The Choice to Balance

July 1, 2015 by Joyce Richman
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Balance. Who cares and what does it have to do with your job search? Several clients have called, wanting to figure it out. The call for balance used to be the province of women in the workplace.  “I’m expected to do it all”, some whispered. “I expect to do it all”, others proclaimed. And it still falls to many a woman with spouse, child, or children, to be the point person in charge of cleaning Continue reading →

What Do I Want to Do When I Grow Up?

May 30, 2015 by Joyce Richman
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Got a few hundred minutes? I hope so, because it’s going to take time to follow today’s advice.  Instead of focusing on job search tactics, like interviewing and networking, let’s hone in on the bigger issues, like What do I want to do when I grow up?           If you are a grownup and are still asking this question, whatever job you’ve been doing hasn’t been very satisfying. Hmmm. Not satisfying. Some folks say if Continue reading →

Email Etiquette – Don’t Rankle Your Reader

May 30, 2015 by Joyce Richman
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Email may not be the best communication alternative, but it’s the one most businesses use. Given that reality, you can probably improve how you say what you want to say. For example, if you end an email with your lead instead of starting with one, you’ve lost your reader. If you start with a strong lead but don’t back it up, you might not be taken seriously. If you make too many points and bury Continue reading →

Forward Focus After a Layoff

April 6, 2015 by Joyce Richman
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At last, I know what I want to be when I grow up. That’s great. How old are you? I’m forty-seven and I’ve spent the last twenty-five years doing what I learned to do and what I was told to do, but that’s not working for me anymore. What caused you to rethink your direction? A lay- off.  I’d been looking for work for the last year. The longer I looked the more I realized Continue reading →

Focus on Common Ground

April 6, 2015 by Joyce Richman
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More people are terminated because of interpersonal insensitivity than job incompetence. Better said, at a time when everyone who has a job wants to keep it, mind your manners. Think before you speak. Words have meaning well beyond what you intend when you say them.  Words live on beyond apology; your belated ‘what I really meant to say”, your attempt to diffuse the sting by telling the one stung, ‘you’re just too sensitive”, doesn’t undo Continue reading →

Back to Basics: Resumes, References and Networking

April 6, 2015 by Joyce Richman
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Many job seekers start the hunt with a positive sense of urgency. You do all the right things, in the right order, and when weeks turn into months and nothing happens, you lose your way along with your energy.  If you’re bumping, slumping, and sputtering, it’s time to get back to basics. Resume: The longer it takes to find a job, the more you’re apt to tinker with your resume. If you’re trying to be Continue reading →

Q&A: More Tips for Getting Hired

September 16, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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I’ve received so many requests for more of the “most common mistakes made by job seekers”, I thought I’d better throw a few more your way.  Here goes: You commit the granddaddy of all job hunting errors when you take yourself out of the running by time wasting, over-thinking, and under-selling. You waste time when you spend all your time planning your search and expend no time implementing it.  (These are the folks who spend Continue reading →

Feeling Unglued by Gremlins?

August 5, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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Are you feeling a little unglued? If you’ve been looking for a job and you can’t find your car keys, you may have a few gremlins messing with your mind. Let’s take a look at what they’re up to and what you can do about them. The Fear gremlin can keep you stuck to the place you’re standing, particularly if you haven’t had much experience job hunting. The Anger gremlin can fight your desire to Continue reading →

What Does Work Life Balance Mean to You?

July 29, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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If you want to survive in today’s marketplace you have to balance self awareness with the needs of others:  if you make it all about you, you’ll miss what is impacting your customers, suppliers, co-workers and employers.  If you make it all about them, at the expense of your personal or professional well being, they may be better served but you won’t have the emotional energy to sustain those essential relationships. Work life balance has Continue reading →

Separate “Can’t” From “Can”

July 1, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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If you want to start moving forward you need to stop going backward. If you want to say ‘yes’, stop saying ‘no’. If you want out of the box thinking, talk to people who neither live nor work in a box. If you want to increase your optimism, talk with people who find solutions to problems instead of finding problems with solutions. If you want to have answers you need to ask questions. If you Continue reading →

Plan Your Retirement

June 24, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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I can’t wait to retire so I can sleep in when I want  and go to bed when I’m good and ready. I want to get together with friends, stay out late and not worry about hauling myself into work in the morning. I want to do what I want, when I want, where I want, without someone telling me I can’t or I shouldn’t. As much as retirement may call out to you, like Continue reading →

Are You Sitting at an Intersection or at a Dead-end?

May 13, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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It’s times like these, when your job goes away and you haven’t a clue if it will ever come back, that you question your career choice and the direction it’s taking.  Are you sitting at an intersection or at a dead-end? Are you in the driver’s seat or are sitting on the side of the road? You’re at a dead-end if your job and the skill sets required to perform it are replaced by technology.  Continue reading →

Dealing With “Youngsters” (a.k.a. Your Manager)

April 22, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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“How do I deal with the fact that I’m smarter and more capable than the person hiring me?  This kid with a name tag that says, “Manager” probably has a fraction of my life experience, little to no work experience, looks like a nerd, dresses like a bum, and has the audacity to tell me that I’m not qualified!” With that attitude, don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with that person again and if Continue reading →

Adjust Your Compass

March 18, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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If your optimism has taken a few hits lately, don’t let it show when you’re networking and interviewing, on the phone or in person. Like it or not, you’re measured by what you say and how you say it. If you’re clear and concise, positive and proactive, your listener will be interested in hearing more about what you’ve done and how you’ve done it.  Your attitude will either help you overcome obstacles or will create Continue reading →

High Potentials: Balance and Burnout

March 4, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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I just got a great performance review but I am a little confused. My boss gave me very high marks on focus, drive, and results but said he was concerned for me. He said that although I have great potential, a strong desire to achieve, and he’d like to promote me, I was in danger of burning out. He told me I needed to get balance in my life if I wanted to be considered Continue reading →

Reinvent, Refresh, and Reinvest Yourself

February 25, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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I visited with an old friend the other day, someone I hadn’t seen in a long while. What struck me, aside from the joy of catching up, was how wonderful she looks, how upbeat she is, and how easily she laughs. Despite her share of personal and professional challenges she moves through life with spirit and grace. She’s not about yesterday, she’s about tomorrow. Her demeanor, sparkle, and interest in possibilities provide the inspiration for Continue reading →

Watch Your Body Language – Others Are!

February 11, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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Body language has power of its own. The more aware you are of what that looks like, the better an interviewer and applicant you’ll be. Here are examples of the unintended consequences of body language. “The interviewer had no feedback. No smile, no frown, no affect, no small talk. I could have been a stack of books or a coat rack. It was discourteous and insensitive.  It turned me off to the job and the Continue reading →

Resolutions

January 14, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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If December is the time to be jolly, now is the time to be earnest.  With the start of the New Year comes the opportunity to set goals and plan strategies that turn aspirations into reality. If you’re ready to get serious, join me in resolving to make this year better than the last. With that in mind, here are a few of my thoughts that might stimulate a few of yours. Let go of Continue reading →

Keep Your Venting Offline

January 7, 2014 by Joyce Richman
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If you’re anything like callers I’ve heard from lately, you’re making too many mistakes when you’re sitting behind that computer, churning out emails. They’re going to unintended places. Here are a few examples of how certain folks are slipping up and finding themselves in a serious fix: “I was sitting in a big meeting, no one’s listening to the speaker, half the group is asleep and the other half is checking email and I’m online Continue reading →

How To Turn Worry Into Purpose

December 10, 2013 by Joyce Richman
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“I’m worried that…” Most callers begin the conversation with something they’re worried about. Some are worried about having been fired, or laid off, or how long they’ve been looking. Some are worried that they’re too old to have relevance , too young to have experience, too experienced to learn, too inexperienced to trust, too focused to be flexible, too flexible to be focused, too driven, too laid back, too little, too late. You name it, Continue reading →