7 Hints for Evaluating Your Resume
by Maria Hanson, LiveCareer
Fashion changes, and resume styles change, too. If you have solid skills and work experience but your resume isn't getting any bites, you might need a resume makeover.
Take a free resume test to see if your resume has what it takes to pass the 10-second scan and get results. And check out the "what's in, what's out" info below to help make your resume more cutting-edge.
1. In: A professional summary at the top of your resume. This sells you like nothing else on your resume does.
Out: An objective statement at the top of your resume. Nothing says "outdated" like an objective.
"Ditch it immediately," advises Jack Williams, vice president of national sales and recruiting for Staffing Technologies, in Atlanta. Employers don't care what a potential hire wants to do. "They care whether they can do what the employer needs them to do," he says.
2. In: Resumes that are easy on the eyes.
"I don't have time to read through each resume and search for the important points. They need to jump out at me," says Mike Earley, vice president of resource management at MyWire, a media aggregation site. Earley says hot resumes are organized with bullet points, not paragraphs, and have enough white space to look clean and visually interesting.
Out: Resumes that are "grey," with large chunks of unbroken text that require recruiters to slow down. Chances are they won't take the time.
3. In: A customized resume. Tailor every resume you send out for the job you're seeking.
Out: A cookie-cutter approach: same resume for every job. These were from the days before home computers, when changing a resume was a really big deal.
4. In: A two-to-three-page resume when you really need the space.
Out: A one-page resume when you really need two or three pages.
"One-page resumes are a myth," says Williams. "No talented person with more than five years experience can fairly summarize their experience in one page."
5. In: Selling yourself. The best way to do this, Earley says, is through quantifying your accomplishments. "When describing what you did on a job, be sure to include the results. Your accomplishments are key," says Earley. For instance, if you're an office manager, don't just say you "organized a system to track outside vendors." Conclude with a real result, like "reduced operating costs by one-third."
Out: Not being your own best marketing and sales department. "Gone are the days of just listing job titles and responsibilities," says Leslie Sokol, co-author of "Think Confident, Be Confident."
6. In: Including links to websites for all companies on your resume, and, if possible, a brief description of each company. "Few do this, but it is always well-received," says Williams. "Hiring managers have an interest in knowing what a company does and what your previous position there had to do with that."
Out: Assuming hirers know your old company or don't need to know.
7. In: Including your LinkedIn or other social network address in your resume's header. Make sure it's a custom ("vanity") URL if it's LinkedIn (these are free).
Out: Not being up-to-date with social networking.
Following these ins and outs will make your resume shine and help you to land your dream job. Take a free career test to find a job you'll really love
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Bagging Lunch: The Inflation Effect
Bagging Lunch: The Inflation Effect
By DANA MATTIOLI www.careerjournal.com
A few months ago Jessie Snider, 23, began to feel the pinch of the rising cost of gasoline, food and, well, everything. Then she realized the $75 to $80 she was spending each week on lunch was really cutting into her paycheck. So in March she traded sit-down lunches of elaborate caprese salads and angel-hair pasta for brown-bag lunches of leftover stir-fry and turkey sandwiches.
LUNCH SQUEEZE
Finding The Right Balance to Keep Lunch Palatable: Corporate cafeterias are also feeling the pinch of rising prices -- and they may have to pass on those costs to workers, too.
FORUM
Have rising food prices prompted you to change your midday eating habits? If so, what's your strategy for scaling back? Is your employer doing anything to help you with food costs? Discuss."Lunch was the first thing I cut back on," says Ms. Snider, who works as an assistant account executive for a public-relations firm in Atlanta.
Make room for another victim of the weak economy: lunch.
Ms. Snider is part of a growing tide of midday restaurant regulars who are changing their habits to save cash. Instead of indulging in a roasted portobello sandwich and gourmet chips at a nearby bistro, many workers are now brown-bagging it. In fact, online bag retailer eBags.com saw sales of lunch bags and coolers increase 39% in June over the year before. Other workers are turning to cheaper alternatives -- like subsidized or free corporate cafeterias and cheaper fast-food spots.
It's not just the young, entry-level workers who are cutting back. In March, after price increases of 10% to 20% at his favorite midtown Manhattan eateries, Marc Haskell gave up his gourmet spinach salads and turkey wraps and began packing turkey sandwiches from home. The 47-year-old executive vice president of the Glazier Group, a restaurant and hospitality company, says he now saves around $50 a week on lunch.
Though he occasionally misses getting out of the office and socializing with co-workers during lunch, he says eating at his desk has made him more productive. "Instead of going out for an hour, walking to the place and waiting on line, I can basically eat in 10 to 15 minutes and catch up on some news."
Restaurants Feel Squeeze
Popular lunch-hour restaurants say increases in both wholesale food prices and vendors' fuel surcharges are putting a squeeze on their profits. Indeed, the consumer-price index for all food has risen 5.1% since May 2007 and is expected to rise even further. Then, after price jumps, come the cutbacks from consumers, which further hurt restaurants. According to a Zogby International survey of 755 people conducted in May for Marlin Co., a workplace communication firm, nearly half of employees surveyed had reduced their food purchases.
As a result, restaurateurs cite a decrease in lunchtime traffic -- and say existing customers now gravitate toward lower-price items on the menu.
Some are trying to adapt: In February, Costello Sandwich & Sides on the North Side of Chicago, for example, added a less-costly half-sandwich option to its menu in response to customer demand, says Chris Costello, the owner, who adds that this will be the first "no-growth year" in the two-location restaurant's 10-year history.
Lisa Hall, owner of Kitchenette, two home-style eateries in New York City, recently added an incentive for frequent patrons: For every 10 sandwiches a customer buys, they get the next one free. The goal is to boost revenue with additional sales. "We can charge an extra 25 to 50 cents, but that doesn't even halfway cover the extra costs we are being charged," she says.
Nick Liuzzi, owner of Samantha's Trattoria in New York City's Battery Park, typically caters to brokers and banker-types. But, as those industries suffer, Mr. Liuzzi estimates that the Italian delicatessen has seen a 15% to 20% drop in lunchtime traffic since last year. "People are more conscientious of their spending; even corporate spending is down," he says.
Some former $50-a-week lunch patrons haven't fully abandoned lunches out, but have instead traded in table service for standing in line for a cheaper kind of sandwich. Subway Restaurants says its $5 footlong sandwiches are luring the lunch set away from pricier restaurants. A spokesman for the chain says there has been an increase in customer count since implementing the $5 footlong nationally in late March.
Jennifer Nichols, an account executive for a San Francisco public-relations firm, is one of those new customers. She used to spend $10 a day on gourmet salads and ham-and-cheese sandwiches. About four months ago, the restaurants started to eliminate the cheaper combos meals, and the cost of her lunch became noticeably high. So Ms. Nichols headed to Subway. Now, she buys a footlong sandwich for $5 and saves the second half of it for the next day's lunch. To further cut costs, Ms. Nichols now buys her drinks and chips at supermarkets or convenience stores. Her new total tab for lunch: $15 to $20 a week.
The Company Kicks In
Some employees are discovering that there is such a thing as a free -- or subsidized -- lunch.
Lawrence Minicone, a financial consultant with FactSet Research Systems Inc., says that lately he's been heading to the company cafeteria. FactSet, a financial-data provider based in Norwalk, Conn., has provided free lunch four days a week to its 1,800 employees world-wide for years. However, in the past few months there has been a 10% to 15% increase in employees frequenting the cafeteria.
"Because of the rise in food costs, FactSet's policy really helps," Mr. Minicone says.
In some cases, employers who didn't offer much in the way of lunch fare are stepping in to alleviate rising food costs.
At public-relations firm Weber Shandwick's Dallas office, management has extended free lunches from the first Monday of each month to six or seven times a month since January. Ken Luce, president of Weber Shandwick California and Southwest, says about 80% of the firm's 102 employees take advantage of the lunches, up about 10% to 15% since last year.
Mr. Luce finds that when the food is brought in, employees eat as a group, which encourages collaboration and boosts morale. He adds that while it may cost more to provide lunch, which ranges from $7 to $12 per person, it makes employees happy. The meals also offset "the cost of turnover," he says, because it's cheaper to buy lunch and retain valued employees than it is to hire and train new workers.
GotVMail Communications, a telecommunications company based in Needham, Mass., started subsidizing employee lunches last summer to offset rising food and gas prices in the area. The company's 48 employees now get a $5 food credit each day that offsets the cost of lunch at area vendors. David Hauser, GotVMail's co-founder and chief technology officer, says it works out to an added benefit of $1,150 per year per employee, plus gas savings for employees who no longer have to drive to eateries since food is now delivered. About half of GotVMail's employees take advantage of the program.
Lunchroom Friendships
Mr. Hauser says it's been great to watch friendships form in the lunchroom between people from different departments who hadn't previously spoken. And, he says, it's common to find employees chatting about work projects over the company-subsidized lunch.
Employers stand to benefit from providing employees lunch. "It could boost productivity in that there's less travel time and less transition time," says Julie Morgenstern, a workplace productivity consultant based in New York and author of "When Organizing Isn't Enough." Still, she says employers should encourage workers to get fresh air or leave the building for a few minutes each day so that they don't make a potential productivity boost a "productivity sink."
By DANA MATTIOLI www.careerjournal.com
A few months ago Jessie Snider, 23, began to feel the pinch of the rising cost of gasoline, food and, well, everything. Then she realized the $75 to $80 she was spending each week on lunch was really cutting into her paycheck. So in March she traded sit-down lunches of elaborate caprese salads and angel-hair pasta for brown-bag lunches of leftover stir-fry and turkey sandwiches.
LUNCH SQUEEZE
Finding The Right Balance to Keep Lunch Palatable: Corporate cafeterias are also feeling the pinch of rising prices -- and they may have to pass on those costs to workers, too.
FORUM
Have rising food prices prompted you to change your midday eating habits? If so, what's your strategy for scaling back? Is your employer doing anything to help you with food costs? Discuss."Lunch was the first thing I cut back on," says Ms. Snider, who works as an assistant account executive for a public-relations firm in Atlanta.
Make room for another victim of the weak economy: lunch.
Ms. Snider is part of a growing tide of midday restaurant regulars who are changing their habits to save cash. Instead of indulging in a roasted portobello sandwich and gourmet chips at a nearby bistro, many workers are now brown-bagging it. In fact, online bag retailer eBags.com saw sales of lunch bags and coolers increase 39% in June over the year before. Other workers are turning to cheaper alternatives -- like subsidized or free corporate cafeterias and cheaper fast-food spots.
It's not just the young, entry-level workers who are cutting back. In March, after price increases of 10% to 20% at his favorite midtown Manhattan eateries, Marc Haskell gave up his gourmet spinach salads and turkey wraps and began packing turkey sandwiches from home. The 47-year-old executive vice president of the Glazier Group, a restaurant and hospitality company, says he now saves around $50 a week on lunch.
Though he occasionally misses getting out of the office and socializing with co-workers during lunch, he says eating at his desk has made him more productive. "Instead of going out for an hour, walking to the place and waiting on line, I can basically eat in 10 to 15 minutes and catch up on some news."
Restaurants Feel Squeeze
Popular lunch-hour restaurants say increases in both wholesale food prices and vendors' fuel surcharges are putting a squeeze on their profits. Indeed, the consumer-price index for all food has risen 5.1% since May 2007 and is expected to rise even further. Then, after price jumps, come the cutbacks from consumers, which further hurt restaurants. According to a Zogby International survey of 755 people conducted in May for Marlin Co., a workplace communication firm, nearly half of employees surveyed had reduced their food purchases.
As a result, restaurateurs cite a decrease in lunchtime traffic -- and say existing customers now gravitate toward lower-price items on the menu.
Some are trying to adapt: In February, Costello Sandwich & Sides on the North Side of Chicago, for example, added a less-costly half-sandwich option to its menu in response to customer demand, says Chris Costello, the owner, who adds that this will be the first "no-growth year" in the two-location restaurant's 10-year history.
Lisa Hall, owner of Kitchenette, two home-style eateries in New York City, recently added an incentive for frequent patrons: For every 10 sandwiches a customer buys, they get the next one free. The goal is to boost revenue with additional sales. "We can charge an extra 25 to 50 cents, but that doesn't even halfway cover the extra costs we are being charged," she says.
Nick Liuzzi, owner of Samantha's Trattoria in New York City's Battery Park, typically caters to brokers and banker-types. But, as those industries suffer, Mr. Liuzzi estimates that the Italian delicatessen has seen a 15% to 20% drop in lunchtime traffic since last year. "People are more conscientious of their spending; even corporate spending is down," he says.
Some former $50-a-week lunch patrons haven't fully abandoned lunches out, but have instead traded in table service for standing in line for a cheaper kind of sandwich. Subway Restaurants says its $5 footlong sandwiches are luring the lunch set away from pricier restaurants. A spokesman for the chain says there has been an increase in customer count since implementing the $5 footlong nationally in late March.
Jennifer Nichols, an account executive for a San Francisco public-relations firm, is one of those new customers. She used to spend $10 a day on gourmet salads and ham-and-cheese sandwiches. About four months ago, the restaurants started to eliminate the cheaper combos meals, and the cost of her lunch became noticeably high. So Ms. Nichols headed to Subway. Now, she buys a footlong sandwich for $5 and saves the second half of it for the next day's lunch. To further cut costs, Ms. Nichols now buys her drinks and chips at supermarkets or convenience stores. Her new total tab for lunch: $15 to $20 a week.
The Company Kicks In
Some employees are discovering that there is such a thing as a free -- or subsidized -- lunch.
Lawrence Minicone, a financial consultant with FactSet Research Systems Inc., says that lately he's been heading to the company cafeteria. FactSet, a financial-data provider based in Norwalk, Conn., has provided free lunch four days a week to its 1,800 employees world-wide for years. However, in the past few months there has been a 10% to 15% increase in employees frequenting the cafeteria.
"Because of the rise in food costs, FactSet's policy really helps," Mr. Minicone says.
In some cases, employers who didn't offer much in the way of lunch fare are stepping in to alleviate rising food costs.
At public-relations firm Weber Shandwick's Dallas office, management has extended free lunches from the first Monday of each month to six or seven times a month since January. Ken Luce, president of Weber Shandwick California and Southwest, says about 80% of the firm's 102 employees take advantage of the lunches, up about 10% to 15% since last year.
Mr. Luce finds that when the food is brought in, employees eat as a group, which encourages collaboration and boosts morale. He adds that while it may cost more to provide lunch, which ranges from $7 to $12 per person, it makes employees happy. The meals also offset "the cost of turnover," he says, because it's cheaper to buy lunch and retain valued employees than it is to hire and train new workers.
GotVMail Communications, a telecommunications company based in Needham, Mass., started subsidizing employee lunches last summer to offset rising food and gas prices in the area. The company's 48 employees now get a $5 food credit each day that offsets the cost of lunch at area vendors. David Hauser, GotVMail's co-founder and chief technology officer, says it works out to an added benefit of $1,150 per year per employee, plus gas savings for employees who no longer have to drive to eateries since food is now delivered. About half of GotVMail's employees take advantage of the program.
Lunchroom Friendships
Mr. Hauser says it's been great to watch friendships form in the lunchroom between people from different departments who hadn't previously spoken. And, he says, it's common to find employees chatting about work projects over the company-subsidized lunch.
Employers stand to benefit from providing employees lunch. "It could boost productivity in that there's less travel time and less transition time," says Julie Morgenstern, a workplace productivity consultant based in New York and author of "When Organizing Isn't Enough." Still, she says employers should encourage workers to get fresh air or leave the building for a few minutes each day so that they don't make a potential productivity boost a "productivity sink."
Monday, January 28, 2008
Salary
Salary History: How Much Should You Tell?
Margaret Steen, Yahoo, HotJobs
At some point during your job search, you will likely be asked about your salary history -- how much you're making at your current job, and how much you made previously. Should you tell? Is there any way to avoid telling? And why do potential employers want to know, anyway?
When forming a response to these questions, it helps to understand employers' reasons for asking.
Employers tend to use your past pay as a gauge of your market value, says Richard Phillips, a career coach and owner of Advantage Career Solutions in Palo Alto, California. They also want a sense of what salary you'll be expecting. If it's tens of thousands of dollars more than the employer can pay for the position, it's probably not worth wasting your time or the employer's on further discussions.
"It's a way to figure out if we are all playing in the same league," Phillips says.
Play Your Cards Right
Of course, this information also gives the employer a leg up in the negotiation process. "We're going to play poker," Phillips says. "You're going to show every other card of yours, and I'm not going to show any of my cards."
Because of this, Phillips recommends not offering salary history in an initial written application. If you're filling out an application, put dashes in the box for salary history, indicating that you saw it, he says. If you're responding to a job posting that says to send in a resume and salary history, just send the resume. If the employer is interested, someone will call to ask for more information.
"Then you're in a dialogue," Phillips says. At this point, instead of telling the employer your current or past salary, ask what range they expect to pay for the position. You could also offer to provide your desired salary range.
The Strategy Could Backfire
This approach does have pitfalls. First, some employers may not call, choosing instead to focus on applicants who provided the information on the application.
"My take on it is that if you are a qualified candidate and they are going to ignore you because you did not send in your salary history, you do not want to work for that organization," Phillips says.
Even if you make it to the conversation stage, simply stating your expectations may not work.
Tell the Truth
"They could say any number for an expectation," says Lori Itani, an independent staffing consultant who focuses on high tech companies. When Itani talks to candidates, she asks for their salary history. "Everybody I talk to ends up giving that information out."
Itani is looking not only at whether the candidate is likely to be happy with the salary the company can offer, but also at whether the person has received raises when changing jobs. She also notes that employers can verify this information, so it's critical to tell the truth.
In the end, Phillips says, it's not usually a problem to give the employer the information. If bonuses or stock options were part of your pay package, mention this when you give salary numbers -- it could make a case for paying you more. If you know the position you're interviewing for pays less than you're making and you're OK with that, say so.
And remember that when the company actually makes an offer, you can still negotiate.
(http://hotjobs.yahoo.com)
Monday, December 31, 2007
New Year 2008
What New Year resolution would you like to see job-seekers make in 2008?
Improve Your Skills
Professionals should resolve to continue enhancing their skill sets and marketability. Start by determining where you want to be at the end of 2008 and list action steps you'll need to take to achieve your objective. Also identify the attributes in short supply in the marketplace, and build your abilities in these areas. This will help you not only stand out during the job search but also thrive once you're on the job. By continually strengthening your abilities and gaining new expertise, you will move forward on the road to success.-- DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International
Stick With Your Values
Seek out an organization that has the culture and values that are important to you. All too often, we focus on the job itself and don't pay enough attention to the organization. If you're starting a job search in 2008, make a commitment to find an organization that aligns with your personal needs. In the long term, you'll be much happier in your new role and a greater asset to your organization.-- Janice Renock, vice president of North American recruiting, the Capital Group Companies
Do Not Burn Bridges
Do not let a company check your references and make you an offer if you know you will not take the job. It leaves a very negative impression about your professionalism and intentions. Every person you meet in your job search is a new connection and you mustn't burn bridges in the process. Today's interviewer could be tomorrow's employer, customer, or competitor.-- Lindsay Olson, partner, Paradigm Staffing
Present Like a Pro
Join your industry association and volunteer to be a greeter at the next event so that you can meet all the movers and shakers in your field. Join a local Toastmaster's Club and learn how to present like a pro. By the end of the year you just may be the featured speaker at your next industry association event. Invite your boss to the event and see what happens at review time!-- Cheryl Ferguson, recruiter, The Recruiter's Studio
Align With Your Strengths
I would like to see job-seekers stand for happiness in the job by searching for a job that corresponds with their strengths and personality. We see that's where it goes wrong. Do not accept jobs (or colleagues) that do not correspond with who you are. Furthermore do not engage in activities that are not aligned with your strengths.-- Yves Lermusi, CEO, Checkster
Speak Up!
Don't be afraid to say to the recruiter that something's not working or talk about concerns or questions that you have. Even if you've decided that you don't like something about the company, the role, or the process, it behooves you to communicate that as clearly as you know how. And I want to echo my statement from last year: Hold out for your dream job. Either you'll find it or it may find you!-- Ross Pasquale, owner, Monday Ventures
Monday, December 24, 2007
Resume Writing Tips
Business Basics
How To Write A Killer Resume
Tara Weiss, 11.06.07, 5:31 PM ET
If your résumé isn't winning interviews for your dream job, it might be time for a rewrite.
Before you even sit down in front of the computer, consider the type of job you want. Think about the skills you want to use daily, and then determine two or three job titles that encompass them. Also, determine the type of company you want to work for--small or large, private or public--and the preferred industry.
"If you don't have that in mind, you can't focus and present the information that will get you there," says Louise Kursmark, an executive résumé writer and author of several book on résumés. "Everything should be filtered through that lens." Leave items out that don't pertain to your desired position.
The next step is easy: contact info. This might seem obvious, but recruiters report that an alarming number of job applicants don't put their contact information in a prominent location. Many recommend putting it at the top of the résumé. Include your address, e-mail and phone number. "I find some in the bottom of the résumé or not in the cover letter," says Diane Borhani, head of U.S. campus recruiting at Deloitte & Touche. "It's too much work to search, so we go on to the next résumé."
If you're just starting your career and don't have much job experience, include an objective section at the top. For example: "A position as an account executive with a consumer products firm." For those with more than a year in the workforce, a summary is more appropriate. It's broader than an objective--it states what you are looking for and who you are. It might say, "Account executive with a track record of improving business and proven skills in sales." In other words, it's a snapshot of your professional accomplishments.
Speaking of accomplishments, they are what you should focus on in the job history section. It's fine to include a few lines about what you did at work, but the bulk of material should include the things you did that made you stand out. Did you secure several new accounts? Did you have work published? Try to make yourself stand out from other applicants.
"Recruiters know what you do because of your job title," says Kursmark. "Instead of listing your daily tasks, talk about what you did that made your company better or your department more successful. Talk about the unique things you did, so your résumé will not be the same as someone who has the same job title."
The résumé's length is a source of conflict. One thing holds true: If the résumé exceeds two pages it better be worth it. Don't ramble on--the idea is to keep the résumé clear and concise. If your job title is impressive put it in bold. If it's not, but the company you worked for is, put that in bold. The rule of thumb: Only use bold for things you want to stand out. Under the title and company name, use bullet points to explain what you accomplished.
Use keywords--buzzwords--to describe your accomplishments and roles. Not all keywords are the same for all jobs. Therefore, examine five to 10 of the job listings you're applying for and highlight repeated words. Some common words include "leadership," "team player" and "self-starter." Then sprinkle those words throughout your résumé.
For those just starting out in the work world, Deloitte's Borhani recommends putting your education section first. List related coursework to the type of job you're seeking, and include your GPA if it's a 3.0 or higher. (Explain if it's cumulative or not.) Also, if you worked to put yourself through school mention that--it shows initiative. Don't mention every waitressing or store clerk position you had from high school and beyond. Only include it if you progressively gained more responsibility.
Borhani's bottom line résumé advice: "Keep it short and sweet." (http://www.forbes.com/)
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
What NOT to do
10 dumbest job-interview moves
By Anne Fisher
By Anne Fisher
Don't bring mom to the job interview, warns Fortune's Anne Fisher.
Here are some of the goofiest things job seekers have done when meeting hiring managers.
(Fortune) -- Even in a relatively strong job market, it can be tough to make yourself stand out from the competition. So it seems some job hunters these days are resorting to, um, innovative (or is that desperate?) ways of making sure their interviews are unique and memorable.
(Fortune) -- Even in a relatively strong job market, it can be tough to make yourself stand out from the competition. So it seems some job hunters these days are resorting to, um, innovative (or is that desperate?) ways of making sure their interviews are unique and memorable.
In a poll of hiring managers a few weeks ago, Accountemps (www.accountemps.com), a worldwide accounting-and-finance staffing firm based in Menlo Park, Calif., asked them, "What is the wackiest or most unusual pitch you've heard from a job seeker about why he or she should get the job?"
TOP TEN:The job hunter...
1. "...told me to hire him because he was allergic to unemployment."
2. "... said that we should hire him because he would make a great addition to our softball team."
3. "...said he should get the job because he had already applied three times and he felt that it was now his turn to be hired."
4. "...said we had nice benefits, which was good because he was going to have to take a lot of leave in the coming year."
5. "... drafted a press release announcing that we had hired him."
6. "... explained that he had no relevant experience for the job he was interviewing for, but his friend did."
7. "... delivered his entire cover letter in the form of a rap song."
8. "...told me she wanted the position because she wanted to get away from working with people."
9. "...brought his mother to the interview and let her do all the talking."
10. "...when our company moved to Texas, gave us his resume in a ten-gallon hat."
Friday, November 30, 2007
Are Americans too lazy?
Are Americans too lazy?
By Geoff Colvin,
By Geoff Colvin,
Fortune senior editor-at-large
Fortune Magazine) -- We Americans pride ourselves on being a hard-working bunch, so here's a thought....By global standards, we're lazy. We've been getting lazier. And the days of the American dolce vita may be numbered.
The surprising report of our relative sloth arrives in new research from the UN's International Labor Organization, which looks at working hours around the world. When it comes to what we might call hard work, meaning the proportion of workers who put in more than 48 hours a week, America is near the bottom of the heap. About 18% of our employed people work that much.
That's a higher proportion than in a few other developed countries like Norway, the Netherlands, and even Japan. But it's actually lower than in Switzerland and Britain, and way lower than in developing countries like Mexico and Thailand. It's drastically lower than in what may be the world's two hardest-working countries, South Korea and Peru, where the proportions are about 50%.
Put it all together, and the researchers figure we're getting about 117 hours of leisure per week (including sleep), vs. 110 hours in 1965. That's more than 360 additional idle hours per year. We are a couch-potato nation. (www.cnn.com)
CONCLUSION:
*We are competing for jobs globally as positions are being outsourced to other countries, which means we need to work harder for the positions that are still available here!
Fortune Magazine) -- We Americans pride ourselves on being a hard-working bunch, so here's a thought....By global standards, we're lazy. We've been getting lazier. And the days of the American dolce vita may be numbered.
The surprising report of our relative sloth arrives in new research from the UN's International Labor Organization, which looks at working hours around the world. When it comes to what we might call hard work, meaning the proportion of workers who put in more than 48 hours a week, America is near the bottom of the heap. About 18% of our employed people work that much.
That's a higher proportion than in a few other developed countries like Norway, the Netherlands, and even Japan. But it's actually lower than in Switzerland and Britain, and way lower than in developing countries like Mexico and Thailand. It's drastically lower than in what may be the world's two hardest-working countries, South Korea and Peru, where the proportions are about 50%.
Put it all together, and the researchers figure we're getting about 117 hours of leisure per week (including sleep), vs. 110 hours in 1965. That's more than 360 additional idle hours per year. We are a couch-potato nation. (www.cnn.com)
CONCLUSION:
*We are competing for jobs globally as positions are being outsourced to other countries, which means we need to work harder for the positions that are still available here!
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