EDITORIALS

A few times each month I get a good news announcement from one of our members that begins with: “Please stop the newsletter, I am starting a new job on Monday.”It is at these times I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Starting a new job on Monday and already this individual is ready to di...

Although you wouldn’t know it from the influence it had on his thinking, one of the little known facts is that Charles Darwin actually didn’t spend all that much time in the Galapagos Islands.The Galapagos Islands cover a rectangle of about 125 miles from North to South and about 175 miles...

One of the more difficult aspects of job search is the need to “play a role” that is not necessarily in keeping with our mental picture of ourselves.The question of “Who am I anyway?” comes up on a daily basis. If we are no longer employed or even if we are, the position description or the...

No matter what the crisis, it is a natural human instinct to try to put your life back together again.When it comes to the end of a long job search, the instinct is no different. Understand that you have been in crisis. And, the crisis probably didn’t begin at the exact moment you lost you...

One of those things about being on a boat that isn’t well understood by those of you who spend most of your time on dry land is what I call the sploosh syndrome. As a backyard mechanic, I have dropped nuts and bolts on the ground from time to time while working on my car, and though they m...

One of the worst and rudest questions any job seeker is asked is what the minimum salary is that they would accept.Although there is a file out on our website filled with tough interview questions, this one ranks up at the top of ones I would avoid answering directly at all costs. Hard to ...

You finally found a company that REALLY had interest in you. And, the job actually was in your wheelhouse and financially rewarding. They interviewed you on Zoom, and then had you come into the office to meet EVERYONE.And then, BOOM. They offered the job to someone else.Let’s assume the be...

The story goes that my grandmother had a marble statue. When it came time to break up housekeeping she decided that this was something she would sell. She thought it would be a good idea to clean it up a bit, but in the process managed to knock off one of the fingers on the hand of the mai...

In one of my recent editorials I “beat the drum” about being overly specific on your resume. Generally speaking, one must be very careful about the use of “jargon” on a resume. Arcane and sometimes what we assume are well known computer programs like SAP are not so well known by those read...

As I mention from time to time, The FENG is a NETWORKING group. It isn’t a job board.Just as Kermit the Frog found out that it isn’t easy being green, no one ever said it was going to be easy being a member of The FENG.Membership in our little society comes with a price. Sure, your cash co...

If job search is one thing, it is stressful. The uncertainty, the very idea that others are sitting in judgment on your credentials without you there to defend yourself, can all work to cause you to over react to situations.My first job out of the Army in 1971 was in retailing at B. Altman...

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 generally...

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...

The snow storm that hit Connecticut this past week is to a degree, long forgotten. Except for a few odd places, there isn’t even any snow on the ground.It was all very exciting, at the time, but one thing I would share with you is that I never go out on the first day of a big storm. (And, ...

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...

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...

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