Recent Articles from John Heckers
Walking a path with heart
It’s 6:00 a.m. The alarm goes off. What is your reaction? Well, if you’re a night owl, like me, the reaction is “Who the heck set that alarm wrong?” But, if you’re someone who gets up early for work, your reaction will either be one of anticipation or groaning because it is just another boring and […]
Welcome onboard – watch your step!
Many of you reading this are going to be getting employed soon – January at the latest. It is now time to think beyond the job search to the start of a new position. There are several things to be aware of with onboarding. Here are a few. 1). Watch your new boss. Regardless of […]
Eight great tips to get your phone calls returned
In a recent search for a new health insurance broker, I made what turned out to be a pretty major mistake: I posted a request for good brokers on LinkedIn in my groups. I was inundated with calls. Some of them got to give me their pitch, but many lost the opportunity for an immediate sale. Here a...
Top 10 ways social networking can kill your job search
If you’re on a job search, you’ve probably been either coerced into using social networking or it is your native element. Whichever, there are a few things that you need to watch to avoid social networking becoming the graveyard of your job search. 1). Don’t believe you have privacy. One of the most common errors […]
Business Darwinism
We are in a very Darwinian time in both employment and business. You ignore this at your peril. Here are a few things to keep in mind both as the economy gets worse and as it slowly recovers. 1). Do what you say you’re going to do or you won’t be doing it for long. […]
The job search to nowhere
So, you’ve been looking for a job for a while and nothing much is happening, hmmm? Many people who face this reality feel that they are just “stuck,” and that their job search is going nowhere. It is important to first diagnose why you’re stuck and then to do something about it. Here are some […]
Eight ways to help the youngest job seekers
I’m 56 years old (although I still look like a callow youth). I hear members of my generation and even Gen X cursing about the Millennial Generation. I know some great Millennials and some useless ones, but I can say the same of every generation. I was thinking about two things around this today....
Nine deadly small business mistakes
As a small business owner, I tend to see mistakes that businesses make as a lesson for my own business in what not to do. Here are the top nine small business mistakes to avoid, and some examples of businesses (mostly larger) which made the mistakes. 1). Understaffing. I had the fun opportunity of spending […]
Seven tips to put the “Law of Attraction” to work for you
Most of us have what is called a “monkey mind.” It swings from thing to thing as a monkey swings from tree to tree. Before we can truly envision what we want in life, we have to calm the monkey mind down quite a bit.
Ten really stupid things people say
Every generation has its very annoying phrases, especially when they are teenagers. Teens have their own language….mostly to keep us from knowing what they’re saying. What is intensely irritating, however, is when people who are supposed to be “grown ups” start to speak in a manner similar to teen...
Nine ways to stand out from the job-hungry crowd
Anyone who is looking for a job knows that it is brutal out there. Most economists agree that it is not likely to get better for the near future. For each position open there are five or more qualified people out there. If you are lucky or skilled enough to actually obtain an interview for one […]
Top 10 tips for moving from military to civilian jobs
As our wars, thankfully, wind down, many folks in the military are making a transition to civilian life. It isn’t easy. Here are a few tips that might help. 1). Rephrase your experience. Put all of your experience in terms that civilians can both understand and appreciate. Some military skills are only useful in the […]