At some point in their careers, many people will find themselves on the wrong side of a conversation with HR and will be victims of a layoff. This is a traumatic event, to be sure, and friends and family are likely to offer some well-meaning, but misguided, advice. One such piece of worn out advice that refuses to die is “Looking for a new job is a full-time job!” The truth is that it’s not about how m...

I recently worked with a mid-career attorney, who, after ten years at the same firm, wanted to make a switch over to the corporate sector. During our conversation, she casually mentioned that, on a weekly basis, she bakes cookies for the office. As you can imagine, I was horrified. I asked her why on earth she, an educated, white-collar professional, would bake snacks for her colleagues. She explained that she really enjoye...

Although most of us believe that we are ethical and unbiased, and that we can make objective assessments to reach fair and rational conclusions, this is nearly impossible. Scientists postulate that when the brain is overloaded with information, it creates shortcuts to process that information, and uses past experiences to draw assumptions. Hidden, or unconscious, biases are part of the human condition. Even the most open-m...

Collaboration. Teamwork. Group brainstorming. Knowledge sharing. All are great ideas that can help spur innovation. However, the execution of these concepts generally takes on a much less inspiring form–the Meeting. You know that when you see a meeting invitation pop up, your first thought is not, “Wow, what an excellent opportunity to collaborate with other folks and share ideas!” More than likely, you e...

Super busy. Crazy busy. Overloaded. A to-do list that’s a mile long. Busyness has become a cult in Western culture. Maybe that’s because humans are hardwired with a bias toward action. Maybe it’s because it feels satisfying to cross items off that to-do list. Or maybe it’s because we operate under a self-imposed feeling that we should always be doing something. Idleness is bad. Don’t want to wa...

If you’ve spent any significant amount of time reading through job ads, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that many of them are rife with buzzwords and jargon. When these words are used over and over, they meld together and become meaningless. Reading through a job description can be an exercise in both futility and confusion. Here are what some of the most common buzzwords you see in those ads might mean. Detail-or...

If you have ever been through media training, one thing you come away with is the indisputable fact that nothing is ever “off the record.” You might request that it be, but that doesn’t mean that your audience, or your eavesdroppers, are compelled to comply with your wishes. “Off the record” has gone the way of the 3-martini lunch. We may not like it, but we have no choice but to deal with it....

Dear Deb: I was reorganized out of my job a few months back, and I’m now in the final rounds of interviews for a position at a competitor of my former company. The application materials indicate that any offer is contingent upon a successful background check, including a reference check. This is what I’m confused about. My manager at my last job had 17 direct reports. As a result, he really wasn’t invol...

Many job interview mistakes can be overlooked or corrected. However, when it comes to your resume, it must be flawless. Your resume is a marketing document for your most important product: YOU! If you’ve been sending out your resume, but haven’t been gaining any traction, it is time to review your resume with a critical eye. I’ve talked to countless HR and hiring managers over the years, and these are the...

We all know that body language is of critical importance in all human interactions. This is especially true when interviewing. When you are being interviewed, you are being evaluated on not only what you say, but how you say it. With that in mind, here are the most common body language mistakes people make, and how you can avoid them. Poor posture. Slouching in your chair sends the message that you are lazy. Leaning slig...