Archive for the 'Career Advice' Category

I worked in lots of jobs when I was younger — as a waiter, a restaurant manager, a parking lot attendant, and more. And then it dawned on me that I didn’t want to work for other people. I wanted to try being my own boss. That decision started me on the entrepreneurial road. During…    Continue reading

If you think about it, we’re negotiating on the job all the time.  Whether we’re asking for the big promotion, the funding to attend a training or conference, or to take a vacation during “busy” season, we’re in more bargaining situations than we realize at work. Women, in particular, need as many negotiation tools as…    Continue reading

One of the most common problems I notice among entry-level job seekers is a lack of confidence.  Since most entry-level candidates have little experience in the industry, and minimal experience with the nuances of the job search process as a whole, it is no surprise that recent college graduates get nervous in professional situations.  On…    Continue reading

For most adults, having a job is necessary to secure the basics for survival such as shelter, food and water, and clothing. More and more, households require two strong incomes to meet these requirements. But keep in mind that a career is more than a means of income generation. It is also a way to…    Continue reading

One of the best perks of my job is that I get to work from home. I obviously get to enjoy all the advantages that go with this environment – flexible hours, no commuting in rush hour traffic, a whole load of savings in gas money, and being able to avoid the hassle of deciding…    Continue reading

You’re managing your career in tough times – probably like no downturn you’ve ever experienced. Even as financial markets improve, the structural, economic, and political aftershocks of the economic calamity will keep job search very competitive for many years. Even as overall trends improve, the markets will continue bouncing back and forth and back again….    Continue reading

In today’s job market, you’ve encountered a huge, fundamental shift in the corporate world: many companies are no longer routinely grooming employees for long-term career advancement. Career development is now up to the individual. You must chart your own roadmap for career development, in order to be resilient when the job market fluctuates wildly. Now…    Continue reading

To call today’s economy tough is like calling Moby Dick a big fish. Let’s face it, with the threat of double digit unemployment looming ahead it is down right scary for the vast majority of people I hear from each day. However, if you can stay focused, determined, upbeat and flexible these times offer opportunities…    Continue reading

To be highly successful in your career requires that you engage in risk taking. But risk is accompanied by fear–fear that you’ll screw up, fear that others will judge you, and fear of the unknown. Confront your fear and use it as a motivator! The benefits of being a courageous risk taker are many. If…    Continue reading

The world economy is in flux but emerging economies continue to drive significant growth for global enterprises. Global companies recognize that their best chances for success lie with recruiting managerial talent with international experience – it’s the big resume differentiator. For students who have studied abroad, this is good news, especially considering the contracting U.S….    Continue reading

At some point in your career, you are going to have to ask for a raise (or a promotion or a better benefits package). You’ve been working hard at your job, and now is the time to reap more rewards. How do you approach your employer? What do you say, and how do you say…    Continue reading

I fled the cube 15 years ago to work as a freelance writer, and I’m happy to report that I’ve yet to be evicted from my home or wind up on food stamps. As a result, I’m constantly asked to share my top tips for would-be and newbie freelancers. Here are a few of my…    Continue reading

Are you unfulfilled in your job? You are not alone. One-half of US employees are dissatisfied with their jobs, up from two-fifths 10 years ago. Perhaps it’s time to move on. But where? And will you be successful in your new job? Or would it be a case of “out of the frying pan into…    Continue reading

Americans have a funny way of dealing with our lack of global business experience – we typically import the expertise. Alexis de Bretteville, CEO of the Americas at Michael Page International in New York is a case in point.  The European born executive, who heads up the Americas region for one of the world’s largest…    Continue reading

Have you noticed any similarities between your dating experiences and your job searches? What these two puzzle parts have in common is a quest for better relationships. Granted, for some of us, both of these personal quests are fraught with frustration. But in Shawn Graham’s book Courting Your Career, he spins the metaphor in amusing…    Continue reading

Have you been distressed lately about the economy, your job or your boss? If so, you wouldn’t be alone. When times are toughest, most of us tend to wait out the storm rather than seek out other, perhaps even riskier opportunities. In his new book, Bulletproof Your Job, author Stephen Viscusi says that your “primary…    Continue reading

Foreign assignments often seem exotic and enticing, especially to workers who have studied the local language and customs. But despite everyone’s good intentions these critical career moves often fizzle out, resulting in an expensive setback for the employer and a career-hiccup or worse for the employee. One problem is the vast majority of overseas assignment…    Continue reading

Until recently, Jonathan Bernstein, a baby boomer and small-business owner in the Los Angeles area, had plans to “semi-retire.” On turning 60 in 2011, Bernstein had hoped to cut his workload in half, and he and his wife were contemplating purchasing a home in a state with a lower cost of living than California. But…    Continue reading

When was the last time you learned something useful from someone a couple of decades younger than you? Overcoming age bias is all in a day’s work for Peter Sheahan, a consultant and author of a book about Generation Y. Sheahan, a 28-year-old expert on workforce trends and generational change, says that he has consulted…    Continue reading

Daniel Pink’s The Adventures of Johnny Bunko – The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need is anything but a simple comic book, even if it closely resembles one. Aimed primarily at recent (and impending) college grads, Bunko is a graphical story told in illustrated panels. Pink says it is the first US business book rendered…    Continue reading