Monthly Archives: January 2012

Kill Your Resume

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Yeah, I said it. Kill your resume. If you don’t, it’ll kill you.

I’ll write this for the umpteenth time, I’m not a career expert. I haven’t called a bunch of recruiters or employers to verify that resumes don’t work. I’ve just used my experience and my good ol’ common sense to figure out that sending resumes ain’t gonna get me my next job. So if you’re relying on your resume to get you a job, I say, “Stop! Kill your resume before never hearing back from entering tons of applications kills your self-confidence, because then you’ll never find a job.  Continue reading →

Penelope Trunk Interview

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Penelope Trunk (photo courtesy of http://blog.penelopetrunk.com)

This past Thursday, I had the wonderful luck of getting to speak with the innovative, creative, tell-it-like-it-is, Penelope Trunk.

Truthfully, Trunk was not on my list of people I wanted to interview. Ever since she posted a picture on her blog of a black-and-blue mark that her husband gave her, I felt that she was just too exhibitionistic for me. But in doing research for an article I’m writing, I realized that I needed to suspend my opinions and talk to her.

And I’m so glad I did! I loved every minute of talking to her. She was so kind and didn’t ever make me feel rushed (even if in the back of her mind she was like, OMG, I have to get this girl off the phone!). She even called me back just minutes after I left a message for her.

I don’t care who you are and what you want to do with your life, you should read this interview.

Title: Entrepreneur/Writer/Blogger/Career Coach

Education: B.A. Political History, Brandeis University, 1990

Age: 45

How old were you when you started your first startup? Was it right out of college?

No, right out of college I played professional beach volleyball.  Then I went to graduate school for English. Then I dropped out when I realized it would never get me a job. Four years later, I did my first startup. Continue reading →

NYT Correspondent David Barboza Answers Questions

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If you’re a New York Times aficionado like I am, you’ve been reading David Barboza’s articles for quite a while. He was hired as a staff writer for the Times in 1997, and has been a Shangai correspondent since 2004. Barboza’s recent coverage of hazardous and inhumane working conditions at Apple factories is a must read.

I wound up in touch with Mr. Barboza through one of my former (and favorite!) professors, Nicholas Rennie. (Professor Rennie’s interview is forthcoming). Barboza didn’t have time for a interview, but he did volunteer to answer some questions over email.  Continue reading →

A Brief Interview with Chris Guillebeau

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Chris Guillebeau in Sept 2009 on a trip to Bhutan. (photo courtesy of Chris Guillebeau)

Though my next interviewee might have gotten a traditional college education, there’s nothing traditional about him. Last weekend he was barred from entering Eritrea, which has put a glitch in his goal of visiting every single country in the world. (If you’re like me, you had no idea Eritrea existed before I saw the update on Chris’s website; it’s in the Horn of Africa.)

Continue reading →

Behind the Scenes with B. from STFU, Parents

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I’m excited to introduce my next guest, who goes by B., creator of the blog STFU, Parents (STFUP). B.’s site comes up on Richmond.com’s list of top ten tumblr sites, which is how I found her. With over 17,000 subscribers and over 1.2 million page hits a month since starting STFUP 3 years ago, B.’s blog is a full time gig. Think blogging is an easy way to make a living? Read what B. has to say about it.

While STFUP may not be for everyone, I have to admit that it’s now my guilty pleasure. Who needs chocolate? I’d rather laugh my head off reading STFU!

Name: B.

Title: Blogger/Writer

Education: B.A. Journalism with minor in Film Studies, University of Georgia, 2004

Age: 29

Do you make enough money for STFUP to support yourself including buying healthcare?

I support myself by being a writer. I have ads on my blog, I write a weekly column for a site called Mommyish, and I freelance for other outlets. The majority of my income comes from my blog, but it’s a work in progress as I have plans to open a store in the next couple months.

I do not currently have healthcare, but will probably get some by end of year. Healthcare in NYC is absurdly expensive for freelancers. Continue reading →

Should I Hire a Career Coach?

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This morning I had the opportunity to speak with a lovely woman and career coach, Tracy Brisson. I “met” Tracy on Brazen Careerist, because she responded to one of my posts. Along with a few other career coaches that I’ve met online, Tracy has changed my opinion of career coaching. 

Who should hire a career coach? Well, anyone that feels like s/he needs career guidance. You don’t have to be young and/or trying to figure out your career path just to hire a coach. Even people who have jobs hire coaches to help them make good career-related decisions. 

If you are planning on hiring a career coach, the important thing to do is to make sure s/he is qualified to help you. Here’s an article in which Tracy outlines what you should look for in a career coach. 

While I’m not a client of Tracy’s, I feel comfortable recommending her based on my experience with her. It sounds corny, but I feel like she is a really positive and sincere person; she also is extremely intelligent. Check out her website. 

You may also want to read the article, “How to Find a Fulfilling Career Path,” The article includes advice from Tracy and another career coach, Michelle Ward (aka The When I Grow Up Coach), who is based in Brooklyn. 

If you are unemployed/underemployed and are feeling like you might want some coaching but don’t want to shell out the bucks, head over to LinkedIn, join the405Club group, and post your thoughts/questions. Chances are,               Gloria Schramm, a really nice person and career coach, will answer your question(s). I’m speaking from experience!

Generally speaking, if you don’t want to hire a coach but have questions, you should utilize LinkedIn and/or Brazen Careerist, or some other helpful social media. Ask specific questions so you can get specific answers. It works.

Interview with an Executive Director at a Startup Organization

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Today’s jobtalk is with Alisha Goodman. One of my oldest friends and one of the smartest people I know, Alisha can do anything, except maybe draw. And she’s got a great personality! Recently, Alisha just became the Executive Director of a start up organization called The Jewish Lens. If you are interested in going into social work, working in the Jewish community, or working in the nonprofit world, you’ve got to read this interview.

Title: Executive Director

Education:

M.S.W. Columbia University, School of Social Work 2002

M.A. Jewish Studies Jewish, Theological Seminary 2002

B.A. Mathematics, Tufts University 1996

Age: 37

Discuss why you majored in math as an undergraduate at Tufts. 

I chose to major in math at Tufts because as a high school student, this was the homework I liked to do the most!  I thought at the time also of becoming a math teacher, so I pursued both education and math courses in my undergraduate education. Continue reading →

10 Reasons to Blog if You are Unemployed

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1. Learn new skills

If you’re reading this article, you already know your way around the Internet. Why not learn even more? Before I started my blog, I was nervous about figuring out how to do it. I thought I’d need people to show me. Not so. If you know how to read, you can start a blog. And I know you know how to read! Since I started blogging I have learned a bit of HTML and how to use social media. I also know a lot about the cool ways organizations can market themselves online for free. Continue reading →

Interview with Vin Jule of small world coffee in Princeton

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Vin helping out behind the counter.

“When you’re a manager, you’re everybody’s b___.” - Vin Jule, General Manager of Small World Coffee

Many of small world’s regulars know jobtalk’s interviewee of the week as the really tall guy with the beard who’s been working at small world for what seems to be forever. His name is Vin Jule, and it’s been over a decade since he first donned one of small world’s red aprons. Three years ago he became the General Manager (GM) and has no plans of moving on any time soon. Find out why Vin loves working at small world and why he says that his B.A. in philosophy helps him to be a good GM.

Title:  General Manager

Education: B.A. Philosophy, TCNJ 2002

Age: 33

Talk about how you became the general manager of small world cafe.  Is it something you set out to do?

Well, not initially. I started working here towards the end of being in college. To be honest, I really didn’t want to get another job in a coffee shop. I had experience in a coffee shop before this one, and I just thought getting another job at a coffee shop was dumb. I looked around and applied to a bunch of different places and no one was hiring. Continue reading →

Flexibility Is as Important as Critical Thinking

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Hang around a high school for a few hours and you’re bound to overhear one teacher saying to another, “I just want my students to learn how to think critically.” And we all agree that people need to be able to think critically, right? But what about being flexible? Why don’t we hear more about the importance of being flexible when it comes to work? Now, you’re probably thinking, what qualifications does this girl, or woman, or person – however you think of me – have to talk about this? Or what facts can she give to prove this point? And if I were you, I would be asking those questions too. Continue reading →