At the end of 2010, the official national unemployment rate hovered near 10 percent but according to respondents to A Balance Sheet at 30 Months: How the Great Recession Has Changed Life in America, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Social and Demographic Trends Project, just over one-in-four employed adults interviewed (26 percent) reported being out of work at some time since the recession began.

Even Americans who are employed have felt the impact of the recession, with 42 percent of the survey respondents describing full-time jobs that were shrunk to part-time jobs, pay cuts, reduced hours and forced unpaid leave.

Although workers with high school educations or less are the most greatly affected, an advanced degree does not guarantee employment, points out Jean Baur, a senior consultant with Lee Hecht Harrison outplacement firm and author of Eliminated! Now What?: Finding Your Way from Job-Loss Crisis to Career Resilience. “My current clients include three MDs and several MBAs,” she says. Although higher educational levels and years of experience are positive factors in a job search, the high achieving personalities who hold higher degrees are often overwhelmed by the thought of being out of work, she admits.

“These are the people who have won the promotions throughout the years, received the achievement awards, and thought of their futures as secure,” explains Baur. “People take being laid off or having their position eliminated personally. They forget that work is a contract in which the employer basically says that you’ll be kept in your position as long as it is good for the business.”

Even if you tell yourself it’s not personal, the effect of a layoff is devastating, says Ann Smith*, a sales and marketing professional in Texas. Because she has been the victim of layoffs due to mergers, downsizing and restructuring a total of four times since 2001, Smith no longer takes it personally, but that was not always the case. “The first time I was out of work was very difficult because out-of-work professionals were not as commonly found as they are today,” she says. “Now, it is easy to explain why my last job ended, but it is harder to find positions because there is so much competition for jobs.”

The first step to take in a successful search for your next job is to focus on who you are and not what job you had, suggests Baur. “There is a change in how we think of ourselves when we start working for a company,” she says. “At first, we say that we work for XYZ Company, then we begin saying that we are with XYZ Company, then we think of ourselves as XYZ Company,” she says. Look through old performance evaluations, list your accomplishments in concrete terms, and identify the achievements that make up who you are, she suggests. Motivating employees, leading a team comprised of people from different departments who needed to collaborate for a successful project, identifying a customer need that led to enhancing a product, or meeting sales projections, are all measurable, identifiable achievements that belong to an individual, not the company, she adds. “This self-reflection is a hard, but critical process to prepare you to make decisions about the type of position you want,” says Baur.

Self-reflection is important, agrees Smith. “After my first layoff, I jumped right back into a position in an information technology company because that was the industry I knew,” she says. “Unfortunately, I didn’t think about the reality that my first company wasn’t the only information technology company facing downsizing and job cuts.” Before Smith started her search after the next layoff, she took time to research different industries and see which industries and companies appealed to her.

“I realized that I needed to expand the type of position and industry I considered, as well as location,” Smith says. “Although I’m comfortable living in Texas, I’d consider somewhere else, such as Michigan, if my skill set is in short supply in another area because I would have more opportunities.”

Another option Smith has taken is a contract position. “There are no benefits and I don’t get paid for days I don’t work, but it is a good consumer packaged goods company. I like the culture of the company and it is a good fit for me,” she says. “I’m treated as an integral part of the sales and marketing team, not as a contractor.” Although the company currently has a hiring freeze, she would definitely consider a full-time position with the company if it is offered.

Baur recommends the following steps to ensure a successful job search following a job loss:

Get over the anger about the job loss.
People get stuck thinking “How can they do this to me?” says Baur. Look for ways to think about something other than your job loss, she suggests. “Take a class, join an exercise group, or volunteer at an organization to help other people,” she says. “Doing something that keeps you involved with others helps you maintain a positive attitude and recover from the hurt of losing a job.”

Don’t launch your search too soon.
“If you’re told that you are being laid off on Tuesday morning, don’t start making calls on Tuesday afternoon,” warns Baur. Your focus is emotional and you tend to spend more time venting to friends you call rather than establishing good connections to potential opportunities, she points out. “Take time to prepare yourself emotionally and to decide what type of job you want to find before you make any calls.”

Approach your search like a job
“Work provides us with structure and when we go into our office, we focus on getting the job done,” explains Baur. When you conduct a job search, the focus is yourself and it is easy to be less structured in your approach, she says. “You can run a good search and still have time to enjoy your extra time with your children, spend time on a hobby or volunteer, but remember that this is not vacation time,” she explains.

Have goals and strategies to reach those goals, she suggests. “Anyone searching for a job should plan to spend 20 to 30 hours of ‘smart time’ each week on the search,” she says. “Smart time” is defined as time that is directly related to finding a job. It can be revising your résumé, research on companies that have positions, attending meetings that provide network opportunities, informational interviews or contacts with recruiters or potential employers. In addition to applying to jobs that you know are open, take a chance and approach companies at which you’d like to work, even if there are no jobs, she recommends. “Find out who you might know that works at that company and see if you can get that person to help you talk to someone who might have a position for which you’re qualified and interested,” she says.

Expand your search
Don’t focus on only one industry, one location, or one type of job, says Baur. “I’ve had clients say that they only wanted to work for a large company in the same industry in which they were just laid off and I point out that there was no job security in their former company so there is no guarantee that the same thing won’t happen at the next,” she says. “If you widen your search to offer different options, you have a much better chance of finding something that is right for you.”

Don’t base search on one method
Use every tool you have available to find a job, says Baur. Although the Internet can be useful, use job posting services and even online job postings on company websites to supplement your search, not comprise the major focus of your search, she warns. “Don’t just hit the send button to submit your résumé and think that you’ve done all you can,” she says. “Use your network of friends, former co-workers, and members of professional groups to find an inside contact at the company,” she suggests. “Follow up with that contact to let him or her know you’re very interested in a position that was posted and ask if he or she would be willing to hand deliver your resume to the right person.”

In addition to your normal network groups, don’t discount job search groups, she says. “A well-run group can be helpful because everyone is in transition, so they know people in many different companies and industries and they know how to make contacts,” she says. Have a generic business card that includes your contact information along with two or three bullet points that highlight your experience to hand out at all gatherings, she says.

Although a job loss is traumatic, there is a positive aspect to it, says Baur. “It can create a sense of freedom because you take ownership of your job and your career,” she says. “You are actively deciding what you want to do and where you want to work.”

Even after you find a job, remember the experience so you’ll be better prepared if you find yourself out of work again, Baur suggests. “I had one client who was hit hard when he was laid off because he was completely unprepared and never expected it to happen,” she says. “He told me that he might not be able to prevent another layoff, but he could make sure he was prepared.”

The client now sets aside 15 minutes every Friday to focus on his career, Baur says. “He’ll polish his résumé, conduct a brief professional assessment of his skills or performance, read a journal to stay in touch with what’s happening in the industry, or call a member of his network to schedule a lunch.”

*Ann Smith asked that her real name not be used.

By Sonya Stinson

It’s a smart question. With the price tag of top-rated MBA programs exceeding $100,000, and plenty of buzz from commentators questioning the value of the degree, anyone contemplating a return to B-school is understandably concerned about the affordability and payoff of the investment.

A comparison of pre-and post-MBA salaries shows the income boost from that graduate diploma can be pretty substantial. The deal gets even better if you can take advantage of financial aid to defray your cost. Your cost calculations must factor in not only the tuition and living expenses but also the income you will lose if you take time away from the workforce to pursue your degree. To figure out whether your expected return on investment (ROI) will make it all worthwhile, do some homework to find out what MBA grads in your field are earning, says Lorri Saddler Rice, director of MBA admissions at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga.

“If you compare your financial investment [with] what you’re expecting your salary to be, and that salary is greater than the [money] that you walked away from, you can kind of run the numbers and get your return on investment,” Rice says.

Let’s say you’re in the early stages of your business career with a bachelor’s degree under your belt. The median salary for a BBA in accounting with one to four years of experience is $41,018, according to Payscale.com. With an MBA, that figure rises to $54,040 for a financial analyst and $86,634 for a financial controller. A BBA in marketing captures a median salary of $39,889 for one to four years of experience. For marketing managers with MBAs, the midpoint is $72,583, while the median salary for marketing directors with MBAs is $109,690.

Graduates of Howard University’s MBA program typically pull in six-figure offers, according to Kim Wells, director of administration and finance at the Howard University School of Business in Washington, D.C. “We have found that students coming out of the program have total compensation packages worth over $105,000,” Wells says. “That puts us competitive with many programs.”

The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, whose MBA program topped BusinessWeek’s 2010 rankings, saw its average pay for graduates reach $102,000, the magazine reported. That’s about even with the $103,360 in tuition and fees that it costs to complete the two-year program. At second-ranked Harvard Business School, total tuition and fees were $112,400, while post-MBA pay averaged $110,000.

But don’t assume that you have to go to a Top 10 school to see your MBA investment pay off. Van Muse, director of MBA programs at California State University’s Fullerton’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, points to two recent studies led by Grady D. Bruce, a university colleague, which dispel that notion.

“The conclusion [the studies] came back with was that state schools, in general, had a higher ROI than private institutions,” says Muse, who acknowledges that generality may not hold in the case of private schools with extremely high reputations. “They also saw that schools that are out of the top 50 programs had a higher ROI than schools that are in the top 50, and less time [is] required to pay off your debt.”

Your bet on the MBA will be safest if you choose a reputable business school that’s accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). “There are other accrediting bodies out there, but AACSB has the most stringent standards that we have to abide by, from the standpoint of faculty, the research they do and the structure of the school,” Muse says.

And when it comes to the competition for jobs after graduation, Muse believes both school name recognition and strength in your chosen discipline are important.

Timing is Everything
If you are still in undergraduate school, or less than two years out of undergraduate school, most MBA programs aren’t that eager to enroll you. They want students with work experience.

“One of the things that concern me greatly is that, with the economy and with the challenging job market, there are candidates that are considering going directly to business school and not getting full-time work experience,” says Julie Barefoot, associate dean of MBA admissions for the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. “That is just not a good idea, because those candidates are selling themselves short.”

While Barefoot says law schools and medical schools treat students like “empty vessels,” filling them with all of the knowledge considered necessary to enter their respective professions, that’s not so with graduate business schools,where students with a diversity of backgrounds make important contributions to the learning experience.

Jodi Schafer, director of MBA admissions at the University of Iowa, says her school, like most major MBA programs, also prefers students to have work experience. “That being said, if you were going straight into an MBA program from an undergraduate program, the way that you would bridge that gap is to have some internships,” she explains.

B-schools aren’t the only ones who are less than impressed when you jump straight from your undergraduate degree into an MBA program. “The biggest piece with regard to work experience is that it makes the students more marketable to corporate recruiters,” Rice says. “The MBA alone is probably, in this day, not enough. It’s the combination of the MBA and the professional experience that’s going to make for a stronger candidate in an interview situation.”

Wide Range of Resources
Once you start applying to MBA programs, the one thing you don’t want to delay is completing and sending in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is required to qualify for federal grant and loan programs. Muse’s advice is to get the form in at least two or three months before you plan to enroll.

Along with federal aid, there is a broad range of assistance available from private sources. Merit-based awards include national programs like the National Black MBA Association’s scholarships, the Fulbright Scholarship and the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, as well as university scholarships. Other sources for both merit- and need-based awards include corporations, churches, fraternities, sororities and nonprofit organizations.

“Many of your top accredited business schools offer merit-based scholarships, and you want to put yourself in the best position to be eligible for some of those scholarships,” Rice says. “A lot of them are driven by a combination of your undergraduate GPA plus your GMAT score. Depending on how long you’ve been away from undergraduate school, your undergraduate GPA is what it is, so the only element you can impact is your GMAT score. I think the best thing a candidate can do is really prep for the GMAT and score as high as possible, which makes a good academic profile that puts [the candidate] in a good position for scholarship consideration.”

Schafer says a good starting point for your financial aid search is the admissions office at your targeted MBA school. “The office of admissions typically has merit-based financial aid, and there are certain scholarships that are generally set aside for minority candidates,” she says. “In some cases, those go unfilled.”

Be sure to look into opportunities for graduate assistantships, which can provide cash for living expenses, and research and teaching assistantships.

“For our full-time MBA program…a lot of students receive graduate assistantships,” says Beth Walker, associate dean of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, who adds that at least 75 percent of the program’s full-time students receive some type of university-based aid. “Their tuition is waived and, in addition, they might receive a cash scholarship.”

Sources for loans include the federal Stafford and Graduate PLUS loan programs, as well as private lenders. Rice says even scholarship MBA students at Clark Atlanta typically use loans to subsidize their living expenses. If you think you might need a loan to help finance your MBA, she offers some tips. “Obviously, loans are credit-driven, so having a decent credit rating puts you in a good position to be awarded a loan,” Rice explains. “Whether or not the institution you are considering has access to federal loans plays a role as well. Most programs that are accredited are in a position to award federal financial aid, but you would certainly want to look at that.”

Alternatives to Full-time Study
Those who wish to continue drawing a salary while pursuing the MBA can opt for a part-time program designed for working professionals, such as the executive MBA, or even choose from a growing number of online MBA programs. One drawback is that it may be more challenging to find financial aid.

“Typically, there are no scholarships for working professionals’ programs, but that is changing,” says Barefoot of Emory, which was No. 10 in BusinessWeek’s executive MBA program rankings. “We have had some merit-based scholarships for quite a few years. They are more limited, but we do offer them.”

California State-Fullerton offers the part-time FEMBA (Fully Employed MBA) program at its Irvine campus, and a full-time program at Mihaylo College of Business on the main campus will start in fall 2011. The program is tailored for those who are at least five years out from earning their bachelor’s degrees, Muse says. “Our average work experience in the program is eight-and-a-half years.”

Employer sponsorship is an avenue worth looking into if you are seeking a way to fund an executive MBA, but Barefoot warns those perks aren’t as sizeable as they once were. “In the good old days, companies were very generous with their scholarship support,” she says. “For an executive MBA program, it wasn’t unheard of for the company to fully pay for the degree. But those days are pretty much gone.”

These days, Barefoot estimates that the average amount of corporate aid for employees attending an MBA school is about $5,000 a year. “Sometimes a company will provide more if the employee promises to stay for a certain period of time after graduation,” she adds.

Ashutosh Deshmukh, program chair of the online MBA program at Pennsylvania State University, says the program was one of only a handful in the nation (others included Indiana University, Arizona State University and the University of Florida) when it started in 2002.

“The mission of our program is to take managers who are at the mid-level and want to move into the senior ranks,” says Deshmukh, who estimates that 50 to 75 percent of students in the program receive some level of employer support.

Money Not the Only Reward
The possibility of landing a six-figure job after graduation may already have you convinced that the answer to the question, “Can I afford an MBA?” is “How can I afford to pass it up?” But MBA school reps interviewed for this article say the rewards extend beyond the chance to fatten your paycheck.

“I think [the MBA] is one of the most flexible graduate degrees out there,” Barefoot says. “For individuals who want to perform successfully in a corporate career or in the nonprofit arena, it’s critical that they have analytical and business skills, that they understand how best to motivate people, that they understand how to review financial statements about performance, and that they have a good handle on what makes organizations successful from a financial perspective.”

Says Wells at Howard University, which is making a big push to develop opportunities for its MBA students to study abroad, “The MBA is one of the more strategic ways to become and remain relevant in today’s competitive global market.”

Rice acknowledges that many people have recently questioned not only the value of the MBA, but also the competence of the business professionals holding the credential. Yet she maintains it’s well worth the effort.

“Despite what we’ve heard recently about MBAs and how they’ve thrown this economy into the tailspin that it’s in, I still genuinely believe there is a real value to getting an MBA,” Rice says. “Beyond the academic value and making a good investment is the network — the classmates and alumni connections that you gain. That’s just invaluable.”

In the end, Deshmukh says, in order to decide whether an MBA is worth your investment of time and money, you must first determine your personal objectives in obtaining the degree. “Unless you have a very clear understanding of where you are going, you will get no benefit out of the program,” he says.

Between Twitter and Facebook, Skype and YouTube, “Jersey Shore” and “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” the idea of reading a book with actual words and pages can seem less than palatable to kids and teenagers with so many other engrossing distractions to indulge in. Yet reality TV and technology mania aside, the book market is booming: In the last two years, there has been an 87 percent increase in the number of young adult titles fresh off the presses. That’s the good news.

The bad news, says engineer-turned-literary-agent Regina Brooks, is not enough of those are targeting young African-American readers. “Fortunately and unfortunately, a lot of the books that get published have to do with slavery and history, books that could typically be sold to the school or library market,” she says. A wider variety of genres would make it even easier to get young folks as excited about books as they are about Lil’ Wayne’s next album (or at least kind of close).

To fire up a passion and love for literature among Black students, Brooks co-founded the YB Literary Foundation (YBLF), a not-for-profit organization that promotes the life-changing benefits of reading for young people, and is the organization’s executive director. She also penned Essence’s 2004 Quick Pick children’s book, Never Finished! Never Done!, and she offers these tips to get everyone from toddlers to teenagers to read between the lines:

• Make reading matter. In the self-absorption of youth when everything is so “all about me,” the material they read has to connect somehow with – who else? – them. “Show kids the book’s relevance to everyday life, and tie it into things that they find interesting,” advises Brooks, “like music and news and sports and the Internet.”

• Connect both sides of the page. Reading and writing go hand in hand, so encouraging young people to keep a diary, pen poetry or get involved in journalism could spark the fire for reading books.

• Find books that reflect their readers. Established readers enjoy the escapism that books provide, the fantasy lands they can visit with just the flip of a page. Novices, however, may enjoy more around-the-way stories with characters they can connect to, like the Payton Skky series by Stephanie Perry Moore (though Brooks points out that there is still a wide open market for similar books targeting young Black boys).

• Talk it out. Make discussion an active part of the reading process, which develops kids’ critical thinking skills without them even really knowing it. The YBLF hosts a series of reading ciphers that interweave young people’s connection to pop culture and their own personal experiences with activities that literally bring the literature to life through visual art and music. Students can touch, hear and see a connection to the print material.

To learn more about the YBLF and what it’s up to in the community, visit www.ybliterary.org. – Janelle Harris

By Sheryl S. Jackson

Unemployment statistics are on the rise, home sale advertisements announce price reductions and retail stores are riding the up-and-down roller coaster of reduced consumer spending. The recession has affected jobs and consumers’ ability to purchase, but the effects are much deeper, often resulting in changes in perception of life and decisions about lifestyle, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center’s Social and Demographic Trends Project. Responses from the nationally representative sample of 2,967 people show that not only are people changing their spending habits, but they also are worried about the future standard of life for their children as well as their standard of living in their own retirement.

Previous generations could count on pensions paid after working many years at the same company; receiving promotions throughout one’s career; homes that increased in value without fail; easily obtained credit; and investments that earned reliably high interest rates. That was the “old normal,” and it is time to learn to live in the “new normal,” according to experts interviewed by Black MBA Magazine.

The recession and the new reality in which we live is not confined to the United States, points out William Wells Jr., chairman of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) board of directors and vice president of Strategic Inclusion Solutions for InclusionINC. “This is a world-changing phenomenon that gives all of us an opportunity to leverage our position into a better normal,” he says. He remembers hearing motivational speaker Lisa Nichols talking about the recession when it was first declared. “She said she refused to invite the recession into her home, so she was recession-proof,” he laughs. This attitude is important because it gives you strength to find a way to succeed in a tough environment, he adds.

A key part of the work Wells does with his clients is helping them adapt to cultural change as they evaluate ways to improve diversity and inclusion. “Cultural change is also an effect of this recession,” he says. “The real challenge is the need to change the ethical landscape of business. We’ve seen blips on Wall Street and Main Street that are due to people who did not lead with integrity and accountability. Fortunately, we are now seeing the emergence of solid leaders with a focus on regaining the trust of their customers, their community and their constituency.”

Although many people are looking for jobs, Wells has noticed that potential employees are interviewing companies as much as companies are interviewing them. “The millennials who are just starting their careers and other generations who are looking for new careers as a result of the recession are looking for employers that share the same goals, offer opportunities and embrace individual talents and skills,” he says. The focus on job-seekers finding the right match for their individual goals is a sign of the new normal. “People in today’s workforce don’t want the cookie cutter lifestyle of previous generations that worked at one company for an entire career,” Wells explains.

Younger generations are handling the upheaval of the recession more easily than baby boomers because they entered the workforce with no expectation of a 30-year career at the same company, Wells notes. “Baby boomers are having a more difficult time because the changes are new to them, and they are having to adjust their expectations,” he adds.

Contract Positions Increase
Not only are 30-year careers no longer a realistic expectation, but also fewer full-time positions are available as more companies rely on contract employees for expertise on specific projects, says Stephen C. Lewis, interim president and CEO of the NBMBAA and director, strategic planning and manufacturing executive office of the Ford Motor Company. “The first significant change as a result of the recession is the increase in the number of contract employees we use in our industry,” he says. This is a strategic change for businesses as managers look for ways to control workforce costs. “Businesses have always faced the challenge of covering employee costs during the ups and downs of business cycles,” Lewis continues, explaining that contract employees can work on specific projects for as long as their expertise is needed. “This is a cost-effective and productive approach for the company.”

Denise Edwards, MBA, knows firsthand about companies making the switch to hiring contract employees rather than full-time employees. She is currently in her second contract position in marketing. “I’d prefer the security of a full-time position, but contract work is not a bad option,” she says. “Both positions have enabled me to pay my bills, keep my skills up-to-date and increase my network.”

Contract positions can last for months or years, depending on the project or the company’s need, which means you know you will be looking for another position at some point, but Edwards points out the benefits. “There is always the possibility that the contract position converts to a full-time position, so you have an opportunity to continue if you like the position and the company,” she says. “If you go through an employment agency to find your position, you often have access to benefits packages through the agency,” she adds. This is an important option for many people who need access to health insurance at group rates because companies don’t pay benefits for contractors.

Edwards has used her time between contract jobs to improve her skills and open up other options for future positions. “During one period when I wasn’t working, I attended a seminar on digital marketing,” she says. Not only did she meet more people with whom she could network, but she was able to leverage her new knowledge during an interview for another contract position. “My first position was basic marketing forecasting and managing a product line that was already up and running,” she says. “Now, I’m in a position in which I have more exposure to e-commerce and online initiatives than I had in previous positions.”

Another change in the process of career development is a need to develop an expertise in an industry, observes Lewis. “Work hours have extended, and there are more challenges for all businesses, so it is important to have a passion for your industry,” he says. “This is the difference between work being something you want to do rather than something you have to do.” In the automobile industry, this does not mean that you have to work for only a manufacturer. An engineer who works for suppliers to the automobile manufacturer can have opportunities to move to the manufacturing side of the industry because the emphasis on developing products that are cost-effective and high quality are the same, he points out. “A commitment to and understanding of the industry are important for today’s leaders and potential leaders.”

Entrepreneurship is also an increasing option for people who find themselves out of work, says Wells. “Some people are willing to take the risk of starting their own business as a way to gain more control over their career,” he points out, adding that technology enables small businesses to compete on a national or global basis, opening up opportunities for everyone.

Save for Yourself
An increasing number of people are concerned that they will not be able to retire as planned because of the recession’s effect on their investments and potential income, according to the Pew Research study. Lewis is not surprised and says that retirement is another area in which there have been significant changes.

“You must assume responsibility for your retirement income,” says Lewis. “Set up a 401K and manage it well by making regular contributions. Start the 401K early in your career and don’t take money out of it as you would a regular savings account.” In the past, employees could rely upon a company pension to supplement Social Security income, but now the norm is a company-sponsored 401K that requires the employee to make contributions. A combination of continuous 401K contributions as well as personal Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are the best ways to ensure the ability to retire as planned, he adds.

In addition to long-term savings such as retirement accounts, don’t forget to put money away for a rainy day, suggests Lewis. The ease with which people could obtain credit and create great debt for themselves meant that when the recession hit, they had no backstop, no way to handle their debt. “If we save regularly to fund a savings account that we can use to pay off debt or handle an emergency, we are forced to live more economically,” he says.

“I don’t save as much as I should be saving, but I do put away a small amount each week for my emergency fund,” says Edwards. “I’m also careful about not taking full-week vacations because, as a contractor, I don’t get paid for vacation,” she explains and adds that one of the advantages of her contract position is a weekly paycheck, which does make it easier to manage her budget.

Homes Still Good Investments
According to a December 2010 report by Zillow Inc., a home data tracking company, home values may drop by more than $1.7 trillion this year. Rising foreclosures and tax credit expirations are responsible for much of the decrease, according to Zillow.

“The downturn in housing is just a bump in the road,” says Lewis. “I believe that over the next five years or so, prices will reset and stabilize.”. According to Lewis, at this time, it is a buyer’s market, so someone who is ready to buy a home can find a house at a good price in an area that will hold its value.

“I did own a home in the Northeast and was able to sell it, but I’ve not felt comfortable about buying a house now,” says Edwards. Not only is she cautious because her position is a contract position, but also because she wants to remain mobile and able to easily take a position in another location.

Edwards and every other person who has looked for a job throughout the recession may have noticed changes in human resources departments as well. “As companies downsize, the first reductions in staff often hit human resources departments,” says Wells. “This has greatly affected diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout all companies.”. The impact of fewer initiatives focused upon changing corporate culture to embrace inclusion; fewer human resources professionals to manage the interviewing and hiring process; and an increased number of people applying for open positions means a greater challenge for the job seeker, he adds.

This challenge has implications for NBMBAA, Wells continues. “We have to find ways to support our members as we address all of the issues raised by the recession,” he says. “We have to make sure our organization is relevant to the new reality faced by our members.”

Going forward, Wells sees NBMBAA focusing on development of strategic partnerships with other organizations, so time and money are not spent “reinventing the wheel.” He explains, “There are many organizations that offer education and training opportunities as well as other services that will benefit our members.” Just as the recession is creating changes in the way people plan their careers and spend their money, the association has to make the same changes in order to offer more services to members, he notes.

“This is the biggest recession for our country since the Great Depression of 1929,” says Lewis. The effect of the Great Depression was a renewed fiscal responsibility with a commitment to frugality and saving money that could be passed on to the next generation. “This recession has been a rude awakening, but the economy is growing again, and we have all learned from it.”

See main article: The New Reality: Taking Ownership

Take charge of your career
Be aware that mergers, restructuring and layoffs are a normal part of today’s new reality. Make sure your résumé is up to date, and stay active in your professional and personal networks so you can easily contact people if you need to look for another position.

Be flexible.
Don’t pass up an interview opportunity because it is not a full-time, permanent position. Contract positions may be more plentiful in your profession or industry, so look at them as opportunities to expand your skill set, learn a new industry and expand your network.

Be willing to move.
The demand for certain skills and expertise varies depending on the geographic location. Don’t limit your opportunities by focusing on big cities or areas of the country with which you are familiar. A willingness to relocate may represent new career opportunities as well as new adventures.

Develop your expertise.
Look for opportunities to learn different facets of your industry. Even if you are laid off from a major manufacturer, look to supply companies within the industry for opportunities so you can build upon the knowledge and experience you have already developed.

Keep learning.
Attend seminars, conferences, and classes that enhance your skills so you can be ready for unexpected job changes. Not only do these activities increase your knowledge, they also give you an opportunity to meet other people and increase your network.

Fund your own retirement.
The workplace is changing, and companies no longer guarantee a set income upon retirement. Take control of your retirement funds by contributing early in your career and on a regular schedule. Manage the investments well, and don’t use your retirement accounts as savings accounts to be used for emergencies.

Adjust your spending habits.
Fiscal conservatism and frugality are the key words to success during a recession. Look for ways to reduce costs, pay off debt and manage ongoing expenses in order to boost savings.

Plan for rainy days.
Boost your savings strategy. In addition to planning for retirement, set aside funds to use for emergencies such as car or home repairs, medical bills, major purchases or covering bills during unemployment. Being able to pay cash for major purchases or repairs and knowing you can cover your monthly expenses while unemployed reduces stress and keeps you out of debt in tough times.

Build, don’t burn, bridges.
The trauma of losing a job may make you angry and resentful, but don’t be negative about your former employer. Maintaining a positive relationship will ensure good references and good relationships with former co-workers and managers that might provide leads to other positions.

Reach out to others.
Looking for employment can be stressful, but don’t withdraw from other people. Spend time with professional associations, job search groups and individuals in your network. Don’t be afraid to let people know you’re looking for work, and create connections that can help you now and in the future. Also, don’t forget that volunteering to help others through not-for-profits or your church can help you maintain a positive perspective on life. – Sheryl S. Jackson

One MBA works to provide digital X-rays to low-resource areas

By Emerald Morrow

Even with recent health care reform, the debate rages on within the U.S. government. In recent years and months it has sent politicians on endless tirades about the direction it should go, leaving some with the impression that bureaucratic red tape makes serious changes in health care nearly impossible.

Ivy Walker would disagree. She is CEO of World Health Imaging, Telemedicine and Informatics Alliance (WHITIA), a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to working with medical providers in low-resource areas to improve the quality of primary health care in the United States and around the world. Chicago-based WHITIA currently is working in Guatemala, South Africa, and in its own hometown, with a partnership in Haiti and visions of expanding throughout the United States and other sites worldwide.

Armed with a bachelor’s degree in community health from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., Walker is ready to dive headfirst into the warring world of health care.

Improving heath, one digital X-ray at a time
WHITIA reports that nearly 4 billion people in developing countries have limited or no access to basic diagnostic medical imaging, including chest and extremity X-rays. The problem also hits close to home, where, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 43 million Americans lack health insurance and, consequently, cannot afford X-rays. WHITIA also reports an estimated 60 percent of medical diagnoses require X-ray analysis, and “lack of this capacity [hinders] a physician’s ability to properly diagnose medical conditions, resulting in prolonged illness and disability for patients.”

One of the most innovative and groundbreaking developments that comes from WHITIA is the development of “Remi-d,” a self-contained, digital chest X-ray system. The device makes it possible for chest X-rays and screenings to be conducted in less than one day. It has not yet been approved by the FDA, and there’s still more development that needs to take place, but Walker says she hopes to see the device on the market in 2011. “Nobody else has this kind of device,” she says. “We think it’s the answer to the question, ‘How do you help to screen large populations for tuberculosis?’”

Right now, WHITIA partners with X-ray equipment manufacturers and installs digital X-ray systems in selected sites to strengthen the sites’ health systems. Walker says one X-ray system can serve 50,000 patients, and when an X-ray system is put into place, it impacts the entire health system. One of WHITIA’s partner clinics, Salud y Bienestar in Guatemala City, Guatemala, is a municipal clinic that provides medical services to about 25,000 patients and their families. “It serves primarily municipal workers and street children. So with one installation there, we’re helping 25,000 people,” says Walker. And on the other side of the globe, in South Africa, the population WHITIA serves is closer to 60,000.

Here in the United States, Walker is leading WHITIA through a demonstration project with Alivio Medical Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center in the Pilsen area of Chicago’s lower west side that provides the Latino community with cost-effective, quality health care. “Alivio is like a mini-hospital. [It has] everything from primary care, to OB-GYN, to dentistry, to a pharmacy,” says Walker. “It provides medical services to about 26,000 low-income and immigrant individuals and their families [and has] about 90,000 patient encounters every year.”

WHITIA is equipping Alivio with digital X-ray and teleradiology services and looks to demonstrate the reduced costs associated with eliminating referrals to local emergency rooms for X-rays. Walker explains the process of getting an X-ray through a community health center as cumbersome and expensive, because community heath centers often do not have the necessary X-ray equipment and must send patients to a local hospital emergency room where they typically wait hours to be seen, and even longer to get a diagnosis.

Jumping the hurdle of nonprofit sustainability
Walker hopes the demonstration project at Alivio will attract sustainable sources of funding from various philanthropic organizations, and especially from the government. “We target community health care centers in the United States, and the government is a major source of funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers,” she says. “With the Affordable Care Act that President Obama signed in March of this year, community health centers are going to see an influx of patients because they tend to serve as the medical home for low-income and minority populations.” Walker estimates that over the next five years, there will be 20 million new patients in centers across the country.

On a global level, WHITIA is working to garner the attention of organizations (such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for example) that are funding specific disease issues like tuberculosis, another area of focus for WHITIA.

“Tuberculosis is a major global threat because it’s an airborne disease, it’s easily spread, and one person who is infected with tuberculosis will infect up to 10 new people each year until [he or she is]  treated for the disease,” says Walker. “So what you’re seeing is a global growth in tuberculosis, not only outside the United States, but inside as well. One of the ways to combat the growth of tuberculosis is through screening, and one of the key ways to screen is through digital X-ray.”

Echoing the sentiments of everyone from bigwig economists to the one-man-band entrepreneur, Walker expresses her deep concern over the state of the economy and the impact it’s having on businesses worldwide. “For a business, be it a profit or not-for-profit, there are a lot of challenges to gaining momentum to securing funding,” she says. Small ventures like WHITIA are just as vulnerable to the cash and capital crunch that hit big businesses.

A perfect fit
Walker’s bachelor’s degree in community heath and her MBA have poised her for catapulting WHITIA toward success. She says her MBA exposed her to a multitude of areas like finance, marketing, operations and technology, which she’s had to use in order to understand how to build WHITIA’s business model.

WHITIA  was founded in 2007 by a group of renowned engineering professors at Northwestern University, and Walker says it had been in an exploratory phase prior to her coming on board in 2009. WHITIA found her through one of its board members, and she joined the organization because of its global nature, its position as a social venture and its stake in health care. “It straddles the entrepreneurial aspects that I’ve been working with over the years with a mission of giving back to low-resource areas,” she says. “Health care is very complex and is in need of some innovation around the way care is delivered so costs can be brought down.”

When Walker joined WHITIA, one of the first tasks she was charged with was determining a viable and sustainable way to operate the business. “There was an initial business model when the organization was set up, but then there’s the reality of what can you actually do,” she says. “Having gone through MBA training provided a lot of the tools and framework I needed in order to figure out what makes the most sense.”

WHITIA board member Matt Glucksberg says he is beyond impressed with what Walker has been able to accomplish during the short time she’s been with the organization. “She’s someone who is interpreting and trying to understand everything that goes into this very complicated project,” he explains. “Like any startup, that vision has to evolve, and she has to be at the center of it.”

Glucksberg, who also is a professor of biomedical engineering and chairperson of the biomedical engineering department at Northwestern University, says Walker has been working extremely hard in every aspect. “She’s putting together a nonprofit that is using new business models that is essentially a business model. She’s trying to invent a new way of doing R&D and distribution and making it sustainable.”

Telehealth: Coming to a mobile device near you
Fully operational since only 2009, WHITIA has lofty goals for the next few years. In addition to introducing the Remi-d device to the market, Walker would like to see WHITIA expand more into the telehealth and mobile health markets. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, telehealth is “the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration.” Telehealth typically uses technologies such as video conferencing, streaming media, wireless communications and the Internet to monitor health.

Few may believe it, and the prediction certainly is a radical one, but Walker says there are estimates that 80 percent of physician visits will be performed via telehealth methods within the next 10 years. “In a developing country, it’s a little more critical in nature because telehealth could be the only way that patients are able to see a physician,” she says. “Having a telemedicine setup is the way that a patient can go and be examined by a physician [who is] a couple hundred miles away.”

For more information about WHITIA and its mission, visit www.whitia.org.

By Emerald Morrow

You’ve weighed the costs against the benefits and decided that an MBA is the tool you need to help you achieve your career goals. But before you dive head-first into the application process, consider the following advice from Steven Rogers about how to stand out as a candidate for admission.

Show evidence of leadership on the job and in your life.
A key to making your application shine is having a great track record on the job, according to Rogers. This means your performance reviews are stellar, you’ve been promoted, and you most likely have held a leadership position.

“The top business schools want leaders,” says Rogers. “Just saying you led a project is not enough. Have you been the leader of people? Were you in charge of a department at work? Were you in charge of something outside of work?”

Study what you love, and make academic excellence a priority.
Your undergraduate grades are a big part of your ticket into an MBA program. A 2005 report from the Graduate Management Admissions Council® shows African-Americans as having the lowest undergraduate GPAs when compared to whites, Asian-Americans and Hispanics. Forty-five percent of African-American GMAT® test takers report GPAs of 2.9 or lower.

Many times, students squander future opportunities by making bad academic choices during their college years. They may think that grades no longer matter once they’ve gotten into college. Not true, says Rogers, adding that the best way to prepare for business school is to get the highest grades you can as an undergraduate.

And remember, your major doesn’t matter. “The top business schools are not looking for students who majored in business in undergraduate school,” Rogers notes. “We don’t care what your major was. What you really need to be endowed with is the capacity and the willingness to learn. We most importantly want people who are intellectually brilliant. So get the best grades that you can get while you are in college. Your major is irrelevant.”

Enlist outside help to boost your GMAT score.
According to the Graduate Management Admissions Council®, African-Americans placed last in GMAT® score ranges in 2003-2004: Seventy-three percent of African-American test-takers scored less than 500 out of a possible 800. That’s in contrast to 34 percent of Asian-Americans, 37 percent of whites and 60 percent of Hispanics who scored less than 500.  In the 2003-2004 study, only 1 percent of blacks scored 700 or higher.

Rogers urges applicants to sign up for GMAT® preparation classes and get a personal tutor, if possible. Companies like Kaplan (www.kaptest.com) and The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com) offer a range of services from classroom courses and online sessions to one-on-one instruction. “We need more African-American students in the best business schools in the country,” says Rogers. “And in order to do that, they have to have the best grades in college and high GMAT® scores.”

Pricey test-prep courses might deter prospective students from enrolling, but Rogers says the additional tutoring is worth the investment.

One entrepreneur’s story of finding his second career in education and why an MBA is still worth it

By Emerald Morrow

Read Steven Rogers’ advice for making your MBA application shine.

Pursuing your MBA requires planning, strategy and, most of all, drive. And sticking with it for the long term can only get harder when you consider the level of diversity, not just in the corporate world, but also within academia itself.

Lack of diversity in the academic world – according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only seven 7 percent of all college faculty members are Black – can be a limiting factor for some considering whether to pursue an MBA. But just as people of color make are making wider inroads into corporate America, some MBAs are also staying in education to ensure the next generation moves forward.

One example is Steven Rogers, a Harvard MBA who teaches entrepreneurial finance in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at Northwestern University’s prestigious Kellogg School of Management and serves as head of the entire entrepreneurship department.

Though quick to respond with humility when praised for his expansive list of academic, corporate and entrepreneurial accomplishments, Rogers, an award-winning professor, businessman and author, realizes the unique position of power and influence he holds. His accomplishments were a byproduct of his hard work throughout his personal life and professional career.

Prior to joining Kellogg, Rogers owned two lampshade manufacturing companies and one retail operation. He was invited to speak to a class of Kellogg students about his experiences as an MBA-holding business owner.  His speech was well-received, and consequently, he was asked by the Kellogg staff if he would like to teach some courses at the school. He was interested but said he didn’t want to follow the traditional route of earning a Ph.D.; instead, he wanted to become a professor after taking the road to entrepreneurial success.

It was then that Dean Emeritus Donald Jacobs (who at that point was active dean of the Kellogg School) asked Rogers if he would like to teach his favorite class, entrepreneurial finance. Rogers accepted, and he taught while simultaneously running his businesses. “I loved it,” says Rogers. “I sold my companies; [Kellogg] hired me to be full-time faculty, teaching five classes a year; and after my first year of teaching, I was selected by the students to be the professor of the year for the entire school.”

Students at Kellogg are so fond of Rogers and his teaching style that most of his classes are standing room only. “I don’t think Steve knows what a small class is because he’s never had one, to my knowledge,” says Jacobs.

Described as a stalwart by both students and colleagues, Rogers also is known for his hard-hitting tactics in the classroom. “Professor Rogers is tough,” says 29-year-old Susan Edwards, a former student of Rogers’. “Everyone knows that he’s tough. People go into the class scared,” she continues. “But I think we want that because he’s only trying to make us better.”

Edwards says Rogers grills students during class to make sure they’re confident in everything they’re communicating and that they’ve done the proper research. This, says Edwards, reinforces the point that if you don’t feel confident, then no one will feel confident in what you’re saying. “He [tries] to build us up so we can face any challenge,” she explains. “I think that’s what students appreciate. They like knowing that he really cares about their success.”

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MODEL AND BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Part of being an effective educator is teaching others to see the world through a new lens and with a critical eye. One of Rogers’ missions, especially for the African-American community, is to push aspiring business owners to move from a “mom-and-pop” model of entrepreneurship to one of high growth and wealth creation.

According to Rogers, a high-growth entrepreneur is one who will write and implement a formal business plan with the objective being wealth creation. “I am privileged to have the opportunity to have a system [at Kellogg] that feeds me with people who already have that mindset,” he explains. “They want to create meaningful-sized companies.” When he’s not teaching students from Kellogg, Rogers says he often has to explain the differences between these two types of entrepreneurs (mom-and-pop and high-growth), especially when he is working with African-American audiences. “High-growth entrepreneurship is about more than making enough money to earn a living,” he says.

Rogers has been a businessman nearly his entire life and credits his upbringing with helping prepare him to be an entrepreneur. He straddled the two vastly different worlds of welfare and business success during his childhood and speaks from experience about the importance of high-growth entrepreneurship. His mother was a single parent who owned used furniture stores and sold antiques. “Literally, from the time I was 12 years old, I was running a used furniture store. My mother would leave the [store] for the day, and I would be in charge of running it and managing it.”

Growing up in an entrepreneurial environment groomed Rogers for his current success, but what he saw as a child proved to be valuable lessons in both the “do’s and don’ts” of successful business ownership. “On one hand, my mother was an entrepreneur. On the other hand, during some of the time in my childhood, she was on welfare. So I lived in both worlds. I was not endowed. I did not have the privilege of having assets behind me,” says Rogers. “My mother was making money so that we could live, pay our bills and so forth. She never had the mindset of wealth creation that comes from planning and being exposed to those who had great success as a result of building.”

So while Rogers was groomed to be an entrepreneur, he realized that in order to be successful, he needed formal training in business beyond what a mom-and-pop operation could offer. “I needed a foundation in business that was different than what I had gotten from my mother,” he observes. “With my mother, the experience was very haphazard. My mother never finished high school. That was a good baptism, but I needed a stronger and a deeper baptism.”

Rogers built his foundation working at Cummins Engine Company and Bain & Company consulting firm. “I am not one who believes that people should necessarily go out and do on-the-job training, learning business fundamentals while becoming an entrepreneur instantaneously,” he says. “I believe that everyone should learn on someone else’s dollar. That’s a model I strongly advocate today.”

After he graduated college, Rogers realized his personal happiness and satisfaction were not going to come from working for someone else, so he made up his mind to be an entrepreneur: “I’ve been nurtured to be an entrepreneur, and it’s in my blood.”

DOING GOOD THINGS FOR SOCIETY
In the wake of recent Wall Street scandals and the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Rogers says he is embarrassed by the behavior of businesspeople and the distrust they have inspired in the American people. “It’s been disappointing to see everything that’s been happening on Wall Street,” he admits, “but we like to believe that what we do at Kellogg is something different than what is shown from those people on Wall Street who have MBAs [and] who have done some deceptive things. We are in the business of teaching good people who want to do good things for society.”

Rogers stresses that Kellogg is uninterested in admitting students whose goal it is to make the most money by any means necessary. “We have never embraced that type of philosophy. That’s why Kellogg is the only school out of our peer schools that interviews 100 percent of our applicants,” he says. “We want good people. We want people who are intellectually brilliant, people who are selfless and people who care about someone other than themselves. If a person applies and they have outstanding GPA, they score perfect on the GMAT, but they are a jerk and they are only interested in money, we won’t accept them.”

EARNING AN MBA IS STILL THE WAY TO GO
Rogers is quick to tout the value of an MBA. “The beauty of the MBA is it provides a safe environment for you to learn,” he says. “Learn finance skills. Learn how to value a company in the classroom. Learn how to create and implement a marketing plan. It provides you the training ground to learn the fundamentals that will determine your success.”

Rogers blames entrepreneurial failure on lack of training, observing that lack of formal training and education results in too much on-the-job training. “What happens as a result of on-the-job training? A lot of mistakes get made, and a lot of money gets wasted, and therefore the business fails,” he says.

To prove his point, Rogers gives an example of entrepreneurs without MBAs whom he instructs through executive training programs. He says they consistently belabor how they wish they would have grasped core business skills like cash flow management before starting their own companies. Earning an MBA teaches those fundamentals, says Rogers, and it also exposes students to people who are great resources, classmates who can help them grow their companies. “The MBA is one of the most valuable tools than an entrepreneur can have,” he explains. “I am a strong advocate of continuous education, and the smart entrepreneur is the entrepreneur who realizes learning never stops. They embrace the whole concept of lifelong learning.”

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF AN MBA
The economic downturn left many people in financial dire straits, and the high cost of an MBA might be a strong deterrent to students and professionals considering earning the degree. Others might argue they can’t afford to leave their jobs for two years and take on debt for an advanced education. But still, Rogers remains a staunch supporter of the MBA. “I have counseled many people to leave their full-time jobs to come to business school,” he says. He has it all figured out in a 3-to-1 cost/benefit analysis. Over the next 30 years, for every one dollar invested, Rogers says you’ll get three in return.

“Your earnings over that period of time, had you not gone to business school, will at least be 50 percent less. There is a huge difference between the earnings power over a lifetime of an MBA versus a non-MBA,” he points out. And as for those who say they can’t afford to leave work to go to business school, Rogers calls that a short-term-focus mindset. “You have to be willing to invest in your future,” he says. “There has to be a willingness to make short-term sacrifices.”

Rogers concludes that it is imperative that African-Americans pursue high-growth entrepreneurship, because this will stimulate jobs for the black community. “I travel the world giving speeches titled Entrepreneurs Are My Personal Heroes and ‘She-roes,’” he says. “Entrepreneurs do good for society by doing well for themselves. They create jobs for other people. People who have jobs are self-sufficient, and self-sufficient people live in healthier communities.”

Learn more about Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at www.kellogg.northwestern.edu and www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/levyinstitute.

Emerald Morrow is a freelance writer based in St. Louis, Mo.

The unwritten rules of “business drinking”

By Tamara E. Holmes

Check out our Business Drinking Primer

On any given evening, Karen Alston, president of AMG Marketing Communications in Washington, D.C., might find herself out schmoozing with clients and colleagues. Having spent years in corporate America, the 40-year-old Alston is well aware of how important such social outings can be. “That’s where deals are made, promotions happen and the boss sees who you are,” she says.

Alston also is very aware that the way a professional handles drinking in business situations can make or break a career. “Many people are more comfortable discussing business over drinks,” she says. On the other hand, drinking too much or ordering a drink that is inappropriate to the occasion can give business colleagues or potential clients an unfavorable impression. “We assume we’re only going to be judged on work performance, but that’s not the way corporate America is,” Alston adds.

Because the stakes are so high, Alston and many other professionals and career strategists say it makes sense to brush up on the rules of business drinking. “Stories make it back to the boardroom,” says Keith R. Wyche, author of Good is Not Enough: And Other Unwritten Rules for Minority Professionals and NBMBAA board member. “A candidate’s name comes up for a promotion, and someone remembers when they drank too much at a business function.” Taking the time to learn when to drink, what to drink and how to handle social situations when you don’t drink can make all the difference in one’s career trajectory.

Discerning the Corporate Culture
In a large sense, the decision whether or not to drink alcohol depends on who you’re socializing with. At some companies, nobody drinks when socializing with co-workers outside of work. At others, you’re expected to have a drink with the team. And different rules apply if you’re socializing with business superiors rather than peers.

There also are certain occasions when it’s inappropriate to drink. According to a survey conducted in 2006 by the Alexandria, Va.-based Society for Human Resource Management, 70 percent of human resource professionals said it was appropriate for employees to drink alcohol at a holiday party. However, only 40 percent said it was acceptable for employees to drink while dining with a client or customer. Nine percent of those surveyed said it was appropriate for employees to drink when dining with a supervisor or subordinate, and 2 percent said it was acceptable for employees to drink at conferences.

If your company has a written policy on drinking, heed it at all costs. But when it comes to learning the unwritten rules related to drinking, look to other high-performing executives in the company. If your boss or other managers are around, “never be the one to order a drink first,” says Wyche. “Let the senior leader take the lead.”

If senior leaders start off the drinking, it’s OK for you to take part if you feel comfortable doing so. In other words, know your limits. “Drinking is an acceptable way to socialize as long as you are able to be social but also maintain your professionalism,” says Stephanie Chick, a career coach and author of Deliver the Package: Simple Truths to Help Set Your Genius Free. “When you’re not able to maintain that professionalism, then you’re putting yourself in a potentially negative situation.”

Pressured to Drink?
So what happens when colleagues are suggesting a toast when you know you can’t handle another glass of wine or you don’t drink in the first place? Some people have religious or personal reasons for abstaining, while others may just not be in the mood to drink. “I once had a co-worker who was a recovering alcoholic,” says Nichole Anderson, a 40-year-old public relations specialist in Somerset, N.J. “We were in sales and marketing, and it was difficult for her to stay on the wagon because people were putting pressure on her to drink.”

There’s nothing wrong with saying no, career strategists say. In fact, if you’re unsure about the cultural climate or you’re dining with managers, it’s best to say no, Wyche advises. But it sometimes makes sense to find a way to play the game. Chick, who doesn’t drink alcohol, recently attended a networking session and asked for a glass of water so she’d be drinking along with everyone else. “The glass ends up being part of the experience,” she says. “Everyone wanted to toast the event. They had wine glasses, and I had my water glass.”

If you refuse to drink while others do, it’s important not to give any indication that you’re passing judgment on those who are drinking, Chick advises. For example, don’t tell people you don’t drink for religious reasons or you don’t drink at professional events, because they could get the impression that you’re looking down on them for drinking. “I don’t justify or rationalize why I’m not drinking,” Chick says. “It’s just what I choose to do.” However, if you are pressured to say why you are not drinking, an easy explanation is simply, “I’m the designated driver.”

Some professionals prefer to be more discreet when they substitute non-alcoholic beverages for alcohol. “I do not drink, but I usually have a Coke and pretend that it is a real drink just to fit in,” says Jim Peterson Jr., chief operations officer for Criterion Flooring Systems in Elkridge, Md. “Everyone else seems to drink, so like golf, you either play or pretend to play.”

Others know their limit, and when they’ve reached it, they quietly go to the bar and order a club soda or something nondescript. “There’s nothing wrong with faking a drink – get a Sprite or ginger ale with an olive,” says Celena Gill, a professional lifestyle and etiquette consultant in Washington, D.C. “Ask the bartender to put it in a champagne flute if you feel you have to.”

If you’re going to drink, make a practice of drinking slowly. “Get used to holding the glass in your hand without drinking, because it will make you look social but prevent you from becoming intoxicated,” says 36-year-old Cedric Mobley, a corporate communications executive for a college in Maryland. “Try to make one drink last as long as possible.”

A Drinking Education
Before you partake in alcoholic beverages in business settings, there are certain things you should know. First, avoid trying any alcoholic beverage for the first time with business colleagues because you won’t know how it will impact you.

“You should know how much you can drink before you lose coherence, and how different types of alcohol affect you,” says Mobley. “Know that drinking on an empty stomach will speed up the intoxication effect and that alcohol dehydrates you, so drinking lots of water will help keep you coherent.”

Also, pay attention to your body and your actions throughout the course of the event. “Business drinking is about networking,” Mobley continues. “Alcohol is a depressant that helps people relax their mental barriers, which can help you to build relationships more easily through casual conversation. But the same effect that lessens inhibitions also lessens judgment, so pay attention to what you are saying and how you are saying it. If you notice that you aren’t making as much sense as you normally do, or if you are talking or laughing louder than normal or sharing things you wouldn’t normally share, exchange business cards, grab a glass of water and get out of there with your dignity intact.”

Also, it’s important to drink the right thing because people form perceptions about you based on what you drink. In popular culture, some drinks convey an impression of elegance and class, while others are perceived as being crude. “Don’t drink something like a ‘Sex on the Beach’ or another drink with an obscene name,” says Wyche. “No one will say anything to your face, but I guarantee that at that next review or succession planning meeting, that will come up.”

When you choose a drink, keep it simple; wine or rum and Coke are usually safe bets. Look to your colleagues to see what they’re drinking for clues about what’s acceptable.

Another faux pas can occur in situations when the boss or company is footing the bill. In that case, don’t choose the most expensive drink on the menu, Wyche advises. “I’ve seen people at a company function where the boss is picking up the tab, and they order a Louis XIII [a brand of cognac that can cost thousands per bottle]. “I’ve seen people almost lose their job for that.”

A Networking Tool
Beyond the purpose of showing camaraderie and loosening inhibitions, social drinking can serve another purpose: It can be a conversation starter. Alston started learning about different types of wines when she noticed the drinking habits of some of her colleagues. “I was the only person ordering white zinfandel, and they would say, ‘Karen, try this, or here’s a good red wine. You might like it.’”

Today, she notices that people who know wines will ask what she’s drinking, and that often breaks the ice for further discussions. Jamie Foster, a wine educator based in Bowie, Md., agrees. “Food and wine are the great equalizers,” she says. “If you have nothing else to talk about, people will talk about wine.”

Being able to rattle off some of your favorite wines or comment on whether the one you’re drinking is light or full-bodied can give others the impression that you’re well-rounded and knowledgeable. It’s like knowing how to play golf or having an appreciation for art, Alston says.

Cultivating that knowledge can be as simple as attending a wine class or experimenting at wine tastings. Such events also will give you more of a comfort level when you’re drinking in professional settings since you’ll know different things you can order and how those choices will affect you.

Bottom line, business drinking must be looked at the same way you look at other aspects of career advancement, such as improving your skills and cultivating a professional look. “You are a brand, and you have to manage every aspect of your brand,” says Wyche. “You can do all other things well, but it takes just one bad episode with alcohol to derail your career.”

You can’t avoid stress, but with holistic methods, you can live with it

By Tamara E. Holmes

Last year, Crystal Washington, a marketing strategist in Houston, knew something was wrong. “I was feeling both over- and underwhelmed,” the 28-year-old says. She would go from feeling anxious about all the tasks she had to complete as the new owner of a marketing firm to being burned out and losing interest in things. “I knew I was stressed,” she says.

While some people would accept such feelings as being a part of living and working in the 21st century, Washington sought a way to manage her anxiety. A friend told her about a healer who introduced her to meditation. She also makes a habit of getting monthly massages. “Now I feel two tons lighter, and both family and friends comment on my increased balance, patience and happiness,” she says.

According to a 2009 survey by the American Psychological Association, 42 percent of Americans said their level of stress had increased over the past year, and nearly a quarter of adults said their stress ranked an eight, nine or 10 on a 10-point scale. Among African Americans, 74 percent cited money and 60 percent blamed work for being a significant source of stress. While some stress is good since it tends to motivate us, “being too stressed ultimately reduces your energy and deteriorates your health,” says Nicole Cutts, a licensed psychologist and success coach in Washington, D.C. But many health practitioners say holistic methods, such as those employed by Washington, can make all the difference in the world.

Recognizing Stress
Before you can find an effective solution for managing stress, you’ve got to recognize that you’re stressed out in the first place. “Being stressed out is a catchall phrase for when anxiety begins to feel intolerable,” says Karinn Glover, attending psychiatrist at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. “A person may have trouble sleeping and concentrating or be easily frustrated.” Other symptoms of stress include lack of interest, motivation or energy, and sadness. Stress also can cause physical symptoms including fatigue, indigestion, muscle tension, headaches and hyperventilation.

Latashia DeVeaux, executive vice president of the Studio City, Calif.-based entertainment marketing firm The Mass Appeal, feels both emotional and physical symptoms of stress. “When I’m stressed, my body gets achy and tight in knots,” the 33-year-old says. “I’m not in the nicest mood, and I’m tense [and] uptight.”

Some people do harm to themselves as they try to manage stress and anxiety. For example, a common reaction to stress is to dull the senses with alcohol. “If a woman is having more than one to two drinks daily, or a man is having more than two to three drinks daily, or the person is reaching for illicit drugs to manage anxiety, there is definitely a problem,” Glover says, adding that smoking cigarettes is another harmful way people often try to manage their anxiety.

If stress goes unchecked, it can have dangerous consequences. “There is a body of evidence that suggests links between life stress, depression and heart attacks in men over 55 and women 65 and over,” says Glover. Anxiety also can lead to insomnia, which depletes energy and immune function and leaves us more susceptible to disease, she adds. Bottom line: When stress is allowed to fester, it not only causes physical and emotional discomfort, but it also can kill.

Mind Over Matter
Though chronic stress can have grave consequences, there are many ways to keep it from wreaking havoc on your body and life. Major stress or anxiety triggers the “fight or flight response” in the body, which is the body’s primitive urge to attack or flee from a perceived danger. When a life-threatening event occurs, that response is helpful since it spurs you to act in a method that will promote self-preservation. But when that response is triggered by work pressures, family troubles or economic woes, the response is wasted since you can’t run from such problems and there’s typically no antagonist to fight.

Advocates for holistic methods to fight stress recognize the mind’s connection to the body and seek to help people become aware of any thoughts that contribute to stress, as well as the manifestations of stress in their bodies. “When you recognize that your body starts to tighten up around a situation you perceive to be stressful, then you can have the opposite reaction to it and send a message to your brain that everything is OK,” says Cutts. Likewise, when we relax the body, we automatically send a message to the brain that things are fine, experts say.

If you want to manage stress, it’s important to first check in with your body multiple times per day, says Dawit Assefa, a licensed acupuncturist in Washington, D.C. “People sit and are tense or hold their bodies in uncomfortable postures while their minds are somewhere else,” says Assefa. Instead, notice whether your breath is rapid and shallow or whether your shoulders are tense. “Take a moment and sit in a comfortable position and do a body scan. You will start noticing where you have tension in your body,” he adds.

Glover also teaches her patients to use mindfulness to overcome stress and anxiety. “The first step is for them to notice it and be curious about the physical sensations; notice the rapid heartbeat and the shortness of breath and just say, ‘this is anxiety,’” she says. Once a person can acknowledge it, the next step is to learn how to experience stress without becoming frightened by it. “Anxiety can spiral out of control because once you notice it, it can freak you out,” says Glover. One way to stay calm through anxiety is to practice breathing. When you’re anxious, your breathing becomes shallow. By taking deep breaths, you can keep stress and anxiety from growing and begin to control them.

Meditation is another way to control anxiety. When you meditate, you still your mind and learn how to detach from your thoughts. “Everything that stresses us out goes through the filters of our thinking,” says Cutts. “If we learn in meditation to not hold onto our thoughts, we can transfer that skill to daily living. So when a thought comes that we’ve got to get this done right now, we can recognize that it’s just a thought and we can let it go.”

Assefa also encourages clients to develop a spiritual practice to help keep stress levels down. When it comes to managing stress, it helps to accept life the way it is and let go of the need to control everything, he says. “When you have a connection to something divine, you can let things roll off your back a little easier.”

From Mind to Body
While changing your mindset can help you start to react differently to daily pressures, thus lowering your stress response, attending to the body is another way to eliminate stress.

Exercise is perhaps one of the best stress relievers. Not only can it give you something to focus on other than your worries, but exercise releases chemicals called endorphins, which cause feelings of happiness. Exercise comes in many different varieties, but experts recommend finding something you enjoy so you keep it up. DeVeaux practices pole dancing as a form of aerobic exercise. Though she’s typically stressed before she begins a session, “I’m uninhibited, glowing and calm afterwards,” she says.

Other forms of bodywork can be explored with the help of holistic practitioners.

“People carry their stress in different muscle groups, particularly in the neck and shoulder area,” says Tonya Parker, a holistic wellness practitioner in Laurel, Md. Such people could benefit from massage, she says. “Massage strokes are designed to help relieve that muscle pressure. They break up that tension,” Parker adds.

In addition to soothing the muscles, massage has been found to help with circulation and blood flow and to decrease blood pressure, Parker points out. Since some people find that stress triggers a rise in blood pressure, massage can counteract that as well. “Massage calms the central nervous system, so you can see that it has a number of effects that impact the stress response,” Parker says.

Another holistic treatment for stress is acupuncture, a procedure in which needles are inserted into different points of the body. “When you insert a needle into a pressure point, it releases tension in that part of the body and the person automatically starts to relax,” Assefa says.

Relaxation is crucial to stress relief. Not only does it send a message to your brain that everything is okay, but when people feel relaxed, “their brains aren’t going 100 miles a minute anymore, and their ability to be present increases dramatically,” Assefa says. “People get a glimpse of what it feels like to be less anxious, and they want to stay in that place.”

Yoga, a form of exercise that combines physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation, also helps with the stress response because it slows the mind while working the body, Cutts points out.

Stress is a part of daily life, so regardless of what holistic stress-reduction method you choose ,it’s important to practice it regularly.

“Make a commitment to yourself to do something once a month just for your own health and well-being –something you enjoy and that makes you feel good,” says Assefa. “That’s only 12 out of 365 days. You can make that much of an investment in yourself.”