Am I the only one who thinks the Washington DC party-crashers who crashed the White House state dinner last week made a smart career move?

They’re trying to get a spot on a reality TV show and what better way than getting national, even international, media attention.

All you brand-thirsty, corporate-climbing wannabes, and career resurrectors can learn something from them.

Why do you think Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, and GE’s struggling CEO Jeff Immelt were there? (more…)

I just got an email from a public relations firm touting the idea of giving your boss a gift this holiday season.

My first reaction was — “oh yeah, workers who have been furloughed, seen their paychecks cut and their benefits trimmed are definitely going to want to hand over a fruit cake to the boss.” (more…)

There’s no better time to ponder if your kid will grow up to be a ditch digger or the president than after a parent-teacher conference.

My husband and I had two conferences today — one for our 10 year old daughter and another for our 7 year old son.

I’m always a bit nervous going into these things even though I know generally how my kids are doing in school. But sometimes there’s this thought in the back of your mind — “what if we missed something? What if there’s something about his or her ability, behavior, etc. that is derailing their progress?”

And what if any of that is a predictor of their success in the future? (more…)

I’m going to preface this blog post by saying, I probably have written a top ten list or two in my day. But, for the most part, top ten lists can be pretty useless, even mine.

Top ten places to live for work. Top ten growth jobs. Top ten interview mistakes.

Sure living in Hawaii and working as a nurse sounds great, but how realistic is it for most of you out there? And if you’re going to a job interview with smelly armpits and unbrushed hair there’s a good chance you’re not reading top ten lists. (more…)

There’s a silly story on the cover of the Wall Street Journal that shows how insane all the fear over swine flu has gotten. Now doctors’ ties may be harboring the flu virus.

Believe it or not, the American Medical Association has been pondering banning the necktie for docs, in addition to getting rid of long sleeves and other types of clothing. Why don’t we just have our doctors stand naked before us. That would be an interesting twist, no? (more…)

I remember the first job I had as a teenager where I had to punch a clock. It was at a Syms clothing store on Long Island, NY, and in some ways that job as a sales associate helped my career. (more…)

Family friendly policies will bankrupt a company and a nation, right?

Wrong!

A new comprehensive study finds that being nice to workers by offering them programs such as paid sick days and parental leave actually helps competitiveness. (more…)

One nugget of career advice that tends to get everyone agreeing is that you should never bad-mouth an old employer.

I tweeted this morning about whether putting down an ex boss is a good idea, and PatricePinkFile summed up the conventional wisdom on the topic:

World too small to burn bridges

But, in this age of venting about almost everything, such advice may seem a bit old-fashioned, no? (more…)

A job seeker recently asked whether it was okay to call or email a hiring manager every day or every other day following a face-to-face interview to prevent getting lost in the shuffle as other applicants were interviewed.

This strategy will indeed keep you from being lost in the shuffle, but not in a good way.

Pestering a hiring manager or anyone at the company your applying to is a bad idea and it’s probably the fastest way to get thrown out of the running.

So, how many times can you contact a prospective employer without making them crazy? (more…)

As more and more news comes out about Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, TX, it appears there was more than one manager and colleague who thought Hasan was a little bit off.

This from an Associated Press article:

Doctors and staff overseeing Hasan’s training viewed him at times as belligerent, defensive and argumentative in his frequent discussions of his Muslim faith, a military official familiar with several group discussions about Hasan said.

(more…)