A blog about finding (and keeping) a job in Seattle -- Career Center Blog

Midwinter tax deduction reminders for job seekers

February 2, 2012 | Posted by Randy Woods

Groundhog Day is once again upon us, and you know what that means for the average worker: 6 to 10 more weeks of tax preparation, of course. (Unlike the choices of a certain Keystone State rodent, this is one prediction that's never wrong.) If you have all of your 1099 and W-2 forms in hand, chances are you'll be wading through the receipts this coming week to make sure your federal tax returns are accurate before the April 17 deadline. Chances also are that you're not a multimillionaire and can't just kick back with the same cushy 15 percent "Romney

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Weather, sick days leave working parents snowed under

February 1, 2012 | Posted by Natalie Singer

Nothing like a snowstorm to bring a smile to children's faces, fill the air with the smell of fresh-baked cookies and ... summon the two-headed demon of work-life balance and gender-role conflict. So it was in my house last month, when all four of us, plus the yappy dogs, were trapped together for 3.5 workdays of eggshell walking and stifled tantrums (mine, not the kids'). There were some sweet moments, sure -- sledding breaks, and those cookies -- but the overall scene was a little different. My husband was hunched over his laptop with the door barricaded, trying to deliver

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Use verbal jujitsu to overcome interview objections

January 31, 2012 | Posted by Matt Youngquist

Superman had Kryptonite. Achilles had his heel. And Bill Gates somehow managed to get ahead and be marginally successful (ha ha) in business without having a college degree. My point? Everybody has weaknesses and vulnerabilities. And if you're seeking work in today's competitive market, you've got to be fully prepared to address your weaknesses in the interview process or your candidacy will quickly become derailed. Simply praying that the interviewer won't notice the issue in question (e.g., job gaps, recent termination, lack of educational credentials, lack of relevant industry experience) is not likely to cut it. Neither will getting angry,

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Career Inception: How to conduct a 'stealth search'

January 30, 2012 | Posted by Randy Woods

In Christopher Nolan's hyper-cerebral 2010 film "Inception," a gang of nefarious agents go to great lengths to plant subliminal ideas in the heads of powerful people to make them feel as if they created the ideas on their own. After reading the new career advice guide, "Never Apply for a Job Again!" I couldn't help but picture "Inception" agent Leo diCaprio descending deeper and deeper into the psyche of today's hiring managers, dropping off mental resumes. The book's author, career coach Darrell W. Gurney, founder of CareerGuy.com, pulls no punches. In a chapter titled "Why Applying for a Job is

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Five simple ways to avoid the layoff axe

January 26, 2012 | Posted by Randy Woods

If the Great Recession has taught us anything, it is that no one is irreplaceable. A tailspinning economy and shrinking revenues can spark a panic among management, leaving even the most loyal and talented employees vulnerable to the chopping block. But there are methods that you can use to ensure that your name stays at the bottom of the pink-slip list -- without working yourself to death. The old standbys of showing up on time, working hard, focusing on costs and meeting deadlines are almost too obvious to mention as keys to employment success. We'd all like to position ourselves

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