In the film, “Kramer versus Kramer,” Dustin Hoffman plays a desperate man.  Once a well-paid executive, he loses his job simultaneous to his wife’s unexpected filing for divorce and suit for custody of their only child.   She’ll get custody if he doesn’t prove that he can support his kid; he needs to earn a […]

We all know someone who claims to have been born under a black cloud.  Bemoaning a universe out to get him, he yammers on about misfortunes great and small, including his aching back and the hair he was served along with his dinner.  What he fails to mention — indeed, what he fails to see […]

The New Year is traditionally one of the best times to seek and gain employment.  Given the current state of our economy, however, this year’s job hunters will likely face more competition than ever before as tens of thousands of unemployed and underemployed job candidates vie for what will almost certainly be fewer opportunities than […]

Over the past fifteen years, the healthcare industry has undergone monumental change,  transitioning from an environment whose focus was largely clinical, to one that marries medical expertise closely with the demands of running a profitable business.  Practice of the medical arts has become increasingly competitive.  An MD degree from the most reputable school, and even […]

As the U.S. economy prepares to sink lower, into a double dip recession, qualified American job seekers find themselves running in place like hamsters on wheels.  It’s not that they lack experience, practical skills, education or initiative; it’s that they are looking in the wrong place. Employment is plentiful in some nations overseas, particularly in […]

In my thirty-plus years in the field of career services, I have met many talented individuals whose career opportunities were hindered severely because of deficiencies in their educational backgrounds.  Whether the missing credential was a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree or perhaps a Certificate in a particular discipline, the lack of an employer-required educational credential […]

Some sage once said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”  Be sure you’re not one of them, when trawling the Internet in search of gainful employment! Among the ever-widening sea of job hopefuls, Internet job searches have increased by 7% in a two-year period (73% in 2007 versus 66% in 2005 as per The Conference […]

In my more than twenty-five years in the career services industry, I have met many people who were unhappy with their careers.  The sources of their unhappiness, in some cases, may have been with the particular circumstances relative to their places of employment.  But, for far too many, their dissatisfaction rested with their actual position […]

Has it crossed your mind to wonder why contemporary legends David Bowie and Madonna are still holding their own quite nicely against their much younger, hipper musical counterparts?  Hint: both the Thin White Duke and the Material Girl are savvy business people as well as artists.  To retain their competitive edge in an industry whose […]

The longer that we remain in the same place of employment, the deeper we sink into that comfort zone that can, in the end, be anything but comfortable.  If the old phrase “Familiarity breeds contempt” sounds familiar, consider how that might translate into the workforce.   Your employer might share off-color jokes that make you squirm, delve […]