Archive: February 2012
Hey, boss, it's dark here: Bring on the Vitamin D
When I was a kid in grade school, a cart was wheeled from classroom to classroom every day. The cart carried two things deemed, by the powers that be, critically important for our developing bodies and minds: Milk and fluoride....
Job hunters: Get the word out, early and often
Who do you think is more likely to find a job faster: a great job candidate with an average network, or an average job candidate with a great network? Based on what I've witnessed for the past 20 years, I'd...
Making the 'leap' to a career that you love
As calendar events go, Leap Day has always been a bit of an afterthought. It was tacked on to our calendar by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C. to make up for lost time when it was noted that a year...
Do you really know what your references are saying?
It's one of the basics of job search: You have your killer resume, a multitude of networking contacts and a rock-solid list of three to five references to help back up your past performance. But do you really know what...
Making milk on the clock? Know your rights
After reading recently about the federal judge's ruling against a Houston mother who says she was fired after asking for a place to pump breast milk, I felt momentarily glad for the situation I faced when I went back to...
Career consciousness among the younger generation
When I was in high school, I don't recall average students (including myself) giving all that much thought to what they wanted to be when they grew up. Sure, there were a few bright kids who seemed hell-bent on becoming...
Getting the right name can get your foot in the door
We've all seen various versions of the same statements in most job listings: "Send cover letter and resume to the following e-mail" or "Upload your resume to our jobs page." It all seems like a well-oiled machine, and it is...
When not in Rome: Long-distance job search tips
A little more than 15 years ago, I moved out of my Washington, D.C., apartment, packed most of my worldly possessions into an overloaded Nissan and drove off like Tom Joad to my new future in Seattle. Fortunately, I had...
'Sharpen Your Heels': Sound, and wobbly, career advice
Normally I bristle at advice tailored to either men or women. So I admit that my reaction upon receiving the newly released lilac-colored book "Sharpen Your Heels: Mrs. Moneypenny's Career Advice for Women" was to roll my eyes and set...
Recruiters: Why, oh why, aren't they more into me?
The Bermuda Triangle and Sasquatch. Now those are real mysteries. As for how the modern recruiting and staffing world operates, that topic isn't quite so enigmatic -- although many job hunters continue to seem utterly baffled by it. Over the...
How to wield the double-edged social recruiting sword
Social media is here to stay! Tweet your way to a new job! Use Facebook to meet hundreds of new contacts! ... From the look of many job-search advice columns, it would seem as if the use of online social...
Seattle earns high score in gamer job opportunities
Bungie. PopCap. Valve. Big Fish. Double Down. No, these are not nicknames for mob informants. They are all companies that could represent lucrative job opportunities for many video game developers, engineers, designers and animators looking for work in Seattle's booming...
Should you venture into business with your Valentine?
You may have promised to love each other in sickness and health, for rich or for poor, but what does it take to be partners in love and in business? Lots of couples take the plunge: According to a U.S....
If referrals were snakes, many job hunters would be bitten
There's an old saying about networking for a job in Seattle: "If you're not sick of the taste of coffee, you're not doing it right." Amid all the schmoozing, caffeine and random chatting that tends to take place in most...
The ol' college try: Making the most of your internship
For most college students and recent college grads, the old Catch-22 of job search -- you can't get a job without enough real-world experience, but you also can't get real-world experience until you get a job -- is one of...
Midwinter tax deduction reminders for job seekers
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...
Weather, sick days leave working parents snowed under
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,...
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."
- career profile (162)
- cool jobs (66)
- education and training (60)
- entry level (70)
- etiquette (105)
- events (71)
- featured (403)
- finding your passion (94)
- health care (72)
- interviewing (88)
- job fairs (60)
- management (87)
- market trends (91)
- networking (272)
- resumes (101)
- salary (84)
- social media (90)
- technology (113)
- unemployment (55)
- work/life balance (90)
Career Center • Blog • Events
