Over-50

Your Career Is Over? So Is Everyone's

Careers don't exist any more. At least not among those who understand the new dynamics of the world of work. 

Instead of the career path, explains consulting firm Wallis Tower Watson, there is the portfolio of skills.

You keep adding to that portfolio and you remain employable. Stop adding and you're just another older professional who is unable to figure out how to land, hold and move on to better work.

If you're currently without work and are willing to think in different ways, here is a free read on all that Download Outwitting ageism.

Carrying a portfolio of skills is actually nothing new. Among tradespeople and blue collar laborers that was and is routine. I recall working in Spain teaching English as a second language and earning extra income in a tourist cafe serving coffee and Spanish sherry.

Over and over again I had great conversations with cooks, handymen, deck hands and musicians who never went without a meal. They had down cold how to acquire the right skills to pick up work fast - in a number of nations. Among their skills was being fluent in several languages. 

Adding to your skills doesn't have to be expensive. Certification and two-year associate degrees are low-cost in a community college.

When the long-distance trucking market bounces back, you can get licensed for under $7k. Or for free if you agree to drive for two years for the company which trains you. 

The most old-fashioned way is to tag along with an expert in a field and learn it. That could be a consultant or a landscaper. Many lines of work don't require formal licensing. 

Back in 2008, when I was blogging on legal matters, lawyers who were laid off asked me to provide help with their resumes, cover letters and interviews. Eventually, I was also doing guidance. Usually it's an emotional blockage which keeps those searching for work from finding it. By 2010, I had added career coaching to the portfolio.

More recently, I also put into the portfolio ghostwriting about The Future of Work.

Sure, if you have been forced off your career track, you should mourn. In "Necessary Endings," executive coach Henry Cloud recommends performing rituals which help you let go of what was. 

That can be useful too as you discover a skill which you used for four decades is no longer marketable. Most of my early career I had excelled in writing Corporatese. Then, no one wanted that tone and content any more. I packed up the car and my four-legged son LOV and spent a winter weekend by frozen Lake Erie. By Sunday morning I got it: That way of making a good living had been a long time ago. 

One more tip: Develop and keep expanding multiple sources of income. Millennials call them "side hustles."

The Future of Work is now. Ghostwriting on those issues and coaching for job search, transition, personal branding, re-entry after recovery and reputation restoration. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

 

Aging Workforce - Of Course, There's a Target on Your Back (so develop multiple sources of income right now)

During COVID-19, it's the perfect storm for workers over-45.

Everything came together to paint a bullseye on your professional identity. Yes, you're being forced out of your jobs.

If you still have a job, if don't have a job and if you are looking for a job, it's all the same. To survive what is now deeply embedded age bias in the labor market (which will not only continue by accelerate) you must develop multiple sources of income. Immediately.

In 2019, lawyer Kevin Ha made the news. Unlike you, he is in his early 30s.

The coverage was in financial media - MarketWatch. Among the players in the money crowd there was a fascination with a lawyer who was employed full-time (his wife also worked) and who had 13 side hustles.

There was more in the Ha story. The gigs were, well, without status. They ranged from returning scooters to food delivery.

That was then.

Because of the actual employment carnage and the sustained uncertainty triggered by COVID-19, the Ha model of multiple sources of income is no longer news. It's an option all employees better take seriously. For the aging, it's a must-do. 

No, you are not too busy to think of earning money beyond your day job. Recently, the law firm Bryan Cave laid off about 118 lawyers and staff. 

As the gallows humor goes: A crisis like the pandemic is a terrible ting to waste. I will be exploited by employers, across all sectors, to not only conduct RIFs. Also they will restructure to eliminate those positions forever.

The "barrier to entry" when it comes to establishing multiple sources of income is this: The brands have to managed so as not to put at risk your primary source of income. Sure, Ha could do offbeat hustles. But most professionals would lose credibility and damage their resume by too far a stretch from their core personal branding. 

In addition, in this unforgiving work environment lawyers and staff have to all-there for their jobs. Therefore, the how they earn funds on the side can't drain them. 

Here are the 5 fundamental rules of the multiple income game:

• Look for easy fits. That strategy will require less energy and time. For example, the lawyer can tutor LSAT test preparation part-time. On October 8th, there was a help-wanted on Craigslist for such service in Manhattan and online. The compensation is $180 an hour. Unless you excel in logistics, no, you don't want to loop into a manufacturing project with a global supply chain.

 

• Just as with introducing foods to a baby, take on new opportunities slowly. Monitor how much those take away from your day job. If it isn't a strain, then add on more of those kinds. For example, through Airbnb, you lease out a room in your primary residence. You seem to be skillful in screening potential renters. No trouble. So, you add on doing Airbnb for your cabin in the woods. Soon enough you purchase residential property to extend this tactic.

 

• Be circumspect. Given that so much of the work world sector tends to a tradition-bound industry, incoming-producing side pursuits could be used against you. A middle manager in a conservative  industry, whom I coached, learned that the hard way. He had been too open about operating a franchise. His objective in coaching was to restore his personal brand Download ReimaginingYourPersonalBrandwithJaneGenova

 

• Overall, keep the brands separate. The exception is when there is a natural fit. For example, the public relations executive can teach communications courses in an MBA program. That added credential could also be a plus. When there's not an easy fit, create different resumes, cover letters and personas for each line of work you do. Here is my article on what I call "mutt branding."

 

• Approach all this as playing in a variety of spaces, one or more of which might turn out to be your day job or self-employment. When doing a side hustle, some discover their passion. They seek a full-time position in that or launch a business. During The Great Recession, when I was operating this blog (since it's syndicated it brings in income), there were requests for career coaching. First that was a side business. Now it's a core competence. Simultaneously, I also continue in content-creation, especially for businesses aligned with the career industry.

Takeaway: "They" can take away your job. But not your ability to make a very good living, through multiple sources. A free read is my book on parachuting out of your comfort zones. Behavior-change organization Dale Carnegie Systems had posted it on its website.

The work world has become unforgiving. You may be among those who have to reimagine your career. Affordable coaching.  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Aging and Laid Off in Tourism Sector - What Now?

"With the virus still a significant risk, a feeling likely reinforced by President Trump’s diagnosis, it’s possible many tourist-dependent cities will see a second wave of economic damage this year, brought by the new rounds of job losses." Bloomberg BusinessWeek, October 7, 2020.

The tipping point in pessimism about the tourism sector has been Disney's 28,000 RIF. Along with that, of course, have been the massive layoffs conducted by tourism players ranging from casinos to transportation. 

There has been a confluence of 3 factors:

• Limits on the number of customers allowed into a tourist setting. Yes, social distancing.
• The public's fear of traveling by plane. There is a distrust of safety and health procedures for the close quarters of airplane interiors.
• Travel bans. They have halted the lucrative business of those from other nations touring the U.S.

At Moody's, economist Mark Zandi projects it will require 2 to 3 years for what is included under the umbrella of "tourism" to recover, fully. 

That means former workers in that sector should shake off any optimism about boomeranging back any time soon. In addition, those over-45 are bumping up against ageism in hiring.

Recently, a colleague in career coaching bluntly told students in hospitality degree programs to start redirecting their careers.

I call that "taking a skills/experience audit." 

The next step is this: After identifying what can be put out there to sell in the labor market, then do comprehensive research of what those specific jobs and gig assignments could be. An analysis of all the possible categories can be conducted on job-search platform Craigslist. Just key in "Craigslist - sites." See where there is a match. 

Then, create resumes and cover letters (yes, multiple) to apply for those opportunities. Custom-make each of those for each specific job or assignment. 

Role play the appropriate persona for the varieties of organizational cultures.

Soon, you will be doing your Next. Here, a free read, is my book for landing, holding and moving on to better work, no matter your age Download Outwitting ageism

Takeaway: Working is better than not working. Nothing gets you a job or gig assignment like a job or gig assignment. 

The work world has become unforgiving. You may be among those who have to reimagine your career. Affordable coaching.  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Early Retirement - Three Reasons It's a Bad Idea and How Semiretirement Is The Promised Land

In general, more is demanded on jobs and from self-employed vendors. Businesses and even genteel nonprofits are being forced to operate on reduced budgets.

Therefore, you could be sitting at your desk or driving that truck long distance and have an Ah-Ha moment: It's time to pull out early from this thing called "work."

Not so fast, warns Motley Fool in an article in USA Today. 

There are three reasons why you should overcome that dark mindset about working and hang in there.

One, given longevity, you could outlive whatever is in your nest egg. 

Two, your Social Security could be less. That can happen in two ways. Taking benefits early, that is, at age 62, will reduce lifetime monthly payments. And, the second reason is that the amount of that monthly payment is calculated on the best 35 years of earnings. If you parachute out early, you will not be adding to those earnings.

And, three, if it's before you are eligible for Medicare, you can actually go bankrupt from medical bills. Being "healthy" today does not mean, "at your age," a serious medical problem won't be diagnosed tomorrow.

I would add to these three this: Already, about one-third of retirees have returned to working. Some needed the money. Some were bored. Full retirement is something our parents did. Semiretirement is the new Promised Land. Have income from work and have your leisure. 

Several months ago, a 71-year-old former manager in a Fortune 100 came to me for coaching about how to re-enter the workforce, after being out of it for five years. She was struggling to make ends meet.

First, she read my book, which you can download free, Download Outwitting ageism. Secondly, she and I searched those five years for evidence of "work" - no, it didn't have to be paid. The resume and cover letter we created, along with interview role-playing, landed her a job as a full-time leasing agent. She would have preferred part-time. But her mindset had shifted to accommodating the marketplace, at least for now. Eventually, with a year or two of experience she can find part-time in leasing.

The answers about your professional life are inside you. You will learn through coaching how to open yourself up to them. And get unstuck. Soon enough you will be your own coach. Affordable rates (sliding scale). Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com) Download UnleashingPossibilitywithJaneGenovaCareerCoaching

Careers Are Happening/Businesses Are Earning Revenues Just-in-Time, Not Best Practices

The Wall Street Journal features the chief executive officer of a North Carolina business - Alex Shuford III, known as "A3." His new meme is, in his words: "You can't really have a plan." A3's usual MO has been replaced with waking up in the morning and then trying out what might be the right way to proceed.

Planning is so pre-pandemic. 

Add on to that the growing hunch that the election will be contested, hurling the economy into limbo - or worse, a depression. 

And, what about the direction of the stock market. The timing of retirement/semi-retirement for so many is currently on-hold.

Actually, all this is nothing new. Back in the late 1970s, when international competition set off a dog fight in the U.S. auto market, the ponderous infrastructure of strategic planning began to crumble.

For instance, Lee Iacocca introduced just-in-time everything at Chrysler. The leadership woke up every morning, looked at the marketplace and then went into action. 

What is new, though, is that this kind of disruption is broad-based. It has hit so many industries, nonprofits and and individual careers. 

However, there is good news. Perhaps plenty of it. It is happening to those who realize the crazy of planning and try out what may or may not work. There can be unexpected success, even in the most uncertain of times.

Here is a bit of a case study. 

Recently, I took the risk of killing off my 15-year-old marketing communications blog. It had lots of google juice because that search engine rewards longevity. It was also syndicated. 

Unthinkable?

Not when our mindset is open to wild experimentation.

What was very wrong had been the tone and content of that blog. They were positioning my influencer and career coaching businesses in an out-of-date way. 

The risk in killing off the blog was major.

Many risks don't pan out. That's the risk we take when we, well, experiment.

However, that risk generated amazing results, rather quickly. Both my businesses had an uptick.   

What about your business, nonprofit or individual career?

In the whatever, forget all the ossified best practices. 

Try out whatever. 

For example, if you have been searching for a copywriting job in that glutted niche, go over to the help-wanted ads on Craigslist, in every category. Study them. There should be fits with some of them if you reconfigure your skills and experience in your resume, cover letter and how you see the way you can make a good living. Another option: Go for certification or an associate degree in a marketable field. 

Action Plan: Jump out of bed tomorrow morning and experiment with one aspect of how you go about earning a living. 

The answers about your professional life are inside you. You will learn through coaching how to open yourself up to them. And get unstuck. Soon enough you will be your own coach. Affordable rates (sliding scale). Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)  Download PleaseMeetYourCareerCoachJaneGenova

You're the Salesperson - What You're Selling Is Yourself Through The Cover Letter

LinkedIn hammers the importance of your cover letter. In a dog-fight of a job market (that includes the competition for gig assignments), it's how you convince those hiring that you're the one they must choose. 

Essentially, a cover letter is a sales pitch. Not, it's not a laundry list of credentials. 

What you are selling is that you can get the job, gig assignment or client project done better, faster and more affordably than anyone else. In career circles that's called "differentiating yourself." 

As in all selling situations, you have to do fit the pitch perfectly to the particular buyer. The tone has to be one-to-one. Not generic.

Sure, you might have pattern cover letters (yes, multiple) for each category of job, gig assignment or proposal for new business. But you will custom-make each one for the specific job. 

Here is the template:

• Greeting. If a name is given, then say "Dear Peter." If not, then something like "Dear Search Team." It is always best to hunt for a specific name. Frequently that's found on the website. Remember, this is one-to-one. Me-to-you.

 

• State what position you're applying for. Use the "keywords" associated with that since Artificial Intelligence may be doing the first screening of applications. You find the keywords in the language used in the ad and what is standard in the industry and that job function. You can retrieve that information free by going to keyword providers and keying in, for instance, "email campaigns."

 

• Briefly state why you're thrilled to apply. Enthusiasm goes a long way. For example, the help wanted doesn't indicate the name of the organization but it does emphasize how diverse its clients are. You note how the broad mix of client makes for interesting, stimulating work.

 

• Now you zero in on what you can do for that employer. That has two parts, woven together brilliantly. You describe, in quantitative terms, what you had done for previous employers or clients. Then link that to a description of what you can do for this one. For instance, "On average, I boosted Calls to Action 23%. Primarily that was through innovative email campaigns. Given your product lines, when we work together, we'll be able to sustain double-digit increases for the lotions."

 

• Mention other accomplishments. You also headed a task force to refine the lead-development process at Company JTB. Closes increased 17%.

 

• Let them know your human side. That's what employers want to see right now. "When not 'on duty,' I give back to my community in Toledo, Ohio, by coaching senior citizens in digital technology. 

 

• Offer a freebie. "I welcome creating a mini marketing plan for your Lotion XYZ. Its "softening" effect is superior - and at a lower price point - than competitive products."

 

• Provide your own Call to Action. "Let's please talk more about what I can get done for you. You can reach me at _________"

 

• Proofread. If you do edits, you must proofread again. 

Everything changes. That includes the economy in general, the labor market, your industry, how specific organizations are doing, the style of sales pitches and what you can accomplish for employers or clients. That means your cover letter should also keep changing. 

 

The answers about your professional life are inside you. You will learn through coaching how to open yourself up to them. And get unstuck. Soon enough you will be your own coach. Affordable rates (sliding scale). Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com) Download PleaseMeetYourCareerCoachJaneGenova

Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviews - Hammer the Language of Results

Quinn Emanuel figures it has "earned" a $185 million fee in its legal work for health insurers who hadn't been paid by the Obama Administration. That number has been calculated on the basis of results. The law firm's work resulted in the insurers receiving $3.7 billion. 

The issue involved, reports Bloomberg Law, is that in terms of hours the fee would come to Quinn Emanuel's earning $18,500 an hour. There are those who object, including litigation funders. 

However, the fee only represents 5% of the results, note supporters of Quinn Emanuel.

At its core, this dispute is not really about high fees charged by elite law firms. That is so boring. The marketplace, including its dynamics during COVID-19, takes care of that. 

It gets down to questioning the Protestant Ethic. That had been woven into a system of beliefs by Max Weber. Essentially the meme is: Work hard. 

Such an ideology - actually almost a religion - dominated Americana since Puritan times. Hard work was valued in itself. Ironically, it still is. Those who sinned or stumbled professionally were advised to "Work Hard." That was the path to salvation.

Currently, that adage is still being touted, in some circles.

Many help-wanted ads on Craigslist, for example, indicate the need for a "hard worker." Yeah, an eye-roll. Professionals who want to get ahead in an organization sense that employer doesn't understand how success happens, is sustained and scaled. 

For players, the Protestant Ethic seems downright misleading. It's obvious that it can be even counterproductive. Looking for the way not to have to work hard can be the real path to wealth - as well as power and influence.

Through inventing the Mac, then the iPhone, Steve Jobs eliminated the need for lots of old-fashioned kinds of work. 

Before that, Ronald Reagan's branding was about not working hard. He came across as confident, a quality needed in a leader.

I landed a communications contract (one hat I wear) by pitching to the prospect a shortcut to boosting rankings on search engines. No, we weren't going to work hard together.

Mouthing platitudes about hard work can seem downright schoolgirlish. Even small business owners, at least those still in business in coronavirus times, understand that the game is about results - the bigger the better, the sooner the better. It's not about hours the workforce plows into a project.

The Emanuel Quinn fee controversy can be a flashpoint in law firm billing. The billable hour can be tossed. It could be replaced by performance-based metrics. 

More generally, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors who tell youth to work hard will have no credibility. As a sometimes career coach, I advise the over-50 unemployed/underemployed I guide to ditch their own hard-work ethos. It's all about what they can accomplish for an employer.

The pitch should be: This is what I can do for you - better and faster than those others competing for work. 

One professional in the real estate loop, after two years searching for a better job, reframed his marketing to just that: Promised results, supported by documentation of those created for other employers over the years. Those were his new marketing materials. Immediately, he received an interview. A prospective employer flew him to its headquarters and hired him on the spot. 

Sour grapes: Too long I worked hard at a doctoral degree that wasn't marketable. Early in the game the savvy owner at a business where I worked part-time recommended I pull the plug. Get a job in media or at a public relations agency, he counseled. I didn't. I assumed my unusually intense hard work would land me one of the few jobs in the field. I limped away from that disaster getting it that betting on the right horse, not hard work, is the key career fundamental. 

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.  

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

50-Something, In Gig Economy, Working for Peanuts - Stop (Much Of) That

Those in the gig economy, including newly laid-off older employees, have noticed this: Compensation is down. Frequently dramatically. That's how it is. And it extends across almost all the sectors, be they law or project management. 

Content-creation assignments in marketing communications, for instance, which used to pay 10-cents a word now offer 2 to 4 cents a word. And, nowhere in sight are assignments posting 20-cents per word.

You got it, it's that brutal law of supply and demand.

Bloomberg Law confirms that reality when so many jobs have vanished, perhaps permanently in Covid-19 time. Actually Bloomberg notes that users of Freelancer.com searching for work have increased 30% and of Upwork 50%.

Incidentally, since Upwork is a global platform, the compensation has always been on the low side. That's because, for example, the freelance ghostwriter in the U.S. is bidding for assignments along with freelance ghostwriter in the Philippines and India. The latter can and will bid way lower - and likely get the assignment. 

Those doing the hiring usually don't want or need the assignment done brilliantly. They just want it done. So, they expect to pay peanuts. 

What seasoned gig economy players have already done is stop hunting for assignments on those low-end platforms. They researched where they can connect with more upscale prospects.

Years ago I stopped even checking what was out there on Upwork. I invested search time on more sophisticated platforms in my field ranging from Mediabistro.com to Journalismjobs.com. 

In addition, I followed the advice of "What Color Is Your Parachute?" and pitched cold to those who might need assistance. The response is low but what does come in pays quite well. The book is available free in the public library. There are used copies on Amazon. It's a must-read. 

Also, I put myself out there on social networks. That gets my LinkedIn profile checked out. Work does come in.

Currently, I have managed to strike gold. I can turn down lower-paying assignments.

The past four weeks I have earned more revenue in that kind of time period than I had since before The Great Recession.

A big part of that was that I overhauled every aspect of how I marketed when I recognized how devastating the pandemic would be on the economy. To become more prospect-centered, I re-read "Copywriting Secrets" by Jim Edwards. The meme is that pitching is about the potential client/customer, not about us. The book also stresses the importance of headlines in how we market. 

In addition, I switched my headset to optimistic. Listening to American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron on YouTube saved me from the undertow pulling so many out to despair. Especially helpful has been her lecture on migrating from fear to fearlessness. Fear turns us inward, not outward toward the market. 

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.  

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

COVID-19: Blindsided by Forced Retirement

There is a confluences of forces.

One is that the aging, always targeted for the ax, are finding themselves shown the door more often during COVID-19. That's just the way it is. The route could be accepting a package, being on the list for a reduction in force, harassed into resigning, or a stealth layoff, that is being terminated for supposedly performance reasons. 

The other is the fear of returning to a communal work situation in which the risk of COVID-19 is high. 

The result, observes Alicia Munnell in MarketWatch, has been a significant increase in early retirements, that is, leaving a career or long-term work situation sooner than intended.

According to the findings on the Current Population Survey, in April 2020 - only one month into COVID-19 - there had been a 7% uptick in the number of those who had been employed and suddenly fell into the retirement category. For those between 55 and 64, the percentage was less but still significant enough to get on the radar.

Overall, the feeling about this development is: blindsided.

Because of the shock, there could be a rush into pessimism.

At the top of the list is assuming that the only way to continue to make ends meet is to apply for Social Security early. Usually, that's at age 62. Long term, that means a reduction in the monthly benefit.

The reality is that being knocked out of the career box doesn't mean the end of the ability to earn income from work per se. There is always work. Here, free to download, is my bible on that Download Outwitting ageism.

That stopgap can be the bridge to a new career path. For example, an in-house lawyer, who had been a communications client, had been forced into early retirement. He spotted an ad about being a residential leasing manager. Eventually he became licensed as a real estate agent. He made the contacts to sell at the high end. 

Another bit of pessimism is the mindset that relocation to where the cost of living is lower comes with shame. Those who thrive, despite the reversal of fortune, frame that as the unique opportunity to start over again. Also, many, to their surprise, discover it is a relief to leave their former life, embedded with careerism, behind.

There is also the predictable syndrome of regret - that is, replaying the past. It consists of the If-Onlys. When I lectured at the New York State Bar Association to displaced lawyers over-50, most were replaying their earlier decisions. The pattern was the magical thinking that if they hadn't done X, Y, that is, their termination, wouldn't have happened. Sure, it's important to learn from what could have been ineffective behavior.

However, nothing will change the past. What has helped some of my coaching clients in shaking off that preoccupation with the past is studying forms of Buddhism. Several schools recommend not perceiving the past - or any entity - as good or bad. It just is.

There are plenty of resources out there to navigate this new kind of rite of passage: early retirement.

Since the 1970s, for instance, "What Color Is Your Parachute?" has been a game-changer for those who need to market themselves to land work. Its tenet is that the person who is hired or gets the account is not necessarily the most qualified. Most often the winners are those who are best at presenting themselves in the labor market.

The search for income from work is a game. That game keeps mutating. Currently, my clients who are hired use the direct approach. In all their marketing materials, ranging from the cover letter/resume to the interview, they state and back up with data what they can accomplish for that employer or prospect for their business. Essentially, the pitch is: Here is what I can do for you.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.  

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

The Economy Reopens - So?

The risky move is afoot to reopen the economy. Since there are so many uncertainties about COVID-19, no one knows if that decision will result in a surge of infections and deaths. 

But, there is enormous pressure on leaders to get people back to work. That, though, is a lot of magical thinking. Many of the jobs they left no longer exist or will be fewer in number.

Take all the workers in the loop of servicing movie theatres. Shelter-in-place broke the habit of going out to the movies. AMC Entertainment which owns those movie centers is reported to be considering filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

With the majority of middle class people in a financial hole because of even temporary unemployment, the hospitality industry could take years to bounce back. Along the way, the functions could be automated. Hello, meet your server the robot.

Academia could become a shadow of what it had been pre-COVID-19. Those genteel jobs may never come back.

In short, the future of work will leave many of the current unemployed out forever. And, those who managed to hold onto their jobs might not be doing so for much longer. Revenue-challenged businesses will be rushing to implement technological strategies for extreme cost-control. Manpower accounts for about 70% of the cost of doing business. 

Meanwhile, for the Class of 2020 it may be years before they land the first "real" job. If ever ...

Probably not since the Industrial Revolution has there been such a disruption in the nature of work - what kinds are available, how it gets done, where, on what deadlines, and how much it will be paid. 

Those derailed by unemployment and the threat of obsolescence should know they are not alone. And it's not their fault. 

One solution is Universal Basic Income (UBI). That involves giving people monthly stipends not to work. They can spend the money as they want. But first, of course, they have shake off the capitalist value that work is one's core identity.

Another solution is to go about a career, including a job search, in a new way. That requires a psychic shift, reimagined personas, and more youthful behaviors. 

Intuitive psychic readings and coaching for your career and job search. Transition a special area of expertise. Complimentary 5-minute reading. Sliding scale billing. 12 years experience. Please contact janegenova374@gmail.com for appointment.