Education And Training

By DIANA MIDDLETON

• The Job: Translator/Interpreter

• The Nature of the Work: Translators and interpreters work fluidly with languages, but their responsibilities differ. Translators work with printed copy. Interpreters specialize in the spoken word and serve as liaisons between two parties, such as a doctor and patient or defendant and attorney. They typically must consider ethical obligations; translators often have to massage copy to make sense of pop culture references. “Being bilingual isn’t enough,” says Judy Jenner, who co-founded Twin Translations with her sister. “We have to shape a message to an international audience.”

• The Pay: Many jobs are free-lance. Interpreters can earn between $15 and $30 per hour, according to Common Sense Advisory, a Boston-based research firm. Translations are paid per word. Ms. Jenner, for example, charges 24 to 27 cents per word, depending on the skill level. Savvy translators can earn six figures per year, says Milena Savova, academic director of the department of foreign languages, translating and interpreting at New York University. Full-time staff at language-services firms earn from $40,000 to $60,000, according to a recent survey from the Globalization and Localization Association, a language-services trade group.

• The Hours: Hours are often flexible. Ms. Jenner, who lives in Las Vegas, says she completes her assignments while lounging by the pool. Her twin sister and fellow translator/interpreter works from Austria. Elizabeth Chegezy, a translator and interpreter in Philadelphia, says free-lancers can work as much or as little as they like. However, she warns that the high-paced role technology plays in the business means some clients will demand unreasonable deadlines. At language-services firms, business hours are the norm.

• The Benefits: Free-lancers are responsible for their own health-care and retirement-savings plans. At language-services firms, traditional health-care packages are common, as are retirement-savings programs.

• Other Incentives: Translators and interpreters can cultivate a specialty in the field—thus leading to higher-paying jobs. Those with a background in chemistry, for example, will be shoe-ins for jobs translating complex documents about chemicals. Ms. Jenner parlayed her M.B.A. in marketing to nab a tourism-related translation job in Vienna.

• Best Part of the Job: For those with a passion for languages it’s a way to flex that muscle for personal satisfaction. Ms. Chegezy enjoys learning different strands of slang from Spanish-speaking countries, from Panama to Mexico. “Languages are an acquired skill for me, and there’s always something new to learn,” she says.

• Worst Part of the Job: Interpreting jobs in the health-care industry can make some squeamish. Ms. Chegezy has seen broken bones and patients vomiting while on the job. In addition, professionals must aggressively look for jobs. “It’s feast or famine,” says Ms. Jenner.

• Education/Qualifications: There are no official certifications required, although several are offered through trade organizations, such as the American Translators Association. A college degree is not required, but most have them. Spanish is the most in-demand language, but other languages are growing, such as Arabic.

• Hiring: Demand for translators and interpreters is expected to increase 24% through 2016, according to the Department of Labor. Joining an industry group such as the American Translators Association, which has its own job bank, can help translators find jobs in both translation and interpretation. The All Language Alliance also connects job seekers and positions.

Write to Diana Middleton at diana.middleton@wsj.com

By EMILY GLAZER

Massive open online courses, or so-called MOOCs, are opening up access to classes at a growing number of colleges and universities.

The U.S. government is supplying new data to help prospective students figure out which colleges offer the best bang for the buck. WSJ’s Jason Bellini has The Short Answer.
Image: Getty

The classes, which typically are free and not for credit, enable large-scale participation via the Web to a range of courses—from math to photography.

The American Council on Education, an association of university presidents, is considering for-credit status for some courses. But even without credit, courses can serve as an introduction to a subject, supplement coursework or help with job retraining.

Companies including Udacity (udacity.com), Coursera (coursera.com) and edX (edx.org) are partnering with schools or independent instructors to offer online classes. You can sign up on their respective websites.

Coursera has joined with schools including Princeton University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. One of its most popular courses: “Introduction to Finance,” offered through the University of Michigan.

EdX, originally backed by a grant from Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has joined with community colleges in Massachusetts and McGill University in Montreal. One of its most popular classes is “Introduction to Computer Science.”

Some schools are starting to offer class credit for MOOCs for a fee. Udacity partner San Jose State University in California charges $150. Others require additional work or assessments.

The online classes are generally taught by instructors at the schools, though experts have said homework assignments are often different from those required in classroom counterparts. For example, exams may require less analytical thinking so you may not get the same experience as in a classroom.

Write to Emily Glazer at emily.glazer@wsj.com

Laura Stein, general counsel of Clorox Co.,

went the extra mile after the company hired an outside chief executive. She volunteered to informally advise colleagues about revamping its strategy in China, where she previously had worked.

Donald Knauss, the new CEO and Ms. Stein’s supervisor, likes her go-getter style. Months after joining the consumer-goods maker in late 2006, he broadened her duties to cover additional areas such as crisis management.

Frank Tapia/Clorox Co.

When Clorox Co. hired its first-ever outside CEO, General Counsel Laura Stein researched his work style and impressed him during his first months on the job.

Getting on the good side of a freshly hired CEO is a good idea. But doing so often requires deft adaptability—and perhaps even Machiavellian tactics—particularly since some external leaders shake up management fast.

CEO turnover was fairly low in 2012, but three big U.S. businesses already have tapped outsiders for their corner offices so far this year. And if the economy stabilizes, certain recruiters expect more corner-office changes in the months ahead.

Hospitality-industry executive Hubert Joly became head of retailer Best Buy Co.

last September. The next month, he brought in two executives and eliminated several key positions from the company’s upper ranks. During her first three months on the job, Yahoo Inc.

CEO Marissa Mayer recruited four top officers from outside.

“As an executive, you have a 30% to 40% chance that you won’t be retained after an outside CEO arrives,” says John Mattone, a leadership coach and author in Lake Mary, Fla. Yet only 4% of those displaced “will land in a better position,” he warns. He based his estimates on information from outplacement firms.

No wonder then that RHR International LLP, a leadership-development consultancy, recently has seen executives’ requests for coaching rise when their employer picks an external leader. The best survival strategy? “Recognize that you have a new job: to help your new boss succeed,” says Paul Winum, a management psychologist who runs its CEO succession practice.

Ms. Stein, for instance, did extensive research about Mr. Knauss that enabled her to forge strong ties with Clorox’s first external chief. The efforts “helped me understand how to be more effective with him,” she says.

She learned they both grew up in the Midwest, and prior speeches and articles by Mr. Knauss shed light on his commitment to integrity and diversity. She discovered the former Marine prefers one-page memos and informal interactions rather than reams of data. At the same time, Ms. Stein says she sought to hasten the CEO’s success by suggesting meetings with important customers, industry officials and community leaders.

Eric Houseman, president and chief operating officer of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc., took an equally shrewd approach after he lost the restaurant chain’s CEO succession race to outsider Stephen Carley in summer 2010. “I am disappointed I didn’t get the job,” Mr. Houseman remembers telling Mr. Carley over dinner days before the latter’s debut. “I want to prove I’m a valuable member of your executive team.”

Mr. Houseman proved his point during that dinner. When the CEO requested the company’s organizational chart, Mr. Houseman pulled out a copy that he had brought along just in case.

Mr. Carley says he appreciated the anticipatory gesture. He also was impressed when Mr. Houseman, Red Robin’s longest serving senior executive, didn’t try to undermine him through private chats with his extensive company network. “It was on my radar to be alert” to that scenario, the CEO adds.

Some internal contenders for the No. 1 job sulk when their board hires an outsider, however. “I have seen executives go home and not come back to the office for ten days”—only to return demanding a bigger title or paycheck, reports Stephen Miles, a New York leadership consultant. In his view, immature behavior is no way to ensure the new chief keeps you on board.

Executives keen to keep their jobs also must visibly embrace strategic shifts by a fresh external leader – though they may disagree with that boss behind closed doors. “Are they aligned with where you are trying to take the company?” asks Ravi Saligram, who was recruited to run OfficeMax

(cq) Inc. in November 2010. “You want everybody rowing in the same direction, especially in a turnaround,” he continues.

Three of Mr. Saligram’s six senior lieutenants quit the office-products supplier within 18 months of his arrival. One left “for mutual reasons,” he says. He declined further comment.

“Initial impressions count,” says John Wood, a vice chairman of recruiters Heidrick & Struggles International Inc.

“Simply being good isn’t good enough. You have to get on board with the new CEO’s plan.”

A chief human-resources officer learned that lesson the hard way. He joined an East Coast pharmaceutical-services concern in June 2011, ten months before the privately held business chose its first outside leader.

But he and the busy newcomer rarely met face-to-face. “I probably should have been more assertive and asked for time,” the HR man admits.

Last summer, he and the CEO clashed over a proposal for an offsite management meeting. “It was a total miscommunication,” the HR executive recollects. “He didn’t feel I had done what he wanted.”

At their next meeting two weeks later, the chief executive declared, “I am not sure you are what I need in an HR leader,” and said that he preferred someone more focused on controlling staffing costs.

The human-resources officer got forced out at the end of 2012. He remains unemployed. “The moral of my story?” he asks rhetorically. “Get your agenda in front of the new CEO and get alignment with him or her as soon as possible.”

Write to Joann S. Lublin at Joann.Lublin@wsj.com

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN

Executive coaches report steady demand for their services despite the recession. Individual and corporate clients say the one-on-one counseling is critical for career success, especially during tough economic times.

Coaches typically are hired by companies, at $300 an hour or more, to hone the management or communication skills of senior leaders and rising stars. Even with the recession, many coaches say some companies are retaining their services to help them get lean and efficient. Coaches also said they are seeing an increase in individuals hiring coaches on their own.

Eric Chaffin, a 38-year-old partner at law firm Bernstein Liebhard LLP in New York, has paid coach Dee Soder out of his own pocket on a retainer since 2003, and has no plans to stop. “In a down economy, it’s particularly important to have someone on your side,” he said. “Instead of 10 client opportunities this year, there might be five. You have to make each one count.”

Mr. Chaffin said Dr. Soder, founder of the CEO Perspective Group, an assessment and advisory firm in New York, helps him with tough career and practice decisions. For example, in 2003, she helped him weigh job offers from private firms after his four-year stint as a federal prosecutor. He chose a law firm that represents plaintiffs in consumer and shareholder cases because he and Dr. Soder thought it fit well with his blue-collar family background. Last year, he shifted to another plaintiffs’ firm, Bernstein Liebhard. Recently Dr. Soder advised him on how to work with clients who are hurting because of the recession. Mr. Chaffin said Dr. Soder gives him a different perspective than business associates. “Most lawyers think alike,” he said. “She’s helped me understand some of the characteristics of my clients and their motivations.”

Executive coaches say they’re being hired by more individuals like Mr. Chaffin, a trend that has helped offset tighter budgets at some corporate clients. Dr. Soder says the number of her clients who are individuals paying on their own has nearly doubled since November. Wendy Alfus-Rothman, founder of Wenroth Consulting Inc., a New York executive-coaching firm, said more individuals are scheduling monthly, rather than quarterly, sessions.

A 2007 study commissioned by the International Coach Federation pegged annual revenue world-wide for the industry, which includes life, career and executive coaches, at $1.5 billion, with about half the study’s 5,415 respondents in the U.S. Of the respondents, 58% reported executive coaching as their specialty.

Coaches say many companies still use their services to retain top talent and support senior leaders while coping with smaller staffs and recession-starved budgets. Amber Romine, director in global human capital at consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC’s Washington, D.C., office, said she fields a steady stream of requests from clients looking for referrals to executive coaches. Gene Morrissy, a management psychologist at RHR International, said demand in the executive-coaching practice of the Wood Dale, Ill., organizational-development firm is up 10% from a year ago.

Denver telecommunications provider Wide Open West Inc. in January canceled merit raises for this year and suspended company matching contributions to employee 401(k) plans. But this year the company will spend $25,000, about what it spends every year, on coaching for three managers. “Our fundamental belief is you have to develop your greatest assets, which are your people,” said Colleen Abdoulah, chief executive.

Humana Inc., a Louisville, Ky., health insurer, also is protecting its coaching program. Humana this year will spend between $17,000 and $30,000 for six months of sessions for each of about 50 senior employees, said Jeff Nally, who heads the firm’s executive-coaching initiative. The meetings cover areas such as how to build an executive presence, communicate ideas and influence others. “Even in a recession, developing talent in key roles is still important,” said Mr. Nally.

Still, Humana is trying to trim coaching costs, which totaled about $25,000 to $50,000 in past years. The company now encourages participants to conduct more counseling sessions by phone, which saves money on coaches’ travel fees. And rather than hire outsiders to assess coaching needs, senior executives and human-resources leaders conduct assessments of more junior employees, which cuts the length of engagements by an average of three months.

Some small-business owners use coaches as sounding boards. Nancy A. May, president and chief executive of BoardBench Cos. LLC, a four-employee advisory firm in Norwalk, Conn., pays her own way to meet periodically with Dr. Soder. Ms. May says she relies on Dr. Soder for honest advice.”You wouldn’t go to somebody junior and say, ‘I’ve screwed up, what do I do?’ she says.

Ms. May, 50, began working with Dr. Soder about a year ago on ways to improve her interactions with clients, among other issues. Sessions are held over the phone, and occasionally in person, twice a month for up to an hour. “At times I have a big personality and the enthusiasm can sometimes be off-putting to somebody who’s more of an introvert,” says Ms. May. “My coach is working with me to manage that based on the personalities of other CEOs or board people I might be working with.”

Ms. May says she has noticed changes, particularly “how people are stopping and listening, and being drawn into a conversation with me a little differently.”

Paula M. Zwiren, president of Allied Title LLC, a small title-insurance firm in Flanders, N.J., said she was inspired to seek coaching after attending a seminar led by a group of women business leaders. Ms. Zwiren, 33, meets quarterly with Dr. Alfus-Rothman for about two hours. “An executive coach helps you identify things that help you be in control of your destiny,” she said.

Ms. Zwiren said Dr. Alfus-Rothman, whom she pays about $3,000 a year, has improved her communications skills. “You have to be very direct at the executive level, very concrete,” she says. “She helps me with my power of persuasion.”

Executives and senior professionals interested in executive coaching should research prospective coaches carefully because the industry isn’t regulated, said Kay Cannon, a past president of the coaching federation and an executive coach in Lexington, Ky. “You want to make sure the individual has some kind of coach-specific training,” she says. For example, many ICF members are certified as master, professional or associate coaches, which means they’ve undergone between 60 and 200 hours of training.

Ms. Cannon also recommends asking for referrals to past clients and getting a sense of whether you have chemistry with a coach before agreeing to a long-term commitment. To find a coach, you can search ICF’s member database at coachfederation.org/find-a-coach.

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

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN

The Job: Museum Curator

Nature of the Work: Ever been to a museum? Well, it’s these nonprofit professionals who are responsible for identifying, acquiring, arranging and protecting the various bodies of work you’ve admired. They’re also often tasked with writing descriptions and interpretations of items on display and contributing to exhibition catalogs, trade magazines and other publications.

Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame

Curator Jasen Emmons prepares a costume for a coming exhibition.

Curators at small institutions may be expected to handle additional duties, such as fund raising, guiding visitors and even maintenance work. “If it means you pick up the garbage before the guests arrive, that’s what you have to do,” says Paula Tognarelli, curator and executive director at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, Mass., who is one of three employees there.

The Pay: Salaries vary depending on the size and type of the institution. At art museums, assistant curators earn a median annual salary of $42,642, while chief curators earn $87,125, according to a 2007 survey from the Association of Art Museum Directors. Curators at the Newark Museum (N.J.), which offers a mix of art, history and science, earn between $35,000 and $95,000, depending on experience and the level of the post. Pay typically is much higher at larger, more well-endowed museums.

The Benefits: Standard health-care and dental plans are common, as are retirement-savings accounts.

The Hours: In addition to traditional business hours, curators must attend industry events such as gallery openings and trade shows. Those at institutions with big budgets may be required to travel frequently to meet with artists, donors and other museum contributors. Zöe Ryan, a curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, says her job has taken her to Milan, London, Miami and New York.

Incentives: The opportunity to interview musicians like Elvis Costello for a film exhibit has been an exciting perk, says Jasen Emmons, director of curatorial affairs at the Experience Music Project at the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame in Seattle. Ms. Tognarelli has met many esteemed modern photographers, including David Levinthal, Joyce Tenneson and Sebastião Salgado.

Best Part of the Job: Working behind the scenes with rare objects, says John Bidwell, curator of printed books and bindings at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. He recently put together a display of three Gutenberg Bibles, which are currently on display. “It was quite a thrill,” he says. Another plus, says Ms. Ryan, is that the job involves a lot of socializing and provides exposure to emerging talent. “You’re constantly meeting new people, and you very much are the eyes and ears on the ground,” she says. “There’s never a dull moment, and no two days are the same.”

Worst Part of the Job: Preparing budgets for exhibitions is challenging because funding is limited, says Ulysses Grant Dietz, a senior curator at the Newark Museum. “We’d love to be able to do more than we have time, space and resources for,” adds Kathleen McCarthy, head curator at Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry.

Career Path: Curator jobs require strong writing, research and communications skills. The ability to be persuasive is also critical. “A lot of times, you’re wooing collectors,” says Mr. Emmons. “You’re trying to convince them that they should loan their artifact, which they (then) may not see for the next three years.” An advanced degree in art, history and other relevant fields is a common prerequisite. Entry-level posts often call for an internship or volunteer experience.

Hiring: Many museums and associations advertise job openings for curators on their Web sites. There are also job sites for curators and other museum professionals, such as museum-employment.com, globalmuseum.org and museummarket.com. Experienced museum workers say networking at industry events is also an important avenue for learning about career opportunities.

Competition for curator jobs can be stiff, as positions are limited and turnover is rare. Mr. Dietz, one of six curators at the museum, has held his position for 28 years. And consider, for example, that the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Fla., has just three curators on staff, including Joan Kropf, who has held her post for 35 years. “These types of jobs are few and far between,” she says.

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

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D5

By DIANA MIDDLETON

Shane Torchiana was working in asset management in a job focused on global-fixed income, but he wanted to make the leap to analyst and eventually become a fund manager.

His first thought was to apply to a traditional two-year M.B.A. program. But he believed he didn’t need years of general management training in order to get the specific career he wanted. After researching his options, Mr. Torchiana opted for a master’s degree in finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, a new yearlong program launched this year.

“It might be a lesser-known type of program, but in terms of quantitative finance skills and the shorter time period, it wins,” says Mr. Torchiana. He says he is learning finance at a detailed level he couldn’t get in a typical M.B.A. program—including some doctoral-level coursework.

More students are looking to business schools for shorter and more focused alternatives to the M.B.A., with in-depth education in everything from science of management to international finance. Schools, in turn, are beefing up the specialty programs they already offer and adding more to keep up with demand.

These programs, which usually are 12 months long, often include elements of the typical M.B.A. curriculum (classes in finance or advanced mathematics skills are common), but are often more technical and focus less on general managerial skills.

“The master’s in finance degree isn’t designed for broader management positions,” says Debra Luchanin, program manager of MIT’s master’s in finance program. “We’re gearing students up for more specialized quantitative positions, such as asset management.”

Growing Appeal

For those without the five years of work experience most M.B.A. programs require, specialized business degrees offer entrance to students with just a year or two of experience. There are an array of degrees for those set on a specific career path. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the main business-school-accrediting agency, reports that the number of such programs is on the rise. For the 2008-09 school year, 645 such programs were offered, up from 614 two years earlier. In the 2006-07 school year, enrollment in these programs was 24,527; in 2008-09, that increased to 29,907 students enrolled.

Many of these programs are still small—including MIT’s new finance program, which is in its first year. The current class is just 27 students, although the school plans to eventually expand that number to 60.

This year, Tufts University has 31 students in its master’s in international business class—its first year offering the program. Tufts is positioning its program as an alternative to an M.B.A., which the school doesn’t offer. The program is as long as an M.B.A. and requires core business classes, such as corporate strategy, accounting and finance. But classes are globally-focused, with courses in international politics and international negotiations and electives focused on regional issues around the world.

“We want to empower those students who want to work abroad [in business] after graduation,” says Stephen Bosworth, dean of Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Christopher Barron, a first-year student in the program, applied to M.B.A. programs, too. But it was the opportunity to dig deep into agricultural economics abroad that swayed him toward Tufts. Already, he has detailed his ideal career trajectory with a career counselor—including working in the agricultural sector in Brazil—and he is targeting individual companies that dovetail with his interests and geographical preference.

“The school is small, but [it] helps us leverage our specialized degrees with equally specialized employers,” he says.

Bentley University, located in Waltham, Mass., has offered specialized business-related degrees for nearly 30 years—and it has plenty of traction with employers. Nearly 100% of its 2009 graduates with degrees in human factors in information design–a combination of technology, product design and human behavior studies–information technology, financial planning, accounting and taxation had jobs three months after graduation. Nearly 90% of its marketing analytics graduates had jobs.

Cass Business School in the U.K. offers 18 master’s programs, dubbed MSc degrees, in subjects such as investment management and management. The curriculums are similar to the M.B.A., but are geared toward students with less work experience says Susan Roth, director of Cass’s MSc programs.

“These programs are a deep dive into subject areas,” Ms. Roth says. “You won’t get marketing or strategy, but you may get all finance, all the time.”

Specialized Jobs

When it comes to finding a job post-graduation, these specialized business degrees can offer an advantage and a disadvantage all at once.

For starters, they aren’t as well-known as the M.B.A., so general management jobs will be harder to get. But for specialized jobs, like business-specific analyst positions, recruiters will often eschew two-year students for specialty graduates.

Many of the MSc graduates at Cass meet with some of the same recruiters as M.B.A. students do, but recruiters don’t plumb the MSc class for the same general positions. Instead, they look to the specialized students for international banking, investment management and financial mathematics positions.

“The MSc students have specific knowledge—it’s like knowing how investment management is done versus just understanding how business is done,” she says.

Niyati Gupta, a student in Bentley’s human factors in information design program, says the specialized degree has a strong business core that is well-received with potential employers.

“What I bring to the table is expertise in researching and evaluating consumer behavior,” she says. “I can make recommendations for Web sites, medical devices, financial software.”

Ms. Gupta has received a job offer from a technology consultancy firm and expects more before year’s end.

Paul Sorbera, president of New York finance recruiting firm Alliance Consulting, has seen the number of candidates with alternative degrees, particularly in finance, increasing. Mr. Sorbera, who recently sought a risk manager for a hedge fund, said the hiring firm preferred candidates with specialized degrees.

“The M.B.A. is preferred, generally speaking, but there are other factors that are important,” he says. “A degree with a heavy quantitative focus may edge out an M.B.A. for a trading position.”

To be sure, M.B.A. students still get the lion’s share of the economic benefits of an advanced degree. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, students with a full-time M.B.A. reported a 73% increase in salary post-graduation. Students with a master’s in a business-related subjectreported a 26% increase.

Mr. Torchiana, the MIT student, admits that he isn’t sure what sort of paycheck his degree will reap. “I certainly hope this will translate to a good salary,” he says. “But for the skills I want to propel my career—this wins over the other options.”

Write to Diana Middleton at diana.middleton@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A12

By TERI AGINS

Q: I am male, one of 15 vice presidents—half are women—at a large medical supplier, where we are preparing a video for training the new members of our sales team. We want to dress in a way that will project authority and professionalism, but we don’t want to come across as “the suits.” Our usual office attire is business casual.

—D.M., New York City

A: I vote for the dressiest version of business casual for your training tapes. That means a sport coat and woven open-collar shirt without a tie for the guys and a nice blouse and skirt or casual dress for the women. This will telegraph professionalism without looking too stiff.

Tim Goldman

As Webcam meetings and video training have become popular, more businesspeople are taking cues from newscasters, who have mastered on-camera dressing. Study the relaxed look of the hosts and guests on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” The men tend to wear shirts in French blue, pink or lilac, instead of white, and the women don solid-colored dresses or blouses that cover their arms, as well as light makeup and earrings.

Also, consider stagecraft—such as a potted plant to make the room more inviting. Your colleagues should rehearse at home in front of their Webcams to sharpen their speech and improve eye contact with the camera. Everyone should smile from time to time and minimize hand gestures. That way, the executive team will look confident and in control.

—Email questions to askteri@wsj.com

By JOE LIGHT

The unemployment rate for new college graduates has climbed since before the recession, prompting some recent grads to delay looking for a job.

The worst recession in decades—and its subsequent, halting recovery—has particularly punished individuals short on work experience or skills. Since May 2007, the percentage of the population under age 25 who are currently employed has dropped more than seven percentage points to 45.1%, according to the Labor Dept.

The shift is part of a larger transformation in the American work force, where the country’s aging population is leading to a growing number of older workers in jobs or looking for work. With the pace of job openings not keeping up with population growth, that means fewer open positions for younger workers. Indeed, the percentage of the population age 55 and older who are employed has increased more than five percentage points in the last decade, to 37.5%.

To be sure, part of the shift is due to more young workers deciding to stay longer in school, moving on to graduate studies rather than entering the work force.

The jobs picture for recent college graduates, while lackluster over the long term, has shown glimmers of hope recently. Employers plan to hire 19% more new graduates this year than in 2010, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Employers say there’s especiallyhigh demand for graduates with expertise in technology and engineering fields.

But even among college graduates under 25, a growing number are—at least temporarily—opting out of the work force entirely. Among that group, the labor force participation rate, which measures the proportion working or seeking employment fell by three percentage points over the past four years.

That drop in the percentage of young graduates in the labor force actually began near the start of the 2001 recession. Career counselors at colleges say that in the past two years they have seen increasing numbers of graduates opting to travel, volunteer, or get unpaid work experience rather than head straight into a tenuous job market. It isn’t clear, some counselors say, just how long many such students expect this interval between school and a job search to last.

In May, about 6.9% of college graduates aged 16 to 24 were unemployed, according to the Labor Dept., compared with 4% in May 2007.

“There’s a lot of moving in with parents, waiting it out, and thinking about grad school,” says Harvard economist Lawrence Katz. “It’s become more extreme given how this recession has been.”

Anabelle Harari, who majored in international relations at Mount Holyoke and graduated in May, says she applied for five or six jobs between January and March, but hasn’t submitted any applications since. For now, she is living with her mother in Margate, N.J., and making travel plans to see Nepal or Israel.

“I think it’s hard for my mom to accept that I’m not even trying to find a job,” says Ms. Harari, who notes that her mother is otherwise supportive. She intends to travel, take up seasonal jobs, and possibly volunteer for the next two years before looking for a full-time job or applying to grad school.

One of her Mount Holyoke classmates, Adrian Avedisian, 22, is living with her mother in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

“Everyone is talking about how difficult it’s going to be to get a job. If that’s how the competition is, I feel like there’s no use wasting my time,” she says. Eventually, Ms. Avedisian, who majored in Arabic Language and Culture, wants to find a job working for a start-up in the Middle East and hopes to finalize her plans in July. She has informally reached out to some contacts at start-ups, but hasn’t applied to a job since the beginning of May.

Being disconnected from the job market can have long-term implications on young workers’ earnings and psychological well-being, says David Blanchflower, an economist at Dartmouth College.

Last year Mr. Blanchflower conducted a study that found 16- to 25-year-olds who don’t have jobs or aren’t in school are more likely to be anxious, depressed and suicidal than their counterparts who are students or working.

“In recessions,” Mr. Blanchflower said, “everyone moves down the occupational ladder, and young people get pushed out at the bottom.”

By TODDI GUTNER

Q:

l am 30 years old and have six years of engineering experience. I am trying to move to a new field of engineering within the same company, and I’m currently looking at outside opportunities. The problem is that I only have theoretical knowledge in the field I want to be in and no actual work experience. Hiring managers want actual work experience. How should I proceed?

A. If you’ve been a strong performer and are highly valued, making a career change within a company is much easier than pursuing similar opportunities with organizations that don’t know you. “Hiring managers will always go with a known quantity (with known strengths and weaknesses) over a potential newcomer,” says Rabia de Lande Long, an executive coach with Chartwell Advisors Inc.

But being a known quantity only goes so far. There are steps you can take to improve your chances of making a career switch within your own company.

First, you’ll need to learn about the job responsibilities and the skills required. Invest in learning what you need to know through reading, doing course-work and joining professional organizations that focus on the specific career you would like to enter.

Once you have a good handle on what will be required of you in the new career, request an exploratory conversation with the hiring manager. “Emphasize what you do know and what you’ve done and how these areas relate to what is required in your new field of engineering,” says Ms. de Lande Long. “Identify on the similarities in your current and envisioned roles,” she says.

Then, you’ll want to “get to know people in the target group, serve on committees, ask for informational meetings and introductions,” says Laura S. Hill, a career coach with Careers in Motion. Be visible. Tell people of your interest in their department and have them contact you when an opportunity arises.

If your current manager knows that you would like to make a change, you can ask if he or she would be willing to endorse you for the new job, says Ms. Hill. To gain experience in the field, see if your manager would be willing to loan you out on a project. This will help you “begin to network with those who may call on you when the time is right,” says Ms. de Lande Long.

Write to Toddi Gutner at cjeditor@dowjones.com

By JOE LIGHT

The unemployment rate for new college graduates has climbed since before the recession, prompting some recent grads to delay looking for a job.

The worst recession in decades—and its subsequent, halting recovery—has particularly punished individuals short on work experience or skills. Since May 2007, the percentage of the population under age 25 who are currently employed has dropped more than seven percentage points to 45.1%, according to the Labor Dept.

The shift is part of a larger transformation in the American work force, where the country’s aging population is leading to a growing number of older workers in jobs or looking for work. With the pace of job openings not keeping up with population growth, that means fewer open positions for younger workers. Indeed, the percentage of the population age 55 and older who are employed has increased more than five percentage points in the last decade, to 37.5%.

To be sure, part of the shift is due to more young workers deciding to stay longer in school, moving on to graduate studies rather than entering the work force.

The jobs picture for recent college graduates, while lackluster over the long term, has shown glimmers of hope recently. Employers plan to hire 19% more new graduates this year than in 2010, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Employers say there’s especiallyhigh demand for graduates with expertise in technology and engineering fields.

But even among college graduates under 25, a growing number are—at least temporarily—opting out of the work force entirely. Among that group, the labor force participation rate, which measures the proportion working or seeking employment fell by three percentage points over the past four years.

That drop in the percentage of young graduates in the labor force actually began near the start of the 2001 recession. Career counselors at colleges say that in the past two years they have seen increasing numbers of graduates opting to travel, volunteer, or get unpaid work experience rather than head straight into a tenuous job market. It isn’t clear, some counselors say, just how long many such students expect this interval between school and a job search to last.

In May, about 6.9% of college graduates aged 16 to 24 were unemployed, according to the Labor Dept., compared with 4% in May 2007.

“There’s a lot of moving in with parents, waiting it out, and thinking about grad school,” says Harvard economist Lawrence Katz. “It’s become more extreme given how this recession has been.”

Anabelle Harari, who majored in international relations at Mount Holyoke and graduated in May, says she applied for five or six jobs between January and March, but hasn’t submitted any applications since. For now, she is living with her mother in Margate, N.J., and making travel plans to see Nepal or Israel.

“I think it’s hard for my mom to accept that I’m not even trying to find a job,” says Ms. Harari, who notes that her mother is otherwise supportive. She intends to travel, take up seasonal jobs, and possibly volunteer for the next two years before looking for a full-time job or applying to grad school.

One of her Mount Holyoke classmates, Adrian Avedisian, 22, is living with her mother in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

“Everyone is talking about how difficult it’s going to be to get a job. If that’s how the competition is, I feel like there’s no use wasting my time,” she says. Eventually, Ms. Avedisian, who majored in Arabic Language and Culture, wants to find a job working for a start-up in the Middle East and hopes to finalize her plans in July. She has informally reached out to some contacts at start-ups, but hasn’t applied to a job since the beginning of May.

Being disconnected from the job market can have long-term implications on young workers’ earnings and psychological well-being, says David Blanchflower, an economist at Dartmouth College.

Last year Mr. Blanchflower conducted a study that found 16- to 25-year-olds who don’t have jobs or aren’t in school are more likely to be anxious, depressed and suicidal than their counterparts who are students or working.

“In recessions,” Mr. Blanchflower said, “everyone moves down the occupational ladder, and young people get pushed out at the bottom.”