In a sense, a sailboat isn’t a complicated machine. Compared with other means of transportation such as cars or planes, there really isn’t much to a sailboat. Sails are pretty simple, and if you are like me, you don’t use the motor if you can avoid it. (We only burned 50 gallons of diesel ...

I’m not sure if any of us really want to adapt to changing world conditions in true Darwinian fashion. That would require that only those of us with appropriate features survive to create the next generation.As human beings, we have the unique ability to adapt who we are and what we are to...

One of my favorite “sayings from the Chairman” is: I try to make things so easy that anyone can do it. That way if I try hard, I can too!KISS or “keep it simple stupid” is one of the most often violated principles of job search and part of the reason that we fail to communicate our true va...

Over the course of any given week I have the great honor of reviewing sometimes as many as 100 resumes. Honestly, no one should be allowed to have this much fun.As I page through the many approaches to presenting one’s credentials, I am frequently dismayed by the way that some of the most ...

I don’t know if all of you are familiar with the concept of a New York minute, but for all intents and purposes it is generally accepted to be a micro second. For your further edification, a Google search turned up the following:New York Minute: A New York minute is an instant. Or as Johnn...

There is no greater challenge in this world than summing yourself up in 90 seconds or writing a proper summary for your resume.As many of you know, I was CFO of an advertising agency in the 1980’s. Initially, I used to wonder why the creative folks got paid so well. As I got more and more ...

I have written on many occasions about how to structure your resume. I have also written about bringing your resume through stages of development. Like any selling document it is essential that you keep it growing and fresh.Going through the birth pangs of building your resume can often fe...

One of the little recognized facts about interviewing is that the most important part of what you are trying to accomplish in an interview is to make a personal connection with the interviewer.With all of the executive talent floating around these days, starting with the 34,000+ members of...

No one ever said it would be easy. And, when it comes to finding a job after the age of 40, it can easily become a demoralizing situation. For those who are even older, like in our 50’s or 60’s, it can be extremely difficult.Let me start you out with the idea that you are no longer the lea...

Every once in a while, The Wall Street Journal publishes a cartoon worthy of discussion.Many years ago, the “Pepper … And Salt” cartoon showed a job seeker, obviously older, explaining his credentials to the interviewer with the following words: “Don’t think of me as a 54-year-old job appl...

America is a great place, isn’t it? Everything is always someone else’s fault. I guess this is why Americans are so quick to sue. After all, we can’t take the blame for that which has happened to us. There were significant mitigating factors. Primarily due to, partially offset by. I’m sure...

One of the problems with being a senior financial executive is that we have all the answers.We have, for good or bad, “been there and done that.” Frankly, it is hard to conceal that knowledge and experience in an interview.Call it “overqualified” or whatever name you like, but it is diffic...

I sometimes get the feeling from the format of emails I get and the strange formatting of resumes I see that there are those who believe computers are just a passing phase in our society.I don’t know how to break this to those of you who have been reluctant to “get with the program,” one o...

The title of this editorial is actually: “The consummate professional in an electronic world,” but I thought that was a little long.As senior financial professionals, we tend to stay in our jobs a long time. Up until I was 46, I only had 3 jobs. Who you are and what you are tends to be kno...

Should I ever retire to do stand up comedy, I can assure you that I have more than enough material to keep any audience in stitches for hours.As Chairman of The FENG for the past 26 years, I have to tell you that I always thought that things would improve, but now I know (sadly) that they ...

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 ...

I am fast coming to the conclusion that most people don’t understand the purpose of a cover letter. Either that or I am greatly confused.My little window on the world is The FECG, the consulting practice that I share with Bruce Lynn. With any luck, a few times a month, alumni members of Th...

One of my favorite commercials of all time was Verizon’s cell phone commercial. I actually didn’t like it, but because it is so well known I use it as a point of humor when talking to those I call and who call me when their cell phone connection fades in and out.Honestly folks, if you have...

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...

One of the very nicest parts of the holiday season is getting greeting cards, both email and physical, from the many people that I know.The good ones are filled with newsy information about what the sender has been doing for the past 12 months and perhaps what their plans are for the year ...