Greater Milwaukee Jobs

2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • October 22, 2015 returned to full-time work in the same industry – three years and four months after he lost his job – and he's still in the position. There were days in those three years and four months – he always includes the four months when he talks about it – that he couldn't bear to make another call to a printing executive. When he saw others get- ting jobs and he hadn't had an inter- view in months. "Certainly I had moments when I thought, 'Man, this isn't going to happen.' " And, in fact, the vast majority of people like him – those who were out of work for a long time, even well after the recession ended – still weren't working more than a year later, or were working only part-time, or in temporary jobs. Among Americans who had been out of work a half-year or more in March 2013, just 28 percent of them were back working full-time for at least three months by June 2014, according to a paper by Federal Reserve economists. And that doesn't even single out people older than 60, who, by many accounts, face a bias in the workplace. But Rohrig was steadfast. 400 BUSINESS CARDS Before his layoff, he had been working for Data Mail, an 800- person combined printer/mailer in Connecticut, for nearly four years. He had been a senior account man- ager, and when one of the major clients switched to another company to save on postage, he was no longer needed. He had been making between $70,000 and $80,000 when he lost his job. His new job pays far less. "I didn't limit myself to printing and mail industries," Rohrig said. He applied to manufacturers, ware- houses, a fuel oil company, a nurs- ery and many others. Soon after he lost his job, he attend- ed a 6-month, 20-hours-a-week, gov- ernment-financed training program in quality management. But it didn't help him switch to manufacturing. Four of the companies he inter- viewed with never told him why they didn't offer him a job. In other cases, he said, the company decided to go with someone local, changed the job description, or told him he was too expensive, even though he'd taken steps back in pay other times in his career. His peak earning year was 1995, when he earned more than $90,000. 'THEY CAN'T SAY IT' According to a paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, "A sharp downturn gives employers cover to engage in age dis- crimination." A report from the Congressional Budget Office said interviews with workforce professionals found that employers steer clear of older work- ers because they believe that they'll raise the cost of the company's health insurance and because they had laid-off man . . . from page 1 A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Call 262-306-5008 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 18 • Number 7 October 22, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-338-5271 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays see LAID-OFF MAN . . . page 6 What to do on a project when the boss provides little guidance & A Q A. Ask good questions, find others to learn from and don't let it get in your head. My bias is that it's helpful to stay positive, so in the absence of other hints, I recommend you take it as "tough love." He may have developed profession- ally through sink-or-swim opportunities and grown a great deal from it. In that case, time may have eased the pain – or he just doesn't have other management alternatives in his tool kit. If, however, other evi- dence suggests that he wants you gone, I recommend starting to form an exit strategy before your confidence is undermined or you develop a negative track record. In the meantime, you have this project to get through. Start by giving yourself a crash course on the theory and prac- tice of the project area. Find a book or articles online to read. Reach out to your network and talk to people in your field with that experience. If you don't know anyone directly, tap into your LinkedIn connections.This is not a time to be shy, and remember that people are typi- cally flattered to be asked and are usually generous with their time. With any luck, things will click well enough with some- one that you can get some ongoing mentorship on this work. Make a plan, detailing every step you need to take, and noting where you feel like you'll need or want signoff. Be sparing with these, because the mes- sage you're getting is to make decisions on your own, so you can't be going to him for all the minor directional issues you'll face. Meeting No. 1 with your boss is to review your plan, get feed- back and finalize it. Have some questions for him, particularly to find out what level of regular status reports he wants so that you communicate at the right level. Get his agreement to engage at the milestones you've identified, too, so that he is expecting to weigh in. When you get to each mile- stone, it's essential that you go in with a point of view. If you're not sure what the right deci- sion is, lay out your alternatives, do a pros and cons assessment of each, and be able to summa- rize the benefits and risks of each. Without a lot of experi- ence, you may have difficulty deciding which risks are worse (or which benefits are better). That's where your boss comes in – he can add the most value and be most impressed by your approach if you're thorough and thoughtful. And you'll get the most learning, too. Bottom line, think of this as a test – and one that you can pass.Your boss may be trying to assess your persistence, your creativity, your problem-solving skills or your initiative. Stay focused on the business need, keep your confidence up and communicate consistently to ensure that this works in your favor. Q. My boss just threw me in the deep end of the pool on a new project; he has a lot of expertise in the area, me, not so much. Is this tough love, or is he setting me up to fail? Either way, how do I handle it? By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. For national retailers, 'tis the season to start building an army, just like would-be rulers in "Game of Thrones." The recruitment began late last month with in-store and online post- ings to handle the holiday crunch. The National Retail Federation fore- cast earlier this month that holiday sales should be 3.7 percent higher this year than last. Macy's has plans to hire 85,000 seasonal associates companywide. Target 70,000. Kohl's 69,000. Wal- Mart 60,000. And Toys R Us 40,000. Each company recently announced hiring plans to get the word out. Why so many? It's twofold, says Bob Phibbs, chief executive officer of the Retail Doctor, a retail consultancy based in upstate New York. "We all know what it's like to wait in line at Starbucks," he said. "Retail is a game of seconds, not minutes, because now one can easily scan and buy the item online and not have to wait in line. "You don't want that," Phibbs said. "Those things typically get passed down from person to person." A 2015 global survey of online shoppers found that 2 percent never shop a physical store, 3 percent do it once a year, and 24 percent several times. To better serve those online shop- pers, Amazon.com hired 80,000 tem- porary workers last year and is expected to match that this year. Second, there's the pitfall of having too few staff to get through New Year's, and the immediate days after to deal with gift returns. "Salaried workers have to work longer, which means having to pay Retail giants entering hiring season for the holidays By Suzette Parmley The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) see RETAIL GIANTS . . . page 6

• Cover