EDITORIALS

I have at this point in my chairmanship of The FENG listened to a fairly significant number of 90-second announcements.I try to listen patiently and assess how best to help and make suggestions for improvements in the delivery of this vital communication.The time frame presents a formidabl...

The definition of networking I use is: Networking is a process by which you can create meaningful business contacts and relationships to further your career and enhance your professional life.On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most difficult, networking is a 5. Building friendships is a...

I don’t know what it is about returning emails and phone calls. I get them by the truck load and still do my best to return them all. (Sometimes it does take a few days.)Perhaps I have a high level of curiosity, but I have found that you can never tell who has contacted you or what they ha...

There was this very amusing comedy routine that I heard many years ago. During part of it, the comedian pointed out that when operating on a patient under local anesthetic, surgeons are not allowed to say “oops.” (I know what I mean when I say oops. What did he mean?)In much the same way, ...

I know we don’t mean to do it, but as financial types who come to our decisions the hard way (usually the long scenic route), we often react to information being presented to us by others in a dismissive, “oh, I knew that” manner.I suppose there was a time in my life when I actually though...

The words we use when referring to others are important in that they affect our thinking and ability to problem solve.I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but I usually refer to “members of the search community” or to “search professionals.” I sometimes refer to them as “recruiters.” A...

The world of job search can be an uncharted place.I can’t think of any activity that is so specific to one’s background, while at the same time one that we generally don’t practice a whole lot until the crisis is upon us.Over most of our careers for us stable financial types, practicing th...

I realize that on days when the newsletter thins, there is the temptation to “click and shoot” all of the remotely possible postings that appear.Please don’t.One of the core values of The FENG is that we don’t respond to postings unless we are a good fit. Very simply put, if you wouldn’t h...

I sometimes wish I didn’t publish job leads at all. I know this is shocking for someone who is sending out a newsletter full of job leads, but it is the truth.Our newsletter contains a wealth of information as do our membership directories. For those of you determined to never learn anythi...

One of the most difficult questions one is almost required to answer is why we left our last job.Being a little bit of a wise guy, my inclination is to say “They stopped paying me.” Or, in the alternate, “When they changed the locks on my office and had security escort me out to the street...

When it comes to deciding if someone is a fit for a particular position, industry experience and candidates current locations are often the first criteria that employers consider when weeding out applicants. After these first two issues appear to be satisfactory, the next point of focus is...

With the holiday season coming up fast, it is perhaps the time to repeat the simple advice that now is the time to be making phone calls and trying to schedule meetings.One of the great misunderstandings about networking is that things slow down during the holidays. Nothing could be furthe...

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...

Many years ago I spent an evening out with an old friend of mine who previously had been in the search business.He is a very special friend. We first met in 1977 when I was Business Manager for CBS College Publishing and we have been close friends ever since. Since he lived nearby, our fam...

Every once in a while I get an assignment for The FECG that draws more than its fair share of attention.I think our all time high several years ago was an assignment that drew 225 responses. However, even when you get an assignment that draws more than say 40 responses, it can get a little...

Based on the email cover notes I see, I’m not sure we have all made the transition from messages sent in envelopes to those sent by email.Personally, I have always found electronic files to be maddening, especially very highly developed Excel spreadsheets. Adopting naming conventions so th...

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...

The world is actually built on a series of personal relationships.The truth of this statement was brought home to me many times during my near decade in the Advertising business, and subsequent to that from my experiences during my job search in trying to get to know people in the Venture ...

For those of you who are new to networking and for those of you who think you know everything about networking, I thought I would take tonight’s editorial space to distinguish for you the 3 kinds of networking.The first kind of networking is identifying new networking contacts. The recomme...

It is in some ways a shame that the idea of networking has gotten itself so tightly connected to job search.One of the reasons that I call members who have found new jobs is to remind them to continue networking. Sad to say that many people allow themselves to get so absorbed in their new ...

It has often been said that I am a sensitive guy. I don’t think anyone who does what I do as a volunteer could be characterized as anything different.Still, when it comes to job search, being sensitive probably isn’t a good thing. You know the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have...