Lindsey Pollak
Next Generation Career Expert
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In Defense of 20-Somethings: My Letter to the New York Times Magazine
On page 8 of the September 5 issue of The New York Times Magazine, you’ll find my response to the recent cover article, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” as the featured letter. I’m very grateful to The Times for printing my comments. Here is an excerpt of my letter: As I read Robin Marantz Henig’s discussion of 20-somethings, I was struck by the sense that the new life stage she was ascribing to this generation could actually be something that adults of all ages experience... |
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Overcoming the “E” Word
Lots of people are buzzing about the recent New York Times Magazine cover story, “What is it About 20-Somethings?” The article focuses on the fact that today’s 20-somethings are “delaying adulthood” by moving back in with their parents, marrying later and hopping from career to career. The article speculates about whether these shifts are happening because of the current economy, a fundamental change in the definition of adulthood or — as many of the article’s more negative commenters... |
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What I Wish I’d Known in College
Happy Monday, everyone! As you can imagine, I spent this weekend thinking a lot about the New York Times Magazine cover story, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” I’ve submitted a Letter to the Editor and will post it here if the Times doesn’t publish it. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your comments here or on Twitter. In the meantime, on to my newest post. Looking forward to your comments! What I Wish I’d Known in College As someone who spends my days interacting... |
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Guest Post: 3 Job Hunting Tips for College Athletes
This is a guest post by Eileen Wisnewski. Graduation often signals the end of competition for most college athletes. This can be an emotional realization, as many graduating athletes would love to play just one more season. While competing, the level of time and commitment college athletes give to their sport sometimes prevents them from properly planning for the next step in life after college. This can result in recent graduates feeling underprepared to start their professional lives. The good... |
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Making the MBA Decision
Dear Lindsey, How important is getting your MBA from a top graduate school verses a middle of the road or maybe online school make? What difference does it make regarding future pay and opportunities? Thanks, Marie Dear Marie, Educational decisions are personal and the right answers are different for everyone. What I can do is provide you with the right questions to ask to make the right move for you. Here are three questions to help you make the best decision for you: 1. Why are you getting... |
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4 Tips on Transitioning into Management
Dear Lindsey, I recently received two master’s degrees (MBA, 2008 and MSA, 2010) after many years of working in state government. Now, I am ready to explore more opportunities in the private and public sector. If I’ve never functioned in a leadership capacity, will it be difficult to branch out in management? Obtaining my master’s has helped me realize I have a lot to offer and I’m motivated to share the knowledge and years of experience if given the opportunity to do so. Would you... |
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How to Manage the Technological Generation Gap
Dear Lindsey, I’m an engineer at a leading tech company, and for the most part I love my job. At 29, I’m one of the younger people in the office. One of the most frustrating things for me is working with much older people who are a lot slower with new technologies — even my superiors who are in technical roles can’t work as quickly as the younger crew can. And I don’t blame them — I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up in such a rapidly-changing field when I’m in my 60s. Still,... |
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What I Learned About Success from Joan Rivers
Love her or hate her, you can’t deny that Joan Rivers has shown amazing staying power in the fickle world of show business. I was never a fan or Rivers or her comedy, but the new documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work got such good reviews that I thought I’d check it out. I’m glad I did. The film was fascinating, funny and offered major insight into what it takes to survive for 50-plus years in Hollywood — one of the toughest career paths there is. Here are some of my takeaways: Persevere,... |
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Ask the Gen Y Expert: My New Column for Monster.com’s Excelle
I’m excited to announce my new career advice column on Monster.com’s website for women, Excelle.com. The column, “Ask the Gen Y Expert,” will feature my responses to reader questions. Please check out the first post and submit your own query anytime! Here is this week’s topic and reader question: How Can I Get Recognized for My Hard Work? Dear Lindsey, I’m a junior assistant at a PR firm, which basically means I’m pretty far down on the totem pole. However,... |
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5 Career “Super Foods”
As you can probably tell from reading my blog, I love lists. Top 10 These. Absolute 5 Thats. Well, I recently came across a fantastic list of 10 Everyday Super Foods, described by WebMD as “multitaskers,” such as nuts, blueberries and salmon, that are packed with multiple nutrients to help you stay healthy, promote wellness and weight control and taste good, too. This got me thinking: What are the “Everyday Super Foods” for career success? What people, practices, tools and habits give... |
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Secrets of Summer Career Success
For many people, the July 4th weekend marks the beginning of Slacker Season at work: the time to enjoy long lunches outside and cut out early on Fridays. I love the mellowness of summer and encourage you to enjoy the season to its fullest. I also know that you need to keep your job search or career development on track, even when it’s 100 degrees in the shade. Here are some suggestions: Revisit Your New Year’s Resolutions. Remember that sense of optimism and new beginnings you felt as... |
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Top 5 Recruiter Pet Peeves REVEALED!
While it’s incredibly important to do the right things in a job search, you also need to make sure you avoid doing the wrong things. One of my favorite questions to ask recruiters is, “What are your biggest pet peeves about entry-level job candidates?” Below are some of the answers I’ve received. Hopefully this list will save you from committing any major faux pas! 1. “Creative” resumes. I know you want to stand out from the crowd, but a perfumed, purple or paper airplane-shaped resume... |
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Free “LinkedIn for Job Seekers” webinar this Wednesday June 23rd at 8pm EST
Finding your dream job just got easier! In this free, 60-minute training webinar, I’ll be sharing the strategies and best practices to leverage LinkedIn at every stage of your job search. Discover how to: Build an online profile that attracts the attention of recruiters and hiring managers Expand your professional network to drive more opportunities your way Use LinkedIn to find job leads and get your resume to the top of the applicant list Access the benefits of Job Seeker Premium, a brand... |
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Guest Post: Jobs That Matter for Millennials
This is a guest post by Heather Krasna, author of the new book, Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service: Recent surveys show that Millennials want to make a difference in the world. The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 27 percent of graduating seniors in 2009 plan to work for nonprofit groups or government. Another survey by the Partnership for Public Service found that 90 percent would be interested in a federal government job. On top of that,... |
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The Most Important Career Growth Tip
A few days ago I received an email from a colleague who serves with me on a nonprofit board. “Does anyone know where I can get Mets/Yankees tickets?” I knew (Stubhub.com!), so I responded right away. Later that day I was desperately trying to remember the name of a website I’d recently heard about where you can find out which social media sites have your username available. After racking my brain, I decided to tweet the question. Within three minutes, I had the answer (www.namechk.com). On... |
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Guest Post: Turn a Career Break into a Career Booster
Special to the Lindsey Pollak Blog When the three of us – Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett and Amanda Pressner – decided to quit our Manhattan media jobs to embark on a yearlong, round-the-world journey, we knew that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime, and one that we couldn’t possibly have passed up. But still, we couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps we’d be committing career suicide. It had taken us over a half a decade to start feeling as if we’d achieved success within our... |
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Next 30/20 Vision Podcast: Monday, June 14th
Join us for the next edition of our 30/20 Vision podcast on Monday, June 14th at 5:00pm EST. This series is for the 20-something woman who wishes she had a couple of big sisters to clue her in on the ins and outs of life after college. This month, Christine Hassler, Alexandra Levit and I will talk about our most important sources of inspiration. Listen to the podcast here or download later. Do you have any questions on this topic? Please post in the Comments. |
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The Secret to Successful Networking in the 21st Century
Last week I attended the annual conference of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the largest organization for university career services professionals and entry-level recruiters. As someone who frequently talks about the powers of social media for connecting, this conference was a reminder that LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are only half the networking story. At the NACE conference, I had the pleasure of meeting people in person whom I had previously only communicated... |
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Podcast: You Have More Time Than You Think
Join me for a conversation with Laura Vanderkam, author of the brand new book, “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.” That number — 168 hours — is the amount of time you have each and every week. According to Laura, that’s plenty of time to work, play, sleep 8 hours a night (seriously!) and accomplish a lot more than you are now. Laura wants to help you spend your 168 hours doing things you love. Some of my favorite recommendations in the book include: Track... |
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Win a Signed Copy of “Getting from College to Career”
This week, OnlineMBA.com is sponsoring a giveaway of some of their favorite recommended books, including mine! Check out their full list of book giveaways which includes signed books by Seth Godin, Dan Pink and several other leading business and career authors (I’m honored to be included in their company). Scroll down to the bottom of the page to enter the contest. To win one of the books, you’ll need to describe the most important thing you learned in school or work about business. Good... |