Step 1: Lose the Employee-of-the-Month program. (No one cares about it. ) Here’s the recognition your staff really deserves.   Here’s a fun exercise: Think about an old boss you didn’t like. On a scale of one to 10—no, you can’t use negative numbers—how would you rate their skills of recognizing, praising, and rewarding hard work and achievement? View Details

These are tough times as I write this for you. I am certain that these bad times will pass and I am equally certain they will come again. In many cases, no amount of proactive career management can prevent bad things happening like lay-offs and prolonged unemployment. View Details

Ageism is rampant in our economy. Older employees are often laid off, discharged, and overlooked for promotions or new jobs. Hiring managers will often say an older candidate is “not a good ‘culture fit’” or “over experienced. ” But what they really mean is, this candidate is too old and we don’t want to risk hiring someone who might retire, ask for too much money, or get sick to go on disability. View Details

“Iris listed you as a reference,” the caller said. My stomach dropped—Iris hadn’t said anything to me about job hunting, had she? I waffled. “Umm, I’d like to help you, but can you give me a little more information about the job she’s applying for? ” The caller refused, citing privacy laws, and hung up—without my recommendation. View Details

In today’s economy, there are a lot of people applying for the few jobs available. I know this because I’m one of the people doing the applying.   My question is: How long should I wait after a first telephone interview before concluding the employer isn’t interested in me? View Details

Employment sites can be a terrible waste of time for job seekers — unless you know how to get the most out of them  Things are looking up for anyone searching for work: Job growth hasn’t been this strong since 2006 and economists expect the unemployment rate to drop in 2013, The Wall Street Journal reports. View Details

Inequality among men and women in the workplace continues to be a major issue. Women desire equal roles, equal rights…and an equal salary. Yet, according to the infographic from Levo League, a career destination for Gen Y women, and former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine Kate White, women have the tendency to shy away from salary negotiation, which can lead lower salaries and a loss of potential earnings overall. View Details

Cold-calling is a way of approaching an employer by telephone. Although some people handle their ability to engage a cold-calling better than most of the others, contacting a potential employer can be quite stressful.   We have made a “ten thing list” about what to love about cold calls. So before you find yourself in a stressful situation remember all the benefits this tool brings.   1) It Works - Cold calling works! View Details

They’re charming. They’re genuine. And they can make an entire room full of people smile.   When you meet someone, after, “What do you do? ” you’re out of things to say. You suck at small talk, and those first five minutes are tough because you’re a little shy and a little insecure.   But you want to make a good impression. You want people to genuinely like you. View Details

One of the biggest things that set the business world apart from the rest of society’s functions is its level of professionalism. Most other places (with the exception of religious functions) you can dress freely and casually. Yet, when stepping into most professional environments (especially for an interview), jeans and a t-shirt just won’t do. View Details

Don’t lose sight of your objectives for the new year. Here are four ways to keep them in view.   Now is a great time to think about new sales goals for 2013 and beyond. Unfortunately, much like New Year’s resolutions to lose weight or get organized, many sales goals never become a reality. Part of the problem is that goals swirling around in our heads or discussed during meetings never become concrete. View Details

We’ve all heard the stories of people who put crazy statements on their Facebook status, causing not only great embarrassment to them, but often cause them to lose their jobs too.   Crazy status updates  You know the kind of thing…. “OMG, I am sooooo hungover, hope everyone is having fun working today while I have a ‘sickie’ “ or “I SO hate my boss blah blah blah”. View Details

Who’s the better candidate: someone who can do all of the work with half the skills and experience, or someone with all of the skills and experience?   Specifically, would you hire Mary, a person with limited experience?   Here’s her story.   I was just going through our archives and found an unedited video of a person I interviewed a few years ago as part of developing some new training course content. View Details

Although the economy is slowly improving and statistics show that the national unemployment rate is decreasing, a lot of people are still struggling to obtain jobs. In fact, reports have claimed that the drop in unemployment is partially due to many Americans dropping out of the job-search field. View Details

You’ve opened up gifts, stuffed your belly and spent time with loved ones. Now it’s all coming to an end. And, for many workers, once the holidays have ended, so have their not-doing-work days. It’s extremely easy to get accustomed to being on vacation, even if it’s just for a short while.   But no matter how comfortable we get, at some point we all have to go back to work. View Details