Thanks for the job offer, but…

Posted on June 30, 2011
Filed Under Employment, Finding a Job, Interview | Leave a Comment

One of my friends recently informed me that he had fantastic news: his dad, after almost a year of sifting through vacancy announcements and shuffling to and from interviews, had been extended a job offer. As he shared the news, I could sense a “but” coming. He continued that although his dad had received a job offer from an employer of whom he was not particularly fond, he had received three more offers for positions for which he had interviewed during the preceding week. While my friend’s dad never could have known that after receiving the one job offer he would receive a flood of offers, and the proposition that he should have declined that job offer seems rather outrageous given today’s employment environment. Nonetheless, it is important that job seekers carefully consider possible job offer before and after receiving them. Read more

How to breathe new life into your job search

Posted on June 27, 2011
Filed Under Employment, Finding a Job, Hiring Forecast | Leave a Comment

Recently I was speaking to a friend who was, like many job seekers, pushed to accept a position he really did not want by the rather dire condition of today’s labor market. He asked me for inside intelligence about which industries are currently undergoing a “boom.” While I initially singled out one field in particular, I decided to go a different route and provide him with an answer he couldn’t have expected. My answer? I told him that any industry is really fair game. As I delivered my answer he looked consternated, and eventually blurted out, “Impossible! That’s no answer!” Read more

“Cme Wrk 4 Us. $$+GR8 Bfts”

Posted on June 23, 2011
Filed Under Career Change, Employment, Finding a Job, Social Network | Leave a Comment

A number of years ago a news story emerged in Britain, which detailed an event that took place in a primary school in Scotland—a student had submitted an assignment written entirely in “txt.” The news media was outraged; this single act constituted an assault on grammar, and was seen as a harbinger of doom for the English language. Despite all the talk of gloom and doom, one academic from the University of Plymouth, saw this student’s act for what it was—a clear indication that language is merely continuing its evolution; that the contexts within which certain forms of text are appropriate are continuing to shift and change. Despite this, there are some contexts within which, common sense seems to tell us that txt is wholly inappropriate. A school setting is one such context. But what of a job offer not only sent via text message, but written entirely in txt? Read more

Meetings gone wrong

Posted on June 20, 2011
Filed Under Employment, Keeping your Job, The Workplace | Leave a Comment

Have you ever been in a meeting in which you have agreed with virtually nothing that was said? It’s a tough spot to be in—especially if you know everyone is wrong. No matter how much you insist, plea, or argue, the meeting continues to barrel in the wrong direction until a lackluster consensus is reached. What then? It is better try to get the meeting headed back in the right direction before it’s too late in order to prevent a bad decision from being enacted. Backing a meeting away from a ledge can be a difficult chore and sometimes requires superior reasoning and exceptional communication skills. Read more

Exposing job search myths

Posted on June 16, 2011
Filed Under Employment, Finding a Job | Leave a Comment

With such a tight labor market, it is unsurprising that job seekers might resort to common sense strategies to get a job:  applying to lower-paying jobs and entry-level positions, or seeking out industries that may be on the rise. While common sense may usually point you in the direction of a correct answer, common sense may also lead you away from paying attention to details and less obvious facts. Indeed, while common sense strategies may seem like a good idea, Forbes’ Sue Adams recently reported that such strategies comprise a growing body of job search myths. Read more

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