It’s a little like dating. You have found your dream job or organization– but will they like you back, enough to hire you? If they reject you, does that make you a bad person or a failure? Putting yourself out there by networking, applying, and interviewing for jobs makes you very vulnerable to rejection, the … Continue reading
Filed under career …
Cover Letter Concepts
There is a lot of confusion about cover letters. Cover letters are not: * An opportunity to write about your life story and life philosophy * A chance to write about tell your entire career history * A place to explain why you left each of your past employers or to focus in detail about … Continue reading
Will your future employer work you to death?
Will your future employer work you to death? How to assess workplace culture before accepting a job offer If you have a young family, an important avocation or hobby, or otherwise just want to leave work at 5pm and not work weekends and evenings, it’s important to find a way to investigate the culture of … Continue reading
The job market is scary. Should I stay in school?
I get this question from time to time. I have to be careful not to get judgmental with my answer, because, ironically, I am a classic example of someone who stayed in school to avoid the job market, and for whom it worked out great. I was an anthropology major as an undergrad, and I … Continue reading
Is Your Job Market Competitive? 6 Ways to Find Out
In one of my recent posts, I came up with a silly scheme to determine how long someone’s job search would last. One of the factors in this four-factor formula relates to how competitive your job market is. This data would pretty useful to have before launching a career transition or new graduate study program, … Continue reading
What to say if you’re unemployed and get asked “what have you been doing?”
If you are job-seeking, whether due to layoffs or because you are a recent graduate, you are sure to encounter questions from networking contacts and interviewers (if you’re lucky enough to get interviews) about what you have been up to. Especially if it’s been a while since you were either employed or in school, you … Continue reading
Announcing “Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service”
Are you or someone you know seeking a more meaningful job? Announcing “Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service.” After eleven years as a career counselor, I decided to compile everything I’ve learned about finding jobs that make a difference into one book. This is the first book of its … Continue reading
Five Truths of Resume Writing
By the time you’ve done all the networking you can, hopefully you’ve warmed up some connections for jobs you can apply for. But at some point, no matter how much connecting you do, you’ll need a resume. After ten years as a career counselor, I’ve probably reviewed over 7,000 resumes, read countless articles and books … Continue reading
Why do networking?
One of the single most important things I always tell job seekers to do is to try to find people working in their chosen field and talk to them. I’ve been advising this for so long, I sometimes forget to explain why this is important. Here’s why networking is the #1 homework assignment I give … Continue reading
Avoiding a bad work situation
Most of us who’ve had any amount of work experience had gone through at least one bad boss or hopelessly dysfunctional organization. You know what I’m talking about: the job where your actual responsibilities bear no resemblance to the job you actually applied for; the job where the hair on your arms stands up whenever … Continue reading
Heather Krasna, PhD & Associates 