Michelle Singletary: Clock ticking on student loan debt. 2D
Business&Money
SECTION D
S U N D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 5 , 2010
WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM
TICKER
AREA GEARS UP FOR
Job security woes Americans remain nervous about their job security and the strength of the economy, according to a survey by jobs website SnagAJob.com. Worries about jobs are pervasive: 35 percent of those polled this summer said they felt their jobs were less secure than in 2009. That’s an improvement from how respondents felt a year ago, though, when 52 percent said job instability was worse than in 2008. Part of the reason for worry may have been the experience of being laid off. The survey showed that 34 percent of people who said they had changed jobs in the past year did so after losing their previous position, up from 25 percent who said they had changed jobs because of a layoff in summer 2009. The number of people polled whose top fear for the future is losing their job has tripled since the 2007 survey to 9 percent, this summer’s sur vey showed. Saving for retirement and college education remained the biggest worr y throughout the four years that the survey has been conducted. SnagAJob.com, an online jobs board, randomly polled 1,000 U.S. adult workers by telephone from July 8-26. The margin of error for the poll was 3.1 percentage points.
ARRIVAL
Back to work
CURRENT PLANS Planning is underway to lure additional automotive suppliers to the area to serve C-Class production. Dara Longgrear, executive director of the Tuscaloosa County of the Industrial Development Authority said these things are being done: ■ Identifying sites and buildings that new auto suppliers could use ■ Talking to developers about building new sites and facilities ■ Understanding who the suppliers are likely to be, meeting with them and telling them what Tuscaloosa County has to offer
STAFF ILLUSTRATION | ANTHONY BRATINA
The first day on a new job can be overwhelming. The new hire has to interact with hordes of unknown co-workers, customers or clients, figure out the responsibilities that go with the new job, and learn the layout of a new work space. Career coaches offer tips on how to have a firstclass first day: ■ Be open and friendly: Present yourself well to coworkers in an effort to form bonds. Walk around and introduce yourself to everyone. Keep conversations brief, polite and listen more than you talk: Ask questions about workplace operations and culture. Follow “the rules that they teach us in kindergarten. Play nice, share, be cooperative,” said Paul Bernard, an executive coach with his own consultancy in New York. ■ Connect and learn: By being cordial and curious, you begin to form relationships that may help you later on. Your goal is to turn new co-workers into allies or mentors within the organization, said career coach John McKee, who has run a business strategy firm since 2001. Being friendly and asking questions also helps new hires figure out how the office works and what their role should be. “There are informal power brokers in all organizations,” McKee said. Learning the unofficial structure of the workplace can help you achieve your goals. ■ Dress the part: During the interview process, keep on eye on attire. Overdressing on the first day can appear arrogant, McKee said. Underdressing, on the other hand, is just as bad: It looks sloppy and disrespectful. Still, slightly conservative is more appropriate than too casual, said career strategist Daisy Swan, the owner of Daisy Swan & Associates in Los Angeles. “Don’t go overboard with anything: jewelry, perfume cologne.” ■ Adapt and stay positive: Often the reality of a new job will include more responsibilities than were presented during the interview process, especially since companies cut costs during the recession. If that’s the case, the new hire needs to be ready to grin and bear it, Bernard said. It is “dangerous to complain ... people mess themselves up by being negative,” he said. There’s also no need to refer to an old employer. “The way you did things at a previous job may not apply to where you are now,” Swan said.
Auto suppliers could pump millions of dollars into economic pipeline By Patrick Rupinski Staff Writer
I
t will be four years before the first C-Class sedan rolls off the floor at the Mercedes-Benz auto assembly plant in Vance, but some folks are already anticipating what’s expected to be the biggest economic boon to West Alabama since Mercedes came here in the mid-90s. Mercedes launched Alabama’s automotive industry in 1993 when it picked Vance as the site of its first North American assembly plant. By the time the plant opened three-and-a-half years later, dozens of automotive suppliers had located in the state, and over the next decade more auto makers and automotive suppliers came Alabama and Southeast. Now with the popular C-Class soon to be added to the vehicle production line-up in Vance, a new wave of suppliers and hundreds if not thousands of new jobs could be in the pipeline. “If you look at just what (automotive supplier) Faurecia is building (in Cottondale) — a $20 million investment to just support the seating for the M-Class, GL-Class and R-Class — you will get an idea of the potential that exists with the arrival of the C-Class,” said Dara Longgrear, executive director of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority. He said C-Class production could mean an additional $100 million in new investments from automotive suppliers building new plants or expanding existing plants in West Alabama to serve SEE C-CLASS | 3D
Large chains try to score with fantasy football players By Dan Sewell
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI | Fantasy football means real business for restaurants, and some big chains have launched promotional drives to score with dedicated players of the growing pastime. Free appetizers, draft kits, meal discounts, gift cards and contests featur-
ing sports celebrities are among lures for “draft parties” in which fantasy players select rosters of NFL players whose talents on the field equal imaginary glory for their fantasy coaches. Dave & Buster’s amenities include a free room, 10 percent off food, and a $20 card to play video and other games. Buffalo Wild Wings throws in $100 in gift cards and Hooters offers “season
ticket” coupons totaling $500 with their draft setups. Even as many Americans cut back on restaurant spending during the recession, fantasy football has been increasing as a source of regular customers — at least during the five-month season, which begins Thursday night. The big chains don’t release how much revenue those customers bring
in, but they are playing hard to win over the roughly 20 million people in imaginary leagues that test fans’ abilities to pick out players who will be the most productive. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association says the number of fantasy players has been growing at double-digit rates each year. “There’s a huge number of people who get into fantasy football, and there’s
a lot of restaurants trying to get them,” said Bob Goldin, at Chicago-based food consultancy Technomic Inc. At a Buffalo Wild Wings near the University of Cincinnati, manager Michelle Gould said she and other local managers stay busy with draft party reservations, sometimes sending their overflows to each other. SEE FANTASY | 3D