One of the many things I hear members comment on from time to time when they are out and about networking within our group is: “I can’t believe how talented everyone is. How can I ever expect to get a job if some of these folks are out of work?”I am not sure why I am caught off guard by th...

One of the little jokes I used to tell back at the office was how hard it was to get anything done, what with an hour coffee break in the morning, two hours for lunch, another hour coffee break in the afternoon, combined with leaving early, there just isn’t much time to get things done.In ...

I was recently reminded of one of my favored approaches to networking that I discovered in the early 90’s.(Sometime in the late-90’s I stopped calling some of the things I was doing “scams” and started calling them “approaches,” which for some reason those in polite society found more acce...

As we all blast out of here for the long Labor Day weekend, let me give you a few suggestions to make your “time off’ most productive.I hope that all of you will be sharing some good times with family and old friends. (All my friends are old, but I digress.) If you are currently unemployed...

Have you ever had someone call you up to network and actually been able to help them in some way? I have to ask. How did it make you feel? My guess is that you felt pretty good inside.Perhaps you were only able to point out a typo on their resume, or perhaps you were only able to give them...

I don’t know if all of you have noticed, but our new member announcement has a field called “Greeting to use.” It is there because I think it is important in establishing networking connections to be able to call people by the name they find most “comfortable.”As I have often said, you can...

Many years ago, my son and I were rowing out to our mooring to go sailing with my father-in-law. My son, who was probably 8 or 9 at the time, asked my father-in-law if he knew the EXACT difference between a rhinoceros and a piece of paper. After several totally wrong guesses, my son gave h...

Perhaps because we fill in so many forms during the course of our careers, it seems that as financial types we are always looking for a fill in the blank approach to just about everything.Is there a formula for 90-second announcements, I am frequently asked? Well, there are some basic guid...

Being successful at getting meetings with potential decision makers who don’t have a job right now, but who might make one for you after they meet you, is why networking is the most successful approach to finding a job. Frankly, this is how most business is really done at our level.If you ...

It has only been since about the time of the American Revolution that sailors have had the technology available to find their exact location on the face of the earth. Although determining your latitude was possible (those are the lines that run around the middle of the earth like the equat...

There are several folks who claim credit for it, but one of the things I have been heard to say from time to time that I didn’t make up is that “90% of life is just showing up.” (Okay, perhaps it is only 89%. Whatever!)As we begin the months of the so-called summer doldrums, I would ask al...

The difference between being viewed as possessing dogged persistence and being an outright pest is hard to define. Like beauty or obscenity, I guess we know it when we see it.I have had many jobs over the course of my career, some paid, some volunteer that have involved collection work.Whe...

Perhaps this is a bit of an overstatement, but I am primarily talking about networking within The FENG.As you all know, we have a Member Directory Search feature out on our website for your information and use. If you become aware of a job at a specific company, the odds of someone in The ...

I was fortunate to speak with two of our more experienced chapter chairs a while ago who each in their own way in our wide ranging conversations reminded me of the importance of networking as a lifetime activity.I suppose to a degree, networking doesn’t come naturally to us financial types...

Everyone knows a few important people who they believe will at some point be helpful to us in our search for that perfect job. The problem how to keep your name in front of them so when that perfect job comes to their attention you will be top of mind.You certainly don’t want to waste thei...

Whether you are currently working and hate your job or are currently in active search mode, the most important job you have every day is maintaining an optimistic view of the future.The stresses and strains of a job that is winding down may at times seem beyond bearable. Back in 1991 durin...

Hard to believe, but bashfulness is apparently a quite prevalent condition among our membership.Yes, these same individuals who in prior lives as bankers were cutting off lines of credit or foreclosing on hapless widows have a near terminal fear of picking up the phone and calling other me...

I know that some of you who have been at job search for a period of time may find this hard to believe, but everyone wants to help, it is just that they don’t always know how.I see it all the time at chapter meetings. Each person does their 90-second elevator speech, but rarely do they mak...

My wife is a speech pathologist by education and early work experience. One of the things that drives her crazy is one-word answers. Her approach in teaching speech has always been to ask questions that create a conversation. The only way to get the kids she was working with to improve the...

It would be great if we could all see behind us while at the same time looking forward, but it just isn’t possible. And, sometimes just looking forward is hard enough.We have all heard about the “buddy system” that swimmers use. And, of course, having someone “watch your back” is a concept...

One of the great mysteries in this world is why any two people would network. Yes, I know this sounds like heresy coming from someone who has built his entire life on networking, but it is actually a very good question, and one that members who have not been exposed to “the truth” often as...