Tired of the scramble to fill openings and the high cost of training new employees, fast-food chains are offering benefits that were unheard of 10 years ago — including 401(k) retirement plans, health insurance, even stock options. Some are building more career ladders and giving managers bonuses for retaining employees.

“Not a lot of people wake up and say they want to go into this industry,” concedes Aylwin Lewis, chief operating officer of Tricon Global Restaurants Inc., the Louisville, Ky., operator of the Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC chains. “We want to show people this is a destination.”

Burger King, a unit of British food and drink marketer Diageo PLC, provides 401(k) retirement plans for workers in its 500 corporate restaurants. The chain’s franchisee association plans to launch a 401(k) plan for the 8,000 franchised locations soon, according to spokesman Rob Sayre. Tricon offers some restaurant employees stock options and recently has begun tying bonuses to how well managers retain employees. McDonald’s Corp. this year launched a comprehensive suite of benefits for restaurant-level employees, ranging from 401(k)s to health insurance, home and car insurance and credit-union memberships, and it has a menu of benefits that franchisees can chose from.

It’s still an uphill fight to retain workers in an occupation widely derided as “flipping burgers” — shorthand for the ultimate dead-end job. It doesn’t help that starting wages still run $6 to $8 an hour, although employees who stick around can eventually earn more than $12 an hour.

But the chains are starting to see improvement in their notoriously high turnover rates. Five years ago, the average fast-food restaurant replaced its entire staff twice a year, or more. That revolving door, with its relentless recruiting and training costs, is a considerable drag on earnings. The average Burger King, for example, has just $1.1 million in sales each year, while the bill for training each of its new-hires runs $400 to $800.

Thanks partly to new benefits, Burger King reduced its turnover rate to 210% last year, from 223% in 1999 and is projecting a rate of 205% this year. Pizza Hut brought its turnover down from 147% in 1997 to about 120% in 2000. Taco Bell has reduced its turnover rate from 243% in 1997 to 200% in 2000. So far this year, turnover is at 144%.

“Reducing turnover results in lower training costs, better service and better control of the entire labor expense item,” says Peter Oakes, restaurant analyst at Merrill Lynch. “When companies are able to get their hands around labor that in turn improves earnings visibility which is what Wall Street is looking for.”

Fast food hasn’t seen a boom of applicants with the slowing economy. Most of those laid off are people with high-tech jobs and college degrees who aren’t flocking to the restaurant industry. Still, the average age of fast-food employees is creeping up, from the teens to the 20s, producing a less fickle and itinerant work force. Seeking stability and security, more grown-ups are taking the place of teenagers earning money for dates, clothes and CDs. The average age of a Burger King employee is 25 years old and at Wendy’s International Inc., the average employee is 27 to 28 years old.

Some chains are explicitly looking for a different kind of employee. Taco Bell isn’t “just hiring warm bodies” anymore, Mr. Lewis says. There is a real emphasis on hiring people who aspire to jobs as managers. Candidates see a map illustrating the series of promotions leading from dishwasher to regional general manager. “Hiring a bunch of high-school kids is not the road to success,” Mr. Lewis says.

Indeed, the industry is discovering a large number of adults are willing to take a smaller paycheck in exchange for health insurance, a retirement plan and predictable working hours, with little overtime.

Living at home with her aging parents, 38-year-old Angela Crowder has been making hamburgers at the Burger King in Chesterfield, Va., for 15 years. She has made friends with regular customers and earned recognition from Burger King corporate headquarters in Miami.

She says she appreciates the dental plan and the 401(k) program. For her 10-year anniversary, she chose a boom box from a Burger King employee-rewards catalog; for her 15th, she’s eyeing a TV set. Every six months, she gets a raise in her hourly wage of about 25 cents and currently makes about $8 an hour. “There are times that I wish it was a bit more,” Ms. Crowder says, “but when the raises come out I am happy to get that.”

Yes, there’s the odor of hamburgers that clings to her uniform (“You can’t smell it yourself but someone else can,” she says). There’s stress — especially when a busload of adolescents pulls in. Her living expenses are fairly low, yet she is struggling to save up enough to buy a car. But still, she says, she finds the work challenging and feels secure. “I don’t have to worry about getting laid off,” she says.

As they have for years, the chains are holding up as shining examples those individuals who managed to take entry-level to a new level. The KFC chain holds out Damian Waugh as an example. The 23-year-old has worked his way from cashier to restaurant general manager. Mr. Waugh graduated from high school and, after scholarship money didn’t pan out, went to work at a KFC in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“I had always thought negatively about fast food,” says Mr. Waugh, who immigrated with his family to the U.S. from Jamaica in 1991. “I never thought it was a job where people would show you respect.”

Much to his surprise, he found he enjoyed working in the drive-through and began specializing in that area. Today he is in charge of hiring and training employees. He also began taking business classes at New York City Technical College; KFC pays for his tuition.

His salary has more than doubled, to more than $40,000, since he started. He even has been given Tricon stock options worth about $28,000. This year, he won an award for the results at his Brooklyn store and got an all-expenses-paid trip to the Venetian resort in Las Vegas.

Still, some veterans say a career in fast food means dealing with friends and acquaintances who look down their noses.

“People feel that if you work for fast food it is not a real job,” says Delores Beaulieu, 67, who has worked at a Connecticut Burger King for 20 years. “I tell them I enjoy my work and have good benefits. Maybe it is not for everyone but it is what I like to do.”

Many students begin business careers as sales account executives. Many don’t stay. Discouraged by the hard work involved in prospecting for customers, building relationships and making sales, often alone in strange motels on rural highways, these young sales professionals decide there’s got to be an easier way to make a living.

Not me. I’m here for the duration.

I graduated from Texas A&M University in 1995, armed with a degree in business administration. A marketing major, I decided to pursue a career in sales. Now I know that I chose one tough field. Selling doesn’t always mean pushing products. It’s often more intangible. For instance, in my current position as a senior marketing consultant for Merritt, Hawkins & Associates, a physician staffing firm in Irving, Texas, I sell what’s called “search services.” For a fee, my company helps find qualified physicians for positions at health-care organizations. My job is to explain what we do and convince potential clients that we’re the solution to their physician staffing problems.

Piece of cake? I wish. My office is in Dallas, but I spend about two weeks of every month on the road, meeting with administrators at health-care facilities. I study far more than I did in college. Add to that the mental challenges of solving client problems, the paperwork and the constant search for new business and I feel like I really earn my paycheck.

For the benefit of those considering a sales career and wondering what life might be like on the road, here’s an account of my typical day and some reflections on my career in sales.

7:30 a.m. A long line of headlights ebb and flow toward Indianapolis as rush hour grinds into its early stages. Fortunately, I’m driving north, away from the city, to meet with administrators of a family-practice physician group in Wabash, Ind., to discuss their need for an additional doctor.

2:00 p.m. The meeting in Wabash didn’t go exactly as planned and a cold, gray drizzle envelopes the Midwest by the time I leave for Warsaw, Ind., and another meeting. I had prepared to meet only with members of the practice, but they nudged responsibility for establishing a physician search onto an affiliated hospital — a common practice when sizable sums of money are being discussed. But hospitals often make decisions more slowly than doctor groups, and I had hoped to close the deal during this trip. I mentioned to the group members that if the hospital became involved, they would lose control of the search process. It didn’t work. I met with hospital management over a lunch that I can’t remember.

Because unforeseen problems always come up, a salesperson must be prepared for anything. Before I leave for a trip, I typically spend about two hours preparing for each client. Prior to the Wabash meeting, I looked up every family practice doctor search Merritt, Hawkins & Associates had done over the past year in the state of Indiana and gathered demographic information, regional salary data and other details. It’s the little things–like having my facts straight — that tend to impress clients.

If you could chart sales calls, you’d have a graph that looks something like the Dow Jones Industrial Average — a series of ups and downs that emerge as a general trend, either good or bad. Despite the setback, I considered this sales call to be positive. I had spent time with the client, and the chemistry was good.

What I like about my job is the opportunity to forge relationships with clients over a long period. This allows me to ride the ups and downs. Immediately after graduation, I took a job in Houston selling office equipment, and I hated it. Each work day, I made hundreds of “are-you looking-to-buy?” calls, and perhaps sold a copier. Client contacts were impersonal, and I never had the sense that my efforts solved problems. If I sold an item, years could go by before that client needed me again. Not everyone succeeds in sales, and the initial frustration drives many away permanently. Still, too many graduates expect overnight success and give up before finding their niche.

I remember all the “put-your-customer-first” lessons from college. But for me, finding what engages you is the key to succeeding in sales. Consider my first sales job. While some people thrive in that type of atmosphere, I sank. To maintain your energy level during months of cold calls, meetings and research, the product or process should interest you every day. If you enjoy your work, other skills necessary for success come easier.

The next key to success is to pinpoint a company that will invest in you. What you learn in college is useful, but thorough training during your first year is a more likely to result in long-term success than a business degree.

2:18 p.m. On the road to Warsaw, I notice Indiana remains cloaked in flat winter brown. Everything is green in Dallas. Texans spend an inordinate amount of time and money watering lawns and public spaces to keep them green. Hoosiers seem content with what nature intended.

As I speed down the highway, I reflect on my long-term goals. Thanks to a couple of successful uncles, I hold an unshakable belief that sales is the surest way into management. For a services firm, my company is reasonably large — nearly 450 people — and it offers a well-defined career path. Salespeople enter as trainees and graduate to account consultant positions. Close to 30% of our new salespeople drop out in their first year, which gives you an idea of the attrition rate in the field.

When I became an account consultant, I took over responsibility for a territory, in this case Ohio and Indiana. Because of my success within this territory, I reached the next level, senior account consultant, faster than expected. I didn’t get a big raise, since management considers this position as training for the next step: director. But at each stage, responsibility increases. At director and above, you’re managing a team of sales people and you begin to receive commissions based on the success of your team. While first-year income potential — base salary plus commission — amounts to about $50,000 a year, directors will earn $100,000-plus annually.

The ultimate goal in this organization is to become vice president of a division. At this point, you can earn a lot more. But new grads shouldn’t only look at salary potential when choosing a career. This was my error when I was offered my first job. I failed to step back and examine what I really wanted and needed to do my best work. I realize now I should have done some soul searching. Don’t make my mistake. Ask yourself, for instance, if you want to work for a large or small company and how important career development is to your future.

Most critical, perhaps, is the size of the hill you want to climb. I’m challenged simply by working with physicians–a very intelligent and capable group. Interacting successfully with doctors takes much more than charisma and a grasp of jargon.

For this reason, I always arrive at appointments with time to spare to accomplish a few last minute chores. I sit in the rental car and mentally work through several possible scenarios, taking reference notes as needed. Myths abound about what it’s like to be on the road, but trust me, it’s mostly work.

2:48 p.m. I arrive in Warsaw, then sit in the car preparing my thoughts. Indiana has many small communities, and this is one of them. I’ve learned that you can never judge a state by one area. The Midwest hides tremendous diversity under a facade that casual visitors rarely penetrate. Sales has sharpened my perception and listening skills so that I no longer prejudge a place or its residents. A salesperson must understand different personalities and learn to adjust his or her approach without appearing disingenuous.

The most important lesson I’ve learned since graduation is that I don’t know everything. But if I listen to clients — really listen — they’ll tell me what I should do next. Sales is mostly about meeting needs rather than creating them. Many authors have written books promising immediate success in sales. At one time, I may have believed their advice. But experience suggests that a salesperson doesn’t create a need. Instead, the client will eventually say what he or she needs. Study, prepare, ask questions, listen and work.

On the road, I focus on my meetings. Back at the office, I split my day between phone time and research. Sales positions differ between industries except in one respect: phone time. Colleagues plaster such signs as “The Phone is Your Friend” on their office walls to remind them of the value of this indispensable tool. But friendship with the phone eludes some of them.

Musing on these thoughts, I unbuckle my seat belt. I realize travel brings welcome relief from the phone.

6:05 p.m. Rejection. A window salesman once told me that before each call, he would motivate himself by saying positive phrases, such as “I’m going to make this sale.” At this moment, I have lots of time to think about staying positive. Headed back to Indianapolis, I’m on Highway 13, which pierces the heart of Indiana, arrow-straight and dull. The idea that you can develop a positive mental attitude by repeating a mantra amuses me. There’s no way in sales to avoid rejection.

Warsaw didn’t go well, which is why I’m having these thoughts. The Europeans who settled here in the days before modern transportation probably never noticed the isolation. Even now, the lights of farmhouses float by like distant ships in the night. Sometimes I get so caught up in business or the day’s minutiae that I forget about the value of an uncluttered place and a wandering mind. I’m told a salesperson first must be focused, but I think being comfortable with yourself is an even greater determinant of success. Clients are naturally defensive around salespeople. If you’re comfortable, you can bring their guard down, which leads to a sale.

Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of sales calls end in rejection — 80% or more in your first year. I’ve heard that salespeople should be aggressive, but this generalization isn’t true either. Patience plays a greater role in success. You’re going to be turned down. This isn’t a reflection on you. It’s just the way it is in sales.

After a few months, you begin to know what works and what doesn’t. To be successful, you must be goal-oriented, organized and willing to travel. Everyone tells you that. But this advice is meaningless if you fail to listen, think and approach each call with humility.

6:50 p.m. Back in Indianapolis and the hotel for the night. I go to dinner, taking along notes to read about tomorrow’s meetings. At tables all around me, others are doing the same, alone or in pairs. Soon we’ll go back to our rooms, watch a movie, call home, turn in early. It’s a life on the road and the wheels of business will keep turning.

“So I was thinking: A guy like that ought to have a place where he can go and do this legitimately,” says the professor, John Freeman.

As a result, the Haas business incubator was born. Located in the basement of a nearby hotel, the incubator gives students a rent-free space where they can try to “hatch” their business plans. They share fax and copy machines, conference rooms and Internet connections. It’s funded by donations.

The Haas incubator is one of up to 30 business incubators that have opened in association with colleges and universities in the past three years. Between 120 and 130 of the 800 business incubators in North America are affiliated with colleges or universities, according to the National Business Incubators Association (NBIA), an organization based in Athens, Ohio. The rest are sponsored by government, nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

The Haas incubator is typical of the trend. It gives each student group roughly 100 square feet of cubicle space, about enough for a team of three. The only cost to the entrepreneurs is the phone bill.

Interest has been particularly strong from recent alumni. The reason: Typically an M.B.A. student doesn’t have a business plan ready until graduation is near.

“It’s often the case that they aren’t really ready to get rolling until their M.B.A. program is almost done anyway,” says Mr. Freeman. “It doesn’t make sense to throw them out of the incubator in May.”

As a result, recent alumni are allowed to use the Haas incubator, although current students get priority. Some of the entrepreneurs are M.B.A.s who have been working full time, often in consulting, and who return seeking incubator space.

One of Haas’s successes has been zipRealty.com, an online real-estate brokerage founded by graduates Scott Kucirek and Juan Mini. The company, which initially received $1.7 million in seed money and recently scored $16 million in venture capital, has more than 100 employees and has been doubling in size about every three months, according to a spokeswoman. It recently signed a deal to move into a new 45,000-square-foot facility — a big jump from the 100 square feet it started out with at the incubator.

“The Haas incubator experience was great for the founding process,” says Mr. Mini. “For 18 months, Scott and I went through five different business plans until we arrived at our present business model.”

A Growing Trend

The business incubator concept has been around since 1959, but it didn’t take off until the 1980s. “In the early days, the incubators were sort of a Rust Belt phenomenon, where companies had been shut down,” says Sally Linder, director of publications for NBIA. The first opened in Batavia, N.Y., following factory closures there. Abandoned buildings were set aside for businesses to start up and operate. Resources for the budding companies to share were added when it became apparent they needed more than just a space. It was dubbed an incubator because one of the original companies was a poultry producer, according to Ms. Linder.

In 1980, there were 12 business incubators in North America. Now there are an estimated 2,500 worldwide, according to NBIA.

Economic Impact

Business incubators often have a positive economic impact on their surrounding regions.

The Austin Technology Incubator and the University of Texas are widely regarded as having had a role in transforming the economy of the Texas city. “It arrived on the scene early, at a time when Austin was trying to become a technology city — which it most definitely has become,” says Ms. Linder.

The incubator at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., had a similar effect on its region. “[It's] just an incredible system of incubation and entrepreneurship integrated within the whole university system,” says Ms. Linder. “Many companies have grown out of the university and have stayed in Troy.”

A technology-related incubator at Springfield Technical Community College that opened in 1999 hopes to do the same in Springfield, Mass.

Located in a technology office park, the idea is for start-ups to “graduate” from the incubator and into the technology park, according to Fred Andrews, executive director of the incubator, which is called the Springfield Enterprise Center.

“We want to be a dynamic force for economic development in the region,” says Mr. Andrews.

Casting stones won’t shatter the so-called “glass ceiling,” but college degrees will. In the first in-depth, cross-cultural study documenting the career paths of highly successful senior-level women and minority executives in corporate America, education and mentoring were found to be the critical keys to a highly compensated, “fast-track” corporate career. The study was conducted by executive search firm Korn/Ferry International and the Columbia Business School.

More than 74 percent of the 280 participating minorities and women relied on four-year college degrees to get the full attention of corporate management while 44 percent added an MBA degree as extra insurance. Almost all were fast-tracked internally by formal and informal company mentors as well as superiors and co-workers. Average age was 46.5 years. Annual salaries ranged from a minimum of $100,000 to $500,000, not counting bonuses, stock options and other perks.

“The executive suite is no longer a club for privileged, fourth generation, white American males,” explains Joanna Miller, Korn/Ferry’s Managing Director of Management Assessment Practice. “It is a place where education, determination and hard work win the day.

“Nevertheless,” she says, “the glass ceiling is very real, especially for those who do not have a college degree and must compete on wit and work experience alone. The best advice I can give these people is to get back to school and stop casting stones at what they see as discriminatory hiring practices.”

Miller believes moving women into senior management positions remains one of the most complex and challenging tasks in the field of executive recruiting. “We unfairly stereotype women when we infer that they are more concerned, burdened and focused on family issues and other activities outside of work than men,” she points out. “It’s closer to the mark to observe that a woman’s tolerance for the workplace is more determined by her values and priorities than those of a man.”

At Xerox, of the company’s forty-officer management team, 20 percent are females including the president, the vice presidents of engineering and human resources, and the chief investment and information officers. Xerox focuses on diversity in the hiring of women and minorities at the highest corporate levels through an Executive Diversity Council, chaired by Anne Mulcahy, the company’s president and new CEO.

Southern California Edison Company, on the other hand, has been considered a man’s company for most of its 116-year history.

“A company is bound to project a macho image when its published corporate history is entitled “Iron Men And Copper Wires,” explains Frank Quevedo, SCE Vice President of Equal Opportunity/Diversity. “To this day,” he quips, “we can’t get women to climb power poles even though we made a huge effort to get them to train for the job in the early 1970s.”

If you think Edison still lacks the employment diversity that it did in ’70s, you’re barking up the wrong pole, according to Quevedo. The company is currently ranked by Fortune magazine as the fourth most diversified U.S. Company in terms of hiring practices with a workforce that is 28.2 percent female and 42.8 percent minority. Ten percent of the company’s officer cadre and that of its parent are women, and one-third are minorities. The company also gets high marks from Fortune for its leadership grants and employee-driven education assistance programs.

Females still have a way to go before they corner the corner offices in the executive suite, according to Catalyst, a Manhattan-based organization dedicated to promoting women in business. It notes in its newsletter that while women hold almost half the managerial and professional specialty positions in U.S. business, only five are CEOs in the Fortune 500.

More than 50 percent of women executives recently surveyed by Catalyst believe male stereotyping and preconceptions keep them from attaining top corporate posts while 49 percent say exclusion from informal, male-dominated communications networks is the culprit. A large percentage of those interviewed also said that their contributions were not recognized and that they were not taken seriously. Meanwhile, more than 80 percent of the male CEOs responding to the survey placed the blame back on the shoulders of women, claiming women significantly lacked general management/line experience and were not in the “pipeline” long enough.

Whatever the reasons for the barriers, “If you want to reach the top, be prepared to go for it with every fiber of your body,” explains Korn/Ferry’s Caroline Nahas. “Conviction, ambition and an unwavering belief in yourself are characteristics that differentiate those that look through the glass ceiling from those that walk through,” she says.

Academics in search of extra cash, or just keen for a change of pace, are taking their talents to the corporate sector. The critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills they developed inside the ivory tower are highly valued elsewhere. Academics straddling both worlds say the trick is to find a way in and then tailor your skills to suit the new audience.

How to Get In

Some faculty members make cold calls to corporations, offering training sessions on everything from improved statistical analysis and conflict resolution to boosting productivity through teamwork. Others invest in a brochure and Web site, outlining their areas of expertise, and then do a direct mailing to companies in the region.

That may be an unnecessary expenditure of time and money; far better to reach out to the business sector via your own institution, says Aaron W. Hughey, a training consultant and professor at Western Kentucky University. Hughey is co-author of the study, “Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Real World: Advice for Academics Who Want to be Corporate Trainers.”

“More and more colleges and universities do outreach with local business and industry. Just let it be known on campus that you’re available for these things. Once you do two or three training sessions, it becomes a matter of networking,” he says. Rates in his area run from $60 to $100 per hour. Urban centers on the east and west coasts fetch a larger fee.

The advantage of working through your institution is that no time is wasted on logistics. “Businesses know that we’ll bring people to their plant, factory or organization and conduct the training there,” says Hughey. “If you’re just getting into consulting, this is a wonderful way to begin.”

Know Your Audience

Topics for training sessions vary, depending upon the nature of the business organization and industrial trends. “There are always fads, but conflict resolution, improving management, and customer service are popular subjects,” says Hughey. “And the perennial favorite is how to deal with difficult people.”

Once you nab the assignment, do your homework. Research the company and the character of the target group you’ve been hired to work with. Managers are interested in boosting productivity; non-supervisory trainees are looking for ways to move up. Don’t use a lecture format or waste your breath on theory, experts say. Your audience is looking for practical applications. Prepare a lesson plan with clear objectives appropriate to the group’s needs.

Crossing Over

If you want to do more than dabble and are ready to embrace business full time, the Web is awash in helpful sites from your fellow academics. Some were forced into the commercial world during tenure wars of the past decade; others grew tired of their precarious existence as “roads scholars” and “freeway flyers,” piecing together low-paying jobs as adjunct faculty. These folks generously share their experiences in Web sites full of practical tips on alternative careers. One of the best, “The Escape Pod and PhDs Work,” was founded three years ago by a trio of English professors known as the “Girls With Glasses.”

Prognosis

Although some areas of the academic job market have picked up in recent years, long-term prognosis for the humanities sector is grim, according to Modern Language Association reports on employment and Bureau of Labor projections. Non-technical departments will rely increasingly on poorly paid, part-time, adjunct professors to plug their faculty gaps.

But as the saying goes, don’t get mad, get even: You can still make a lot more money in the business world. If you’re a humanities expert, take comfort in the fact that you and your kind are traditionally the most adaptable of all. Take those carefully honed skills in research, writing, thinking and communicating, and get thee to a headhunter.

Employees want to impact more than just the bottom line; they want to know if their hard work is making a difference in customers’ lives. More and more people are also looking to make an impact in the world around them–and companies are giving them the chance to do that.

According to John B. Izzo, co-author of VALUES SHIFT: The New Work Ethic & What it Means for Business, a new work ethic is emerging, a set of values about work and its place in our lives. If people are going to work longer hours at more multifaceted jobs, they need more than money as an incentive to stay. There is a widespread desire to find work that serves a noble cause.

A recent study found that 86 percent of the graduating MBA students in North America would rather be paid adequately for productive work than make a ton of money at a superfluous job. A worldwide Millennium Poll on Social Responsibility by Environics International asked more than 25,000 people in 23 countries to list factors that make up their impressions of companies. The majority cited business ethics, environmental impact, and responsibility to society at large.

Corporate Missions Evolve
A 1998 Gallup study investigated the creation of engaged, active employees. It found that employees were much more in touch with their work if the following statement rang true: “The mission (or mission statement) of this company makes me feel like my job is important.” So, how are some corporate missions meeting this need?

IKEA, the upstart furniture supplier, has indicated to consumers that they’re not just in it for the money. IKEA wants “to provide a better everyday life for the majority of people.”

AES, a large power company, claims to be “committed to meeting the world’s needs for electricity in a socially responsible manner.” AES Employees have planted over a million trees in Latin America and pledged five percent of their after-tax profits to socially responsible causes.

In the past, companies used donations to demonstrate their philanthropy. Now, Izzo reports, there is more “hands-on” activity available through volunteer work. Many companies allow employees to take time off from work to volunteer. Matching corporate contributions are becoming commonplace. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing for the disadvantaged, have benefited greatly.

Izzo continues: “Corporate executives are asking themselves, ‘What’s the real difference our organization makes in the world?’ They’re re-evaluating how they can meet the needs of the world and their local communities.”

Employee Volunteer Work
At Computer Associates International (CA), headquartered in New York, every dollar that an employee donates to charity will be matched by two dollars from the company. CA raised more than $7 million and supported more than 4,000 organizations. Lisa Platania, Executive Director of Community Relations, believes that CA is trying “to help children build the confidence they need to succeed and to positively impact community life.”

In addition to matching charitable gifts, CA has an Employee Volunteer program. Over the past two years, 15 percent of CA’s 18,000 employees worldwide have gotten involved. “This started because our company was growing,” Platania says, “and we wanted to get people out from behind their desk in a way that would benefit the community. We have gotten our people involved in community service–and in touch with employees they might never have been in contact with.”

CA teamed up with Family Service League (FSL) and KaBOOM! to build the Kiddie Korner Playground in Bay Shore, New York. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that brings communities and corporations together by building needed playgrounds. The Kiddie Korner Playground will serve more than 100 pre-school children in the community.

“Our Community Relations program supports non-profit organizations and educational institutions to help children build the confidence they need to succeed,” Platania reports. “We are proud to be able to add to the prosperity and well-being of our local communities.”

Liberal arts majors go to college, graduate, and then have to forget all they’ve learned. That’s what people think. But, in today’s hot job market, liberal arts majors may be better qualified than tech graduates to meet the needs of an IT career.

What IT Takes
Universities all over the country are preparing liberal arts students to move into IT jobs after college. For example, Ferrum College in Virginia requires incoming freshmen take a basic computer literacy course and has installed computers in every residence hall. But many academicians at liberal arts colleges and universities, as well as their students, will be tell you that it’s not just a matter of mastering the latest programming language–knowing your JAVA from your Starbucks–that prepares graduates for success in IT positions. The unique and diverse perspective that goes into a liberal arts education really does prepare graduates for success. Jarrod Gingras, a history major, is a recent graduate of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. He now works as a Web designer and content specialist for Tvisions. Using his knowledge of HTML and other scripting languages, he manages the company’s site. Gingras is the first to admit that, although he majored in history, his overall education suits his IT career objectives. “Having a liberal arts background,” he says, “helps in interacting with customers and researching the best practices, as well as in communication, both written and verbal, of ideas with co-workers. I think my liberal arts background will have a major impact on my ability to succeed in management positions.”

When asked if he thought that a liberal arts major actually hinders a graduate’s chances in the IT job market, Gingras says no. “A liberal arts major will not hurt your chances of finding a job. Employers find real world experience and a strong liberal arts background to be an extremely valuable combination. I found that many employers look for well-rounded people from liberal arts schools who have the ability to communicate effectively,” he adds. “Employers are looking for people with technical skills and people skills. I encourage students to expose themselves to as many disciplines as possible.”

The Benefits of a Balanced Education
Faculty members at some of the most prestigious universities across the nation agree that students who pursue liberal arts majors get more of a balanced education than students pursuing other fields of study. The exposure to many ideas and disciplines helps them to develop general skills that employers need and value in any organization. These skills will not only prepare them for the challenges of an IT career, but for the challenges inherent in any career.

Ruth Schemmer, a career services coordinator at Texas A&M University, finds that “liberal arts majors have an intellectual curiosity not satisfied by more narrow technical courses. Their skills come not so much from what they learned, but from how they learned. They bring strong communication, critical analysis, problem-solving skills, flexibility, and adaptability to any organization.”

Scott Poole, a professor of Speech Communication at Texas A&M, agrees. He thinks that the success of the school’s curriculum is evident in the varied positions that its graduates now hold. “One of our majors became a network manager for one of Houston’s biggest law firms,” Poole boasts. “Another works for Andersen Consulting, working with public agencies to redesign themselves around information technology. Her organizational communication background really helped in this respect.”

Going Beyond IT Trends
Mel Bernstein, the Academic Vice President and Dean of Tufts University in Boston, says that his school continues to redefine and examine the skills that students will need and how to meet their educational needs. Berstein wants his students “to be leaders in rapidly emerging fields, many of which require specific and complex skills–Information technology being the latest.” He is proud of the school’s philosophy and curriculum, both of which foster innovation in students.

Pierre Omidyar is one of those students, a Tufts graduate who became famous as the founder of eBay. “Explore your interests,” Berstein says. “Recognize and prepare for a global work life. Obtain the skills you need in language and culture. While Internet applications are the current growth industry be prepared not for five jobs, but five careers which haven’t been invented yet. Leverage [your experience], your self-confidence and adaptability, and your global perspective to prosper in whatever is in store in the future.”

For 22-year-old Katherine Bishop, it’s politics as usual. After graduating from James Madison University in May, the speech communication major took on her current job as deputy press secretary for Mike Easley, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate from North Carolina. “I couldn’t pass up this opportunity,” she said. “I wanted to go the campaign route for a while.” Katherine operates out of the press office, fielding calls from the media and turning out press releases. Having passed up a higher paying offer as a media consultant, Katherine admits, “Sometimes, to be in a job that you have a passion for and enjoy, the trade-off is a low salary.” But not everyone shares her enthusiasm and commitment. “I know a lot of young people aren’t even registered to vote,” Bishop says. “They feel it doesn’t make a difference either way.”

A 30-Year Decline

Granted, during an election year, campaign offices around the country are busy work environments for college students and grads. But how widespread is the appeal after the electoral process simmers down and politicians take office? Do many young people today have career aspirations for public service? Fewer and fewer of them do, according to John Dervin. Dervin, 26, is a communications director for YouthVote 2000, a non-profit organization that claims to be the nation’s largest non-partisan coalition founded to involve young people in the political process. “We’re on a 30-year decline,” said Dervin. “Voter participation has been going down among 18- to 30-year-olds, mirroring a national trend. Fewer people are paying attention to politics.”

What’s fueling this detachment? “The main reason is that young folks don’t see themselves or their issues in political discourse,” explains Dervin. “Campaigners don’t mobilize the younger generations. If you’re 66 years old, people will carry you to the polls, but young people don’t receive the direct calls or mail, and television advertisements don’t carry messages for them.” Another source of students’ political disengagement may be their parents, according to Dervin. “Today’s youth were raised by parents who had lost faith in their government because of Watergate.”

To draw young people into political discourse, politicians may take a cue from Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush. “Young people didn’t register social security as a major concern until Governor Bush made it relevant to them,” Dervin says. “Bush said he wants to secure social security for younger workers as they get older.” Televised debates can also be helpful in increasing the number of youths who tune in to politics. “We’re trying to get one of the three presidential debates this October to be a youth debate. We’d like to have an experienced young person moderating. So far,” Dervin admits, “Gore has said yes.”

Education Is an Issue

Ultimately, it’s Generations X and Y that will be driving the 21st century economy. Politicians should take the time to understand their issues. For Bishop, public education is in drastic need of improvement. “I grew up in the system my entire life,” she said, “even through university. I’d like to see more money going there.” As a woman, Bishop says, “Family issues and abortion concern me. My candidate is pro-choice, which is important to me. Young people should get to know who their leaders are. Too often, they aren’t aware of what they stand for until their beliefs are in jeopardy and it hits home.”

Depending on the age group, of course, education issues may vary. “Right now, when politicians address education, they mean K-12,” said Dervin. “But, for 50 million 18 to 30-year-olds who are potential voters, it’s all about higher education, not vouchers. It’s not about class size, it’s about violence in schools and how to afford college.” The economy and the job climate are also a priority for today’s young people. “They will probably have to change jobs eight times in their lifetime,” said Dervin. “Every month another technology comes out that they have to keep up with. It’s a constant hustle and the level of stress is going up.”

Today’s youth culture values environmental issues, too, according to Dervin. “But Al Gore hasn’t made it relevant to young people yet,” he explains. “It’s about what makes it into your stump speech and where you put your resources. It’s more than free labor and a photo opportunity. We’re tired of being in the backdrop. Face us, we have some questions.”

Get Up, Get Involved

While the desire to make the world a better place is still strong, young adults seem to be re-channeling their energies in alternative ways. One need only look at the rise of volunteer efforts for an indication of this shift. “Volunteerism is at an all time high because young people think it is a better way to serve their communities,” Dervin claims.

Dick Morris, chief strategist and advisor to Bill Clinton during the 1996 campaign, agrees. The political commentator and founder of Vote.com, an interactive Web site designed to give Internet users a voice on important public issues, says that “volunteering is the best way to get to know politics. One moves up quickly in a campaign. The need for manpower is so intense and the number of workers so limited that anyone can move up quickly with a basic level of skill and dedication. It’s like in the army. You can wait for years for a promotion in peacetime, but in wartime, battlefield promotions are easy to get.”

Internships are another way to get a window seat in the political world. During her junior year in college, Bishop interned during the summer months for Emily Couric, a democratic senatorial candidate from Virginia. “I assisted the campaign manager and was in the heat of things all the time,” she said. “I got a good grasp of the day-to-day operations of a campaign.”

If you’re considering a political career after college, the best way to get a foot in the door is to work for a local legislator like an assemblyman, senator, or congressman, according to Morris. “The best way to get a job is to approach them when they are running for office for the first time or for re-election,” he said. “The harder you work for them as a volunteer, the more likely it is that they will hire you onto their staffs once they win. Remember that over 30,000 people work for Congress. There are lots and lots of jobs.”

Beyond working in the media spotlight, there are other rewards for dedicating yourself to public-spirited work. “There are so many needs and not enough resources,” Dervin laments. “So many people think they are powerless. I realize how fortunate I was growing up. If you’re a privileged person you have a responsibility to make others realize the power within them and how they can improve their lives.”

Any musician knows that practice makes perfect. Play a challenging piece often and it becomes smooth and graceful. Try it once a year and it’s hard even to finish–there’s no confidence, no understanding. The same applies to the “annual evaluation,” an event that, ideally, lasts all year.

A Harmonious Duet

Stretching the musical metaphor a bit further, the evaluation is a duet. Both supervisor and employee must work to make it sing.

Don Wood, operations manager at Renolds Power Transmission Corporation in Cincinnati, says an annual evaluation is “a key tool for general communications and a primary vehicle for coordinating expectations and responsibilities.” The review must go beyond a single annual encounter. Its conclusions should never surprise the employee. For Wood, every meeting with an employee is an opportunity to coach, monitor, and support.

The evaluation can benefit both employee and supervisor by determining the employee’s work effectiveness and necessary changes, as well as the goals and performance standards needed to steer ahead. Clarifying these issues should enhance job performance, satisfaction, and commitment, meaning that everyone gains.

David Slone, principal in the management-consulting firm of Donovan, Slone, Inc. in Salem, MA, spent 25 years as a senior healthcare executive. He says an evaluation needs several qualities: It should both review and look ahead, recognizing the employee’s accomplishments, identifying and questioning unachieved goals, and setting new targets.

Goals should be quantitative and qualitative. How much will be done and with what qualities? When should goals be achieved and what percentage of the total work should each consume?

The review should link employee goals with the departmental work plan and the organization’s agenda.

“Evaluation is about achieving the employee’s full human potential. It should identify ways to grow, develop skills and try new approaches,” Slone says.

Good Evaluations: Supervisors

• Show respect for the employee. Assure adequate meeting time and avoid interruptions.
• Be prepared. Review the job description and copies of previous evaluation reports, as well as feedback from peers and customers.
• Complete the organization’s evaluation form, and share it with the employee well before the meeting.
• Elicit the employee’s comments, ideas and suggestions. A good review session is a conversation, not a monologue.
• Invite feedback on your performance, too. For instance, ask employees how well you support them. Find out how you can share plans, strategies or procedures that will help them in their work.

Good Evaluations: Employees

• Use your evaluation as a growth opportunity. This is an ideal chance to focus on making your work more satisfying and rewarding.
• Prepare. Prior to the meeting, review your job description, noting inconsistencies between its contents and the work you perform. When your supervisor provides an evaluation document beforehand, review it carefully.
• Identify specific goals, projects, and educational opportunities to pursue during the next year.
• Be a participant, not a witness. Be sure you understand next year’s goals, as well as the schedule and necessary resources. Anything unclear? Say so. Not enough time or resources to achieve the goals? Say so.
• Ask for a written copy of your evaluation and any related documents.

Bad Evaluations: Supervisors

• Don’t hatch surprises. You should have been providing regular, frequent feedback.
• Don’t ignore problems. Be positive but frank, advises Heidi Nelson, director of human resources at the Greater Providence Rhode Island YMCA. “It’s easier to say everything about an employee’s performance is fine, even if it’s not. But doing so is a disservice to the organization and to the employee,” Nelson says.

Bad Evaluations: Employees

• Don’t agree to unclear goals, or goals that you lack time or resources to accomplish.
• Above all, use this opportunity to make your job more satisfying and professionally rewarding.

“I believe that a competent annual review is one of the nicest and most welcome things a supervisor can do for an employee,” Nelson says. She notes that employees are hungry for clear feedback and guidance, and look forward to discussing their work. To Nelson, though, the key is preparation, for the evaluator and the employee. She says that the annual review is “an under-utilized and demanding art form” and one of the workplace’s most challenging responsibilities.

“Reclassification” is the latest word in businesspeak. Corporate America already ran through terms like selected out, placed out, dehired, and non-renewed–all to replace the traditional fired. It makes sense that the HR spinmasters would eventually find another word for demotion, too. But is reclassification kinder or gentler, or is it just more confusing?

The Power Shift
At the height of the dot-com economy, many partially qualified people were placed in the wrong jobs. Vivian Golub, principal of Ariel Consulting in Silicon Valley, goes further: “Employees were more concerned with their salaries than with performance.” Now the tables have turned. “It’s still a seller’s market, but it’s more balanced in the employer’s favor.” Employers are hiring more prudently. They only want “indispensable” personnel, those who can exercise their abilities to the fullest. To accomplish that end, Golub says, “Some employees must be moved up. Others are demoted.”

Yet the demotion process doesn’t have to be demoralizing. Jeff Durocher, spokesperson for Illinois-based RHR International, says demotion is sometimes an unavoidable strategy–but it can benefit both management and employees.

“Most people think it’s solely a management tactic to increase productivity and save money,” he explains. “But it can also mean employees wind up happier and ultimately more productive because they’re moved into slots for which they’re perfectly qualified. “Not every employee wants to be top gun,” Durocher observes, “but workers feel they should jump at every promotion offered. When they’re moved into a lower position, they may welcome it even though it means a salary cut. It lifts a heavy burden off their shoulders. They may not want all that responsibility and travel, and instead they want to spend more time with their families.”

Durocher has witnessed a number of sensitively managed demotions. “At technology companies, in particular, it’s fairly common for techies promoted to managers to be demoted back to their old jobs,” he says. “They weren’t happy in their new jobs and couldn’t master them. It was a relief when management put them back, especially if the pay cut was nominal,” Durocher adds.

Stay Calm, Stay Focused
Sharon Keys Seal, president of Coaching Concepts in Baltimore, advises recently demoted employees to work through the initial reaction and not quit in a huff–especially if they like their employer. “As difficult as it is,” she says, “try doing some self-assessment to determine whether it’s ultimately a smart move to stick around.”

Ask yourself: How much visibility will I have? What are the paths out of it? Will the demotion put me on a different track, a better track? Will I be exposed to new technologies or new career options? “Once you get over the initial hurt of being demoted, look at what it ultimately means,” Seal adds. “If nothing else, give it a try. It could open new career doors.”

But not all companies manage demotions very well. Suddenly being thrust into a lesser job, stripped of power and responsibilities, can be embarrassing and humiliating. Maybe it really is time to bail out and find a new job where you’re appreciated. Demoted executives may find it difficult to step down, to be on equal footing with those they used to lead. The former manager should ideally be transferred to another department where he or she can truly start over.

If a demotion doesn’t work out, try to learn from the experience and move on. Don’t publicly criticize your former employer for treating you poorly. You’ll be branded a malcontent or troublemaker. Find another way to explain why you left; in most cases, your former employer will back you up and give you a good reference.