When I found myself unhappy after a few months at my first and began actively looking for a new role, I had a much clearer understanding of what I wanted and went about my job search process in totally different way than I had a few years earlier. This time around, I was looking to
Let’s rewind. Whether you are a new college graduate or a seasoned professional, do you remember when you thought you knew exactly what your career would entail? Most of us likely held an inaccurate view of the working world. That’s where a career mentor or a trusted counselor comes into play. Building career mentor relationships can help
Workplaces are awash in statistics. Surveys and studies pop up weekly on every issue imaginable — diversity, health, engagement and job satisfaction, to name a few. I approach such data with reasonable suspicion, not because I doubt the validity of the reports but because they are, to paraphrase Shakespeare, full of words and numbers, diagnosing
PITTSBURGH — Liz Szabo has spent many summers craving a healthy smoothie. Driving around Pittsburgh, the most common were sugary, calorie-ridden concoctions sold at gas stations and fast food joints. In a burst of free-market inspiration, the lifelong Pittsburgher decided to start her own business selling what she loves. Szabo, 29, inked a deal with
A job hunter offered to come in for an interview because she was “needing a daytime job to fill my time.” She will not be hearing back. The applicant, a young adult, may well be reliable and honest, as she wrote in her email to a business owner. But there was nothing in her attached
CHICAGO — As if job interviews weren’t stomach-churning enough, imagine sitting through one while looping around a giant Ferris wheel. Last month, top executives from ad agency Havas Worldwide commandeered six gondolas of the Ferris wheel at Chicago tourist hotspot Navy Pier to interview job candidates for several dozen positions, giving each applicant two revolutions
BALTIMORE — East Coast bank M&T Bank recently announced expanded parental leave benefits for all its employees, joining a flurry of corporate parental leave expansions as employers respond to societal shifts and increasing demands on employees on the job and at home. Companies such as Accenture, Microsoft and Netflix all have announced enhanced policies in
NEW YORK— Money brings happiness, but only up to a certain income level: That is, among other things, the knowledge that the world owes to Scottish-American economist Angus Deaton, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize for economic sciences on Monday. Deaton, 69, whose work focuses on exploring the interrelation of consumption, poverty and welfare, is
Q: My boss just threw me in the deep end of the pool on a new project; he has a lot of expertise in the area, me, not so much. Is this tough love, or is he setting me up to fail? Either way, how do I handle it? A: Ask good questions, find
Q: Although I was promoted more than a year ago, no one ever said anything about a raise. I don’t think I should have to go crawling to management for money, but I’m tired of doing more work for the same pay. Since this company doesn’t do performance reviews, the subject will never come up
CHICAGO — Samir Wagle, a fit and energetic 45-year-old, ambled into a downtown Chicago Protein Bar recently and gave fist bumps to some of his employees. Once a McDonald’s fry cook (more on that later), Wagle was named Protein Bar’s new CEO in December, succeeding company founder Matt Matros. Until last year, Wagle worked as
I peered into the future of the workplace, my friends, and came away with both bad and good news. The bad news is there’s a very good chance that by 2018, some of you will be fired by a robot. The good news is you’ll be able to tell people that you were fired by
Companies Must Focus on Education, Employee Training to Bridge the Skills Gap Are Employers Contributing to America’s Skills Gap? There is, it seems, a skills gap in this country. Even as the national unemployment rate lingers above 8 percent — 12.5 million people — tens of thousands of jobs are going unfilled as employers contend
EMPLOYER MYTH #1: Employees are browsing but not actively looking around for new jobs. FACT: Over 60% of employees are actively looking to leave their employer within the next three months. Additionally, the intensity of employees’ job search is grossly underestimated by many employers. Many employers understand that their employees may be looking – especially
Has Your Company Become Well Known As a Terrible Place to Work? It’s Time to Face Some Ugly Truths Maybe you don’t realize it. Or maybe you do and you just don’t care because you think you’re too busy. But somewhere along the line, it seems you created a monster. Your company is now a
Certain Non-verbal Behaviors Can Be Big Red Flags Sometimes You Just Know First impressions aren’t everything, but…well, sometimes they are everything. Hiring managers might not ever admit it publicly, but first impressions often help drive hiring decisions to a large degree. In a new survey from CareerBuilder, employers opened up about job interviews — specifically
Metro Chicago’s economic recovery is weaker than in most major urban areas worldwide, held back by slow employment growth, according to a Brookings Institution report. Assessing annual growth in GDP per person and in employment levels from 2013 to 2014, the think tank ranked the 14-county Chicago region No. 203 among the world’s 300 largest
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TRENDS IN TEEN EMPLOYMENT IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AND THE UNITED STATES UNREMITTING DECLINE IN EMPLOYMENT RATES OF TEENS & YOUNG ADULTS The report: Trends In Teen Employment In Chicago, Illinois And The United States is part of an ongoing series highlighting the severe labor market problems of teens and young adults. The report