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 .

Job seekers: Not having any luck?

Monday, 04 March 2013 14:14 Julie Desmond

Employers are looking for great people to hire; if a networking group online is focused on a certain industry, and the employer is hiring in that industry, they might go to that networking group’s website or and try to find a couple of rock stars. They might see that people can post comments, and they might read what these people have to get a glimpse into their perspective. So it is disconcerting to see job seekers bashing employers online.

You need a good story

Monday, 25 February 2013 14:23 Julie Desmond

Inventor of the HANDy Paint Pail, Mark Bergman, spoke to a group of business leaders about his inarguable success: how he got where he is, what the joys and challenges are in his work, and how he incorporates fundamentals including family, fitness and faith into his success. His audience was curious about the topic to start with, and they stayed interested because Bergman had a great presentation style. He did not use loud music, Harlem Shake backup dancers or a PowerPoint. He just sat on a stool in his jeans and sweater and told people a few short stories.

Key board shortcuts provide multiple solutions

Tuesday, 19 February 2013 12:31 Julie Desmond

An irrational fear of mice can send even the bravest among us up onto a kitchen chair, squealing. Most people are far less afraid of the breed of rodent known as a computer mouse, but that one, too, can cause problems. Clicking and selecting and deleting all day every day can lead to discomfort and even outright pain in shoulders and arms. Too much of anything is dangerous, and mousing, it seems, is no exception.

Grieving, depression affect work performance

Friday, 08 February 2013 14:51 Julie Desmond

We almost had to let him go. Steve was forgetting everything. He forgot to check messages and forgot to return calls. He read emails and didn’t respond. When asked about work that should have been completed, Steve just shrugged and gave us a deer-in-the-headlights, what-am-I-doing-here kind of stare. He was confused and the rest of the team was frustrated. A co-worker complained, “It’s like the day his mother died, Steve checked out.” Aha. Steve was grieving.

Starting a business? Know what you need to know

Friday, 01 February 2013 12:52 Julie Desmond

For fun, education and breakfast, once a month a group of twenty or so hopeful souls meets to discuss their plans to start new businesses. The conversations are fascinating and I am alternately awed and perplexed by the amount of time and money people put into getting things started in Minnesota. Their exchanges cover ideas useful to anyone launching a new venture.

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