Archive: July 2009
Networking icebreakers: Get out of your own head
Earlier this week, when I was addressing the Job Club at the North Seattle WorkSource office, I thought about all the advice I had seen and repeated about the importance of networking--of getting out there, pressing the flesh and striking...
Would you take a management job if offered one?
According to the tenth annual "World of Work" survey, published this month by international staffing firm Randstad, 49 percent of Americans polled offered a resounding "Heck no!" Broken down by age and excuse, the results of this survey of 2,200...
Free teleclass today: Finding passion in your career
Finding work you're passionate about is too important to leave to chance, says Seattle-based career coach Curt Rosengren, a self-proclaimed "passion catalyst" who helps people figure out what work gets them excited in the morning. Besides, "In today's economy, you need every competitive...
Cool networking deals for job seekers
Before I get into the list of upcoming job search events, I want to give a shout out to the attendees of today's Job Club at the WorkSource office on the North Seattle Community College campus. I had a great...
Free teleclass: Convince your boss to let you telecommute
Just because the economy's lousy doesn't mean you have to give up your dream of working from home. On Thursday, July 30, from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. Pacific time, leading telecommuting consultant Pat Katepoo will give a free teleseminar called...
Help for those returning to the workforce
Have you been out of work for an extended period and need to jump back into the game? Are you interested in learning how to expand your web of contacts but are not sure how to break the ice with...
Where telecommuters can beat the heat this week
I've been working from home long enough to know that trying to be productive while beads of sweat roll down your back and drip onto your keyboard is a lost cause. Once my office breaks 80 degrees, all I'm good for...
Is quitting your job during the recession crazy?
I'm not talking about quitting for another job you've lined up or quitting to take the full-time reins of the freelance business you've built on the side. I'm talking about giving notice because you're burned out and desperate for a...
Defending Generation Y: The rise of the 'slash-career'
Everyone has an opinion about the future of the so-called Generation Y demographic, aka the Millennials, aka These Kids Today. The knock on teens and young adults of 2009 is that they have a sense of entitlement; that they're impatient,...
Peer referrals: A matter of trust
When you land a job with an employer, there are a lot elements that must be taken into account before the dotted line is signed. The employer and potential employee must consider salary, skills, job requirements, work history, flexibility, education...
Losing sleep over your bills? You're not the only one
Once upon a time, my credit card balance was higher than my yearly income. At first it didn't seem like a big deal. I was in my twenties and foolishly thought I'd have plenty of time to pay that nasty...
Jobbernaut returns with robust Job Fair
Many Hire Ground readers have told me they are not fans of job fairs, saying they typically have only a handful of companies, few high-paying jobs and are staffed mostly by human resources people, not hiring managers. And they do...
If health care wasn't tied to your job, would you quit?
If I had a buck for every time someone told me they'd ditch their job and try something new if they didn't need the health insurance, I could have retired by now. I don't blame folks for making this choice. Buying...
Graduate school: Is it worth it?
Is the long-standing American tradition of rushing off to graduate school when career opportunities are scant eroding? Perhaps. The online magazine Inside Higher Ed reported in December that the number of students taking the GRE declined in 2008, the first...
Starting salaries hold ground for grads
In my continuing efforts to find as many silver linings as possible in the black, cumulonimbus clouds of this recession, I came across some moderately encouraging news from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) about recent graduates looking...
Getting noticed: How big is your intellectual footprint?
Earlier this month, I attended the PRforPeople presentation, held each month by Xanthus Communications. While the casual meet-and-greet in South Lake Union's Patricia Cameron Art Gallery was mostly aimed at self-employed people and small-business owners, the words from speaker Eric...
Using LinkedIn to research a career change
Though LinkedIn has taken the professional world by storm, many of its users still have no clue what to do with it beyond setting up their profile. I'm a firm believer that LinkedIn can be a wildly helpful tool for...
Some don'ts for first-timers in job market
With the national unemployment rate edging ever closer to 10 percent this summer, it's no secret that finding work is tough out there. But for the recent wave of college grads piling up on the job market the outlook has...
Moonlighting: Do you have to tell your employer?
With so many people getting their hours cut or worried about layoffs this year, it's no surprise that more workers are moonlighting at a second (or third) job. In January, a Daily Beast poll of 500 adult workers in the...
Events to accelerate your job search
Another gorgeous weekend is almost upon us in Seattle. Although the sunny skies may be tempting, it's important for job seekers to stay focused on their goals. Next week, there is a week-long lineup of events (at a wide range...
Personal branding: Don't forget to be interesting
So you have accounts with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You've got a blog about your interests. You're going to local networking events. Here's one other thing for your checklist: Are you boring people? I recently spoke with Boston-based media and...
What not to wear to work this summer
Ask any manager and they'll be the first to tell you that as soon as summer temperatures begin to rise, inappropriate office attire abounds, most notably among our workforce's youngest hires. Necklines plunge. Hemlines creep up. Cutoffs come out of...
Last chance to sign up for free resume course
Late last month, I wrote about an exclusive offer for a free resume-writing course by communications expert Rod Mattson of Mattson Communication. For the first 10 Hire Ground readers who sign up for the two-hour workshop by the end of...
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Happy Independence Day! With all the talk of unemployed folks hanging their own shingle as freelancers, I thought it high time we addressed one of the murkiest aspects of working as an independent professional: paying taxes. To help tackle some...
Providing career independence for returning vets
As we kick back this weekend to fire up the barbecue, soak up this impossibly great Seattle weather and watch people blow stuff up in celebration of our nation's freedom, I can't help but take a moment to reflect on...
Could multigenerational households become the norm?
When I was growing up in New Jersey, my grandmother often lamented that families didn't live together like they used to. To her, the dream household would have been for mom, dad, the kids, grandma, grandpa and a couple of...
Recruiters: You are what you tweet
If you've spent any time on Facebook or Twitter, you know the dangers of posting too much information that you would never want your boss or a potential hiring manager to see. But the wonderful thing about social networks is...
Balancing act: Inside the life of a dog walker
With everyone talking about career change these days, I thought it would fun to examine the work/life balance of those who've transitioned to some of the most coveted careers out there. First up, Erika Teschke, who in 2005 left her...
Karen Burns is the author of The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl, a career guide based on her 59 jobs over 40 years in 22 cities.
Lisa Quast is a certified career coach, mentor, business consultant, former corporate executive and author based in the Seattle area.
Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.
Former contributors
Matt Youngquist is the president of Career Horizons, a career counseling firm.
Natalie Singer is a Seattle writer, editor and small-business owner.
Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide."
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