Jul 6

Hi, J.T. & Dale! For the past month, I’ve been looking for work. Temp agencies call me about a job, I tell them that I’m interested, they either e-mail or fax my resume, and I follow up by calling them back — and they tell me they haven’t heard from their clients and say they will call me back, but they don’t. I get so frustrated. — Deborah Read the rest of this entry »

Jun 26

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve been hearing a lot about the need for workers to develop their personal brand in order to get ahead professionally. I just graduated from college and have never really worked in a professional environment … so how can I possibly “brand” myself? — Seth Read the rest of this entry »

Jun 26

Dear J.T. & Dale: I just graduated from college and have been on my new job for a month. I think I made a huge mistake! I’m really bored. I think I should look for a new job. — Kristi Read the rest of this entry »

Jun 18

Last week, a young professionals network I volunteer for, www.catapultseacoast.org, asked me if I had a quiz to help people determine how prepared they are to find career success and satisfaction. I do have such a quiz, but it occurred to me that I had never offered this to our readers. So, here it is!

The CAREEREALISM Career-readiness Quiz is available to take on-line for FREE. You don’t have to give your e-mail address or sign up for a thing - just answer the 24 questions with an honest ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and at the end you’ll get your score.

Times have changed in America. If you want to stay employable, you must, I repeat, you MUST, be up-to-date on how to market yourself effectively. And that begins with a lot of self-knowledge and focus that many people don’t take the time to acquire. When it comes to your career development and job search, are you working smarter or harder?!? This test will let you know where you rank in your ability to find a new, satisfying career.

Enjoy!

May 30

Dear J.T. & Dale: My son is 24 years old and hates his job. He’s looking to change careers — his third in the two years since graduating from college. I think he is crazy to leave his current job until he knows what he wants to do next. What would you suggest? — Janice Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 1

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve been on interviews where the HR manager has been late up to 20 minutes. I’ve had HR managers have the wrong resume when interviewing me, and have had HR managers dressed worse than I was. I get very upset dealing with HR managers who sit behind their desks acting like they are doing me a favor by interviewing me and then say, “You’re not the fit we’re looking for.” How do I get a second interview? — Bruce Read the rest of this entry »

Mar 14

answer-the-salary-question.jpgPenelope Trunk, who writes the blog Brazen Careerist, wrote a post today called: A Recession Probably Won’t Affect Your Job Market.

The ‘Your’ in the title refers to Gen Y and Gen X employees. Trunk says, “There is a lot of hoop-la over the recession. Or coming recession. Or statistical but maybe-not-really recession. But the truth is that the job market is just fine, especially for the post-Baby-Boomer set.”

So the question is: Do older workers suffer more in a recession? The comments posted on Trunk’s blog would indicate so.

I think that in spite of an impending recession, there will always be a ‘talent’ shortage. As many of the commenters suggest, I firmly believe those who keep their skills up-to-date and brand themselves properly will always be employable.

Whether you are a seasoned workplace veteran or a new professional, how do you plan to keep yourself employable during an economic downturn?

Dec 8

jtdale-closeup-color.pngDear J.T. & Dale: I’ll be finishing college in ‘08, and I’m starting to think about the job market. How does one “get the job”?

– Rebecca
 Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 19

jtdale-closeup-color.pngDear J.T. & Dale: I am so burnt out working in a corporate environment. Therefore, I was thinking that I could split my time (20 hours a week or a little more) in an office environment to get corporate benefits, but work at home the rest of the time by working as a transcriptionist. To do this, I thought I could take a medical transcriptionist class. I have been looking at work from home advertisements, but I just simply do not trust them. Any input? – Macy Read the rest of this entry »

Aug 30

jtdale-closeup-color.pngDear J.T. & Dale: I am a 37-year-old female with a management degree from a good state university, but I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Help. – Carri Read the rest of this entry »

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