Plan Your Career by Julie Desmond

Julie Desmond is Talent Manager for Express Employment Professionals. Write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Hats off to the job fair!

Tuesday, 29 January 2013 17:38 Julie Desmond

For those who left last week's job fair with a new position, congratulations! For those who did not, my friends who represent companies across the Twin Cities have asked me to pass along some tips that will help you work your way through the next job fair more successfully.

Laid off? Let go? Canned? Negotiate your way out the door

Saturday, 19 January 2013 17:28 Julie Desmond

If that headline does not apply to you, keep reading. Someday, it might. Many people who are escorted out of cubicles or off of manufacturing floors have been warned. Others say they never saw it coming. Either way, when your number comes up, make sure you leave with the grace of someone who could be rehired someday and the finesse of someone who knows how to capitalize on a tough situation. In other words, when your boss says you're done, you are just getting started.

Working with the flu

Monday, 14 January 2013 15:12 Julie Desmond

Penny is going to get fired. She thinks so, anyway. She spent $130 to obtain the precious drug, Tamiflu, on day two of what she knew was something worse than anything she's had before. She is now on day five, barely able to drag herself off the couch, and plotting a way to hide her illness in order to keep her job. Ethically, she should stay home. Practically, she can't afford to. What to do?

This year’s resolution: Be resolved

Friday, 04 January 2013 18:16 Julie Desmond

It's a good word, Resolve. It covers a lot of ground and carries multiple meanings. This week, every other commercial, headline and status update refers to someone's New Year's Resolution. You might resolve to lose weight, stop smoking, dance more, cheat less or finish something you've started. But what is resolve, really? Among Resolve's definitions, you'll find these: make decisions, solve difficulties, settle arguments, dispel doubts, change. During 2013, let the concept of Resolve be a focal point, taking you from where you are to something better.

Wiggle Room: Why employers pay what they pay

Thursday, 20 December 2012 10:07 Julie Desmond

Is there any wiggle room in the salary? Can they go any higher on the pay? Will they bend at all on the dollar amount? Not surprisingly, people considering accepting a job offer commonly ask for “a little more.” Some people think they have to. They want to tell their friends and former colleagues about their negotiating prowess and to feel the power that seems to come with starting a new job on one’s own terms.

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