China: No Country for iPhones and no Demand either

China Unicom has sold just five iPhones through a big online retail site in the two weeks since it opened the virtual store, the latest sign that the handset is suffering in China from its high price and lack of Wi-Fi.

An official iPhone store on Taobao.com, the biggest Chinese e-commerce Web site similar to eBay, has sold just two 8GB iPhones and three 16GB iPhones, according to figures on the site. The store launched in the middle of last month, a few weeks after China Unicom began offering the first official iPhones in China.

China Unicom is also selling iPhones through its own Web site, which does not list sale figures. But Taobao is China's top online retail site and many users turn to it to buy items like mobile phones and laptops.

The China Unicom iPhones have to compete with iPhones brought into the country from abroad, which users have bought since long before the official handset arrived.

No WiFi Feature
iPhones bought outside China have Wi-Fi, which was removed from the China Unicom iPhones to comply with local regulations. The official handset is also more expensive than iPhones bought elsewhere.

The 32GB iPhone 3GS with no service contract costs 6,999 yuan (US$1,024) in China, compared to about US$800 in nearby Hong Kong.

LinkedIn; A Fast-Track Introduction to Business Contacts and Networking

LinkedIn Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts
Knowing how to interact with your connections on the professional social network isn't always as straightforward as it seems. Here are five cardinal rules that you should follow.

Social Networking Etiquette: How to Introduce Yourself and Others Politely
Improve your social networking etiquette IQ with our expert advice on some sticky situations you see on LinkedIn and other social networking sites. How can you politely decline friend or connection requests? Effectively introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you well? Thoughtfully connect two contacts? We've got answers.

LinkedIn Profiles: Avoid the Six Most Common Mistakes
Are mistakes on your LinkedIn profile costing you possible job opportunities? Check out this expert advice on LinkedIn profile pitfalls.

How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile: Stand Out to Employers, Recruiters
With so many people job hunting now, you've got more competition than ever on LinkedIn. So how do you make your LinkedIn profile work best for you? Here are some practical tips for standing out from the crowd and reaching potential employers.

On LinkedIn, Who Should You Connect With?
You've signed up for LinkedIn, because everyone says it's the primary business social network. But to whom should you connect? Your strategy should differ from your approach to Facebook.

LinkedIn Tips: How Many Connections Is Too Many?
When it comes to LinkedIn connections, some people believe more is better, creating huge networking circles. But that approach has prompted debate, with even some people inside LinkedIn saying that's a risky strategy. Here are three good reasons to beware of having too many LinkedIn connections.

How to Use LinkedIn Company Profiles For Job Hunt, Networking
Company profile pages on LinkedIn can help you tune into a company's comings and goings, executive relationships and key business facts. Here's how to search and use LinkedIn Company Profiles to your best advantage.

LinkedIn Recommendations: Five Ways to Make The Most of Them
As potential employers or recruiters peruse your work experience on LinkedIn, recommendations from past and present colleagues can be one of the most helpful features to help communicate your value. Here are five tips for doing the most good for yourself with LinkedIn recommendations.

New LinkedIn Apps Platform Overview
Since LinkedIn launched its application platform, the social network for professionals must carefully vet what technologies get added to the site, ensuring that they honor users' privacy while bolstering productivity.

LinkedIn's New Free Apps: Review, Part One
LinkedIn's getting down to business with a platform of free apps. Here's a hands-on look at what the first batch of those apps can do for you, from presentation help to travel tools.

LinkedIn's New Free Apps: Review, Part Two
Here's a look at the rest of LinkedIn's apps currently available on the new LinkedIn App Platform. They run the gamut, from presentations to file sharing to what you're reading.

LinkedIn's Most Unusual Members: Meet The Super-Connected
LinkedIn open networkers, or LIONs, accept almost all LinkedIn connection requests and introduce strangers out of good will. Here's a look at this controversial group and its approximately 16,000 members who'd like to be known as the saints of social networking, but are sometimes called spammers.

LinkedIn Clamps Down On Super-Connected Users
LinkedIn has imposed new restrictions on the number of connections any one person can have, say members of the LinkedIn open networkers, a controversial group that accepts almost all LinkedIn connection requests. The group appears to be walking an increasingly fine line with the social network.

LinkedIn vs. Facebook: Is the "Boring" Underdog Poised to Beat Its Flashy Competitor?
Despite the spotlight on Facebook and its massive user base, the social network's more professional competitor, LinkedIn, is poised for profitability and more immediate financial success. Analysts also say investors see revenue potential for LinkedIn that extends beyond advertising.

Twitter for Business users

Here are some tips on how to use Twitter effectively for business. Plus a few precautions.

1. Don't automate it
If you've got a blog that's connected to your business, you can use a service such as TwitterFeed to directly channel your new blog posts into Twitter posts. It sounds impressive but don't do it. Your business's primary Twitter feed ought to be hand-fed. If you publish a flood of impersonal links, your Twitter account will just seem like a faceless promotion machine and that's not a good way to engage people on Twitter.

Link to the very best stuff on your blog, as well as relevant information that you see elsewhere on the web, and also post items that don't contain links at all. (Don't forget to use a URL-shortening service such as tinyurl, is.gd, or xrl.us for your links.)

2. Be conversational
Your business's Twitter account should talk like a person, even if it's a collective "person" representing your company or brand. Think of your Twitter account as a character in an Internet play, it's a walking, talking personification of your company. If you feel like it: Use the first-person ("They're putting my stuff on sale again!"), invent a personality or just use the royal "we" and "our", "Our editors have the latest on so-and-so" but be chatty.

Some companies prefer to disclose members of their team when they're tweeting from the company account. This is also a valid approach. Par example, the clever group-tweeting service CoTweet (currently in beta) can automatically append your initials to the tweets you make while representing your company. (Macworld is testing out this service to see if it makes it easier for a group of our editors to jointly operate our various Twitter accounts.)

3. Follow people who are relevant

• Follow everyone on your staff who uses Twitter from your Twitter account.
  
• Follow colleagues in related companies and in your industry.
  
• Follow relevant brands and journalists and pundits in your market, even those who compete with you.

It's professional and polite to follow people and by following people you are creating an ecosystem. People will see who you are following and consider those as suggestions for users they should follow as well.

4. Make sure your people are on Twitter, and refer to them Remember that individuals tweet different things than companies. It's acceptable for your company's employees to talk about making waffles or going out for drinks, as well as what they're working on. Not everyone will embrace Twitter, but many of them will. Even the most personal stuff that leaks on to Twitter can help make stronger personal connections with colleagues and audience members alike.

Having said this, you need to be aware who your employees are and make them aware that everything they write on Twitter (unless they're using a "protected account" that limits access) is public. If there's someone who works for your company whose Tweets are a bit risque, you should consider whether or not you want to refer to them from your company's account. An alternative is to ask employees to create two Twitter accounts, one for work matters and one for their sordid personal lives and keep them separate.

Once your people are on Twitter, they'll be able to mention what they're working on and reference the brand via Twitterspeak. Par example: "Just wrote a cool story for @macworld about the iPod shuffle." That will drive followers to your company's Twitter account.

Likewise, your brand's account can drive followers to your people. For example: "Our very own @vacuumdood thinks the new Dyson sucks awesome: tinyurl.com/example"

5. Answer your mentions
People will refer to your company's account as if it were a person. You should reply to tweets that mention you, when relevant. This will give your account more personality and will make those people feel engaged directly with the brand. For example, a person might ask you a question directly: "@macworld Hi. Do you know when Apple will enable SMS message forwarding on the iPhone? Thanks." "@janevans35 Apple's not saying, but we hope it's with the next major software release!"

6. Search for your name
Beyond mentions, which are specific references to your Twitter account, there are probably people using Twitter to talk about your business. Use Twitter's powerful search features to find those references, either from the Twitter Web site, a Mac-based Twitter client program such TweetDeck or Tweetie that supports saved searches, or even via your RSS reader by subscribing to the RSS feed linked to from every Twitter search results page. There are a lot of companies offering great customer service and support on Twitter by watching what people say about them. When I groused on Twitter about my bad luck finding a JetBlue flight from Oakland to Boston, within a half an hour I had received a reply from the JetBlue Twitter account with an explanation.

7. Consider creating sub-accounts for sections of your business or customer base
If you're part of a big enough company, consider creating smaller, more targeted accounts. Starting a new section of your site devoted only to fans of the double bass? It might be worth starting a new @joesmusicbass account, then Tweeting about it from your company's main account: "Bass lovers rejoice! Welcome our new friend, @joesmusicbass to the party!"

8. Use Twitter to ask your customers questions...and get good answers
Twitter is a great way to get answers to questions. Trying to figure out what your customers want to see or are interested in? Use Twitter to ask them. Sure, it's not a scientific survey, but it can give you an immediate snapshot of the zeitgeist. This can be both instructive and productive.

9. Be a good Twitter citizen Can you persuade your Twitter followers to promote you to their followers? Sure, but be mindful: He who has the most followers doesn't necessarily win. If you get people to promote you to their friends to win a prize, you may end up creating a harmful backlash.

Recently, a software-deals site offered a free program to anyone who would tweet about its bundle to his or her friends. The people who tweeted were rewarded, but many of their friends felt like they were receiving spam. Even though the people who tweeted were complicit in the act, it was the company that induced the tweeting that received the bulk of the criticism. The etiquette of Twitter is still evolving, be aware and be wary.

Conclusion
Even if you're not the type of person who uses Facebook or Twitter yourself, there's no denying that these new forms of connection and communication are powerful and becoming increasingly important. That's why your business should be on Twitter now.

Should you be picking the low growing fruit

NOT SURE WHICH WAY TO TURN?

SHOULD YOU TAKE A LOWER PAID JOB?

When searching for a new job and the time starts to drag on and on, normally extending beyond three months, it is natural to begin to wonder if you should take a lower-level or lower paid job just to get some sort of paycheck again.

It's a sensible and an honest question but also a difficult one to answer. After working so hard to build a career and climb the corporate ladder, taking a step or two back, can affect more than your pride.

Some career experts will warn you against taking a lower-level job. They will advise you to hold out for a better offer that will better advance your career and not set you back a step, or three. Clearly, this is not an issue when you need a money to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. It doesn't matter what job you get, just as long as it's honest and helps pay the bills.

There is a strong argument that taking a lower-level job can be a smart career move, especially if it prevents you from being unemployed for more than 12 months, and with the economy as slow as it is, 12 months of unemployment is not unrealistic.

Its a simple but realistic outlook. You may want to consider positions at a level lower. You will increase your chances of getting a job sooner if you keep your options open and consider lower-level positions in addition to relocating and switching industries. This advice goes for executives too. There is an expression that says; 'A' class talent always rises to the top. Clearly, holding out for the perfect or even a comparable job opportunity in this economy may be even more risky than taking a step or two back.

Its OK to hold out for a perfect or promoted post for three to nine months. Even up to a year can be acceptable and justifiable, but if you're out of a job for 12 to 18 months, you're in danger of devaluing your skills and marketability. Today's business moves so fast and there are so many changes and new regulations, new laws and new competitors arriving on a 7-by-24 basis that being out of the market and out of touch for 12 or more months, is a big gap to jump.

The dilemma is; If you spent some of the time you were unemployed doing contract or short term consulting work would this mean that you were still in touch with the business world? Taking on short term and consulting projects definitely will help, for a number of reasons but it's important to take on projects that will help you gain the knowledge and experience that will help you get a promoted post. Also, employers tend to consider these projects as part of a job seeker's portfolio, if they are made aware of them by you.

The down side could be; If you, as an experienced executive, picked up a consulting contract managing a company's payroll, a prospective employer may not consider this as suitable experience, a diversion away from, and dilution of your normal key skill sets. Thus, they may look disfavourably upon your application as an IT executive. They may not think it was at a high enough level and would have preferred to see you working on a more strategic project.

In conclusion; Diversify by all means but be mindful of what contracts and consulting projects you take on. It may seem to contradict my earlier recommendation to seriously consider lower-level jobs, especially if money is tight but consider the circumstances well and do not forget the overall perception that may be given out by some positions, with respect to new employers. They may not see it as a positive move for your career.

LinkedIn and Beyond: More Sites to Help You Network

LinkedIn, Facebook and Myspace can be useful tools for networking with consumers and peers, but there are other social networks on the web with more specific purposes or narrower audiences. The list is almost endless and the variety equally so. Here is a selection of other popular sites.

APSense.com: Tap into an affiliate marketing revenue stream by promoting products and sites on your business profile, and get paid for the friends you refer. (This is not the same service as Google's ADSense)

Biznik.co.uk: Join your local (US or UK) business community to connect and collaborate with nearby entrepreneurs, and find out about local seminars and events.

Entrepreneur Connect & Women Entrepreneur Connect: Share ideas, join groups, publish content and promote your business on (Women) Entrepreneur's own network.

FastPitchNetworking.com: Create a profile, product listings and blog, and take advantage of e-mail marketing and virtual trade shows. Their website is also available in German, Spanish and Chinese languages.

GoBigNetwork.co.uk: Get serious about fast growth in this startup community focused on finding funding, talent and expert advice.

Konnects.com: Build a network among other startup entrepreneurs and launch your own branded network when you're ready. Twitter friendly!

Marzar.com: Connect with other business owners while promoting products and services in the marketplace.

Xing.com: Search this global site for business partners, contacts and professional opportunities. Multiple European, Chinese and Asian languages supported

This list is for information only. I am in no way recommending them over any others. Explore and enjoy but make up your own mind about how useful or otherwise, they are to you.

NB: many of the above sites are US or UK based, but some have multiple language support and may have a separate more localised, website for your country. If not, well, you now have an opportunity to develop something for your city, region or catchment area.

If you are already connected and using the above sites, I would be very interested to hear your comments and feedback on them. As well as your links and suggestions for bigger and better networking sites.

Connecting with Intelligence at www.ted.com

Laid-off! Oh No! What now?

Crystal Balls

The USA reported that 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, with 524,000 axed in December alone. Unfortunately, the situation isn't expected to be any better in Europe in 2009. People who invested years of hard work, loyalty and dedication have been shown the (back) door. Now they find themselves out in the street, left wondering what their futures hold.

Discard Pride and take Courage
The newly unemployed can't afford to miss a beat. Yes, the economy has deteriorated. Yes, more layoffs are coming. Yes, it's harder to find a job now than it was a year ago but while some will react badly, smart job seekers will get tough and get going. They'll brush up their résumés, hit the job boards, work their social networks and polish their interview skills . Remain calm, collected and focused on finding the next opportunity.

Resting for the Hunt

Finding a new Job is Your Full-Time Job
You might not be fully employed, but you do have a job. Your job is to find a new position. Remember, you have been released from you current commitments, you have not been granted permission to take time off and lick your wounds.

Some people may feel they have enough savings to live off for a month or two, before they throw themselves back in the market. Sadly, if you let yourself slip into the "let's call it a break" mentality, you seriously risk losing your edge and when you do decide to actively pursue a job, it'll be that much harder to get back into the working harness and the pace of things.

Job hunting race
Secondly all your colleagues are now running ahead of you in the job hunting race. You may even find that you have competition from some of your old colleagues, the ones that are not being laid-off. These are the 'jump before you're pushed' brigade. The ones that have seen some scarey writing on the wall near to them and this has provoked them into finding a more secure company to work for.

If you start to pursue a new position immediately, you'll be much more fit and prepared to seek out and find the right opportunity. You will still be hot from the fight. Your readiness will show in your interview attitude, from the way you present your résumé, to the way you conduct yourself while under scrutiny and in your ability to negotiate, confidently.

Slainte!

Keep Your Spirits Up
This is not a license to drink more whiskey, not that I want to discourage you. Being laid off in today's economy can send any level-headed person into a panic. That's why it's important to keep your priorities in check, preferably a reality check. Keeping your spirits high keeps you motivated to get back out there with the level of enthusiasm you need. Did you ever walk over hot coals? as part of a team-building course. Well, if you did then remember the state of mind you assumed at that time, face forward, focus and take that first step.

Step up out of the trench
Professionally speaking, your layoff could be a big blessing in disguise. You know that you felt unappreciated, stifled or bored in your old job! The company politics were dragging you down! So, now is the time to stop whining and find your true calling. Take advantage of this time for expansion, self-discovery and growth. Re-build, renovate and re-invent yourself.

Find a job or position that really challenges you in new and exciting ways. We are all the sum of multiple characteristics and talents that grow and change with knowledge and experience. Look at the different aspects and elements of your complex character. Train and develop some of these and allow others out for some exercise and experience. Try something new. Pick up on an activity that you used to enjoy, something you already know and can expand.

Hail! Friends Countrymen!

Network, Network, Network
When the going gets tough reach out to everyone you know and maybe some that you don't.

Looking for a job is no shame on you and you, like everyone else need to be supported.

Clearly, people don't like to talk about their sudden unemployment but remember that everyone knows the economy is down. Through no fault of your own, you find yourself in the growing army of newly unemployed people but YOU are one of a kind.

Tell your friends. Tell your family. Post updates on social networking sites. Let people know you could use some help, and ask them to put you in touch with people they know are hiring. Make sure everyone knows you are in the market, you are developing new skills and have something more to offer.

New Skills! New vacancies!

Recruitment agencies can help
Talk to recruitment agencies, whether you are looking for full-time or part-time employment. These agencies have already seen a noticeable increase in clients who have never used a staffing company before now. You can be sure that they have already planned for this increase in demand. It's their job.

Advice from friends is helpful, but staffing professionals know the ins and outs of local employment and can propose or suggest that you follow a new direction, one you had not been aware of or considered. Even more importantly, recruitment agencies have established good relationships with local companies. Listen to what they say.

Skills Gap Analysis
Recruitment agencies are also a good source of information regarding what key skills are most sought after, by the market. If you have good current skills they will be able to tell you how to package and market them. If your skills are out of alignment with the market, they can give you good advice as to how to change or tune your approach to a better fit.

No Demand for Zeppelin mechanics!

Take it on the chin if they say you need to re-train entirely and get out there to find the cheapest smartest way to do this. The web is a good source of free online tuition and again your friends and network can help you here too. Seek out the one's that have current skills or work with others who have them.

Consider working for FREE for a short introductory period.

It would be a great advantage to you to find work as an intern or assistant with a company who have, and use, the key skills you need to learn or develop! Remember there has to be value on both sides or it won't work. So you need to have something to offer them. You will short circuit many of their reticence and objections if you offer your time and experience for FREE! In return you get some valuable training or much needed exposure to a new skill, methodology or application.

Clearly working for nothing is a short term activity and you cannot allow it to continue for long. You need an income and you have only a small window of opportunity before you go broke. So, once you are in-situ, you need to learn as much as you can, gaining real hands-on experience and as quickly as possible. Poverty is a great motivator!

You never know what might come from this and it will keep your morale high, maintain your social interaction and extend your network. 3 very important considerations but beware of abusive persons that will try to exploit your position.

Social Networking helps
Don't hesitate to put your professional face online. Make sure you are on LinkedIn and your profile is up to date. Your online presence is often the first place potential employers will look. If run correctly, your social network could be that extra boost your résumé needs. Exercise caution and restraint, because, depending on the content, it could also be detrimental. Post articles you've written or details of a project you're particularly proud of, not the pictures of you mooning your mates on last year's trip to Cancun.

Consider Contract work and Consulting
Although you might be leaving a full-time, "permanent" position, don't rule out the idea of consulting. Many workers overlook the option of consulting because they don't like the relative insecurity and the idea of impermanence.

The use of Contractors and contracting
In fact, many cautious employers now are showing great caution when taking on new staff. They don't want the long term commitment in such a dynamic marketplace. They want to be able to grow and shrink as the work dictates. They do this by using contractors and they manage the uptake of contractors by issuing short 3 month contracts in the first instance, with the 'potential' to extend.

From my experience it will take you 6 weeks to settle into a new company and it will be 3 months before you will become truly confident and start taking the initiative in that position. From your side, you are set to go. From the employers side, they know who they are dealing with and they have assessed your worth. They can now decide whether to 'extend' you for a more agreeable period of time e.g. 6 months or 1 year, to completely 'domesticate you by offering a Permanent contract or to 'release' you back into the Wild.

If you dismiss contracting as an option, you could be slamming the door on your career.

Once you are established as a contractor, it is not uncommon to stay with a company for 2 years or more. Years of relative security and certainty, the same pay and benefits. Remember that a short consulting assessment is often the only way into and organisation but could potentially lead to a (semi-)permanent position.

Go Girl Power!

Cultivate Suppleness and Flexibility

Consulting also has a number of benefits you won't find with a permanent position. It provides a vehicle for flexibility. That may be the flexibility to spend more time with your family, or open up that business of your dreams. Consulting usually generates a higher salary than a permanent position. It can also stimulate you business sense in a way that a more sedintary position does not.

Just say 'No!'
As an independent consultant, you always have the option to say 'No' to a project if it doesn't appeal to you. Can you imagine saying "no thanks" to your last manager? (out loud). There are a huge array of jobs available to contractors. This makes it possible to not only choose where and when you work, but what you're doing and how you do it.

The Postman earns more than you do, now
A contract or temporary position with a company keeps some income flowing while you search for a more permanent and satisfying position. It could be the key to keeping you and your family fed and healthy.

Benefits? What Benefits?
Do remember that temporary workers and contractors do not have access to the same benefits within organisations. No health insurance, no pensions, no sick pay, short notification of termination periods, etc. So, its not all plain sailing and lots of money but its something you will know in advance and can deal with. Remember what your Grannie told you, save up and put aside something for the leaner days.

With grim determination and a willingness to grow and open yourself up to new experiences, you will not be a Statistic very long!

Expanding your career in a shrinking market

It is the aim and nature of all professional people to develop themselves to the maximum. The mantra states; we must maximize our potential and grow our careers.

To do that you have to achieve better results than those around you and without 'over' achieving. Although, this last point is more a problem for older more mature employees.

Remember there is a tiger at the door; So you are in direct competition with everyone else in your company

Consider some simple techniques to help you get more recognition and better results for your efforts.

1) When the bell rings, come out fighting.

• Be the first to arrive and the last to leave.
  
• Be sure to be caught working all the time you are at work.
  
• Start the day with the most important, onerous or the most difficult tasks.
  
• Do not surf the Internet, make personal calls, read the newspaper or make small talk with the 'losers'.
  
• Check your list of activities for the day,
  
• Focus on establishing priorities and get on with it.
  
• Start knocking down those skittles!
  

2) Fill your day with achievements.

• Always be the one that contributes positively at meetings and in face-to-face interaction.
• Ask your boss and yourself, what you can do to provide the greatest contribution to the organisation.
  
• Let everyone know that you are willing to go the extra mile or kilometre.
  
• Do more than the basic minimum, more than you are paid to do.
  
• Be seen to be the one that puts in more effort than the others.
  
• Look for solutions, methods or tools that will allow you and therefore the organisation, to be more effective.
  

3) Set a scorching pace.

• Your career is not a quick sprint or dash across the hurdles.
• It is more enduring like a marathon:
  
• Some runners sprint off at the beginning and get out way ahead of the pack.
  
• Most will be happier running with the pack, safe in the middle, un-noticed, unseen
  
• There are many who are less fit and not really motivated. They are content to be in the race at all but they are clearly seen to be struggling and lagging behind the pack.
  
• Your place is up amongst the leaders, being in the right place at the right time. Excel in hitting targets, achieving goals and milestones.

Take control of your life, your day and yourself. Start each working day with a list of planned activities carried over from the previous day. These will be organised by their priority, so you can address each task as the priorities dictate.

This is a life discipline not just an office routine and will make you more efficient, targetted and better directed as a person. This, in itself will make you stand out from the ambling, gasping crowd and when all around are losing their's, your career will soar.

If you are looking for promotion, assume the position

The Survivors' Guilt

“But at least you still have a job.”

Yes, those who survive the all-too frequent layoffs are very grateful for their work, but studies show that the stress from all the upheaval can wreak havoc on their health, morale and productivity. And don’t expect them to work harder out of sheer gratitude

Working with the survivors is challenging. These people have lost good friends, vast quantities of institutional knowledge, pay raises, benefits. Plus, they are being asked to take on other people’s work and add it to their own heavy load. The company is expecting them to be upbeat about it.

There’s that low-level anxiety, vulnerability to colds and flu, aches and pains, sleeping difficulties. When you’re anxious, waiting for that next shoe to drop, your body stays in a kind of fight-or-flight mode. Your body is overproducing adrenaline and cortisol. The hormones you need to sustain yourself during a crisis and the substances your body is producing are very toxic.

There can be guilt that they were spared. This can manifest itself as, anger and depression. Clearly, there’s a huge increase in insecurity and that uncertainty is very destabilizing.

As part of a 10-year study of downsizing at a major U.S. manufacturer, looking at depression in workers, in surveys two years apart in the ‘90s.

Depression scores dropped by more than half in those who took a voluntary buyout. There was little change in those who left involuntarily, but, interestingly, depression scores rose slightly among the workers who stayed on.

From the company’s data on sick leave, it was found that managers and other higher-skilled workers took more sick leave, possibly to look for other jobs. Less-skilled workers, meanwhile, took less sick leave and absenteeism at the company declined as workers hunkered down, trying to hang on to their jobs. Remembering that this was in a job market much more favorable than that of today.

This points to research that layoffs often don’t improve companies’ financial performance – essentially the reason they are done in the first place – and to a 2003 study by the Institute of Behavioral Science that found that people who had seen co-workers laid off reported poorer mental and physical health than workers who had not been exposed to layoffs at all.

The whole metaphor breaks down. We’re a family. We take care of each other and you don’t divorce your children.

Reporting even worse health and attitudes were layoff survivors who were shifted to different positions or departments within the company.

One of the inherent dangers for companies is that handling layoffs badly can taint the perceptions of those who are left. They’re the ones the company is relying on to move the company forward, yet that depends on the respect that remains for those who have led the downsizing.

A lot was going on with the companies studied, including a merger, an increase in outsourcing and a move away from its “we’re a family” culture towards a shareholder-driven, profits first company. Workers took that as a betrayal, with comments that they were being treated as a number or an expendable commodity.

It’s hard enough for workers to concentrate when rumors are swirling at the water cooler and online and these can quickly turn toxic in the absence of reliable and reassuring information from the company but to see coworkers escorted from the building like criminals only severely hurts morale.

Though plenty of articles say productivity goes down for layoff survivors but it’s not that simple. It depends on how productivity is measured and the economic climate in which it occurs, e.g. any form of restructuring and change will take some getting used to.

Workers need time to grieve after a layoff, just as they would a death in the family and workers who have to take up the slack might require more support and training, which suggests there will certainly be a period of inefficiency until everyone is up to speed on the new tasks.

A recent US survey report bears a real sting. It’s based on surveys of 4,172 workers who survived corporate layoffs. In the study:

• 75 percent said their productivity has decreased.
• 64 percent said it's true of coworkers.
• 69 percent said the quality of the company’s products or services has declined.
• 81 percent said customer service has been hurt.
• And 61 percent believed the layoffs have hurt their company’s future prospects.

The bright spot in the survey, however, echoed the advice of many experts: You can lessen the blow by being as open and forthright with employees as possible. Workers who rated their managers as visible, approachable and candid, even when there was nothing new to report, were much less likely to report these declines. You really can’t over-communicate during these events.

Let your surviving workers know that they are here because they are the right people for the job. Let them that you believe in them and together they can work to get the company through these very challenging times. You’ve got to show them your respect, trust and appreciation. Help them prioritize their work. Let them know why they are there and let them know how they can help and how you are going to support them.

This is not the time to sit quietly in your executive office and neglect your people. They need leadership and they need it now. You have to be out there amongst them, letting them know what’s going on and have them feel that you’re fighting for them.

Linkedin - Make the most of it

I was invited to join Linkedin some years ago when it had just a small following and I subsequently lost the e-mail account that I was using to log in and could not retrieve the Password. So recently, I had to start again and try to re-connect with past colleagues and friends in other locations. It has been an interesting voyage but I still have a long way to go.

I have decided to share with you some of my findings and some suggestions from others about improving your Linkedin account. Hopefully, this will make it more interesting and more effective.

Recommended reading
Within your LinkedIn profile you have a section for recommendations. This is intended to be a useful tool for recruitment consultants and potential new bosses, to find out something about you. Do you play well with others? Unfortunately it can be a bit incestuous, with a circle of friends patting each other on the back and congratulating themselves for doing what they do.

The section suggests that you seek out approval and recognition from a list of your contacts, to allow potential employers a fuller view of you as a direct report, boss, colleague, or client. They are intended to make your LinkedIn profile more dynamic and personal than the fairly static information (where you worked, what you did) that appears in your general resume.Be aware that employers will look beyond the shallow and obviously long-standing friendships, to find the real you.

Instructions on how to get to the Recommendations page;

1. After you log into your LinkedIn homepage, scroll your mouse over to the left navigation menu where it says "Profile." Click on the subsection that says, "Recommendations."
2. On the Recommendations page, click on the "request recommendations tab."
3. You can then walk through a simple three step process.

• Name the job (among those listed in your resume) for which you want a recommendation, using the drop-down menu.
• Decide who you'll ask for a recommendation. And lastly,
• Write a customized note, telling the person why you'd like them to recommend you.

a) What kind of recommendation should you have
While you should have a recommendation in which your boss praises your abilities and how your work helped drive good business results, don't stop there. You want to be able to demonstrate that you were a team player, having your peers say in a recommendation that you go the extra mile or help mentor people can help shape your image with a potential employer.

You also might want to look externally to clients and internally to your direct reports. If you really want to show that you're an effective manger, you want to have endorsement from those people, not just the person above you saying so. Recommendations are about how you work with the people around you, and that should really be all the way around you: above, below, and sideways.

Clearly, make sure you know the person well before asking them for a recommendation. Not only will that ensure a recommendation with greater depth and detail, but also, you avoid putting someone in the awkward position of saying no.

b) Setting Expectations for a Recommendation
Like a recommendation written for the paper-based or e-mail world, a person recommending you on LinkedIn can benefit from some guidance on what specific thoughts and key items you're looking to present in their recommendation. It doesn't hurt to meet them halfway and state what aspects of your experience and relationship you're wanting to convey.

Don't put words in their mouths unless you know more appropriate ones. Do ask them to accentuate one or two good points about what it was like working with you. You can sit back and leave it up to chance about what they might want to write but you may not get the answers you want.

That said, you want to make sure you're not shutting down a colleague from writing something about you that you were unaware. Something that would bolster your image and that you may not have even thought of. In the invitation to write the recommendation, you shouldn't set overly specific guidelines, but mention that you'd be happy to offer them some ideas, if they think it would be helpful.

You might get a happy surprise if they create something that exceeds your expectations and then again you may not.

c). Length: Quality over Quantity
It doesn't hurt to give your colleague some guidance for how long the recommendation should be, and in this case, experts agree that quality should trump quantity. Reader attention spans on the Web are known to be very short. So, you don't want potential employers missing the overall message of a recommendation because they were unable to take several minutes to read it. Time is money and always short. One paragraph should be sufficient, with two paragraphs being an absolute max.In most cases, recommendations with as few as three sentences communicate the most essential points about a person.

d) Number of Recommendations: Again, Quality Over Quantity
Some LinkedIn profiles look like infomercials if you overuse the recommendation feature. You should not follow such a blatantly obvious deviant strategy. I know people who have 300+ recommendations but it waters down the impact of any of the individual recommendations and can confuse and distract the reader. If you have five really important ones, that's sufficient. At a guess the next 295 will be saying roughly the same thing i.e. this person is great! It adds too much noise and degrades your integrity.

We certainly recommend having no more than 10, or if you must have recommendations from each previous position or employer, limit yourself to two to three per job.

e) Give Before You Get
The importance of building social capital and goodwill can not be overstated and it's really unavoidable when it comes to LinkedIn recommendations. Before you can expect serious endorsements from people, it's better to start by recommending some people yourself. This way, when you find yourself in need of a new job, hopefully you can rely on them returning the goodwill.

A mirror on your bedroom ceiling reflects badly on you