Making the Most of Networking Meetings

Arrive with an agenda. Laskoff says that he’s sat through several uncomfortable meetings where the requestor had obviously used all his energy in getting the meeting and had not had any energy left to plan what to say once he got there. Laskoff says he tries to help out when the requestor is at a loss for words, but suspect other busy people will simply toss the jobseeker out on his ear. For the record, my experience has been that most people are too polite to toss anyone out. But I, too, have experienced an uncomfortable silence after opening the meeting with, “How can I help you today?”

Land on the Right Side

Most job search advice books are serious, well-meaning and bland. I read so many that when I find one that’s funny and profane, in equal parts, I can’t help but share the advice with you. Michael Laskoff is the author of a “survival guide for the recently unemployed” called Landing on the Right Side of Your A**. (Title redacted; this is a family friendly blog, after all.)