Career Marketplace Blog

In an interview for Susan Adams’ Forbes Magazine article, How to Communicate Better at Work, Karen Friedman has helpful advice on how to simplify and capitalize business communication.

Below is an excerpt from Adams’ article. Read Full Article

The title of Karen Friedman’s new book isn’t exactly subtle.Shut Up And Say Something: Business Communication Strategies to Overcome Challenges and Influence Listeners lays out her no-nonsense philosophy about how to best get your point across, drawn from her 35 years of experience as a professional communicator. As a TV news reporter, she worked at local stations in cities from Milwaukee to Huntsville, Ala. For the last 15 years, she’s headed up Karen Friedman Enterprises, a communication coaching firm in Philadelphia.

How does she apply her ideas in the workplace? Her No. 1 rule, gleaned from two decades in the TV news trenches: “It is absolutely critical to be as direct, to the point and concise as possible,” she says, in a lively, forceful voice with a Philadelphia tinge. Vagueness is all too common in the workplace, she observes, and you easily remedy it by following the newscaster’s drill of spelling out who, what, where, when and why.

Read On

In her article for U.S. News and World Report,  Karen Burns explains, How to Use the Holidays to Boost Your Career.

Below is an excerpt from Burn’s article. Read Full Article

It may sound calculating to leverage the holiday season to your professional advantage, but it’s smart, too.

The holidays are primo networking time. Most people are in a more jovial, giving mood. Many workplaces slow down a little this time of year, so you may have more mental space to think about ways to polish your resume and even set up informational interviews. And the end of the year is a natural time to reevaluate, refocus, and think strategically about your future.

If you decide to take advantage of this golden opportunity, whether to advance in the job you already have or find a new one, here are a few guidelines:

Read On

In her Wall Street Journal article, Employers Favor State Schools for Hires, Jennifer Merritt discusses a new Wall Street Journal survey showing U.S. companies are switching their focus to big state universities over elite private schools when hiring candidates.

Watch WSJ.com’s News Hub where Merritt discusses the results of this survey.

Read Merritt’s Article

In his article for the Wall Street Journal, Hobbies Help at the Job*, Dennis Nishi shows readers how their hobbies and/or volunteer work can lead to career success.

Benefits mentioned in this article:

• Explore job possibilities through volunteer work
• Gain valuable skills and work experience
• Have confidence to help with company projects.

*Click link to read full article

In her article for U.S. News  & World Report, Alison Green tells us, 6 Things to Do Before Your Internship Ends*. Green’s advice can help you end your assignment on a high note and gain valuable professional contacts.

Advice from this article include:

1. “Thank people”
2. “Ask your manager for feedback”
3. “Update your resume”
4. “Keep track of contacts so you can stay in touch”

*Click link to read full article

In honor of the holiday weekend, please enjoy classic interview clips courtesy of NBC’s hit comedy, The Office.

The Office Interview

In her Wall Street Journal article, Boom Times for Young Workers*, Jonnelle Marte reports, “many young professionals have been handed new responsibilities typically reserved for employees with more work experience under their belts”.

The article points out that young professionals should take advantage of this opportunity to develop their career at a more rapid pace.

Click the link above to learn how young professionals can benefit from added responsibility.

* Click link to read full article.

In her article for Forbes Magazine, Avril David writes about The Three Qualities You Need to Get Ahead at Work.

What are those qualities, you ask?   Competence, Attitude, and Potential or “CAP”.

David explains that an employee needs all three characteristics to rise within an organization. Those characteristics create value and make you stand out in a positive way.

WSJ article, Internal Hires, Referrals Were Most Hired in 2009, reports results from an employment survey conducted by CareerXroads.

Important statistics listed in this article:

1) Internal transfers and promotions accounted for an average of 51% of all full-time positions filled in 2009
2) Of 49% of External hires in 2009, 27% resulted from employee referrals
3) 48% of companies surveyed expect to increase hiring in 2010.

In the article Internal Hiring: How to be the Right Candidate for WorkAwesome.com, Jason Finnerty shows you how to find new opportunities with your current employer.

The message of this article is to be proactive. Look for opportunities that not only challenge you but allow you to contribute to a company you love.