For some Americans, retirement involves moving somewhere sunny, enjoying afternoon tee times, and relaxing by the pool. After a few months of this permanent vacation, some of us might feel the need to get back into business. Other American retirees, feeling the pinch of a slumping stock market, may simply want to generate some extra
Are you between jobs? At a career crossroads? Trying to transition to another field? An internship may be your best next step, even if you haven’t seen the inside of a classroom in many years. No longer just for college students or recent graduates, internships can be a passport to success for professionals of any
The surprising parallels between seeking public office and managing your career 53
Everyone has just 168 hours in a week, but some folks can magically squeeze more into that block of time. If you’ve wanted to go back to school, but haven’t quite figured out how to do it and work at the same time, this Q&A can help. 44
Abstract Costa and McCrae, in their work with the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, have established a developmental trend for the Big Five traits. According to their findings, as individuals age from about 18 to about 30, their scores on the traits of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness tend to decrease, while scores on Agreeableness and Conscientiousness tend to increase.
This research was funded by the U. S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Contract #DASW01-97-C-0041. All statements expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions or policies of the U.S. Army Research Institute or the Department of the Army. The authors wish
You know the areas of staffing and recruiting that are worth measuring, but how can you become more strategic with your findings? One suggestion: By capturing ‘from’ data as well as ‘count’ data. 34
Can company require reimbursement for training if I quit? I work for a company in Texas. Before they will agree to send me to a training seminar, they want me to sign an agreement that I will reimburse the company for the cost of the training should I leave the company. Is this legal? 42
“Oh, I notice you went to Whittier College. So did I.” “You were at Disney for two years? I worked for Disney, too.” “Toastmasters? I’m in Toastmasters, too.” All of the above are opening gambits that I’ve used while interviewing candidates. They often were greeted with an “uh huh” while the interviewee waited for a
As an independent consultant, I’m astounded when people say, “I’d love to do what you do, but I’d miss the security of a paycheck every two weeks.” What’s astounding isn’t that some professionals want to enjoy the benefits of free agency without taking any risks. There’s always a segment of the population wanting to get
In his book “Free Agent Nation” (Warner Books, 2001), Daniel H. Pink focused on the more than 30 million Americans who, for a variety of reasons, have abandoned traditional employment and the idea of a job that lasts a lifetime. The free-agency movement promotes the notion that — because the loyalty contract between employers and
Even in the current uncertain environment, the U.S. economy is driven by nerds — a term that recently morphed from an insult into a quasi-compliment. Nerds specialize in computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, physics, biophysics, molecular biology, nanotechnology, bio-nano and who knows what. They are smart, sometimes arrogant, and not necessarily the most sociable folks
Dear Human Resources Manager: Hi! I’m writing to apply for a position on your board of directors. While I have only modest knowledge of polymer-based hollow-rod extrusion, stenciling and vapor recovery — and no actual office experience per se — I am eager to be well-paid for little or no work. 38
In Silicon Valley these days, precious few jobs are available for high-tech workers. In the past two years, hundreds of companies have folded and tens of thousands of employees have been laid off. Many of the job hunters who came here in the late 1990s for the dot-com rush are gone. 41
Can mere economics explain the meteoric rise of CEO pay since the 1980s? If we liberate our minds from that warped construct known as “perfectly competitive markets,” then the answer is yes. As we’ll soon see, economics can even explain the effect of such disparate influences as government intervention and charisma. Taking nothing for granted,
Job satisfaction has been on the decline since 1995 and has hit an all-time low, according to a survey by the Conference Board. The increased pace of business, greater demands for results and less time for recreation are among the factors bothering employees, the Conference Board found. “As technology transforms the workplace — accelerating the
Americans value modesty. This is a fact. Whether you’re a Rockefeller, Rothschild or Kennedy, the expectation is that modesty will prevail, and you’ll present yourself as a humble person, never flaunting your fame and fortune. And whether or not it behooves us to be humble in any given situation, we nonetheless comply. In fact, in
Jolene Tornabeni, 50, started out as a nurse 25 years ago. Two grown children later, she is the chief operating officer of Inova Health System, a health-care provider with facilities in Northern Virginia. She attributes her rise in the ranks to being a mother. “People always ask me if children didn’t stop me in my
Some people believe that the New York Stock Exchange’s Richard Grasso and the New York Times’s Howell Raines were forced out because they didn’t bother to update how they conduct themselves in these troubled times. Could it be that professional arrogance, denial and self-aggrandizement are bad for business? If you read the business news, you
I first saw the power of delegating when my mom published her housecleaning plan on our refrigerator. Each family member had to clean a room by a given date. Except for my mom. She cleaned the house without lifting a sponge. 41
