Q & A: How do you ask for a raise?

Q & A: How do you ask for a raise?

Question: How do you ask for a raise? Answer: From what I am seeing and hearing, the practical answer is that you don't.  Many employers are not even hiring on a full-time basis let alone giving raises.  Many have cut bonuses or have made them entirely discretionary.  If, despite the uncertain

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Putting your Résumé to Work – the 8 Jobs it has to do

Putting your Résumé to Work – the 8 Jobs it has to do

A colleague working at a prestigious university for the past 15 years posted the following on his Facebook:  “I have reached the time in my career when I try to make my résumé as short, rather than as long, as possible.” Yet, recruiters complain about the increasing length of résumés th

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Negotiating NonProfit Job Salaries

Negotiating NonProfit Job Salaries

Employees often have many salary-related questions. What is the most tactful way to broach this sensitive issue? When is it appropriate to raise questions about salary? What do you say? How can you prepare to answer questions about your compensation requirements? Traditional wisdom holds that w

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“I've landed!” One Woman's Secrets to Finding a Job in a Tough Market

“I’ve landed!” One Woman’s Secrets to Finding a Job in a Tough Market

Tania Jones’ job search lasted ten months, one week and five days.  She counted each one of them.  Unexpectedly laid off in the depths of the 2009 job slump, she was diligent and proactive in sending out her resume and seeking out contacts and opportunities. But, apart from one potential job tha

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Holding Steady when your Career is like a Game of Chutes and Ladders

Holding Steady when your Career is like a Game of Chutes and Ladders

What do John Thain (former Wall Street golden boy) and Toyota have in common?  Both have known fame and fortune, and both found themselves in trouble when the wheel of fate turned.  This week, Mr. Thain landed a fancy new job after a year of unemployment, and we await the unfolding of the Toyota s

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How Prospective Employers Look Beyond the Resume to find the “Truth” about Candidates

How Prospective Employers Look Beyond the Resume to find the “Truth” about Candidates

A critical differentiator between you and other equally qualified candidates competing for the same job is what people say about you.  These days, employers are taking more time doing background checks on people because the risk of hiring someone “blind” is just too great.  While criminal and

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Twitter Weekly Updates 01-31-10

Twitter Weekly Updates 01-31-10

Vice President, Nonprofit Programs and Practice, Independent Sector - Washington, DC http://bit.ly/7f6qEO #executive #jobs # Manager, Finance & Grant Administration - Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise New York, NY http://bit.ly/4JBT6d #nonprofit #jobs # Manager of External Communications - D

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 Job Search Refresher: Looking for a Needle in a Haystack

Job Search Refresher: Looking for a Needle in a Haystack

What is the current picture of the career marketplace?  Some statistics are downright dispiriting.  For example, the US Labor Department reports 7.2 million jobs lost in the US economy from December 2007 to December 2009, and a recent study shows that two thirds of those finding work are accepti

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What the Movies can teach you about Leadership and Job Performance

The movie Invictus has some powerful messages for aspiring leaders and job-seekers alike.  Based on a true story about Nelson Mandela engaging the South African rugby team to unite people in his fledgling “rainbow” nation after the fall of apartheid, the movie can inspire anyone who has encount

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The Spicy Job Search Guide for 2010

The Spicy Job Search Guide for 2010

Our friend Nicholas is back from the holidays.  He was determined to restart his job search with vigor and focus. But as so often before, this feeling of resolve and optimism has dissolved into sporadic activity and apathy.  So, what should Nicholas do to get his job search off to a great start f

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