In this time of economic trouble, many people are losing their jobs.  As they go out into a sometimes hostile marketplace looking for a new job, they find that there are few positions in their field.  The trap many of them fall into is saying, “I could do that.” Â
What that means is, “I don’t [...]

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I have been working with a company recently that is looking for a key middle manager.  To say that the response to the ads was tremendous would be an understatement.  They’ve received hundreds of resumes from people in all walks of life — attorneys, executives, secretaries, longshoremen, and everything in between.
While the response has been [...]

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I remember the day we hired Eric.  He was young and though he had had some good experience, he hadn’t had much of it.  But he was bright and he came highly recommended so I got him an interview.  The meeting was tense (as it always is when you’re down to the last two or [...]

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I still remember the interview I had the first time I was up for CEO.  I was in my late twenties and arrogant enough to think I could really do the job.  We had talked some.I had sold myself.  We had talked some more, and the owner had waxed quiet.  He sat and stared at [...]

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I know a man who works as a realtor in an office with over 35 realtors.  His office is one of several offices in a town of about 65,000 people.  As you can imagine, realtors are dropping like flies now that the bubble has burst — but not all of them.  In fact, some are [...]

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I read an interesting book the other day about a scientist.  There was a discussion about a family who continually fought the odds and won.   The quote I liked most in the book was this:  “If a Romney drowns, you’d probably better look for the body upstream.”
Some people are like that.  It seems like nothing [...]

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If you read my blog, you know I am a big proponent of finding balance in your life.  It’s nearly impossible to be happy and / or at peace when your life is out of balance.  Today I came across an older post by Peggy Andrews over at the Career Encouragement Blog that included a [...]

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In a previous life I spent an inordinate amount of time training retrievers for field trial work.  I love training dogs.  It is both a rewarding and relaxing experience for me.  Having worked with dogs for 30 years, I know that to teach them anything you have to “shape” their behavior.  What do I mean [...]

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I remember a friend in high school who was looking for work.  He was reading the classifieds under help wanted and said, “Wow!  Here’s one that pays $8.53 an hour.”  (Note: Minimum wage at that time was about $2.00 per hour.)  He explained that the ad was for a foreman of a concrete crew.  “Qualified [...]

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I’ve watched with interest as a local business owner has run one of his former managers through the emotional and legal ringer.  It seems the manager left the company for what he considered to be a breach of his contract.  He had a non-compete agreement (which he honored) that lasted one year.  At the conclusion [...]

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