Time to analyze the “Career Poll” entry I posted last month — and publish a new one for your contemplation! As a refresher, here’s the poll question I threw out to you all back in late October… “If you had a so-so job offer in hand, but a much more promising interview coming up in […]
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Archive | November, 2010
What Companies are Speaking Your Language?
November 28, 2010 
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Pop quiz: what do these seven organizations have in common? Banfield the Pet Hospital, Kohl’s, Lockheed Martin, Bright Horizons Early Learning Center, Colgate-Palmolive, Starwood Hotels, and the King County Department of Transportation. The answer: they all have operations of some level or another in Washington State — and more importantly, they’re likely among the most […]
Read moreThankfulness & Perspective
November 25, 2010 1 Comment
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Hope you all have some relaxing, festive plans in store for the day. And while I’m going to have to pitch in shortly and start doing my time in the kitchen, myself, I wanted to fire off at least a token post today to send warm wishes to you all — as […]
Read moreThe Great Job Market Staring Contest
November 22, 2010 3 Comments
According to Department of Labor statistics, there are roughly around 300,000 people looking for work in Washington State right now. And as of this exact minute, based on searching just a single website, Indeed.com, there are no fewer than 114,416 published Washington job opportunities out there, just waiting to be filled. What accounts for this […]
Read moreLinkedIn Tips: November 2010
November 20, 2010 0 Comments
As most of you know, I have a love affair with LinkedIn. Used properly, I don’t think any other site on the Internet offers as much productive potential in terms of promoting an individual’s business/career success. And while another technology will surely come along one day and topple LinkedIn off the throne, as of right […]
Read moreCulture Shock: Companies Behaving Badly
November 13, 2010 1 Comment
When it comes to job satisfaction, culture is king. And if there’s one thing I’ve come to treasure about self-employment, it’s the immunity from having to deal with the politics, turbulence, and shenanigans that often take place within the walls of many organizations these days. For example, I recently received this note from one of […]
Read moreLanding Interviews: The Relevance Factor
November 8, 2010 0 Comments
One theme I’ve been hitting hard with clients for the past month of two relates to what I call the “relevance factor” and the reality that it’s tough to land an interview these days based on generalized skills and qualifications alone. In today’s market, for better or worse, employers have lots of choices — and […]
Read moreDo You Say “I Love You!” to Employers?
November 5, 2010 2 Comments
I’m speaking figuratively, of course. Mainly, I wanted to remind people that it’s extremely important to say the words “I really want this job!” (or the equivalent) at the end of an interview to let the hiring manager know, in no uncertain terms, that you’re interested in the opportunity. While you may think your interest […]
Read moreCreate Your Own Community — Or Else!
November 4, 2010 3 Comments
This past Sunday, on Halloween night, the Youngquist household only had 8-10 trick-or-treaters show up, down from perhaps a dozen the year before and a few dozen more the year before that. Then this past Tuesday, on Election Day, I sent in my ballot by mail instead of marching down (as in past years) to […]
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