If you had to write one sentence describing how to write a resume, what would you say? Most job seekers would say something like this:

• Note my skill set
• Point out career accomplishments
• Highlight impressive work experiences
• Have an Objective Statement that tells what kind of career I’m looking for

While none of these are wrong per se, they all miss the point. That’s why hiring managers will toss the vast majority of these. And what point are they missing? To answer this all-important question, it’s best to put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. (more…)

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It’s true. You are known by the company you keep. So why not formalize your associations by joining a business group of some kind? Whether a business owner or a newly hired employee, there’s an organization just right for you. In so many ways.

A “chamber of commerce” for example, is nothing more than a business network made up of business people who have banded together to promote trade, settle disputes, gather information and regulate various businesses. Chamber members also work together as a political body to influence laws relating to doing business in cities and towns. There’s power in numbers, and being a member of a Chamber of Commerce can add a new dimension to a work network, something that’s a lot more social than the annual meeting of the local Law Association, for example. (more…)

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There are all kinds of secrets employees keep for their employers. Most of us aren’t expected to guard the secret recipe for the Colonel’s fried chicken. (In fact, if you are privy to this secrets, your last name is probably Sanders.) Most of us aren’t asked to guard secrets that valuable. But the kinds of secrets we ARE asked to keep can be just as … troublesome.

The two most common secrets that crop up in the course of a work day are those revolving around sex and money, with the occasional sticky situation like finding out a co-worker is about to be fired. In every case, the employee has a choice–keep the secret or pass it along. (more…)

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I once had a boss who would order artichokes as an appetizer at business lunches, just to see who could and could not gracefully consume the fibrous vegetable. Most businesspeople aren’t that devious, but there’s a reason business lunches are called “power lunches”: someone is always exercising his/her power.

Whether the meal is a job interview or a seemingly casual get-together of colleagues, attention is always being paid. How are your table manners? (I once had a boss who chewed with his mouth open, talked with his mouth full and was so genuinely gross that NO ONE would meet him for a meal.) (more…)

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Matewan is one of my favorite movies. Written and directed by John Sayles, the 1987 film focuses on a West Virginia mining town struggling to organize a union in 1920. The ensemble cast includes Academy Award winner Chris Cooper, David Straithern, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonough, Bob Gunton and Kevin Tighe. It’s a great movie and I don’t use superlatives lightly.

I think of that movie whenever I hear the news about a mine disaster because it seems to me that things haven’t changed much in almost 100 years. Mine companies still cut corners. Mine owners still have excuses for sending men (and women) into unsafe conditions. And it’s always the miners who suffer. And their families. (more…)

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