I’m sure all of you have been to weddings and other kinds of gatherings where the host for the event has the need to say a few words. Not being great public speakers, these opportunities can be very painful or at times very funny, even when the host doesn’t intend for them to be.One of my ...

When we review candidates for assignments being handled by The FECG, we try to do our dead level best to “push the envelope” on your behalf and try to find some way to visualize your credentials as fitting the assignment currently in hand. After all, you responded. It could be you are righ...

I often hear members complain about people not reading their resume carefully enough.The subject usually comes up when members have been rejected for a job or haven’t gotten a response for a job they were convinced represented a fit.Alas, the sad truth is that WE bear the burden of properl...

In 2002, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks starred in a movie about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. The basic story is that over the course of several years, Carl Hanrat...

I am often disappointed by the correspondence I receive from members, and I wonder if it is just me they treat this way, or if it is everyone in the world. I fear it is everyone in the world.Call me compulsive, call me a nitpicker (and I am admittedly both and proud of it), but there is a ...

Let’s be honest. There aren’t a lot of job postings in our evening newsletter that really are a fit for your particular background, salary and location preferences.This being the case, you would think that if you saw an opportunity in our newsletter that strongly fit your background, you w...

It is a truth in this world that we get paid the most for doing something that is at the high end of our skill set.For example, you would be willing to pay big bucks to a skilled surgeon to take out your appendix, but you would probably not be willing to let me take out your appendix at an...

Personally, I am not a big fan of art museums. Sure, there are particular “objects of art” that I find to be of interest, but I guess I find the walking around part a little tiring.For amusement during these art museum tours I try to overhear what the tour guides are saying. The at length ...

I have often wondered how actors polish their performances before the first show. With only the director and the producer in the audience it just can't be the same. Sure you are up there on stage and perhaps even in full costume, but there is no audience clapping or talking to each other t...

I have often been heard to say that your 90-second announcement is a STORY about you. It isn’t a history book. And, it doesn’t have to be detailed.In much the same way, your resume is a story about you. However, being in print, you need to keep in mind that you aren’t there to present it w...

One of the most challenging aspects of looking for a new “work opportunity” is having enough introspection to know what your special value is to a potential employer. I’m afraid that in most cases, we’re the last ones to know.When we do our 90-second announcements at our chapter meeting in...

Those of you who know me (and in particular our Administrative Assistants) know that I hate almost all abbreviations. It’s not that I don’t typically know what they mean. It is primarily that the longer version honestly doesn’t take up that much more space and looks a lot more important. I...