Dear Deb: I am trying to build out my LinkedIn profile, so I can make it as complete as it can be. I know you frequently discuss the importance of LinkedIn, so would you be able to answer why I need to have recommendations? Aren’t endorsements the same thing? Signed, Marco Dear Marco: Thank you for asking this important question. There is a big, huge, cavernous difference between LinkedIn recommendations...

We all know that it is very unlikely that anyone is going to stay with the same company for 40 years, collect a watch and a pension, and then go off into a blissful, stress-free retirement. Those days are over, and in the new era of work, it is incumbent upon the individual to take responsibility for managing her own career. Hopefully, you are evaluating your current role and company on an ongoing basis, and are thinking ab...

Congratulations! You’ve been offered a new position! It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and anticipation of a new venture, but don’t make the mistake of immediate acceptance. Any new offer needs to be evaluated critically, on a number of different factors. Here’s what you need to assess your offer: A written, contingent offer. This will spell out the specifics of your offer, including yo...

There was recently an article in the Washington Post about college students whose parents forbid them from majoring in liberal arts disciplines. Although it is easy to write this off as overzealous helicopter parenting, it is indicative of a trend over the last thirty years. Undergraduates are eschewing liberal arts degrees in favor of degrees in business or STEM disciplines. It is no coincidence that this has occurred duri...

Dear Deb: I’ve been working full time for 15 years, and have reached what I think is a roadblock in my career. It is clear that in order for me to move to the next level, I need to get my MBA. Honestly, the thought of attending school for years, at night, while I work full-time and attempt to manage my household, turns my stomach. I’ve been looking into online programs, and am leaning toward one via the Unive...

Hi Deb: I have an unusual situation with my new manager. In short, she’s both incompetent and not particularly smart. She doesn’t write well at all; I have taken to rewriting much of what she does, because it pains me that she doesn’t know the difference between their, they’re, and there. We are in the middle of developing a new product for a new market, and when I asked her what her channel manag...

It is no secret that the hiring process is broken. Badly broken. Considering the financial impact hiring has to a company’s bottom line, it is astounding that many, if not most, employers don’t take it seriously. From forcing applicants to comply with non-intuitive ATS programs, to failing to follow up with candidates, it would seem that many employers do not actually want to hire anyone at all! As I am fond...

Deb: I am a college senior majoring in history and women’s studies. I will be graduating in a few weeks, but I’ve already begun looking for a job. I want to work either for a nonprofit that researches and advocates for women’s rights (I interned with one), or for a publisher doing research on women’s issues. My friends and family think that I am nuts, and that I should get my teaching certificatio...

The media’s ability to cover the Vietnam War without censorship was unlike anything that came before or has happened since. The unprecedented access of journalists to officers meant that, for the only time in American history, the American public had an unedited view into the daily life of war. However, this unfettered freedom came at a cost, including journalists who died on the battlefield, as well as resentment fro...

I devote much of my writing to advising my readers on what they should be doing in their job search, but today, I’m going to tell you what you should avoid. This is a partial list, and in no particular order, but a good starting point. Take a phone interview while you are driving. This is a bad idea for many reasons, not the least of which that it diverts your attention, both from the road, and from the convers...