I always appreciate when career coaches and authors give great advice (heck, I am one). But just because the economy is difficult, doesn't mean soon-to-be college graduates should give up. From From a recent Wall Street Journal article: "Broaden your search to lesser-known firms and less glamorous roles. 'Just because you're not going to fall in love with a job doesn't mean you can't learn something and make some money, too,' Ms. Levit says." [Continue reading...]
It is easy to name your favorite brands, for sure. But what about your own brand? Today I joined the Recruiting Animal as his radio show guest for a high-energy debate about personal branding. You can listen to my defense, err, the debate here.
[Continue reading...]
We know parents are models for language, play, and relationships, but what about work. A Toronto newspaper featured this article about the effect parents' work habits have on what their children choose to do and how they do it. [Continue reading...]
Many job seekers ignore one of the most important rules of job seeking: don't spend all of your time behind a computer. And now The New York Times agrees. [Continue reading...]
For most companies, HR has evolved from "personnel" to strategic partner. In fact, according to a recent study, the number of HR execs reporting directly to the CEO is up to 67% (compared to 30% in 1977). But businesses still fail to see that ignoring human capital implications in strategic business decisions can lead to a company's downfall. Or 20,000 extra bags. Read more...
I am please to introduce Mike Figliuolo, the Founder and Managing Director of thoughtLEADERS, LLC. Mike guest blogs today on one of my favorite job search issues: is a job really a fit for you? Take it away Mike... [Read More...]
Mike Figliuolo, the founder of thoughtLEADERS, was kind enough to ask me to guest post on his blog. So I did, on my favorite topic: career branding. As usual, I make my case for branding the iPod way. If you haven't heard me speak or wax poetic on the topic, check out my post on the thoughtLEADERS blog.
I've been traveling now for a week, recruiting and interviewing soon-to-be college graduates. Say what you want about how different Generation Y is, but in the ten years I have been recruiting, there's one thing that never changes: everyone thinks they have great interviewing skills. Almost no one does. [Read more...]
With all of the self help sites out there, it's like the makeup aisle at CVS: bright and annoying with everything looking exactly alike. So I was pleasantly surprised when I got notice of the Beta site of First30days.com.
There's a great scene in Sex and the City when Samantha gets rebuffed for a job she thinks she's perfect for. After a strong retort, she runs for the elevator blinking back tears, generally pissed that she wasn't going to get the job, starting a debate among women everywhere about crying at work. And while crying at work is not typically a good idea, there are worse things a leader can do...and say.
Maybe it is the fact that it's Valentines Day, but the love for the video resume just won't stop. And as much I would like to spread the love today, I can't. At least when it comes to video resumes. Another article on video resumes, this one called Resume Rebooted, features new ways to think about showcasing your talents. And while some, like Linked In make sense, others like these video resume tools don't.
In DC, you can't throw a rock without hitting an association. The association for household chemicals, the association for cranky lawyers, the association for anyone who has worked on the HIll and now doesn't. It seems like there is a non-profit representing every profession, every interest, and everyone. I am quoted today in a Workforce article about SHRM: The Society for Human Resource Management. [Continue reading Associations...]
There is an intuitive belief that a mentor can be helpful in the search for the right career or even a job. We all believe that an unbiased observer can provide meaningful constructive criticism as well as experienced guidance in avoiding the pitfalls so many job seekers make.
Well kids, there's a new rank in the executive suite: CCA. That's Chief Career Advisor. And I don't mean at work--I am talkin' on the home front. Reuters today published the results of a survey asking respondents who thier chief career advisor is as many people seek job changes in the new year.
I have written extensively about how to write a resume, but I constantly get asked about those pesky cover letters. Do they matter? Yes. Do you need one? Usually. Are they just as important as the resume? Not so much. But you still have to write the cover letter. Really, you do. [Continue reading Resumes Down. Cover Letters to Go...]
The new year is a time for reflection and review. Now, I am not going to get all psychology-touchy-feely-go sign up for meditation camp on you. Instead, I'd rather share some real action tools. Something you can actually understand and use. [Continue reading Staying in Your Job?...]
Job candidates’ interests are hard to peak in today’s information-driven society. Candidates are more informed about the job market. Now, companies must adapt to the ever changing demands of students if they want to develop rapport with prospects. Your company must interact with prospects in order to know if they will listen to you. In this article, we will review four proven methods of peaking candidate interests through a series of engagements. [Continue reading Four Ways for Employers...]
Workplace expert Tory Johnson who covered the future of technology in job searching today on Good Morning America, shares many of the same views I have on these topics. Which is whay I am eager to get you thinking about how to use technology better in 2008 when it comes to your career. So today, we start with Linked In. Haven't used Linked In? Here's how to get with the times:
What do a ghostwriter, a locksmith and an investment banker have in common? No, this isn't a start to a bad joke. These are three of the careers on U.S. News and World Report's Best Careers for 2008 list. [Continue reading Best Careers...]
...what's Your New Year's Resolution? Not to force 2008 on you, but everyone has to have some resolution they can have high hopes for and then break before January ends. Seriously, though, what's yours? If you've been wanting to make a career change, finally leave your job for one you actually like or just focus on your next career step, isn't it time?...
A few weeks ago I did a guest post for Marci Alboher's Shfting Careers Blog in the New York Times. There were many great comments on the blog but I also got a number of questions around "great advice, now what?" I'm not one to let a good question to go unanswered, so here goes...
A colleague recently forwarded me an article from The New York Times about a young college graduate who is working 52 jobs in a year -- one a week, in case you're wondering. [Continue reading "Does It Really Take 52 Jobs"...]
Normally I love to share my take on anything and everything related to the workplace. But here's one topic where I'll just put it out there. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and University of California Santa Barbara have found that curvier women are more intelligent. I'm not kidding. [Continue reading "I Didn't Make This Up"...]
I often get emails from readers who think they are too experienced or too old to take my advice. One in particular the other day referenced that an individual felt he had too much of a strong career and really needed specialized assistance. I was thinking about this over the weekend after returning from presentations at Virginia Tech and Hollins University.
I always get asked about resumes--everyone wants to know the secret. What's the magic bullet that will get you noiticed? Well, Marci Alboher of the New York Times' popular Shifting Careers Blog wanted to know too, so here's my take in a guest post for her blog: Advice from a resume expert on how to make yours a recruiter's dream.
This week/weekend, I am speaking at the Net Impact conference--one of the largest gatherings of business professionals and MBA students who work and have a passion for corporate social responsibility. I am sitting in a session right now on non-profit careers and here are a few gems I pulled that I think are applicable to all careers!
[Continue reading Learning From Non-Profits...]
I love anything that's the first-ever, so when I got to be a part of the first-ever National MBA Human Capital Case Competition, you know I was psyched. HR gets alot of flack, that's for sure. But the one thing successful companies know is that you can't grow without successfully addressing people challenges. Check out my sister blog for reviews of the competiton, photos, videos and more! 
Oh, and congrats to the team from the Cornell University Johnson School of Management for nabbing the first place/bigcheck/$20,000 prize. You heard me, $20K
First off, let me start by saying I'm in a bad mood tonight since the Phillies lost. Again. I swear, Philly will NEVER get a championship--and it's always one thing or another. In today's case there was no offense. The bats just didn't swing hard enough. But while I'm sulking tonight, there is a lesson here, I promise. Is offense always the key? When it comes to careers it is. [Continue reading Offense Versus Defense...]
I'm not one to pass the buck upward, but watching my beloved Philadelphia Eagles struggle tonight, partly because Donovan McNabb has no one to throw to, I am reminded that management has to take responsibility for who they put on the field. [Continue reading It's the Management Baby...]
This morning Barak Obama (aka, someone on his technology team) posted a question on the Q&A section of Linked In. Is this a brilliant strategy or is it politics in a place where they don't belong? [Continue reading "Simply Politics"...]
Normally, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear isn't a problem for me. I'm Italian, I'm from Philadelphia and I am a middle child. But for some reason when it comes to the use of e-Media and recruiting, either I haven't been loud enough or no one will listen. [Continue reading "I Just Can't Seem..."]
No matter how much you love or hate your job, one thing is certain. One day, you will leave it. So when you do, do it right! Herewith, Working Girl's Top Ten Tips for Quitting With Class... [Continue reading How to Be a Quitter...]
It seems like everyone is targeting Gen Y these days. They've boarded the YouTube train, watched High School Musical along the way and helicoptered their parents in to help them navigate. [Continue reading Obsessed With GenY ...]
Can You Require Your Employees To Speak English?
Jim Durbin, http://www.stlrecruiting.com
One of the scariest things that can happen to a recruiter is an EEOC
lawsuit; If you are unlucky enough to be caught in such a net, your
best bet is to take the cash in your freezer and flee the country.
I had the pleasure of presenting to the MBA Career Services Council conference today: "Ignore Technology at Your Peril." My goal was to share the multiutude of technologies out there--from wikis to realistic job previews--so career services offices and recruiters can be aware of these taechnologoes and start to think about how to really, really use them!
I'm having trouble compressing the file tonight, so participants should email me and I can send you the file directly.
[Continue reading Career Services Technology...]
I know, the Sopranos is over for good, but not everyone is saying good riddance. In fact, let the copy catting begin. First, there's an actual mob trial going on in Chicago. I guess you could say the Sopranos copied the mob, but who's counting?
Hillary Clinton actually did copy the mob, I mean the Sopranos, with her latest video parody--a spoof of the final episode of the Sopranos. Why should you care? First, take a look.
[Continue reading Copying the Mob...]
I finally watched my DVR'd Sopranos episode from last Sunday and about fell off the couch. (Stop reading if you don't want to hear the spoiler...). Just when you think it can't get worse, it does--the two fueding sides have finally had it with each other and assume they each have the upper hand. The only problem is, they don't.
[Continue reading They Don't Touch the Families...]
As a counselor I am often amazed, and pleased, that clients exhibit remarkable candor in describing to me their fears and hopes, strengths and weaknesses and successes and failures. The importance of client frankness is essential in delivering relevant advice.
[Continue reading the Blogswap article How Ethical Conducts Impact a Career...]
I got an email today from another job seeker who writes:" Susan--you were right--one of the contacts I worked the hardest, and the longest finally came through for me and I got a job offer today." She goes on to describe in detail how she worked the contact, how she followed up six times without becoming an inappropriate stalker.
[Continue reading Appropriate Stalking Works...]
No one likes a lost blogger. Especially me. So apologies for being absent the past week--the end of graduate school mania had finally caught up wth me as I wrapped up all the final things I had to do in order to get that $100,000 piece of paper on Friday: MBA.
[Continue Reading Long Lost Blogger...]
I promise I haven't been hiding under a rock. This MBA thing can completely overwhelm your life! But the goal of better understanding business in combination with my many years of HR experience has been achieved: I can better serve business professionals and help them address their career issues, job search needs and recruiting quandaries. [Continue reading Under a Rock...]
You may not know I graduated from Virginia Tech almost ten years ago and I have been back every year since. I have two cousins on campus who are safe, but my prayers and thoughts go out to an entire community and town that will be forever changed. The students though are banding together in a spirit I always knew was at the heart of Virginia Tech. I am so happy to report that this feeling of support and pride is keeping the community unified and focused on healing.
No matter what comes out of this tragedy, I believe the spririt of Virginia Tech is best represented by the spirit I always recall (this is me just a few months ago). Pride, unity and support--no matter what the occasion.
If you wish to contribute to a university sponsored Memorial Fund, please visit: http://www.vt.edu/tragedy/memorial_fund.php.
Vanderbilt researchers have uncovered new evidence in the debate about salaries versus gender. Men are still making more than women. but why?
[Continue reading The Salary Gender Disparity is Back]
I'm so lucky that I get so many great emails from readers who want some personal advice---and between watching Oprah and eating cake I try to answer a few. (Okay, between inappropriate amounts of coffee and running out the door to meetings). I do try to answer as many as I can, but sometimes, there are questions that are really applicable to the masses.
A few posts ago, I wrote about the plight of older workers trying to get back in the workforce and some great web resources such as Jobs 4.0 and AARP.
But what about older workers that want to make a career change?
[Continue reading Older Workers Out of Luck...]
I swear I just threw up a little. Really. It's like it is the 1990s again and HR functions are going crazy to recruit the best talent. Let me take you to a ski resort, wine and dine you, name my firstborn after you... Well, okay, maybe not that crazy.
But as today's USA Today boasts, recruiting is getting out of control yet again.
[Continue reading Hollywood-style Recruiting...]
It's 85 degrees today in Nashville so I am dreaming about summer already (hey, with a Blackberry you can work from the beach and no one 's any the wiser.) But while I'm out dreaming about my tan, more and more employers are complaining about another summer sport: job surfing.
Job surfing, job coasting, job hopping--whatever you call it--is your propensity to move from one job to another. Ride the wave, and then when your ride is done (6 months, one year, two years) you look to catch another wave. Sounds fun, but it is worth the risk?
[Continue reading Job Surfing's a Risk...]
Okay, so it's not just a really cool 90's song. It sort of my new mantra. I get alot of questions from job seekers that all fall in the same category: "why is my job search not working?" It's a valid question and a frustrating one. But that doesn't mean you get to cry and whine about it. It means you need to really think about why it's not working. Here's how:
[Continue reading Job Search Gettin' Ya Down...]
I neglected to comment on Fortune's illustrious list of top MBA Employers that comes from Universum Communications.
But as I prepare for the teleconference I am hosting for companies potentially interested in hiring MBAs (still time to sign up!), in reviewing the list I have to shake my head. I'm sure the survey was statistically accurate and can be validated and all that fun researchy stuff. But the bigger question is why?
Normally, I almost always agree with Jason Davis over at Recruiting.com. He drives controversy for sure, but as a business person first and an HR/recruting professional second, I appreciate anyone who says what he thinks and causes some waves in the process.
So often we are laser focused on recruiting. We've got requisitions, hiring managers...we've got needs! But in talking with my fellow business school students, it's clear that sometimes recruiters focus on the needs and forget the wants. What do MBAs want in a job? And more importantly, are they even worth hiring?
All good (and exhausting) things must come to an end. And, so must the book tour. I spent the last two days in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
My Philadelphia book party went off without a hitch despite the weather and I was thrilled to have so many of my family members there too. In Philadelphia I also spent an afternoon with a great group of students at The Pennsylvania Institute of Technology focusing specifically on interviewing skills. The students were somewhat confused when I started out by having them create and design new products. What the heck?
It was somewhat prophetic that it snowed yesterday for several hours--both unexpected on my Spring Break and overwhelming. That's kind of how my book tour this week has been. I started thinking about writing a book in 2004 and three years later (after writing a proposal, getting signed by an agent and landing a book deal), the book finally came out in January. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided Spring Break would be best spent on a book tour, but here I am.
Day one of my book tour took me to Harvard College today. While the undergraduates are more well known for liberal arts, science and psychology, the Undergraduate Business Club was kind enough to host me today to talk about finding your passion and telling the world about it.
When we were finished, one undergraduate said she still wasn't sure what the steps were to finding her passion. That's when it hit me-today's generation really wants direction.
Ah, the illusive promotion. While it's the coveted carrot that many employers use to keep us in check - the reward is not always - well, rewarding! Here are a few things to consider before you're blinded by a raise.
1) Avoid a no-win situation. Often a promotion comes along with increased responsibility - sometimes in the form of managing staff. But what if the staff is "unmanageable?" [Read more...]
I've had a number of confused professionals wonder...how many is too many? So of course I had to count my own---jobs that is. And it's actually pretty hilarious:
1) Swim club Snack Bar Attendant (Age 13: I was actually fired for forgetting to come to work)
2) Babysitter (babysitters now make double-digits an hour)
3) After-School Program Leader
4) Camp Counselor
5) Camp Senior Counselor (ah yes, my first promotion)
6) Teaching Assistant
7) Cashier at Drug Emporium...
[Keep reading the list...]
If you have XM (or, if you want to sign up for a FREE trial ) you can hear me on the Oprah and Friends channel, #156 on Friday, March 9, 6:00 a.m., 12:00 noon and 6:00 p.m. (all times EST).
Young or old, many job searching frustrations are the same. But for the more mature of the job-seeking set, the questions about age remain:
"I finally earned a BS in business management. I've been unable to get a management position since receiving my degree. Any idea how I can convert over 30 years of experience, a willingness to learn, and a willingness to contimue my education?"
"I am 53 years old, retired from one job and went back to school in an entire different field. How do you overcome the age issue with companies."
[Read more...]
Coming home on a flight from Dallas Fort-Worth, I got stuck in the back row, inside seat, in front of the bathroom and next to the engine. The ridiculously loud and deafening engine. The thing is, when you're flying standby (and you don't have status on the airline) you take when you can get to get where you need to go. [Read more...]
One of the best things about being a great multi tasker is that I can get alot done. Fast. Don't be jealous, or worse, think I don't have a life. I do. But I sleep very little, choose my TV wisely and try to prioritize as best I can.
Not that all my prioritizing is right. In fact, I'd much rather be blogging than answering emails, managing finances or trying to schedule events. But sometimes a girl needs a vacation (and that would be when?) [Read more...]
This past weekend I had the privilege of being on Rick Gillis' radio show to talk about my career model, my book and my experience in HR and recruiting. The one question that Rick and his wonderful cohost Pam seemed to really want to focus on (and for just cause) is the path of a resume. Where does it go, who gets it, where does it end up? [Read more...]
A topic that’s been coming up a lot in my discussions with twenty and thirty-something employees is empowerment. Today’s younger workers want to come into a job and have the autonomy to take hold of projects and run with them self-sufficiently. However, their baby boomer managers, more often than not, hold them back in some capacity. When a twenty-something is right out of college and doesn’t have enough experience or knowledge to complete projects without close supervision, the manager’s reticence is understandable.
I cringed this morning listening to a story about Jobs 4.0 on NPR. It wasn't because of Jobs 4.0--I like the site and its intention a great deal. but the NPR story featured a 50-year old sales and marketing professiona who had sent out "hundreds of resumes through sites like Monster.com."
Organizations or companies embracing marketing as a key driver in recruiting strategy--love it. The business world embracing this as a new breakthrough--not so much. While I like Workforce's recent profile of the Las Vegas police department hiring an ad firm to remake its employment brand, I'm dismayed that this continues to be touted as a new and innovative idea.
Recruiting executives have tried slogans, brands, games, you name it. But what about creative titling? Seems Sheraton's had some serious candidate overflow (pun intended) for their new Chief Beer Officer position.
There's been talk for months now about video resumes. Why people like them, hate them, couldn't giving a rats you-know-what about them, you name it. And I have to agree with Your HR Guy in his recent post (though I'm actually pretty good at home improvement and would never drop a hammer). That said, while Video Resumes may be too time consuming and painful for recruiters, there are some promising applications for video in the selection process. Read more...
You'd think with all my get-off-your-butt-and-get-to-work rants about job searching and career development, apathy wouldn't even be a word I'd
