Work Goes Strong

Interview Question Tips: “What Are Your Weaknesses?”

leslieayres — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:01:50 +0000

One of my readers asked for advice on how to answer the interview question about her weaknesses without sounding phony or resorting to self-serving statements.

Traditional interview advice to say "Sometimes I work too hard" or "I'm a perfectionist" is just trite, she said, and I agree.

So how can you answer the "what are your weaknesses?" question without sounding ridiculous?

Here are seven things to keep in mind:

How To Be Frugal – and Make It Fun!

scrandell — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:13:00 +0000

The title of Danny Kofke's book, How To Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher's Salary says it all. When their first daughter was born, Danny's wife quit her job and they lived on the $36,000 Danny earned as a special ed teacher. Three years later, another baby came along, and Danny's salary was it until just recently when their younger daughter, now four, started preschool and Danny's wife began teaching part-time. Even before the girls were born, Danny and Tracy were preparing, practicing their rules on how to be frugal.

Interview Attire for People Who Don't Wear Suits

leslieayres — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:01:00 +0000

One of my readers asked me a great question about what's appropriate interview clothing for a non-corporate interview. She shared that she sees more and more people showing up for job interviews looking sloppy in jeans and untucked shirts, which she feels leaves a bad impression.

It's a great question, especially because the traditional advice on interview attire is to wear a suit.

My answer is that it depends on what kind of job you're interviewing for.

Crowd Funding Secrets: How to Raise Money Online

steinbergs — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:46:48 +0000

The practice of crowd funding is exploding in interest, and being hailed by many as today's hottest new form of high-tech investment. It's easy to see why too: Anyone can launch a new product, startup or business right from their kitchen table.

How To Get Out of Debt

scrandell — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:22:00 +0000

Our Expert: Thom Fox has been working as a personal finance educator, helping people get out of debt for 16 years. He is the author of Learn Now or Pay Later, a guide to money management.

How Midlifers Get Into Money Trouble

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson: White Lies and Golden Parachutes

irene zutell — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:48:51 +0000

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson was just sacked, reputedly over a computer science degree he never earned. (His degree was actually in accounting.) Deceit is everywhere - not only in resumes, but, I suspect - in the fiber of this story.

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson was only there for a few months, hired to re-invigorate a company that was once a Wall street darling. But investor romances are nothing if not fickle. Remember when AOL and MySpace were magical names?

International Business Etiquette Crash Course

leslieayres — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:04:00 +0000

Many people dream about being able to travel internationally for work.

It certainly is a great way to see the world. I have clients whose jobs have taken them to every corner of the globe, for short trips and long, and they always have entertaining stories of their adventures.

Unfortunately, sometimes the stories are about embarrassing moments that happened because of cultural differences... or perhaps more accurately, a lack of awareness of cultural differences.

Americans make a lot of business etiquette faux pas.

Widow to Widow: Key Financial Advice

scrandell — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:28:00 +0000

The average age of widowhood is an eye-popping 56. Kristen Fricks-Roman, senior vice president of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Atlanta, was even younger - just 46 — when her husband died. Since then, she's advised many clients who've been widowed, drawing lessons from her expertise and from real life. Here, her widow to widow advice.

#1. Know your spouse's wishes and talk about burial plans

The Best Retirement Plan Might Be Wilder Than You Think

scrandell — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:28:00 +0000

I have an IRA. In it, I've got stocks and bonds. I had no idea that it could contain much more - until I talked to Jaime Raskulinecz, founder and CEO of Next Generation Trust Services, which sets up and administers self-directed IRAs, through which you can invest in real estate, precious metals, commodities, hedge funds, unsecured loans and more. Is your best retirement plan just stocks and bonds?

America, Take a Vacation, Will You?

leslieayres — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:26:00 +0000

As you read this, I am on an island in Mexico, collecting shells on the beach or reading in a hammock, as I recharge my batteries in a way that only hammock time can do for me.

I'm sure no one would argue that down time isn't good for our wellbeing, physically, mentally and emotionally, but American workers get less time off than most countries. Much less.

Europeans get up to seven weeks of paid vacation.

A few years back, I spent a year living on an island in Thailand (yes, it was awesome), where I met travelers from all over the world.