“AmeriCorps—what’s that?” “Do you mean the Peace Corps?” “I hear it’s a bad deal because you don’t make any money.” These are just a few of the questions and comments I received from well-intentioned friends and family members when I decided to complete an 11-month...
Career advancement is a relative term. For some, it means climbing the organizational ladder until there is nowhere else to climb or you reach the highest rung relative to your area of expertise. For others, it means moving up the salary scale even if it means...
In today’s organizational environment, human resources (or personnel as it was once referred to) is being asked to do much more than simply recruit talented employees, oversee benefits, and maintain personnel records. They are now responsible for 1) legal compliance...
There are a number of threats that face local government today. The public sector is dealing with spiraling pension costs, annual increases in healthcare expenses for active employees and retirees, and other employee-related expenditures that continue to rise. At...
Virtually every private sector area is focused on the proverbial ROI or Return on Investment. If an entity is going to commit to implementing a technology-centric solution, it has to be financially beneficial in the long run. Typically, the standard is 12 to 18...
If you struggle to write annual performance evaluations, you may be overlooking the most valuable source of data you have: the employee. Asking for the employee’s feedback before you begin writing can provide helpful and specific input. Here are some tips for asking...
It’s a common managerial dilemma. You ask an employee to do something that seems simple to you. And, what you get is not what you expected. For whatever reason, the employee did not complete the job to your standards. Usually, this frustrating experience happens...
College is the time when many people get a better sense of who they are and realize what kind of career path they want to follow. What some students might not realize is that college is also the perfect time to start actively making professional connections,...
There's no underestimating the power of a good cover letter. This is your initial contact with a potential job and the spot where the decision to go on to the resume is made. You want to avoid making common "cover letter mistakes" by doing your homework so that your...