May 6, 2008 1:33

Business cards are a waste of paper

Look. I'm Japanese. This statement I've just made is liable to lose me my citizenship. Business cards, or meishi, as they're called back home, are a vital tool in the business world there. There's a whole etiquette to how you hand them out (with both hands), who gets whose first (the most senior guys, of course), how you receive them (bowing, as if this piece of stiff paper were a deity).

I thought about this whole ridiculous charade today as I read this piece on WSJ.com about creating biz cards that accurately reflect who you are and what you do. Worthy advice, to be sure, especially if you're between jobs and/or a freelancer. The article says,

Whether you're starting over or starting out, you need a business card that makes a memorable first impression in today's tight employment market. How can jobless older applicants and young graduates devise cards that are successful marketing tools? There is no single formula for winning with cards, of course.

Fair enough. But then I thought: why, exactly, do we persist in this arcane practice in a day and age when all of our contact information is digital? Again, back to my home country: for years now, new business contacts have whipped out a cell phone upon introduction and entered your name, phone number and other pertinent info. Our cell phones or PDAs are our Rolodexes now. So why do we still carry around the little pieces of dead tree?

You tell me. Business cards: thumbs up or down?

May 6, 2008 11:02

Are you willing to take a lower salary?

Another finding in the Jobfox survey below:

...the professions in highest demand among employers found that some median salary ranges being asked for by job seekers dipped $10,000, compared to a month ago. Median salary ranges demanded by job seekers fell for workers seeking jobs in:

Software Design/Development, with a median salary range of $95,000 to $105,000 in April to $85,000 to $95,000 in May.

Product Management, with the median salary range falling to $85,000 to $95,000 in May.

Networking/System Administration, dipping to $65,000 to $75,000 in May.

Finance, shrinking to $65,000 to $75,000.

Government Contracts Administration, settling for $55,000 to $65,000.

If you're on the job market now, have you ratcheted down your salary expectations? By how much? In what fields?

May 6, 2008 10:22

Job-hunting? You're in luck if you're in...

...sales. Or accounting. Or software design. So say the just-released results of a nationwide survey by Jobfox that identifies the jobs "in greatest demand by recruiters and other employer agents who use Jobfox to search for and find new or replacement workers." The survey reflects the latest in job trends, as the results were culled over the last 120 days, and also the median salaries based on job-candidate profiles.

Jobfox tallies the top 25 hottest jobs, but here I've pulled their top 10. Go to their web site for more. And liberal arts grads, don't despair: No. 10 is administrative assistant. You've all seen The Devil Wears Prada. It's a wonderful job.

1. Sales Representative/Business Development (U.S. median salary: $65-$75K): Focus on the typical full-sales cycle and business development including inside or outside sales.

2. Software Design/Development ($85-$95K): Design or development of software including architecture, userinterface design, applications, operating systems, device drivers, etc.

3. Accounting ($45-$55K): Accounting functions and processes within public or private organizations.

4. Accounting/Finance Executive ($65-$75K): Management or oversight of accounting/finance functions.

5. Networking/System Administration ($65-$75K): Installation and monitoring of computer networks including system administration roles.

6. Nursing ($35-$45K): Includes RNs, LPNs or nursing assistants at hospitals, residential facilities, private practices, home care, etc.

7. Project/Engagement Management ($85-$95K): Lifecycle project management from concept introduction to closeout.

8. Business Analysis, Software Implementation ($85-$95K): Management, configuration and optimization of custom software in a corporate environment or with a consulting firm.

9. Business Analysis, Research ($75-$85K): Collection and research that is turned into value-added information for organizations (includes work inside companies or with consulting firms).

10. Administrative Assistant ($35-$45K): Administrative and secretarial support of a department or individual (excludes Legal Administrative Assistant profession).