He knows people.  He knows what makes people happy and satisfied in their professional and personal lives.  And he knows how to help people reach inside to reach up to that level of happiness and satisfaction.

Through his complementary websites – Pittsburgh Career Coach and Future Design Studio – Neal offers a unique blending of personal counseling, professional networking, and holistic engagement that brings his clients to a new and higher plateau of peace, contentment, and fulfillment.  Because when it comes to improving the lives of his clients, there’s one thing everyone agrees upon.

Neal Griebling knows.

There is much concern within the European financial community over the impending fallout from the bailout of the Greek economy and the fragile economic health of Spain, Ireland, and other countries within the European Union.

Germany remains a mountain of stability within the alliance. Part of its economic health is the commitment the country has made to developing employment for its youth. In an October 8th article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, author Klaus F. Zimmerman describes how Germany has reduced its youth unemployment rate to about half the U.S. rate. The key seems to be combining vocational school education with three-year apprenticeships at corporate firms.

“Unlike the United States, Germany has not de-industrialized. Manufacturing remains a backbone of the economy. And apprenticeships often involve a fairly complex course of training, both in trade schools as well as at the company level.

“Along the way, apprentices learn key concepts of technology, business management, applied analysis and an ever higher level of analytical reasoning. Apprenticeships are therefore far more than on-the-job training and a transition to a young person’s first job. They also provide a solid basis for the lifelong updating of one’s professional skills.”

View the full article

Many job seekers have decided to take extended respites from their search campaigns during the summer months. They think that executives are taking vacations and that businesses are not making hiring decisions at this time.

Big mistake.

As I mentioned last month, retail businesses are hiring in droves. While these jobs are entry level, the hiring signs indicate that their workers are leaving for better paying and more prestigious jobs. I have close, working relationships with several recruiters. The economy is loosening up and companies are hiring. Don’t be left behind. Now is the time to expand your search.

Environmental sustainability may beckon recent college graduates and those soon to graduate, according to an article by Austin Considine published June 24th in the New York Times.

Rachael Kleinberger quit her job at age 25 at a reality TV production company to take a position at Global Inheritance, a nonprofit that uses the arts to encourage the growth of a green economy.

Sustainability is suddenly a hip career niche for young graduates. Amelia Byers is operations director for Idealist.org, a Web site that lists opportunities for nonprofit and social enterprise organizations. “A lot of new graduates are coming out of a world where volunteerism and service has been something that has helped define their generation,” she said. Ms. Byers sees this trend as part of a generational shift toward ‘values driven’ professions.

Environmental sustainability is an emerging sector that is well worth exploring for the job seeker with an interest in the Green Movement. For further information, click on the jobs tab on the online version of the New York Times.

I am currently working with several young men and women.  Some have already graduated from college, some are about to graduate. They do not have a job or internship in hand. The competition is fierce. A number have moved back in with their parents to save on expenses.

Eilene Zimmerman’s recent article in the New York Times offers some valuable advice for young people. I’ve summarized some of the key points.

• Don’t rest on your laurels; potential employers want to see some serious signs of career building activity.
• If you can’t find work, focus on developing skills and learning about your industry.
• Use this time to build and maintain your network; join an employment support group in your area. Investigate Priority Two, Dare to Hope and the Career Development Center at Jewish Family Services. They offer free or lost cost services to job seekers of all ages.
• Learn how to build your social media campaign by employing LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to best advantage. If you are unsure how to maximize your efforts, download Jennifer Stockdale’s special report “The Geek Ambassador’s Guide to Using Social Media to Find Work You Love” in the report section of this website.
• Learn and practice the art of informational interviewing. If you need help, please contact me for a complimentary, no obligation session.
• Cultivate friends, family, professors, and all members of your network to secure information interview with corporate and nonprofit decision-makers in your chosen field.
• Above all, don’t give up. Develop a plan and then work your plan.

Good luck!

Many of my clients enjoy discovering what their ideal career might be. The process of self-inquiry allows them to turn inward to find their passions, their core skills and what work environment would best meet their needs. Self-inquiry opens them up to identify options they may never have thought about before our work together. Together, we create a game plan for a job campaign.

When it comes to implementing their plan, however, many clients experience fear and resistance. They allow their minds to dwell in the past, regretting decisions made and not made. They obsess about the future, worrying whether they will ever find the right job. Consciously or unconsciously they focus on failure instead of success. I find I really need to offer them a mixture of support and tough love. You are what you think. If you focus on failure, you will manifest the very thing you fear most. What could happen if instead you focused your mind on success? In subsequent posts, I will offer you proven strategies to rest in the present moment, focus on what is controllable in your life, and suggest how you can deconstruct belief systems that don’t serve you.

April showers bring May flowers. The trees and bushes in Chatham Village are budding and bringing forth an explosion of flowers. Residents and visitors are delighted with the rainbow of colors. It’s a happy and heartening time.

If one looks carefully, it’s also a heartening time for job seekers. The national and state unemployment figures are beginning to turn around. The embryonic economic recovery is beginning to finally grow private sector jobs as the government stimulus winds down.

This is the time for those who have been downsized, who are frustrated in their present jobs, who want to change careers or create consulting practices of their own to take action. You need to get out ahead of the curve.

Employers are beginning to loosen their purse strings and posting openings, contacting recruiters, and contacting yours truly.

Time is of the essence. “The early bird gets the worm.” The proverb may be tired (I prefer seasonally appropriate), but it conveys an obvious truth. Don’t wait. Get moving. Now.

I have ongoing relationships with various recruiters and staffing agencies in the area. Some are generalists, some occupy certain niches, such as sales or IT. Contact me and let me see if I can connect you.

In yesterday’s New York Times, staff writer Gretchen Morgenson wrote an article entitled “Are We Finally Coming Out of the Woods, Economically Speaking?” Morgneson was encouraged by two recent economic indicators. October’s employment figures rose more than economists had expected and the stock market rose to levels last reached just before the fall 2008 financial crisis. Impressed with the validity of his forecasts over the past five years, she consulted Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics.

In 2005 Shepherdson predicted a real estate crash and a subsequent recession. He was early on that prediction, Morgenson said, “But he was fundamentally right back then and has been consistently on target since. So, I am happy to report that he sees the beginnings of a turn in the economy that could translate to a rise in the gross domestic product growth and an improving employment picture in the second half of 2011.

“The basis for his view is a shift, albeit nascent, in commerical and industrial bank lending. The trend is real, he said, and as it gains steam, small businesses should receive more credit, for which they have been starved. And because these companies employ half of the nation’s work force, this credit expansion will translate into real employment gains. Sheperpherdson said, ‘I reckon in the last cycle they accounted for two-thirds of all new job creation. Not only are they big, they are better job-creation engines than big companies, which are more inclined to do their new hiring offshore.’

“Obviously, a growth in lending to small businesses is not yet being felt across the board, Mr. Shepherdson said. But as the credit expansion trickles down to these companies, the gap will start to close and employment will begin to ramp upward.

“‘My overwhelming condition for things to get better in the small-business sector is credit, so the positive data are a hugely exciting development,’ he said. ‘I don’t think we will see all these gaps close by December, but over the next 12 months I think we will see a transition out of a sluggish 2 percent economy to a real, properly growing recovery. And the second half of 2011 may be the true turning point for unemployment.’”

We can only hope Shepherdson is on target once again.

When I first begin working with clients, I find many of them worried sick about their finances. While such worry is understandable, if left inchecked, it sharply hinders their ability to engage with the Life-Work Discovery process.

So I ask them if they have a financial advisor. While most have IRAs and many have investments, I’m astounded to learn they do not have a financial advisor. Some say they have one, but have not consulted him or her for years! I then ask my clients to collect and review all of their  financial information and to put together a personal/family budget.

Throughout the years, I have been fortunate to have met a number of financial planners with whom I’ve developed relationships and find to possess the highest integrity. I give my clients a short list of advisors and tell them meet with several. That first consultation is free. In almost all instances, they come away with renewed hope and strategies for managing their finances.

If you have been downsized, are worried about your fiancial situation, and lack a trusted advisor, don’t hesitate to contact me. I can provide you with my short list of individuals who possess  the compassion and competence to address your concerns.

Mark Sullivan is a dear friend and a fine attorney who cares deeply about people in general and his clients in particular.  I continue to be amazed at how some employers treat their employees during and following the termination process. After meeting with a string of prospective clients who had been so treated, I asked Mark to put together an article on what employees should be aware of when facing a termination.

Mark has written a very cogent and informative article that will soon appear on this website’s Special Reports page. Please check it out and tell your friends. It should be must reading for any employee or job seeker. Stay tuned for the report. Mark can be reached at 412-415-5202 or mark@sullivanservices.com.