EDITORIALS

One of the less well recognized phobias in this world is the fear of accepting help from others.Perhaps it is primarily a guy thing and it explains why we never used to ask for directions at the gas station, but when it comes to job search it is another one of the many things that “get in ...

I’m sure there are those of you out there who remember a positively awful movie starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts called “The Mexican.” Some of you may have seen it and have been trying desperately to forget it. I don’t blame you.Anyway, there was this one scene in the movie where Julia...

Money makes the world go around, or so they say. If this is the case, can there be any more delicate subject to bring up with a potential employer than your potential salary?There was a comment I heard on “Streets of San Francisco” many years ago that is applicable here: “First liar never ...

One of the most difficult challenges in a career is being faced with taking a step or two back.Because we tend to stay with companies longer than most senior managers, the gains we make in our career in terms of compensation and responsibilities are hard won and painstaking achieved. So, w...

If you haven’t seen the movie “My Cousin Vinny,” you may not really understand where this line comes from. If this is the case, please accept my apology for this reference out of left field. It is an old movie, and it wasn’t a great one.As opposed to the marketing and sales folks I have me...

So, what’s it all about?The “it” in the sentence above is The FENG. The FENG is many things. Is it about job leads? Is it about webinars? Is it about Chapter and Special Interest Group meetings?Well, one thing I can tell you is it’s not about the Hokey Pokey.I got the note below from one o...

There is no topic that comes up more frequently than how can we keep our alumni members deeply involved in the goings on of our organization.Among a small number of our members there is a desire to put their whole ugly job search thing behind them and move on with their lives. In some case...

Unfortunately for all of you, my wife bought me a book once when we were on vacation about the whale ship Essex. No need to go into all the details here, but the short story is that the ship was rammed by a whale and began to sink.Being a devoted sailor, I have certainly read other novels ...

It is a sad fact of interviewing that often times those sitting on the other side of the table hesitate asking questions that you would gladly answer. The kinds of questions I am talking about are things that might be grounds for a lawsuit because they skirt the edge of age discrimination ...

As many of you know, I have a variety of backgrounds. I was not only in the publishing business for 10 years, I was also in the advertising business for 9 years.Communication, or the assumption that it has taken place, is at the core of most of the problems in this world. (Okay, there are ...

I don’t know if all of you are familiar with the concept of a New York minute, but for all intents and purposes it is generally accepted to be a micro second. For your further edification, a Google search turned up the following:New York Minute: A New York minute is an instant. Or as Johnn...

Back at the beginning of time itself when my good friend Ed Devlin was running what was to become The FENG, he invited me to join. (I don’t know what he was thinking.)Seeing the networking opportunity for my own job search, I immediately offered to act as social chairman for our small gath...

At one time many years ago I had a lot of time for reading. I picked up an Agatha Christy novel and I was hooked. Over the next several months I believe I read just about everything she had written up to that point. I know that when we moved, I had quite a box of books. Trying to pick up t...

Over the past 25 years I have had more than a few opportunities to work with groups of members on their 90-second announcements. In fact, this is typically one of the drills in which we used to engage at all Westport chapter meetings.Although most résumés I see could also use more than a l...

There is no greater truth about our profession than the one about our having transferrable skills.Like lawyers and marketing folks, us financial types come to the world with talents that can be applied in a variety of situations. (Sort of sounds like the introduction to Superman, doesn’t i...

For those of you who are familiar with Kermit the Frog, you know it isn’t easy being green.In much the same way, individuals who know about our little society called The FENG have come to expect great things from us.If I start from the outside and work my way in, members of the search comm...

There are lots of good reasons to keep you chin up. Of course, the most important reason is that it is easier to hit!Okay, I am just kidding with you. But seriously, some members have been active in their search for so long, that I fear many of them are beginning to believe things that hav...

Probably one of the most difficult interviews to pull off well is a telephone interview. (I much prefer Zoom!)Let’s start off with the idea that the lack of face-to-face contact prevents you from seeing if the words and ideas you are presenting are playing well. A live audience, or a Zoom ...

There was a time in the not too distant past when our evening newsletter on Sunday evening ran to over 120 pages. The newsletters during the week were typically 50-75 pages.Now that we have a Job Board, I no longer have a “page” count, but we are running at about 50 active jobs. After my r...

In keeping with the spirit of networking that makes The FENG a remarkable organization, it is appropriate that we share our contact information. And, when other members reach out to you, it is EXPECTED that you will take the time to respond.(Yes, I know you are busy, but so am I and I need...

One of the foundations upon which The FENG has been built has been relying upon our members to exercise good judgment about the jobs for which they are a fit and only responding when they are. I could no more police this activity when we were smaller than I can now that we are huge.In the ...