My Grandmother emigrated to the United States around 1914. She grew up near Kiev in what is now the Ukraine (but we were always told was Russia). A Yiddish proverb she used frequently was: To a worm in horseradish, the whole world is horseradish. (My Grandmother had a thick Russian accent,...

The urban legend out in the world is that the most recent 10 years of your career are all that anyone is interested in. True, but I think this idea is more correctly stated as “really” interested in.The primary rationale I hear for leaving off your early work history is to appear younger. ...

What everyone should be clear about is that although I believe that “been there and done that” is more respected now than in most previous time periods in our great nation, you still have to “prove the null hypothesis” that you can do the job better than anyone else. The reduced lack of ag...

Although the job market appears to be getting better, it is still a sad fact of life these days that most of our members face the prospect of a salary lower than they previously enjoyed.From our perspective as financial folks we struggle with the burden of our hard won escalations in salar...

If I had to put my finger on the one issue that confuses senior financial professionals it is the subject above. Who is the customer for your services, and what is your product?When I have chatted with or had email exchanges with members who were going through outplacement, the bad advice ...

I have often wondered how actors polish their performances before the first show. With only the director and the producer in the audience it just can't be the same. Sure, you are up there on stage and perhaps even in full costume, but there is no audience clapping or talking to each other ...

Just as they should require finance and accounting courses for the members of the other professions in this world, they probably should require more marketing classes for the members of our profession.The question we are always trying to address, whether we are looking for work or currentl...

It is not unusual, and is perhaps typical, that members of The FENG would like to change industries. I wish I could tell you that this is easy. Unfortunately, I think the phrase “easier said than done” is applicable here.Of course, someone telling me that a project is impossible is always ...

I have observed over my life that most of the people identified as experts are wrong a very high percentage of the time. In much the same way that a clock that has stopped is right twice a day, some acknowledged experts are identified by the media as genius only because they inadvertently ...

Let’s face it, those who “move the iron” -- even the new stuff, have a difficult job. But those who sell used cars have it the worst. The phrase “like a used car salesman” is very much part of the American lexicon.It implies the worst of the sales profession. No matter what vehicle you pur...

I don’t know about you, but I have always wished I were a few pounds lighter. That said, no one should suggest to me that this is the reason I can’t find a job. (As long as my clothes fit.)Gray hair shouldn’t be on their list. Nor should someone suggest surgery to look better. (This one is...

Most of us in the financial community find talking on the telephone to be one of the more challenging things we do.I believe the primary reason is that most of our work is accomplished in written form. When we do present our work to the boss or to our peers, it is usually done face to face...

If there is anything that typically jumped out at me when we had our meetings here in Connecticut, it was the need for us financial folks to be completely honest, even in our assessments of ourselves.However, interviews and 90 second announcements are no time for an extensive evaluation of...

Job search is a draining and discouraging process at times. (Or, is that most of the time?) Well, maybe not, unless you make it so.The truth is that most of us financial types stay in jobs a lot longer than those in other disciplines like marketing or sales. In addition, most of the work w...

I have to tell you that I come away from most conversations with members of The FENG considerably impressed with the wealth of talent in our organization. Perhaps it is just me, but the experience that most of our members bring to the party is truly amazing.The only problem that our member...

When asked what I do, my gut reaction is just to say “I do the Matt Bud thing.” In a sense, I don’t know what I do anymore, I just do. You see, I have been at it a while and I don’t tend to spend a lot of time thinking about it. (Frankly, I don’t have a lot of time TO think about it.)To a ...

There is no more important space on your resume than that first section after your name. Alas, I rarely see it used to good effect.Although cover letters allow you to “cover” matters perhaps not easily “covered” in your resume, more often than not your cover letter isn’t sent to the decisi...

The story goes that my grandmother had a marble statue. When it came time to break up housekeeping she decided that this was something she would sell. She thought it would be a good idea to clean it up a bit, but in the process managed to knock off one of the fingers on the hand of the mai...

I have often been heard to say that job leads have no value. That’s why we share them. It’s not that they have NO value, it is just that their value is limited to you as an individual (you have to be a perfect fit) and that their shelf life is extraordinarily short.I would also argue that ...

Very few among us are professional sales folks. It is for this reason that some of the more subtle elements of interviewing can easily go by us. When you decide to make a purchase you often have to justify it to others. When you do, you will find yourself repeating things the salesperson t...