EDITORIALS

I can never understand why people hesitate in contacting old friends.It has been one of the blessings in my life that over the 20+ years that I have been Chairing this august body, I have been able to reconnect with almost all of the people I worked with since the 1970’s. (Yes, I am that o...

I am sure I don’t need to tell all of you that The FENG is a remarkable organization. It is also unusual in its tone.If I had to come up with two reasons why things are different in The FENG than in the rest of the world, I would start with the fact that EVERYONE in The FENG was sponsored ...

There was an article in The Wall Street Journal quite a few years ago that made the following points:1. The unemployed are damaged goods2. Recruiters prefer finding those who are not actively seeking new jobs3. Networking groups are of little valueWhile to a degree I hesitate to take excep...

Let’s be honest. There aren’t a lot of job postings in our evening newsletter that really are a fit for your particular background, salary and location preferences.This being the case, you would think that if you saw an opportunity in our newsletter that strongly fit your background, you w...

America is a great place, isn’t it? Everything is always someone else’s fault. I guess this is why Americans are so quick to sue. After all, we can’t take the blame for that which has happened to us. There were significant mitigating factors. Primarily due to, partially offset by. I’m sure...

Breathing is a very important activity. And, during an interview, you should be doing a lot of it.The guideline we begin our lives with is the ever popular 90 second announcement. I hope that all of you have mastered this art form. The 90 second announcement is an important tool in your jo...

I assume that almost all of you have a LinkedIn account. I don’t know how each of you use it, but in addition to looking up your fellow members using our Member Directory Search feature, I strongly recommend that you check LinkedIn prior to connecting with just about everyone.If nothing el...

Perhaps it is because I have been a Chief Financial Officer that I find financial folks of all types to be interesting people. The rest of the world may disagree, but who cares?As a “breed” we tend to be individuals of high integrity, and generally personable and well spoken. By well spoke...

Networking appears to be filled with a lot of mystery, but it is actually a very obvious process.What most people do when they reach a networking contact is ask them if they know about any open jobs that would fit their background. This is one of the world's worst questions. Consider for a...

Back at the beginning of time itself (1991-1992), I was unemployed for the first time since getting out of the Army in 1971.Although I did have an IBM compatible computer that I bought when I lost my job, this was a “pre-laptop” period of time. In order to keep all my contacts organized, I...

Over the course of any given week I have the great honor of reviewing sometimes as many as 100 resumes. Honestly, no one should be allowed to have this much fun.As I page through the many approaches to presenting one’s credentials, I am frequently dismayed by the way that some of the most ...

Job search is in many ways a unique experience.In contrast to the world of work where we have had folks reporting to us and have had folks that we reported to, the world of job search can tend to be a lonely place.Back in the day, outplacement facilities with their rabbit warren of cubicle...

When I was growing up, my father was in the construction business. Being a plumbing contractor or a consultant or even a job seeker these days isn’t all that different with respect to finding what I call “work opportunities.”I sense from talking to many members that there are those among u...

The FENG is here to serve you. As noted below, our Job Search Clubs are off to a strong start.I thought I would use tonight’s editorial slot to remind you about our “Stop by My Office” offering. I don’t recall exactly when I started it, but it was quite some time ago and it doesn’t appear ...

During April, May and early June I am usually preparing our sailboat for our annual two week trip.I take pretty good care of my boats, but still, there is always a maintenance list. This year, as is my practice, I went through each and every locker, removed everything and went through it i...

It is a truth in this world that we get paid the most for doing something that is at the high end of our skill set.For example, you would be willing to pay big bucks to a skilled surgeon to take out your appendix, but you would probably not be willing to let me take out your appendix at an...

In my continuing “joys of sailing” series, I thought I would talk about docks around Long Island Sound. Although one can drag anchor, one rarely drags dock. (A little sailing joke for you.)Sure, it is a rather arcane topic, but hopefully it is one that you can use to amaze and astound your...

I am at all times amazed and astounded at the lack of attention to detail by the many members who write to me. There are so many things that are easy to do, that no one seems to do.Let me start with my primary concern (and one I write about constantly), the lack of outgoing signatures. Inc...

 Almost all of the resumes I see are from members or new member applicants. In any given week, I go through a batch of 40-50 resumes.What is surprising is how much trouble some folks go to disguising their seniority and great skills.It is my belief and I hope to make it yours as well,...

One of my friends used to call me “the can do” guy. (Now he calls me “Mr. Chairman.”) I know he meant it in the nicest possible way, and I suppose that in many respects I am the can do guy. There really isn’t much that I won’t tackle. Perhaps it comes from my Midwest self-reliance or the f...

I have often been heard to say, “Cash is a four letter word.”It is for this reason that taking a sound approach to your job search REQUIRES that you have your financial house in order. There is nothing that is more distracting than to be concerned about your finances during a search.With a...