Archive for May, 2009

Mommy Really Shouldn’t Be A Reference

If I had a nickel for every time a candidate’s references ended up being a family member or close friend I’d be bathing in the sun on some exotic Caribbean island. Okay, so I’m exaggerating. Considering it takes 100 nickels to make 5 bucks, I’d probably have enough for a super sized fast food meal. […]

Actually, It Is Fair…

This blog is about being uncensored so I’m going to take advantage of that and share a pet peeve of mine. To do that, I need to tell you the story of Alice. At least I think her name was Alice. It’s been a while and my brain is dusty. Alice was a thirty something […]

Job Hunting Is Like Dating

Job hunting is like dating. Don’t believe me? In both situations there is a lot of worry over how well you’re liked, how to show the right level of interest without coming off aloof or desperate, when to call after contact, how much to share right off the bat and how many other people may […]

The Business of Interviews

What makes for a successful interview? Isn’t that the million dollar question. There are plenty of resources for job seekers these days outlining how to look and what to say to increase the odds of a positive outcome. I agree with much of the advice, however, much of it stops short of driving home the […]

Let’s Talk About Portfolios

About 5 years ago there seemed to be a dramatic increase in the number of candidates bringing portfolios to interviews. What had been a practice primarily for marketing and creative types became more frequent across other professional lines. At least that was my experience. More individuals began to see the benefit of having samples of […]

Finding Your Value

We all have value. When enduring a job search, it’s easy to lose sight of that and struggle with a positive attitude. The process of losing a job and finding a new one is riddled with bullets of rejection. What’s worse, sometimes you don’t even get rejected. You get nothing. Your efforts and actions aren’t […]

The Tests You Didn’t Know About

If you ask job seekers if they’ve ever been tested when applying for a job you usually hear ‘yes.’ Potential employers are using all sorts of tools to measure and evaluate candidates. Personality assessments, typing tests, software proficiency applications, grammar/spelling/math quizzes and the list goes on. These are the tests candidates are aware of. Are […]

If You Don’t Know, I Don’t Know

Through the course of my career I’ve frequently encountered the job seeker who doesn’t know what he wants to do professionally. “What do you think I should do?” That is the question inevitably tossed my way. Lovely. What do I think a relative stranger who I’ve known a grand total of an hour or two […]

About Compensation

As I mentioned in an earlier post, compensation should be tied to the level of work an individual is doing for a company. What value does the company gain from that function? How does that role or that person’s skills affect the bottom line? What is the street value for that person’s abilities? How much […]

How Much Are You Looking To Make?

“How much are you looking to make?” It’s the question most job seekers dread. Say too much and you might be ruled out. Say too little and you might get stuck earning less than the position had the potential to pay. What is a person to do? One thing to do is to avoid being […]

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