The economy is reeling under the pressures of a downturn. Unemployment rates are staggering and layoffs are at an all-time high. The current economic climate calls for a robust career management plan, one that will, despite the recession-like conditions, catapult your career to new heights.

Effective career management is an ongoing effort. Once employers recognize how valuable you are, recession or growth, they will do everything they can to retain you.

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Just about everyone uses them these days. Job boards, I
mean. Whether you're an in-house corporate recruiter, a
staffing firm recruiter or an executive search consultant,
job boards are now an integral part of how our jobs get
done. But, are we making the best use of their services? And
no less important, what should we expect from the job boards
we do use? How do they stack up against the state-of-the-art
in this industry?

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Jeff Foxworthy on Minnesota:


If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through
18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by,

You might live in Minnesota...


If you're proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights
each year because InternationalFallsis the coldest spot in the nation,

You might live in Minnesota..


If you have ever refused to buy something because it's 'too spendy',

You might live in Minnesota..


If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March,

You might live in Minnesota..


If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there,

You might live in Minnesota..


If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the
middle of his forehead,

You might live in Minnesota..


If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time,

You might live in Minnesota..


If your town has an equal number of bars and churches,

You might live in Minnesota..


If you know how to say....Wayzata...Mahtomedi .... Cloquet
Edina...and Shakopee,

You might live in Minnesota..


If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy,

You might live in Minnesota..


If vacation means going 'up north' for the weekend,

You might live in Minnesota..


You measure distance in hours,

You might live in Minnesota..


You know several people, who have hit deer more than once,

You might live in Minnesota..


You often switch from 'Heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again,

You might live in Minnesota..


You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow
during a raging blizzard without flinching,

You might live in Minnesota....


You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events,

You might live in Minnesota..


You install security lights on your house and garage and
leave bot hunlocked,

You might live in Minnesota...


You think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and Venison,

You might live in Minnesota..


You carry jumper cables in your car, and your girlfriend knows
how to use them,

You might live in Minnesota..


There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Mill's Fleet Farm
at any given time,

You might live in Minnesota..


You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit,

You might live in Minnesota..


Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow,

You might live in Minnesota..


You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter,
and of course, road construction,

You might live in Minnesota..


You can identify a southern or eastern accent,

You might live in Minnesota..


Your idea of creative landscaping is a plastic deer next
to your blue spruce,

You might live in Minnesota..


If 'Down South' to you means Iowa,

You might live in Minnesota..


You know 'a brat' is something you eat,

You might live in Minnesota..


You find -10 degrees 'a little chilly',

You might live in Minnesota..

In this uncertain job market, with employees worrying about the health of their companies and their own futures, encouragement is especially reassuring. In tough economic times, when companies need to re-evaluate raises and bonuses, a positive word can ease tensions and promote productivity.

Send a signal that someone is incompetent or bad at something and you have destroyed almost every incentive to improve. Hey, if the boss already thinks you are an idiot, do you stand a chance?

However, encourage that person and he or she will work even harder to excel. It is possible, and desirable, to criticize errors without destroying an employee's confidence. A person may not be as good as you tell her she is, but she'll try harder thereafter and achieve even more.

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If your organization uses flexibility as a tool to enhance business and employee success, apply for the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility and receive national and local recognition as an employer of choice!

The Twin Cities and St. Cloud are two of only 30 communities across the country offering employers an opportunity to apply for this award.

The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are part of When Work Works, a national project on workplace effectiveness and flexibility from Families and Work Institute in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce and the Twiga Foundation.

For more information about the When Work Works project and workplace effectiveness and flexibility, including free research, resources and tips for employers and employees, please click here.

Apply Today!

Application deadline: April 6th, 2009