Career Help

I’ve developed a simple measurement to help rate your job and suggest a benchmark that will tell you when it’s time to look for a new position. All you need to do is sum your ratings to four questions. The results can range from 4 to 12. My impression is that most people will rate Continue Reading →

Every CEO has his/her elephants:  big, powerful and dangerous, especially when they’re charging at you. To survive, let alone be effective, executives need to determine: Who are the elephants? Here’s a 4-step “elephant test,” which generally signifies something that “is hard to describe, but instantly recognizable when spotted,” according to Wikipedia. Step 1.  Look at the organization chart Continue Reading →

I’m quoting a friend who recently was in the hospital for several days. He was poked, prodded and drained of bodily fluids, which eventually provided the positive lab results necessary to get him discharged. He also admits that he may not have been the best patient who the nurses ever cared for. His story reminded Continue Reading →

You can apply the Five Ps of Marketing: Product, Place, Price, Promotion and Persona (which is my personal addition) to your job search since you’re basically marketing yourself when in job search mode. Product: How do you prove that your functional skills match the job specifications? You need to prove that you can do the exact Continue Reading →

Here’s a short piece of advice to create an enjoyable as well as productive success: See your “connector friends” in December. Let’s look at the key words: Enjoyable: Gratifying, satisfying, pleasurable. Productive: Find a link to a desirable employer or client. Success: Deepening your relationships and staying top of mind with the objective of receiving Continue Reading →

For the first time in my career, I used F.U.D. (Fear/Uncertainty/Doubt & Dread) marketing for a local election that was very important to my small town of Saratoga Springs, NY. Last week, I learned that we had won big, taking 23 of 25 voting districts. I want to pass on a few marketing lessons I Continue Reading →

(This content was originally posted on MENGonline.) I read a great quote from Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin in an old Fortune article: “About 70% try to work on the core efforts of the company… about 20% goes to adjacent areas and expansion, and for the 10%, anything goes.” Google has been using this resource management technique for several years, as Continue Reading →

(This content was originally posted on MENGonline.)  Looking for a job today requires having a “job magnet” for both inbound and outbound marketing. A job magnet helps: Someone find you with a job or project that fits your skills, and You make a strong connection with the recruiter and hiring executive. Here are three questions Continue Reading →

Whether you’re watching Freddy Krueger or an Alfred Hitchcock movie, there’s a typical 4-step approach that filmmakers take to scaring you half to death: Life is good (the sun is shining) Tension builds (can’t you hear the music?) Tension reduces (your stomach muscles just about fully relax) Disaster quickly strikes (you scream) There’s nothing wrong Continue Reading →

(This blog was originally posted on MENGonline and repeats advice Richard has been giving a friend who got fired last week and has started her job search.) 1.  Spend Three Hours Asking Yourself Why the Last Job(s) Didn’t Work Start with “them.” For the first hour, feel free to put all of the blame on Continue Reading →