Archive: Natalie Singer
Keep your binders and your flirting and give me equality
I just read about some research that seems to prove women can get ahead in the workplace with a little bit of good, old-fashioned ... flirting. Ha. You thought I was going to say hard work, huh? Nope, flirting. That's...
Flex time is great, but if we're lucky enough to get it, we have to 'bring it'
Everyone talks about flex time as if it's the Holy Grail for office workers, the golden ticket. Flex time allows for better "work-life balance." Flex time is good for morale, saves employees cash, can reduce workers' stress and improve their...
No free soda, sauna or shuttle, but what perks are you missing?
So maybe you're sweating it out at a not-so-great-paying job, just trying to stay positive and make some solid career moves to take you ahead. But it seems like while you're counting pennies all you hear about from friends, or...
How low can't you go? Earn the freelancer pay you want
A friend of mine tells me this story recently: She's a freelance graphic designer, or maybe it's more accurate to say she's an aspiring freelancer. She's worked as a full-time staffer as well as done some freelance side projects. After...
It's election season: leave those political buttons at home
It's that season again, the time when campaign signs litter the medians like trash after a windstorm, fresh bumper stickers scream out sound-bite ideologies, the politicians are calling you with prerecorded messages, and your cubicle neighbor can't stop railing, "Wait...
Get out of that cow-print robe: Top 10 tips for working well from home
I hear it all the time from people I know who either work from home or want to: "It's so great to be able to just roll out of bed and go right to work in your pajamas." Um, no,...
Workers want flexibility so badly, we're willing to sacrifice salary
A new survey just released by Mom Corps, a national flexible staffing firm, shows what many of us know anecdotally: Flexible work options are so important to many workers that they are willing to sacrifice a chunk of salary to...
Are you a negative or positive self-talker? To succeed, love yourself
In a Harvard Business Review blog post this week, strategic adviser Peter Bregman wrote about the right way to speak to yourself. Although you might think his topic is too touchy-feely to be a critical career issue, it is, in...
Are we in a 'mom-cession'?
There's been a lot of talk lately about the "motherhood penalty," and I think it's finally becoming tiresome for those of us who have careers, or are trying to, and also happen to be parents. Don't get me wrong --...
Three ways volunteering can help land your dream job
We've all heard them before -- the long list of steps that job seekers are supposed to take in order to get their resume looked at, much less get themselves in front of a hiring manager. Often those tips are...
Why social chemistry can give you the ultimate buzz
As a freelancer I have spent a lot of time over the years working in different spaces, mostly coffee shops. And something that you learn as a nomadic worker is that a place with a good vibe is conducive to...
Three techniques to beat procrastination (now!)
I'm a classic procrastinator. I've been a procrastinator since I was a kid and my mom would give me an hour to clean my room. I'd play happily for 55 minutes and then, keeping careful watch on the light-up Care...
Good grammar: Don't communicate without it
In college I was required to take an editing course as part of my major. It so happened that the professor who taught the course that year was known far and wide as the most strict, fearsome and unsympathetic editor...
Reaching for that phone at 3 a.m.? There's help for you
We often think of habits as good things, signposts or guidelines in our lives that, if developed and groomed over time, can help keep us on track, doing the things we need to do. Sometimes, of course, habits are bad...
Certificate programs might be your ticket to a career boost
If you've been thinking about increasing your skills, retraining or exploring a new career but don't want to spend the equivalent of a full college degree (and don't have the time for more intensive schooling), you might want to consider...
Personal brand plus consulting: a recipe for flex success
The buzz on the parenting and work/life balance front over the past couple weeks has been about whether working women can "have it all." A provocative essay in the most recent issue of The Atlantic magazine written by former State...
With planning, you can work from home this summer with kids
Last Friday, I was in the hall of my kids' school on the afternoon of the last day of the year. As the final bell rang and a collective cheer rose up from 500 kids free for the whole summer,...
Sorry, Gramps: The plummeting of our personal wealth
I've been thinking a lot lately about personal wealth. Recently I attended a memorial for my grandfather, who before he died lived 89 years of full, prosperous life. He was prosperous in many ways, my grandfather. An optometrist who treated...
Sitting all day doesn't just make us fat, it can kill us
Sure, you sit at work most of the day. But you also exercise regularly, right? So naturally, you're not in any real danger from camping out at that desk. Right? Wrong. New research shows that being sedentary for eight or...
Equal pay for equal work? Not yet
Elected leaders failed working women and families yesterday. A proposed bill to help equalize women's pay to that of their male counterparts was struck down by Republicans in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, failing to proceed to debate after a 52-47...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Is 2012 your year to become an entrepreneur?
Tired of the 9-to-5 slog? Want to be your own boss and pursue only what you are most passionate about? This could be your year. 2012 will be the year of the entrepreneur, predicted Time magazine. With technology offering low-overhead...
Five reasons to commit to an unplugged vacation
As you read this, I should be thousands of miles away from Seattle, hopefully in the blazing sun under a palm tree, a drink in my hand, listening to the delighted squeals of my kids as they splash in a...
How job seekers should manage the big "O": Overqualified
So you want a job. You need a job. You've identified some openings or employers that sound interesting, even exciting. Maybe you are contacted by some of these employers for an interview. There's just one problem: Based on the job...
Spring cleaning will help revive home and office workspaces
The slog of winter came to a head for me a few weeks ago. Things pile up with the rain and the gray. On my desk, and in every room of the house (where I also work), stacks of papers...
What 'The Hunger Games' can teach us about work
A challenge, a test, a modern coliseum of brutal competition and limited rewards: At one point or another, for many of us, the workplace can be all of these. I was thinking about the similarities between the gauntlet of job...
Bridge of bitter flames might not be the best exit strategy
Most of us have been there at some point, maybe more than once. You're sick of your job. The very idea of waking up in the morning and hauling yourself into that soul-deadening place, where you are overworked and underappreciated...
Social media boot camp: Help for your digital self
Last week I wrote about the necessity of face-to-face networking, and about how there's a methodical way to go about making connections that could land you a job without being annoying or pushy. We can sing the praises of in-person...
Networking: Diligence and meetings pay off
When many people hear the word "networking," they feel a kind of sucker punch to the gut. If you're looking for work, the word might instill all manner of anxiety and dread -- who, where, how? It might seem overwhelming...
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....
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...
'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...
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....
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,...
Elephants, aliens and other interview tests of character
Recently, glassdoor.com released its Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2011. It's a worthy read and a good self-test. Statistically, the chances are low that you would get one of these fringe questions -- but what if you did? In...
Five organizational tips from a self-confessed slob
I'm a slob. This is not conjecture or self-deprecation, it's a personality trait. Ask my mother. When I was a teenager she referred to my room as a pigsty. She'll tell anyone I'm a slob. I actually think she exaggerates,...
Job seekers: No need to highlight that work gap
I know a lot of people who are in the midst of dispiriting and anxiety-ridden job searches. Whenever I talk to one of these job-hunting friends, I hear the same questions over and over: Am I at all appealing to...
Review and reflect (be honest!) before setting career goals
Around this time, when the calendar rolls over and our 90-day streak of straight rain begins, we're always so quick to jump into the New Year mentality: What are my goals? How can I start fresh? I'd better list those...
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."
Paul Anderson helps professionals in transition find their desired employment.
- career profile (155)
- cool jobs (49)
- education and training (57)
- entry level (65)
- etiquette (94)
- events (70)
- featured (312)
- finding your passion (89)
- health care (70)
- interviewing (74)
- job fairs (54)
- management (69)
- market trends (89)
- networking (260)
- resumes (93)
- salary (80)
- social media (78)
- technology (101)
- unemployment (53)
- work/life balance (84)
Career Center • Blog • Events
