corporate America, I had no idea that there were so many of them out there. Way too many to fit in the book, in fact. And since I finished the manuscript, it seems like I meet a new escapee every day.

So I decided to create a regular blog feature to highlight more daring tales of corporate escape. First up is Shannon McCaffery, a woman who bounced back from three layoffs and endured enough corporate stress to land her in the hospital before she decided to start her own business. Read on for her brilliant advice for getting unstuck.
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Shannon McCaffery’s Daring Tale of Corporate Escape

Name: Shannon M. McCaffery

Previous (corporate) occupation: Director of Corporate Communications

Current occupation: Marketing coach, consultant and implementer. Founder and CEO of McCaffery Communications.

1. Tell us a little bit about your corporate career path.

I started right out of college in publishing. I was a sales representative for Random House’s College Division. They sold their college division 4 years later to McGraw-Hill and hence my journey from company to company began. I loved books and just wanted to write, edit, market and be around books. My trajectory went from working in sales and sales management to working in marketing and loving it. My favorite job was as Director of International Marketing because I literally got to see and change part of the world. I traveled from Bali to Australia to Amsterdam. Then everything started to crumble.
read more…

Written by Pamela Skillings

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

It’s a stupid interview question. There is no remotely honest way to answer this question in an interview that will please a hiring manager. I always went with something like: “Working in a challenging role in a fantastic company like yours!” Which is a total BS response, but always seemed to satisfy interviewers (Do you have a better answer or a really unwise answer that you regret? Please share.)

But have you ever REALLY thought about where you see yourself in five years? Most of us haven’t — especially in the corporate world. We move from opportunity to opportunity without much thought about the future beyond wanting to keep advancing and making more money (and avoiding the layoff fairy). That’s probably because it’s almost impossible to predict what’s going to happen during five years of reorganizations, mergers, and other fun corporate games.
read more…

Written by Pamela Skillings

Tough day at the office? Look on the bright side: at least you haven’t been trampled by a bull today.

In the new NBC show America’s Toughest Jobs, misguided reality show contestants (including a receptionist and a sculptor) will compete to prove themselves in difficult jobs including logging, extreme fishing, gold mining, and oil drilling. The winner will take home $250,000, the combined annual salary of all of the tough jobs featured on the show.

And yes, somebody gets trampled by a bull at some point during the competition. She actually seemed to be in remarkably good spirits about it in the preview clip.

Why would somebody volunteer for this show?  According to the official website, “America’s Toughest Jobs is for everyone who’s ever wished for a chance to leave behind the safe, comfortable monotony of their job for something more.”

I am looking forward to the premiere on August 25th (at 9/8 Central on NBC) to see how many corporate escapees are in the mix and how they fare in the competition. America’s Toughest Jobs is produced by Thom Beers, the guy who brought us Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers.

This show takes the concepts behind those shows and the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs to the next level. Instead of just watching other people work in terrifying or horrifying jobs, viewers now get to try them out for themselves.

I honestly think people are fascinated by these shows because they make them feel better about their own work problems. What do you think? Wouldn’t you rather be in a painful, endless corporate meeting than freezing your face off on a fishing boat on the Bering Sea?

P.S. If your answer to the above question is no, you REALLY need to find a new career path.

Written by Pamela Skillings

Is the lame economy driving your boss over the edge? Or maybe it’s just the heat that’s making your manager even more cranky and power-mad than usual.

MSNBC.com contributor Eva Tahmincioglu sees a trend. She writes, “I’ve been hearing lots of hair-raising stories lately about bosses who may have had a tendency to be mean but are now acting like full-blown Darth Vaders. Many workplace experts believe tough economic times and the constant drumbeat to do more with fewer people may be driving managers over to the dark side.” Read Eva’s article about increasingly bad boss behavior in today’s job market.

Another reason for the surge in manager misanthropy: Bad bosses think they can get away with treating employees unfairly because many workers are afraid to leave due to the shaky job market. I’ve seen lots of bad bosses, inappropriate behavior, and abysmal employee satisfaction survey results ignored by the corporate powers-that-be. The attitude seems to be, “What are they going to do, quit?”

Of course, this is a stupid and shortsighted point of view. Mistreated workers grow more bitter and unproductive every day and are likely to bolt at the first opportunity.

Tahmincioglu offers some tips for dealing with mean bosses. She suggests confronting your manager diplomatically or going over a bad boss’ head if the situation gets severe.

In many cases, however, there is little that you can do to reform a toxic boss. Your best bet may be to leave. Remember: There are other jobs out there even if the economic picture isn’t quite as rosy as we’d like it to be.