In This Issue:

• A Note From Anne: Career counseling from Anne Angerman of Career Matters.
• Colorado Job Outlook: Is the recession getting better?
• Job Engagement: Staff that isn't fully engaged costs you money.
• Online Classes: Are they for everyone?
• Networking: Is it really worth the effort?
• What's New: We're expanding our focus nationwide.

Do you know someone who wants a new career direction? Has been laid off? Is confused? Might want to go back to school? Have them call us at Career Matters.

We help people find their gifts and their directions. We work with people from 16 – 90. We offer testing, coaching, help with networking, finding jobs and interview skills

Call (720)489-9409 or visit AnneAngerman.com.

A Note From Anne

As days become shorter, we see that Fall is around the corner. It makes me think of change and new beginnings. In light of this, I am always amazed at the number of people that I know who are going through a career transition at any given point in time. My oldest child Rachel is returning to school after being laid off from the advertising field. She's decided to take prerequisite classes for study in Occupational Therapy or Nursing - a pretty big shift from advertising.

Despite working with so many people going through a similar process, it has been interesting to watch my own daughter make a career change. I am impressed with the amount of research that she's done on her potential new career choices. She's been doing a lot of work talking to people in these fields and visiting different potential schools. I'm happy to report that, as of June, she's started taking some classes.

In light of my daughter's ongoing career change experience, in this issue I want to discuss the current Colorado job outlook, being happy with our work, the risks and benefits of online classes in this issue, and networking.

Thanks for reading,

Anne

Colorado Job Outlook

As a career consultant, the first question that people often ask "Is the recession getting better? Are there more jobs out there?"

According to some Denver-area headhunters that I know, business is picking up significantly and is likely to rise even more in the second half of the year. Stats show that Colorado gained a total of 2,200 jobs during the first five months of the year, while the unemployment remained steady at 8% for the last four months. In terms of industry sectors, leisure and hospitality posted the highest gains. While a recession tends to make people think about their lives and their futures, it's important to recognize that there's no such thing as a "bad time" to evaluate your career

Are You Engaged At Work?

I often hear from people that they don’t feel "fully engaged" in their work. Turns out, this is a common sentiment. According to a June issue of Bloomberg Business week, only one-third of workers feel fully engaged in their work. To me this means that leaders and CEOs must rethink how to motivate and reward their employees.

After all, the US economy is suffering when a lot of employees are not motivated. Gallup estimates that a lack of motivation costs the US economy $416 billion in lost productivity. What's worse is that, because of the recession, many people feel they don’t have a choice about their work...making them feel even less motivated. Many workers today are so focused on a steady paycheck and benefits that they stay in a job that does not match their abilities or values. If you're an employer, now is a great time to consider bringing in an outside consultant to help increase job satisfaction among your staff. Learn more about our career coaching services for businesses.

A Quote From Aristotle

Are Online Classes For Everyone?

Research on online education shows that people who procrastinate usually do very poorly in online classes. I spoke with an instructor who teaches both online and in person, and he confirmed that research. If you're taking an online class (or considering one), it's recommended that you be assertive and complete your tasks/posts a few days before they are due so that you don't fall into this trap.

So, if you're a procrastinator and love to wait to the end to complete things, you should probably think twice before signing up for an online class.

Networking: Is It Worth The Effort?

Clients frequently ask me if it is worth it to go to a networking affair - especially if they don’t know anyone. The answer? Definitely!

Experts say that only 20% of jobs are advertised. Will attending a networking affair find you a job? Probably not. However, it will be a great way to build up more contacts for your network and give you some new ideas.

A couple of hints for networking:

1. Help others: Ask people how you can help them and what they are looking for. If you can help someone, you'll build a great contact and increase your chances of hearing about job opportunities.

2. If you are more introverted and not as comfortable in an event, decide ahead of time to talk to a few people and have some questions ready for them with some business cards. If you can attend an event with someone who is more extroverted than you,that can also be a help.

Two Books To Recommend: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

The Happiness Project is a great book that shows how you can be proactive in being happier by taking small actions and doing certain kinds of projects. It's also interesting because it includes tips and ideas from other readers. I like it because it helps to dispel the myth that life is “what happens to you” and that, as a result, you are a victim of your circumstances. Check out: www.happiness-project.com for more information.

The second book is Delivering Happiness, which is written by Tony Hsieh, the very young CEO of Zappos.com. In this book Tony shares the steps he followed to figure out what he wanted for his life, and then how he formed various companies (including Zappos.com). Tony also talks about the importance of community. I found this book to be very compelling and moving as well as informative.

What's New At Career Matters

Because we see a number of people who want to find a new career or go back to school, we are spending more time on research to find out what are the hot job areas are in a certain geographical area. For example, the job market for nurses could be very different between Boulder and Boston, and knowing that can help us find the right match for a person’s talents and interests with a certain geographical area.

While we're a Denver company, we help people get more clarity for their careers anywhere in the US and abroad. We can work with clients exclusively by telephone, Skype and e-mail as needed. So, if you know someone outside of Denver that might benefit from some career coaching, tell them about Career Matters!