Career Management Alliance Blog

This month alone, Carrefour--one of the largest French grocery chains--is closing many of its stores in Belgium. 1200 employees are losing their jobs. Opel is closing its manufacturing plant in Antwerp: 1600 employees are being laid off. This after several months of talks. General Motors was not very forthcoming with Belgian management. On a brighter note, many Polish and other immigrant workers are finding employment as day laborers and in-home assistants. Continue Reading »

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I will be speaking on the subject of branding at the meeting of ProZ, a Public Relations group, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palmdale on March 11 at 11:30 a.m. With all the latest developments in branding, this should be an exciting meeting.

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Our World Has Shrunk We may not realize it, but our world has shrunk. It doesn’t matter where we live, where we work, or where we work from, we have to be aware of what is going on worldwide and be sensitive to other people’s cultures. Whatever happens in other parts of the world today, whether economic or catastrophic, it affects us all. Our stock exchanges are all interrelated. When the others are not doing well, neither is ours and vice versa. One main difference, however, is that other governments have held the banks responsible for the debacle. In order to offset their deficits, they are making the banks repay the government a share of their loss. In one country, they must repay USD 4.5 billion over the next three years. So no big bonuses for their executives! Fiscal responsibility first. The earthquake in Haiti certainly had an impact on our lives. It mobilized some people into organizing fundraisers for food, clothes, and shoes among other categories, and others into actually going over to Haiti to provide medical and physical assistance. All these people’s lives were put on hold for a while. On a happier note, this February 14 is Valentine’s Day for us in the western world, but it is also the Chinese New Year. The Chinese observe a lunar calendar and on their zodiac, this is the year of the tiger. When the Chinese celebrate a new year, they do not just take one day off as we do. Businesses are going to be closed for an entire week. So anyone doing business with the Chinese can expect a one-week delay at the very least. Another observation about Valentine’s Day: it was forbidden to be observed from the 17th century through the beginning of the 20th century. Too many deaths and suicides caused the king to issue a decree. Today, Valentine’s Day is more of a celebration than anything else, but it used to be taken quite seriously in previous centuries. If Valentine’s Day were to fall on a weekday, people would be going to work in Western Europe. You can celebrate all you want afterward. Of course, dancing places and bars do not close at 2 a.m. either so you have plenty of time to party until 4 or even 6 a.m. Yet somehow, people make it to work on time the next day. It is stamina of a different nature. Myriam-Rose Kohn Your Passport to International Career Success

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In the January-February issue of their magazine, Harvard Business Review released their list of top 100 CEOs. The report ranked 2000 CEO’s worldwide on a variety of criteria to determine who has done the best job running their company during their entire time in the role. The top 50 CEOs produced excellent results over the long term. They delivered an average shareholder return of 997% during their time in office, an annual return of 32% increasing shareholder wealth on average by $48.2 billion. The top 100 performers came from many countries and eight Canadians ranked. These CEOs are: Continue Reading »

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One of my readers asked some great questions in response to my post about the value of Linked In, specifically relating to adding recommendations. Here is the excerpt containing his questions ...

Of those supporters (particularly European-based), one common thread is the negative impression associated with recommendations and the fact that they may be too positively skewed. Either too favorable from a subordinate or peer. Lack of specificity or genuity from a superior, especially if no longer employed. How do you respond to such critics? Is this simply a difference between North American and European cultures / management styles?

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“For the culturally incompetent,” writes Sarah Histed-Shergill, “the global job market provides a wealth of opportunity … to be misconstrued, misunderstood and misinterpreted. You must prepare your resume with an international perspective,” she writes. “By presenting your personal information in a culturally sensitive manner, you will enhance your chances of success in the global job market.” Find out in Histed-Shergill’s article, The Culturally Competent Resume for the Global Job Market, how to follow some simple steps to avoid the pitfalls of cultural faux pas and prevent potentially embarrassing and costly miscues.

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Although the Canadian market seems to be starting to take a turn, there is still much talk about a struggling economy. Many companies have had difficulties and are working hard to emerge from the recession. The job market is primed for leaders who are ready to position these companies for the next phase in their development. These days, most companies are in a state of flux. Many organizations are undergoing major transformations in the form of mergers, acquisitions, centralization, decentralization, downsizing, upsizing, restructuring, and so forth. If you are a senior-level job seeker, you can leverage this to your benefit. Continue Reading »

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Over 15 years ago I started my journey of helping professionals and entrepreneurs in the areas of professional and business development. I've worked with people from over twenty countries on six continents in every industry imaginable - from cheese making, ship building and rotomolding of plastics to education, medicine and information technology. What I have found over the course of my journey is that those who have experienced and overcome great challenges in growing their career or business not only acquire wisdom invaluable to themselves and others, but they also have great stories to tell. Continue Reading »

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I often get the same questions about expatriate careers and businesses from people through a variety of my online and social networks. In the interest of answering these questions so that more expats may benefit, I've decided to create an "ASK THE EXPAT CAREER COACH" blog post series. I'll start with one of the most common questions I get asked: "Why work abroad?" Working abroad can give you invaluable experience that will not only help you differentiate yourself from your competitors (a key element of a strong personal brand), but will help you develop skills sets valued by employers. One study done by Hays recruitment indicated that over 80% of professionals who worked abroad felt that it helped them in their careers. Continue Reading »

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It is interesting that rather than leaving comments on my blog often people will just contact me directly via email to respond to a blog post. Sometimes the person tells me that the place to leave a comment is difficult to find. Other times it's likely a desire to have a conversation that prompts them to choose email vs. a comment. Whatever the case, I haven't been good about posting comments sent to me directly so that all can benefit. But in this recent case, I feel it's essential that what was shared with me be shared with my expat readership. Continue Reading »

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