With the number of folks competing for every available job these days, it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to “cheat” in some way to create a competitive advantage for yourself. The sad truth is that most of the approaches I see on a daily basis do exactly the opposite.The tradition...

The subject of tonight’s editorial is “Your many hidden talents and the ones you are developing.”I talked to one of our active members recently and the thought occurred to me that all of you are probably developing skills and not even aware of it! Life does have a way of sneaking up on you...

A jack of all trades, a master of none.In the world of CFO’s, Controllers and Treasurers, the primary skill sets of members of The FENG, it is certainly true that we can probably do anything. Still, at this stage of our careers the likelihood of anyone considering us to do “anything” is re...

Probably one of the hardest things to do in life is to define who you are. Are you really your resume?Because we tend to be at companies longer than the members of other discipline areas, the reality of what it is we REALLY do best is not always obvious to us.A very long time ago when one ...

I once worked for a division president who wouldn’t hire anyone who didn’t have a hobby. His theory was that your brain couldn’t be active and productive if you didn’t have something to think about other than work.While he admired those with “fire in their belly,” he was a man with hobbies...

One of the gag gifts that my wife got once was a “Stress Busters” calendar. Since she couldn’t find a place for it on her desk at work, she gave it to me. (I suppose it was one step away from the garbage pail.)Since I got it after the start of the year, I was able to fast forward through s...

It’s very easy in these difficult and unusual times to feel that there is nothing you can do. With the constant barrage of the 24/7 news cycle, it is also very easy to believe that what is going on is never going to end. Well, it may never end. Be that as it may, while we are waiting for i...

I hope tonight’s newsletter finds all of you in good health and good spirits. It is vitally important during this national crisis to not be “deer in the headlights.” There are things that all of us can do. Some for ourselves and some for others. As you all know, I spend several hours every...

Although we are frequently willing to accept lower salaries and/or lesser responsibilities, the greater challenge is convincing the world at large of our willingness and overcoming their resistance.What we see as age discrimination, they see as just plain common sense in screening candidat...

One of the many things I am always surprised about is the degree to which most members of The FENG generalize their very specific talents.I assume that this approach is their attempt to broaden their background and make it appear more appealing to a larger audience. While it is always requ...

Although we are all familiar with the above expression, I am not sure if everyone understands the importance of this idea to his or her search and how to get to where you need to be.The “big show” is of course an interview. When you finally get yourself in front of a hiring manager all asp...

Almost all of the resumes I see are from members or new member applicants. In any given week, I go through a batch of 40-50 resumes.What is surprising is how much trouble some folks go to disguising their seniority and great skills.It is my belief and I hope to make it yours as well, that ...

Perhaps it is because I have been a Chief Financial Officer that I find financial folks of all types to be interesting people. The rest of the world may disagree, but who cares?As a “breed” we tend to be individuals of high integrity, and generally personable and well spoken. By well spoke...

I assume that almost all of you have a LinkedIn account. I don’t know how each of you use it, but in addition to looking up your fellow members using our Member Directory Search feature, I strongly recommend that you check LinkedIn prior to connecting with just about everyone.If nothing el...

Although I must admit that I no longer use #2 pencils, I am still greatly addicted to using that ancient device called a phone. (Although I do lean more and more towards Zoom these days.)If you’re not sure what that is, it has a keyboard that looks a lot like a 10 key pad, but the number 1...

Let’s start with the fact that she weighs about 22,000+ lbs., and instead of being on dry land with wheels in firm contact with asphalt, it is more like driving a car on glare ice, only harder.I have been heard to say that there are only two difficult times when you are sailing – leaving t...

A long time ago I got into a discussion with another captain about the wisdom of setting two anchors.It may sound silly, since I am known on board my sailboat as Captain Safety, but I have never set two anchors. And, even though I have read a lot about it over the years, in most cases I do...

This is probably just a lucky guess on my part, but I have the very real sense that the high technology tools we have to conduct a job search are here to stay. (To quote Larry King, “High technology, what will they think of next?”)Friends, Al Gore invented the Internet a long time ago. And...

When asked how your job search is going or your job, the best answer is “unbelievable.”Unbelievable can of course mean in reality good or bad. If things are really really bad, they are certainly unbelievable. And if you are pinching yourself to make sure you are awake, they could also be u...

The changes that have taken place in the past 25 years in our ability to communicate are truly remarkable.What with personal computers, email, cell phones, texting, voice mail, iPads and iPhones you can use just about from anywhere and now Zoom, you would think that those of us engaged in ...

Life is made up of a lot of endless details. And, as financial people, the endless details are where we shine.I have said from time to time that eating an elephant is best done one bite at a time. (Mustard would probably also be a good idea.) Most tasks, no matter how enormous they may see...