Articles
We here at HigherEdJobs.com appreciate the efforts it takes to be successful in your job search. We have compiled some original and/or exclusive articles below that we feel will be practical and inspirational during this process. As always, we appreciate the privilege of helping you achieve your goals.
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Defibrillator Jobs -- Part 3 - April 2009
by Peter Weddle -
Defibrillator Jobs - Part 2 - March 2009
by Peter Weddle -
Defibrillator Jobs - Part 1 - March 2009
by Peter Weddle -
A Career Do-Over - February 2009
by Peter Weddle -
Swimming With Something On - February 2009
by Peter Weddle -
You're Only Kidding Yourself - January 2009
by Peter Weddle -
What Gives You the Edge? - January 2009
by Peter Weddle -
The 18 Minute Expert Examination - December 2008
by Peter Weddle -
Crowdworking: Let the Tail Wag the Dog - November 2008
by Peter Weddle -
The Rise of the Privileged Worker - November 2008
by Peter Weddle -
How to Prevent a Wall Street Meltdown in Your Career - October 2008
by Peter Weddle -
Carrie the Careful Consumer - October 2008
by Peter Weddle -
What Should Labor Day Really Mean? - September 2008
by Peter Weddle -
Become a Career Activist - September 2008
by Peter Weddle -
What We Can (and Can't) Learn From Olympians - August 2008
by Peter Weddle -
Pursue Your Dream - August 2008
by Peter Weddle -
You, Yourself - July 2008
by Peter Weddle -
From "Notworking" to Networking Online - July 2008
by Peter Weddle -
What Can We Learn From Indiana Jones? - June 2008
by Peter Weddle -
The Bill of Wrongs - June 2008
by Peter Weddle -
Etiquette for a Successful Interview - June 2007
by Ellen F. Houser -
Your References: An Important Part of the Job Search Process - May 2007
by Ellen Heffernan
Being in transition is tough so advice is often offered with a spoonful of sugar. While well intentioned, however, that approach sends the wrong signal to those most in need of candor. So, being as frank (and respectful) as I can, here's the unvarnished truth. This job market is filled with "irrational expectations." You cannot find a job today using job search strategies and techniques that were devised for yesterday's workplace...
You can waste a lot of time looking for your dream job in today's rigor mortis job market. You can be just as frustrated if you settle for a stop gap job -- one that holds you in place even as your income goes down. What's the alternative? Get yourself a "defibrillator job" -- one that will provide financial survival in the near term and the space to shock your career into the momentum...
This is the worst job market since the Great Depression. Each new day seems to bring another corporate bankruptcy announcement or another round of layoffs or both. The competition for work, as a result, is fierce. There are now millions of Americans looking for a new job and far fewer jobs to find. It doesn't matter how many years of experience you have or how distinguished your past record may have been...
One of John Lennon's most famous songs is entitled Just Like Starting Over. It's a love poem, but I think it holds a powerful lesson for many of us in the world of work, as well. The song begins with the soft ringing of a bell and then Lennon makes this simple declaration: "We have grown. We have grown."
It's a wonderful way to look at what is often viewed as a setback in our career...
Warren Buffet describes the impact of the current financial turmoil in banks and other financial institutions this way: "You only learn who's been swimming naked when the tide goes out." It's a wonderfully instructive image. A high tide covers a lot of missteps and oversights, while a low tide makes them visible for all to see...
I've been unemployed in my career. Twice. So what I'm about to say is based as much on personal experience as it is on a lifetime of studying the best practices in career self-management. There's a single, profound truth in hunting for a job: you're only kidding yourself if you think it will be quick and easy. It won't...
We humans are not all that different from animal species. We think we are, Descartes assured us we were, but recent research suggests that we're not. It's been discovered, for example, that chimpanzees use sticks to hunt for food, bees communicate with one another through complex dances, and birds act as "social tutors" for their young...
The Information Age has done much to expand access to knowledge. Sadly, it has also undermined the value of information. We've become a nation of indiscriminate information sponges. We absorb billions of bits of data -- facts, analyses and opinions -- and, all too often, we accord every single one of them the same credibility and respect. And, in my view, that's a terrible mistake...
The potency of using a "long tail" strategy in selling to consumers was first popularized in an October, 2004 article in Wired magazine. Written by Chris Anderson, it urged companies to abandon their conventional focus on selling a small number of popular items and, instead, retool themselves to...
Look around at the increasing rate of unemployment, and it may seem like an odd time to be talking about "privileged workers." The conventional wisdom, of course, is that, other than overpaid CEOs, there are few people today who would qualify for such a title. And, I would respectfully suggest that exactly the opposite is true....
The past couple of weeks have been hideous for investors. Forget about the risk takers on Wall Street -- they deserve what they're getting -- I'm talking about the working men and women who have watched their 401(k) and mutual fund investments shrink before their very eyes. For many of us...
I received an email the other day from a recruiter with an interesting question. Let's call her Carrie. Or, better yet, Carrie the Careful Consumer. She wrote me to ask about a job board she was considering for some of her employer's staffing requirements. She had noticed that the site displayed the logo...
For many years now, Labor Day has served two purposes. It has been a day of parades and other events to celebrate trade and labor organizations and the working men and women who are their members. And, it has traditionally been a day of barbeques and picnics to mark the end of summer and the beginning of the school year, the football season and...
The most successful people in the world of work understand the importance of professional development. They know that the heart of a healthy career is one's expertise in their profession, craft or trade. More than simply being competent, they want to be experts in the knowledge that defines their field and masters of its application on the job....
The Olympic Games are now concluded, but they treated us to a showcase of some of humankind's best moments. Despite its imperfections, this quadrennial event confirms just how special people can be when they are dedicated to a goal, work hard at its accomplishment...
In tough economic times, it may seem out of place to talk about pursuing one's dreams. For many of us, such an endeavor is far too lofty and maybe even dangerously naive when just finding a job is the order of the day. Having been out of work myself from time-to-time, I am very respectful of this view. I've also learned, however, that it is absolutely wrong...
According to countless surveys, restaurant patrons do not tip more when they receive better service. They do, however, leave behind a significantly larger tip when their waiter or waitress takes the time and makes the effort to engage them on a personal level. In other words, the mechanics of human interaction - taking a meal order accurately, delivering it promptly - are normally taken for granted...
Using the Web to build up a huge address book of contacts is all the rage these days as a growing number of people worry about their employment security or actually find themselves out on the pavement looking for work. And why not, it's quick, easy to do and very technically correct. In fact, many people now consider it the 21st Century equivalent of networking...
As virtually every person on planet Earth knows, the latest Indiana Jones movie had its much anticipated coming out party recently. By all accounts, it came close to setting a box office record for ticket sales despite competing with the first getaway holiday of the summer. For those who haven't seen it...
Every school kid in America learns about the Bill of Rights. It is both a part of our heritage and a synopsis of our values, of what is enduring about this nation called the United States of America. It's an important lesson, to be sure, but only half of what they need to know...
A job interview is a two-way street: it's a chance for you to showcase your training and skills at an institution of higher education as well as an opportunity for the people in your prospective department to entice you to join them. Whether the interview occurs over the telephone, at a conference, or via a series of meetings on a college campus...
Having another professional speak on your behalf as a reference is an important and critical part of a job search and should be managed with utmost care. All too often candidates simply submit a list of references and consider that aspect of the process complete. As a candidate, this laissez faire response to providing references...
