Here is the frustrating question: “I need to redo my resume because I want a new job. What should I put in it?” It’s a frustrating question…because I can’t answer it. So, I ask questions. And then I start frustrating the person asking the question, usually because they don’t know the answers. Basic stuff, really. […]

For many years, I wrote about the x number of actions based on the years in the new year. But 17 actions to take seems a bit much, even for the best of New Year Resolution types. This year is also different. Regardless of how you voted in last year’s election, this is the first […]

Let’s get resume building back to the beginning for a bit. Let’s start with the basics and go through what sections every resume should include. Even though many, if not most, resumes don’t include all these sections. To their peril. Each section has unique attributes and all of them together strive to build a story […]

The economy is great — getting a job is easier than any time in the last decade. And yet, for many of us, it is not. It’s a conundrum I’ve been thinking about for quite a while — how can the economy be so good, job openings plentiful, but still difficult to get a job? […]

Whenever I went to any sales-type training, one of the consistent subjects was all about “controlling the sale.” That somehow, the salesperson could extract dollars out of the buyer if all they did was “control the sale.” I always had problems with that approach. After all, the buyer can always, always say no. Sometimes pretty […]

If job skills are the currency of work, business results seal the deal. Business results show potential employers, including those in your current company but in a different department, that your work can help them meet their business goals. Your work produces results. Having you on the team means more will get done. But the […]

Simply put: In the work you do, size matters. If you think about it, what you and the hiring manager are doing is seeing if there is a good fit for you on the team – one of the only three things every interview question is about. And scale is a big deal in determining your […]

Typically, your Professional Experience is the largest section of your resume. Here, you list your positions, results — and the companies you’ve worked for. It’s the company I want to focus on today. Everyone knows what a company is, right? After all, there is a name, there is either private or public ownership…everyone knows about […]

Whether you’re changing jobs or trying to catch your first interview, the one thing employers and recruiters want to see is a proper resume. You should think of your resume as a representative talking to the employer on your behalf, because that’s exactly what it does. In order to get the position, your resume needs […]

Recently I attended a two-day course in presentation skills. Since I did that whole debate thing in high school — and went to nationals in oratory — I didn’t think I would get much out of the course. Most of it, I knew. But there were two important things I learned: how to correctly work […]

I’ll bet each of these positions have their own level of stress. If any of you out there are in this kind of position, I’d love to hear from you on what stresses you have in these jobs. From Quantum Binders:

Maybe you have recently graduated college and are looking to land your first big break in your chosen field. Maybe you’ve been breaking your back in an industry for 25 years, but the shift toward the knowledge economy has forced you to retool and reengage the marketplace in a new way. Whatever your situation, it’s […]

Every job ends. The only question is when. Will it be tomorrow? Two months from now? Two decades from now? We really don’t think about when our job ends on a consistent basis. Usually, we start to think about getting a new job when bad stuff starts to happen. Your new boss doesn’t like what you are […]

There are hints. And rumors. And some facts about what is happening at your company. Stuff that will impact your job one way or the other. It’s called “the writing on the wall.” Plain truth coming at you, obvious to any impartial observer. Of course, we’re not impartial, are we? Let my friend Jason Alba […]

It isn’t easy to stay motivated for an entire 8-hour work period day after day. Sooner or later, a person’s mind will wander, and tasks that are normally challenging will seem boring. This can put a person behind on getting things accomplished, though. Luckily, there are a few ways to train your mind to stay […]

It can be tough to stand out in a company of talented individuals. Especially if you work for a large corporation, you may wonder how you will be able to make your mark. However, there are plenty of ways to stand out in a corporate environment with a little extra effort. Here are 5 suggestions: […]

You know that sinking feeling when your hard drive starts acting up? First, you sort of ignore it. Then it gets serious enough to run diagnostics and then run a disk repair. And the repair program tells you that you have an unfixable hard drive. Make a back up of everything you have and talk […]

Of all of the pieces of the resume puzzle, getting to the essential is, well, essential. The pundits don’t help. Their advice is long on “should’s” and light on “must’s.” Plus, the advice is often contradictory from one pundit to the next. Or even the same pundit will offer conflicting advice. So what’s a potential Cubicle […]

In this digital age where rapid change is the norm, one thing you would probably like to stay the same is your status as a gainfully employed professional with career-growth potential. The number of people who either had jobs or were looking for jobs in the United States in 2015 was approximately 157 million, compared […]

Personally, I’m leery of “happy employees” lead to “happy companies.” Management, after all, will lay you off in a New York Minute if they think it is need to meet whatever goal is in front of them. But this infographic has some interesting points and statistics, so I thought I would pass it along.