culpwrit

Q.  I’ve often applied online for PR jobs at large firms, such as Ketchum.  After sending in my cover letter and resume, I’m often at a loss for what to do next.  The firm’s site makes it difficult to contact an HR person (or anyone else) for a follow-up.  I’ve gone through my contacts list […]

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A former business colleague called me last week to express frustration about the volume of resumes he’s receiving.  He said only one in 20 has relevant experience for the current opening he’s trying to fill.  He asked: “Do people actually read job postings anymore or do they simply send resumes to every job posting they see?”
Unfortunately, the […]

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Q.  I’m half way through a four month internship at a major PR agency.  There’s a possibility they could hire me once the internship is complete, but there’s a possibility they might not.  What should I do?  Should I start looking for jobs now or wait until I find out whether or not they’ll hire […]

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At Wednesday night’s Medill IMC networking reception in Chicago, I ran into Edward Bury, who wrote a guest post here earlier this year.  I soon learned Edward has a lot of networking savvy, so I asked him to share some thoughts on the importance of networking.  He agreed to write another post and called my attention to his blog which […]

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My wife and I weren’t aware we were graduating into a major recession in the early 1970s.   Actually, it wasn’t until we read The New York Times today that we became aware of how bad things were back then.  In fact, the job market was just as bad then as it is today. 
My wife and I both […]

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Q.  I have a major decision to make in the next month–grad school or continue my so-far unsuccessful job search.  I graduated in January and can get my grad degree in a little over a year, so perhaps the economy will improve further by then.  What do you recommend?  -LB
A.  Don’t assume graduate school will […]

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I reluctantly admit that I watch too much reality TV.  Sadly, one of these shows — “True Beauty”– featured a discussion in last week’s episode where the contestants couldn’t recall when they last read a book.  None of these people would get hired by Linda Heasley, president and CEO of The Limited.
In today’s New York Times, Heasley […]

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Several hiring managers have asked me to encourage job seekers to stop sending “teaser emails.”  These are short messages containing few details, but almost always seeking an opportunity to meet in person.
Agencies receive hundreds of quality resumes each month, so some hiring managers speculate that applicants leave resumes off their email inquiries in hopes of increasing […]

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Actually, this isn’t business casual.

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Q.  After two months of interviews and favorable feedback that suggested I would be offered a job, I received a phone call yesterday saying I didn’t get the job.  I was stunned, so I said I was extremely disappointed and thanked her for calling.  Afterwards, I had a thousand “why not me?” questions.  I realized […]

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