To a worm in horseradish

To a worm in horseradish Cover Image

My Grandmother emigrated to the United States around 1914. She grew up near Kiev in what is now the Ukraine (but we were always told was Russia). A Yiddish proverb she used frequently was: To a worm in horseradish, the whole world is horseradish. (My Grandmother had a thick Russian accent,...


Aug 15, 2023

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The foundation of your career

The foundation of your career Cover Image

The urban legend out in the world is that the most recent 10 years of your career are all that anyone is interested in. True, but I think this idea is more correctly stated as “really” interested in.The primary rationale I hear for leaving off your early work history is to appear younger. ...


Apr 17, 2023

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The excuse you can't cure

The excuse you can't cure Cover Image

If you really need to get someone you are interviewing off the phone or out of your office, there is no better approach than to use what I call “The excuse you can’t cure.”In the annals of job search, there is no better tool. No one gets mad. No one screams. No one hits you. (This is espec...


Feb 07, 2023

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Maybe they won’t ask

Maybe they won’t ask Cover Image

I know it is hard to believe, but some of us good natured and hard-working financial folks actually leave companies under conditions that leave us with the possibility of less than glowing references. Perhaps we were misunderstood, or in some cases, we just got a new boss. It is also possi...


Jul 13, 2022

By Matt Bud, The FENG

When the answer is no

When the answer is no Cover Image

You finally found a company that REALLY had interest in you. And, the job actually was in your wheelhouse and financially rewarding. They interviewed you on Zoom, and then had you come into the office to meet EVERYONE.And then, BOOM. They offered the job to someone else.Let’s assume the be...


Mar 09, 2022

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Handling customer objections

Handling customer objections Cover Image

The sale of big ticket items through personal selling is never easy.When you buy a tube of toothpaste, a pack of chewing gum, or a box of #2 pencils, hopefully you don’t spend a lot of time either thinking about it, or fussing over the details. But, when it comes to buying something like a...


Jan 10, 2022

By Matt Bud, The FENG

When things get quiet

When things get quiet Cover Image

Every once in a while, things get quiet. There is no email (except for our newsletter), and there are no phone calls or Zoom meetings to attend.If you are actively looking for work, it can be a maddening experience.Instead of sitting with your hands folded on your desk, this is a good time...


Nov 22, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Questions you would rather not answer

Questions you would rather not answer Cover Image

There is nothing worse in the world of job search than to have an obvious issue in your background that is difficult to explain.I have often suggested to members that on some topics we discuss there is no right answer. When there is no good answer to something in your background, what do y...


Aug 19, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Yakking on the phone

Yakking on the phone Cover Image

Most of us CFO/Controller types find talking on the telephone one of the more difficult things we do. I believe one of the reasons is that most of our work is accomplished in written form. When we do present our work to the boss or to our peers, it is usually done face to face and to a ver...


Aug 15, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Lying is so hard

Lying is so hard Cover Image

Despite all the financial scandals that we have seen over the years, most of us financial types by our nature have a hard time lying. For the most part, it just isn’t part of our DNA.While we may be burdened with many secrets of the organization such as payroll, we get around the questions...


Aug 05, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Caught by surprise

Caught by surprise Cover Image

There is nothing worse in this world than to finally get an interview and to blow the opportunity because someone asked you a question you weren’t prepared to answer.I don’t know why some very obvious questions can take a seasoned financial professional by surprise, but they do. Perhaps we...


Aug 10, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Rejected out of hand

Rejected out of hand Cover Image

If there is one thing that is certain about us financial types, it is that we always know the answer.Ask us a question and it isn’t long before we are well into the “primarily due to’s and partially offset by’s.” Yet, this major strength of ours and important skill set is an impediment to ...


Aug 04, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The truth (as retold)

The truth (as retold) Cover Image

I know that many of our members are faced with the unpleasant truth that they have been out of work for a significant period of time. Having been out of work myself for almost two years, I know that this unpleasant question of “Why have you been out so long?” gets asked. Like anything else...


Sep 07, 2023

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The truth would probably hurt more

The truth would probably hurt more Cover Image

If only those you interviewed with were legally able to tell you the truth about why you aren’t being considered for a particular job. Unfortunately, the things they are allowed to say to you are very limited. Lawyers do really run the world.If we lived in a Jerry Seinfeld world, they woul...


Jun 03, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

When the answer is no

When the answer is no Cover Image

Over the course of our careers, as financial people, we become hard wired to never take no for an answer. When a customer claims they won’t pay an invoice, we can come up with “offers they can’t refuse.” When engaged in a debate at work about the appropriate accounting treatment of some ex...


May 24, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

A short play

A short play Cover Image

I don't know how many of you participated in school plays during your early years, but there is a lot to be said about thinking about the interviewing process as a series of scenes in a play. Of course, the only problem with this visualization is the degree to which the audience is in char...


May 12, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

All things to all people

All things to all people Cover Image

It sure is difficult to be focused. As each of us over the age of 40 looks at our career prospects for the rest of our working lives, it is all very easy to believe that we need to expand the market for our services to ensure that we can find another job. (After all, how many buggy whips a...


May 11, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The elephant sitting in the room

The elephant sitting in the room Cover Image

If you went to an interview with a broken arm, I’m pretty sure you would feel the need to explain.Honestly, sitting there with your arm in a cast, it is hard to imagine a productive discussion taking place until you tell your interviewer how it happened. Was it a skiing accident? Did you t...


May 04, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

What are your sizzle points?

What are your sizzle points? Cover Image

Very few among us are professional sales folks. It is for this reason that some of the more subtle elements of interviewing can easily go by us. When you decide to make a purchase, you often have to justify it to others. When you do, you will find yourself repeating things the salesperson ...


Apr 19, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Hi, it's me the pest

Hi, it's me the pest Cover Image

Probably one of the most difficult issues to resolve when competing for an appropriate job opportunity is how much follow up to do.It is a fine line indeed between ensuring that those making the decision know you have real interest and making a real pest of yourself and changing their deci...


Apr 07, 2021

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Effectively using the non-answer

Effectively using the non-answer Cover Image

As you mature and become over qualified for just about everything, it is inevitable that you will be interviewed for a job (of limited income or responsibility) that you would like to have, but fear that you will be deemed too old or having previously earned too much money to be “happy” in...


Mar 25, 2024

By Matt Bud, The FENG