In a recent edition of The Wall Street Journal, columnist Gerald Seib wrote that the campaign against terrorism is “slow and hard for good reason.” After spending a day providing advice to participants in a job fair in Fort Worth, Texas, I sensed that the nation’s other war — getting America back to work —
Maybe it’s the English major in me, but over the years I’ve derived more practical wisdom and guidance from the world’s great works of literature than from self-help, career and management advice books. I’m an employment counselor by vocation. I’m no snob — I glean words to live and work by wherever I find them.
Last year I knew who I was. I was the highly compensated vice president of marketing at a burgeoning e-learning software company. I was the person who conceived and managed all marketing initiatives. It was I who launched national programs that cost lots of money. Decision makers at Fortune 100 companies took my meetings. Vendors
You’ve sent your resume to numerous employers for account-management roles. The phone rings, and you have an in-person interview for a sales role at a top company. First, congratulations on your upcoming interview. More importantly, in this competitive environment, how do you prepare? Every day I coach candidates on techniques to help them ace their
If you haven’t had a promising interview in the past six months, you should consider the possibility that you aren’t a top candidate. In this job market, it isn’t good to be anything but a top candidate. Hiring managers who have openings are besieged with resumes, many from outstanding candidates. So if you aren’t outstanding,
Having changed employers and roles several times over the course of my career, I’ve learned that getting off to a fast start in a new position hinges on building credibility in the new role. To do so, you need to deliver early but enduring results. Planning your first few weeks on the job is the
Fantasies can come true. Just ask Ann Krcik, a rock climber who dreamed about quitting her marketing-operations job to work with fellow adventurers in the great outdoors. She made the leap by launching a Salt Lake City, Utah, firm that represents “extreme” athletes, signing them up to appear in commercials, and as models and motivational
At age 35, Paul Gauguin was working in a bank. A year later, he chucked that job, along with his wife, his children and his prosperous but predictable Parisian existence for a tumultuous life as an artist in southern France and then Tahiti. It was a life he later described as “ecstasy, peace and for
Switching from a military to a civilian career is a big step. It also can be extremely difficult. Military officers may be highly qualified for many business positions. However, their backgrounds are so different from those of typical executives that employers often can’t tell if — and where — they’d fit. To start with, military
By payroll size, the biggest U.S. employer isn’t General Motors Corp. or Wal-Mart Stores. It’s Manpower Inc., a temporary services firm in Milwaukee, which employs 760,000. Manpower sends all types of employees into companies to fill temporary roles ranging from traditional filing and typing to complex computer, marketing or finance positions. Because these jobs aren’t
Switching from a military to a civilian career is a big step. It also can be extremely difficult. Military officers may be highly qualified for many business positions. However, their backgrounds are so different from those of typical executives that employers often can’t tell if — and where — they’d fit.
Despite the corporate layoff announcements piling up, the overall employment picture is still quite healthy. What better time to go into business for yourself? If you’ve yearned for the freedom of being your own boss, be warned: Experienced independent professionals will tell you that there’s little that’s “free” about being a free agent.
Wendy Brawer was an English teacher in Japan vacationing in Bali when she noticed how peaceful, rural hideaways were turning into tourist hotels. When she returned to the U.S., she was determined to shift environmental attitudes. She eventually hit upon the idea of helping communities create maps of their ecological and cultural resources. In 1995,
One reason many people find it difficult to change careers is they think they have to do it in one big leap. Another is simple inertia — it’s easier to stay with the familiar pain of doing what they don’t like than brave the unknown. But you don’t have to change careers in one fell
Romanticizing the free-lance lifestyle can be dangerous. Compared with going the corporate route, it’s mistakenly viewed as idyllic. Nowadays, the term “free-lancer” is giving way to the sexier monikers such as “contract worker” and “free agent.” Or, if you’re at the upper end of the salary and experience scale, the term du jour is “interim
So many people aren’t happy, fulfilled or even moderately satisfied with their work. The constant changes taking place in companies, including the temporary nature of jobs that were once relatively permanent, create a stressful work environment in which it’s difficult to feel satisfied, let alone happy.
A lack of jobs in a particular field or geographic region or simply the poor economy can stymie some b-school graduates attempting to make career changes. These factors have been working against Kathryn Wiyninger since she earned her M.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma’s Michael F. Price College of Business in 2001.
Despite the hiring slowdown in the information-technology field, thousands of IT professionals and wannabes are banking on certifications to boost their careers. Computer professionals use certifications as yardsticks of their skills in hopes of better jobs and higher pay. Employees in other fields may be lured by the thought that computer certifications might help them
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management is the wealth management division of Bank of America. The firm is headquartered in New York City, and occupies the entire 34 stories of the Four World Financial Center building in Manhattan. Merrill Lynch employs over 15,000 financial advisors and manages $2.2 trillion in client assets. The firm has its origins in Merrill
Many of us dream of finding the perfect spouse, a fantastic place to live and the absolute best college education for our kids. But most romances, house hunts and academic pursuits aren’t as perfect as we’d hoped. Your spouse is loving and understanding, but snores. A house is large and airy, but expensive to heat.
