Career Tips

Essential Trait for Job Search (& You Already Have It!)

  • On July 26, 2020
What you need to succeed at work is something you already have: grit! My former Harvard classmate and now Penn professor/MacArthur grant winner Angela Duckworth has found that grit is a significant predictor of success. The ability to work hard and maintain focus for prolonged periods is key, even more so than pure intelligence. Why […]
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Career Management, Career Tips, Mentors

Mentorship at All Levels!

  • On July 5, 2020
Legal veterans, reach out and help the next generation, e.g., with hbcu20x20 or Pay it Forward. And I’m so impressed that young legal leaders are already mentoring others! I list their resources below. Nyssa Chopra, a tech lawyer with a background in diplomacy and human rights, puts out a bi-weekly “Mentor in Law” newsletter aimed at “law students, recent […]
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Career Tips, Change

Hustle!

  • On May 22, 2020
Yes, times are bad. Your career may take some detours, but don’t give up! In fact, graduates in the Great Recession who hustled were able to get back on track once the economy turned up. Here are a couple recent LinkedIn posts who underscore this point. A 2010 George Mason law grad tells the story […]
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Career Tips, Change

How to Explain a Gap Due to COVID

  • On May 17, 2020
If you are a COVID casualty and are concerned how employers will view a layoff or stall in career progression, it’ll be ok. Employers are usually pretty understanding of economic conditions wreaking havoc on people’s careers. That’s what I saw for the Great Recession and Dot Bomb. Here’s what to say about what happened: Explain […]
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Career Management, Career Tips, Women & Minorities

3 Things Employees Vulnerable to Layoff Should Do

  • On May 7, 2020
COVID has stalled the domestic and global economy, resulting in mass layoffs everywhere, but women and people of color have been hit the hardest. The Harvard Business Review and LinkedIn’s GetHired column report: March unemployment figures show overall unemployment increased by 26%, but that number is an eye-popping 64% for Asian Americans and 36% for LatinX. Also, […]
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Career Management, Career Tips, Change

Job Search Tips in a Pandemic: Part II

  • On April 8, 2020
I recently posted tips on job searching during a pandemic (work in an area that has promise both in terms of geography and industry, and network!). Here are more tips courtesy of a Forbes post scarily entitled “We’ve Entered A Harsh New Reality: Here’s How To Manage Your Career”: Make yourself invaluable to your employer. If before […]
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Career Management, Career Tips, Change

Pandemic! Now What for My Career?

  • On March 24, 2020
I haven’t been through a pandemic before, but this is my third boom/bust cycle (the first was the dot bomb in 2002 and the second the Great Recession in 2007-09). I’ve seen a lot of careers and observed how stars recover. Some tips: Live/work in a geographic area that will recover quickly. The San Francisco […]
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