Career Management Alliance Blog

What a great time of year for some refreshers on that old favorite subject of Time Management, one I’ve not yet come close to mastering! End of year activities and deadlines, holiday gatherings and obligations, as well as New Year planning are filling the calendar, so you may find a few reminders helpful about now. Throughout the years, I’ve embraced as many tips as I have ignored others, and am aware of the many more I “should” implement. Below are some of my favorites, along with a few from my friends and colleagues. Enjoy! Let’s start with one of my hotspots – Email! If your job allows it, check for new messages only 2 or 3 times per day and never first thing in the morning! Get your to-do list started, and then check messages mid-morning. Reply or take action as needed, and turn off your email program. Repeat mid afternoon or before leaving for the day. This lessens distractions immensely and you’ll feel that you had a very productive work day. Continue Reading »

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The Department of Energy has announced it will be awarding $620 million to 32 Smart Grid projects around the US.  These projects include, smart meters, energy storage, transmission monitoring devices among others.  An additional $1billion from the private sector will be added to support these projects.  Here is a video explaining the benefits of Smart Grid technologies to utility customers Continue Reading »

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As an outplacement professional, I have worked with hundreds of men and women who have lost their jobs. One of the initial areas of concern, among others, is how to communicate being jobless with family members -- what do I say? Do I wait for them to ask? Do I simply avoid the subject as days become weeks of unemployment? Here's an idea that you and your family may find of value: family meetings. Perhaps you're already holding them, however, if you aren't, maybe now would be a good time to consider starting such an activity. Continue Reading »

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Maybe you Should Test Drive Your New Career   When clients come to me for career transition work, we often get to a point in our coaching where the client wants to learn more about a field or occupation that they find appealing.  They are seeking to learn... Continue Reading »

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‘Money can’t buy happiness.’ It’s an over-used cliche that came to mind this weekend while I was reading this article in the New York Times about the increase in use of food stamps. It’s a heartbreaking read about people who have worked hard and contributed their whole lives, but who now find themselves struggling due to lost jobs or reduced overtime. The first thing that struck me is how the people in the story often see themselves as desperately in need, but think that ‘everyone else’ is ripping off the system. It seems that being in need isn’t always enough to stimulate empathy for others. But the second thing that struck me was a feeling I’m sure many of us had this Thanksgiving: a feeling of gratitude that I have enough to eat. Continue Reading »

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I recently spoke to Alexandra Levit, a nationally recognized business and workplace author and speaker, about her new book,  New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career. The book is an inspirational read, chock full of stories of people who made successful career transitions despite numerous obstacles and naysayers. This is a must read for anyone contemplating a career change and the stories will leave you feeling energized and empowered and ready to take on a new career. Here’s my Q&A with Alexandra. Continue Reading »

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I Hope everyone enjoyed a terrific Thanksgiving holiday.  In the spirit of the holiday season, I am going to deviate from my usual career focus (hey, it's my blog after all) to recommend an alternative to the "just accumulate more stuff" mania espoused by Cyber Monday. If you're looking for a better gift giving experience this year, take a look at Cards That Give. This site directs you to more than 100 effective non-profit organizations that sell greeting cards to help fund their charitable work.  Instead of just sending a holiday card to send a card (one more thing checked off your list) your card purchase becomes a donation to a worthy charity -- a lovely way to express gratitude to your friends, clients and family, while making a difference in the world.

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Randle writes: My question for you is how heavily do prospective employers consider the fact that you have been fired? I have asked others whether I should I remove this place of employment from my resume, and most have said no because it will leave an unexplainable gap in my employment. I was only employed there for 6 months and was terminated because I didn’t fit in. I was told there was no room there for me anymore and they were going to hire someone else. Continue Reading »

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“I still think a personal approach in the search process is always the best,” said Norine Dagliano in the Q&A interview she did with us. “The cover letter provides job-seekers an opportunity to ‘speak’ to the employer in their own words; to give the employer a little ‘window into their personality;’ to address the employer’s needs by describing specific contributions they are prepared to make. We don’t want to rewrite the resume for each job, but a well-constructed cover letter can expand upon the resume and bring to the employer’s attention the key selling points to be considered.” Read the full Q&A.

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