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Boomers find second career in midlife

Data from a recent government study show that baby boomers are expecting to spend more of their lives working, possibly reversing a century-long trend toward earlier retirement.

In addition to being able to work longer, baby boomers - usually defined as those born from 1946 to 1964 - are also staying on the job longer because they need to. With greater life expectancies, many middle-aged workers today are concerned they may have too little savings set aside to afford retirement.

One expert says data she compiled for a book on the subject showed that 35 percent of boomers expected to work past age 70.

Facing longer years in the workforce, many baby boomers are looking for meaning in their remaining decades of productivity, says Gail Geary, author of the “Over-40 Job Search Guide,” published by JIST Works.

“Statistically, if people are going to be working that long … (they) want to do something that they enjoy,” says Geary, an Atlanta-based career counselor.

For many, that means changing jobs or employers or starting their own businesses in their 50s and 60s, ages at which boomers’ parents and grandparents were eyeing retirement - not beginning careers anew.

Andy Johnson decided last year to leave a cushy job as brand director with Diageo PLC and open his own liquor store - Blue Dog Wines & Spirits - in Pelham.

“I really just wanted to break away and try something new,” Johnson said. At the time, Johnson was 53, and the Pelham resident got the sense that it was “do or die” time.

“It seemed like the best opportunity for me to start my own business would be at this age, and not wait any longer,” he said.

Like many boomers, Johnson still had financial obligations, including a mortgage and college tuition for three children.

So rather than taking out a loan to finance his business, Johnson tapped his retirement savings. Having built up a nest egg in his retirement plan over nearly 30 years at Diageo, Johnson learned that he could use his 401(k) to invest in his own business, a strategy he learned in a creative-financing component of an entrepreneurship course he took.

Johnson says one of the biggest impediments to starting his own business was battling the inertia of staying in a comfortable job that offers significant benefits.

Susan Rubin knows something about that, having given up a profitable law practice in White Plains five years ago after her love for yoga turned into a desire to start her own business, Sage Yoga, which is hosted at The Gym in Armonk.

As a yoga instructor and business owner, Rubin believes she is able to help people in a more unique way than she was as a transactional lawyer.

And because she herself is less stressed, Rubin, 48, believes she will probably work longer than if she had stayed an attorney.

“The change feels like a brand new life,” she says.

A new life was something Stephanie Garry was searching for after the former full-time actress had difficulty finding work after her union went on strike in 2000.

“After walking a picket line for six months, it was very hard to get my career jump-started again,” the Chappaqua resident says.

So Garry, 53, revamped her resume, incorporating skills she gained volunteering at her Bedford Corners synagogue and the Chappaqua PTA, and submitted it to the UJA-Federation of New York, a Jewish social-service organization.

That proposal led to a job offer at Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, a nonprofit funeral home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The chapel’s director of community relations for the last five years, Garry helps get the word out about the chapel and its services. One way she has done that is through a media campaign that she developed and lends her voice to.

It includes on-air spots for radio, public-radio sponsorships and candle-lighting announcements on 1010 WINS radio.

“I got incredibly lucky because the job spoke to a lot of the skills I already had” and allowed her to give back, Garry says. As workers age, she says, they’re better able to tap into things they’re good at and interested in.

At 50, Carolyn Calabria believes her 21-year career on Wall Street will be a big help in running her own business, which she hopes to open this fall in Pomona, where she also lives.

Calabria’s experiences include having escaped the downing of the World Trade Center towers, where she once worked, when the buildings were attacked in 2001.

“It was a big reason I decided to do this,” Calabria says. “It woke me up. Running down the street for your life in a cloud of dust is something that I never thought I’d experience in my life.”

Calabria has purchased a franchise in the Entrée Vous chain of meal-preparation businesses, financing it with savings she’d accumulated through her years of work, she says.

Calabria chose to invest in a franchise rather than starting her own business since franchises have a proven business model, she says.

With the aid of the Entrepreneur’s Source, a Mamaroneck-based consulting firm that helps people determine whether business ownership is right for them, Calabria set her sights on Entrée Vous in part because she enjoys cooking and eating.

Calabria hopes that by opening her business she can help Rocklanders eat more nutritiously.

“I think we should service our communities,” she says.

The desire to give back is integral to boomers’ career choices as they age, says Lizanne Fiorentino, a Suffern-based career coach.

Part of what is feeding boomers’ desire to have jobs that are more meaningful is the ease with which they can start their own businesses.

Decades ago it was so much harder to be an entrepreneur, Fiorentino says. While not easy, starting one’s own business is easier and more accepted today.

“Twenty years ago, if somebody said: ‘Well, I’m leaving Wall Street to go make muffins,’ they would look at you like you lost your mind,” she says.

Today, however, boomers looking to leave the rat race and make not just muffins but organic muffins are viewed as cool.

“There’s not the stigma of stepping out of that corporate structure,” Fiorentino says. “We’re not the assembly line anymore.”

Top Tips For Incorporating Your Personal Brand In Your Job Search from Distinctive Career Services, LLC

When you think about your next career move, how would things be different for you if you were HUNTED rather than being the HUNTER? Personal branding (the process of clarifying and communicating what makes you and your unique value proposition different and special) allows you to make a name for yourself. It differentiates you from your peers and helps to position you as a leader in your field – as a specialist and an authority who knows how to do a job and fill a particular niche in the workplace better than anyone else.

Rather than finding yourself constantly pursuing jobs opportunities that never quite pan out, sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, and having doors stay locked shut to you, imagine what a positive and secure feeling it would be to have employers and recruiters actually seek YOU out. With some time and effort put into identifying and communicating YOUR personal brand as it relates to your career, this is one of the key benefits you will enjoy.

If you are a professional engaged in a serious job search, it would be almost impossible to escape the issue of personal branding. Everyone is talking about it! And, for good reason. Personal branding can make an incredible positive impact on not only your current job search, but on the success and progression of your entire career. But, just because everyone is talking about it, doesn’t mean that everyone is making use of the knowledge. Through personal branding, there is still an incredible opportunity for the forward-thinking professional to position themselves heads and shoulders above their peers and competitors in the job market.

It is not difficult to be convinced that personal branding is the wave of the future when it comes to the professional job search. But once you are convinced, and once you have put the effort into clarifying YOUR personal brand, how do you make that leap to incorporating that brand into your job search? Is there such a thing as a brand-driven job search? How exactly do you promote your personal brand in the job market?

Here are 5 tips for incorporating your brand throughout your resume, your cover letters, and your entire career marketing portfolio.

Tip #1 - Branding provides your resume and other career marketing documents with instant, precision-like focus that positions you as the ideal candidate for the specific type of opportunity that interests you. An unfocused resume is boring and ineffective. An unfocused resume wastes your readers’ time and will land in the circular file. A properly branded resume is, by definition, focused, and addresses not only your unique value proposition, but it does so in a way that addresses the concerns of your target audience.

Tip #2 - Use your personal brand profile and personal brand statement to project a cohesive brand image and value proposition across your resume, cover letters, and all your documents. In my work, I have the opportunity to review a lot of resumes, letters, biographies and other documents that my clients and prospective clients have tried to write for themselves. This tip relates to one of the most common mistakes that I see. Too many people try to be too many things to too many people. Their career marketing portfolios (resumes, cover letters, biographies, etc.) are a hodge-podge of documents written over a number of years and added onto randomly whenever the need arises for an updated resume. Certainly across the portfolio, and sometimes even within the same document, I find multiple design and content styles, as well as disconnected and outdated messages. When you brand your job search documents you immediately correct this problem.

Tip #3 - During the first review, resumes are scanned for mere seconds in a process that is meant to do nothing more than filter out unqualified candidates. Clearly and succinctly incorporating your personal brand statement into the profile or summary section of your resume is a way to ensure that your resume will stand out and get attention. One way to accomplish this is with a headline statement followed by a sub-headline that promotes your value proposition. If you aren’t familiar with this style, take a look at the many sample resumes on the Distinctive Documents website.

Tip #4 - Personal branding gives you a way to truly let your personality shine through and to establish an emotional connection with your audience. It can be tough to make this connection in your resume, but your cover letters and your narrative biography are great opportunities to promote soft skills and weave in examples of key brand attributes. In a very real sense, personal branding requires that you be courageous about really “owning” yourself and acknowledging yourself for the strengths and value you bring to the table. Let your personality come across in your letters and in your biography. Don’t be afraid to make a connection by accentuating your strengths and value proposition as they relate to your audience. This is a great way to establish rapport and trust with your reader even before you have the chance to speak by phone.

Tip #5 - Keep in mind that one of your primary goals in branding your job search documents is to paint a compelling portrait of your unique value proposition. To do this, you will need to structure your resume so that it promotes your key skills, qualifications, experiences, and achievements in a way that is both convincing and compelling and clearly illustrates to the reader that you can meet their needs and help them to achieve their goals, all the while adding value to their organization and delivering a strong return on their investment in hiring you. This is a lot to accomplish in a single resume! One of the most effective ways to do this is to focus the chronology of your work history on achievements and results. Write your achievements so that they tell a succinct story of the challenges and problems you have faced, the actions you took to meet those challenges, and then the results and benefits of those actions - the actual return on investment of your actions. Writing your professional chronology in this way will engage the reader, supporting your brand and helping them to envision how you will add value in the future to their organization.

Nationally certified resume writer, career marketing expert, and personal branding strategist, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP Services delivered through http://www.100kcareermaketing.com Michelle has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide with all the tools and resources necessary to conduct a fast, effective job search. Michelle is also the author of the popular e-book 101 Before-and-After Resume Examples found at http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com To learn more about her job search products, resume writing services, and career marketing programs, and to sign up for many other free resources, visit her websites.

Secrets of working with a recruiter

Q. I’m thinking of working with a headhunter to expand my job search. Is this worthwhile?

A. If you’ve never worked with a recruiter before, beware of anyone who asks for money up front. I’ve heard too many sad stories of people who paid thousands of dollars for empty promises. Unless you’re a high-level executive searching for one of the top jobs at a company, you’re not likely to work with a fee-based recruiter.

Most experts recommend working with a recruiter who is compensated by the employer. To locate candidates, employers typically pay from 25 percent to 100 percent of the first year’s salary to the search firm, said Todd Bermont, author of “Ten Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search” (Career Press).

With that money warning out of the way, there are many advantages to working with a professional recruiter.

A seasoned recruiter will have a network as deep as a philosopher’s mind. That’s their value: contacts within several industries, at many companies, with skills that can uncover job openings that might never be advertised to the public. A recruiter gives you an edge over other job seekers who are responding only to positions that everybody can find.

Develop relationships now with a few trusted recruiters. Rely on them as career advisers. Then you’ll have the right contacts when it comes time to pursue that CEO or CFO post.

Brad Remillard has worked in the recruiting arena for more than two decades. He coaches individuals and has assisted more than 1,500 corporate executives in managing their careers. He also works with companies that need a solid hiring system, with his company Impact Hiring Solutions.

In 1999, Remillard founded the American Association of Senior Executives, one of the region’s largest career management and networking organizations dedicated to top executives (see aase.us). At a recent monthly meeting, he spoke on this irresistible topic: “The secrets of working with a recruiter.”

Remillard repeated what recruiters have been saying for some time: Finance is the hot field for job seekers, followed by sales. He also gave us a peek inside a recruiter’s brain.

How do I get in touch with recruiters?

“You don’t want to get in touch with every recruiter – only the one who has a job for you. There is no way of knowing which one that is, so you have to go out in the community and become so well-connected that they have to find you in three or four calls. No matter where that recruiter is, once they make three or four calls, they’re going to hear your name.

“You have to keep your network alive to make that happen. You can’t just look for a job, get one and then fall off the face of the earth.”

“A lot of people don’t believe this, but we’re human beings. You have to build a relationship and let recruiters know where you are. Don’t just call me every three years when you’re unemployed and need a job.”

How forthright should I be?

“When a recruiter calls, you need to listen very carefully to what they need to know. Many candidates are coached to give these broad, vague answers. I need specific examples and details. If it’s not clear what the recruiter is asking, say, ‘Can you ask that in another way?’ ”

Why are people so reluctant to network?

“It’s time consuming, and it’s frustrating. You run to all these meetings, but you might not get results. If you’re just dropping off business cards, you might as well throw them out of an airplane. Instead, go into one or two organizations and delve deeply with a handful of people. You’ll know you’re networking well if you sit at a table and everybody there knows yourelevator speech.

“It takes time to get to know people, but it’s effective. Only about 10 to 15 percent of jobs are found on the Internet, but people spend about 75 percent of their time going through job boards. Work on your networking in the morning. Leave the job boards for 9 p.m. to midnight.

Why don’t recruiters return my calls?

“You have to realize, I go into a meeting and I come out and have 10 calls. I’m not going to return every call. And you shouldn’t care. If (recruiters) have a search for you, they’ll call.

“I ask candidates all the time: If you’re in transition, would you rather work with someone who’s employed or unemployed? Most say, ‘employed’ – wrong answer. The employed person has one job, so they’re not out looking. But the unemployed, all they’re doing eight hours a day is uncovering jobs, and if they know what you’re looking for, they’ll refer you.”

Employers can benefit from hiring older workers

Today’s concept of an “older worker” no longer is the stereotype of an individual nearing retirement.

Older workers now are vibrant, talented individuals whose years of expertise are highly valued and are being looked upon by employers as respected and knowledgeable individuals in the prime of working life.

Just take a closer look in your own community. The new business owner down the street, the consultant hired by your firm — chances are they are older workers.

Eighty-four percent of baby boomers (ages 37 to 55) currently participate in the labor market, and baby boomers make up nearly 50 percent of the work force. As the baby boomer population ages, the growth rate of the workforce between ages 55 to 64 will be the highest in the United States.

By 2008, one in six workers will be over 55. By 2030, more Americans will be over the age of 65 than under 18. Most of these individuals will still be working — some out of necessity and some by choice. Consequently, as our state’s work force becomes older and more experienced, North Carolina employers will benefit from hiring older workers whose skills, work ethic and leadership will be reaching an aging customer base.

The N.C. Employment Security Commission encourages employers to recognize the attributes that older workers can bring to their businesses. These include loyalty and dedication to the company, commitment to doing quality work, dependability, solid performance record and experience in a job or industry, and the ability to get along well with co-workers.

There are so many false assumptions about older workers and their ability to perform well on the job. The fact is older workers provide stability. They have a lower turnover rate than younger employees do. And, as the population ages, it will be a strong advantage to have older employees who can relate to older customers.

The ESC has older worker specialists in most of its 93 offices across the state who serve as a resource for this important group, assisting in job placement and referral, resume and interview preparation, and identifying suitable training options.

Over the past year, the ESC has placed thousands of older workers in new jobs. For more information about employment services for older workers, contact your nearest ESC office.

My job hunt Paul Murphy at ZDNet Blog

This is a special guest blog by Roger Ramjet - to kick off a week of job related discussions.Murph has asked me to write about my experiences in my job search. Before I do that, I would like to explain why a 40-something would leave a “cake” job at the second-largest (non-oil) corporation in the world. In a word - stagnation. There were times in my career that I was given nothing to do - for years at a time. This does bad things for your feeling of self-worth and puts fear into making a change - I’m so rusty, who would want ME? The final straw(s) were 1) eliminating my position - one that saved them no extra money, as I just had less to do and the work had to be done anyway 2) my manager telling me to stop working on my file-system virtualization and autonomic ideas (the culmination of my UNIX existence! - and something I’m looking to pursue as an open source community project) and of course 3) being hauled down to HR to be told not to blog on ZDNet anymore. I could have stayed - no one was laid off - but I was sick and tired of being marginalized. Someone must want me!

I had an interview the day after I left. I flew into Chicago and thought I did a whale of a job. Nope - it was just my first rejection. That was March 1st, and I had no more interviews until this month (May). In the meantime, I learned quite a lot about how the job biz works.

I posted my resume on the job boards - in my case I chose Dice, Monster and Careerbuilder. There are many, many more but most recruiters use these three. I also used their sites to search for jobs and to apply online. One of the first things I found out was that most companies want you to use THEIR job application website software. This means that you need to create an account and fill in all of the information that they require. I noticed that there are only a few software packages out there (BrassRing), but they are independent sites - so you have to fill out the blanks for both Company A and Company B - when they both use the same software. Say what you want about XML (jorwell), but it would REALLY be nice to do this crap JUST once.

Now comes the hordes of headhunters, descending on your email account like a cloud of locusts. They use pattern-matching software and “mine” your resume for keywords. Mention “java” just once, and they send you hundreds of java programming positions. In fact, 80% of the jobs I see posted and that come across my email, are for java/j2ee positions. I would say that Project Manager jobs come in at a distant second.

Partially in response to what the market wants, I am seriously considering taking the PMI training/cert class and/or the ITIL framework training/test. I have also loaded Solaris 10 on my Netra t 1405 so I can work with Sun’s java admin tools - particularly the The Sun Identity management stuff.

I have also taken advantage of my former employer’s purchase of career management training. I go to classes on how to write effective resumes and interviewing techniques for instance. They stress how important “networking” is - most people get new jobs through their personal contacts. I stay in touch with my work buddies - doing lunches mostly, and I also attend gatherings at the CM company. There are many former peers there, and one of them DID get me an interview this week. I guess this stuff works!

A typical day of mine starts off with the sleeping in until 9:00 AM. I then get up and check my email for messages. After I eat breakfast, I start searching for jobs (usually on Dice) and answering a few recruiter phone calls. Sometimes I take in a class or seminar at the CM company. Things are slow in the morning, but pick up in the afternoon when the headhunters start their war dancing and the sound of their drums (phone ringing) fill the air. Many of them speak in obscure dialects to which I say “Email me!” - which must be a universal language as most of them respond to that.

If it wasn’t for the evening entertainment, I would be very bored! I speak of course of the many playoff games on TV that my Detroit teams have provided. The Red Wings went to the conference finals (and beat Murph’s Calgary Flames along the way), and my Pistons did too, and of course the Tigers have a great team this year. I just can’t imagine living in a part of the country that didn’t have such good sports teams - what do THEY do, play golf?

It would be hard for me to leave Detroit and move to another part of the country. My family and my friends all live here. But the economic engine that is powering the country has missed Detroit. Our unemployment is worst in the nation - double the national average. Somehow people got it in their heads that buying Toyotas and Hondas doesn’t hurt anybody. In the meantime, Michigan is turning into Mississippi. In the end it will be different, because people need water - and Michigan has more than anywhere else in the world (or is it Ontario?).

So here I sit waiting, training and waiting some more. I get a few interviews, my health and feelings are good, and I still have money in the bank. My whole life is about to be changed forever - for the better I hope - and the best part of it is I can still do my blogging!

Increasing your Credibility in 30 days: How to Brag without Bragging - Lifhack.org Blog

The meek have not inherited the earth and it appears they won’t anytime soon. The people who get ahead are the ones who know how to brag without coming across the wrong way. There is no one right way to do this but having enhanced credibility paves the way to becoming a successful braggart rather than a boor.

At its simplest, building credibility in the public realm involves creating credible content and spreading it around. The process of building a public profile is not an extremely difficult one but it does take a sustained, considered effort. Taking several well paced and relatively small steps over a 30 day period can yield handsome dividends.

1. Print out or ‘screen capture’ the first three pages of Google hits.
The internet and its search engines have become so ubiquitous that a reputation is becoming defined by what the first 3 pages of Yahoo! or Google search hits turns up. Forget about personal and professional references for making a first impression because the internet search gets done before that. Work on improving the hit list.

2. Review your scrapbook.
This involves going through the various past accomplishments, brochures, awards, correspondence, etc. and any sources of what could be considered public or quasi-public content and creating a pool to draw from for building the foundation.

3. Write an article that captures the essence of what you are doing that makes you great.
An easy type of article to write is one that incorporates a ten point list, targeting the key area or areas. Circulate the article or drafts while soliciting feedback from select friends, clients and partners.

4. Submit one article to a general online publication.
Why an online publication? Simply, to become friendly to the internet search engines. Online publications are easier to get articles into, faster to get published, stick around a long time, are easily searched and provide valuable direct links to the company – all while improving the Google three page search hits profile.

5. Submit one article to a trade specific publication.
This is remarkably easy to do by simply reshaping the original article with relatively little effort and getting it into an online or print media format where there is no competition with paid writers. Many associations actively seek interesting contributions from their members, and also from non-members.

6. Submit one article to an offline publication.
Generally, this involves a need to call the editor and pitch the piece by way of sending a summary or sending a previous online one as a sample.

7. Find third party research and material that supports your views.
There is nothing wrong with promoting or citing other people’s materials where they reinforce your main message. In fact the opposite is usually true. A great way to enhance credibility is through association with others who are already perceived as credible with the audience you are trying to reach.

8. Add any credible logos to your website or documents.
Logos from client companies, trade associations, major media that provided coverage, not-for-profit organizations and any other relevant ones should be included to enhance your public profile.

9. Post your profile on various social networking sites.
Many of these websites and networking systems have very high placements with google and other search engines. Include company and professional profiles, limiting jargon, in such a way that a wide audience can understand the information which should be well written and appear professional.

10. Get listed in media and professional directories.
Media people have a constant need to call on experts in various areas to get a quote they can use for whatever they are working on. You should become known as a person to go to for expertise in an area.

11. Send testimonials to credible people who will post it on their website.
These testimonials must be consistent with the core article and key messaging. They should go to people who would be good to associate with to add value and credibility.

12. Nominate companies or people for awards.
Receiving an award or public acknowledgment is a great way to enhance credibility for the recipient. It also reflects well on whoever makes the nomination.
Nominating a company or individual for an award does not mean they should be automatically expecting to win. Fortunately, most know the difference between being nominated and winning so won’t start ordering champagne ahead of time.
Be prepared to show up at the event if your nominee wins!

13. Position yourself as an expert in your area.
Which area is not as important as being able to hold oneself out as a credible expert. To do so involves preparing a focused bio and creating an expert statement with some supporting materials. Media people habitually seek quotes from experts on whatever subject they are reporting on.

14. Ask for testimonials from credible people and companies.
Testimonial quotes must be consistent with the core article to reinforce the main message. To gain maximum impact, however, it is important to become involved with the best wherever possible. Incorporate written, audio or video testimonials and quotes into website, brochure, audio and video content.

15. Create framed thank you letters and send them to opinion leaders or admired companies.
Fan mail is usually appreciated by whomever receives it. Even when they are very busy while at the top of their game, they will often have time to read and respond to it. Companies often prominently place such letters in their front offices and hallways where they can remain for several years. What they rarely receive is a fan letter than comes in a frame and is ready for public display. You can call on these people later to ask them for favors.

16. Post comments on trade-specific websites.
Much like in the case of testimonials, quality counts more than quantity. A couple key comments on a couple good sites will again boost search engine results. Use a real name to avoid it being one of the myriad anonymous bits that fill cyberspace.

A well-executed process for a person or small business intent on increasing credibility through an enhanced public profile will yield a sound profile in days rather than months or years. Initially, the process focuses on setting the foundation. Once a good foundation has been set, then it becomes time to engage the media. At the end of the process, one will have the respect that has been earned and not come across as boorish while bragging.

Many have second thoughts about new jobs

Call it buyer’s remorse. Premature extrication. Or ”Oops, I should’ve checked with the spouse” syndrome.

Whatever you call it, University of Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan is trying to join a long list of mind-changers by accepting, then rejecting, an offer to coach the NBA Orlando Magic.

Corporate recruiters estimate that one in 40 to 50 new hires — from basketball coaches to software engineers — back out at the last moment, often turning down big promotions and lucrative raises.

”Human beings are human beings,” says Kaarla McKenzie, president of Source Executive Search/Consulting near Tampa. “You can’t really guarantee your product when your product is a human being.”

In running his quick reverse, Donovan has lots of company:

• In January 2004, Miami Dolphins ex-quarterback Dan Marino accepted a job as senior vice president of football operations with his old team, and 22 days later changed his mind. ”I was very honored,” he told Inside the NFL. “But as time went on, I just felt it was a better situation to be here at HBO and be at CBS. For my family situation and me and my lifestyle.”

• In April 2006, Wendi C. Thomas, The Memphis Commercial Appeal’s first black female metro columnist, agreed to become a columnist for The Baltimore Sun. But the day before her new column was to begin, she returned to Tennessee. ”My heart is in Memphis,” she told Romenesko, the Poynter Institute’s journalism website. Thomas declined to comment on Tuesday.

• In 1992, NFL coach Bill

Parcells, then an ABC analyst, backed out of a deal to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ”I just feel like I couldn’t make the commitment to do it,” he told reporters. Said Tampa Bay owner Hugh Culverhouse at the time: “I feel like I’ve been jilted at the altar.”

MANY REASONS

In South Florida, people voice a variety of belatedly realized problems — housing costs, crime, hurricanes, schools, rudeness — for backing out.

In 2006, Song Kosumsuppamala, 39, a Thai-born software engineer working in Austin, Texas, moved his wife and three children to South Florida to work at a high-tech firm in South Miami. He signed a one-year lease on a house in Weston.

Three months later, at his wife’s urging, the family moved back to a different job in Austin. They didn’t like the schools, and they found housing costs too high and South Floridians inhospitable.

”I’ve traveled the world from Japan to Taiwan to China,” Kosumsuppamala said. “I’m open-minded, but the people in Miami are rude. They say it’s just the way they are.”

Kosumsuppamala paid a price. Between selling his house in Austin, breaking his lease in Weston and paying part of his moving expenses both ways, he says he’s out about $50,000.

Two weeks ago, language teacher Mary Alexovich, 58, returned to Miami from a year teaching in Fort Lauderdale. Even such a short distance can create culture shock.

“Everybody has dinner so early. And you can’t get an espresso in anybody’s house. I felt like a foreigner.”

South Florida isn’t the only place where reality strikes.

Years ago, Frank Nero, a town administrator in New Brunswick, N.J., was offered a job at better pay as economic development director of Evanston, Ill. He and his wife visited the Chicago suburb in the fall, when the weather was crisp and the leaves colorful, and accepted the job.

They visited again in the frigid winter. They were aghast.

”Lake Michigan was frozen over,” he says. “I wanted to be warmer.”

So when his old boss made a lucrative counteroffer, he backed out of the Evanston job. ”I guess it was a bit of buyer’s remorse,” says Nero, president of Miami-Dade’s Beacon Council, whose job is to recruit new businesses — and keep them here.

`TRAILING SPOUSE’

‘The problem is sometimes called `the trailing spouse,’ ” Nero says. ‘A company president says, `Guess what, honey. We’re moving to Miami,’ and there’s resistance.”

South Florida housing prices also bring backouts, says Carmen Matos, of Korn/Ferry International professional recruiters of Miami. “The cost of living is a problem. People used to come here because they could get good value for money in housing. Now I have a candidate coming from Boston who says Miami prices are as steep as back home.”

When the University of Miami lured researchers from Duke University in North Carolina to its medical school, it gave them temporary housing subsidies of up to $300,000.

Even when new hires back out, companies have less control than they think, says Broward employment lawyer Dana Gallup. “You cannot under any state’s laws force someone to work for you.”

Many contracts include a ”liquidated damages” clause stipulating an amount the departing applicant must pay if they breach a contract. Such clauses are often settled privately to avoid negative publicity.

Not all costs are financial, says Roberto Schaps, president of Turkel, the Coconut Grove ad agency.

”You go through the whole decision-making process and maybe decide against another good [candidate],” he said. “The biggest thing is the cost of not being able to get going.”

In one case, he hired a ‘’superstar” who wanted a signing bonus, moving expenses and other perks.

“He came here, we gave him all of that, and after three months he was gone. You learn your lessons.”

At McKenzie’s corporate recruitment firm, about one in 50 candidates back out because the current boss has made a financial counteroffer, she said. That doesn’t always turn out well, either.

“Depending on which study you read — 60 to 93 percent of the people who accept counteroffers will resume their job search within a year.”

One out-of-town marketing exec who worked with a Fortune 500 company contacted McKenzie seeking a more stable job here. He got an offer with more pay and a bigger title. But when his old company made a better counteroffer, he went back.

Fifteen months later he was laid off, relocated at his own expense and took a new job at his old salary.

Backing out of jobs also can give a candidate a black eye with recruiters.

You Can Always Get What You Want - Vital Accuracy Blog

“Things that matter most, must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Most of us don’t work out what we want. And most of us end up with lopsided lives as a result. We may get work right and relationships wrong or the other way around. The 80/20 Principle records this sorry state. Twenty percent of what we do leads to 80 percent of the results. But 80 percent of what we do leads to only 20 percent. We are wasting 80 percent of out effort on low-value outcomes.

If we follow the 80/20 Principle, we can work less, earn more, enjoy more, and achieve more. To do this we must start with a rounded view of everything we want.

Do you enjoy life?

Am I living with the right person or people?

Am I living in the right place?

Am I working the right hours and do they match my ideal work/play rhythm, and suit my family and social needs?

Do I feel in control?

Can I exercise or meditate when I want?

Am I nearly always relaxed and comfortable with my surroundings?

Does my lifestyle make it easy for me to be creative and fulfill my potential?

Do I have enough money and are my affairs organized so that I don’t have to worry about them?

Does the lifestyle facilitate whatever contribution I want to make to enriching the lives of people I want to help?

Do I see my close friends enough?

Is the extent of travel in my life just right, not too much, or too little?

Is the lifestyle right for my partner and family too?

Do I have everything that I need right here: do I have it all?

What about work?

Almost everyone needs to work, whether it is paid or not. We should not allow work to take over our lives, however much we claim to enjoy it. The 80/20 Principle can provide a good measure and a good way to see whether you should work more of less. If you are happier outside of work than at work, you should work less and/or change your job. If you are happier at work than outside of work, you should work more and/or change your social life. You haven’t got it right until you are equally happy at work and not at work, and until you are happy at least 80 percent of the time at work and 80 percent of the time not at work.

There does not have to be any conflict between your work life and the things you enjoy outside of work. You may be able to work in an area that is your hobby or even turn your hobby into a business. Enthusiasm can lead to success, it is often easier to make an enthusiasm into a career than to become enthusiastic about a career dictated by others.

Whatever you do, be clear about the optimum point you are trying to reach and view it within your life’s total context. This is easier said than done: old habits are hard to break and the importance of a lifestyle is easily set aside for career.

Which type of career will make you happiest?

Do you have a high drive for achievement and career success?

Would you be happiest working for an organization, as a self-employed and self- contained individual, or employing other people?

Draw 6 boxes, three on top and three on the bottom, label the upper three High and the lower three Low. From left to right label the left two, “Prefer working in organizations,” middle two, “Prefer being a self-employed sole trader,” right two, “Prefer employing or organizing others.” Number the boxes 1 through 3 on the top and 4 through 6 on the bottom. Try to select the box that describes you best.

Box 1 people are highly ambitious but prefer to work in a context organized and provided by others. These jobs are with large organizations and the need for these jobs may be falling. If you want this type of role, you should recognize this and pursue your ambition, however unfashionable it may become. Large organizations still provide structure and status even if they can no longer provide security. I retired from this type of organization at a time when they did provide security in the form of a retirement plan. Few companies now offer retirement plans other than the 401K type plans.

Box 2 people are typically professionals who have a drive for recognition by their peers or who want to be the best in their field. They want to be independent and do not fit well into organizations. If you are like this, you should become self-employed as quickly as possible. You should also resist the temptation to employ other people as they want to avoid professional dependence on others as far as possible.

Box 3 people have high drive and ambition, hate being employed but do not want the lonely life of the sole trader. They may be unconventional, but they are builders: they want to build a web or a structure around themselves. They are tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. If you want to work with other people, but not for them, you are a Box 3 person.

Box 4 people do not give a high drive for career achievement but do enjoy working with others. They would ensure that they spend many hours a week doing so, either in a conventional job or in a voluntary role.

Box 5 people are not ambitious but do have a strong desire for autonomy in their work. Rather than set up their own firm, the best role for Box 5 people is as freelancers, working on particular projects for other firms to suit their own convenience.

Box 6 people are individuals whose need for career achievement is low but who enjoy the process of organizing and developing others. Many teachers, social workers, and charity workers are Box 6 people and are well suited to their roles. For Box 6 people the journey is everything; there is no need to arrive.

Many people gravitate toward their “right” box, but where alienation at work exists it is often because the person is in the wrong box.

What about money?

What indeed! Most people think it’s more important than it is and more difficult to get than it is. How do you obtain money in the first place? The best answer, one that works surprisingly often, is to do something that you enjoy. If you enjoy something, you are likely to be good at it. If you are good at something, you can create something that will satisfy others and they will generally pay you well for it. Once you have a little spare cash, it can be easily multiplied. Save and invest. I have a friend, Dave that does quite well pumping stocks. Dave has found some stocks that are cyclic and he has set guide lines for buying and selling. When a stock reaches his high goal, he sells and then places a buy order at the low goal. When the stock reaches his low goal, he buys and then places a sell order again at the high goal. He does not have to work hard or keep track of the stocks, only waits for the orders to execute. If this sounds complicated, then just buy a index fund and hold it for the long haul.

What about achievement?

There are people who want to achieve and then there are sane people. All motivational writers fall into the trap of telling you that you need direction and purpose in life. Then they tell you that you don’t have it. Then they put you through the agony of deciding what it should be. Finally, they tell you what they think you ought to do. So if you don’t want to achieve anything specific and are happy enough going through life having it all (minus achievement), count yourself lucky and read no further. But if you want achievement and want to increase it, the 80/20 Principle can help you. Achievement should be easy. It shouldn’t be “99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.” Instead, see if it’s true that 80 percent of your achievement to date, measured by what you yourself value, has come from 20 percent of your inputs. If true or nearly true, then think carefully about this top 20 percent. Could you simply repeat the achievements? Upgrade them? Reproduce similar ones on a grander scale? Combine two previous achievements to compound the satisfaction?

The Art of Schmoozing II - Guy Kawasaki - Always On

Susan RoAne wrote the book on schmoozing. Literally: How to Work a Room: Your Essential Guide to Savvy Socializing. The recently updated and revised book is a classic because we will all have to walk into “rooms” that contain meetings, conferences, trade shows, business mixers, fundraisers, and parties and be able to schmooze, make connections, and walk out with our heads held up high.

Because you may be using PR firms less, you really need to hone your schmoozing skills. Therefore, I asked Susan to provide her top ten tips of schmoozing.

1.Think analog, not digital. We still have to interact with people although the digital world has afforded us many ways to stay in touch using technology. We must know how to meet, mingle, make small talk and connect with others in the analog world both in our professional and personal lives. You can IM, text, ping, or Twitter and yet, you will still get invited to an office party or a cousin’s wedding and have to do the face-to-face.

2. Prepare for every event. We now have many search engines to use to find out about the event, association, company or organization. Take note of the news on the site, the people highlighted and the news that is noted. Find out who you need to meet and who you want to meet. Ask your network or the event host to make the introduction.

3. Determine what you have in common with the other people at that event. When you find that common point, you both will be more comfortable. If you alter your focus and think about making others comfortable with you, they will be.

4. Prepare a self-introduction. Be ready so that you can introduce yourself if there is no greeting committee. It’s a seven to nine second pleasantry, not a thirty second elevator speech, and key it to the event so others know why you are attending. That will help them figure out what to say to you.

5. Read voraciously. This means blogs, online newspapers, and even the good old analog print newspaper. Every page of the paper provides news, information, scores, reviews, and even gossip (the newsy kind of schmooze) that is fodder for conversation. Jot down three to five items in case there is a lull and you have something else to add. Don’t forget to read industry journals and national magazines. Other people may have read that interesting article in FastCompany, Forbes or O Magazine! If they haven’t, you can highlight and get the conversation rolling. It’s ok to watch TV, and I often quote Jon Stewart of The Daily Show!

Also, read Truemors everyday. This will make you a better schmoozer because you’ll be on top of the latest news in a broad selection of areas. This will make you the king or queen of small talk (see below).

6. Approach the person standing alone. He or she will welcome your company. No one, even CEO’s, want to stand in a room by themselves. It just feels dorky.

7. Just smile and say Hi or Hello. According to research, those are the best opening lines. While we wait for the utterly brilliant icebreaker to pop into our brains and then to come out of our mouths, the person we may want to meet has already moved to the opposite side of the room. Depending on your age or crowd, the word “hey” may be the greeting du jour.

8. Make small talk. Too many of us think that we must be talking the important, deep stuff and consider small talk to be trivial. Wrong. Author Michael Korda’s Uncle, movie producer Sir Alexander Korda, said, “A bore is someone who has no small talk.” Small talk is how we learn about our common interests, experiences and connections.

Once you find the guy who also wears Jerry Garcia ties or kindred deep dish pizza aficionado or the person who also has teenagers, or the quilter or The Daily Show/Jon Stewart fan or the local senior league hockey player, conversation flows. Remember the last time you met a person who decided to get right into the “big” talk about famine, disease, war, poverty while you had a beverage in one hand and a mini taco in the other? Now that’s a bore.

9. Listen, listen, listen. People tell us about their interests. If we listen and stop planning what to say next, drafting our grocery lists or personals ad, we’d all be better conversationalists. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that we are not paying attention if our iPods are in our ears, our Blackberrys or Treos are in our hands or we are waiting for our BlueTooth enabled calls. In fact, doing any of the aforementioned behaviors does send a message to others and it might not serve you in the long run.

10. Go everywhere with the intention of having fun. People want to be around the upbeat, fun, interesting, and interested person.

Bonus Tip: If you want to make a positive memorable impression, treat people like people not like prospects!

Interview advice: Be prepared, but be yourself

Be early and be prepared, but don’t forget to be yourself.

Q: I have a job interview next week with a company I really like. I don’t have very much interviewing experience, and I made lots of mistakes in the last one. Any suggestions?

A: If you’re nervous about the interview, that can be a good thing. It means you’re excited about the opportunity and the potential job. The trick is to leave your nervous quirks at the interviewer’s doorstep. You can do that if you’re fully prepared.

Find out as much about the company as you can using the Internet, newspaper articles and personal contacts. This should give you the basics, such as company history and top executives. With that, you’ll be better prepared to ask smart questions about the culture, company goals and room for advancement. (Our expert has another view on preparation, below).

Visit the interview location before the big day so you won’t be late when it counts. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early for the interview.

People who can’t relax in an interview make lots of mistakes. What did you learn from your last experience? Instead of beating yourself up, go over the interview in your head and visualize how you would do it differently, if you had a second chance.

Ruth Haag is an interview expert. The CEO of Haag Environmental Company has been hiring people for 30 years, and she knows all the dumb moves we make, many without ever realizing it. Haag has written several books, including “Hiring and Firing” (available at www.haagpress.com).

If you want this job, don’t make the mistakes she has seen:

* Don’t advertise your failures. “I interviewed a person who flunked out of an engineering program, but was so proud that he had tried, that he had a transcript to show me the classes that he had failed.”
* Don’t try to use the interviewer’s name, unless you are very good at remembering names. “You risk the chance of calling the person by the wrong name, or irritating him or her with a mispronunciation.”
* Don’t dress to “fit” the company. Neatness and classic clothing – suits and sport coats – make the safest interview uniform.
* Don’t ace the interview.

This last bit of advice puzzled me. But Haag insists that it is an important strategy. Ultimately, it could get you hired.
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