My wife’s a lovely lady. You got to meet her. Today we visited the dean at the high school my daughter will attend this fall. Now you have to picture my wife. You get her talking about any one of our three daughters (one of her favorite topics in the world) and she’s on a role. You want details. She has them. You have to realize, she goes way back with these folks.

I wasn’t able to get a word in during today’s meeting, …

(Editor’s Note:  I’d like to introduce my long time associate, Jeannette Kraar.  We’ve been working together for several years – all related to helping job hunters – and have had a lot of fun at it.  She’ll be joining us every Wednesday.  Please provide us some comments to let us know what you think.)
I got this from someone in an email a long while back. I keep stuff much longer than most do only so I can use it for writing fodder someday in the future. Well I …

I have been pleasantly surprised with the episodes of “The Undercover Boss” I’ve watched.  The well-to-do CEO shrugs off the golf clubs, chic expensive cars, cushy lifestyle, expensive suits and jewelry, even if only for a week, to mingle and, alas, work alongside their company’s employees.
Talk about timing given the bad press some other CEOs have been receiving particularly during and post senate hearings.  How can they expect sympathy when they have the audacity to show up in corporate jets, whining about how they cannot afford to not pay bonuses …

Take advantage of this “free time” to dream. I do not mean the Walter Mitty type of fantasies, although that is not such a bad thing. Explore your options, even those you thought were impossible.
While networking, I perused articles on job searching, people in transition, career realignments and just plain, spent way too much time on the internet (not something I want to admit but it must be said).
One can easily become mesmerized or possibly addicted to surfing the internet. It becomes one’s crutch. Signing up to …

If you read my Love Dare article from a year back you’ll see how I dedicated 40 days last Spring to improving my marriage. It’s not that it was on the rocks and in bad need of repair. I just wanted to take a good thing and make it better.
In my Novena article I talk about a 9 day practice I followed to help get me re-focused and balanced. There are times when I get way out of whack and I need something like this to bring …

Want to put an end to your job-search worries?
You can.
Or, at the very least, you can channel worries into positive action that moves you closer to employment.
That’s a message I got from the book, “100 Ways to Motivate Yourself,” by Steve Chandler, who writes:
The next time you’re worried about something, ask yourself, “What small thing can I do right now?” Then do it. Remember not to ask, “What could I possibly do to make this whole thing go away?” That question does not get you into action at all.
This idea …

As we look for work, wait for that anticipated raise (in this economy…right!) or hope for the right opportunity to arrive, we are forced to be patient. We set some expectations for ourselves and sometimes even attach a timeline to it. If we opt NOT to be patient, we set ourselves up for failure. We tee ourselves up for the perfect dose of disappointment. And from there to anger and resentment is a very short hop.

I spent some time thinking about this and wondered, “What is it about waiting or …

Recently, a job hunter approached me at a networking event.  He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him.  My first thought was maybe I had introduced him to someone that got him a job, but that wasn’t it.  He was still looking.
He told me he had heard me speak on a panel a few months back.  I remembered that presentation well.  It was held at a South Beach Miami hotel.  The venue was nice and included two other panelists.  It was well moderated.  The problem (for me anyway) was …

(Editor’s Note: Ken and I ran into each other recently and he told me this story. I asked if he would write it up and I’m really glad he did. Enjoy!)
Getting laid off is never an easy thing. I have been working since I was 15 years old, working is what I do. The last time I was out of work was the last construction down cycle in 1977 and that was for two weeks. I remember how hard that was then and it …

(This article continues where OERamz’s third article “You’re Fired! Part 3 – What’s All This Web 2 Point Oh My God?” left off.)
I recently read someone’s touching reflection of an influential person in his life – his Boy Scout leader. He shared how this man had played an important role in his life, how he had learned from this coach to be the man, father, employer and all around person he had become… a testament to those who have guided us and served as incredible role models. This chapter …

I just ran into “Get the Right Balance“, a blog post written at a simple blog site”Welcome to the Occupation” written by Paul Smith. Paul identifies himself as “an HR manager at a non-profit organization in the Northeast.” A simple guy promoting a simple way of life per this article.

Paul’s article chronicles a documentary he saw on Arthur Kane, the bass player for New York Dolls. Back in the ’70s, the New York Dolls were a thing, but by 2004 things were much different. The …

(This article continues where OERamz’s second article “You’re Fired! Part 2- Making A Graceful Exit left off.)

Had to get over the shock and numbness that followed – was that Day 2 or Day 20? I lost all sense of time and reality, but had to pick myself up and start with a plan of attack. Given the difficult market, and the holidays, I accepted the fact it would take a month or two (if only).

The holidays came and went, fast forward to the New Year. Had to come …

I recently wrote my Devil Wears Prada article discussing the potential outcomes of the choices we make. Few of us go out and make an intentional life or career blundering decisions. I, however, have made a string of smaller decisions, or better yet, no decisions at all that over time got me someplace all together wrong.

I’ve done it with Christmas, too. I let Thanksgiving go by without giving much thought to what comes next. The time slips by and before you know it, I shorted myself. …

(This article continues where OERamz’s first article “You’re Fired! Part 1- I Never Saw It Coming left off.)

After the smile and, “we won’t be needing this today”. Mr. Manager continued, “you have been a very valuable asset to our group” and then the “but” … as you know the economy, our group, difficult decision … I felt like Charlie Brown listening to his teacher … and it wasn’t good news.

Funny how the mind takes over as I began to think, we’re moving tomorrow, my boxes are all packed and …

We all want happiness and, unfortunately, during my job searches (there were more than one) happiness escaped me. Fear, anxiety and worry took its place. It was so overwhelming.

I attended a South Florida Interactive Media Association seminar last week and the lead speaker was Julian Smith co-author of New York Times best seller “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust.” He shared with us an interesting fact. He said for people making over $50K a year, happiness is unrelated to …

I find myself in a unique situation. I’m unemployed for the first time in my long career. I’ve been working since I was 14. I mean it; my Social Security records show earnings from 1976 to 1979, the years I was enrolled in High School.

Since that time, I was never really unemployed. Sure I had a couple 2 or 3 week vacations between jobs, but nothing like this. After high school, I joined the Army and received training in communications. When I left the Army, I immediately landed a …

So my day (and it truly became MY day), started that cold, gloomy December morning. It was only 10am but I had been at it since 6:30am. I had just printed out my report of activities and open projects list, and in walks Mr. HR and Mr. Manager. Mr. HR does not make eye contact but immediately sits across from me. Mr. Manager, smiles … ah yes, that smile. Funny, how you selectively remember certain things on those fateful days. As I proceed to pass the …

Before seeing the Time Travelers Wife at the theater, I got me a copy of the book. I wanted to read it before seeing the movie. It was just for fun reading, but this one scene left me with a revelation I just had to share on Career Jockey.
For the scene to make sense, I have to explain the main character’s predicament. (I promise not to ruin it for you.) Henri’s a time traveler – no technology needed. He gets plucked out of the …

For this article, I went through the dozens of books I’ve reviewed in Career Jockey’s Book Review topic and forced myself to pick only three books.  I had to make some tough calls, but these are the ones that together contain the meat of what every job seeker needs to know.
Book #1 – What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles
I wrote my What Color Is Your Parachute book review within three weeks of launching CareerJockey.org. I’ve recommended it to almost …

Saturday night, this guy jumps out of the car at a stop light, points at the badge displayed prominently on his jacket, walks up to my car window and says, “You gotta problem!!!” Note: His words came with a sort of threatening tone.
Not even in Miami did I expect this.
Rewind just 3 minutes and my 13-year-old daughter and I are casually leaving the mall parking lot. Right in front us I see an old Toyota driving off with a red tie, scarf or something dragging along the ground. …