Most of us want to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with our work. But the vast majority of us aren’t what HR experts call “engaged” by our jobs. What can we do about that? First, we can realize that this is a universal problem. A recently released study of 88,612 workforce members in 18… Continue reading
Archive for September, 2009
How to Reign in Runaway Negotiations
Clients who don’t know what they want can chew up countless hours of your time with exploratory emails, phone calls, meetings, and requests for more details if you let them. Ditto for blood-sucking zombies who milk you for free advice but have no intention of ever hiring you. Here are some suggestions for “training” indecisive… Continue reading
Show Me the Rewards, Boss
When you go above and beyond the call of duty at work, you expect a reward for your efforts. But the payoff is often delayed – or worse – and it’s rarely what you were expecting. What’s typically at stake for employees is a cash reward and heightened organizational stature – a big step toward a… Continue reading
Punching the Clock for America’s Leading Brands
In his latest book Punching In Alex Frankel a journalist and “brand observer” recounts his recent experiences working entry-level jobs for some of America’s best-known employers: UPS, Starbucks, the Gap and Apple among others. Unlike those of us who prefer to learn about companies by reading academic case studies or magazine articles, Frankel discovers firsthand… Continue reading
Is it Time to Ping “Your” Recruiter?
When we initiate contact with a recruiter – or they call us – we tend to think of them as our recruiter. That’s when the communication quandary begins. Almost always, recruiters work for employers not job seekers. A typical misconception is that although many recruiters can and often do offer career advice, technically they’re working… Continue reading
Three Key Principles of the Blitz Approach
We saw it this week: the economy hiccups, companies restructure and employees scatter in search of shelter and protection for the career they’ve fought so hard to build. In times like these, many are faced with difficult decisions. Should I stay with my company or seek another position in another company? Should I go back… Continue reading
How Newly Unemployed Use LinkedIn
My first article for msnbc.com. addresses a topic that aligns two of my main interests: careers and social media. Every unemployed person I interviewed for the piece had a LinkedIn profile prior to their layoff but hadn’t developed it sufficiently. They were making up for lost time quickly. But still, it’s difficult to pull together… Continue reading
