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
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
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
I once had a sign on my office wall that read: “This life is only a test. If it had been an actual life, you would have been given further instructions on where to go and what to do.” Couldn’t we all use a little more guidance on our destinies? Many people decide their life’s
A 31-year-old career changer has made a proposal to a company: “On paper, it doesn’t look like I have the experience, but I know I have the skills you need. I’ll work on an intern’s salary for four weeks, and then you decide if you want to hire me.”
Jane started her career as a promising architect with a large international architectural firm. After winning a prestigious award to design a cultural center in Japan, she was quickly promoted to associate. Now she’s been with the firm for 12 years and is under pressure to become a partner.
Most people start their careers on a certain path — and rarely veer far from it. And then there are those who decide that the only way to happiness is to take a sharp turn. The impetus may come from the workplace or from home, from a premeditated decision or a bolt from the blue.
The job: Car designer The pay: Talented entry-level designers can earn $100,000 to $200,000 a year, people in the industry say — and for executives at big auto concerns, the sky’s the limit.
Many people fail to understand the process of salary negotiation. It is not simply demanding more money for your services. Communication, preparation, trust, a mutual understanding of each party’s position and willingness to compromise are the key ingredients of successful negotiations. In the end both parties must believe they have reached an agreement that serves
WASHINGTON — Private-sector employers accelerated their hiring last month, adding 217,000 net new jobs in the best performance since June, payroll firm Automatic Data Processing Inc. said Wednesday. The job growth topped an upwardly revised 196,000 in October and was another positive economic signal, adding to the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will hike a
I recently walked into my local coffee shop and saw a wall covered in posted notes with handwritten customer comments about what they are thankful for this time of year. If I were to look for a similar gratitude wall in most workplaces, it is unlikely I would find one. Let’s face it, showing gratitude
Get excited, job seekers: this may be the first (and only) time in your life where you’re actuallyencouraged to do a bit of digital stalking. No – not the creepy “Lifetime Movie” kind (there’s never an instance when that’s OK) – rather, the “investigative journalist” type of snooping. Let’s just start off by ‘fessing up and admitting
You just rocked a job interview. You had great rapport with the hiring manager; you spelled out your not-really-weaknesses-but-strengths with no hesitation, and you showed you had done your research about the company by asking all the right questions. By all means, it looks like you’ve had a great interview, and found the right job
If you’re a job seeker who’s been on the market for quite a while, you may wonder why you’re not getting hired. Is it your resume, your appearance, your interview skills, or something else? Manpower, a global staffing agency, recently released their Talent Shortage survey, which details the professions currently encountering a skills gap. The
When we talk about “negotiating”, most of us think that there is always a financial factor involved. That’s true, but there is something more: respect and value. The fact that we might not have the seniority/experience does not mean our ideas are not good. Did Mark Zuckerberg have 10 years of experience when he created
If you’re like the vast majority of people on earth, you want to find your dream job. Like the old saying goes, “Find what you love to do, and you won’t work a day in your life.” But you’ve got to work somewhere, and you’ll often work with other people, too. These four questions will help you
