Tag Archives: Managing Your Career

What Should I Include?

May 21, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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“I’m confused. What’s more important to include in a resume: an objective or a summary? Is it better to include references or say they’re available upon request? Is it smarter to name prominent people (I know a few) as my references or list people who really know me? It is wiser to include all my years of experience or just my best years?” No wonder you’re confused, you’re all options and no answers. Let’s sort Continue reading →

I Can’t Leave — Part 2

May 5, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Last week’s column focused on an unhappy, conflicted employee who feels unappreciated and undervalued. She wants to quit her current job, hoping to get more of what she needs somewhere else and she’s afraid that if she leaves, she won’t succeed. She dislikes being invisible even as she stands in the shadows. She wants more pay and promotions yet is satisfied with a no-risk job in a low risk setting because it allows her to “not Continue reading →

Focus on What Works

February 5, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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When preparing for interviews, focus on what works: Research works. Going on line, reviewing web sites, learning content, outlining questions, works. Reading business news and trade papers, learning who’s expanding and consolidating, hiring and firing, competing and winning or falling behind are essential need-to know because research works. Practice works. Field questions from anyone willing to help. Answer questions that come out of left field. Answer out loud, from your head and your gut, and Continue reading →

She’s the Best

January 15, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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Want to be the best at what you do? “She’s the best boss I’ve had because she’s as open-minded as she is clear about expectations. I always know where I stand with her because she’s willing to tell me the truth in ways that I understand. She’s never hurtful, always constructive, and trusts my ability to learn and grow on the job.” “He’s the best manager I’ve had because he keeps us informed and encourages Continue reading →

More Q&A

December 25, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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Q: What’s the best way to answer the “tell me about yourself” question? Should I start with where I’m from? Where I went to school? Or what my work experience has been? A: Answer with how you can make a difference to the employer who’s sitting in front of you. . That’s what she wants to know. If she wants something more or something else she’ll promptly say so. Q: I get the feeling that Continue reading →

Questions from Readers

December 18, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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Thanks for your calls, emails, and the questions you’re asking. Here are a few examples: Q: I have a question about my resume. I’ve worked for many companies, held both hourly and salaried positions, volunteered for countless committees, and traveled to every state in the US. Because I’ve accomplished so much I can’t possibly include it all in a two- page resume. I figure it’ll take about five pages if I use small type. How Continue reading →

The Sky is Not Falling

December 11, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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You’re rocking along, loving life, your job, your co-workers and ka-bam, you read the morning paper and find out your company’s been sold to a competitor. You bolt from the house, hair on fire, tear into work, the place is spinning, phones are ringing, rumors flying, and the sky is falling. After frantically searching for someone who ought to know you corner your boss who tells you, eyes averted, (long pause)… don’t worry. Yes! Momentary reprieve. I’m safe. Continue reading →

You Get to Decide

December 4, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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“I love this company. The people are great and I really like what I do. Everyone is friendly, smart, and considerate. And I’m worried sick. Why? I think our jobs are going to be outsourced and no one’s going to tell us until the day the doors close.” What are your options? “I don’t have any because it hasn’t happened yet, so I can’t do anything. I’m sure something bad is around the corner and Continue reading →

The Checklist

November 26, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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Whether you’re looking for a job or just thinking about it, you have work to do before you head out to your first interview. Here’s a quick list of gotta-do’s before you get going: Self-assessment: This is your starting point. You need to clarify what you do well and enjoy doing before you start interviewing. Validate your perspective with those who know and can assess your performance. If they give you a thumbs-up, ask them Continue reading →

Asking Questions

November 7, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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Successful job applicants know how to ask good questions. Good questions let interviewers know that you’re curious; you’ve done your homework; you’re listening to what they’re telling you; and you want to find as good a match as they do. Good questions focus on the future and explore ways that applicants can contribute to the company’s goals and objectives. Good questions keep the discussion energized and positive. Bad questions sound critical, cynical, confrontational, and close-ended. Continue reading →

Work the Hardest

October 31, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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If you’d like to improve your working life with a job that’s a good match to your skills, abilities, and temperament but the thought of interviewing has you stuck in neutral, work hardest on what you fear most: If you don’t how to respond to open ended questions, get a list of them and get to work on your responses. Get them so grooved that you can’t wait for a chance to answer them, in Continue reading →

Imagine Your Interview

September 4, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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I just got your message marked urgent. You have an interview tomorrow morning; you want to know what to do; and you want to know it now. For starters, relax. You’re so uptight you’re likely to shut down the interview along with the interviewer. Go for a walk, jog, or swim and think about how you want to be on that interview. Image your calm, cool, and collected self driving to the meeting, knowing where Continue reading →

Travel and Job Seeking

June 20, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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What does job search and foreign travel have in common? Having recently returned from a business trip abroad, I’m not only brimming with fresh perspective and chock full of new learning, I see connections I’d earlier have missed. The learning: Airline personnel, flight cancellations, impatient travelers. When the few are assigned the work of the many and there’s a critical intersection of the few, complicated by a critical interruption of the many, chaos reigns.  The Continue reading →

Three People

June 20, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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Three people, three challenges. The names aren’t theirs, but the stories are. And many of you share them. Daniel doesn’t know how to describe his career dilemma other than to say he is, “… lost, clueless, and stuck. I can’t get started because I don’t know where I want to go. I don’t want to interview because I know I’m flat. I’ve been told I act like I don’t care if I get the job.  Continue reading →

Selling Yourself Like a House

June 5, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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If you were getting ready to selling your home, and to buy one, instead of leaving a job and looking for onea job, I bet you’d do whatever you could , that was affordable and within reason., to be successful. If you were buying a home, you’d do the same. You’d begin wby doing a ith a full house inspection, eyeballing the interior and exterior of your space to figure out what works and what Continue reading →

Don’t Write Letters

March 27, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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Three employees are headed toward what’s next and appear to be having some trouble leaving behind what was. They’re stuck at a prickly juncture on route to an unfamiliar place. Each wants to even a score: “I was recently let go from my job and I’m still reeling from the experience. I feel like I was set up to fail. I want to write a letter to the plant manager letting him know just what Continue reading →

Loyalty on the Front Line

December 6, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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It wasn’t that long ago that business hired receptionists and clerical staff  to answer phones, set appointments, do some billing and, generally speaking, manage the public. They wanted these folks to be warm, friendly, helpful, and have a good work ethic. Now those jobs are called “front line” and they come with a warning: “be careful out there”. Companies still want their employees to meet, greet, and serve the public in ways that are inviting Continue reading →

Frustrated at the Crossroads

September 20, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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Frustrated folks are stuck at the crossroads of  Many Possibilities. They’re torn between their parent’s dreams and their own fantasies.The strongest sentiment they express is, “what if I choose the wrong path? I don’t want to commit myself to the wrong future.” With that fear firmly in place, they remain stuck. They prefer the angst of indecision to the requisite of choice. What they are missing is a realization that reasonable people, with benefit of Continue reading →

Guide for Boomerang Parents Receives Review

September 6, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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The slow to no-growth economy and high unemployment rates have kids of all ages returning to their parents’ homes as they transition from college to work or from lost job to new job. Co-authors Joyce Richman and Barbara Demarest have been getting some attention for their guidebook, Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job, which they wrote to help parents deal with these times of transition in their children’s lives. Steve Continue reading → Continue reading →

Question from a reader: Left after layoffs

August 30, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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Q: “I like what I do but after three years and living through three downsizings I still don’t feel like I fit in or belong here. My prior experience and the way I carry myself professionally have made me unpopular. Being popular is not my goal but I feel like I’m not able to contribute fully when I feel so isolated. Help! My work life is becoming the pits.” A: This reader describes several concerns at Continue reading →