Career Management Alliance Blog

During a recent trip to New York City, I was excited to have a chance to get together with a colleague/new friend. We confirmed our meeting time and place. I got there early, stepped into the restroom to freshen up and then took a seat near the door, figuring my friend would be sure to see me when she came in. As has been my norm since I started using my Google phone, I took it out and busied myself — checking email, Twitter, Facebook – whatever caught my attention. I certainly wasn’t going to just sit and watch for my friend if I could be productive! I occasionally kept my eye on the door and the clock, and noticed that my friend was a little late, but it didn’t phase me. She and I had each been at different parties, so I figured she got held up. Continue Reading »

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…and other assorted baggage. There is no Candidate Experience. Plato's search for a higher reality of 'ideal' forms was as ethereal as the eternity that staffing has spent (and will spend) searching and benchmarking the 'ideal' candidate experience… without return. It is time to grow up and let ‘them’ take responsibility for their own experience. Continue Reading »

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“Do you know anyone who’s hiring?” Did that sentence make you cringe just now? If so, it’s OK. That phrase creates the same reaction in nearly every person who hears it. Here are a few reasons why:

1. They do not know anyone who’s hiring.
2. They don’t really know what you do for a living.
3. They have no idea if you could do the job they do know about.
4. They did hear that the fast food chain down the street was hiring, but they figure it’s not the job you want.

And finally, they’re too busy to help, if they could. Continue Reading »

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I've been working in the career management industry for over 12 years now. During that time, I've met on a one-on-one basis with thousands of job seekers and I've facilitated a number of groups. I love helping people with job search; I've forged a career in it. But very few of my clients or the members of my MeetUp group, the NYC Job Seekers, enjoy the process as much as I do. The truth of the matter is this: For most job seekers--and those who have been laid off or left a job in a way that wasn't of their choosing is painful. It's like being a cat and being forced to take a bath. Or going back to middle school and reliving feelings of adolescent insecurity. Or waiting by the phone and wishing for it to ring. It isn't fun. Continue Reading »

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Cammie writes: I’m relocating about a thousand miles away, and your article on cover letter FAQs is absolutely great! Just wanted to thank you. I followed all of your tips on cover letters to a T. I’m looking to fill a waitressing postion in Portland, OR. If you have any advice on how to land restaurant jobs, specifically key qualities they look for, that’d be greatly appreciated. Continue Reading »

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Can narrowing down your job search focus actually get you more interviews than trying for a wide range of jobs? That’s been my experience. First let me give you a business example, and then I’ll tell you about a client of mine who got amazing results just by narrowing her sights. When we worked with the amazing Squared Eye to redesign our website earlier this year, we made a big decision: we would clearly define our target audience for the first time. We wouldn’t try to attract everyone. We would design a site and write copy that would appeal to creative and technology professionals. It was a little scary – after all, 50% of our clients were neither creative nor technical. Were we going to lose them? If we did, would we find enough extra clients to make up for it? Continue Reading »

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This is what I get in my email every day… a Google Alert on the work “layoffs”: I wonder about those 2,000 employees for the Royal Bank of Scott (RBS), or the 130 employees of USA Today… did they see the writing on the wall? Continue Reading »

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The biggest change I see in the future of “jobs” is that the fundamental definition of work is in the process of shifting dramatically. The work-world our parents experienced no longer exists; yet no new concept of work has been fully established. In a sense, all working people are therefore in a “state of limbo,” waiting to see how the career landscape will look “when the dust settles.”

Continue Reading »

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Outside of my work with private clients, my consulting projects, and my freelance writing and speaking gigs, I organize a MeetUp group of job seekers based in NYC. Through the group, I've met fashion designers, former Wall Street analysts, telecom professionals, journalists, corporate librarians, attorneys, recent college grads, you name it. Working with the group is one of the most interesting experiences I have ever had, and it's been especially meaningful to watch many of our members land great jobs--and quit the group. (I don't mind, that's really what the group is there for--to help people find jobs.) I've made many friends through the MeetUp group. We always manage to share laughs during our meetings, even if the topic of conversation never strays too far from meeting the challenges of the current job market.  Continue Reading »

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