There are many of us still reeling from the economic recession, which by all news accounts is over. I talk to so many people who are still unemployed or under employed, and many of them are beginning to believe that some how it their fault. If you listen to the news, and political rhetoric the […]

Many of the tactics discussed in this article by Lynn Taylor have been mentioned in previous Practical Mentor articles. The idea is to present the information in as many forms as possible or maximum effect. In addition, Psychology Today is an outstanding source for workplace information and strategies. As you will notice there are common […]

President Clinton popularized the saying “I feel your pain” as way of connecting with voters without actually committing to doing anything to improve their situation. Since then it has become common in political and business rhetoric. Although saying that you feel someone else’s pain implies that you are empathic, sympatric, or compassionate it does not […]

Strategy, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy deals with how one event affects others. Once only thought of as a military process, strategic planning is now a common political and business term. In its purest sense strategy looks at how elements are linked and provides a high level plan to achieve a goal. Until recently military strategies were […]

If the question “Should I attend the holiday office party?” even rises to a    conscious level you may have more issues than just the office party. Depending on your office culture, office parties may vary from very wild to    extremely dull. Most fall somewhere in the middle. Very few office parties leave  office […]

Networking is one of the most fundamental elements of success and one most of us neglect the most. There are many axioms relating to the importance of building personal and business relationships. If we take a few minutes and think about it, almost everything we want must come from someone else. In this tightly interwoven […]

I used to believe there were magic interview words and phases like Ali Baba used to open the magical cave and gain access to the treasure it protected. I read a lot of books and articles on successful interviewing techniques, and never found any real magic words. In my senior year in college there were […]

For the past nine days I was on New England cruise to view the fall foliage and tour several ports of call. During the voyage, by chance, I met a semi-retired physiologist who specialized in helping patients who were having difficulties facing challenges. The bottom line to his clinical observations is many people in challenging […]

One of the greatest clichés is that there are no mistakes or failures only learning opportunities.  While I do believe we learn from our mistakes, I am not sure that we always learn the most beneficial lessons.  More often the lesson we take away is DON’T TRY THAT AGAIN!, instead of learning how to succeed […]

Confidence is a necessary skill that is often neglected in the development of a career strategy. There are different kinds and degrees of confidence, and finding the balance that best suits your personality and goals is often difficult. As many people suffer from over confidence as lack of confidence not only in themselves, but also […]

I re-learned a lesson the hard way this week.  This summer I took a temporary job. When I was hired I was told the job had a definite term, and there would be no more work after the term was over. I accepted the job.  There were several people who were hired to accomplish the […]

This week there was a lot buzz about Psychometrics and other job screening techniques.  questionsIt is probably a sign of the times, as employers are flooded with applications for all available jobs.  The idea of psychometric testing and correlating traits with aptitude and performance is becoming main stream.  So how do you prepare for psychometric […]

The July – August edition of Psychology Today (psychologytoday.com) has an article on six office top gripes and how to fix them. The six topics chosen are: Procrastination; Difficult Boss; Really Difficult Boss; Projects not going well; Feeling Negative; and Working too many hours. I am not sure how they came up with the list. […]

This is the Fourth of July weekend, and the day the United States celebrates its birth as an independent nation.  This may be a good time to reflect on the state of the national and global economy, and its impact on your career.  One of my favorite lines is from the beginning of the Tale […]

I recently received a request for advice on selecting a postgraduate course of study.  My colleague, who I met though Yahoo.answers.com, has an under graduate degree in accounting and, is currently employed by a small accounting firm.  Recently he enrolled in PGDIBO (Post graduate diploma in International Business Operation) at IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open […]

Last week I was talking with a 19 year old, about what he wants to do now he has been out of high school for a couple of years. He currently works with his uncle in construction part time; works pizza delivery, and is a temporary Census worker. He is bright guy with a good […]

In an attempt to keep a finger on the pulse of the workplace and honing my skill as a  mentor, I participate in yahoo answers Yahoo Answers as the PracticaL Mentor. Perhaps  it is the season for graduation, but there are a lot of people asking how to choose a career  or advice of choosing […]

High schools and colleges are having commencement ceremonies as thousands of young graduates leave the comforts of school for the real world.  Many graduates have developed strategic plan for their careers, while others are struggling to figure out what to do next. Many students believe that something magical happens when they graduate to conjuror up […]

It is the time of year when Colleges and Universities are in the midst of graduating the new crop of job seekers with degrees in almost every conceivable major. Unfortunately most are joining the ranks of the unemployed with the added disadvantage of no work experience. Work experience sometimes appears as insurmountable obstacle or catch […]

The time, energy and expense of getting to and from work appears to be assets down a rabbit hole.  Although some try to put a positive spin on it, very few workers like their commute.   As commuting time and expenses increase the more it impacts our quality of life.  Is there anything we can do […]