…………………………… The following is a reprint of an article I wrote for the Barnard College Career Newsletter. For most of my grammar school years, I happily pictured myself singing and performing in middle and high school choirs and musicals. My TV role models acted and sang and I would too because I could do anything…
……………………………The following is an article I wrote recently for The Daily Muse: There’s nothing better than having a mentor at work—someone to offer you guidance in your career, give you advice on your day-to-day responsibilities, and help you succeed within the organization. So when that person leaves? Well, it can be tough. Not only did…
……………………………This week I’m re-posting one of my reader’s favorite posts on interviewing. Enjoy I gained a reputation for being a tough interviewer at the bank where I worked. It was a slow evolution. I remember always being considered so nice. Oh, maybe that was high school. My interviewing days stretched back to working as a…
……………………………The following is an article I wrote for the December issue of Barnard College’s Career Connections: Women experience a unique set of challenges working away from home. Even if a woman has discovered how to navigate a domestic workplace, a transfer abroad would throw a whole new set of rules at her. American women, in…
I could smell the take-out breakfast, lunch and dinner that filled the trashcans of the Analyst Bullpen, a collection of cubicles I now called home. It was midnight and I was staring at a spreadsheet that hadn’t changed for at least an hour. I had no idea how to proceed and my Associate was expecting…
Now that the election is over, we can all be happy there are no more snipey political ads, no more intrusive political phone calls, and; no more annoying candidate diatribes. We now know that derisive political behavior doesn’t work so well. Pundits say one of the boons to the Obama campaign came when he joined…
If you’ve ever made a recommendation to your manager only to be told “That’s great, but we’re going a different route” you may wonder why you wasted time working on the analysis in the first place. I had that scenario play out many times as a young professional and could only appreciate later in my…
(The following is an article I wrote for The Daily Muse with a link below) After months of job search agony, you might have an urge to immediately accept any offer you receive. But before you give a final answer, take time to learn a little more about what the company has to offer. Remember,…
I recently wrote this article for Smith College’s Alumnae website and Wellesley College’s Career website. Enjoy. My father’s playful saying, “You can tell a Smith graduate…but you can’t tell her much” was a perfect depiction of my excessive self-confidence as a recent grad headed for Wall Street. It didn’t occur to me that I would…
Last week, a doctor in charge of my father’s hospital care refused to call for a specialist to join the team. During our brief interaction, the doctor was also rude, dismissive and patronizing. I think he had a fight with his wife that morning. I needed a specialist brought in and this doctor, who we’ll…
My hair stylist is one of the smartest people I know. Carla Pressley works in a salon in the DC metropolitan area, where I was lucky enough to find her after calling the salon for an appointment four years ago. Since then, Carla has begun to split her time between the salon and independent work.…
Considering the pressure put on students to obtain the perfect job after college, it’s surprising that the majority of them leave their work within the first two years. Today’s Generation Y professionals are not constrained by the job loyalty that their predecessors felt. Perhaps that’s why a recent Guardian Life survey revealed that young grads…
They bought dozens of companies, turned around operations and improved balance sheets. Many of these buyout professionals were mentioned weekly in the Wall Street Journal or Forbes. But they were often scared to talk to potential private equity investors. These men and women were my clients. My task was to prepare them for meetings where…
Last week I presented to a group of executive women and relayed a story about compensation. As a senior banker, I met with my manager to discuss year-end bonuses for the junior officers. My boss had divided the group’s allotted amount and ran the figures by me. One particular banker was slotted to receive more…
I’m re-posting a video this week that will give you a few pointers on networking your way to the right assignments in the office. Enjoy… Life of a New Careerist- Part 1 Music by Julia Easterlin (Heavy Rotation Records) Share this:FacebookEmailShareRedditDiggPrintStumbleUpon
I loved my job and had no thoughts of leaving. But a funny thing happened when I went on maternity leave; half my 30-person work group left for a competitor. The news came as a shock to me, even in my rather emotionally removed state. I hadn’t seen the change coming and felt a mixture…
My neighbor, Kathy, ran Human Resources for a large fragrance company. When I first got to know Kathy, I would leave our conversation thinking how much fun she was. But it soon dawned on me that I was enjoying myself because we talked entirely about ME the entire time. No wonder I had fun. Kathy…
Yesterday I spoke to a group of students at George Washington University about professionalism. GWU’s Career Development office selected the topic because recently-employed alumni were having difficulties adjusting to their new environments. They weren’t having trouble coping with the work expected of them, but with the nuances of workplace behavior. After my talk, one of…
I couldn’t wait to go to work when I graduated from college. My own apartment…getting to dress like a real adult…no homework…and (let me say that again) …no homework. I started my career and experienced all NYC had to offer. But after a few years I realized I wanted to change careers. Not that I…
Music by Julia Easterlin http://www.hrrecords.com/ Share this:FacebookEmailShareRedditDiggPrintStumbleUpon
