If you talk to me about the speaking arm of my career for more than five minutes, you’ll get an earful about my Powerpoint quandary.  What’s the most impactful way to deliver a speech?  Should I use slides or not?  If I don’t, should I use talking points?  How can I be entertaining while teaching, without giving in to ...

I just got my official copy of my friend Michelle Goodman’s My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional.  I say official because I had the opportunity to provide a back cover blurb a few months ago.  I was happy to do so, because for those of us who long to have the flexible lifestyle and income ...

Everyone knows that today’s twenty-something employees are ambitious, motivated, and dedicated to changing the business world for the better. However, it is hard for young employees to understand the importance of marketing themselves, getting to know the right people, adding tangible value to the organization, learning transferable skills, and ...

You’ve heard me mention Steven Rothberg and his incredibly useful employment information website at CollegeRecruiter.com before, and this week Heather Eager wrote a terrific post on a topic I never considered – how to get a federal job. I never realized this, but the process of applying to work for the government is totally different ...

Most people have to check references in some shape or form, whether it’s for a candidate or a babysitter.  I don’t know about you, but until I wrote Success for Hire I never really knew how to do it. Here's what I learned:While you can e-mail a reference initially, connect either in person or by phone with at least one reference for ...

Juggling multiple jobs is becoming more and more common, as people seek work that will provide an additional paycheck or personal satisfaction that is lacking in Job #1.  Over at Stepcase Lifehack, Thursday Bram, a writer who has done this herself, has these insights to share: Keep firm dividers between your different jobs. Even if ...

My new book, Success for Hire (ASTD Press) features employee recruitment and retention practices that a lot of people think they know but in reality, don’t put into practice.  One of those practices is effective in-person interviewing, which can ensure that you hire the right candidate the first time around.  The next time you speak ...

I love this post from Michael McKinney at Leading Blog.  It’s based on a new book from Alvin Felzenberg, The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game.  Felzenberg devised six criteria to best describe various U.S. presidents’ contribution to history.  Based on this exercise, he ...

Admittedly, staying on HR’s good side is probably not at the top of your list of managerial priorities, but HR has the power to make your life easier…or very difficult.  Over at HR Capitalist, Kris Dunn has five great tips for how managers can make HR love them. You clearly communicate expectations.  Your employees understand ...

In his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, author and motivational guru Dale Carnegie says that the person who can speak acceptably is usually considered to possess greater ability than he actually has.  In my experience, this is true.  If you look and act like you know what you’re talking about, people will think ...