MBA. PhD. DDS. MFA. There are many different three-letter abbreviations you might focus on when you think about grad school. But there is one abbreviation that all grad-level scholars should think about: ROI. ROI, or return on investment, tells you just how much profit you will truly make from your grad degree, once long-term earnings are measured against the actual cost of graduate school. It’s probably not possib...

The abyss. The black hole. The Great Emptiness. These are just some of the terms I’ve heard for applicant tracking systems (ATS). They are not unwarranted. Many, if not most companies use ATS software to automate their recruiting processes by scanning the applications for keywords and then assigning a score to them. Only those profiles that meet a certain scoring criteria will be forwarded along to an actual human. Th...

For all of the time and effort that candidates invest in interview preparation, there is a wholesale lack of reciprocity on the part of most interviewers. Considering that turnover replacement costs are at least 30% of an individual’s base compensation—and the higher level and specialized the person is, the higher those costs are—it is astounding that more companies do not train hiring managers on interviewing techniques. W...

This is a question I field all the time. My answer is fairly simple—you should hire a career coach when and if you feel stagnated and unable to move forward to reach your career goals. Think of it as a clogged pipe. You could try Drano. You could try snaking the drain yourself. Either or both might work, but when they fail repeatedly, you call the plumber. Calling in an expert to assist in an area in which you do not have e...

Dear Deb:Thanks for all of your advice on interview techniques and preparation. It has really helped me to up my game when I am out there looking for my next opportunity. I’ve been looking for a new role as a director of digital marketing, and a few of my interviewers have asked me questions about an experience or skill that I do not have. I’m not sure how I should answer that. For example, an interviewer recently asked me...

It is no secret that the employee/employer relationship has radically changed over the last three decades. Gone are the days of remaining with one employer for your entire career. That has been replaced by the reality of quarterly layoffs, and cuts in pay and benefits. I’ve previously discussed why you need to reframe your thinking and stop seeing yourself as an employee. Instead, you need to be the CEO of your own career....

I recently received the following email:My team consists of myself and a peer, a coordinator, and our manager. My peer has recently returned to work after the birth of her first child. She was out for two months, and during that time, I took charge of her major projects and made sure the work got done. She is supposed to attend a conference next month where we are exhibiting, but she told my boss that she doesn’t want to be...

You get a call from a recruiter, and he tells you about a position with a great company. The role sounds exciting, and, from his description at least, seems like something you’d be interested in pursuing. He sends over the job description for you to review, and you are crestfallen. They say that the candidate must have a very specific certification and an advanced degree, neither of which you have. You decide that you are n...

I just started a new job. This is a big step up for me in terms of responsibility and pay. One of the things my new boss is asking me to provide is a monthly status report. I’m not sure what I should include, or what format it should be in. Should I recap what I do on a daily basis, or just give the highlights?My previous position was my first professional position post-graduation. I did not have to document my time like th...

For candidates, the most frustrating thing about the interview process is that it seems to be entirely one-sided. Although we can encourage candidates to look at the interview as a two-way street, and to use the interview to vet the employer, the reality is that the mechanics and power dynamics of the interview do make it seem as though the employer holds all the cards. Nowhere is this more evident than when candidates are...