Making the most out of your reference section

As part of the consulting I do, I have occasion to do or commission personal reference checking on candidates. In the last several months, I have run into a number of situations any job seeker should try to avoid.

The Setup

A very aggressive and seemingly capable candidate promptly provided me with a list of references at my request. As I made the calls and received rave reviews on the candidate, I started to get a sinking feeling. The responses were to…

Have you ever thought about your career or the work you do as art…as a form of personal creative expression? We can easily summon an image of the painter, sculptor, musician, writer or inventor in their studio, engaged in the wonderful process of creating a masterpiece. (One of my dreams is to model my office on a Leonardo Da Vinci-type studio, but that’s another story.) Try applying this analogy to you and the work you do. Your career…past, present and future is a canvas upon which you are pain…

New Year Career Considerations

The New Year is a natural time to reflect on life goals, your career and the coming year. Allow me to propose the following questions, which might help in your discovery.

1. Are you happy doing what you do for a living? Are you happy doing it where you do it? When you do it? How you do it?

2. To what degree is your current assignment/job/project/enterprise a fit with the real you? In other words, to what degree, if any, are you putting on a mask when you go to work? (Hint: …