One of my favorite movie quotes comes from "Under Siege 2," a rather obscure 1995 action thriller starring Steven Seagal. During an exchange between the two main villains, one assures the other that our hero (Seagal) disappeared and is presumably dead. Then the other curtly asks, "Did you see the body?" before delivering a powerful line I've never forgotten since watching the movie as a kid: "Assumption is the mother of all f*ck-ups." We've all been there. We (or someone we know) make a choice without doing our due diligence -- perhaps out of sheer laziness or carelessness -- and later say, "I just assumed so and so." Later, we feel a sense of regret and wish we had done our research. For example, my wife often assumes that just because she sees a product being advertised on the website of a given retailer -- say, Macy's -- they're bound to have that very item available at our local store. Such a faulty assumption resu...

In several of my posts, I've stressed the benefits of keeping a small circle of great friends as opposed to a large group of people you may not even be that close to. But here's the truth: the wider your circle of really good friends, the better. The reason for this is that even the people you call your best friends can flake out on you from time to time or behave uncharacteristically.  Maybe the person has hit a rough patch, is unusually busy, or just doesn't care to invest as much time in the friendship anymore. Thus, it's good to have back-up friends you can turn to in the event one proves unreliable.   The same can be said in the realm of dating. Most of us have witnessed people we're dating go from seemingly interested to flaky almost overnight. It's much easier to stomach the vagaries of one's behavior when you have other prospects lined up.  Think of it like job hunting. It's always easier to find a job when you already have a jo...

When we were kids, we were asked a specific question that we probably felt we knew the answer to: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Answers would run the gamut -- from firefighter to teacher to baseball player. It's understandable that we wouldn't know what our calling is at such a young age. Unfortunately, though, some of us -- even in our 20s, 40s, or 60s -- still haven't arrived at a concrete answer. It's well-documented that a lot of us switch majors multiple times in colleges and go on to receive a degree in something we might never use in the real world. While this isn't a big deal, it does become a problem when one opts to change careers several times after being in the working world for a considerable amount of time. Here are a couple of reasons why: It shows you can't make up your mind as to which career you wish to settle into People will start to think you can't hold down a job Your resume is proof that you have ...

These days, finding a great job seems almost like a losing proposition. A still-feeble economy and stubbornly high unemployment rate have led employers to shed more and more jobs by the day, resulting in stiff competition for the few positions available. This article discusses effective job search strategies you can avail of to help you land the job you want. It guides you through the different stages of the job hunting process, from determining which jobs suit your personality and match your skills to making a good impression during interviews to sending post-interview thank you letters that yield great results.  Tips on How to Find a Job You’ll Love Scads of employers around the country report receiving hundreds of applications for every job opening they put out. This means that the competition for jobs is stiffer than ever. To be sure, getting a job – let alone the right job – is difficult enough. But all hope is not lost! By heeding the job hunting tips listed bel...

When you're looking for the right job, you have to take a myriad of factors into account: Do the hours suit you? Is overtime expected? Is the culture to your liking? Does your personality fit the culture and demands of the job? Are you okay with the distance to and from work? Are the salary and benefits sufficient? What is the room for growth like? Do you feel you'd get along well with your supervisor? Does the job require travel? If so, would you be okay with that? Unfortunately, the answers to most of these questions will likely remain a mystery until you've been working there for a while. It's impossible to decipher what the culture will be like when you've only sat for one or two interviews. That's why I recommend that people do their research beforehand. Visit sites like glassdoor.com for any reviews that current or former employees may have written about the company. Perhaps you notice that a friend of a friend on Linkedin works at the com...