EDITORIALS

The FENG, as our name implies, is a networking group. I know some of you may be fooled from time to time by the fact that we publish job leads, but please don’t be confused.The sharing of job leads is an act of friendship, plain and simple. As much as we make every attempt to make the job ...

When it comes to writing, there is no more powerful tool than a sharp pencil.I long ago declared war on unnecessary words. Why? Because they are unnecessary.The normal space allotment for a resume is two pages. Okay, if you have to go to three, I might be able to live with it, but generall...

It is an old saw that “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”Although I write about email from time to time, it hasn’t really improved what I am getting from all of you, but I know change comes slowly to us financial types. In an effort to bring the point home a li...

It has been a few weeks now since Connecticut was hit with a significant snowstorm. And today it was very warm. There is hardly any snow left now, except where it was piled up.It's all very exciting when a big storm hits. But one thing I would share with you is that I never go out on the f...

There is, of course, the old saw that free advice is worth what you paid for it. That said, it has been my experience that some of the advice I have paid for over the years was worth less and in some cases was worthless. (Notice the interesting play on words.)I think the operative expressi...

One of the very lovely things we do in our family is spend several days each summer at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. And, if luck is on my side, we get to be there on the 4th of July when the excitement is palpable.What is unusual about this museum is that it is a livin...

More and more when I talk to members considering job opportunities, the question comes up about how to choose between two similar situations.Of course, any two situations are never totally similar. There are always obvious differences in responsibilities, titles and compensation. And, if o...

There was a very silly movie that came out many years ago with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts called “The Mexican.” The most memorable scene if you recall the advertising for the movie has Julia Roberts standing on a balcony throwing Brad’s clothes at him and screaming “It’s always about you!...

I’m not sure if all of you are aware of it, but The FENG is driven off of the ONE database we maintain of your directory listings. Our RSVP system and The FENG Member Discussion board all derive their usefulness from being driven off this primary source of information and never have to be ...

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 29 years, I have to tell you that I always thought that things would improve, but now I know (sadly) that they ...

For those members who are looking for a job just like the one they had, it may be time to take a good hard look around and see if this is a practical problem.Like the buggy whip manufacturers of old, some jobs and some industries are just not coming back.If you are in one of the hard struc...

We have now almost completed five full years of non-stop Zoom. I hope all of you are having as much fun as I am.Yes, it was so nice back in the “old days” meeting people for coffee or lunch. One of my big fears after COVID-19 ended was that I had forgotten how to tie a double Windsor. Did ...

If asked, I would be the first person to suggest that posted job leads are not where you need to focus your energies. That said, anytime you do respond to one, it pays to take a few minutes and actually read the posting and see what the requirements are.No, I am not talking about the job r...

I hope that none of you still believe in the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus.In much the same way, I hope that all of you are smart enough to know that there is no job board with an exclusive list of job leads. And anyone trying to sell you job leads should be viewed with suspicion. If you thin...

For those of you who remember the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, there was a memorable scene where Butch and Sundance were cornered on the edge of a cliff and the only way out was to jump into a river and float away. As you may recall, Sundance was reluctant to jump, and only wi...

Many years ago I had to buy my son a car to get to school. So, we went down to the local used car lot and I spotted a Ford Escort. It was kind of cute. If memory serves, it was black and it was a stick shift.Having grown up poor, I wasn’t new to buying a used car. I opened up the hood and ...

In the accounting mindset, there is only one answer. The books either balance or they don’t balance. I guess this is what I have always found so satisfying about our craft. Ah, the symmetry of it all!Artists as well as other creative types on the other hand seem to have a problem with this...

It can be very frustrating to be told that you were number two. It gives you the feeling that if you had only done something different, presented something in a different way, (worn matching socks) the job might have been yours. If it happens to you more than once, it kind of makes you fee...

I have observed over my life that most of the people identified as experts are wrong a very high percentage of the time. In much the same way that a clock that has stopped is right twice a day, some acknowledged experts are identified by the media as geniuses only because they inadvertentl...

Sad to say, a lie is a lie is a lie. Some would also argue that the withholding of important information is also a lie. I believe this to be the truth, and you probably do too.One would have to wonder then why those of us of the accounting profession who pride ourselves on “no surprises” a...

I’m sure some of you have been seriously considered for jobs that paid less than you were previously earning. As an experienced sailor would tell you, any port in a storm.Unfortunately, there is always a bit of disbelief coming from across the table that ANYONE would work for less than the...