Career Advice & Insights

Want to be the next vice president and GM? Look to the current vice president, and take notes about what makes her a success. Work is the learning laboratory for how to improve your career. All around you are positive and negative examples that you can observe and learn from. The key is to do … Read More

Do people with five- and 10-year plans find more career success? Are they happier? I recently spoke to Nancy, a mid-level executive in an energy company. She complained that she never had a big goal toward which she was working, no five- or 10-year plan. She decided to accept or decline each opportunity as it … Read More

The following eight steps helped job seeker ‘Paul’ put his online social networking into its proper place. Recently a colleague suggested I help an executive job seeker who was having trouble making sense of the online social networks he thought were supposed to support his job search. Let me call this person “Paul.” Paul came … Read More

In the wake of one of the worst economic downturns in our nation’s history, big gaps between gainful employment tenures aren’t unusual or unexpected. Read More

Committed to a change? Make yourself less of a gamble for recruiters. If you’re a job seeker trying to break into a new industry or field, the odds are against you. The tight labor market allows hiring companies to set very specific criteria for job candidates, and that typically includes industry experience. For the executive … Read More

Kitty Koenig put $100 into a ticket to a charity event and devoted time to a volunteer opportunity that followed. The SalesLadder member said the investment paid off many times over. It’s hard to part with money when you’re not making any. Many job seekers face the decision to put up money to support their … Read More

An M.B.A. isn’t the only way to compete in new industry. Leverage your experience – or if you’re just starting – build it up by following these guidelines. Read More

How to find a civilian job or contractor job after the military. If you’re moving from a military career to a civilian one — whether after returning from mobilized duty as a reservist, separating from the service or retiring — you’re facing more than a job change. You’re facing a whole new world. And especially … Read More

Be ready to explain your motives and your unique value to a boss. There are plenty of benefits to working for yourself. The flexibility, the autonomy, the ability to build something: All are great lures for those who like the challenge of an entrepreneurial business. However, the same factors that attract people to self-employment can … Read More