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Latest Articles
Day 13 | Blame the Machine: Why Your Online Applications Don’t Get Answered
There is a specter haunting the modern job search. It is a hollow and unfeeling thing, and it seeks only to separate us from our best work. It absorbs. It destroys. It breaks us down into data. It’s called an Applicant Tracking System, and if you’re not hearing back from online applications, it’s probably the reason.
An Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS as they’re commonly known in the industry, can be found in nearly every major company and recruiting shop out there. An ATS is a piece of software that takes job applicants’ data and renders it as searchable bits for the sake of making a recruiter’s job easier. It sounds like a great idea, right? It certainly would be, if it actually worked. Read More →
A Love Letter to All of my Horrible Bosses
So I’m sitting at my desk typing up a memo, when all of a sudden I hear my boss’s office door swing open behind me. As I turn around to see what’s going on, I instinctively duck to avoid the object flying at my head. A box of pens hits the wall above my desk and breaks open, spraying 12 brand new blue Papermate medium ballpoints in all directions.
My boss had just thrown a box of pens at me. Read More →
28 Days to a New Job: The Story So Far
Here’s a quick list of links help you get where you’re going. We’ll be adding each day’s link to the list below as they’re published. So if you’re stuck, struggling, or just need a little reassurance, drop a comment on our Facebook page or tweet using the hashtag #NewJob28Days. We’ll get right back at you and do our best to help put your job search back on the road to success. Read More →
Day 12 | Come Together: Choosing the Right Recruiter for Your Job Search
Remember back on Day 8 when I told you to do less job board surfing and more networking? Remember when I told you to budget 80% of your job hunting time for networking? You should be spending a solid chunk of that 80% finding, connecting to, and meeting recruiters. It’s a great use of your networking time and the payoff can be huge as you get more people advocating on your behalf. Learning how to work with recruiters is crucial, because love ‘em or hate ‘em, by the time you reach mid-career (and earlier if you work in Digital), you’re going to work with a headhunter or an external recruiter.
But not all recruiters are created equal. Choosing the right one can jump start your job search. Choosing the wrong one can derail your job search indefinitely. Read More →
Day 11 | Do Some Digging: How to Research a Company Before Applying
Congratulations! All that work you’ve done on your resume and cover letter has finally paid off. At long last, your application has made it onto someone’s desk.
Good news: now there’s a human reading your resume. Bad news: they’ve read a hundred other resumes before they got to yours. They’re tired. They’re stressed. They’re maybe a little hungover. All they want is one qualified candidate who sounds like they know what they’re talking about. Unfortunately, the entire morning has been a thankless slog through waist-deep job board dreck. Few if any applicants have addressed the key points in the job ad. Not even one person has bothered addressing the company’s buzzworthy new product. All hope is lost, and it’s not even lunchtime.
And then it’s your turn. Read More →
Day 10 | Empathy for the Devil: Move to the Top of the Pile with Smart Keywords
As a modern job hunter, you need to not only be smarter than the Average Joe applying for a job — you literally have to put yourself into the recruiter’s shoes. This requires doing the very thing that most people won’t have the guts to do: being empathetic.
You read that right: having “Sympathy for the Devil” or that Evil HR lady who, on a whim, can decide if you move on to the interview process, is one way you can get ahead. That’s because the HR lady isn’t actually evil. She’s just slammed. Read More →
Day 9 | How to Decode Job Board Postings: A Codex
Sometimes it feels like reading a job description is like trying to decode Kryptos. No matter how long you look at it, it still doesn’t make much sense.
From epic wish lists of skill sets that no one person could ever encompass, to posts so brief and nondescript that it’s hard to tell it’s whether it’s a job description or someone’s random Facebook post, job boards are filled with the nonsensical, the ludicrous, and the downright outrageous. Before you throw up your hands and resign yourself to sending out resumes on blind faith, take a deep breath and a step back. Here are some tried and true methods that can help you dig below the surface requirements and hone in on what the role is really all about. Read More →
Day 8 | The Internet is Ruining Your Job Search: How Applying Works in 2013
I you haven’t looked for a job in the last couple of years, you’re in for an extremely rude awakening. A lot has changed, even for the best candidates with the most in-demand skills. There are the added factors of online networking, learning to manage a profile, a brand new etiquette when it comes to approaching recruiters, and the list goes on.
One huge problem we see on the recruiter side is that it’s easier than ever to apply for a job. Features like LinkedIn’s one-click application turn the job search into impulse shopping, which means that everyone applies for everything, which means you’re just that much more likely to get ignored. The black hole of job hunting is bigger and darker than ever. It’s also exhilarating, dynamic, and the best source of increasing your wealth and fulfillment, if you do it right. Read More →
28 Days to a New Job: Week One Checklist
Week One of our month-long series dedicated to helping you land a bright, shiny new gig is over. It’s only been seven days, but if you’ve been following along and doing your homework, then you’ve already made a lot of progress. You’ve decided you can’t get anything else out of your current job. You’ve had an honest discussion with yourself what jobs you’re really qualified for and where you should be looking. You’ve also spent some serious time on your toolkit. The Core Four (resume, LinkedIn profile, references, and cover letter) are looking good.
Good news: the hard part is over! Everything you’ve worked on thus far will pay huge dividends once you start applying (spoiler alert: next week is all about honing your job application strategy). We’ve got a lot more exciting material for you, but first, let’s just run through a quick list to make sure all your bases are covered. Read More →
Day 7 | Make a Great First Impression: How to Write an Effective Cover Letter
This could have been avoided with a good cover letter
Here’s a question: when does a job interview begin?
The answer isn’t “with the handshake” or “when you arrive at reception.” The interview process begins the second a recruiter or hiring manager receives their first piece of correspondence from you. In almost all cases, the first thing they see is your cover letter. The cover letter is the first test, and if you haven’t taken the time to prepare one that’s tight, compelling, and good at selling your skills, you’re already blowing it. Read More →
Day 6 | Don’t Play Catch-Up: How and When to Secure Great References
It’s difficult to estimate just how many job seekers we’ve seen blow an offer, just because their references were in disarray. Whether they treated them as an afterthought, believed they were either too senior or too accomplished to be asked for them, or just forgot about them all together, job seekers at any level rarely put the necessary effort into selecting, prepping, and deploying references. This is a late-stage mistake that can easily throw a wet blanket on an otherwise successful hiring process. Nail down your references before you begin applying, or you risk playing catch-up down the line. Read More →
Day 5 | How to be an All-Star: Rocking Your LinkedIn Profile
You need a great LinkedIn profile. There’s no getting around that in 2013. It’s not just another social networking outlet. It’s not “professional Facebook.” It’s the digital face of your job search, and that alone makes it an absolutely necessary component in your job search toolkit. There are 200 million professionals and 2.6 million companies on LinkedIn. Over 5 billion professionally-oriented searches were conducted there in 2012. If you’re not maximizing your profile’s effectiveness, you’re missing out on one of the best – and one of the easiest – ways to up your job search game. Read More →
Day 4 | Conquering the First Obstacle: How to Write a Great Resume
The resume is the core of your application materials and is by far the most difficult to construct. That’s why no one likes writing them. Doing it well is hard and time consuming, and there are a million resources for resume guidance on the market, many of them offering contradictory advice. And yet, once you’re done with the resume, it’s pretty smooth sailing. Figuring out the resume – how you’re going to position yourself, how you’re going to spin your story – will inform the rest of your job search and will be a reference point throughout the process. With that said, let’s talk about the fundamentals of a strong professional resume. Read More →
Day 3 | Preparing Your Job Search Toolkit
So you’re almost ready to get started applying. You’ve combed the job boards and reached out to your network. You’re finding a number of promising opportunities from both venues, but there’s just one thing: you need stuff. You need a resume. And a cover letter. And a LinkedIn profile. And references.
You forgot about the references, didn’t you?
Every year, some pundit makes a grand, sweeping statement like “Resumes Are Dead” or “Why The Cover Letter is Extinct.” These sorts of headlines are great as cynical clickbait, but they’re dangerously misleading and just plain wrong. The hard truth is that you need all four of the aforementioned tools in order to run an effective job search campaign, and it’s best to get them all squared away before you start applying in earnest. Read More →
Day 2 | Less is More: How to Go from Being a Long Shot to a Sure Shot
In this economy, just showing up no longer counts. Jobs are no longer doled out to the deserving. Instead, they’re given to those that are the most qualified, the best prepared, and who prove that they want it the most.
This is my way of telling you not to start the job hunting process unless you’re willing to make it your relentless pursuit to end up in a hiring manager’s short list — the top three candidates of all the people who applied for a given job — every single time.
Tall order? Maybe. Achievable? Absolutely.
So what can you do today that will make an immediate and positive impact on your job hunt? Start refining the jobs you’re going to apply for. Read More →
Day 1 | Should I Stay or Should I Go: Making the Decision to Find a New Gig
Not recommended
Be warned, friends: once you commit yourself to job change, it’s really, really hard to put the “new job” genie back in the bottle.
Once you’re on the hunt, the same-old, same-old of your current job will begin to wear thin and you’ll want out ASAP. Then, with every tweak to your resume, every interview you crush, and every new contact you’ve schmoozed, you’ll find yourself increasingly ready to jump into that sexy new opportunity.
But before you do, you need to be sure that you’re truly ready to pull that rip cord, and that you’re pulling it for the right reasons. Read More →
28 Days to a New Job: How it Works
The day has come, folks. Every day in February — the next 28 days — we’ll be bringing you tips and lessons designed to completely prepare you for a killer job hunt. If you want to follow along (and you definitely want to follow along), here’s how:
Read each day’s post. If there’s suggested homework — there usually will be — take a crack at it. When you’re done, let us know you finished by posting a comment on our Facebook page or tweeting using our hashtag #NewJob28Days. Tell us how you did. Share what you learned and what you struggled with. Ask us questions. We’re here to help.
Next up: Ally kicks it off with “Should I Stay or Should I Go: Making the Decision to Find a New Gig.”
POV: Weisstuch and Livingston on the Future of Women in Marketing
Julie Livingston
Mad Men’s ratings may be higher than ever, but we all know the role of professional women has come a long way since the 60s. We recently sat down with Melissa Weisstuch, Associate Director of Marketing Communications at Somnia Anesthesia and Julie Livingston, Senior Director of Client Development at CarrotNewYork to learn more about the current state of women in marketing. Both Melissa and Julie are members of New York Women in Communications (NYWICI), a 1,500 member organization for communications and marketing professionals. They were kind enough to give us their takes on the dynamic world of marketing, public relations, and communications. Read More →
Listomania: The Best Year-in-Review Lists for 2012
January’s coming to a close and most of the big year-in-review retrospectives are all done. From misbehaving executives to edible iPhone cases, here’s what 2012 gave us:
This cat was the biggest thing on the internet in 2012. seriously.
- Best and worst tweets of 2012 (via Salon)
- The year’s most cringe-worthy PR disasters (via Entrepreneur.com)
- The best of those meme things all your young employees are always talking about (via KnowYourMeme)
- The worst CEOs of 2012 (via BusinessWeek)
- The four strangest ballot initiatives of 2012 (via The Week)
- Weird science awards of 2012 (via MSNBC)
- The worst words of 2012 (via The Atlantic)
- Weirdest tech inventions of 2012 (via AOL)
- Editor’s Pick: Best of the Silicon Valley newspaper’s police blotter (via Mercury News)
Including: “Belmont: A man received an envelope he was not expecting. (Jan. 20)”
28 Days. 28 Lessons. One New Job.
Last February: 7th Avenue at 23rd Street
On the surface, there’s not much to like about February. It’s 28 cold, grey, dreary days filled with excuses to stay indoors and count the days until spring. Sure, it could go down like that. Or you could use every one of those 28 days to get yourself in gear and finally score that job you’ve been eyeballing since it was t-shirt weather.
This February, instead of hurrying home from work to hunker down with a toddy and re-watch your Arrested Development DVDs for the ninth time, The Hired Guns invite you to invest that time in finding a new job. And not just any new job — the right job. We know you’ve been thinking about it, and next month we’re going to help you. Every single day. Read More →
The Look Back Strategy: Working Backward to Better Products
As product people who subscribe to a lean and agile methodology, we have a tendency to think in short bursts and only focus on the near term, because after all, things change. 
Our typical strategizing looks like this:
- Determine key priorities for the quarter
- Determine metrics for those priorities; i.e. when we complete the priority, how will we know if we are successful or not? Did we move the business forward?
- Focus on Priority 1 until it’s complete, and then move on to Priority 2
- Always be willing to adjust based on user feedback and product discovery (testing ideas, seeing what works, and failing fast to move on to the next idea)
However, the downside of this type of thinking is that you can lose sight of the bigger vision and of the long-term business goals.
In order make sure that we don’t lose track of the bigger vision and make sure that our quarter-to-quarter priorities help move the business forward in the right, I am proposing that we instate a “Look Back” at the start of every year, and check in with it in June to see how we are doing. Read More →
Why Working Parents Should Be Networking More in 2013 and How to Make it Happen
Photo by van city 197
Working parents, I invite you to add another resolution to your list this year: do more networking. While networking is important for everyone’s career, I’m aiming this post specifically toward working moms and dads. Why? Because it’s something we often let slip. We working parents are often so focused on being efficient at work so we can get home to little Oliver or Sophie as early as possible that networking get pushed to the back burner.
Adding a little bit more networking to your routine, however, — or simply having a networking mindset — can add a lot to your career and personal happiness this year. Read More →
Roll ‘em Up: National Day of Service on Saturday, January 19
Every year since 1994, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday has been celebrated with a National Day of Serviceto rally citizens together to help those in need.
The White House has an event finder for tomorrow, and here are search results for all registered service events in and near New York City. You can pack food for the hungry at St. Clement’s Church, help the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation register donors, clean out muck in Rockaway, Staten Island, and Brooklyn homes affected by the hurricane, or even share your thoughts on gun control at a theater co-op. There is an opportunity for every passion. Roll up your sleeves and get out there!
What is a Career in User Experience Really About?
This piece originally appeared on CreativeGood.com and is reprinted here with their kind permission.
In this new year it feels right to say something big, something about the meaning of life, and one’s career, and everything. I guess it’s been on my mind since last month, when I finished teaching a graduate class in user research. (It was here in New York, in SVA’s MFA in Interaction Design. Great program.) The class gave me a chance to get to know some very talented young designers, most of whom are just beginning their journey into the user experience field.
My main message to the class was that good user research isn’t a matter of learning the steps of some trendy methods, as though one were just following a cookbook. Instead, good UX work requires a genuine interest in observing, listening to, and learning from other people: primarily the customers themselves, but also the organization that owns the product. That observation, and that listening, must stem from a genuine human interest in people. Read More →
13 For ‘13: Thirteen Books That Can Change Your Life in 2013 (If You Actually Read Them)
Every year it’s the same thing. We start out the New Year filled with good intentions, high hopes, and a formidable list of life-changing resolutions. And for an indomitable few, those resolutions result in positive changes and personal growth. But for the rest of us, life tends to get in the way.
Before we know it, January is over and February flies by (it’s such a short month!). Then the spring holidays come along. Then it’s summer, and… well, you know the rest. That pledge to “start tomorrow” just leads to the eventual realization that today is yesterday’s tomorrow. So, what can we do about it?
We can start today. For real. Right now.
What we need to do is go from “resolutions” to “real solutions.” And one real-life solution that really works, is easy to do, and can kick-start us into action, is to start reading. And my recommendation is to start your New Year’s reading with any one of the 13 inspirational and motivational books on this list. Read More →
The Four Enduring Lessons I Learned from Sales Legend Zig Ziglar
Long before others turned sales motivation into a slick, multi-channel industry, there was Zig Ziglar. Ziglar, who passed away in November, carried a bag for 25 years before he started talking about it. He was able to draw relatable lessons from real-world experience and deliver them in a memorable and folksy way.
I had the pleasure of working with Zig several times. He was a humble guy who had an incredible way with people and the ability to size up an audience and tell a story like no one else. Unlike so many others, you could remember what Zig said the next day. In a world of blowhards and phonies, Zig was the genuine article. I’ll miss him.
Zig taught me many things. And while, at least on the surface, the lessons were about sales and marketing, I’ve found that they apply to almost every facet of business and life. After all, what is sales if not an exercise in human connection? Read More →
10 A/B Testing Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
After a decade in Product Development at Shutterstock and Beatport, I’ve performed a ton of A/B tests. Some were great. Others weren’t so great. But each one taught me something valuable, and each one made me better at what I do. I’m surrounded by some really smart people, but we’ve still had to stumble our way through some of these hard lessons because what seems intuitive is not always your winner. With that in mind, here’s something I wish I had started with years ago: a pragmatic list of lessons learned the hard way.
No two products are the same, so the tests we’ve run won’t work for your business. So instead of including details around specific tests, this list focuses on core principles that will help others succeed in testing. Have fun! Read More →
Marko Hurst: Meet the Senior Drill Instructor for Boots to Bytes
If you’re a regular reader of The Hired Guns blog, you’ve probably seen us lament the fact that the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is hovering around a woeful 10%. You’ve probably also heard that we’ve decided to do something about it. Enter Boots to Bytes: A Digital Re-Skilling Program for Returned Vets in NYC. We’re taking recently returned vets and pairing them with mentors who have established digital careers. But we could never do this alone. Fortunately, there’s Marko Hurst. Marko is an entrepreneur, content strategist, data analyst, and a former Marine. He’s also going to be the Senior Drill Instructor for Boots to Bytes. We talked with Marko about the program, as well as the difficulties of transitioning from the military to a civilian career.
What led to your decision to the join the military? And why the Marines?
There were two things, really. The first was the pull of adventure and the desire to see the world and to be part of something bigger than myself. The second reason was that I knew I wasn’t ready to go to college right out of high school. I was a good kid, but I knew that I needed discipline. A lot of people chafe under military discipline, but I actually welcomed it. Read More →
How to Avoid Completely Humiliating Yourself at the Company Holiday Party
Is there any other time of year that’s more festive and fun than the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years? The twinkling lights, the aroma of evergreen in the air, the promise of prezzies under the tree, and if you’re lucky, plenty of parties.
The youngsters reading this probably don’t remember, but back in the old days, companies used to splurge on holiday parties. They’d rent out entire clubs or restaurants, hire a caterer, give you a bonus, the whole nine. These days, most have cut back a little (or a lot). Many won’t let you bring a partner, and some even feature that most heinous innovation, the cash bar. Regardless of whether your company’s going all out or just throwing a potluck at the boss’s house, here are a few rules to ensure you’ll still have your job come Monday morning. Read More →
Managing Creatives: An Owner’s Manual
Managing creative people is both the best and the scariest job I’ve ever had. On some days I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet. On other days, I feel like I’ve gone nine rounds with Sybil. To become a decent manager, I read management books, watched what my bosses did (and didn’t do), and tried to figure out how I’d like to be managed.
The common thread here is that people want to know what’s going on and where they stand. Most people want to contribute to a team and feel like they’re doing something useful, if not important. Usually people want to like their bosses and be liked by them in return, even though it doesn’t always work out that way.
This led me to write down my learnings as an operating guide for me. I share it with all my team members because it has more lasting value as a document than as a conversation. Most of those I’ve worked with will tell you that I’m about the straightest shooter they’ve ever met. I mean what I say and I’m consistent over time. I hope this can help you get in touch with your inner manager and make your working life easier and happier. Read More →
Hey Congress: We The People Want Jobs. Don’t Screw It Up
Last Friday, the November jobs numbers came out and the jobless rate hit a 4-year low of 7.7%. Huzzah! While we should be slapping high fives all around, each and every one of us knows how fragile this recovery is and just how easily we can be dragged kicking and screaming back into a recession. Everyone, that is, except Congress; as we approach the fiscal cliff, their dallying and political gamesmanship threatens to stall economic growth and job creation for the first quarter of 2013, if not beyond.
That’s why I’m about to clue them in. Hope you don’t mind. Read More →
Betting On Mobile in the Workplace: The Coming Change in How We Work
This article originally appeared on Wyatt Jenkins Product Jazz.
Mobile is reinventing how people work by moving previously complex tasks to smaller portable devices. This work process reinvention is one of my bets on where to place your development resources in the next few years. Lets review the facts illustrating the changes we’ve seen recently. Read More →
What We’re Reading: Wednesday, December 5
- Verizon has filed a patent for an in-living-room device allowing them to deliver targeted ads based on viewers’ activities. The patent application actually includes the word “cuddling.” via CBS
And he wants to sell you things
- The manufacturing sector has shown surprising growth over the past few months with giants like General Electric acting as the tip of the spear in bringing those jobs back to the US. via The Atlantic
- Citigroup will cut 11,000 jobs — an overall workforce reduction of almost 4% — and write down $1B as it continues to shrink. via New York Times
- It’s not quite the clunky, beloved calculator watch of old, but it’s still pretty neat: meet Casio’s new iPhone-loving, Bluetooth-enabled Smart Watch. via TechCrunch
- Five seriously good tips for helping newspapers transition into the Tablet Era. via Editor & Publisher
Mary Ann Vanterpool: Entrepreneur, Career Changer, and Extraordinary Cat Sitter
Here at The Hired Guns, we’ve got a boatload of interesting people doing interesting things. We like to profile them now and again because we think they’re neat. And because this is the Internet, we’re pretty much required to have something about cats. Lucky for us, there’s Mary Ann Vanterpool. A few years back, Mary Ann — a long-time event coordinator for New York’s storied Copacabana nightclub — decided that the time had come for a drastic career change. She left event management behind and now owns and operates Extraordinary Cat Sitter, the premier in-home cat care service in Manhattan’s Upper West side. Sure, it’s not exactly a digital career, but Mary Ann knows a lot about following your passion and building a successful business. And cats.
Before you became a cat sitter, you had a long career in event management. Did you start there?
Almost, but not quite. I started my professional life as a secretary at Lehman Brothers. It was a very different workplace back then. If you were a secretary, you essentially floated from boss to boss until someone decided they liked you. I worked for the three stock brokers there before I eventually landed with the vice president of a certain cosmetics company. That turned out to be a real Devil Wears Prada situation. I didn’t last long there. Read More →
What We’re Reading: Monday, December 3
But there will still be robots, right?
- Check out Fast Company’s 12 Best Business Books of 2012. How many have you read? via Fast Company
- Put your jet-pack dreams on hold, kids. The future might not be as cool as you think. via Salon
- IBM Smarter Commerce notes that social media accounted for less than 1% of sales and traffic on Black Friday. Is that proof that Social isn’t an effective driver of sales? (Go ahead and try to guess our opinion on that. We dare you.) via Social Media Today
- Here’s some sage advice on Digital Body Language. It may seem intuitive, but not everyone gets it. Trust us. via LinkedIn
- The Pope now has a Twitter handle. We’re still not quite sure what to say about that one. via Reuters
What We’re Reading: Friday, November 30
- Feeling inadequate about your Klout score? Or maybe a little jealous of that friend from college who’s always posting jet-setting pics on Facebook? If not, Richard Branson just gave us 1 million reasons to feel a little behind on this whole social network thing. via Mashable
- Footfall123, the Social marketing platform that bills itself as “the loyalty platform for the high street” just landed $1.7£ ($2.7M US) in Series A funding from backers including notables like Samos and Venrex. via TechCrunch
- What can Big Macs tell us about the state of economies worldwide? You might be surprised. via TheStreet
- Keep this list handy while doing your holiday shopping to help you decode all that cryptic marketing double-speak. via Inc.
- What happens when your personal brand tanks? Ask Damien Hirst. via BusinessWeek
The Recovery is Here, Part II: Holiday Parties and Taxi Cab Economics
Photo from dkb827.tumblr.com.
Over the last several months, the conversation at The Hired Guns HQ has revolved around the feeling that the economy is finally rebounding. We’re getting more good news by the day. From improved housing stats to the Fed announcing in its most recent Beige Book that — wait for it — there are modest hiring shortages, particularly in high tech.
After a recession like the one we’ve just experienced, it’s like crawling out of a mineshaft after five years to find yourself staring at the sun: can a recovery really be true? While I am an optimist, I am also inherently skeptical and feel the need for constant gut checks. One thing I do is constantly talk to real people — especially job seekers — about how they’re feeling about the economy. Perhaps my best barometer for what’s in the air, as unscientific as it is, is what I call “The Taxi Cab Index.” Read More →
Fatigue is Your Enemy: Tony Schwartz’s Words of Wisdom on Workplace Burnout
The Hired Guns are exceedingly proud to reprint this piece by Tony Schwartz, noted author and President and CEO of The Energy Project. The piece below originally appeared in the Harvard Business Review, for which Tony is a popular blogger.
Two years ago, I began hearing the phrase “It isn’t sustainable” over and over from senior executives. They were talking about the everyday demands at work.
The day of reckoning seems to have arrived. During the past month alone, no less than a half dozen senior executives have told me that fatigue, exhaustion and even burnout are the biggest issues they’re facing both for themselves and among their troops.
Sustainable capacity — meaning sufficient fuel in the tank — is what makes it possible to bring one’s skill and talent to life. Not even the most talented and motivated employees can run on empty. Read More →
What We’re Reading: Wednesday, November 28
- The next Silicon Valley is…Manchester, New Hampshire? DNS start-up Dyn wants us to think so. via Business Insider
- Cyber Monday might be pegged perennially as a myth, but don’t tell that to the consumers. Spending was up 30% this year, with a healthy boost from mobile users. via Marketing Pilgrim
- Employee engagement is hot term right now, but venerable Canadian brewer Labatt was ahead of the curve when they created an official booklet of company drinking songs back in the 1930s. via Retronaut
- Forget bargain pharmaceuticals and pleas from imprisoned foreign royalty. It turns out that marketing emails account for 70% of all spam complaints. via eConsultancy
Do What You Love, Love What You Do: How to Be Happy and Successful at Work
He's going to need a bigger desk.
“People do best, what they like best to do.”
That’s an old adage by Frederick W. Taylor, the original management guru. Seems like common sense, doesn’t it? And yet, so many people hate their jobs.
So why is that?
Well, think about your hobbies. You know, the things you do for fun. Whatever it is, whether it’s playing a sport, a musical instrument, practicing a craft, or whatever, you probably do it for at least one of the following two reasons: you’re good at it and/or you enjoy it. Otherwise, why do it? Read More →
What We’re Reading: Monday, November 26
Oh. It's you.
Welcome back to the land of the living, friends. It’s time to shake off the tryptophan hangover and return to world of digital work. Here are a few items to help you ease the transition from the couch to the office:
- Big Data is great, but it’s not the “big” that counts. via Techcrunch Read More →
In the News: Catch Heirloom Meals On PBS This Thanksgiving!
We’ve been documenting Carole Murko’s journey from the world of financial services to the development of Heirloom Meals, a storytelling platform that uses multiple channels to explore the connections between food and family. Carole was a part of The Hired Guns network for quite some time during her former career and we’re excited to help get the word out about her Thanksgiving Special.
Those who live here in New York can catch her Heirloom Meals Thanksgiving Special on WNET-13 at 5:00am EST on Thanksgiving Day. Or, check your local listings for more information.
And if your interest isn’t already piqued, Carole will be making cranberry-stuffed acorn squash, brazilian cheese rolls and chipotle-spiced pumpkin pie. And now we’re hungry. Thanks, Carole.
How to Do What You Love, Part 2: The Launch
We recently introduced you to Carole Murko, a long-time Hired Gun and founder of Heirloom Meals. In the second installment of How To Do What You Love, Carole shares with us the trials and tribulations of launching her own company, as well as joys of eventual success. Her Thanksgiving special airs this week on your local PBS station!
To me, Heirloom Meals was destined to be a TV series with me as the host, sharing the stories and recipes of my guests. And, as a big thinker, I went straight to the head of the class. I networked and found a lifestyle TV producer who loved the Heirloom Meals concept and helped me produce a five-minute demo reel. We brought it to public television. They loved it. And they gave us a letter of interest to produce a 26-episode series. There was a catch, however: public television does not provide funding. Read More →
Too Much of a Good Thing: The Problem With Related Content
“We should give the user more of what they obviously want.”
It seemed like such a good idea at the time, didn’t it? Reading about holiday entertaining? Then you must want to see more recipes and decorating ideas. Checking out career success tips? We’ll give you a ton of career success tips.
Here at Budget Travel, I have yet to talk to a single partner or advertiser who doesn’t want to target users based on what they’re already looking at. Selling deals? Put a deal to Paris on a page about — wait for it — Paris! All of this makes sense…up to a point.
Introducing Boots to Bytes: A Digital Re-Skilling Program for Returned Veterans in NYC
Monday was Veteran’s Day. Today, unemployment for post-9/11 veterans still sits at a staggering 10%. That’s a pretty grim employment picture to return to after serving your country. Not only do you risk your life, but you also risk your retirement. It doesn’t seem quite fair, does it?
Returning servicemen have two really hard battles to win when it comes to job hunting. First, vets have to figure out how to translate their military skills to what’s needed in Corporate America, but in many fields — digital in particular — those needs are constantly evolving. Maintaining relevancy, by which I mean “applying your work experience to what’s needed in a new job,” is a challenging task for even the most seasoned of job seekers, so imagine what it’s like for a returning vet. I’ll give you a hint: darn near impossible. Read More →
Why Math Matters: Practical Lessons in Big Data from an Unlikely Source
I was reminded again of the importance of knowing how to harness and utilize big data in the run-up to this month’s US presidential election. By many accounts, more than $2 billion was spent by the two main candidates this election cycle. On the basis of being able to aggregate and read massive electoral datasets, that money was well-spent. Deciding how to spend that money was largely a function of being able to correctly analyze electoral “big data” – demographics, likely vs. registered voters, the public’s responses to various issues, etc. One side, however, utilized big data better than the other. Read More →
Kelly Caldwell: From Freelance Reporter to Noted Essayist and Mentor
In the latest installment of our Community Profiles series, we spoke with long-time gun Kelly Caldwell. A former journalist, award-winning essayist, and current writing instructor and Associate Dean at Gotham Writers’ Workshop, Kelly was kind enough to speak with us about her work and her unconventional career trajectory. Registration for her Essay And Opinion class at Gotham is still open, but will likely sell out soon.
Let’s do broad strokes first. How did you get started as a professional writer?
I always thought I was going to have a career in newspapers. Back in 1995, I landed a really exciting internship at New York Newsday. As it turns out, this was right when they were shutting the paper down. Read More →
Revive NYC While Networking Your Way Into a New Job
Occupy Sandy Distribution Center at St. Jacobi Church in Sunset Park
Like many offices in Silicon Alley and lower Manhattan, The Hired Guns was closed all last week due to Hurricane #Sandy. The good news is that even through rain, dark of night, and a near total lack of connectivity, our clients kept calling and emailing. We were lucky, because as a team we could work completely remotely (those of us who had power or didn’t have trees falling on our houses, that is). We were also very, very busy. Read More →
Lies Can Cost You Your Job, Unless You’re a Politician
Can he count on your vote in 2016?
How to Do What You Love, Part 1: The Light Bulb Moment
In the first of three installments, Heirloom Meals founder and former financial services marketing exec Carole Murko talks about the moment she knew going for her dream was the right thing to do. Her Heirloom Meals Thanksgiving Special airs during the holiday week. Check your local listings!
Your Ah ha! moment probably won’t be a dramatic, lightning-strike event like you see in the movies.
At least, it wasn’t for me. I’ve been on a lifelong journey toward my ah-ha! moment. I had a long career in financial services and even earned the coveted CFA. In my heart, I knew from day one that I was on the wrong path. The problem was that I didn’t quite know how to access the part of me that would allow me to be me in a professional capacity. I even remember saying, “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but at least I will make some money.” Don’t get me wrong — I definitely wasn’t just waiting for lightning to strike. I was always taking classes, networking, and just thinking. I knew I’d eventually figure it out. Read More →
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