You’re probably familiar with the old principle of WIIFM–What’s In It For Me? On the other hand, how often do you think about WIIFU–What’s In It For Us? Maybe not often enough.Employers’ Perspective is CriticalIf you haven’t put the needs of potential employers at the top of your list when creating your professional resume or preparing for a full-out job search, you could be wasting your time–and theirs. Most employers, if...

In a perfect world, your new job would be challenging but not overwhelming and you would move forward with no obstacles during the first 6 months to a year. Unfortunately you probably don’t live in a perfect world. At least no one I know does!Challenges undoubtedly will occur on your new job, and some of them might be daunting, to say the least–especially if they’re situations you had no way to anticipate and prepare for. H...

Interviews You Don’t WantSometimes a situation is doomed from the outset, but you don’t always know it ahead of time. However, there are some signals you can watch for that might suggest a “pass on this one” would be smart. For instance, if you learn that the company is in the midst of a potentially major change (possible merger or acquisition, etc.), that might not be the best time for interviewing there. By the same token...

Job Search a Team Sport?You might quibble about my labeling job search as a sport. Would it help if I put “sport” in quotes? Seriously, a team sport is one that (by definition) involves more than one player. Usually that means there’s a captain–a leader–who gives the team a focus and helps them work together to achieve a common goal. That might mean winning a lot of games in whatever the sport is or at least making a strong...

3 Things You Might not Know but Should◦Is the target company facing a daunting challenge that could negatively affect you if you were hired? For example, is it a likely target for a hostile takeover or otherwise a probable candidate for a merger/acquisition that could result in elimination of the job you had just landed? Certainty might not be achievable with the available information, but it’s up to you to do your du...

If this blog’s headline strikes a chord with you, you’re probably not alone. What helps make a new job unsettling at best and highly stressful at worst is the disconnect that too often seems to occur between what you expected the situation to be and what it actually is. The root cause isn’t always obvious, and what you should do about it might not be obvious either. It merits some careful thought.Voluntary Job Change–Why St...

Age discrimination in the workplace has long been a big concern–especially if you’re not getting any younger as time goes on, and obviously none of us is! Now, however, there seems to be a growing trend of people working longer and at least some companies being glad it’s happening. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, and it’s worth delving into.Older Worker Discrimination Balanced by Need?It’s possible that even...

If you’ve never made any dumb or slightly silly mistakes in a job search, congratulations! On the other hand, an occasional misstep is probably not the kiss of death unless it’s seriously stupid. Look at it this way, though: If you don’t put your best foot forward when you’re planning and conducting a job search, why should a potential employer assume that you won’t do something equally bad as an employee? To those employer...

I’ve had a few clients over the years that have gotten caught up in the Never-Never Land of long-term unemployment, and to say that it’s stressful and disturbing for them is a gross understatement. While I doubt a “magic bullet” exists that will fix the problem effortlessly, I do believe some pointers and potentially hopeful signs can be found to encourage those job seekers. Companies that Discriminate Against Long-Term Une...

The title of this post is somewhat of a trick question. When a company pays your salary, as agreed when you took the job, you probably do owe them something in return. In other words, in most cases you should deliver whatever you agreed to do in exchange for that salary.On the other hand, what if the company expects actions that are, for example, unethical or borderline illegal? Then you’re looking at possible consequences...