EDITORIALS

The FENG’s Resume Review Committee

Resume Writing

The FENG’s Resume Review Committee Cover Image

My dear friend Norm Weinstock passed away a little over 10 years ago. Norm agreed to Co-Chair of The FENG when I began my Chairmanship back in 1996 and he also acted as our Treasurer and raised money for us to buy our first computers and to hire our first Administrative Assistant, Ann Mari...


Jan 19, 2020

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Do you get out much?

Being Out of Work

Do you get out much? Cover Image

The second Wednesday in November we will be having another meeting of The FENG’s Westport chapter. I tell you this not so that you will attend. Goodness knows, it is probably a little far for most of you. (But if your travels bring you to Westport on the evening of one of our meetings, ple...


Oct 28, 2019

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Getting value from chapter meetings

Editorials

Getting value from chapter meetings Cover Image

As I am sure you know, Bruce Lynn and I run a chapter meeting here in Connecticut every month. Marty Latman runs two each month in New Jersey. I am always a little disappointed at the number of people who aren’t properly prepared. I am not criticizing the quality of 90-second announcements...


May 21, 2019

By Matt Bud, The FENG

It’s all in the preparation

Being Out of Work Human Interactions

It’s all in the preparation Cover Image

According to a survey that Bruce Lynn completed late last year, only about 30% of our members have ever been to a chapter meeting. In a word, those of you who have never attended a meeting of The FENG are missing out big time. (And no, we don’t wear funny hats or actually have a secret han...


Jan 28, 2019

By Matt Bud, The FENG

I know this will come as a surprise

Networking

I know this will come as a surprise Cover Image

From time to time I give a presentation to the Westport Chapter about how to use our website, and in particular how to use our not so new Member Directory Search feature. Based on the great interest of those attending, apparently there are quite a few members who haven’t taken the time to ...


Oct 30, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Putting your own mask on first

Human Interactions Networking

Putting your own mask on first Cover Image

For those of you who have had the pleasure of earning frequent flier miles, I can understand that you may no longer be paying strict attention to the very helpful discussion that precedes take off. Personally, I don’t think that anyone who doesn’t know how to work the seat belt should real...


Oct 18, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

All dressed up with no place to go

Human Interactions

All dressed up with no place to go Cover Image

On the way down to Washington, DC a few years ago to speak at the chapter meeting, I had the distinct opportunity and pleasure to sit with one of our esteemed Co-Chairs of The FENG, Bruce Lynn for several hours. Most people don’t know this about Bruce, but among his many talents is running...


Sep 30, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The intimidation factor

Human Interactions

The intimidation factor Cover Image

One of the many things I have heard mentioned to me after our various chapter meetings is “I can’t believe the talent in the room. How can I ever expect to get a job if all of these folks are out of work?” I am not sure why I am usually caught off guard by this comment, but I am. Perhaps i...


Sep 09, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Always do your best work

Correspondence

Always do your best work Cover Image

I have never quite understood why the emails I get are so sloppy. I fully realize and accept that most people don’t type 90 words a minute like I do. Still, even if you only hunt and peck, it is my honest advice to you that you make an effort to spell words correctly and to check your sent...


Sep 06, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Two hours for lunch

Evolving Job Market

Two hours for lunch Cover Image

One of the little jokes I used to tell back at the office was how hard it was to get anything done, what with an hour coffee break in the morning, two hours for lunch, another hour coffee break in the afternoon, combined with leaving early, there just isn’t much time to get things done. In...


Sep 05, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

The ultimate scam Cover Image

I was recently reminded of one of my favored approaches to networking that I discovered in the early 90’s. (Sometime in the late-90’s I stopped calling some of the things I was doing “scams” and started calling them “approaches,” which for some reason those in polite society found more acc...


Sep 04, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Please, no sad stories

Networking

Please, no sad stories Cover Image

As we all blast out of here for the long Labor Day weekend, let me give you a few suggestions to make your “time off’ most productive. I hope that all of you will be sharing some good times with family and old friends. (All my friends are old, but I digress.) If you are currently unemploye...


Aug 30, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

No one ever calls

Human Interactions

No one ever calls Cover Image

I had an interesting comment from one of our members of long standing several years ago to the effect that no one was calling him. Of course, the ultimate revenge would be to give all of you his phone number and ask you to call our very own “lonesome George,” but that would be mean. While ...


Aug 29, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Sharing of job leads

Evolving Job Market

Sharing of job leads Cover Image

The newsletters the past few weeks have been a little thin, so I thought I would take this opportunity to remind all of you of our mutual commitment to share job leads, even those in which we are an active participants. Yes, I know it is counter-intuitive to share leads in which you are an...


Aug 28, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

A firm belief in the Tooth Fairy

Correspondence

A firm belief in the Tooth Fairy Cover Image

I hope I will not sound like I am in a bad mood or anything, but I have to tell you that the bulk of the messages I get from members need a lot of work to make them appear as proper business correspondence. I wish I could believe this is only how you write when you are corresponding with y...


Aug 27, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

A silver bullet

Outplacement

A silver bullet Cover Image

Ah, if only there were such a thing when it came to job search. Alas, there isn’t. From time to time I get emails asking about the various “blood suckers,” who claim to provide variations on outplacement. They profess to be able to do either mass mailings, mass emailings or the ability to ...


Aug 26, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Making your emails look professional

Correspondence

Making your emails look professional Cover Image

I don’t know if you will agree, but I’m almost convinced that email is going to stick around for a while as a business tool. This being the case, I would like to make the bold suggestion to all of you who write emails (and hopefully that is everyone in The FENG) that you “get with the prog...


Aug 21, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Acts of friendship

New Friends Old Friends

Acts of friendship Cover Image

As you know, each week I publish a list of our new members and I ask each member of our august body to call at least one person from the list. I sometimes spend close to a full day out of my personal schedule to review new member candidates. I only ask that each of you call one person &#82...


Aug 19, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Yakking on the phone

Interviewing

Yakking on the phone Cover Image

Most of us CFO/Controller types find talking on the telephone one of the more difficult things we do. I believe one of the reasons 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 and to a ver...


Aug 12, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

A simple framework

Resume Writing

A simple framework Cover Image

I’m not sure why people go their own way, but the standard resume framework is very much the “gold” standard. If you accept the idea that most resumes only get 10 seconds, I think you can begin to appreciate why straying from the traditional structure can get you into trouble. Of course yo...


Aug 08, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG

Caught by surprise

Interviewing

Caught by surprise Cover Image

There is nothing worse in this world than to finally get an interview and to blow the opportunity because someone asked you a question you weren’t prepared to answer. I don’t know why some very obvious questions can take a seasoned financial professional by surprise, but they do. Perhaps w...


Aug 07, 2018

By Matt Bud, The FENG