Archive: March 2010
April Fools' pranks at the office: Bad idea this year?
Elizabeth Fournier considers herself someone with a good sense of humor. Because she runs a funeral home in Boring, Oregon, this tends to come in handy every April 1. "You can guess the amount of April Fools' jokes I get,"...
Don't forget second--and last--impressions, too
It's no surprise that making a first impressions is critical when you first meet a hiring manager. That's why the candidates who tend to land jobs are the ones with combed hair, nice suits or dresses and positive attitudes---at the...
Empowering women to take charge of their employment future
Did you know that we are in the last few days of Women's History Month? I've never paid much attention to the increasingly arbitrary "special month" designations that are supposed to raise awareness of certain cultures and causes, but I...
Summer-job prospects expected to stay at '09 level
For the last couple of years, our measure of what is considered a "good job market" has taken some lumps. While Wall Street seems to have bounced back quickly from its 2008-09 bender, the nation's unemployed are still acutely feeling...
Swearing at work: Yea or nay?
No matter what you think of our nation's freshly inked health care bill, Vice President Biden's blooper at Tuesday's White House ceremony raises an interesting point: whether it's okay to swear in a professional setting. Obviously context is everything. Print...
Work like a full-timer, think like a freelancer
While many job seekers these days are actively seeking full-time positions at conventional employers, the tough economy is causing many of them to think like entrepreneurs. The demise of the conventional activity of "scanning the want ads" is just about...
How to stage a career comeback
Have you recently entered the job market after a long stretch with the same organization only to find that all the rules of job seeking, networking, and employment itself have changed? If so, Lisa Johnson Mandell feels your pain....
How to build a personal brand in five days
Getting the attention of college students is always difficult, but it's especially hard to do toward the end of March, when basketball overtakes their brains. While it's important for graduating seniors to get serious now about networking for jobs, you...
In defense of the liberal arts major
I was a liberal arts major, though I let my parents talk me out of getting my B.A. in English lit and into getting one in journalism because it was "more practical." (Don't laugh -- it was the eighties.) If...
A 'Super Tuesday' of networking events
Perhaps it's fear of the coming St. Patty's Day hangover. Maybe it's due to the one-hour shift to Daylight Saving Time. Whatever the reason, we have a mashup of networking events and seminars this week that all happen to occur...
Make profits, not meetings
I never tire of talking about getting out from under the oppressive thumb of one's weekly meeting roster. In the past, I've written about stealth ways to multitask during meetings and block off chunks of your calendar for project work...
Grooming new hires with Microsoft's MACH program
Anyone who's been through an interview for a full-time job at Microsoft knows that the process is one of the most rigorous you'll ever encounter. Full of problem-solving questions and riddles, the sometimes day-long interviews are designed to keep you...
Freelancers: Don't forget your 2009 tax credit
Filing your federal tax return as a freelancer can be tricky. If you don't employ the services of a professional tax preparer (even though I think you should), you could be leaving some money on the table. Fortunately good folks...
Why a handful of mentors is better than one
The other day a colleague I'd helped out with some advice on freelancing called me her "unofficial mentor," much to my (flattered) surprise. This got me thinking about the nature of twenty-first century mentorship. To me, the idea of the...
Advice to help you break away from the job-hunt pack
For this week's roundup of networking and job-search events, I'm pleased to announce a new entry into the regular stable of weekly and monthly offerings. Joe Perez, a professional resume consultant and CEO of Writing Wolf, is holding a new...
Oscar gives pink slip to 'Up in the Air'
We all know the real purpose of the Academy Awards show last night: To discuss who was wearing whom and dish endlessly on what on earth Actress X was thinking when she chose Gown Y. But allow me to digress...
TGIF: Friday reports point to healthier job market
If it's Friday, it must be employment report time. For much of the last year and a half, the government's policy of releasing the latest job figures at the end of the week seemed like a cruel plot to ruin...
Olympic spirit continues in March networking events
The Games are over, the Olympic flame is out, but the partying is surely still going on this morning up north following yesterday's thrilling overtime hockey game pitting the United States against Canada. Although American hockey fans are still feeling...
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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