Thanks to MSNBC columnist Eve Tahmincioglu for revisiting the issue of the noncompete agreement.  I address this topic briefly in Success for Hire, and I think it’s an important one to be aware of if you’re job hunting or thinking of making a career transition anytime soon.  Says Eve: “Among the flood of forms you get when ...

We've talked periodically about the impact that the economy's downturn is having on the job market.  Last week, in the new Outside Voices blog that recruitment guru Joel Cheesman is writing for U.S. News and World Report, the topic is compensation in traditionally hot fields like technology, finance, and government contracting.  Joel ...

The Millennial generation, born 1977-93, is the largest in American history, and is already causing profound changes in the way organizations are managed. In the US, Millennials are known for being ambitious, empowered, efficient, and yes, maybe a little over-entitled.  People often ask me what the Millennial situation is like in other ...

My friend Chris Russell over at Secrets of the Job Hunt reported on a recent study by global HR consulting firm Development Dimensions International and Monster that examined the most inappropriate questions job seekers have been asked during an interview.  The study coordinators divided the most popular responses into several categories, ...

The Washington Post reports that most diversity training efforts at American companies are ineffective and even counterproductive in increasing the number of women and minorities in managerial positions.   A comprehensive review of 31 years of data from 830 mid-size to large U.S. workplaces by the University of Arizona found that the kind ...

Thanks to Penelope Trunk for sharing a great post from Nina Smith over at Queercents.  In recent years, I have met many gay colleagues who felt more comfortable being out of the closet at work, then with, say, their parents.  Smith maintains that gays who are out at work have stronger careers.  She herself developed a closer and ...

Just when you thought the fad of forwarding silly or inappropriate joke e-mails to colleagues had run its course, along comes YouTube.   Now don’t get me wrong:  I think YouTube is the greatest entertainment invention since Nintendo.  My favorite YouTube video is the Montgomery Flea Market commercial, which I must have watched 100 ...

According to a new national survey by Harris Interactive for The Marlin Company, 10% of U.S employees say their company has used e-mail to fire or lay off employees.  And 17% indicated their boss used e-mails to avoid other difficult face-to-face conversations.   “E-mail has become the new shield of today’s business. Companies hide ...

As you’ve heard me mention from time to time, my husband is a clinical psychologist.  He’s currently studying for the Illinois licensing exam, and in this study materials I found a great section on industrial/organizational psychology (I/O).     What is this, exactly?  Wikipedia defines it as the application of psychological ...

Anita Bruzzese over at 45 Things has an interesting post on workplace romance.  While Anita does mention that 58 percent of us working folk have dated someone you work with and that she herself married someone she met on the job, it’s cool that she doesn’t spend the rest of the post chastising those who are currently in a relationship with a ...