I’ve been reading a book called Practically Perfect in Every Way by Jennifer Niesslen. Niesslen spent 2 years testing how much she could change by reading self-help books and following online programs.
You can read more about the book and see my review
here at the amazon website.
What bothered me most were the parts of her life […]

Yesterday I ran into someone I hadn’t seen for awhile. Call her “Eileen” and I’ll change the details.
Since I last saw her, Eileen had developed an interest in speaking. She had just heard a powerful motivational speaker. “This guy was so great,” she said. “I want to be like him. So I’m going to […]

You just won the job - congratulations! You gave notice and quit your old job. Or maybe you have been looking for a long time and you finally landed the Big One. Yaay!!!
But your new job doesn’t start for another 3 weeks. What do you do?
First, be sure you have a written offer.
Don’t be […]

As an ardent fan of WNBA basketball, I already reserved seats for the playoffs. Our team, the Seattle Storm, faces off against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday.
Seattle’s popular point guard, Sue Bird, is good friends with Phoenix’s phenom, Diana Taurasi. Off the court, they were college teammates, roommates, and very close friends. Now they face […]

I don’t know about you, but my computer sometimes sends off misleading messages. “File not found” may mean “need to restart and free up more memory.”
And companies also send off misleading signals. After awhile, I don’t even notice the messages I’m getting…I automatically make the correction without reading the warning.
Companies do this too. […]

Ah…first day of a new job! I’m enjoying the moment vicariously as two of my neighbors start new jobs. One started a job yesterday, a big promotion and raise that reflects her education and experience.
Another starts right after Labor Day, a new field following her return to school for a graduate degree.
I have […]

Good leaders are supposed to be compassionate, modest and always cordial. But, says Stanford University Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, these qualities won’t help you reach the top.
In a fascinating essay, published in his new book What Were They Thinking, Pfeffer describes the skyrocket career of one Keith Ferazzi. Ferazzi didn’t just do the work and wait […]

“On paper, my experience doesn’t look great. As a project manager, I organize vendors and keep costs down. But in fact everybody wants me to run their projects! Even customers ask for me. Now I’m ready to embark on a job search. How can I communicate my value to a future employer?”
Three ways: […]

Typically your cover letter should respond to an ad or job description point by point.
For example, the want ad says: 15 years of experience in marketing managementDemonstrated success in dealing with advertising agenciesTeam player
You go down this list, point by point. Paragraph 1 refers to your 15 years in marketing management. Paragraphs 2 begins, […]

When you’ve had a series of jobs in different fields (or using different skill sets), forget trying to find the one that’s the Real You.
(1) Create a good story (or “spin” as journalists say.
Practice a cover story till that you can repeat in 5 minutes or less.
(2) Think of your career as an artful mosaic, […]