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How Bobby Jindal (or You) Can Recover
Tweet Share on Facebook February 26, 2009 Comment (14)Bobby Jindal has a lot of things going for him. Except for that one thing that nobody can stop talking about. Jindal's Republican response speech on Tuesday night has been panned by pretty much everyone except Rush Limbaugh (who has, incidentally, told JIndal's conservative criticizers that he doesn't want to "hear from you ever again.")
Many are wondering how Jindal will get his otherwise promising career back on track. As Eve Tahmincioglu of the excellent CareerDiva blog asks: "how can you come back from a major reputation pummeling?"
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What Leonard Abess Jr. Said in 1987
Tweet Share on Facebook February 25, 2009 Comment (65)Leonard Abess Jr. was hailed by President Obama last night as a national inspiration, a bank president from Miami "who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him,'' Obama said.
Back in the 1980s, Abess was a hero when he regained control of the bank his family had founded in the 1940s after it had been come under the ownership of a scam artist (eventually convicted).
Abess had these things to say to Florida Trend magazine back in 1987:
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Topless Coffee Shop Drew 150 Applicants For 10 Positions
Tweet Share on Facebook February 25, 2009 Comment (236)Vassalboro, Maine's newest coffee shop is garnering national attention for something other than its $3 a cup coffee. At the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop, the waitresses are, well, topless.
You can read the local paper's report here. The most interesting piece of news is not near the top of the story--it's not the news that many local residents are unhappy, or that other locals are already stopping by (as many as 60 customers on Monday).
You'll have to scroll to the bottom for the most stunning detail. The Kennebec Journal reports that the shop's owner Donald Crabtree said that he interviewed 150 people for the positions, "and narrowed the field to 10."
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Liz Smith: Internet Maven at 86
Tweet Share on Facebook February 24, 2009 Comment (79)Liz Smith, the legendary gossip columnist, will soon be writing her juicy news bites for the web only. Joni Evans of the website wowOwow.com (The Women on the Web) reported today:
Beginning next week Liz Smith will be posting more news, hot gossip and opinions all the time on wowOwow — free from the constraints of newspaper deadlines. Thursday will be the last Liz Smith column for The New York Post — the first time in 33 years that Liz Smith’s column will not be in a New York newspaper.
The New York Post did not renew Smith's column, Evans reports. She says the paper's editor Col Allan told Smith the Post had been "buffeted by unprecedented economic gales." Smith will also be a contributing editor for Parade magazine.
Oh that we would all be willing to chart new career frontiers at age 86.
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Aisle Seats Best For Business Trips
Tweet Share on Facebook February 24, 2009 CommentIf you're a frequent business traveler--and not as young as you used to be--clots may be a worry on your longer trips. Fortunately for you, researchers have discovered a rather simple factor in effective prevention: Choosing the right seat. In this case, the right seat is the aisle.
The researchers, from Lahey Clinic Medical Center, found that flying boosts your risk of developing a clot four-fold (a flight of 8 hours or longer is especially risky), but an aisle seat can make a major difference.
From Reuters:
They found that 75 percent of cases of deep-vein thrombosis were due to people not moving enough and most sufferers were in non-aisle seats where passengers tended to move less.
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The Stimulus-Era Job Market: A Look at the Next 2 Years
Tweet Share on Facebook February 23, 2009 Comment (1)Over the weekend, I spoke with Washington, D.C.'s WTOP radio about the nearly $800 billion effort (known as the stimulus) now underway to steady our job market over the next two years. We chatted about the ultimate goals of the package, and how they could affect employees in all sectors of the economy--not just, say, construction.
The Stimulus Era Job Market
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How to Get Hired By "Double-Hitting"
Tweet Share on Facebook February 20, 2009 Comment (4)I've never heard the phrase "double-hitting" before, but I know it gets people hired. Fire off your resume and cover letter via E-mail, and it's easy to be skipped over. Following up with a paper copy of your resume and cover letter is a way of showing a healthy interest in the job.
From the NYTimes:
Attach a handwritten note that says, “Second submission; I’m very interested,” Ms. Piotrowski said. “I’ve had clients double their rate of interviews simply from doing that,” she said.
Ms. Enelow calls this “double-hitting,” and says she has seen it work remarkably well.
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How to Be Happy at Work Today
Tweet Share on Facebook February 20, 2009 CommentHappiness research was in its heyday a couple of years ago, but I think it's about time for a resurgence. Fifteen months into this recession, anxiety and pessimism are the norm. Money's tight for the unemployed and retired, and layoff fears really have a hold on those who have jobs.
So what's the trick to feeling sunny? Yes Magazine recently covered "10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy," and I think several ought to be incorporated into work.
- One key is to "avoid comparisons," and at work, the opportunity for comparison is endless--you can compare your achievements, pay and recognition to that of coworkers; you can compare your seemingly sluggish career path with your boss's fierce trajectory; you can compare your bland apparel with that of the sartorially brilliant intern. Stop. "Instead of comparing ourselves to others, focusing on our own personal achievement leads to greater satisfaction," psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky tells Yes.
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Rick Santelli Gives Washington a Taste of Chicago
Tweet Share on Facebook February 19, 2009 Comment (123)What's the most interesting thing about Rick Santelli's televised rebuke of the government's plan to bailout homeowners who are behind on mortgage payments?
Probably the fact that Santelli feels like he'd have to take a shower every hour in Washington. Santelli is in Chicago--town of Blagojevich and big shoulders.
Here's the clip:
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GE's Jeffrey Immelt Says "No Thanks" to $12 Million and Bonus
Tweet Share on Facebook February 18, 2009 Comment (11)General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt has turned down a nearly $12 million long-term performance award, along with his 2008 bonus, because the performance for which Immelt was being rewarded was not reflected in the company's stock price--now nearly a quarter its value in the fall of 2007.
It's a refreshing piece of news after Wall Street's bonus bonanza for a year in which the concept of pay for performance should have meant bonuses for few more than the office cleaning crews.
Immelt is not, however, in favor of salary caps for executives at companies taking large chunks of TARP funds. Businessweek reported on his comments at a breakfast held earlier this month:
