For the past several months, I’ve been meeting with clients to strategize how to find and retain qualified staff in this tight labor market. Recruiting is a full time job in the best of times. Today, and into the future, employers will need to be ever more creative and flexible. Having a staffing partner who… Read more »

Congratulations! Your resume has done its job. As you prepare for the next step, the interview, you need to be prepared to handle questions that could catch you flatfooted if you haven’t thought about them before. 1. One standard that is both an ice breaker and a means to evaluate potential employees is, “Tell me… Read more »

A recent lawsuit in Illinois has lessons that apply to any employer covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). After terminating an employee for using too much time off, the employer wound up in court unable to show the employee or the court how they determined the 12 month period that determines eligibility for… Read more »

If you’re working a temp job full time or part time here are some good ideas to demonstrate to your value to the company you are assigned to. Remember it’s all about value: what can you do for the company and how can you show your value to them.

The US Department of Labor’s Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed the number of employees voluntarily quitting their jobs reached a nine year high in December. In addition, job openings increased by 261,000 in December. Whether from baby boomer retirements, job growth or turnover, there were 5.61 million (seasonally adjusted) openings in December.… Read more »

Love it or hate it, you have to admit Facebook is a successful company. Certainly one of the reasons for the company’s unusual success is in their approach to people and the work they do. Rather than rigidly define career paths through the management ranks, they believe people don’t have to be managers to be… Read more »

It’s a unique pleasure of age to have a mystery revealed 4 plus decades after it was implanted in your consciousness. In my military days, there were several common GI-isms that were popular, some to the point of gross annoyance others more benign. Boo-koo for example, got worn beyond the point of exhaustion and thankfully… Read more »

And in this corner … As promised in the last blog about resumes, CareerBuilder also queried the participants on the most effective terms used on the resumes they see on a regular basis. Here’s the list: Achieved: 52% Improved: 48% Trained/mentored: 47% Managed: 44% Created: 43% Resolved: 40% Volunteered: 35% Influenced: 29% Increased/decreased: 28% Ideas:… Read more »

One of the boxes on Steve’s checklist was an elephant ride. We negotiated one with a very pleasant woman in a kiosk across the street from the resort. Included in the deal was transportation to and from the elephant ride and a monkey and snake show, all for one low fee! At the appointed hour,… Read more »

The next day in Bangkok, our last full one, started the usual way with the hotel’s breakfast buffet. Fueled up, it was time to hit the streets. Passing through the hustling line of tuk tuk drivers we slipped inconspicuously into the bazaar that is the Bangkok streets. We soon started sampling some of the delectables… Read more »