EDITORIALS

One of the greatest disappointments you may discover during your job search is that old friends don’t call you back.When I began my job search back in 1991 and in the years since, I have often struggled to explain this syndrome to my many friends. My purpose is not to make excuses for anyo...

It has been said that everything you really need to know, you learned in kindergarten.Several years ago, I had the great pleasure of going trick or treating with my grandson. It is one of those things you obviously can’t do at my age unless you have grandchildren living nearby, and I am so...

There was an article in The Wall Street Journal today titled: “The Best Jobs Aren’t Posted, But You Can Still Find Them”As a member of The FENG, I hope it won’t take you more than a “New York Minute” to guess how you find them.There are 3 proven ways. Wait for it … : Networking, networking...

There is this great place right at the top of each resume that I find is not generally very well used.Right after your name, address, telephone numbers and email address, there is nothing more appropriate to appear than a summary.A summary, précis, or synopsis appearing in this location ca...

I hope you will all forgive me for the rather melodramatic subject of tonight’s editorial. Now that I have encouraged you to talk, my fear is that you will talk too much.Personal selling is a grand profession. Unlike many of the products that can be sold through mass marketing, personal se...

I never cease to be amazed at the extremes job seekers go to hide. It is almost as if they would prefer NOT being selected for a job interview.Call me silly, but I make every attempt to make it easy for others to contact me. I know it isn’t the default, but I have even been known to use an...

Many of us pride ourselves on being brief. Being a financial person in part is defined as being factual and to the point. Any member of our profession who had a tendency to rattle on would be viewed as a little odd, don’t you think?Many of you may be aware of Calvin Coolidge and his reputa...

Here you are (minding your own business) interviewing for a highly desirable “work opportunity” and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a question is raised about your knowledge of a specific topic.If the issue being raised was on the position description, shame on you. I have to assume that ...

You might wonder what natural laws have to do with job search, but there is honestly a strong connection.The “mass” in this formula is you and your many talents not currently being applied to accounting and finance matters. The “acceleration” is a measure of how active you are in your job ...

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...

The published job market isn’t ever as strong as we would like it to be. That said, with 34,000+ members, I would hope we could generate more job leads for our newsletter. A few suggestions follow below.If I may paraphrase Yogi Berra, our politicians have messed up right field so bad I don...

Several years ago I read a book sent to me by one of our Associate members, Rich Guha. The title of the book was How to Get What You Most Want in Life. At 103 pages, even the busiest of our members honestly has the time to read this rare volume. I can assure you it is worth the time. If yo...

The world today is filled with more opportunities to communicate than ever before. From email at your desk station to email by smart phone, to texting, to telephone calls. Every time you reach out and touch someone, all they know about you is what you send them. As one of my friends used t...

I have written many times about the fact that when the answer is no, you don’t get much honest information.There are two approaches that are typically used. The first is what I call “The excuse you can’t cure.” If you only had a CPA, and you don’t, there isn’t much that you can say. The se...

I have to tell you that I come away from most conversations with members of The FENG considerably impressed with the wealth of talent in our organization. Perhaps it is just me, but the experience that most of our members bring to the party is truly amazing.The only problem that our member...

They say that misery loves company. I hope all of you know that this has never been what The FENG was all about.While it is true that most of us are in that vast and over crowded arena called “middle age” and that the focus of our organization is job search related, what we share as an org...

In 1969 I was drafted into the U.S. Army.It was of course a difficult time. But, my approach to life has always been to see the humor in every situation, and I must say the Army gave me many opportunities.One of the most amazing things I was given during basic training was a little device ...

It sure is a disappointment to find out you aren’t perfect.I don’t know about you, but I have always enjoyed the fact that typically the spreadsheets of my life tick and tie. I guess it goes with the territory of being a senior financial executive. Most things in our lives are measurable o...

I continue to be amazed and astounded how many emails I get every day that aren’t signed and/or that make only vague references to what they are about.“Thank you for adding Joe to our membership” isn’t really all that helpful unless I know who you are and who Joe is.I am fortunate in that ...

One thing there is a lot of in this world is advice. What makes matters worse, a lot of it is conflicting advice.Just as it is difficult to work when you have your nose to the grindstone AND your shoulder to the wheel all at the same time, one person’s advice can often be in TOTAL conflict...

It is important to understand that all job leads are not created equal. In fact, the very idea of a job lead is that something very specific is being sought. Often times the primary issues are repeated in a lead in paragraph and referred to as “must haves.” The question is often how seriou...