WSJ: CareerJournal: How a Layoff Led to Lattes and a Happy New Career

How a Layoff Led to Lattés And a Happy New Career

By Steve London

From The Wall Street Journal

I once was a newspaper reporter. I once managed corporate communications for a Fortune 200 company. I once was a human-
resources executive.

I now make lattés. And I am getting good at it.

At 53, I am one of thousands of baby boomers who have lost their jobs or derailed their careers for a variety of reasons, all too familiar.
Whether it's a merger or an acquisition, a lingering recession, a stock-market collapse or a corporate-accounting scandal -- or that
old stand-by, a late-in-life identity crisis -- the members of the boomer generation face a momentous question: "Do we want a job in the
corporate world, or is it time to drop out?"

If this all sounds familiar, it should, at least to anyone who spent his formative years in the 1960s. First, we weren't going to trust
anyone over 30. Then we turned 30. We weren't going to have faith in the establishment. Then we became the establishment. We certainly wouldn't trust the corporate world. And then we became part of it.

To be honest, I have tried to get back into the corporate world for the past 10 months. I have taken courses on resume writing, on
creating a personal marketing plan, on interviewing, negotiating and networking. But no luck, despite the best efforts of family, friends,
neighbors, friends of family, friends of friends, friends of neighbors, colleagues, outplacement professionals and corporate
recruiters.

So I lowered my sights and broadened my focus, changed my perspective and adjusted my attitude. I ran through every cliche. I was eager for the opportunity to interview for any corporate job, even if it was not as tony as my former position.

I did that until my wife, a professional hiring consultant (really) who spent 25 years as a marketing manager at AT&T, asked: "Why?"

I paused to ponder this. "Why don't you do something that you would really like to do?" she said. "We're lucky. We don't have college
expenses any longer. I will work retail part-time and you could find something fun. Besides, what happens the next time? The economy isn't getting better, and the market isn't going to improve soon. Find something you like and do it well."

How can you argue with reasoning like that, especially when the job offers aren't exactly flooding in? And yet it wasn't an easy path to
pursue. Such a prospect forces an uncomfortable confrontation with all those little demons that patrol the lines between our sense of
self-worth and our sense of well-being. Is dropping out of the corporate world really just giving up and admitting that you've lost?
Does checking out mean that you didn't belong there in the first place, or worse, that you're a quitter? Or does it matter at all?

More pressing than such metaphysical questions was a practical one: How was I to pick a new career? I decided that I would try to find a job at a growing company with good people who enjoyed their work and served customers. And it just so happens that I really like coffee. We have two coffee machines at home -- a kind of apprenticeship, I suppose. And then there is the genetic angle: My daughter was a student manager at the Buzz -- a coffee shop at the University of Oregon.

So I applied for a job at the Caribou Coffee shop in my neighborhood. I went through not one but two interviews -- one with a regional
manager. (Maybe they couldn't believe that a guy my age was serious.) I got a job that came with a 19-year-old to teach me how to steam and froth milk and "pull shots" so that I can make a latte, mocha, cappuccino or americano. I have received instruction on Mint
Conditions, Turtle Mochas, Caramel High Rises, Lite White Berrys and Hot Apple Blasts. Believe me, these are not simple matters,
especially for someone of a different age and different world.

It was clear after only two weeks that I would really like this job. My store manager and her staff have been great teachers. One of my
friends remarked, after seeing me make drinks, that I reminded her of Tom Cruise in "Cocktail." I don't think so. I'm learning that great service is provided one customer at a time -- another cliche, but true. When asked, I recommend coffees or teas
according to whatever taste-guidance a customer can give me, and I try to remember what the regulars like so I can begin working on
their drinks as they walk through the door. In return, I am meeting "real" people who provide me with a different view of society
from the one I got through my 29th-floor office window.

Now I see the harried business mother who left the office to take her daughter to the orthodontist. As a treat, the middle-schooler gets
a "white hot chocolate" while her mother makes a few quick calls on her cell phone and rushes back to work.

I see the executive in his Armani suit obviously feeling grateful when a stranger gives him a dime so he can pay for his coffee: He has
forgotten to stop at the ATM. And on a cold winter evening I see a woman lingering by our fireplace, sipping her mocha and reading a
mystery novel. I feel a twinge of regret when I have to disturb her at closing time.

Then, on weekends, the kids storm in from the nearby theater for their "coolers" and "smoothies." I remember doing the same thing
nearly 40 years ago, only it was cherry Cokes at the local deli. The other day I served a student studying macroeconomics and flashed
back to my econ class. I got through the course knowing three simple words: "supply and demand." I suppose I am now standing at a critical point between the two.

The other day I sold a "Joe to Go" coffee container for a meeting between a manager and her staff. I seem to recall from my corporate
days that the coffee often turned out to be the best part of such meetings.

Without wishing to seem self-centered, I can't help wondering whether I am at the cutting edge of a Major Trend. As I walk through malls and along retail streets, I am struck by the number of men and women in their 50s who are smiling as they help customers. I know that I have seen many people like them before without their smiles -- at business lunches downtown.

It's possible that I'll get back into the corporate world some day. But for now, when friends and neighbors ask what I do, I smile and
say: "I make lattes. And I am getting good at it."

-- Mr. London lives in Plymouth, Minn.

Reuters, 03.19.03, 9:11 AM ET


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. technology sector, which has been battered by a downturn in corporate spending, lost about 560,000 jobs in 2001 and 2002, according to a study released on Wednesday by an industry trade group.

The sector's work force fell 10 percent to 5.15 million in December 2002 from 5.7 million in January 2001, according to the AeA, a trade group that represents 3,000 technology companies.

The majority of the decline was in manufacturing, which lost 415,000 jobs, a 20 percent decrease, to 1.62 million. Communications
services jobs fell 9 percent with a loss of 135,000 jobs to 1.33 million jobs in December 2002.

Within communications services jobs, software services increased by 5,300 jobs to 1.12 million, according to the AeA, which said the
study was based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Software and computer-related services jobs declined by 0.4 percent, or 9,300 jobs, to 2.19 million and total high-tech services jobs
fell by 144,600, or 4 percent, to 3.52 million.

The largest U.S. technology companies include Microsoft Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., International Business Machines Corp. , Intel Corp., Dell Computer Corp.and Hewlett-Packard Co..

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service

The Incredible Shrinking IT Workforce March 14, 2003
InformationWeek

Labor Department figures show more than 272,000 people who considered themselves IT professionals in October didn't do so in December.
By Eric Chabrow

Nearly 10% of the IT workforce vanished in the last two months of 2002, an InformationWeek analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. Some 272,530 Americans who considered themselves IT professionals in October no longer did so in December, as the IT workforce fell to 2.6 million.

Where did they go? Many likely got jobs in other professions. "A large percentage of IT workers are shell-shocked by the unexpected high unemployment rate," says Tom Fullerton, an associate professor of economics at the University of Texas-El Paso. "IT skills are transferable to other segments of the economy." IT joblessness stood at 5.6% in December. The workforce includes those employed and the unemployed looking for IT jobs.

Nearly all those leaving the IT workforce--all but 5,066--were age 40 or younger. University of North Carolina finance professor James Smith says younger IT workers are less tied to the profession and more willing to accept jobs in other fields where they might get lower salaries but enjoy better prospects.

No Sign Of Improvement In IT Job Market March 18, 2003
InformationWeek

A new analysis of wage trends indicates that the average salary increases the rest of this year will be minimal.
By Eric Chabrow

The job market for professionals and technologists won't get better anytime soon, resulting in employers limiting salary increases in the next half year, an analysis of government and private economic data suggests.
"The demand for professional and technical workers has slackened," says economist Joel Popkin, whose consulting firm designed the Wage Trend Indicator, a tool designed to predict and interpret trends in U.S. private-industry wages. The latest Wage Trend Indicator report was released Tuesday by BNA Inc., a publisher for the legal and regulatory communities. "That finding is consistent with weakness we've seen in the official employment report, showing significant job losses among white-collar industries."

After eight straight quarters of decline, the index has settled at 1.6% below its end-of-2000 level. Popkin, a former Bureau of Labor Statistics official, says the lack of movement accentuates employers' restrained hiring plans for professional and technical employees and economists' anticipation that higher energy prices will have a short-lived influence on overall inflation.

The revised reading of the index for the first quarter is 98.59, virtually unchanged from 98.56 in the fourth quarter. An index of 100 represents conditions in 1976. The index is aimed to signal turning points in private wage trends six to nine months before they appear in the employment cost index, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over its eight quarters of decline, according to BNA, the index accurately signaled moderation in private-industry wage gains--from annual increases of 4.2% in 2000 to 2.7% in 2002.

Interviewers' Pet Peeves
by Carole Martin

You sit facing the interviewer, feeling like things are moving along nicely when all of a sudden the interview takes a drastic turn for the worse. What just happened? You may have hit one of the interviewer's pet peeves, one of those things that automatically triggers a negative response.

Here are seven of the most common peeves provided by experienced interviewers, along with some tips on how to avoid them:

1. Smells: Too Much of a Good Smell Can Be Bad

Pat Riley, author of Secrets of Breaking into Pharmaceutical Sales, has a pet peeve story to relate: "Preparing for an interview is not like preparing for a date. I had one interview with a woman who doused herself with perfume (the same perfume my ex-girlfriend used to wear) right before stepping into the small interview booth. The perfume was overpowering and brought back bad memories."

2. Communication: Too Little Leaves Interviewers Exasperated

"My number one interviewing pet peeve is an applicant who won't talk," says Steve Jones, a manager of client services at a software company in Dallas. "I try to ask open-ended questions and prod them for longer answers, but no luck. I've even mentioned to a few that I need more information so I can get an idea of where they're coming from -- still no luck. I always end the interview saying, 'Now it's your turn to ask questions,' and still no luck; they don't have any. Oh well -- next!"

"Help me out here," says Jones. "Come prepared to answer questions and talk about yourself."

3. Communication: Too Much Can Be Too Much

"Candidates who ramble are the ones who get to me," says Dotti Bousquet of Resource Group Staffing in West Hartford, Connecticut. "Last week, I was interviewing a candidate and asked her one question. The candidate talked and talked and talked for 45 minutes straight. I was unable to stop her. I had to say, 'Let's wrap this up,' and I stood up while she continued to talk. I walked to the door of the office and opened it. She left, but continued to talk while walking out the door."

The lesson? "Candidates should stay focused, and answer the question asked -- in less than two to three minutes," advises Bousquet.

4. Lack of Focus: Results in Losing the Interviewer

"Typically, candidates are simply too intimidated by the process," says Mark Fulop, project director for a large nonprofit agency. "Relating the answer given to one question back with another -- and asking clarifying or follow-up questions -- shows me that the candidate is confident and thinking about the whole picture instead of enduring an interrogation."

5. Averting Your Eyes: One Way to Avert an Offer

"People who do not make any eye contact during the entire interview" irritate Gwen Sobiech, an agency recruiter in West Hartford, Connecticut. "I realize some people are shy, but to never look at me once -- they look down, around, everywhere, but not at me for the entire interview. I find that extremely annoying. I also tend to distrust someone who will not look at me when I've asked a question."

If you are uncomfortable looking into someone's eyes, look at his "third eye," just above and between the person's two eyes.

6. Slang and Street Speak: Leave Them on the Street

"Poor communications skills really get to me," says Robert Fodge of Power Brokers in Dover, Delaware. "What I mean by this is not merely their language fluency, but more about the use of language. Slang words and street speak just don't have a place in most business environments. Also, candidates who say 'um,' 'like' and 'uh' between every other word lose my attention very quickly."

7. Deception: Little Lies Leave a Big Impression

One major complaint among recruiters is when a candidate is not completely truthful; small lies are all too common in the world of recruitment. This includes not being completely forthcoming with relevant information, embellishing accomplishments, hiding jobs or leading the process on with no intention of ever following through. Building trust during the interview is key to getting an offer

From Information Week

Study: IT And Business Still Aren't Aligned Feb. 25, 2003



Gartner report says companies don't have a positive view of IT and business managers' ability to work together to support company goals.
By Antone Gonsalves, TechWeb News

IT and business managers may work for the same company, but most of them don't seem to be on the same team, according to a report released Tuesday by Gartner.
About 65% of companies have either a negative or neutral view of the ability of IT and business managers to work together in supporting corporate goals and objectives, the research firm says.

It's not that companies aren't aware of the problem, says Jamie McCleary, a consultant for People3, the consulting unit of Gartner. "We're way past the point where IT is just a cost center," McCleary says. "People understand the competitive leverage they can get from a great IT function."

But the economic slump has directed funds toward projects that can increase sales or cut costs in time for the next earnings statement. Working on a tighter alignment between IT and business units tends to take a back seat.

"Given the budgetary restraints, people are saying, 'We should do it, I know we need to do it, we just can't do it right now,'" McCleary says.

But there are some simple and inexpensive steps companies can take. For example, they can take time to figure out the role IT should play within a marketing or sales campaign. A company can hire IT staff with a basic understanding of the business or educate staffers.

"We're not asking IT to be cross-functionally competent in everything," McCleary says. "But they should at least have an understanding of the business objectives."

For example, if sales and Web designers are working on a project, the designers have to understand marketing techniques that are effective in generating leads. "They shouldn't be asked to be tactical experts, but they need to provide feedback, from a technical perspective, that can help in what's trying to be achieved," McCleary says.

As many companies are learning, IT can no longer focus solely on processing transactions, such as orders over the Web or through system-to-system technologies, such as EDI or XML. "The requirement now is they have to move up the business chain and become strategic partners," McCleary says.

The Gartner report also recommends that companies develop, either through recruitment or training, IT staff with "behavioral competencies." This means IT staff needs to develop skills similar to technicians working for consulting firms. In-house staff should have a customer-service orientation and strong communication skills.

A study released last year by MIT's Sloan School of Management drew similar conclusions. That study found that while IT can improve a company's productivity, the real gains came from combining IT investments with "organizational capital," which was defined as the investments companies make in corporate culture and organizational practices.

Companies that invested in both IT and organizational capital were more productive, the MIT study found, and had much larger market capitalization than those that didn't.