April 2007 - Posts

• Review: Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist

  I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of renowned career blogger Penelope Trunk’s first book, Brazen Careerist , this week. The book, which is due out from Warner Books next month, is a gem of a compilation of career tips and provides an intriguing Read More... Posted Monday, April 30, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 1 Comments Filed under: Discovering Your Passion, Entrepreneurship, Handy Resources, Blogging, Work

• Interview with Rob Fried - Forensic Analyst (Part II)

  Today, I continue my interview with Rob Fried, a computer forensic analyst in New York who has his dream job! Just in case you missed it, check out Part I of the interview before you read on. Alex: What challenges have you faced in your career so far? Read More... Posted Friday, April 27, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Cool Careers, Technology

• What Millennials Want Out of Work

  This week, I’m on a speaking tour at several corporations in the U.S. and abroad, training twenty-somethings and their managers on what recent college grads need to do in order to succeed in today’s business climate. As a result of meeting hundreds of Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Entry Level, Attitude & Motivation, Current Affairs, Employment Trends, Work, Plans, Hopes, Goals

• Don't Get Carried Away By the Spirit of Networking

  A good friend of mine is looking for a job. Because I get around a bit, I’ve already heard about several positions he might be qualified for. But when I talked to my friend about making some referrals, he hesitated. He wanted to make sure that if the Read More... Posted Monday, April 23, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Networking, Personal Marketing

• The Dangers of Resume Templates

  Today’s post is provided by Jill, a certified resume writer at Career Edge , as part of the College Recruiter blog swap. No marketer would ever use home-brand packaging to sell a premium product. The cost of the potential losses in sales revenue alone Read More... Posted Saturday, April 21, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Job Hunting, Personal Marketing, Professionalism

• Interview with Rob Fried - Forensic Analyst (Part I)

  For my upcoming book, How’d You Score THAT Gig? (Random House 2008), I spoke to twenty-eight year old Rob Fried, a computer forensic analyst in New York. Rob has a job that anyone who watches CSI thinks is the ultimate dream career. Check out some snippets Read More... Posted Friday, April 20, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 4 Comments Filed under: Cool Careers, Technology

• If You Can't Be Invested, Don't Take the Job

  A professional acquaintance just told me about a guy she hired last year. The guy was from Southern California and was morally opposed to moving to Philadelphia, where my friend’s company was based. But he’d been unemployed for a long time and thought Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 18, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 4 Comments Filed under: Attitude & Motivation, Job Hunting, Professionalism, Work

• 5 Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Stupid

  I am always instructing people to be fastidious about written communications at work – including casual e-mails. This means choosing your words carefully and proofreading any and all documents before you send them out into the world. In this era of virtual Read More... Posted Monday, April 16, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 4 Comments Filed under: Communication, Business, Handy Resources, Work

• What Web 3.0 Means For Your Career

  If you’re reading this post right now, you’ve heard of Web 2.0 , which describes the second-generation of Web-based services that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. Web 2.0 tools include social networking sites, wikis, podcasts, and, Read More... Posted Friday, April 13, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Job Hunting, Technology, News and Politics

• Get Into Pre-Vacation Mode

  I just adore this post from Lisa Haneberg at the Management Craft blog . Lisa says that a good way to be more productive in everyday life is to fake your way into pre-vacation mode. Imagine that you are going on a 4-week vacation next week and change Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Attitude & Motivation, Ownership & Initiative, Productivity, Work

• Brand Yourself Now, Before Your Competition Arrives!

  The CollegeRecruiter blog reports on an article published by the New York Times , informing us that getting into college is now more difficult than ever before. Harvard turned down 1,100 student applicants with perfect 800 scores on the SAT math exam; Read More... Posted Monday, April 09, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Entry Level, Current Affairs, Employment Trends, Personal Development

• How to Say No and Still Look Good

  The following is an e-mail that came my way this week. Dear Alexandra: I graduated from college last year, so I’m still at the bottom of the totem pole at my company. I have four senior colleagues who delegate work to me, and they have no problem doing Read More... Posted Thursday, April 05, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 2 Comments Filed under: Entry Level, Attitude & Motivation, Best Practices, Communication, Office Politics, Professionalism, Troubleshooting, Work

• A Solution to Painful Commutes

  On Friday, I drove from Chicago to Racine, WI to meet a new client. Because I left my house at an odd time, my trip there was cake. I put in a few good CDs and jammed along to them as I cruised effortlessly along the highway. The meeting went well, and Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 03, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Employment Trends, Life Balance, Daily Life, Work

• Blogworking is the New Networking

  Over at Career Hub , the subject is “blogworking.” Barbara Safani suggests that a job seeker involved in a full-time search should dedicate a full work week (35 hours) to their search each week. Since networking tends to be the most effective method of Read More... Posted Sunday, April 01, 2007 7:00 AM by AlexandraLevit | 0 Comments Filed under: Job Hunting, Networking, Technology, Blogging