Archive: May 2012
Restoring balance to the background-check process
In this age of hyper-security, many job seekers over the past decade have found themselves subjected to an increasing number of background checks during the interview process. Before 9/11, most background checks were reserved for positions that involved the control...
Drowning out the new office buzz
I read recently that the new buzzword in office design is "sound masking" -- the practice of making up for the poor acoustics and increasing "speech privacy" in new open-office floor plans. As office walls come down and more and...
Upgrading your skills on a shoestring budget
If you're among the ranks of the unemployed at the moment, ask yourself this question: Are you becoming MORE or LESS marketable with each passing day? Most out-of-work professionals would probably say the latter, in my experience. Once you've lost...
Recession Generation has stories to tell, lessons to teach
In The Seattle Times' new special report The Recession Generation, young people are opening up about what they face in the job market today. Their stories are worth reading and learning from. I admire their persistence, their optimism, their continuing...
Contact info: New rules for the modern job market
If you're a passing sports fan of almost any stripe, you've probably heard the name John Wooden. Coach Wooden, arguably the most revered sports coach in history, led the UCLA men's basketball team to 10 national championships in a 12-year...
Three tips to rev up forgotten resume elements
The rise and near ubiquity of online resume-processing algorithms has done quite a number on the art of resume writing over the past few years. Almost gone are the days when an eye-catching font, a coordinated color scheme and a...
Summer work attire: flip-flops, tube tops and Speedos, oh my
With so much rain and gray all fall and winter, an early spate of sun and warmth is all we need around here to go a little crazy. You know what I mean: Shorts as soon as the temperature hits...
Interviewing success: a riddle to ponder
Eons ago, in the decade known as the '90s, I was lucky enough to learn the career-counseling trade at the hands of an incredibly wise mentor. This individual came from a blue-chip sales and marketing background, and he drew heavily...
Advantage employee: Worker confidence on the rise
Seattle's current run of consecutive outstandingly beautiful weekends is not the only sunny news to hit the Puget Sound region in recent weeks. As the afternoons grow longer and the temperatures get warmer, there appears to be a gradual and...
For Mother's Day, honor mothers by changing the workplace
On Sunday, mothers around the country will be showered with flowers, gifts and pancakes by their appreciative children and families. I will be part of this national lovefest, and I will enjoy it as I do every year. But I...
Job seekers: high-five those helping hands
Used in its most common form, the phrase "human resources" strikes many folks as a cold, capitalistic and rather demeaning way to refer to the living, breathing souls who make up the workforce within any organization. If you're in the...
Summer jobs not always a breeze for teens
With the end of the school year coming up for college and high school students, the yearly ritual of parents everywhere will soon begin in earnest: getting their teenage sons and daughters off the couch and into a summer job....
Are you hot or useless? Career rankings may predict success, or not
If you know your way around a blood-pressure cuff, tartar scraper or bedpan, it appears that you're golden. You're also lucky if you do network administration, data analysis or computer programming. If, on the other hand, you're in touch with...
Internships: gateways to career success
Internships. For many of us, this word conjures up a classic episode from "Seinfeld" where Kramer, a character who needs no introduction, has the brilliant idea of hiring an intern from NYU to fetch his laundry, do his chores and...
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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