by Liz Ryan – FORBES Our friend Yvonne quit her new job after six months. “I should have known my ex-boss was a psycho control freak,” she said. “Were there signs of his tendencies during the interview process?” we asked. “There was one sign, a huge one,” said Yvonne. “I can’t believe I missed it…. read more

One day I will clean out my garage all the way down to the last storage box and find my original job application from my first full-time, non-temp job. I was 19 when I ambled into a greeting card company called Recycled Paper Products on the north side of Chicago to apply for a customer… read more

Great business leaders are quick-witted, decisive, and analytical. They are decision-makers and influencers; their calculations sometimes impact hundreds of employees’ destinies. They are confident, straight-forward and empower their organizations and subordinates in more ways than one. However, some of them are horrible when it comes to written communication. Yes, we said it. Some leaders have… read more

The story goes, while most babies’ first words were Momma, or Dadda… the first phrase I ever uttered was, “What’s that?” Don’t believe me? Ask any of my friends, coworkers, random strangers on airplanes, or professors I had in college… I haven’t stopped asking questions since. Sometimes it gets me in trouble but asking questions… read more

As college graduates burst out of the gates of their respective alma maters, polished and confident in their abilities, few are probably thinking ahead to a possible speed bump that sits in their paths. That stubborn obstacle would be the disconnect between the jobs they eventually secure and the skills they’ve learned thus far. The… read more

Megan Bruneau, WOMEN@FORBES During the first 25 years of my life, I experienced three crippling failures that I can recall. They’re seared into my memory, archived effectively save remnants of stomach-turning shame. The first, spelling ‘surprise’ incorrectly during a third grade test–my only 19/20 of the year; the second, getting rejected by Jackson Shea when… read more

Dear Liz, When I took my job a year ago, my boss made me sign a piece of paper that said I would stay in the job for two years. If I don’t do it, there goes my reference from this job. I’ve only been in the job for a year but I’m ready to… read more

Do you look forward to going to work every day, or dread it? Do you lie awake in bed at night, worrying about the next work day? If so, consider this list a little wake up call that we often forget to make when we get caught up in busy careers until we are really… read more

I’m sure you’ve heard this oft-spoken mantra before: Your former employer is only allowed to divulge your employment dates and the title you held with the organization. If you’re confident that your former employers will always adhere to this policy, you might want to think again. Reference-checking firm Allison & Taylor has found that approximately… read more

You’re feeling pretty confident after your last interview. You nailed all the key questions, got across the important points, and left a great impression. You go home, treat yourself to a glass of wine, sit back, relax, and that’s when it hits you: you forgot to write an interview follow up note! Fret not –… read more