Sex & Violence – News Syndication

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN

The job: Patent researcher

Nature of the work: These professional investigators work for law firms, research businesses, the federal government and corporations. They scour various sources to make sure an idea or invention is original and they typically specialize in areas such as electronics, computer science, chemistry and mechanical engineering. “Their job is to find what we call ‘prior art,’ ” says John Tsavaris, special counsel at Kenyon & Kenyon LLP, an intellectual-property law firm in New York.

The pay: At law firms, patent researchers with one to four years of experience earn annual salaries of about $65,000, says Gary Buckland, a vice president at Kelly Law Registry, a legal staffing firm in Troy, Mich. Those with 15 to 20 years of experience may earn upward of $85,000, he says. Patent researchers employed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office — known as patent examiners — earn starting salaries ranging from $41,350 to $73,736, depending on specialty.

The hours: Patent researchers typically work during normal business hours, though they may occasionally put in overtime to meet deadlines.

The benefits: Traditional health-care packages and retirement-savings programs are common at most firms; standard for government workers.

Other incentives: Researchers get to see products before commercialization. “Sometimes a client will provide us with prototypes of the inventions we’re researching,” says Matt Rodgers, a vice president at Landon IP, in Alexandria, Va ref.

Best part of the job: Katherine Schultz, a patent engineer at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, an intellectual-property law firm in Milwaukee likes the variety. She does research work in addition to helping attorneys draft and defend patent applications. “When someone walks in with a new invention disclosure, it’s always a surprise,” she says.

Worst part of the job: “It can be repetitive,” says Mr. Rodgers. “You might have several projects in a row that have similar objectives, so they require the same type of research.” The job’s work environment may be a downside. “It’s pretty quiet most of the time,” says Cindy Troutt, a patent researcher at Canon U.S.A. Inc.

Education/Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline such as science or engineering is a common requisite, says Dr. Tsavaris, also an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law. Employers also look for candidates with strong analytical, organizational and time-management skills, he adds. Career changers may be able to gain entry into the field upon completing internships or coursework on patent research.

Hiring: Demand for patent researchers is steady. There’s a backlog of more than 750,000 patent applications with the federal government, says Lynn Feild, a workgroup manager at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Jobs there are listed at usptocareers.gov. Openings at companies and law firms are advertised on job boards, including intelproplaw.com and patentlyo.com.

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
Patent researchers at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earn starting salaries ranging from $41,350 to $73,736, depending on specialty. A previous version of this column said patent-office researchers earn salaries ranging from $40,184 to $75,537.

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D6

By JOE LIGHT

Bryan Derballa for The Wall Street Journal

Christopher Santini has spent months trying to collect $35,000 he says he is owed for freelance work.

As more people turn to freelance and independent consulting work, they’re taking on an unexpected role: bill collector.

For New York business consultant Christopher Santini, the pursuit for payment from one client has practically become a second job. Last May, a small business he consulted for went through a merger, and the new company fell behind on payments to him. Now, Mr. Santini, who’s been a freelance consultant since 2008, says he is owed about $35,000, which would have accounted for almost 40% of his annual income last year.

“I started to get the standard run around,” says Mr. Santini. “The secretary would tell me the person I needed to speak to was out. Finally [they] started to ignore me and not return emails or calls.”

Mr. Santini says he has spent 80 hours calling and emailing company officials. He discussed the case with a lawyer, but decided not to bring it to court. Instead, he is still working to get the client to pay up on his own.

About 40% of freelancers had trouble getting paid in 2009, according to a survey released in mid-April by the New York-based Freelancers Union, a 135,000-member organization for independent contractors across the country in fields such as media, technology, and advertising. It was the first year the group asked the question on its member survey. And more than three out of four freelancers said they’ve had trouble getting paid over the course of their careers, according to organization.

The problem could become more acute as independent contractors emerge as a more central piece of the work force. The financial crisis and the resulting high unemployment thrust many professionals into the ranks of freelance workers, which may continue to grow despite signs of an economic recovery.

Littler Mendelson, a San Francisco-based employment law firm with 49 offices nationwide, predicts that in 2010 half of previously eliminated positions filled will be filled by contingent workers—such as independent contractors, freelancers, and temp workers—accounting for as much as 25% of the work force nationwide— based on client interviews and a survey conducted by a staffing analysis firm.

Since independent contractors aren’t covered by most federal employment laws, they don’t enjoy the same legal protections on wages as permanent employees, says a spokesman for the Department of Labor. If a permanent employee doesn’t get paid, federal or state labor departments can fine companies and even prosecute company executives. But independent contractors often have to turn to the court system, in most cases small claims, if they go unpaid.

To some, small-claims court can be more trouble than it’s worth, says Sara Horowitz, executive director of the Freelancers Union. Depending on the state, it will cost about $50 to file a claim and it can take months for a case to be heard. Even if a freelancer wins, small-claims judgments must be collected by the plaintiff.

Even before going to court, freelancers can spend significant time building their case. In January, Medford, Mass., artist Charles Leo sued a California-based coffee shop and kiosk manufacturer for $1,150, the agreed-upon fee of architectural renderings of a coffee shop he was never paid for. Mr. Leo says he spent more than 60 hours creating the renderings—and 40 hours trying to collect payment, gathering evidence and spending time in small-claims court. The judge ruled in Mr. Leo’s favor and ordered the company to pay the fee, but didn’t grant the $850 or so in punitive damages Mr. Leo requested for his time spent on the case. (The maximum judgment for small claims in Massachusetts is $2,000.)

“It was a piddling amount compared to the time I had to spend pursuing it,” he says.

How can a freelancer avoid problems? Before accepting a job, freelancers can search consumer complaint Web sites like RipoffReport.com and industry discussion boards to make sure the company they’re contracting with doesn’t have a history of late payments, says Kate Lister, a former small-business consultant, and co-author of “Undress for Success: The Naked Truth About Making Money at Home.”

Make sure to have the terms of payment and penalties for being late built into a written contract. Should a firm run into financial trouble, company officials typically give priority to the contractors who have spelled out fee-based consequences for a late payment, says Michelle Goodman, author of “My So-Called Freelance Life.”

After a payment deadline has passed, immediately try to connect with the person responsible for payment by phone. If they don’t respond, send a revised invoice with the agreed-upon fees or interest charges added on.

Where contractors go wrong is when they don’t act fast at the first sign of a late payment. Freelancers “don’t want to look like a jerk, but that’s silly. This isn’t getting a prom date. It’s business,” Ms. Goodman says.

Filing a complaint in small-claims court should be a last resort. As a last step before heading to small-claims court, send a simple letter with the amount, how long it’s overdue and your intention to take it to court, Ms. Lister says, and copy your lawyer, a company board member and any relevant regulatory agencies. A complaint about a broadcast company, for example, could be copied to the Federal Communications Commission, which considers how a broadcaster treats its local community when granting certain permits, Ms. Lister says.

“You have to find those pressure points that will make someone really pay attention to your letter,” she says.

If you get a judgment in your favor and the company doesn’t send a check, you’ll probably have to pay other fees to file liens, garnish the company’s earnings, or hire a police officer to seize cash from the business, depending on the state. Keep in mind, if a company hasn’t paid because it’s under bankruptcy-court protection or doesn’t have the money, you likely won’t be able to collect.

For its part, the Freelancers Union launched an advertising and lobbying campaign urging employers to make good on unpaid freelance wages in early April. Ms. Horowitz says her organization is working on potential legislation to pass on to state lawmakers in New York to give free-lancers more legal recourse and create penalties for companies that don’t pay.

As for Mr. Santini, he’s now working out a payment plan with the firm’s chief executive. “I don’t know how many times I’ve been told ‘The check is in the mail’ or ‘Your invoice went to my junk email inbox,’” he says.

By RACHEL EMMA SILVERMAN

It’s that time of year again: Many workers and managers are preparing for the dreaded performance review.

But some companies are deciding not to do them.

While most continue to perform the awkward rite of passage once or twice a year, a few companies—about 1%—are scrapping the formality altogether, according to the Corporate Executive Board. The thinking is that performance reviews are angst-provoking and even ineffective in actually motivating workers.

Performance reviews have long received poor grades, even from those who conduct them. Nearly 60% of human-resources executives graded their own performance-management systems a C or below, according to a 2010 survey by Sibson Consulting Inc. and WorldatWork, a professional association. And one academic review of more than 600 employee-feedback studies found that two-thirds of appraisals had zero or even negative effects on employee performance after the feedback was given.

Last year, Atlassian Inc., a software company based in Sydney, Australia, embarked on a publicly blogged experiment, still in place today, in which it got rid of traditional performance reviews for its 450 workers.

Previously, employees were reviewed twice a year on a five-point scale, plotted on a distribution curve, which determined workers’ bonuses. But “instead of discussion about how to enhance people’s performance, the reviews caused disruptions, anxiety and demotivated team members and managers,” says Joris Luijke, the company’s vice president of talent.

In place of reviews, the company asked managers and subordinates to discuss performance and goals at pre-existing weekly one-on-one meetings. Feedback now goes both ways.

As a springboard for discussion, participants, using an online app, are asked to drag a dot along an axis to answer questions like, “How often have you stretched yourself?” Instead of writing up lengthy assessments, they note a few pointers on why they dragged the dot to a certain place.

The company also got rid of the distribution curve and individual performance bonuses, instead giving everyone an 8% salary bump, as well as group performance bonuses and stock options.

Traditional top-down performance reviews can also cause intimidation among employees and make them fearful of acknowledging weaknesses, says Samuel A. Culbert, a management professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and co-author of the book “Get Rid of the Performance Review!”

Still, some experts caution that scrapped performance reviews must be replaced with some form of feedback mechanism.

Without required, documented reviews, some employees may be able to slack off without repercussion. Others may fail to be recognized for their achievements.

Additionally, companies that bypass reviews say it places a lot of responsibility on both managers and employees to have those difficult conversations that can fall through the cracks when not mandated.

Other companies worry that failing to officially document performance can pose problems if an employee is let go.

For the University of Wisconsin Credit Union, giving up performance reviews didn’t work. When the company eliminated formal reviews in the 1990s, it didn’t replace them with another clear-cut feedback system. “There was a void,” says Lee Wiersma, chief human resources officer, who joined the Madison, Wis., company in 2000.

Since then, the company has gradually instituted semiannual performance reviews that are tied to pay and promotions. The performance criteria are based on the requirements found in a job description, which are updated regularly to stay current and realistic.

But other companies that have given up reviews have had more positive experiences. A yet-to-be published study, by researchers Vicki M. Scherwin, Jean-Francois Coget and Randall J. Kirner, examined 17 firms without formal performance appraisal systems. Those organizations all reported low turnover, high employee morale and strong relationships between managers and employees, among other benefits, found the study.

When feedback is “not going to be used to judge you or your fate in the company, you are more likely to be open about where you need to grow and it’s going to be far more effective,” says Dr. Coget of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Glenroy Inc., a Menomonee Falls, Wis., packaging-film manufacturer with 178 employees, has successfully operated without formal performance reviews for about 20 years.

“No one liked giving them. No one liked receiving them. We looked at each other and said, ‘Why are we doing this?’ ” says Nancy Seeger, Glenroy’s director of human resources.

Rich Buss, the company’s president, acknowledges that the informal appraisal system places a lot of responsibility on workers to be proactive about offering advice.

But the company has implemented management training sessions to help workers become more comfortable with giving and receiving feedback.

The company uses an outside salary consultant to determine pay based on the duties of the job and years of service. If managers and employees think they are ready for new responsibilities, workers are promoted to new positions at higher pay.

Write to Rachel Emma Silverman at rachel.silverman@wsj.com

By PETER BREGMAN

A young woman I know is a star. In her early thirties, she had an M.B.A. and was already running a small division of a successful fashion company. She had that rare combination of design sense and business savvy that makes a virtuoso fashion executive.

About the Author

Peter Bregman

Peter Bregman is a strategic advisor to CEOs and their leadership teams on leadership and organization issues. He is the author of 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done. Mr. Bregman can be reached at www.peterbregman.com.

The owner of her company noticed. And when the company’s president left, the owner tapped my friend for the job.

She had her doubts. In the job, she would be more disconnected from the design work she loved and she would be focused far more on finances and doing deals. More than anything, she would have to manage the owner who was temperamental. That wasn’t really her forte or interest.

On the other hand, what an opportunity! And honor! It would look amazing on her résumé, the money was great, and to be president at this young age? How could she turn it down?

So she took the job.

The first few months were grueling, but she expected that. What she didn’t expect is that it wouldn’t get better. She mastered the finances – and even enjoyed that part – but the politics of her relationship with the owner were sapping her energy. Things began to slip through the cracks. The designs began to sell less well. And the owner was becoming increasingly tense and erratic.

Within a few years, she left the job and the company.

If you think about it, the entire outcome was predictable.

We all have a sweet spot where everything seems to flow; where we feel happy, competent, in sync with everything around us, uniquely talented, and predictably successful. It feels like magic, but it’s not: It’s the intersection of our strengths, weaknesses, passions, and differences.

My friend, in taking the job, veered from her sweet spot.

The scenario is not uncommon. Of more than 10,000 people who have taken a productivity quiz on my website, a full 72% admit to doing work they neither excel at nor enjoy.

That’s a mistake. We should plan our work and our lives so that we operate in that intersection. Outside it? Chances are we’ll fail. We might succeed at first, but it won’t be sustainable.

Getty Images

So why do we ever leave our sweet spot? Sometimes, it’s because we want to learn. One of the reasons my friend took the position was to get experience running her own business.

But there’s another temptation at play: ego. A new job sounds impressive and the external rewards and recognition are significant, so we think we should take it, even when we might know in our gut it’s not the right fit.

A few years ago, I was asked to sit on the board of a non-profit. I was honored and I accepted. After a few meetings though, my enthusiasm started to wane. I liked the organization and I liked the people on the board, but I didn’t care enough to devote real time to it. It wasn’t something I was passionate enough about and it required that I be a strong fundraiser, definitely a weakness of mine. In other words, it failed two out of four of my sweet spot criteria.

Here’s the crazy thing: A year later, they asked me to be president of the board, and I accepted again. I lasted a year.

So, why did I accept? I’m embarrassed to say that, mostly, I liked the idea of being president of the board, even though the role took me out of my sweet spot.

At first glance, you might think the dilemma of seduction could be solved by being clear about what you want versus what other people what from you. That would be a fairly easy distinction to sort out.

But it’s more complicated than that. In fact, the dilemma is entirely within us: It’s between what we want and what we think we should want, which is hard to distinguish.

Still, in the midst of that complexity, there’s a simple way to assess an opportunity. Next time you’re given an “offer you can’t refuse,” ask yourself if it will place you squarely in your sweet spot. If it won’t, you know what to do.

As for my friend? She eventually started her own company. She works on the designs herself, which she loves, and is very close to the marketing, promotions and finances. And politics? Very little.

The company is successful, of course. She’s in her sweet spot.

Write to Careers Editor at cjeditor@dowjones.com

By KAYLEEN SCHAEFER
| Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Q: My husband is a 41-year-old finance manager who was told by his new boss that he needed to stop making negative comments. Specifically, he was told not to say that the company has tried something but that it didn’t work before. He was told if he didn’t stop making these comments, he would be put on a performance action plan. Since then he has worked hard at being positive and was told by his boss that he was doing a good job. But recently, his boss got a call from human resources about my husband’s behavior in a meeting — he was perceived as being negative because he recommended that the group look at X before they do Y. He was told he would be fired the next time he said something inappropriate. My husband is currently looking for another job, but in the meantime, he needs to find a way to work with management. Can he repair the situation?

A: Childhood storybook character — and Winnie the Pooh’s sidekick–Eeyore is known for statements like, “Nice day, probably rain.” To most people, that’s a pessimistic and depressing view of the world, but to Eeyore, it might be a sensible way of looking at the weather.

If Eeyore had a job, instead of talking about precipitation, he would probably be more prone to exchanges like this: The boss would ask him, “How did your department do this month?” Eeyore would say, “We’ve done better.”

It’s the same with your husband. Most likely, he thinks he’s taking a helpful, matter-of-fact approach to whatever tasks he’s assigned, but managers, and probably his co-workers, sees him as sour, unpleasant, and resistant to change.

“People who tend to be negative perceive themselves to be realistic,” says Rudy Nydegger, a professor of management and psychology at Union Graduate College in Schenectady, New York. “You may be in a habit of presenting things as realistic but are really drawing a worst case scenario.”

For management to see you as more positive person, however, doesn’t mean you have to morph into an cheerful and chirpy Pollyanna. You don’t have to change your personality, but you do have to alter the way you deal with people.

During discussions, before you squelch an idea doom-and-gloom style, pause and think about whether there are other options you should consider, says Lester Tobias, a psychologist and managing partner at Nordli, Wilson Associates, a management consulting firm in Westborough, Mass.

“If you’re used to a certain factual, structured world, and the boss is asking you to use the common cliché and think outside the box, if you don’t do it, you’re going to fail,” Dr. Tobais says. “Try to open yourself up.” But, he says, it won’t be easy. “Negativity is a thinking style we tend to get stuck in.”

In addition to meeting the boss’ expectations, not shutting yourself off from others’ bright ideas will make your co-workers more amenable to considering your suggestions. Giving them positive feedback and contributing something besides verbal roadblocks at meetings will make them return the favor and listen to you too — instead of daydreaming about what they’re going to pick up for lunch.

If you were never cited for negative comments before your new boss arrived, however, there could be another possible reason you’re being called out for them now. It could be that instead of being a realist, what you’re actually saying with your negative comments is, “I can’t do it any other way.” If you’ve found that since your new boss arrived, you are flailing from nine-to-five, it’s possible that you’re not stubbornly pushing back against any change but you might not have the skills to change. You can’t do the job he’s asking you to.

“The new boss has come in with a new agenda, and you feel like a deer in the headlights,” Dr. Tobias said. “When it feels like the ground is shifting beneath you and you don’t understand why it’s happening, there may be a poor fit. You’re saying, ‘This can’t be done. That’s all I know how to do.’ It doesn’t even occur to you that the boss is asking you to do something you can’t conceptually deal with it. The idea that you’re in over your head is over your head.”

You boss may not realize this is what’s going on either. He thinks you’re being obstinate, when truthfully, you’re incapable of doing your work any other way.

“If a person doesn’t fit as well with the culture, a lot of times they are evaluated more negatively,” Dr. Nydegger says. “That’s not uncommon.” With organizations changing and downsizing, there are some real dramatic changes in culture, Dr. Nydegger says. In some cases, the way people used to do things don’t fit anymore. “Sometimes the old people are left behind,” he adds.

Even if you do manage to catch up to the new workplace regime, you are right to look for a new job that is not as much of a struggle for you. In the meantime, follow the boss as best you can; you might improve your skills by doing this and it’ll save your job until you can find another.

“This situation is putting you under an enormous amount of stress,” Dr. Tobias says. “If you can find a job that suits you well, then you’re going to be much happier and more successful. You’ll go back to enjoying your career.”

Write to Kayleen Schaefer at worktherapy@wsj.com

By ELIZABETH GARONE

Many workers who lost jobs in the hardest-hit sectors of the economy are now looking to change careers. But crafting a résumé that shows the benefits of hiring an industry outsider can be challenging.

In this installment of The Résumé Doctor, three recruiting experts critique a résumé from a job hunter eying a move into facilities management from commercial construction.

• The Job Seeker: Mark Peterson, 47, of Woodbury, Minn., was laid off in July from a senior project manager/sales position at a small commercial-construction company where he had worked for 19 years. Though he was hired in November as a senior project manager for a rival firm, the contract job is commission-based and doesn’t include medical or other benefits. He says the position is unlikely to yield a salary anywhere close to his prior annual income of around $125,000.

• The Objective: Mr. Peterson is seeking a mid- to senior-level executive position in facilities management. Mr. Peterson would like to stay in the Minneapolis metro area and is seeking a minimum annual salary of $85,000, significantly lower than his previous salary but on par with what he expects in the current economy. If the economy were to improve, he says he would be looking for $100,000 to $125,000.

“Any company that has a large campus or multiple buildings to manage could work well for me,” he says.

• The Experts: Offering feedback on Mr. Peterson’s résumé are Ken Rose, a senior client partner in Chicago for executive-search firm Korn/Ferry International Inc.; Nanci D’Alessandro, a vice president and national account executive in New York for commercial real-estate firm Grubb & Ellis; and Julia Hicks, director of human resources at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. Universities are one of his target employers because of their many buildings to manage.

• The Résumé: Mr. Peterson has kept his fairly standard résumé to one page. He leads with his contact information, followed by a summary statement and 11 areas of expertise. The résumé goes on to describe his career in reverse chronological order with bullet points and concludes with details of his education and training.

• The Positives: Our experts were impressed with some of the accomplishments cited in Mr. Peterson’s résumé. They also gave it kudos for being clutter-free despite its short length.

• The Advice: Much of the information that hiring managers want to see—such as the size and scope of projects he worked on and certifications he holds—is there, our experts agree. What Mr. Peterson needs to do is revamp the layout so it is more pleasing to the eye and easier to quickly scan, they say.

Right now, the résumé is formatted with a significant amount of white space in some areas and in other places, text is bunched together. Most of all, he needs to direct his résumé away from construction and more toward facilities management by highlighting his transferable skills when describing his former positions.

“Quite frankly, I would have overlooked this résumé, and it would not have made my list,” says Ms. D’Alessandro. “The résumé is still very much geared to construction.”

For starters, our experts recommend Mr. Peterson get rid of the “Management Professional” title at the very top. “There’s really no point to giving yourself a title or categorizing yourself,” says Mr. Rose. “Your professional experience and training should stand on its own.”

Likewise, our experts agree Mr. Peterson should revamp his summary statement. As it is, it is unclear and it doesn’t even mention facilities management, they say. “It needs to be more focused on what he is trying to achieve and it should show his strengths,” says Ms. D’Alessandro.

For Ms. Hicks, the summary statement “needs to be more specific about what he can offer and not what he is seeking from an employer.”

Mr. Rose usually counsels his clients against including a summary statement. But he says he would make an exception for someone looking to change careers. “Otherwise, the person looking at his résumé is going to ask, ‘Why is this drywall guy sending this to me?’ ” he says.

The next section of Mr. Peterson’s résumé features a list describing his areas of expertise. Ms. D’Alessandro and Ms. Hicks said they both like it, but they said it should be shortened to six bullets from the current 11. They suggest formatting the section into two or three columns rather than one to make it more visually appealing. “When the list gets too long, the reader loses focus on the most important skills he is trying to convey,” says Ms. Hicks.

By contrast, Mr. Rose considers the list “a waste of valuable real estate” and suggests deleting it. He says he prefers résumés that highlight strengths with tangible accomplishments in the work-history section. “There really is no value-add in a list like that,” he says. “Hiring authorities don’t really trust your assessment of yourself.”

While there are mixed feelings among the experts about including a list of skills, all agree that when used, it needs to be concise and contain only those skills that can help a candidate stand out from the competition.

For the section that lists past employers, our experts want to know more about Mulcahy Inc., where Mr. Peterson spent 19 years. This is especially important for job seekers who have experience at a small or midsize firm that might not be known outside of its particular state or region. “What kind of company is it?” says Mr. Rose. “It could be a multinational, or it could be Mr. Mulcahy, his son and Mark.”

Our experts also want to see more details about what Mr. Peterson did at Mulcahy. “Did he hold the same position for all 19 years, or was there career progression while he was there?” asks Ms. Hicks.

“If there were multiple positions, you would want to show that,” says Ms. D’Alessandro.

She suggests adding subsections under a particular company. Even if Mr. Peterson held only one or two positions at Mulcahy, he should still break up his time there in order to show the breadth of his job as well as career progression, she adds.

Our experts also didn’t like how Mr. Peterson’s résumé displays his past accomplishments. He lists seven, single-spaced bullet points, each packed with responsibilities and accomplishments, for the time he spent at Mulcahy. “They need to be spread out more with additional bullet points, so they are not just a mass of verbiage,” says Mr. Rose.

Further, Ms. Hicks says that Mr. Peterson could have done a better job of explaining his major career accomplishments.

For example, rather than listing the companies he had contracts with by name, she says she would have liked to see the different industries they’re in, because this would show his breadth of experience.

Perhaps most important, our experts say he is missing out on an opportunity to highlight experience that would prove highly relevant to a job in facilities management. In two of his early positions, he mentions the field in bullet points that describe his responsibilities but doesn’t elaborate.

“A lot of people make the mistake that if it happened 20 years ago, no one cares about it,” says Mr. Rose. “But you accomplished things back then that show career advancement.”

Including early stints can be especially important for prospective career changers, he adds. Mr. Peterson “should leverage some of that experience so he won’t come across as a complete newcomer,” says Mr. Rose.

In the education and training section, our experts were critical of Mr. Peterson for citing uncommon acronyms for all but one of the certifications he listed. Instead, they would have preferred to see these spelled out. Ms. Hicks also suggests Mr. Peterson show when he obtained the certifications, especially if he got any in recent years. Including dates would also show that he’s “up-to-date on what’s going on in the industry,” adds Ms. D’Alessandro.

Further, our experts noted that Mr. Peterson should have gone into detail about what may be the most valuable credential he has for a job in facilities management—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Having a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) designation demonstrates significant knowledge in green building practices and would transfer well to facilities management. It could also mean the difference between Mr. Peterson’s résumé going to the top and bottom of the pile, says Ms. D’Alessandro.

Finally, our experts said that to fit the extra information, Mr. Peterson may need to expand his résumé to two pages from one, and that doing so would be acceptable for such a senior-level job hunter.

“With 25 years of experience, you cannot articulate the depth of your experience in a one-page résumé,” says Ms. D’Alessandro.

Write to Elizabeth Garone at cjeditor@dowjones.com

By TODDI GUTNER
| Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Ramping up to land a new job quickly after a layoff, a downsizing, a meltdown (as in the case of Lehman Brothers), or a takeover (like that of Merrill Lynch) takes thoughtful planning despite the urgency of the task. “The trick to a successful transition is not to panic,” says Doug Matthews, president and CEO of Right Management, a human-resources consulting and professional staffing company in Philadelphia. “You don’t want to hit the market in a chaotic fashion.”

Take stock of your finances. Identify and prioritize your bills and debt. An immediate need for cash flow may require you to take a temporary assignment. “It can give you a sense of productivity and give you some good experience,” says Mr. Matthews. According to his company’s research, the number of people taking temp work has risen 10% in the past two years.

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

An employee of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. carries a box out of the company.

Create a search strategy. Despite the need to mobilize a quick job search “you don’t want to send out a bunch of things into the marketplace without any thought behind it,” says Mr. Matthews. Take some time to create a thoughtful and measured approach to your job hunt. Be specific about the position you want and target the companies where you want to work. If there is an onslaught of professionals in your field looking for work—as is likely the case in financial services—think creatively about where to apply for your next position. Consider a smaller company or another industry that may need your skills.

Determine your worth. Conduct research with executive recruiters, career coaches and others in similar positions to the one you’re seeking to determine what salary and benefits you can request. If you happen to be in an industry that is in general contraction, make a checklist of your skills and identify those that are transferable to industries in a growth mode. Consider that you might need to take a pay cut if you’re coming from a high-paying sector. The trade-off, say experts, may be more stability.

Practice your pitch. No matter how quickly you need to land a job, make sure you take at least 72 hours to process your emotional reaction to job loss. You don’t want to jump in immediately, but rather practice your pitch until it is devoid of as much anxiety and negative emotion as possible. Try it on friends or family, then a trusted colleague or mentor. A successful job search is partly about how you present yourself. “You’ve got to be out there telling people about yourself,” says John A. Challenge, president of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Polish and post your resume. A resume is your window and calling card to the world of work. Highlight your key accomplishments and measurable results of those accomplishments. Post your resume on the Internet at general and industry-specific job boards, and at social networking sites like LinkedIn. Get it in the hands of executive recruiters. “You don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” says Mr. Challenger.

Network, network, network. About 42% of people found their job through a networking contact, according to a Right Management survey. Make a list of contacts from your college or university and former companies, to charities and volunteer organizations. Reach out and tell them what kind of position you would like, but “never ask anyone for a job,” says Mr. Matthews. “Instead ask them for information and referrals.” And take heart, nearly two-thirds of the 21,000 professionals that Right Management serves annually end up finding a job within 90 days.

Write to Careers at cjeditor@dowjones.com.

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D6

By RUTH MANTELL

Your workload has increased, so have your boss’s expectations. But scaling back could mean losing a job.

Talk about stress.

Paul Baard, an organizational and motivational psychologist at Fordham University’s graduate business school in New York, knows just how stressful a work environment can get. He has consulted with athletes in the high-stakes, high-pressure world of professional sports.

What secret has he passed along to those clients? When you are in a slump, you can still contribute by encouraging your teammates.

Rather than burdening a team with distracting self-doubt and pity, try to help others, he advises. “In order to remain self-motivated, research has found that the innate psychological need for competence must be satisfied,” Mr. Baard says. “This drive pertains not only to the ability to do a job but to achieve something through it—to have impact, to contribute. A way an employee can expand opportunities to satisfy this need is to help her team succeed by encouraging others, even if her direct contributions are limited.”

Age, occupation and family circumstances, among other factors, can all play a part in how workers respond to different stressors. But experts say there are steps that can help you take control of your happiness at work this year.

Find meaning in your tasks. Commitment to a goal beyond self-promotion can help a worker manage stress levels, says John Weaver, a psychologist at Psychology For Business, a Brookfield, Wis.-based employment consultancy.

Several years ago, Mr. Weaver consulted for a long-term-care facility in Wisconsin that had flooded. Because of the water damage, the residents and employees had been forced to move into an already occupied facility. Employees felt cramped and annoyed, he says, and pettiness abounded.

To help the workers regain a positive attitude, Mr. Weaver asked each person this question: Why do you do this work?

“People don’t work in nursing because it pays so much or it’s glamorous or it’s easy,” he says. “As they heard the question you could see their attitude change. They could see the reasons why they needed to work together, to put aside difficulties and compromise, and residents were treated better.”

Remembering why you are in a business can help you manage stress, Mr. Weaver says.

While working on his dissertation, Rick Best, now a health-services scientist for Lockheed Martin, researched stress among nurses who work with veterans, a group that faces high demands with low resources. One might have expected elevated levels of burnout. But there were high levels of satisfaction.

“The meaning they got from their job was high,” says Mr. Best. “They went into the profession of nursing to help people. As a consequence, they derived much meaning from what they were doing, and they were better able to handle stress.”

Reduce your expectations. Given how much energy employees devote to their job, there can be quite a few expectations wrapped up in work. Workers often look to employers for career, socialization, and personal and intellectual growth opportunities.

“With so many expectations, it’s no wonder that work can’t meet all of that. So we get disappointed, but I don’t know that work could fulfill all those things,” says Ken Pinnock, associate director of employee relations and services at the University of Denver.

Due to so many layoffs in the last few years, many have lost friends and colleagues, and have realized that job security, taken for granted at times, is gone. There have also been cuts when it comes to extras, such as educational opportunities, celebrations and room for career advancement.

There can be an element of loss when employees realize that the workplace has changed. However, personal and professional goals can still be pursued without an employer’s support.

“The way back from this is to try to gain perspective about work, realizing that we are still ultimately in charge of our careers and work, and we don’t have to turn to our employers to develop ourselves, or look to them to be responsible for us,” Mr. Pinnock says.

Look at “challenges,” not “problems.” Rather than perceiving problems at work, look at them as challenges.

“The people who approach work as an opportunity to learn are much more satisfied with their jobs and performance, and find themselves eager to take on new challenges,” Mr. Weaver says. “They aren’t trying to prove that they are the smartest. They are more likely to learn from their own experiences and mistakes.”

Setting intermediate goals can also help workers derive a sense of accomplishment, and keep pace with longer-term targets, Mr. Best says.

Write to Ruth Mantell at ruth.mantell@dowjones.com

By TODDI GUTNER
| Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Courtesy of IKEA

The head of IKEA North America, Pernille Spiers-Lopez

Full name: Pernille Spiers-Lopez
Age: 49
Hometown: Silkeborg, Denmark
Current position: President of IKEA North America
First job: Dishwasher at a hotel
Favorite job: IKEA store manager in Pittsburgh
Education: Danish School of Journalism in Denmark
Years in the industry: 23 years
How I got here in 10 words or less: Passionate about work, focus on today, know the direction you want to go

Pernille Spiers-Lopez’s path to the top spot at IKEA in North America is anything but typical. Born in Denmark and trained as journalist, Ms. Spiers-Lopez quickly discovered that it would take much longer than she anticipated to obtain a coveted feature writer position. During her years as a reporter, she learned how to think on her feet and get along well with people — two skills that have served her well in retail. Ms. Spiers-Lopez came to the U.S. in 1980 at age 23, leased a car and drove more than 60,000 miles in two years selling Danish furnishings out of her car. “Retail is a self-taught profession where you just get out there and figure it out,” says Ms. Spiers-Lopez. Flush with contacts in retailing, she quickly rose in the field, managing 24 Door Store furniture locations, and then opening two STOR home furnishings stores in California. They were later purchased by IKEA. The company recruited her in 1990 to be marketplace manager of its West Coast stores and she became president of IKEA North America in 2001. She has helped grow the chain from 15 stores in the Northeast and West Coast to 35 stores. Writer Toddi Gutner spoke with Spiers-Lopez about her career path. Edited excerpts follow.

Q: What does IKEA stand for?

A: It stands for name of the founder Ingvar Kampard, and Elmtaryd Agunnaryd, which is the town where he grew up. At 83 years old, he is still active in the company.

Q: What is your favorite IKEA product?

A: I love the IKEA kitchens. They look good and they’re designed and organized well for cooks who need to find things.

How You Can Get There, Too

Best advice: “Always follow your passion and live your values,” says Ms. Spiers-Lopez.

Skills you need: Strong leadership skills and an ability to understand yourself are key, says Ms. Spiers-Lopez. “Be a people person,” she adds. “(And) know the business.”

Degrees you should go for: Ms. Spiers-Lopez says a specific degree isn’t necessary, just “life and life experience.”

Where you should start: On the front line with the customer in the stores, she says. Try to build a career in retail from the bottom, up.

Professional organizations to contact: Professional retail associations

Salary range: Fits with IKEA as a low-cost company

Q: You joined IKEA in 1990 as a store manager and then became a human resources manager. How did you eventually move into an operational role with profit and loss responsibility?

A: Human resource managers can be their own worst enemies. With all the benefit rules and regulations, they often talk about what the business can’t do. As an HR manager, I took my role as a business partner to the company leaders (but) on the front line (in order) to make it possible for them to do what they needed to do. I became recognized as a business leader myself. In fact, many of the top jobs at IKEA come from the HR function. The country managers of Germany and the United Kingdom were both HR managers.

Q: How has being a foreigner in the U.S. running a foreign company helped or hindered your career?

A: I think it would have been much more difficult if I had come to IKEA from another retailer but I grew up with the company. Also, I think coming from Scandinavia myself, where the image is very positive, definitely made it easier as well. I am proud to say that I became at U.S. citizen in January of this year.

Q: How do you reconcile the European work ethic with America’s 24/7 workplace?

A: We take a different perspective that focuses on work-life balance. We think if you want to be a good manager and a good leader then it’s not healthy to work 80-hour weeks. IKEA employees like to work hard, but we also value time with our families and expect our employees to take their vacation time. When you’re tired, stressed and overworked, you can’t really be productive and make the right decisions. We want to attract very good people who stay a very long time.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you face in your job?

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A: There are so many things that come at you everyday, such that nothing is ever done. I have to work to make sure that I keep some distance and don’t absorb everything and let it eat me up. I do a lot of yoga, meditation and I read books.

Q: What does the coming year hold for you and IKEA?

A: Even though it is a tough economic environment, I feel very optimistic. IKEA is about great things at low prices. There seems to be a change happening in society where people respect value; they can do things themselves and they don’t need fancy furniture.

Q: Did you ever aspire to be a president of a company?

A: I have done more than I ever I expected I would do. I have a great exciting job. When you can work from a place of no fear, you’re much more relaxed. For me, it hasn’t been about what is next, but rather about enjoying what I have. Truth is, I am not afraid of being nobody; if I lost my job tomorrow, I would enjoy doing something totally different.

Write to CareerJournal at cjeditor@dowjones.com

Q: I enjoyed your article on stay-at-home moms returning to work. Do you see men facing the same issues? After 10 years at home with my kids, I am beginning to interview for jobs and am preparing for the transition you describe.

—R.C., Marietta, Ga.

A: Many at-home dads have faced challenges in making the transition back to work, as described in the column, but they are seldom willing to tell their stories for the record. Men typically encounter even more skepticism than women when they return from time at home caring for their children, says Carol Fishman Cohen, co-founder of iRelaunch.com, a Web site for people returning from career breaks. The recession has actually eased the stigma by making it easier for returning dads to blend into the crowd of other jobless men.

Networking is even more important for male on-rampers than for women, Ms. Cohen says. The key is to forge connections with people who have known you in roles other than parenting, she says. Former classmates or co-workers or fellow committee members in volunteer activities can help you reconnect with the working world. Consider signing up for a career re-entry seminar at a university or community college near you, to brush up on basic skills, practice interviewing, network and look for job leads.

If you can’t find a social or professional networking group with other men who have taken time off, consider starting one yourself, says Mercy Eyadiel, director of alumni career services at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, which offers a career re-entry program with the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. If you are able to consult with a career or life coach, doing so could help you clarify your goals and set an action plan and timeline, Ms. Eyadiel says. When interviewing, don’t apologize for your time away, but focus on what you could do for a new employer.

Q: If parents of teenage children divorce, is it right for moms or dads to leave their homes open when they aren’t present, so the kids can come and go as they please? My husband and I don’t allow my teenagers in our home when we are away, bolting our door when we leave. However, my ex-husband leaves his house open to the kids 24/7, even when he travels on business. The kids accuse me of lacking trust in them, but I am concerned that they or their peers might use the house for parties. Am I off base?

—L.M.

A: Not at all. “It is very risky for teens to be unsupervised for long periods,” says JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, a Rochester, N.Y., clinical psychologist and an expert on children and divorce.

Teens do best with consistent structure and clear rules, she says. “Deep down, too much freedom results in a concern that their parents really don’t care about them. Teens need and want limits to help them learn to manage their impulses and choices.”

Your question raises another issue—cooperating with your kids’ father, says Dr. Pedro-Carroll, author of a forthcoming book on children and divorce, “Putting Children First.” It would help your teenagers if the two of you could agree on how they should be supervised while either of you is away. “Right now, your kids are caught between two extremes: A bolted door at one house, and too much freedom at the other,” Dr. Pedro-Carroll says. She advises working toward an agreement that will ensure that they always have a responsible adult present.

Many divorced parents have such a requirement as part of their parenting agreement to cover times when one parent is out of town. If the other parent can’t oversee the kids, then the responsible parent must make arrangements to find another adult to help out. If you don’t have such an agreement, she says, “it may be time to renegotiate.”

Write to Sue Shellenbarger at sue.shellenbarger@wsj.com