Archive: January 2010
Networking events to warm up winter's half-way point
As we approach the midway point of winter, with Punxsutawney Phil getting ready to awaken in Central Pennsylvania, I'm going to avoid the whole idea of looking for my shadow and jetting off to Miami Beach this week. Before you...
Home unalone: Telecommuting with your laid-off sweetie underfoot
It's tough enough when a domestic partner loses his or her job. But for telecommuters and freelancers who work at home, having your sweetie suddenly underfoot during the workweek can be a cataclysmic event -- especially if your home...
More career opportunities for gaming in 2010?
After years of hype as being "recession proof," the once-high-flying video game industry came back to earth last year, with console sales dipping by 8 percent and PC game sales down a surprising 23 percent compared to the record year...
How to stay focused at work despite life's big distractions
So you're getting married, buying a house, adopting a baby, starting night school for your MBA, launching your dream business on the side, shopping your novel around to hotshot agents, or getting ready to jet off to Fiji for three...
Working parents: Win free tuition for a higher education degree
Good news for parents itching to go back to school but lacking the time or money. Project Working Mom 2010 will award up to 285 full-tuition scholarships totaling about $5 million to parents (dads included!) interested in attending an accredited...
Networking cures for the real 'Blue Monday'
Last week, I read a few articles about the "Blue Monday" phenomenon--the name for the third Monday of January, which a British psychologist said was the day when the post-holiday-season depression hits the hardest for most people. This dubious anti-holiday...
Do you associate having a career with one gender over the other?
Before you answer that, you may want to visit Harvard's Project Implicit Web site. This 15-year-old research project features a free online test you can take to see whether you're more inclined to associate men, women, or neither gender with...
End of the wage gap? Not so fast
You probably saw this week's Pew Research Center study on how American men are getting a bigger economic boost from marriage these days. As Pew reported, "A larger share of men in 2007, compared with their 1970 counterparts, are married...
Do hiring managers know your 'emotional IQ'?
Ever wonder how some people manage to sail through the job search process? Even though you plan your answers meticulously and research positions as much as possible, there are some people who seem to know how to make a connection...
Germaphobes rejoice! Alternatives to touching the WC door at work
Despite the threat of communicable diseases like swine flu, we humans are not the most sanitary sort. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health in October found that only 32 percent of men and 64 percent...
This week's events to help get you back to work
Many workers this weekend are enjoying a three-day holiday weekend to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But for those on the job hunt, there is no such thing as a holiday. Luckily, during this short work...
This just in: Leaving the office is good for you
I'm feeling peppier at the moment. I'm also feeling more autonomous, better connected to those in my immediate vicinity, and in general, happier. If you're reading this between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, chances are you are too. In other...
Are you boring hiring managers with your bio?
First impressions, as we all know, are lasting ones. It's important that your introduction, be it a cover letter or informational inquiry, practically jumps off the screen. Why is it, then, that so many informational bios written by job seekers...
In defense of temp work
A couple of articles on the recent rise of temporary hires caught my eye. In late December, the New York Times reported that companies have steadily been hiring more temporary workers (including independent contractors, freelancers, and permatemps) since the start...
Job seekers: Take Conan's message to heart
I like to provide practical advice about real issues facing job seekers here at Hire Ground, but please bear with me for a moment to comment briefly about a fantasy world--by that I mean Hollywood, specifically late-night TV. Over the...
How corporate culture can make or break a job
Although I haven't seen it addressed in the recent rash of job satisfaction surveys, there's no denying that company culture can greatly affect your on-the-job happiness. If dressing in full goth regalia or otherwise letting your freak flag fly is...
How to reinvent your career for 2010
As all the gymnasium and weight loss companies know all to well, January is the month to capitalize on everybody's need to make lists, get organized and start on new regimens in a surge of reinvention. The record of success...
Companies to emulate in 2010
Seems like I've been writing about employee satisfaction a lot lately. (Here's one post on the topic. Here's another.) Happily, I've seen a number of recent stories about companies using innovative work/life balance initiatives to boost employee morale, and thus...
Is the 'call-back' an endangered species?
I got an e-mail from a long-suffering job seeker the other day that is a clear sign of our times--only I can't quite tell if it's good or bad. "Somebody actually called me back to tell me I was no...
How to boost employee morale this year
You probably saw The Conference Board report this week that 55 percent of Americans are unhappy at their job, the highest number since the organization began conducting its annual job satisfaction survey two decades ago. In the past, I've offered...
How to slow down in life
Confession: This work/life balance blogger could use a little help in the work/life balance department. That's why I was excited to receive a book over the holidays called The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our...
Six ways to create a 'new you' before getting that new job
The recession of 2008-2009 left a lot of workers depressed and upset about the external economic forces that have made their job searches so difficult. But with the dawn of 2010, perhaps it's time to start looking inward to discover...
How to stick to your New Year's resolutions
Today a couple of freelance friends and I began tackling a shared New Year's resolution: spend more time on our personal writing projects (essays, books, and the like). To ensure we walked the talk, we made a virtual writing date,...
Job searching in 2010: On to bigger, better things
As we break out our new calendars that we got for Christmas, it's customary that we take a moment to look back at the highs and lows of the previous year and reassess what it has meant to us. Well,...
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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