Small Business Sentiment: Taking a Turn for the Better, or Will it be Doldrums for a Long Time?

Some data recently came out from the National Federation of Independent Business (N.F.I.B.) that the New York Times commented on, but we question the thoroughness of their analysis.  Since we have the ear of the small business community as well as job seekers, would love your input in the comments below, or if you don't feel comfortable commenting, send us an email at feedback@urbaninterns.com.  

Essentially, the Times writes that the outlook for small business owners is bleak relative to the last two years, with the percentage of SBO’s planning to expand in the next 3 months contracting from 16% in July 2007 to 5% in May 2009.  In addition, SBO’s expect sales to be down 5% in the next 3 months, whereas 2 years ago this number was up 16%; and hiring is expected to be down 5% in the next three months vs. up 13% two years ago.  In addition, consumer confidence fell in June after 2 months of gains, the Conference Board reported today and as part of the same report, the % of Americans saying that jobs are “hard to get” increased slightly month over month.  However, I don’t believe this data tells the full story.  In the SBO data, you have to look at the month over month numbers, and while the “screen shot” of it is bleak on its face, I am seeing ever so slight upticks and/or stability in May over April pricing plans (3% vs 1%), hiring plans (steady at -5%).  In addition, it’s not clear from either study whether this relates to just full-time work or part-time work as well.  Presumably, many SBO’s have cut full-time hiring plans but still need to hire hourly / contract workers or interns to keep the lights on.

What do you all think?  What are your hiring plans for full- AND part-time / interns for the next 3 months like?  Please post your comments below! 

Warmly,

Lauren Porat

Co-Founder

Urban Interns

Building structure around an unstructured internship

Thanks to Shawn Graham of Courting Your Career for guest posting!  We hope to return the favor!

You approach a small company or start up who has never hired an intern before about the possibility of working for them over the summer. They are interested in bringing you on board, but they don’t have a formalized training program or even much of a position description.

If they decide to make you an offer, should you just accept it on the spot so you know you’ll have something on your resume? Possibly…but that’s a risky bet. To make the most of your summer, your internship needs to be meaningful. And the best way to ensure that it’s meaningful is for you to take the lead on giving it some structure.

First things first, you need a job description 1) because you want to know what you’re signing up for and 2) it gives you something tangible that you can refer back to throughout the course of your internship so you can make sure you’re getting the experience you need to position you for full-time employment and your employer is getting the help they need to grow their business. Because they’re a small company, it’s usually much easier for you to pull something together for them to react to than it is to expect them to come up with something on their own.

Once you have a mutually agreed upon job description, you can initiate a discussion about a midpoint and final performance review. Doing so will put you in a position to receive actionable feedback that you’ll be able to address before the end of the summer and see how you throughout the course of the internship--this is especially important if you think there might be a shot at them hiring you on full time as you want to make sure you’re meeting their expectations and performing at the highest possible level.

If they don’t have a formalized training program, there’s a pretty good chance that it’s going to be up to you to get up to speed on your own. Take time to familiarize yourself with their business including their products and services. Listen for clues from management and coworkers about the challenges they’re facing as they could give you an idea for a project you could help get off of the ground.

And, speaking of which, don’t forget to speak up. Managers get busy. A typical 10 week summer internship goes by pretty quickly. If you find you’re spending most of your time on busy work or no work at all, approach your intern employer with ideas of how you might be able to help out on specific projects. You don’t want to come across as telling them what to do, but you do want to offer to help.

Adding structure to an unstructured internship is the best way to ensure a positive experience for the company and for you as their intern. The more meaningful your experience, the more meaningful it will be on your resume as you search for a full-time job.

Shawn Graham is author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job and a career expert blogger for FastCompany.com. For more information about Shawn, visit his blog at courtingyourcareer.com.

 

Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World!

We had the great fortune to attend Savor the Success's 2009 Women Entrepreneurs Rock the World event (event details here) today.  We were so psyched to be in a room of so many amazing entrepreneurs, and the speakers had volumes of advice and takeaways for small business owners everywhere.  Here are the highlights:

Melissa Cassera of Cassera Communications on story spinning: your business's story is as much about YOU as it is about your business.  In order to craft this, work hard to incorporate the EMOTIONS, DETAILS, and CHARACTERS into it.

Mike Michalowicz, serial entrepreneur and author of the best-selling Toilet Paper Entrepreneur: Here is his formula for success: YOUR BELIEFS + WHAT YOU FOCUS ON = APPARENT ACTION.  If you believe there is an opportunity, it will absolutely happen.  If you believe the economy will crush you, it absolutely will.  Changing your thought patterns will change your business.  Also, set your 10-year vision for your business.  Anyone can achieve anything in 10 years.  Your vision must be crystal clear and it must be big.  But you have to achieve your goal in a zigzag pattern...that is, set your 90 day plan and achieve it, then re-calibrate and set your next 90 day plan, and so forth, because headwinds change and you must adjust.

Ayesha Matthews on branding: Decide what your core values are and make sure every aspect of your user experience reflects those.  An awesome product is a necessary precursor to a good branding campaign.

Sydney Biddle Barrows - the infamous Mayflower Madame! - on creating a compelling customer experience: You need to understand what business you're really in, and create a unique selling proposition around that.  For example, as a madame she was not in the escort business but in the fantasy and the trust businesses.  (An interesting example, we know, but very effective as an example of a simple, well-branded business at the time - albeit an illegal one!)

Thanks to Angela Jia Kim, founder of Savor the Success, for organizing the event.  We look forward to connecting with all of the great people we met there soon.

Warmly,

Lauren & Cari

5 Ways to Supercharge Your Job Hunt

Guest post from Gradspot.com, the destination for life after college. 

In the current job market, the absolute worst thing you can do as a job-hunter is do nothing else except look for a job.

Sound counter-intuitive? Let me explain.

Before the recession hit, the average job hunt took four months. Now, you might realistically expect it to take up to six months (or longer). So when the right opportunity finally comes, you don’t want to walk into the interview with no story to tell. The interviewer will almost certainly ask you what you’ve been doing since graduation, and unfortunately, “looking for a job” is just not a compelling answer.

But how do you build that story that will help you stand out from the rest of the pack? Looking for listings and networking can only take up so many hours in the week. Here are five things you can do boost your stock while you’re looking for a full-time job.

Do volunteer work. Finding a non-profit organization that interests you can be a great way use your free time productively. From a personal standpoint, you will benefit from the opportunity to meet new people, pick up some new skills, and do something worth feeling good about.

And when it comes time for an interview, you can say that you wanted to donate your time and effort to a cause you strongly believe in, which will demonstrate your commitment and work ethic. End result? Everyone wins.

Find an Internship. I know I’m preaching the choir here, but it’s crucial to have intern experience under your belt in today’s market. Even if you get an internship that’s unpaid and only keeps you occupied a couple days a week, it provides valuable experience to add to your resume and speak about with potential employers. Furthermore, it could be your golden ticket to a full-time gig—many great entry-level jobs never even make it onto jobs listings sites and instead are filled out of the pool of available interns.

Learn a New Skill. The more skills you bring to the table, the more attractive you’ll be to potential employers. Take advantage of the free time you have and learn to program, use Photoshop, or speak conversational Spanish. Find something that’s coveted in the field that interests you and dive in. If you are a self-starter you can find books and websites to learn almost anything for free, but you can also check out sites like Craiglist to track down tutors of all types.

Freelance or Find a Temp Gig. Why not make a little money and gain some exposure while you’re searching for a full-time opportunity? In the age of online content, finding freelance gigs is easier than ever, though the pay has suffered as a result. Moreover, you don’t have to be writer to freelance—web designers, artists, programmers, and copy editors can all pawn off their services. In addition to Craigslist, check out Indeed, SoloGig, and Mandy.

Take a (Productive) Vacation. Ok, so maybe going to Southeast Asia won’t help you with the specific goal of getting hired. But if your job-hunt is dragging on interminably, why not take a trip to somewhere you’ve always wanted to go? The chances of taking off on a two-month backpacking trek grow slimmer by the day once you’re on a career track, and as long as you explain your travels constructively, they shouldn’t hurt your chances of landing a job. In fact, they may even help. Employers value a range of experiences and a proven ability to be independent, and many companies report that employees who have taken gap years demonstrate more maturity and stay on longer than their peers.

Chris Schonberger is Editor-in-Chief of Gradspot.com and author of Gradspot.com’s Guide to Life After College, a humorous manual for the transition from college to the real world.

Personal Branding & Networking

We attended a panel discussion on personal branding and networking last night at NYU, hosted by Step Up Women's Network (full disclosure: we are both on the board of Step Up).  On the panel were a series of women who know a LOT about this topic: Carla Harris (Managing Director Morgan Stanley), Christine Beauchamp (President Ann Taylor), Hope Hughes (Director Deloitte Consulting), and Juliette Powell (Media Entrepreneur), and it was moderated by Beth Schoenfeldt (Co-Founder Collective-E).  Some key takeaways that are applicable to you, whether you're an Urban Intern or a small business/entrepreneur/busy professional:

1. Your personal brand should accurately reflect the way people perceive you.  In order to create a strong personal brand, think of 3 adjectives that you want people to describe about you when you are not in the room. (As Carla said, the most important decisions are made about you when you're not present: hiring, promotion, and new opportunities.)  And then make sure that everything you do reflects those words.

2. Tough times can create major opportunities.  If you've been laid off, use it as an opportunity to find a job that you absolutely love. And don't settle, because you can only excel at it if you're happy in the role.

3. Companies that are firing are also hiring right now. Think major retailers and even financial firms. They use times like this as an opportunity to "upgrade" their workforces.

4. Use your network - and do not be afraid to ASK for favors or introductions!  Magical things can happen with the power of personal connections.

5. Build your resume.  If your "dream" job isn't realizing itself, look for a similar position or function in a different industry.  When the market turns around, you'll be in a great position.

6. Consider part-time/freelance/internship work.  Lots of companies are using part-time help and freelancers to get work done without long-term financial commitments, but these roles very frequently turn into full-time jobs.

We are thrilled to be your go-to resource for part-time work solutions.  We continue to refine the product and have some exciting announcements coming up.  In the meantime, email us with questions and feedback!

Warmly,

Lauren & Cari

2 Week Anniversary!

Today marks our 2-week anniversary, and it has been a busy 2 weeks!  As of the time of this writing, we have 388 Urban Intern profiles and 55 registered employers on the site.  We wanted to share a bit about what we've learned about you since we launched.  On the Urban Intern side, you're focused and determined to find that next flexible opportunity, and many of you are willing to take an unpaid job in order to build your resume, your skill set, and your network.  On the employer side, you're stretched, working insane hours to grow your business, and you need reliable help that can represent your business.  You are looking for people that are responsive, trustworthy, and professional.  You barely have time to search for the right people, let alone interview them.  (And by the way, we get it!  As small business owners, we're right there with you tackling a never-ending to-do list.)

Are you reading us?  If you are an Urban Intern, you need to be proactive and energetic about your job search.  If you are an employer, now is the time to find highly qualified, skilled people without the financial commitment of full-time employees.

Here's what one employer said:

"I am very impressed with Urban Interns.  In record time, I've received and continue to receive contact information from exceedingly qualified candidates that I never would have known about, if it were not for your site.  We are still evaluating many inquiries received to date, and have yet to make a hiring decision for the positions we've posted.  Thanks for launching such a great resource!" -- Barbara Poole, Founder, Employaid.com

...and here's what one Urban Intern said:

"I am hopeful.  This site, although it is still getting started, has made me more positive about my job search and I believe it can help a lot of people in my position.  Thanks again." -- Maria Villena

We were also featured on NY1 (http://tinyurl.com/c2skme), Fox Business News (sorry, no clip available), and AM New York (http://tinyurl.com/bwuo5s)!  We encourage you too, to spread the word about Urban Interns on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, wherever you go online...the more people that visit your site, the more people will see your profiles and job postings, making your searches that much more productive.

Feel free to add your comments below!  Your feedback is important to us.

Lauren & Cari

Co-Founders 

Welcome

Welcome to Urban Interns, and thank you for checking us out!  We're thrilled to be bringing you the web's first site dedicated to finding part-time assistants.  If you're looking for an extra set of hands, on Urban Interns you can either post a job and let candidates respond, or search our assistant database.  If you're looking for work, you can search our job database or post your profile and let employers find you.  In these uncertain times, we know that small businesses are looking to get more efficient and that there are lots of talented, skilled New Yorkers looking for work.  It's our goal to be that much-needed bridge between both groups.

You might be asking, who are we, anyways?  "We" are Cari and Lauren, and we're great friends, colleagues, and the co-founders of Urban Interns.  We are the ones who you'll be hearing from on this blog.  We met on the board of a fantastic nonprofit called Step Up Women's Network.  The seed of this business idea was planted many years ago at a board meeting, and our lives have taken many twists, turns, kids, and career changes to get to the point of launching Urban Interns together.  Like many small business owners, we are incredibly proud and excited to watch our vision unfold.

On this blog, we'll be sharing with you success stories, tips for how to use the site, and recommendations of other sites we like that we think might help our users. We'll always try to be as candid and helpful as possible.  You can also follow us on Twitter for more real-time updates, links to articles, etc.

As a "thank you" for being a beta user, Urban Interns will be free for the first 6 weeks or so.  During that time you may get some emails from us with surveys, requesting feedback, etc.  You are our most important asset - we know that - and your honest feedback is critical to us.  Please either leave us comments on this blog, or send us an email at feedback@urbaninterns.com with whatever is on your mind, from specific feature requests to issues using the site.  We'll always try to respond as quickly as we can.

With all that said, have a productive day and we look forward to serving you well.

Cari Sommer and Lauren Porat

Co-Founders, Urban Interns