Harry Houdini, a world famous magician in the early 1900s, gained fame after repeatedly escaping from police handcuffs and jails. He was even given certificates from various wardens for escaping from their prisons. His favorite promotional gimmick was that he could escape from any prison cell as long as he was allowed to keep his clothes on when placed inside the cell. On one particular occasion he... Continue reading

You’ve probably heard that your interviewer must get the answers to the following questions before you get an offer: 1. Can you do the job? 2. Will you do the job? 3. Will you fit into the organization? The thing is that if you don’t sell the first, nobody is going to buy the second and third. So, consider this; the bottom line reason you will be hired is, well, the bottom line. If you are a human... Continue reading

My wife has a beautiful singing voice. My son plays the trumpet very well. They are musicians. The closest I come to being a musician is when I do my Jim Croce medley in the shower. I’m so bad that DFW karaoke bars have a restraining order against me. My friend, Joe, (who is even worse than I am) has a friend who is better than all of us……so it works out. It turns out Joe’s friend, a violinist,... Continue reading

Never ask advice from someone who is more screwed up than you are Never “high five” under a ceiling fan. Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience. Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig. Never sneeze while you’re hiding Never smile while you’re lying Never do card tricks for the guys you play poker with... Continue reading

About 10 years ago I was in Denver at a company regional meeting drinking the same water through the same fire hose and hoping someone would find the faucet. It was the afternoon of the third (and final) day and my buns were numb to my knees when, low and behold, one of our regional managers stood up and said something worth writing down. This was the nugget that was worth the numbness. Here is what... Continue reading

1. The interview is usually won or lost in the first five minutes. Most interviewers will make up their minds within this time frame and spend the rest of the time confirming their original impression. Every person carries their own, unique persona that is invisibly transmitted to everyone in the room. Bring your very best, positively charged attitude. 2. There are four things a potential employer... Continue reading

When I look at a resume, I look for two things:  numbers and adjectives (I’ll talk about numbers another time).  I like to count the adjectives and then read the document again without them.  I usually like the second pass through better. Some of my favorite adjectives are cutting edge, extensive, superior, significant , extremely, excellent, comprehensive, highly, dedicated, substantial and the... Continue reading

I read my first blog about five years ago and I thought, heck………………….I can do this.  Well, like a lot of things, it looks easier when you are reading it than when you are staring at a blank screen trying to write it.  I thought about where I wanted to focus and, since I am an employment coach and have always had a natural flair for the obvious, I decided to talk about job search. ... Continue reading