Recently I saw a piece of dangerous career advice. “Interview over? Rejected? Ask the company for feedback so you can learn from your mistakes.” Why is this advice dangerous? (a) Companies conscious of their brands, will be “constructive. ” They can’t afford to be critical and direct. They have to be careful to avoid getting sued. (b) Companies […]
Career Advice and Opinions
Finding your own beliefs
If you’re reading anything in the self-help, motivation or even business genre, you’ve probably heard that your beliefs will limit your success. Hold on to negative beliefs and now you’re doomed. I’ve always had trouble with that idea because some negative beliefs are accurate. Yes, Virginia, there IS discrimination based on age, sex, race, religion, gender orientation, […]
Finding Balance
When people begin to investigate career change, often they don’t want a new career at all. They love their career — but they also want time for creating a life outside work. As a lifetime leisure-seeker, I’ve created ten tips to help you get started on the quest for “more time in your life — […]
Seven tips to deal with a negative performance review (and ace the next one)
Q. “I wasn’t happy with my last performance review. Should I dispute the review? Write a letter for my file? Talk to a lawyer? Or just let it go?” A. Most professionals feel you should offer some kind of response. But whether to respond, and the way to respond, will depend on your company’s culture, […]
Career Strategy: When you win by walking away
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Maybe you’ve heard this line before. I disagree. Sometimes winners are the ones who walk away. Thinking of leaving a program, course, job or career? Here are some ways to frame the decision. (1) Are you a misfit? Example: Carly Fiorina quit law school for a secretarial job […]
Career strategy: Change of boss means change of job?
Last week I was chatting with a colleague about the topic of changing bosses. During my own career, I’ve had the experience of getting hired by “Paul” only to arrive and find “Jim” in charge. It’s rarely easy. I wasn’t alone. In her wonderful (but sadly out of print) book, Thursdays Till 9, advertising superstar […]