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May 16, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen In The Workplace
After the economic collapse, many companies stayed afloat with a core group of employees who were the “go-to” experts that they couldn’t live without, after all the other personnel had been let go. But you know what? These bosses found out that they could continue to “make do” with the reduced staffing levels and still keep things moving. After all, overhead expenses (read: salaries) were kept low because a certain group of people were shouldering the burden of the work… and they kept at it, day in and day out. But beyond just handling additional work that is the direct… Read »
May 2, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen In The Workplace
The other night, a couple of girlfriends and I got together to have an after-work walk, with drinks following afterwards to chat about work and life in general. One of them recently just left a business to take a job at a different company and was filling us in on the details of her new position. But then she paused. And provided a startling insight that many businesses often overlook… which is very shocking. At her previous employer, no one (still) has not bothered to check voice mails being left at her old extension, NOR on the business cell phone… Read »
April 25, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen In The Workplace, Interviews, Job Search
Yesterday, I was participating in YouTern‘s radio show discussing what students should know about resumes and job searches when we got a caller from North Carolina. As a career center adviser for a college, she wanted to know how to equip students in handling employer stereotyping and discrimination. Many of the students she was working with made it to the interview stage, but encountered racism and discrimination that ended up in them not getting the nod to be hired. What an absolutely life-crushing moment. Students emerge from school absolutely idealistic about the opportunities in front of them, only to have… Read »
April 17, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen Resume
It’s an unfortunate truth that some job seekers have been bamboozled by unscrupulous “resume writers” who either offer cut-rate services on places like Craigslist or simply don’t deliver the goods after talking a good game just to hook in a prospective client. The end result? Many are suspicious of writers, and this feeling has been amplified by similar horror stories (albeit rare) in the media. Most ethical writers, however, are active members in either Career Directors International or The National Resume Writers’ Association, and genuinely care about their client’s success. Happy clients, after all, refer friends, family members, colleagues, and… Read »
April 11, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen Networking
A week ago, I attended a business mixer sponsored by the Portland Business Journal, and was immediately reminded about something. As I walked into the crowded room of about 200 professionals, I remembered that keeping up the art of networking requires you to keep working at it. Like exercising a muscle, you need to keep flexing it in order to keep it in shape. Not that I have any excuse… I have been (ahem) a little negligent myself lately in getting out into true networking situations where I don’t know anyone. A heavy client load and multiple projects have kept my… Read »
April 6, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen Social Media
Special thanks to Hannah Morgan at Career Sherpa who generously shared this awesome post on BranchOut that she wrote in 2/28/2012: Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Alison Hillman and Mike Del Ponte of BranchOut and learned more about this helpful Facebook application. There are so many people who have built large networks on Facebook (I’m thinking specifically of recent college graduates, but anyone with more than 100 friends is included) and could benefit from tapping into their personal connections to help them find employment. It is yet another tool to help you nurture relationships. Ali graciously accepted… Read »
March 28, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen In The Workplace
We all know that song made famous by Johnny Paycheck, “Take this Job and Shove It,” and many of us have fantasized about marching into the tyrannical boss’ office and telling them in no uncertain terms that they can take a long walk off of a short pier. Common sense prevails, though, and most of the time, we silently suffer in hostile and often toxic workplaces simply because we need the money or benefits. So that begs the question: Is there ever a right time to quit a job? It depends, say experts. But one thing you never want to… Read »
March 21, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen Interviews, Social Media
This post generously provided by Dee Rubanoff, an attorney at Williams, Zografos & Peck in Lake Oswego, OR which represents employers. ———————————————————— Employers are reportedly engaging in “shoulder surfing” during job interviews, meaning that they require an applicant to access his or her Facebook account for viewing during a job interview. The issue of whether this is lawful has been percolating for a while in the media, and it is a hot button issue for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), but there does not appear to be any established case law yet. Obviously, the uncertainty only relates to non-public information… Read »
March 19, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen Interviews, Job Search
All too often, when asked this question, clients and job seekers start squirming. Even CEOs, actually. So why is it that we have a difficult time answering this simple little question, especially when there is so much riding on the outcome of your answer? The problem goes pretty deep, actually. We are taught not to boast about ourselves by our parents, and those words of wisdom are reflected in our overall perception of ourselves. However,consider this: In a job search, the target employer is a blank slate and knows nothing about you. If you can’t even articulate what you offer… Read »
March 9, 2012
Written by Dawn Rasmussen Interviews, Job Search
Two years ago, I bought a new car. I was pretty excited, because it was the first one I had purchased in about 5 years – we all know that giddy feeling! All the new bells and whistles looked especially shiny, and I was pretty stoked about having such a sweet ride with all the new technology add-ons. But unfortunately, something bad happened along the way to happy car ownership. The vehicle ended up being a complete and utter lemon. I kept making the 40-minute round trip back to the dealer trying to get the problems fixed, but to no avail. Frustrated,… Read »