Wednesday Career Management Notes

(http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/jam2005/2814922587/) I’m posting less this week as I am getting some away time. But, there are a few events I’d like to take note of even though they are not a full post at this time.

You have a Personal Brand

All you need to see this is witness the spectacular information gathering going on with McCain’s VP pick, Sarah Palin.

This isn’t a political blog, but note how much information has been found out about her policies while in Alaska. And if you think this doesn’t apply to you, it really does.

In Palin’s case, the information is being published. If your life was reviewed, albeit not at the same level of intensity, by recruiters and hiring managers, you’d never know the outcome. That’s because they would be looking at your life on-line and making the decision to not call you for consideration of that position. And you’d never know it. Right, wrong, or indifferent.

That is why it is really important to be establishing your personal and professional brand right now.

Financial’s still in a heap of trouble

GMAC, the financial arm for General Motors, announces layoffs (http://news NULL.yahoo NULL.com/s/nm/20080903/bs_nm/gmac_rescap_jobs_dc_3) of 5,000 people at their ResCap Mortgage unit.

Plus, another hedge fund (http://news NULL.yahoo NULL.com/s/nm/20080903/bs_nm/ospraie_fund_dc_5) bites the dust.

And speaking of GM, they posted a sales drop (http://news NULL.yahoo NULL.com/s/nm/20080903/bs_nm/usa_autosales_dc_2) of 20.4% in August. Ford dropped 26.6%. Toyota’s sales fell 9.4% – bad, but nowhere near their American counterparts. Nissan’s went UP by 13.6%. All of this will impact employment at these companies.

Worker Reports

Lots of information out about workers being in worse shape now (http://www NULL.msnbc NULL.msn NULL.com/id/26485812/) than in previous years:

In its first national labor scorecard, the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations said more than 10 percent of Americans are unemployed, discouraged from seeking work or underemployed. That is a nearly 25-percent increase from one year earlier.

Yeah, we’re feeling that.

Labor Day

Kate and I had a wonderful time over the Labor Day weekend taking a mini-vacation to an island across Elliott Bay here in Seattle-land. A mere 30-minutes away by ferry, the time was like we were hundreds of miles away from the city. Very nice – and important to have some renewal time for us.

Hope you’re getting back into the swing of things after the summer. I’m gearing up!

Scot