Tesar-Reynes

I remember when Kermit the Frog first sang “It’s not easy being green.” It was such a sad song. Much later, it was actually sung at Jim Henson’s funeral. It is amazing how things have changed – green is now where it is happening.

At our search firm, we have started a whole new sub practice for this category. What surprises me is how many people already have some chops in green and do not merchandise it on their resume. For example:

• I talked to two people in Detroit who work in hybrids and neither pointed that out in their experience.
• I spoke last year to some candidates in Ohio who were involved in batteries/power trains for future cars. They saw their work as …
  
  [ More ] February 19th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Getting a Job, Our Industry |

The economy, the news, your 401k and the world in general eat away at your psyche. Here are some steps you can take to ward off bad vibes if you are out of work.

1. Don’t Isolate

Make sure that you have friends in your life; physically meet them and don’t depend on the phone and e-mail.

2. Improve Yourself

Improve on an annoying habit you have; if you conquer that, move on to another one.

3. Get Physical

Exercise. It releases endorphins, a natural pain-reliever. This can range from a walk to working out; keep slowly increasing the duration of these sessions.

4. Learn Something New

You must have some topic you’ve been interested in; this can be work related, a new hobby, or some subject that’s always …

In my last post, I wrote about the Net Generation’s strengths. I have a confession to make. I originally started that post writing about the Net Generation’s weaknesses.

I felt like I was being critical. So I decided to focus on the strengths of my fellow Millennials instead. Now, I feel as if I can focus on our weaknesses, which, admittedly, we have some.

1. Learn to Follow (You Don’t Know Everything)

We spend four years in college learning how to do what we love. Once we graduate and land our first internship or job, we’re anxious to put that learning into practice.

Consequently we can get a little overzealous in our business endeavors. A desire to impress your bosses is good, but arrogance can be …

Some days I feel like Andy Rooney complaining about things. Over time, I have seen a lot of resumes – here are some things that really turn me off:

1. Cutesy Graphics

I don’t like a resume that has odd fonts or a big letter graphics in it.

2. No White Space

A resume that is full of a small typeface and fills the page from margin to margin offends my squinty eyes.

3. Functional Resumes

This format screams to me that the writer has something to hide or has a “challenged” career track.

4. Missing Dates

If I get a relevant resume that is missing dates, the first thing I do is call the candidate and fill in the holes. I must be …

We’ve asked our good friend Dave Gordon, Internship Director for the Marketing Communication Department at Columbia College Chicago, to do a guest post for us.

Dave and I go way back, since his days of doing brand management. Dave also introduced me to Roland, who worked as Dave’s assistant at Columbia.

Six Tips to Reduce Stress in Job Hunting Families

A friend of mine talked to me a couple of years ago about looking for work, and actually being afraid to come home each night for dinner to await what he thought was the unspoken but inevitable question from his family – “Did you find a job …

It takes a special person to be in marketing or any form of communications. Having spent time there myself, and I guess I still do, there is particular specialness that we all have that I want to address: empathy.

I don’t believe anyone can be in this industry unless they can feel what the consumer is interested in. As a result, we are all condemned to feel more of what is going on than the average person. I think of the powers of Mr. Spock or Obi-Wan’s sense of The Force. In this deep recession, where almost everyone is a participant, there is a ton of pain out there. And I think we all feel it whether we like it or not. For those of us who have been in the …

One of my greatest strengths is also one of my worst weaknesses. The problem is hobbies.

My father loved to motor around in his little 12-foot boat and garden in the summer, hike in the fall, ski in the winter and paint/repair the boat in the spring. He planned his work (he sold ad space) around these activities. He also dabbled in photography and loved to travel. He also took up golf in his 60’s.

As opposed to some of his peers who got bored with golf and became a burden around the house, he loved to get up every day. Today, I frequently meet a bunch of very successful executives who I think are secretly scared and bored. In the darkest corner of their intellect, they realize that they are only defined by their career.

I …

I just got off the phone with a person who is going in as a CMO of a medium-sized B to B financial services company in the Chicago area. After she told me about the new job and the responsibilities, I asked her if she was going to send out an announcement. There was a moment of silence. Then there was a  “ so what should be in the announcement.” After a quick discourse, I saw another blog entry!

An announcement should be sent out to everyone on your mailing list that is influential or connected. The rationale is to leave a merchandisable paper trail of the next part of your career. It should include …

It seems like the Net Generation is the newest fad. Reportedly, senior managers worry about their ability to attract and retain young talent. As the boomers ride off into the sunset, X Geners will move up, leaving a huge need for entry to mid level employees.

Often, the over-eager, fresh new faces at the office start out their positions brimming with energy and confidence. But after a few months, their initial passion seems to wane, leaving managers wondering how to get their youngest workers motivated again.

I’ll admit some of this is the Net Generation’s fault. In fact, I have the Four Weaknesses of the Net Generation (And How to Minimize Them) saved for a future post.

Let’s focus on our strengths first, and how you as a manager can build off of them.

You Have Much Work …