EditorialsBy Matt Bud, Chairman, The FENG

For my birthday, my daughter bought me a book: “A Voyage for Madmen” by Peter Nichols. The book is about the first Golden Globe race from Falmouth, England which began on April 22, 1969. Nine men set off on a race around the world. Ten months later, only one of them made it back. Keep in mind, this was before GPS. (And, the Internet.) And if all this wasn’t bad enough, they weren’t even in fiberglass boats. They were wood. The most interesting (and appropriate) sections of the book for tonight were the storms these brave (or stupid) men encountered in the southern ocean. If you take a look at a globe you will see that in the southern ocean [ Read more… ]

With just about everyone in the ENTIRE world running around like their hair was on fire, I personally wouldn’t fault you if you too were feeling that way. Whether we are watching the news or reading the newspaper, it is impossible at the moment to find any escape from what is going on WORLDWIDE. I know you all enjoy my many sailing analogies, and tonight I have one that is very appropriate to our current circumstances. If you are the head of your family, I want to point out to you that the captain of a ship is not allowed to show fear. No matter how fierce the storm, no matter how lost he may be at the minute, even [ Read more… ]

A long time ago I received an email from one of our members comparing and contrasting the job leads he was getting from various sources. The quick story is that he was a subscriber to two paid services in addition to our newsletter. What I found disappointing was his closing comment which began by saying how much he appreciated our newsletter and the job leads contained in it but ended with the comment that when he found a job he would be sure to make a contribution. While I would be the first one to understand that it is difficult to fully understand the value of job leads you see posted in various places, I would hope that members of [ Read more… ]

It’s very easy in these difficult and unusual times to feel that there is nothing you can do. With the constant barrage of the 24/7 news cycle, it is also very easy to believe that what is going on is never going to end. Well, it may never end. Be that as it may, while we are waiting for it to end there is something very FENG that I want all of you to do beginning tomorrow, and every day until sanity reigns again. Please commit to spending at least an hour a day on this assigned project. Your day tomorrow will begin with my publishing our weekly list of new members. There are only 27 new members this week, [ Read more… ]

As many of you know, in 1991 and 1992, I was unemployed. (Yes, two long years!) Hard to say exactly why it took so long to find another job, but suffice to say that it was a recession and after 9 years in the Advertising business (which was in the dumper) and no recent experience in Publishing (my other background which was also in the dumper), there weren’t a lot of job possibilities. One of the things I took off the table immediately was moving. Sure, I was born in Chicago and had lived in Northern Indiana when I was growing up, but for nearly 25 years I had been living in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is arguable if moving would [ Read more… ]

I was working on two assignments for The FECG a few weeks ago and I couldn’t help but notice the frequency with which some members consistently failed to provide a meaningful cover letter with their resume. (Just so you know, assignments marketed by our consulting practice are only presented to members of The FENG for their consideration.) I have often been heard to say that “your resume stands alone.” It’s true. But, sometimes we need a little more information. When a member’s candidacy is marginal, that email cover note can really make the difference. When I say marginal I am not talking about the general qualifications of the individual in question, but rather his/her suitability for the particular assignment we [ Read more… ]

I never cease to be amazed how time stands still with respect to old friends. Several years ago one of my fraternity brothers was digging through some old photos in his basement and found a box from college. This prompted him to go to our national organization and get an email list. And so, the renewal process began for friendships that dated back 40 years! At the time it was pretty exciting for me to hear about the lives of individuals I lived in such close quarters with for 4 formative years. And, I took the time to immediately call several of these old friends. (Yes, I have known them for a long time, and I guess all of us [ Read more… ]

If there is any complaint I hear more than any other, it is that those we send messages to about jobs opportunities are not responsive. Sometimes even when a company or recruiter has taken the time to interview one of our members, weeks and weeks later all that is heard is silence. If this disappointment and/or anger truly reflect how we feel about the “outside world,” it makes me wonder why it is that I hear rumors from time to time that MEMBERS are being unresponsive to one another. Here within our little society called The FENG we have the opportunity to receive many benefits from building relationships with each other. Access to 37,000 folks from every industry, from every [ Read more… ]

Some time ago a member wrote to me lamenting that although he was responding to a great number of opportunities, no one was contacting him about his credentials. It is a sad fact of life that the way job search works with regard to posted jobs is that it is atypical if anyone even acknowledges the receipt of your resume. Unfortunately, with the number of responses, and the lack of clerical help at most firms, even that simple courtesy is much too time consuming. The approach most firms use is to try to hide who they are. They don’t mention the name of their search firm or if they are a corporation, the name of the company. The Internet allows [ Read more… ]

One of the worst feelings you can have when you are networking is that you are drawing down favors from everyone you contact and you honestly have no way of repaying their many courtesies. Unfortunately, this is not your imagination. True networking is, of course, a give and take. Hopefully you are in this networking thing for the long term. If you are, let me put your mind at ease. For those of you who remember the original Godfather movie, you may remember the scene before the wedding where Don Corleone is lecturing the undertaker about never having allowed himself to be put in his debt. While none of you will, hopefully, ever ask one of your networking contacts to [ Read more… ]

I am often asked how one should budget one’s time when conducting a job search. The easy answer is that it depends. I would suggest to you that the primary element of your search is, of course, networking, networking and more networking. The reason I say this is, it works best. That said, just as the odds of winning the lottery on any given day are very low, and in my case nonexistent since I don’t buy lottery tickets, someone does win the lottery every single day. Let me start you out with the idea that initially you need to devote yourself to creating a competent resume and a competent 90-second announcement. Both of these items are tools you need [ Read more… ]

I often have been heard to joke that when I was in the Advertising business I worked with people who lied even when it wasn’t necessary. Their reason was simple. They didn’t want to get out of practice. In much the same way, you as a job applicant need to “stay the course” even when you may know very shortly into the process that the job in question is not of interest for whatever reason or reasons. I suppose it would be more polite (and members of The FENG tend to be VERY polite) to just drop out of the process, but I would suggest to you in the strongest of terms that, like my “friends” in the Advertising business, [ Read more… ]

When my wife and I were first married, we had occasion to go to book a several day vacation at Kutsher’s Hotel and Country Club. I’m not even sure we had children at the time, it was that long ago. For those of you not familiar with the Borscht Belt of grand resorts in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, Kutscher’s was one of the longest running of these hotels. It was really a charming place. The food wasn’t great, but there was plenty of it. And, there was evening entertainment. Anyway, having not all that recently gotten out of the Army, my “bride” and I were looking forward to some time away. Although I had learned to play [ Read more… ]

Job descriptions, especially the ones that go on for pages and pages, have to make you smile. That said, with my many years of experience in the Advertising business, I am a big fan of long copy. Long copy sells. In the context of position descriptions posted in our newsletter I believe it gives our members sufficient information so that they can disqualify themselves if they honestly aren’t a fit. The longer the job description, the more likely you will get a good sense of the REAL responsibilities of the job. Most of the ones that catch your eye, I have no doubt that you can do. The more appropriate question to keep in mind is do you have a [ Read more… ]

Stop me if I am wrong, but I guess many folks find job search a painful process. Perhaps it is the lack of a steady paycheck, or the uncertainty, or the rejection. Just like beating your head against a wall, it sure feels good when you can stop. (Is this why we are having so much fun or what?) Perhaps that is why a few times a week I get a message from one of our members to stop their evening newsletter because next week they are going to be starting a new job. Next week? (Sure you don’t want to overlap a few days?) Is the newsletter an unpleasant reminder of the pain of job search? Or, is it [ Read more… ]

I know we live in a world of email, text messages and Twitter, but I often times wonder if others realize what their messages look like on the receiving end? I have to assume that many of the people who write to me are very busy, too busy to take a minute and read their communications and see if they are going to make any sense to someone not knowledgeable about what they might be talking. The problem goes well beyond the issue of “outgoing signatures” which I mention on a frequent basis. (If you don’t know what an outgoing signature is, you should suspect immediately that this editorial is about you. Please don’t write to me and ask. That [ Read more… ]

Since 1997 when I first became Chairman of The FENG, I have probably reviewed well over 200,000 resumes. (Gosh, I’m exhausted just thinking about it.) I would tell you that the biggest problem I see in resumes is the incredible clutter. Although some of the resumes I get are 3 or 4 pages, most of the time the author has squeezed all they would like to say on 2 pages. The “tricks” they generally use are narrow margins and VERY tiny fonts. (I would swear some of them are less than 8 point type.) While I am a big fan of writing to your heart’s content to create enough material to edit, your best friend is a sharp pencil. The [ Read more… ]

The long history of telephone use in this country is pretty obvious. And, unlike all the bad jokes I have seen over the years about “young folks” today never having known a time when ….. (you fill in the blank), I have to say that I am amazed and astounded most days by the lack of knowledge by those I call as to how these darn things work. I recently took an old phone out to the driveway and smashed it with a sledgehammer to see what was inside. Yes, I know I could have used a screw driver and taken it apart carefully, but I was in one of those “dark moods.” Anyway, the truth be told, there was [ Read more… ]

Except for the Lone Ranger, none of us actually has silver bullets in our gun. I am frequently taken to task by members on the topic of networking. I suppose that to a very large degree I am guilty of touting networking as the ultimate silver bullet to the exclusion of all other methods. I guess I didn’t realize that I was presenting networking as a “be all end all.” It is, but I didn’t realize I was doing it. The real truth is that you have to “do it all.” Back in 1991, I had a very dear friend who ran the Drake Beam office in Stamford. Although I didn’t actually get outplacement, he invited me to use a [ Read more… ]

How often have we seen a speaker tap a microphone and say: Is this on? At least the person in question is preparing to speak. On the other hand, how often have we heard news reports about politicians saying things they shouldn’t have been saying (or thinking), not realizing that the microphone in front of them was on? Our modern world is full of opportunities to embarrass ourselves, big time. I suppose in ancient times, the worst that could happen to an orator was to be over heard by one or two people before he was ready. If he was standing in front of a crowd of listeners, he knew it. The problem in today’s world is not just oral [ Read more… ]

There is no more important space on your resume than that first section after your name. Alas, I rarely see it used to good effect. Although cover letters allow you to “cover” matters perhaps not easily “covered” in your resume, more often than not your cover letter isn’t sent to the decision maker. In a very real sense, your resume stands alone and needs to be done in such a way that it gets the job done. If you agree that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, that first section sets the stage for what follows. By taking the time to really focus on your value added, the summary section can allow you to [ Read more… ]

One of the most disconcerting aspects of looking for a job is that you often get the feeling that people aren’t treating you with as much respect as you deserve. I could be wrong, but I think that those of us who have been senior level financial executives may have a tougher time dealing with this problem than others. All during the time we are working there is a line of supplicants outside of our office. (Oh, Matt, please send my vendor a check. Please Matt, won’t you take a minute and approve my expense report. Matt, I really need more money in my budget for next year.) Then, boom, you are out of work and there just aren’t as [ Read more… ]

According to Google, double entry accounting was developed around 1300AD. Shortly thereafter, someone came up with the expression: “Just give me the bottom line.” No one ever talks about the middle line. I have often wondered about that. Haven’t you? I don’t know about you, but as good accountants and Chief Financial Officers I thought our goal was to prepare comparable financial statements. Documents that not only were accurate and reflective of the organizations we were helping run, but also consistent in format month after month so that our “customers,” all of those non-financial types, would know where to look for the information they required. (I know I prided myself on those year after year matching binders with matching tabs.) [ Read more… ]