Fight for your health!

Saturday afternoon it was sunny and about 70 degrees.  Leaves covered my front yard and I was busy at work raking them and enjoying the beautiful day.  I usually hate raking leaves but on this day it was a time of relaxation and enjoyment.  

Why the change in attitude?  Well, in March I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer which at that time was believed to be small and slow growing.  Subsequent blood tests (PSA) escalated much faster than expected and in early November my Urologist called the results "disconcerting."  Nothing like hearing that from a doc to throw you for a loop.  For several days I was devastated.  I prayed frequently, did my homework and met with an Oncologist as my doc had suggested.   I came to learn that most likely the initial biopsy missed something and that area probably is more aggressive than the samples that were taken.   I will shortly begin hormone therapy, have another MRI, a bone scan, then begin 9 weeks of radiation treatment for 5 days each week.  With God's help, the wonders of modern medicine and my doctors' expertise I will persevere and overcome this.  I have found myself to be  more grateful for everything in my life.

I bring this up for more than just telling my story.  I urge all of my male friends over the age of 40 to get their annual wellness exam as I do.  Make sure your doctor orders a PSA reading in your blood tests and does a DRE exam.  Don't let him or her persuade you that you are too young to worry.  We have been tracking my PSA numbers for years and I am confident that early detection will allow me to live for decades more.  For all of my friends, if you don't feel well, have lost energy, gained weight, are concerned about the number of medications that you take, etc have a frank conversation with your doctor.  Don't allow them to put you off, tell you to lose weight or exercise more, especially if you feel poorly.  Switch doctors until you find one that listens, understands the pharmacology of your medications and prescribes different meds or even reduces what you take.  I faced these challenges some time back and finding a doctor to do that has dramatically improved my health.  If any of you would like to discuss these items I am happy to make myself available.  

Finally, if you believe that you are healthy, you can always do better.  Eat better, exercise more.  Don't take your good health for granted.  I never thought about those things when I was young and believed myself to be invincible.  You will be rewarded with prolonged health and happiness.  

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and prayers for your continued health and well being! 

Employment Summary, November 2020

The U.S. economy added 245,000 non-farm jobs in November, below the 410,000-job growth forecast by economists. The unemployment rate edged down to 6.7 percent. While November is the seventh consecutive month of both job growth and unemployment rate improvement, the pace of that improvement has moderated reflecting the ongoing coronavirus and efforts to contain it.

However, as noted by Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah Chaney Jones, current vaccine rollout plans will be a factor in future job growth, “The labor-market recovery from the pandemic’s job destruction this spring has been stronger than most economists forecast. Many expect widespread vaccine distribution to eventually help lift the economy as businesses are allowed to reopen and consumers feel more comfortable traveling, going to the movies and returning to other in-person activities involving proximity to other people.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in November, notable job gains occurred in transportation and warehousing, professional and business services, and healthcare. Employment declined in government and retail trade.

“With this month’s BLS Employment Situation report, the economy is once again reflecting a broad-based underlying optimism bolstered by recent COVID-19 vaccine announcements,” said Bert Miller, president and CEO of MRI. “Members of our Network of over 300 executive recruitment offices sense a building momentum particularly in sectors like healthcare, construction, financial services, and professional services as client firms intensify their search efforts for the top executive, technical, professional, and managerial talent who will lead the evolution of their business models into 2021.”

The BLS reported in November, 21.8 percent of employed persons teleworked because of the coronavirus pandemic, up from 21.2 percent in October. These data refer to employed persons who teleworked or worked at home for pay at some point in the last four weeks specifically because of the pandemic.

Commenting on the November report, Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at The Wells Fargo Investment Institute noted, “While disappointing, this news should be somewhat offset by the increasing odds of another fiscal stimulus package, and a Fed that stands ready and willing to do more to help the economy.”

Looking to future months, David Berson, chief economist at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. provided an additional optimistic outlook, “As infection rates go down, as the number of people vaccinated goes up, then we’ll start to see ... business activity expand at a faster rate, and we will see the employment numbers pick up more strongly.”

As reported by the BLS, employment in transportation and warehousing rose by 145,000 in November. Employment rose by 82,000 in couriers and messengers and by 37,000 in warehousing and storage; since February, employment in these industries has increased by 182,000 and 97,000, respectively. Job growth also occurred over the month in truck transportation (+13,000).

In November, employment in professional and business services increased by 60,000, with about half the gain occurring in temporary help services (+32,000). Job growth also occurred in services to buildings and dwellings (+14,000).

Healthcare added 46,000 jobs in November, with gains occurring in offices of physicians (+21,000), home healthcare services (+13,000), and offices of other health practitioners (+8,000). Nursing care facilities continued to lose jobs (-12,000). Overall, there are 527,000 fewer healthcare jobs than February.

Construction gained 27,000 jobs in November. Employment rose in residential specialty trade contractors (+14,000) and in heavy and civil engineering construction (+10,000).

In November, manufacturing employment increased by 27,000. Job gains occurred in motor vehicles and parts (+15,000) and in plastics and rubber products (+5,000).

Financial activities added 15,000 jobs in November. Gains occurred in real estate (+10,000) and in nondepository credit intermediation (+8,000). Financial activities have added 164,000 jobs over the past 7 months, but employment in the industry is 115,000 lower than in February.

Employment in wholesale trade continued to trend up in November (+10,000). Government employment declined for the third consecutive month, decreasing by 99,000 in November.

Employment in leisure and hospitality changed little in November (+31,000) but is down by 3.4 million since February. Arts, entertainment, and recreation added 43,000 jobs in November, while employment in food services and drinking places changed little (-17,000). Employment in other major industries, including mining, information, and other services, also showed little change in November.

“Our Network members are continuing to see client organizations invest boldly in growth, as they work to avoid the dangers of recency bias. We are helping our clients ensure they don’t over-index on the most recent global events to guide their decisions, but instead remain committed to objectively evaluating the full picture and focusing on what has historically driven economic vitality: great talent,” said Miller.

Nail Your Next Job Interview!

 You have cleared a major hurdle! You have an interview scheduled. What do you do next?

People hire and accept emotionally first, and justify logically later.

Here are some tips.

1. The initial question is generally an "ice-breaker", something like "Tell me about what you've done…". Be careful not to go through your entire work history here. But you also don't want to skim and miss something important. Tell the interviewer a synopsis of your experience, gearing your information toward what you know of the position in question (60 seconds). Then ask him for his description of the job's duties and responsibilities. As he describes the specifics of what he's looking for, share your specific experiences with the duties he's describing. Also, share your accomplishments in those tasks. You are positioning yourself as a direct solution to his specific need.

2. After hearing his description of all the duties and responsibilities, ask what the #1 priority is. What needs to be accomplished every day before you leave the office? And why? (Priorities are personal)

3.  What are the metrics for success?

What criteria will I be evaluated against? A good way to phrase this is, "Mr. Hiring Authority, if you and I were sitting here in one year, going over my annual performance review, and you were telling me how pleased you were with my performance, what criteria would you have used to come to that conclusion? This will cause him to answer specifically, giving you the information you need. It will also move him into a mode of mentally placing you in the company for one year successfully. Find out about problems or obstacles you may inherit.

4.  Questions

Ask any question that you will need to know in order to go to work for this company. You need to have all of your questions written out beforehand. Leave space to jot answers. The only questions not to broach are those regarding compensation or benefits. I wouldn't put you into the interview if there wasn't plenty of overlap in the numbers.

5. Ask for the next step. Too many candidates engage the interview in a passive way-answering questions, thanking the manager for the interview, never getting an idea of what the next step is. They also never give the interviewer a sense of if they even really want the job. Let him know. "I am very interested in taking this to the next level. From our conversation today, I feel that I would bring a lot to the organization, and that this would be a very good move for me, as well. Can we conclude our business today, or will I be coming back again for another

meeting? When will that be? Who will I be meeting with? What will they be focusing on?

Good Luck! You got this!