My grandfather turned 90 years old this week.  As long as I’ve been alive, he’s been impossible to shop for.  Now that I’m a working mom, I have less time than ever to figure out what to get him, so I usually just include him in a family gift of tasty treats.  But the man has had quite the life, and this year I really wanted to ...

A few months ago, I sent a blogger I respect tremendously a copy of my new book, which he had agreed to review.  He passed it off to his summer intern, which was okay by me, because after all interns are often my target audience and I engage with this age group every day.  Said intern promised to have the review posted by the middle of ...

Following up on last week’s interview post based on my new book Success for Hire, here’s what not to do if you want your interviewing exercises to result in strong and lasting hires! DON’T let first impressions get the better of you.  Sometimes, you might meet a candidate whom you decide you want to hire immediately, and will ...

Last week, I participated on a T&D Magazine webcast with Bill Byham, the CEO of Development Dimensions International,  a leading human resources consulting firm.  It got me thinking about a great DDI white paper I saw recently written a white paper on the qualities that predict leadership success.  According to DDI, effective ...

I’ve been spending a lot of time in doctors’ offices lately.  No, I’m not sick – just 36 weeks pregnant.  And having a doctor’s appointment at least once a week inevitably means that my productivity goes way down.  This is because one waits longer for a doctor than for any other professional, and even if you only see the doctor for ...

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, ...

[ImageAttachment] Chris Brogan at the Lifehack blog had an interesting perspective on what your boss wants – and doesn’t want – from you this year.  Some of his ideas: Your Boss Wants… You to “get it” quickly, develop a plan quickly, and then take action You to clear all the smaller roadblocks yourself, exercising creativity without ...

[ImageAttachment]   Much as we may grumble about our colleagues, they’re there for a reason.  Your company or department’s workload is too much for one person.  Sometimes, you’ll even get a direct report or two (or even a whole group) to help manage the never-ending stream of tasks.  Because there are only so many hours in a ...

[ImageAttachment]   The latest article from MSN/Career Builder, by Kate Lorenz, touches on the age-old problem of the boss from hell.   Lorenz cites a recent Gallup Poll of 1 million workers, which found that the most common reason employees leave a company relates to a stressful or problematic relationship with their ...