SusanStrayer.com

I Didn't Make This Up

Normally I love to share my take on anything and everything related to the workplace. But here's one topic where I'll just put it out there. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and University of California Santa Barbara have found that curvier women are more intelligent. I'm not kidding.

Now I'm Italian. I work out plenty, but I never met a piece of bread, cheese, chocolate or bowl of pasta I didn't like. So I'll leave it at this: today's lunch is gonna be big. Very big...

The Lessons Are All the Same

I often get emails from readers who think they are too experienced or too old to take my advice. One in particular the other day referenced that an individual felt he had too much of a strong career and really needed specialized assistance. I was thinking about this over the weekend after returning from presentations at Virginia Tech and Hollins University. As it turns out, 22 year olds and 42 year olds do have alot in common when it comes to careers--they are often lost, they need someone to give them a kick in the butt and they think they have tried everything.

But the reality is few people stop to take inventory of what they are actually doing. So before you tell me what you don't need, stop and ask yourself what are you actually doing?

Resumes That Are a Recruiter's Dream

I always get asked about resumes--everyone wants to know the secret. What's the magic bullet that will get you noiticed? Well, Marci Alboher of the New York Times' popular Shifting Careers Blog wanted to know too, so here's my take in a guest post for her blog: Advice from a resume expert on how to make yours a recruiter's dream.

Learning From Non-Profits

This week/weekend, I am speaking at the Net Impact conference--one of the largest gatherings of business professionals and MBA students who work and have a passion for corporate social responsibility. I am sitting in a session right now on non-profit careers and here are a few gems I pulled that I think are applicable to all careers:

1) Speak Their Language: don't come in with all business-speak. Make sure you use your strategy expertise, your tools and your background in context of the language of the organization, the industry and their culture.

2) Network, shadow and mentor: In industries where networks are tight, find someone who you can shadow or mentor and get in there! Soak up all you can. Be creative and don't just wait for an internship role. Ask for a project or volunteer opportunity to get the experience you need.

3) Know Your Competitors: Not just business but individual. Enough said.