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 .

Why would you do that?

Thursday, 30 May 2013 13:21 Julie Desmond

Mark is thinking about going into business. For himself. Again. He already has a success story or two behind him and a steady income. If he doesn't change anything but his socks, he can survive pretty well for the foreseeable future. But he got this phone call out of the blue, and now he is thinking about buying a franchise. His friends want to know, "Why would you do that?" His response is, "That's what I want to know."

Please accept my apologies

Thursday, 16 May 2013 14:15 Julie Desmond

"I'm sorry." "I deeply regret what happened." "I apologize." "My bad." In business, everyone makes mistakes once or twice a week. Most go unnoticed, are quickly corrected if they're caught, and the corporate wheel keeps turning. The bigger mistakes come back to haunt, or bite, us, in which case an apology might be called for. Saying you're sorry is never anyone's idea of a good time.

Before you click send

Tuesday, 07 May 2013 11:20 Julie Desmond

In my not-so-long ago younger days, it was good practice to "hold your tongue" or "count to ten" to avoid saying something ridiculous during a disagreement. The advice was useful, and many professionals will tell you that holding back, even momentarily, propelled them forward in their careers. You will rarely get fired for thinking before you speak.

Optimists: How do you fill your glass?

Tuesday, 30 April 2013 10:45 Julie Desmond

During a Leadership discussion last week, we were asked to rank ourselves and our lives on a scale of one to ten in regards to finances, fitness, fun, family and a couple other categories. Under fitness, I gave myself a ten, although I was feeling more like a four. I asked the group, if you say something out loud, does that make it true? Of course, I was referring to my fitness level, wholly personal and no global impact there, I promise.

If you have to

Wednesday, 24 April 2013 13:43 Julie Desmond

If 440,000 Americans are doing it, is it something you ought to be doing, too? Sure. If 440,000 people are eating fat-free yogurt, maybe you should, too. If 440,000 people use PowerPoint, maybe that's something you should explore. If 440,000 people watch The Voice, you might as well check it out, right? So, what are 440,000 Americans doing every year? What really cool thing should you be trying to be a part of? They're dying. From smoking.

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