3Gen

The End.

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:07:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

It’s the season for endings, I suppose.

I just turned in my last paper and did my last presentation of the semester.

In just over two weeks, I’ll have to cross out and correct the “2009” I’m sure I’ll still be writing on things long after the year is over.

And 3Gen will be taking a little vacay. (Don’t cry.)

Sometimes endings are good (see No. 1, above). Sometimes they’re bad. Usually they lead to some kind of beginnings. But no matter what, I try not to ignore them. Because as nice as it sometimes is to make transitions seamlessly, I think it’s pretty darn important to pause and reflect and plan and just think.

So I’m challenging you to take a few minutes – after finals, please – to think about where you’ve been and where you’re headed. (And don’t forget where you are now!)

I know I’ll be doing it. Because I want to remember that this semester was the busiest, most exhausting, most challenging and most educational of my life—and that I didn’t have a single throw-my-hands-up-and-melt-down moment (shockingly).

I want to remember that 2009 was a blur of a year packed to the brim with learning about public health and journalism and government and life.

I want to recognize that I now have a much-needed few weeks to relax, regroup and be thankful (oh, and go on a Caribbean cruise – should be mandatory for all Minnesotans). To spend time with family and friends. To feel all warm and fuzzy and bake cookies and dip stuff in chocolate. To get my money’s worth from Netflix.

And I want to be excited about the BIG stuff not so far ahead of me: a thesis, a capstone project, just a few more classes. And, my god, 2010 is the year I graduate from grad school. It’s the year I have to find a big-girl job. It’s the year I might move away from Minnesota, or stay and buy a home or run away to Fiji. No matter what, it’s going be a big, crazy, exciting year, and I want to just sit on the edge of that and squeal with delight (and, undoubtedly, stress) before it all unfolds.

Yeah, I might make some New Year’s resolutions and all that good stuff, too, just because it seems like I should. But sometimes I think taking a few breaths and doing some good old general reflection where ends and beginnings crash into each other is the best strategy there is. Try it.

Good luck with finals, everyone, and have a great winter break! (Don’t those of you in the Real World so miss that?)

Happy holidays, and a big, fat CHEERS to 2010!

Photo by donabelandewen

My secret: How I found THREE jobs

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:03:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Don't stop me if you've already heard this. It's all about how I got hired -- three times. And maybe it'll work for you.

In my senior year in college (as a journalism major), one of my classmates was interning at a small weekly newspaper. She came begging one day, because she was responsible for filling the pages with content -- any content -- and wouldn't be choosy about what it was.

Several of us pitched in, dashed off some stories, features, columns (I wrote one poking fun at the governor and lieutenant governor -- really easy targets) -- whatever we could think of. They were all published (desperation breeds insanity), and she was off the hook.

A few weeks later, she came back to class and handed me a letter sent to the newspaper from the Lt. Governor's office. Gulp!

It turns out that this was one politician with a good sense of humor, and he wanted to congratulate me for writing such a great column. And he wrote it on official, gold-embossed stationery.

After graduation, when my job-hunt finally led to an interview, the hiring manager opened my portfolio of clips and looked at the top one -- a letter of congratulations from the lieutenant governor on official stationery. And guess who ended up getting the job? That was job #1.

I worked there for several years, learned a lot, made a lot of friends. And guess what -- I heard from one of them about a better position at another company. He arranged an interview, and guess who ended up getting the job? That was job #2.

So for several years, I worked, learned, friended, and guess what? (Is this getting boring for you?) A former colleague told me about an opening for a better job at his new company. Applied, interviewed, got the job.

OK, so I was really lucky, no question. But it wasn't all about luck -- it was actually all about networking. Colleagues and friends recommended me, and I recommended them. The network you build starting out grows and grows, and opportunities grow with them. At least I think so.

And why am I telling you this now? Because it's the holiday season, and there's probably no better time to network and renew relationships.

Does holiday networking make sense to you, or should that wait until next year, when you're back on the job-hunting clock?

Photo by Kevin Marks

Just when you think you can apply in your sleep...

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:28:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

It’s not my favorite way to spend an evening, but I’ve cranked out enough cover letter-résumé-(sometimes) references combos in my day that I have it more or less down to a science.

So imagine the shock to the system when I come across application instructions that switch out the cover letter for things like skills inventories and accomplishment record narratives. Come again?

In my field (fields?) of public health and/or communication, this type of thing is pretty wacky for a straight-up job. But to apply for fellowship, internship or other special programs, it’s much more common. Especially, I’m learning, in government agencies.

And I’m also learning that I do not have this part of applying for stuff down to a science. I find it much easier to talk about my experiences and what they’ve taught me than I do to straight-up write about my skills. To me, it feels awkward and has been incredibly humbling…as in, I feel completely unqualified and stupid for even applying by the time I get to the end of the application!

Maybe that’s the point? They’re trying to weed out the weak? :-)

Have you had experience with these somewhat atypical (to me) application formats? Are they common in your field? How do you plow through them successfully—without bursting into tears?

It's just not the way we've always done it

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:09:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Who hates progress? Your company, of course! And just about every other company, too. Here's how I know this:

When CD drives first became available on PCs, many companies refused to buy them -- concerned that employees would become less productive (listening to music), and what practical purpose could a CD serve, anyway? Internet connections -- same thing. Playground stuff.

So does this sound a lot like (some) companies don't trust their trusted employees? That's nothing, though. I used to work at a company where the managers were required to walk around at 9 am to verify that every employee was in place, and at 5:15 p.m. a security guard started walking around, flicking off the overhead lights. I really miss those days (sigh!).

What were they thinking? For one thing, it was clear that micromanagement was ruling their employee strategy. If you were sitting at your desk from 9 to 5 every day with no distractions, then your superiors could be sure you were doing a good job. Or were you?

On the flip side, I worked for a company that had totally flexible hours and days of work. There were days for scheduling meetings, and days (and nights) for straight-on work, no meetings. Success was measured by outcomes -- if you and your team delivered, you were successful. Issues were expected to crop up as part of the project, and were tackled without any high drama.

Now if this isn't what your workplace is like, and it probably isn't, there's a lot of room for change. One possibility is to work out a small team pilot program to tackle one or two projects in a different way. It may help if you're able to provide your manager with ongoing written status updates -- it'll make it easier for your manger to manage upwards. Beyond that, you have to build your own program with your own rules.

But be confident, as I am, that the workplace of tomorrow will look nothing like the workplace of yesterday. And wouldn't you prefer to be building, rather than maintaining?

What's your workplace like? And what would you like it be?

photo by wili hybrid

Survivor 2010: Next challenge -- itchy feet

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:39:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Humor me for a minute. Let's say:

a) we're able to see the beginning of the end of the recession (you promised you wouldn't laugh). Now let's say

b) you work for a company which has had to tighten its belt over the past year or so -- laying people off, freezing hiring, freezing pay raises and bonuses, freezing promotions.

Does any part of this sound familiar to you? OK, next let's do some algebra: a+b=c, where "c" equals you wanting to be doing something other than what you're currently doing. Is "c" a mathematical possibility for you?

It certainly is for a lot of people, and a Wall Street Journal article raised this same question -- from the other perspective, of course. What can businesses do to keep their best people (that's you!) from leaving once there are new opportunities available? The article points out that many companies weeded out their "weaker players" during the hard times. Now they're concerned about losing the survivors.

And they should be (concerned)! Historically, it's not unusual for top performers in any company to jump ship sooner, rather than later, as the job climate shifts back to (almost) normal. They see the opportunities sooner and clearer -- that's why they're the top performers.

OK, but maybe you're not a risk-taker, and you're not ready to do anything just yet. But what will happen when you see more movement -- both in your company, and others as well? Will you start getting itchy to move? What will it take to push you over the edge?

And what would it take to make you stay where you are?

Poll Update: We asked "What would keep you in your current job?" Results were evenly split between a raise and a promotion. Nobody mentioned company loyalty, and there was one vote for "Nothing on this earth".

photo by Sam Judson

Mastering the art of the backup plan

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

I fully admit to tending toward a type-A personality, but I really think there’s something to be said for having a plan B (and C, and maybe D, E and F, too) in work, school and life. I realize it can be a lot of planning for nothing if The Plan goes great the first time around—and, of course, I always hope it does—but if it doesn’t, which we know is pretty darn common, the lack of a backup plan can cause unnecessary panic, scrambling and allover stress.

And I’ve had a lot of chances for practice lately:

The Plan: To do my MPH master’s project (basically my thesis) on a very specific topic with a very specific connection and a pretty specific data collection and analysis plan.

The Problem: Logistics. Communication problems. Time, time, time. The fact that despite my fabulous school allows seven years for an MPH program, I would like to get out of there as soon as possible (read: I have senioritis).

Plan B: When things on my original project started smelling fishy, I started looking for other options. What I’m working toward now, fingers crossed, will end up to be a better, more manageable project that just happens to sit at the exact intersection of my interests.

The Verdict: TGFPB (thank god for plan B).

-----

The Plan: To get a way-cool part-time job at a way-cool company that just might have some way-way-way-cool full-time positions up for grabs right around the time I’ll be donning the ol’ cap-n-gown.

The Problem: Great conversations, great sort-of interviews, great (I thought) cover letter. Thinks looked good…until the company decided not to fill the position right now, for a good reason.

Plan B: After clicking “submit” on the application, I came up with all of the things I would do if I didn’t get the job—the most important of which cranking out a bunch of credits in the spring and finishing up both of my master’s programs and projects earlier than I’d planned.

The Verdict: TGFPB.

-----

The Plan: To run the Twin Cities Marathon like a champ (or, well, just to finish)!

The Problem: Injury. Which you may remember. ‘Nuff said.

Plan B: None. I was going to run, and I was going to finish, and it was going to be the best moment of my life. Duh.

The Verdict: I bawled. And moped. And moved on. And starting practicing a heck of a lot of yoga. And survived. But it was miserable for a while there—and I should have had a backup plan, even if it was a mental one.

-----

So I’m currently planning what to do if: another master’s project falls through, I can’t find a job after graduation, my right hip decides it only likes me if I’m not running—and about a million other things. Maybe it makes me crazy, maybe it makes me smart, maybe it’s a combination of the two. But having a Plan B always makes me feel better, especially when I end up using it.

Photo by gingiber

Walking the talk

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:09:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

I got all pumped up to blog – about something totally different than what follows – and brought a bag of jumbo marshmallows to the couch with me. As I popped a big fluffy thing in my mouth, then another, I realized how funny this scene would probably be to my public health classmates and professors, my running buddies, my fellow yogis, the 548 people who follow health_nutty on Twitter.

And, probably, you. (No judging on the marshmallows, by the way. I blame my mother for my strange sweet tooth. Hi, Mom.) But as I starting thinking – and laughing out loud – at the disconnect between someone who studies, lives and breathes health stuff shoveling marshmallows directly from bag to mouth, I realized it’s actually pretty common to not walk the talk.

Let’s face it: We know accountants with all kinds of credit card debt, hair stylists with terrible hair, event planners who can’t schedule their afternoon and public health students who eat marshmallows. Why can’t – or don’t – we practice what we preach?

I’m going to guess it’s because we’re burned out. Now I’m no financial planner, but I’m guessing if I was one the last thing I’d want to look at when I got home from work is my own bank statement. We put the vast majority of our energy into our careers, so when it comes down to it, we don’t have much left for ourselves. And I think it’s really sad that I could work my butt off all day trying to get people living in poverty the resources and education they need to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and then come home and have a frozen pizza for dinner.

Luckily, I think there are exceptions, and I had the immense pleasure of living one for a summer during college when I interned at a health and lifestyle magazine. We had a free gym and were encouraged to use it and ate in a mostly local, organic, highly subsidized cafeteria. We wrote about health and talked about health and lived health, and for some reason, all I wanted when I got home from work was to go for a long run and eat a big salad.

Do you walk your professional talk? What would make it easier?

Photo by Vali...

Interview fears and opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:14:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

First, and really encouraging -- several people I know who have been job-hunting have been landing interviews lately. Hopeful for these folks, hopeful sign for the economy.

But the question of how to "ace" an interview always comes up, especially because there are so many types of interviews and interviewers. There's a lot of good interview advice available, but let's start with some important, but easy things you can do:

1. Prep, prep, prep. You really need to know everything about the company that you're interviewing with -- who they are, what they do, how they do it. Anything you can't easily find out, consider that a question you should pop at the interviewer.

2. Defend without being defensive. If there's anything in your resume that's at all out of the ordinary, be prepared to talk about it. Maybe it's a question about being laid off, or a question a big project you said you coordinated. Again, prep, prep, prep.

3. Consider the opportunity. The questions (from a good interviewer, at least) will be designed to expose your strengths or weaknesses -- what have you been doing since the layoffs, other than job-hunting? Did the big project overwhelm you? Your answers will say something about how motivated you are, and your body language (as you digest and answer the question) will say a lot more about attitude.

A while back, after being caught up in some massive layoffs in the tech industry, I was in a second round of interviews with an interesting tech company. As we finished up, the interviewer told me something which stuck with me. He said that -- unlike most of the interviews he had been conducting with folks who had been laid off -- there was no tension, bad body language, no deer-caught-in-headlights feeling in the room. He said it felt like a couple of people just sitting there, talking normally, and it made him feel very comfortable (not a bad thing in an interview).

4. Leave an impression. Usually I hear that you're supposed to get the interviewer to talk as much as possible during an interview, which makes sense up to a point. Yes, you want to get a better feel for the job, the manager, the company, and yes, you want the interviewer to feel as comfortable as possible (who doesn't feel comfortable talking about one's self?) But the key is still to leaving an impression (hopefully positive).

If you don't make the hiring manager understand who you are and how you're different from all the other applicants, then you've likely missed your chance to get the job.

Keeping up when you're run down

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:55:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

Sorry to be MIA – I’ve spent the last week-and-a-half in a fog. Like that commercial where the (cartoon) woman has medicine head and her head lifts off like a balloon. Yep, whatever evil, nasty cold that’s been going around finally caught me. And it was as described.

And while my Minnesota it-could-be-worse mentality still peeked through to some degree, I can think of few things less pleasant than basically not having a functional head for a week-and-a-half of grad schooling, working and Halloweening.

But there’s good news! I made note of my brilliant coping strategies to help you survive what’s bound to be a gross cold/flu/etc. season. Good luck (and wash your hands)!

Take advantage of couch time. I spent a whole lot of time chillin’ in my PJs, on the couch, with a box of Kleenex within arm’s reach—but my laptop wasn’t any farther away. Because I didn’t want to leave the house (felt like crap AND didn’t want to be a germ-spreading machine), I finally had the time and motivation…sort of…to just sit down and get all the tedious homework things I’d been avoiding done.

Be nice, and take one for the team. Especially with the H1N1 freak-outs going on, I found that people were very understanding of anything I had to cancel, miss, reschedule or adjust. My best strategy was being very nice and apologetic and really, really stressing the fact that I don’t want to get anyone else sick. Once people picture themselves in your shoes (see description above), they’re usually pretty quick to let you off the hook.

Suck it up. Now I realize resting is ideal, but sometimes that’s just not possible. So I—a usually super anti-medicine person—took my DayQuil every four hours, drank a lot of water and just pretended I wasn’t sick when I had to get something done. I admit to having a relatively miserable day at work, class and lab, but I did what I had to do and felt much less stressed out later knowing I didn’t miss anything.

But know when to let go. While I do believe in sucking it up to some degree, there are times you’ve just gotta let your body take over. For me, that meant sleeping a good 12 hours one day…then going back to bed a few hours later. It’s hard for me to let myself do it, but sleeping, relaxing and not trying to push a recovery can be the best medicine.

[Update on our user poll -- as expected, stay away from friends and family to avoid getting sick. And twice as many of you said work or school were the most likely sources of contagion.

[Unfortunately for you if you're reading this, an equal number picked "reading this blog" as the most probable way to contract the flu. Sorry! ]

Photo by blisschan

Is your future in the palm of your hand?

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:54:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Do you hate or fear change? Most everybody does, it seems, unless they get to decide what changes. As a witness to change the other day, I was amazed to watch it happen. Here's what I saw:

I wandered into a small store when the store owner received a call from a customer. He and his wife had been shopping there several months earlier, spotted something they (meaning his wife) really liked and he wanted to buy it as a surprise.

Problem 1 -- he was in Tennessee, the store was in Maine. Problem 2 -- he had been in the store several months earlier, and it was kind of a stretch to believe that the shopkeeper would remember him, or what he was looking for. Problem 3 -- he was trying to describe the item over the phone, and the store owner had a number of similar items.

The shop owner's solution? She took a few close-up photos with her iPhone, e-mailed them to the customer. He looked at the photos, decided which one he wanted. They talked, they haggled, they negotiated a price over the phone. She took care of the credit card transaction online, and promised the gift would be shipped out that afternoon.

Now a couple of things came to mind immediately. First, once you see it done, it seems like such an obvious solution. But the reality is that this shop owner was really smart. She was willing to push herself to find new ways to make the transaction actually happen. And it did work. And it was the first time she had ever done it, she told me afterward.

Second, she discovered a creative solution that could generate (there's that word again) a whole new way of doing business. Watching her, I was struck by what she did -- so easily -- and how difficult it is for many of us to make that leap. I'm not just talking about technology, but about learning how to adapt.

Every time I've ever changed schools or jobs or cities, there have been new problems, new challenges, but also new opportunities. Obviously this shop owner learned something about how to problem-solve in a new way.

What about you -- what's changed for you lately?

photo by Pink Sherbert Photography

Learning to take it down a notch

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:54:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

Kate, what are you going to do with yourself when you're not in school/not so busy/not juggling so darn much stuff?

I've heard that question a lot lately -- mostly in a more-or-less-joking way -- and I have to admit it's kind of nice to daydream of a day, seven months from now (OK, OK, probably more than that with the big "T" -- thesis) when I will have no commitments whatsoever. Other than maybe a job, but that's no biggie.

At the same time, I usually pop out of the daydream and break into a cold sweat when I think about not having a mile-long to-do list every single day, to not use every last second from the time I wake up (too early) to the time I go to bed (too late).

And then I find myself counting, adding: Well, if I get home from a job around 6 p.m., I could go work out until 7. Make dinner, eat it, it's at least 8. Watch some TV, I guess, until 9 or 9:30. Then maybe some Internet time until 10. Then play with the dog? Have a snack? Wait for a respectable time to go to bed? Will I be bored out of my mind? And god forbid I have no plans for the weekends!

This is going to be one heck of a transition for me. Good thing I have plenty of time before it happens...

What do you do with your non-work time? How did you learn to relax after college, grad school, a million-hours-a-week job?

Gen Y doesn't really exist, Gen X, either -- here's why

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:55:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Trying to stay out of the debate about different generations in the workplace (or anywhere!) is like trying to walk out of quicksand. I stepped in it again the other day. So here's my considered response -- Gen Y: there's no such thing. Gen X: a myth. Baby Boomers: a blip.

Really -- do you want to hang your identity on a label that somebody slapped on your back when you weren't looking? If you do, here are some of the common traits attributed to Gen Y:

trend-conscious
Idealistic, optimistic, and flexible
Socially responsible; particularly concerned about the environment
Very comfortable with technology; like to multi-task
Have a hunger for feedback and rewards

Likewise, for Gen X, you'll see none of those characteristics. Instead, substitute:

Cynical,
Media savvy
Individualistic and self-reliant
grew up during economic downturn
work ethic

So let's dump the term "generation" -- just for a minute. Let's say instead that you've been out of school for 2 years. OK, do you have that picture?

Now, let's think 12 years out of school. What's changed? Do you still frequent Taco Bell for your dinner? Do you still make the same mistakes on the job, and off the job?

All right, leap through time another 10 or 20 years.
Do you have a longer view of careers, family, politics, work ethic, important technology vs. gadgets?

I'm betting you do, and that it has continued to change and mature you, and will continue to do so. I'm also betting that this difference in maturity levels is what causes generational friction. Sometimes, you want to learn from other people's mistakes, and not repeat them. And sometimes you want to make your own mistakes.

I say again -- Gen Y doesn't exist. People do exist at a different level of maturity, people who have learned different things, perhaps, from others' mistakes. Perhaps from yours.

You can agree with me if you wish. But if you disagree, you run the risk that I'll decide that you don't exist, either.

Tell me off, if you think I'm wrong.

Photo by Ha-wee

P.S. Speaking of levels of maturity, I was fascinated by some major trending topics on Twitter this past weekend -- #balloonboy and #Sue Sylvester (look it up!) as well as #bostonisbetter. Doesn't this sound like "normal" times?

Another jobless face...well, two

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:34:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

Did anyone happen to see this story in the New York Times a week ago? It's a long, detailed piece about a set of twins who are living in NYC and -- surprise, surprise -- having a helluva time finding jobs.

They're not dumb girls. They have journalism degrees, went to Rutgers. They work their social and professional networks and try to make their applications memorable. They spend all hours of the day and night searching for jobs.

But they graduated 17 months ago, have applied for 150 jobs and have had, you guessed it, zero interviews. One twin works as a bartender a few nights a week, the other picks up random work, like filling in for a dog-walker. It sounds pretty rough -- and typical.

What did y'all think about the profile? Seem pretty accurate to those of you job-hunters? What else do you try when you think you've tried everything?

Vampire Resumes, and other career advice

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:55:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Sharing some Twitter conversations (in my Twitter alias -- ExperienceLive) with resume experts from around the country lately has been illuminating for me, since the topic of what makes or unmakes a great resume is like a bad traffic accident -- you just can't turn away.

Some of the "controversial" resume advice that I saw:

one-page vs. two-page resumes (it depends)
functional vs. chronological resume (it depends)
objective vs. personal brand statement (it depends)
not enough vs. too much information (it depends)
hard skills vs. soft skills (both)
keywords (yes)
expertise, not responsibilities (yes)
love of iguanas (no -- please, no!)

A few things are pretty clear -- there's a lot of confusion and a lot of differing opinions out there about resumes, how they should look, what should be included or excluded. How do I know this, personally?

True story -- I met with some members of a respected outplacement firm a while back, and they analyzed and helped me revise my own resume. Here's the kicker, though. After the first meeting with one analyst, I revised my resume exactly as she suggested.

The next day, I met with a second analyst, who also recommended that I revise a number of items. Fascinating, since I showed him the version with the changes I had made based on the first analyst's advice. More fascinating, since many of his recommendations involved deleting or changing some of the items suggested by analyst #1. (Note: afterwards, I went back to my original resume -- sometimes you just have to trust yourself!)

OK, aside from the question of who is really an expert, here's an alternate question: how much do you really know about good resume writing? After a lot of conversations about resumes and other things, I've concluded that most people -- regardless of the amount of career experience -- know more about Vampires than about resumes. And, despite its lack of depth in career guidance, you're probably far more interested in seeing a new vampire movie (Vampire's Assistant opens next weekend) than a webinar on resume writing.

What about you, where do you get your resume advice from? Career experts or Vampires?

[Vampire Poll update -- friends and experts tied for sources of resume advice. Twitter came in next, and Vampires did score 1 vote (let us know how you did with a Vampire-approved resume, OK?)]

photo by wonderferret

Distractions across generations

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:53:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

I [usually] do [more or less] my best to stay focused on work when I'm at work--but I'm gonna go ahead and admit that it happens with varying degrees of success. (And I say a silent little prayer of thanks each day that Facebook is blocked; if it wasn't I'm sure my record would be worse.)

There are a million distractions out there, calling to me. I'm a student, a volunteer, an athlete, a blogger, a daughter, friend, girlfriend, dog mom, so who knows when I might get an important email, right? So Gmail often hangs out open on my computer, just in case. With Gmail comes the awful temptation of Gchat. And then there's Twitter, which I can justify as a source of news and information, as I do follow a ton of public health and government agencies that are legitimately relevant to my job. I'm taking a couple of online classes this semester, and I sometimes do homework over lunch--but of course then I sneak a little peek at the discussion boards now and then to see if anyone's responded to my posts. And the list goes on.

Don't get me wrong--I get my work done, well, on time. I would never sacrifice the quality or promptness of my work so I could shop for shoes online.

And, please, employers, don't get upset with me for saying this, but I actually think taking a few minutes here and there for non-work-related stuff makes me more productive. I swear. My brain honest to god burns out after staring at the same page for an hour. If I take three minutes to check my email and Twitter and then go back to it, I'm usually way better off than if I'd powered through with a drained brain.

So my question: Is this a Gen Y thing? We've grown up with the technology of distraction, and we're used to multitasking and juggling and wrapping together work and play until we don't even know what's what anymore.

But, in a generally "older" workplace, I sometimes feel like the young, dumb, slacker intern who can't do her work because she's checking to see if maybe, just maybe, IT screwed something up and accidentally unblocked Facebook for the day. Or maybe I just don't know what everyone else is up to when they appear to be working feverishly for eight hours straight.

Do Gen Xers welcome these little distractions, too? If so, are they in the same form?

Boomers, how about you?

Am I going to get fired?

Photo by Gauldo

Who's looking at your wall?

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:21:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

A classic Facebook question -- addressed in a NY Times blog post -- asked the question, what to do if your boss sends you a FB friend request. It's awkward, because you want to keep your private space, well, private. But, this post asks, what to do if you also don't want to offend your boss (never a good idea, particularly these days) by declining?

Good, no, GREAT question. The blog suggested several things. One of these was setting up specific privacy lists on Facebook to control who sees what. Other ideas ranged from sending a polite note while declining the invitation to the idea of suggesting LinkedIn to your boss as a more professional alternative.

Are all these ideas good solutions? Yes, but I think they don't address the bigger issues. Social networks have evolved so quickly that most people have to struggle to deal. The first big site -- Friendster (anyone remember that?) just made its presence known about six or seven years ago. Now, people struggle to juggle FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and Skype in their private lives. As more businesses try to reach a certain demographic, their use of all of these (well, maybe not Friendster -- sorry Friendster fans) is increasing.

We're constantly writing about being careful what you have on your social network pages -- especially if you're job-hunting. Prospective employers are always interested in the person behind the resume, and are smart enough to check your network pages to find out what you're really like.

A lot of people are outraged by this, and understandably so. One of our posts last year addressed this very issue. But I suspect some things have changed.

Yes, online networking has become such an integral part of our society, and especially the workplace (or the work hunt), that it has turned into a real dilemma -- both ethically and functionally. I think that there continues to be a gray line between work and private life (which I think is the same line you cross every time you work late, or on a weekend, or check email on vacation).

Should your employer stay off your wall?

Photo by avlxyz

Rockin' the 'rents' basement

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:21:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

The 18th birthday used to commemorate a separation from our families and an expectation of self-sufficiency. As more people began to attend college, that became a similar marker of adulthood.

Now, when we graduate from college, I think most of us (and our parents!) hope that we'll be able to get a decent-paying job that will at least allow us to have some kind of housing, get started on those student loans and maybe--maybe--finally let Dad off the hook with the cell phone bill. (Yeah...I'm still workin' on that one...) But does that really happen?

More and more often, the answer is a resounding no. And the economy sure doesn't make it any more likely--or even remotely possible for recent college grads struggling to find jobs in their fields in this crappy job market.

Basically, we're worse off than we were a decade ago, according to a recent study on young workers (18-34) commissioned by a federation of labor unions.

Check out the highlights:

1 in 3 young workers lives with his or her parents
1 in 3 is uninsured
1 in 4 earn less than their monthly bills; only 1 in 3 earn enough to pay pills and save some
1 in 2 doesn't have a retirement plan

Just over half of respondents are hopeful about their economic future--compared to three-quarters ten years ago.

What do you think? Are you hopeful, nervous or both? Are things as bad as this makes them sound? How are your friends doing in these crappy times?

Photo: Lara604

Giving Up or Giving In or Moving On or Why I Spent Saturday Face-Down on the Living Room Floor

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:45:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

I think, by now, you get the idea that I'm a Very Busy Girl. If you think I wake up early, juggle work and school and life constantly all day, go to bed late and start all over the next morning, you would be correct. And I like to think I make it look easy--or, at the very least, not nearly as hard as it is. So if I had you fooled, great! :)

But I want to be honest about two things: 1) Sometimes it really sucks. And 2) Usually No. 1 doesn't really matter. I've done a lot of thinking--and unintentional learning--about the importance of moving forward lately. The more crucial it feels to me, the more anti-human-nature I think it is.

Now we can debate all day about the pros and cons of growing up with a psychologist for a father, but overall, I didn't find it too scarring. Except for one thing that I still hear in my head, in his voice, that used to absolutely drive me up the wall: Press the 'clear' button. "Kate, just press the 'clear' button and move on." Don't necessarily forgive or forget--or maybe do--but for god's sake move on from this, and do it quickly.

Fast forward, like, 15 years to this past Saturday. (I wish I had a picture of this to share.) I'm in my running clothes, lying face-down on the living-room floor, my face smashed into the carpet. Wailing. All. Day. Long. Yes, I'm serious. I had just returned from a very painful, approximately 23-second run, which had just sealed the deal: The marathon I'd been training for for months, my first marathon ever, the one that was just two weeks away, was not going to happen. At least not if my hip had anything to do with it...and, unfortunately, it does.

I spent a few hours on the floor. Then a few more standing like a cow, staring at nothing. Then some more wailing, a 9-1-1 call to my dad--who, thank god, did not say a word about the damn "clear" button. Luckily, I eventually got to it myself. I told myself all the very logical reasons why not running a marathon at the moment is a reasonable, smart decision that doesn't make what I've already accomplished any less valuable or rewarding, yadda, yadda, yadda. And then I moved on. Really. Just like that.

I've gotten a lot better at it over the past few years (unfortunately, from experience). Maybe it's just because I don't have the sheer time to deal with things that won't really matter a week or a month or a year from now. But for whatever reason, I can make a mistake at work, apologize profusely with a big smile and get on with making up for it. Or I can get chewed out for someone else's mistake and basically do the same thing. In school, I can bomb an assignment and focus on the next one. And, in life in general, I'm figuring out how to see mistakes for what they are, figure out how to make sure they don't happen again, then move the heck on.

Is it a survival skill? Maybe. For my sanity? Definitely. And, with my schedule, a time-saver more than anything? Absolutely. Moving forward is much more efficient than staying put or looking back. How's that for a line on the ol' resumé?

Photo: Mykl Roventine

Wait! Who are you calling a job-hopper?

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:20:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

How old is old? Apparently, not all that old, according to a friend. The bad part, though, is that it apparently makes you a bad risk.

[UPDATE: In a quick poll about employer attitudes to "overqualified candidates" you've told us -- 6 to 1 -- that you've seen this stereotyping happen before.]

Let me back up. A friend is "exploring new career directions" and was interviewing for a job in a different field, but one that was more junior in required experience. OK, but she was starting over, and was perfectly willing to do what it takes.

Cut to the interview. The hiring manager asked a few routine questions -- "why did you leave your last job?" (because they laid off half the staff?) And then asked the zinger -- "Why are you looking for something that you're overqualified for? Won't you just leave when the job market improves?"

So my friend is facing long-term unemployment in a field that's shrinking. She's interested in moving onto something new. She has a flawless track record, staying at each of her previous employers for several years. And she's staring across the desk at a hiring manager who equates her desire to bring HER work ethic to HIS company to that of a newbie, with no track record of loyalty. Sorry, but I really don't get it.

Until the job market tightened up, many young professionals saw job-hopping as the route to follow to sure-fire career success. Work for a year, maybe year-and-half at the absolute most, then jump to the next rung on the ladder. The HM (hiring manager) was ready to pass on my experienced friend (who had never jumped after a year) to hire a totally untested recent grad.

And that's what he did.

We're still shaking our heads, not comprehending the logic. (And we're trying to figure out where the line for age discrimination really lies). This, by the way is not the first time I've heard stories like this. So if anyone can enlighten me on how this makes sense, here I am. Please tell me. I'm not unsympathetic to recent grads, I assure you, but some hiring practices baffle me.

Photo by joi

Gimme back my brand! Now, please

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:46:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Anybody else ever lose their brand? Did it hurt?

We lost our Twitter brand temporarily, thanks to some twhackers who made many people's avatars disappear, to be replaced by the default l'il tweety bird. Not the worst thing, but our ExperienceLive symbol is pretty distinctive, and we're proud of it (not to mention all the great info that gets tweeted every day -- check it out!), and want it back.

In a greater sense, though, brands -- whether corporate or personal -- have become pretty important in our marketing-driven society. So what, you say? What it means for you is that without your own personal brand, you could easily get passed over for a job or a promotion.

Simple example -- you're looking for a new job. Your resume shows off the brand you've built through things you've accomplished in work, organizations that you belong to, causes you've volunteered for, places you've gone and things you've studied. Doesn't matter if you're a recent grad or less recent. The point is that you can craft your resume and cover letter to show consistency, and to show why your brand makes you distinctive.

Or not. I've spoken with many recruiters over time, and they all say the same thing -- they're looking for someone who stands out from the crowd, not the play-it-safe, non-descript candidate. They're looking for somebody with a real brand.

I'm not telling you to make things up, and I'm not advocating that you present a shallow marketing image. If you don't think you need to sell yourself as somebody unique, somebody extraordinary, who can make a difference, then go ahead -- tell me I'm wrong! But you better have a good counter-argument ready for me if you do.

On a somewhat related note, congratulations to Jenna, a former contributor to this blog, who has just landed a new job at a new company with the title all marketing people secretly covet -- she's going to become the Director of Buzz. Yes!

Effing up

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:44:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

I got an interesting mass email last week from the coordinator of my summer internship program with The Government. She told The Interns, most of us in our 20s, about a conversation she had with a professor of public policy about generational differences in the workplace.

He, a baby boomer, argued that Gen Y-ers are terrified to make mistakes. As in, so scared we’ll avoid giving our opinions or going out on any sort of limb…or maybe even going near the tree.

She, a Gen X-er, argued that maybe it’s because boomers aren’t very tolerant of mistakes, that they don’t give the Y-ers the freedom—and forgiveness—to make mistakes freely in the name of learning and growth.

She asked our opinion, and I found it difficult to answer.

My gut reaction was to defend my generation. No! Of course we’re not scared of making mistakes! Then I thought, hmm, maybe it’s not a terrible thing to be scared of making mistakes. Yes! We are scared! And, definitely, those mean, mean baby boomers are being big and scary! Yeah!

But when I really thought about it, I realized that a) I don’t know if it’s as much a generational difference as a difference in where people are in their careers, and b) that I made too darn many mistakes to be classified as a scared-of-mistakes kind of person.

Don’t get me wrong—I hate screwing up. Like really, really hate it. Like beat-myself-up-over-it-forever hate it. Like play-everything-back-in-my-mind-and-list-all-the-moments-I-could-have-avoided-screwing-up-but-didn’t hate it. But I like to think that as I move forward in my career, two things will happen: I’ll eventually screw up less (I hope), and neither I nor anyone else will care as much if I do.

I don’t know that it matters so much that we’re Gen X or Y or Z—isn’t everyone just starting out their careers eager to please and in need of some good references?

More on my actual mistake-making to come. That’s much more exciting, I know. :)

Four Days, 40 Hours -- or 50 or 60?

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:14:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

I haven't been on vacation this week, but I am feeling the aftereffects of Labor Day. Which brings up a pretty popular topic -- four-day work weeks.

First, a definition (or at least my definition -- you do what you want). A four-day work week crams five or more days into four, with no reduction in total hours or loss of productivity.

For some companies, actually closing one day a week can mean an energy savings (we've talked about this before). For some employees, a savings in commuting time (PLUS a three-day weekend every week). The craziness starts as you decide whether a company stays open, but splits the fifth day among employees (e.g., some work on Friday, some on Monday). Then, employees -- are you used to working 10-hour days?

A little perspective -- I've worked four-day weeks in the past (also 3-day weeks and 6-day weeks, but those are stories for another time). I loved it, would love to do it again. But there is a concern now that didn't exist before -- a big concern in these days of fewer people working longer hours to increase productivity. How do you accommodate an increased workload as needed when you're already working 10 hours?

When we talk about transitioning to a flexible workplace (yes, it came up at a Labor Day barbecue), four-day weeks always pop up in the conversation. I don't know that it's really all that simple. And if you add in a season's worth of H1N1 virus decimating the workforce, we could be in for a lot of mixed ideas about how to keep a company going.

What's your best idea?

photo by tziralis

Day & Night

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:38:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

Yes, I realize 3Gen is dedicated to the working world.

No, I didn't get lost and end up on the wrong blog.

But, as you know, I was recently blessed with two weeks off from all that is the workplace -- and it was fabulous. (The vacay is soon-to-be over, though...as in, I'll be sitting at my desk in 11 hours.)

I...

- attended the Minnesota State Fair. Twice. And ate deep fried pickles-n-cream cheese. They were delicious.

- hosted some fabulous friends from Boston, who had much to learn about Minnesota culture and quirks.

- took many a great yoga class. Conquered crow pose. Sweated. A lot.

- ran 17 miles without stopping (and spent the rest of the day in shock).

- managed to totally avoid preparing for school in any way, shape or form.

- and did a lot of errands, lounging, dog-snuggling and bad-TV watching.

And it was lovely.

Now I'm headed back to school for one helluva semester (as usual), complete with 14 credits and starting a thesis. Courses on tap:

- Applied Research Methods

- Public Health Policy as a Prevention Strategy

- Ethics: Public Health Practice and Policy

- Community Building and Health

- Refugee Health: Trauma, Stress and Coping

- Online Media Creation and Design

- Population-Focused Assessment and Intervention (maybe! maybe not)

Sooo, there's a bit of a difference between those two lists, huh? A difference that's definitely feeding my regularly scheduled pre-semester meltdown, as I like to call it. A difference that made me wonder why I even bothered taking a couple weeks to chill out -- would it have been better to just power through? To not taste relaxation at all?

And then I think of those deep-fried pickles and realize I needed that calm before the storm. Bad.

I'll be back soon with more tales from the office...

My new Rolodex

noreply@blogger.com (ken) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:20:00 +0000

By Ken Siegal

Here's another one of those old technology tales. Once upon a time I had a clunky metal bin filled with index cards.You may remember them, some of you even owned one -- they were called Rolodexes. (No, not Rolex, Rolodex!)

The cards had all the pertinent business and/or personal information of everybody I had any reason to contact -- ever. The cards were attached to a spindle, arranged alphabetically and I could thumb through an entire life's history of people I knew from work, from home, the plumber, the plumber's kids' names, the DMV. If you had the private phone numbers of some of these people, they were worth their weight in gold.

At one point I had hundreds of cards, all neatly spindled. And then cheap electronic data came along, in the form of a Palm Pilot. I could take it anywhere, I could beam my info to another Palm user -- all kinds of cool things. Well, that evolved into my cell phone -- it doesn't have much in terms of people's work backgrounds, but I can always try to call folks I worked with six or seven years ago, and maybe they'll still have the same number. Maybe not.

In the past few weeks, the process of reconnecting with a lot of friends and former colleagues has made me realize -- isn't LinkedIn the new Rolodex? Not with phone numbers, but with so much else.

I can send email anytime from anywhere, and be sure they receive it. I can ask a lot of people at once for advice or other connections. I can see where the've worked or are working or went to school (much like the online Portfolio offered by our company, Experience.com). I can keep up with what people are doing, or what conferences they are attending, without having to wade through the Facebook adventures of the family dog.

So when people talk about LinkedIn becoming the online network for professionals, yes they're right. But I'm just happy to no longer carry around an 8-pound Rolodex.

What's your preference for staying organized -- Facebook or LinkedIn? Or a Rolodex?

Photo by TOKY Branding and Design

Balance, part two (or "How Gold Lamè Saved My Life")

noreply@blogger.com (kate) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:52:00 +0000

By Kate Levinson

Last week, I wrote about balance -- and I can't let it go quite yet. Right now, I'm conducting the ultimate experiment in balance. Or, maybe, the ultimate challenge. Or, I suppose, the ultimate balance boot camp.

Whatever it is, it's big: I have two weeks off. Like, really off.

No classes, no work. No major commitments. Just two weeks to organize, think and -- I hope -- relax (before all hell breaks loose and I'm back in school full time, working half-- you know, let's ignore that for now).

Granted, there's the mega to-do list I've been creating all summer in preparation for these two weeks. And the out-of-town visitors coming in to play. And the many, many miles waiting for me to run in the six weeks leading up to the Twin Cities Marathon.

But, for the most part, I have to wake up every morning and ask myself what I'd like to do with my day -- and trust me, that's hard to do when you're out of practice with it! So far, I apparently want to get things crossed off the to-do list, cook and run. Yoga is coming soon. Maybe (OK, probably) some chick flicks. An afternoon nap might be nice. I think I'll try being vegan?

My mind is so empty! It's amazing! Eventually I know I'll have to tackle some of the big thinking, decision-making, etc. that needs to happen in the next couple of weeks, but for now, it's so refreshing just to lounge around in a little bit of me-time.

And, of course, to have a mind-clearing adventure or two -- which I recommend to anyone whose plate is a little over-full. Mine, strangely, was in the form of an overstuffed Suburban, no sleep and some good ol' gold lamè.

Don't ask me why, but I spent the weekend running [my 20.6-mile share of] 195 miles through Wisconsin and Minnesota with a 12-person Ragnar Relay team. I learned a lot about running, stress and myself -- so behold, my ultimate stress-relief prescription:

Run 6.6 miles in a gold miniskirt around 2 p.m. in small-town Wisconsin...

Then run 6.8 miles, alone, at about 1 a.m. on a deserted Wisconsin road... And top it off with 7.2 very hot, hilly miles right around noon in Minnesota...

Do it all in '80s gear -- and put your friends in mullet wigs.
Cram everyone and everything into a Suburban.
Don't sleep for 40+ hours.
Buckle up and settle in for the ride.

Trust me, when you get back (and sleep) everything will look a little less stressful, more manageable and overall clearer.

Balance comes in all forms. What's yours?