Presenteeism has crept into modern day business vocabulary and is now listed as a new word in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, defined as “presenteeism (noun): working when sick especially to avoid the stigma of being absent. “

Career coaches and search consultants spend inordinate amounts of time encouraging job seekers to dazzle and to stand out in the candidate crowd. However there is one area when it’s OK to be the diamond in the rough, unexciting and utilitarian, and when dull is completely OK if not advantageous. That is in the context of resume formatting. I mention this in…

Personal branding for women requires a different approach Stand out! According to Connie Glaser, author and women’s leadership expert, societal expectations for female behaviour promote modesty and collaboration, but these characteristics don’t necessarily lead to professional advancement. This requires actions closely associated with standing out from the crowd rather than blending in, by being able to identify, articulate and…

Men consider nip-tuck and other cosmetic surgery to promote and protect their careers Remember, you heard it here first! Nip-tuck is  becoming part of a career strategy for men to beat down competition from younger men and women and to beat age bias. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, I simply didn’t take it…

Salary negotiation from a position of strength We wouldn’t dream of selling our homes without knowing it’s value on the market.  Why do we approach salary negotiation from a place of ignorance or misinformation, Price awareness We live in a culture where most women know the the value of their homes on the property market. We…

In many areas it is now playing catch up, but nowhere is this more self-evident than in the area of employee engagement in the social media arena.

Poor timekeeping I have to confess that in my time I have indeed been guilty of some erratic timekeeping. I was very much “a one more thing before I go” type of girl and a great subscriber to the phrase “fashionably late“.  But then I worked for a manager who would monetize the communally wasted time whenever any of his…

Mad Men meets Stepford Wives in outdated Economist poll Named Editor of the Year in 2012, Mr John Micklethwait is Editor-in Chief of the Economist. Given his background, as a leading figure in global intellectual and business media, one would assume that he is a pretty smart and savvy gentleman. The Economist is normally associated with balanced,…

A Portfolio Career “a tapestry of a variety of eclectic employment experiences; employment in a series of short-contract or part-time positions“ Not new but on the increase The term Portfolio Career is being used in current business  vernacular with the same type of smug and superior “in the know -ness,”  as we might have seen when the atom was split or  the wheel invented. I…

For anyone embarking on a job search related to career change and developing a personal brand for the first time, I outline the steps and possibilities involved. As I do so I am always aware of one thing. Their faces turning ashen as they mentally try to calculate how much time this is going to take out of their already busy day. There is a reason it’s called net “working ” ( not net “vacationing” ). It is indeed a lot of work, takes time and much of it is new.