EDITORIALS

Sharing job leads is only one of many counter-intuitive ideas that those of us who have been involved in The FENG for a period of time simply accept as the truth.As I often say, some of the ideas we have developed in The FENG take a little living with before you come to understand how they...

Looking back on my visualization of middle age when I was in my youth, I must confess the picture currently is a lot different.At the ripe old age of 75, I thought I would share a few thoughts tonight in the hopes that others would be willing to share theirs. Any editorial/notes from membe...

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...

As a breed, us financial types are such a precise group of individuals. It is at once our greatest strength from a work prospective, and in the context of job search, one of our greatest failings.The fear, as I understand it, is that we might be offered some opportunity that is somehow out...

I was in Chicago several years ago and had the great pleasure of having breakfast with Brad Hughes, one of our “Founding Great Grandfathers.”According to legend (and I can say that since The FENG is over 25 years old), Brad was one of the very few folks who ALWAYS brought job leads to pass...

We don’t get as many members applying without sponsors as we used to, but we still get a few.For those who are qualified for membership, each Monday morning after I have finished my new member review for the weekend and sent out our new member announcement, Judith Rudikoff, one of our Admi...

Here in Connecticut spring has arrived and with it the beginning of the boating season. We took our boat out for the first time 2 weeks ago! Great fun.Anyway, as I begin each season, I sit myself down and remind myself of the ease with which tools are lost over the side. As you settle into...

Let’s face it, those who “move the iron” -- even the new stuff, have a difficult job. But those who sell used cars have it the worst. The phrase “like a used car salesman” is very much part of the American lexicon.It implies the worst of the sales profession. No matter what vehicle you pur...

A few years ago, I got a lovely note from one of our alumni members lamenting the fact that he rarely gets any phone calls from his fellow members requesting networking assistance. Even though he was feeling unloved, he asked me not to mention his name for fear that all of you would call h...

It is always a good idea to read your own resume. Sadly, I find that many people don’t.The typographical errors are bad enough. For example, in a batch I once reviewed for one of our assignments for The FECG, one member even had an obvious error in how he spelled his own name. (Yes, you ca...

Many, many years ago when I was in college, I had an economics professor who was a bit of a character. For a dry subject area, he had a way of making it all come alive. One of the things he said has lived with me these many years. It was:That’s all very well in practice, but how does it wo...

It is a sad state of affairs when your presumed skills become obsolete, but like the buggy whip manufacturer of old, your only choice unless you want to become extinct is to adapt.Let’s see, buggy whips are made out of leather, so a good first step would be to define yourself as a leather ...

I try to have several phone calls every week with members seeking advice about what to do about their job search.It is a good question and one not easily answered even if I know you very well. In the course of a conversation (speech is the slowest form of communication), I don’t know how m...

As all of you know, The FENG is a circle of friends, not a fee for service. In order to join, someone needs to sponsor you. That act of friendship is how everyone gets started. It is one of those dumb things I came up with at the beginning of time itself that I believe has made our network...

As all of you know, one of my passions in this world is sailing. I not only own a sailboat, but I also do a lot of reading about sailing. From time to time I read historical novels about the world of sailors in centuries past. The interesting thing is that many of the issues and concerns o...

Very few among us are professional sales folks. It is for this reason that some of the more subtle elements of interviewing can easily go by us. When you decide to make a purchase you often have to justify it to others. When you do, you will find yourself repeating things the salesperson t...

The story goes that if a frog is thrown into a pot of boiling water he will have the good sense to jump out. On the other hand, if you put a frog in cold water and slowly turn up the heat, he will boil to death. (Please don’t try this at home. I like frogs. I am sure you can verify the ver...

Taking life one step at a time is never easy. There is something about tasks undone that are just plain hard to take. Still, eating an elephant is best done one bite at a time.For those embarking on a job search, the number of things that need to be done can seem daunting. There are resume...

I don’t know how many of you are aware of it, but The FENG began its life as an organization of VERY senior financial professionals. In the beginning our original core group was over 50 and a few of those folks were even older. The idea was that senior financial professionals needed more h...

Over the many years that folks moved off the farm and the security of their local communities to the “big city,” a rather significant shift took place in American society. Please understand that I am an accountant by trade and not an historian, but I believe that 90% of all Americans lived...

Probably one of the hardest things to do during a job search is keeping yourself energized. If you are conducting your job search from home, as most people are, it can be even more difficult.The thing to recognize is that conducting a job search is in some respects painful for us financial...