It’s Good to be Bad at Stuff

by on Mar. 16, 2012 in Attitude, Hustling

5873922052 da2cfde173 Its Good to be Bad at Stuff
That’s me.                                                                            Photo:  DelosJ
OK, no it isn’t.                                        

As I’ve mentioned before, running is my workout of choice. At least it was, before my injury. Now I’m relegated to resting and trying to not go crazy as I watch the 80 degree March days pass me by.

In order to avoid going totally nuts, I’ve started swimming (which I’m probably not even supposed to do). Swimming is ridiculously hard – even if I’m in marathon shape, swimming kicks my ass. Easily. It’s kind of sad. But the more I do it, the less bad I get and the better I feel. Still bad, but gradually less so.

Swimming has reminded me that it’s not only OK to be bad at stuff, it’s actually quite good. It means you’re getting out of your comfort zone and, ideally, learning something new. Being bad is good in what it provides and good in what it prevents. (Get more…)

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If They Don’t “Get” It, It’s Probably Your Fault

by on Mar. 13, 2012 in Attitude, Don't be an asshole

82015664 72694160c4 If They Dont Get It, Its Probably Your Fault
Photo:  camil tulcan

Today I overheard a conversation about a person’s startup that really caught my attention and got me thinking. Was I eavesdropping? Well, they were talking directly behind me during lunch, so it’s not like I could avoid it. But that being said, yeah, I kind of was. The one guy was talking about his startup in the career space, so there was no ignoring for me. :)

Anyway – the startup itself isn’t what struck me, but the way the guy talked about it. He just sounded miserable – not because startups are hard (they are extremely hard) but because people just weren’t “getting” what he had to offer. The potential clients he talked with basically were all idiots (as he described them) in an industry that does everything backward, and they were “ironically” the ones who failed to see the value in his product.

Now, irony was indeed afoot, but it wasn’t in the managers’ failing to see the value in his product. Nope, the ironic thing was this guy talking about these “idiots” not getting it, when HE was the one who didn’t get it. (Get more…)

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One Meaty Lesson Job Seekers Can Learn From Shark Tank

by on Mar. 07, 2012 in Applying for jobs, Networking

1c701c27d9acad24f3adf0b274a2a1e1 One Meaty Lesson Job Seekers Can Learn From Shark Tank

Photo from ABC.com

This is an excerpt from post I did for Brazen Careerist, a great social network for Generation Y professionals. To read the article in its entirety, check out the link to Brazen’s site below.

Confession: I love the show Shark Tank. Love it. I’m way too entertained by all aspects of business and entrepreneurship – and Shark Tank indulges my obsessions brilliantly.

While enjoying a lovely Friday night with dinner, a bottle of wine, and the latest episode of Shark Tank, I saw one of the contestants make a mistake that job seekers make all the time.

The contestant had a pretty good idea for hand-painted, chocolate covered pretzels. I won’t go into the specifics of the business model and its potential advantages/disadvantages (though we can discuss in the comments below!). At the end the Sharks asked her, “Why should we invest in you or your company?” Her answer was just terrible.

Read the rest of this post at Brazen Careerist

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2 Obvious Points Job Seekers Still Miss

by on Mar. 01, 2012 in Getting a job, Networking

3130061151 89c05e6440 2 Obvious Points Job Seekers Still Miss
Photo:  Åsmund Bø
There was an interesting piece on CNN Money recently, which gave a few interesting pieces of advice to struggling job seekers. I was struck by how basic the columnist’s advice was – and I don’t mean that as a criticism. People are still not learning or practicing the most basic skills when it comes to meeting people and finding a job. (Get more…)

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60 Minutes and Bad Employment Laws

by on Feb. 24, 2012 in The State of the Job Market

132854217 b52e2176ae 60 Minutes and Bad Employment Laws
Photo:  Leo Reynolds

If you don’t watch 60 Minutes, you’re seriously missing out on what I’d consider the most informative show on TV. Give it a shot this Sunday, it’s awesome.

Lately they’ve been making news by reporting the news. After airing a story about the STOCK Act, a bill aimed at barring politicians from trading on and profiting from non-public information that had virtually no support in Congress, the bill suddenly got legs. Serious legs, such that it gained enough support to have recently become law. 60 Minutes educated a lot of people on the issue and those people let their reps in Congress hear about it. (Get more…)

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3 More Steps to Resume Success

by on Feb. 21, 2012 in Resume

3 More Steps to Resume Success 3 More Steps to Resume Success
Photo:  Arielle Fragassi
Thursday night I participated in a resume review session for Brazen Careerist. I’ve done many events with Brazen, and they are always beneficial. Plus it’s been fun to see the “Network Roulette” – which I wrote about when it was just getting started – really come into its own. Overall, the review session was really well done from my perspective, and I hope my input was helpful to whoever I spoke with during the event.

For those of you not familiar with the network roulette format, I was randomly paired with someone who wanted help with their resumes. I got eight minutes to view the person’s resume and give them whatever advice I could. I “met” some strong candidates, and others who needed a lot of work on their marketing material. I’ll mention a few themes I saw repeatedly throughout the night. (Get more…)

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Job Review – Banking and What to Consider

by on Feb. 16, 2012 in Featured Careers

Job Review Banking and What to Consider Job Review Banking and What to Consider
Photo:  artemuestra
In the past we’ve discussed various jobs I thought were cool and how to get those jobs. We talked with an NFL scout about how to work in that business, a video game buyer about how to break into that industry, and an ad sales director about how to work in the “work hard, play hard” advertising world.

Over the past few years, one profession has been getting a lot of negative attention – banking. Investment bankers, analysts, traders – and psychologists – have been talking about all the down sides of the industry. Since banking remains a popular field, and many readers could be considering a banking career, I thought I’d cover that job a bit. (Get more…)

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What You Say Matters

by on Feb. 08, 2012 in Communication, Interviews, Resume

What You Say Matters What You Say Matters
Photo:  Alfonso
I was lucky enough to travel overseas recently, one of my favorite things to do in life. My wife and I were having a drink at our swim-up pool bar (also one of my favorite things to do in life), and ended up meeting another couple from Germany. Confusingly enough, he, Pepe, was from Italy but lived in Germany. She, Julia, was from Sweden but lived in Germany with Pepe. They were a delight, and the four of us (joined by an equally delightful Irish couple) all had dinner and drinks that night.

Over drinks after dinner, Julia shared a fascinating detail about their relationship. (Get more…)

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Career Advice – Shut up

by on Jan. 31, 2012 in Attitude, Networking

Career Advice Shut Up Career Advice Shut up
Photo:  Noukka Signe

This is an excerpt from post I did for Brazen Careerist, a great social network for Generation Y professionals. To read the article in its entirety, check out the link to Brazen’s site below.

Think about some of the best opening conversations you’ve ever had – the ones where you walk away thinking, “Wow, that went great! What a guy!” Now think of the worst initial conversations you’ve had – the ones that seem to last forever without going anywhere, making you want to scream, “This guy SUCKS, get me out!”

Too often the difference between a good conversation and a terrible one is a matter of who did most of the talking. If it was you, you probably loved it. If it was the other person, it was probably awful.

Whether it’s first dates, interviews, or introductions, no one wants to hear someone prattle on and on about him or herself. In fact, that’s the opposite of what people want.

Read the rest of this post at Brazen Careerist

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Are You a Good Storyteller?

by on Jan. 26, 2012 in Getting a job, Interviews

Are You a Good Storyteller Are You a Good Storyteller?
Photo:  MaryLynn

I recently wrote about the importance of selling and how to sell. Not that I was trying to write an exhaustive manifesto on the art of selling, but I realize that I left out a key part of any successful sale – storytelling.

This Forbes article, which is really just a summary of the author’s Ted Talk, discusses storytelling as a leadership tool. “When it comes to inspiring people to embrace some strange new change in behavior, storytelling isn’t just better than the other tools.” the author notes, “It’s the only thing that works.” (Get more…)

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