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 .

Easing into something better

Thursday, 06 October 2011 11:32 Julie Desmond

“I’ll probably wake up at two in the morning and realize I know exactly what to do,” Tim remarked. His Career Coach was surprised. A fan of getting a good night’s sleep, she responded, “How about I just tell you what to do?” Tim had lost enough shut-eye already, worrying about his transition out of a negative big-company situation. He had so many possible paths to take, yet making the first step seemed impossible.

Talking compensation

Thursday, 29 September 2011 14:28 Julie Desmond

This topic just keeps coming up. Only three days into his new position, Ricky sent me the only email that makes me crazy. He wrote, “I just want to be sure I got the vacation I was promised when I took this position. A lot of people here have less vacation than I asked for.”

The only way to know how much vacation time your co-workers have is to ask them. Discussing vacations and salaries is a lose-lose conversation. I’ve written about this before, and yet the topic comes up so regularly and so predictably that it seems people might appreciate being reminded: When a conversation between co-workers involves compensation, someone will always walk away mad.

Project management for non-project managers

Friday, 23 September 2011 09:24 Julie Desmond

A kid stopped by my neighbor Tom’s house the other day lugging a box of popcorn. Tom wasn’t interested in buying popcorn, thanked the kid, and shut the door. An hour later, Tom went out for a bike ride. Outside, the bike was gone, but there was a box of popcorn in its place. The kid got Tom to buy the popcorn, but it came at a pretty high price. While I don’t condone stealing bikes, I do think there are ways to motivate people to do what you want them to do without hitting them over the head with the fact that they have been motivated.

Kids can work… Adults can help

Sunday, 18 September 2011 12:38 Julie Desmond

A while back, Insight News shared a story about some extraordinary Minneapolis kids. These young people spent their summer revitalizing tornado-ravaged neighborhoods in North Minneapolis. They made a difference, and they made some money. What they did was awesome; the fact that they did it is awesome, too.

Cope with or capitalize on change in the workplace

Friday, 09 September 2011 13:15 Julie Desmond

A few years ago, on an ordinary Tuesday, a few planes flew off course and suddenly life in America changed forever. Change happens. Not every change is cataclysmic, but it is often unexpected and it always requires people to respond. When change happens at work, your response can make or break your career. What are your options?

Option #1: Sit there and take it. Most people wouldn’t let a mosquito buzz in their ear for an extended length of time. Yet, in work situations, minor irritations can fester into major bugbites. Say your company initiates a new policy that creates more work for you for no obvious reason. You can choose to go along with it… buzz… buzz…

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