Excelle

Sit in front of laptop. Lie on couch. Eat pickles for lunch. Back to laptop. Feel sorry for self. Feel sick of self. Tear hair out in frustration. And ... back to couch. If this is your 9-to-5 routine, you're probably like 14 million other Americans: unemployed. And in addition to the frustration of looking for work, you might find yourself ...

Accountants used to be spoofed as bean counters—dutiful, middle-aged, gray-suited men with considerable analytical expertise but little charisma. That was during the good times. After their uninspiring performances in the corporate scandals of recent years, accounting seemed like a profession without much of a future, and the firms certainly no place to launch a career. Scratch that. This year accountants became ...

The woman exploded in anger at work, alternately spewing hateful invectives at a co-worker, then abruptly stopping and breaking into tears. Finally, she nearly ran from the room, leaving stunned colleagues in her wake. Their reactions ranged from pity for such a “weak” person to subtle amusement that it must be “that time of the month” to outright disrespect for such ...

When I was doing the corporate thing, each year I’d resolve to get a new job and finally do something I love. Guess what. It took me SIX tries before I actually made the transition into running my own business. Before that final career change, I would simply get frustrated at my job and just go find another one. Sure, it ...

One of the biggest challenges young career women face is leaving their personal lives away from the office. Up until your first job, it’s totally normal to vent to everyone around you about the breakup you are going through with your boyfriend, the fight you are in with your best friend, or how rough you are feeling from going out last ...

Let me start by saying that I'm not an extrovert. Every personality assessment I've ever taken spits out results that say I'm "in my head" or a "thinker." In other words, an introvert. And I've built my career on networking. It's opened doors for me, given me critical advice and, when I became an entrepreneur, developed millions of dollars in business ...

You put together the perfect resume and emailed copies to five or ten of your target companies. That was several weeks ago and you haven’t heard a thing. Why haven’t any of your potential employers called? Of course, there could be any number of reasons, especially in a highly-competitive job market. However, if you are feeling stalled in your job search, ...

We all know the U.S. economy isn't doing so hot, but that fact isn't monolothic: Some industries are hiring and thriving despite the overall slowdown. Excelle has scoured Business Week's extensive list of great places to launch a career, and boiled it down to the essential information on landing a job at the top 35 companies. Browse through this slide-show to ...

You’ve got a terrific resume. You’ve crafted the perfect cover letter. Now, you’ve been called in for that all important interview. You know that over 50 people applied for this one position, and they will be interviewing qualified candidates for several days. What can you do to distinguish yourself from the competition? There are many articles about interviewing skills, questions interviewers ...

There’s a common misconception that if you're fired or laid off these days, you won’t find a new opportunity or that you'll have to take a severe cut — in both your paycheck and pride. But can you really blame us? It’s not often you hear about companies hiring in this recession. With the nation’s unemployment rate on the rise and ...

Like online dating profiles, job descriptions are often written in a cryptic, euphemistic language that takes an experienced eye to decode. Just as “free-spirited” in a dating profile hints at a lack of full-time employment, words like “self-starter” or “multitasker” may give subtle clues about the type of work and the work environment you’ll find at the company. For your amusement ...

Ever notice how some mediocre employees rise while more competent ones languish? Often, it's because they know how to play office politics. I know, I know. You'd like to think you can succeed purely on your merits. In some offices you can, but in many others, you must know how to play the game. Here's how to win at office politics ...

I bought a new house last year. I unpacked everything I use on a daily basis and the rest went into the black hole of the basement. I’m now determined to start chipping away at the backlog one box at a time. This week I opened a box that contained some folders from my corporate days, and one of them contained ...

Professional attire: just how important is it to your career? While you ponder that question, let me tell you a story: Several years ago, a woman I know who frequently publishes in her field wrote an article that was particularly well received by her peers. As a result, she received several speaking invitations. Since each of the offers included an honorarium, ...

Admit it… we all have someone in our work life that can grate on our nerves - sometimes a lot. It may be your boss, your subordinate or a peer. It might be an on-going annoyance or just at particular times. While, ideally, we’d like to change the situation, the reality is that any time we work with a group of ...

The economic forecast might be bleak, but there’s no reason to panic, say the experts – as long as you’re a well-liked and skilled team-player who knows when to brag. Here’s how to keep receiving that vital pay cheque: h4. *1. Too late now.* If you have been taking an active interest in your own career development (and if you don’t, ...

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The month of January takes its name from the Roman god Janus. He’s pictured as a man with two faces, one looking forward to the New Year and one looking back at the year that passed. He’s considered the god of new beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. Over time, January has become a month to shed old habits ...

Have you noticed that some people seem to be really lucky in getting great assignments? While you’re toiling away at your regular job, they get picked for high-profile assignments or promotional opportunities. When you look closer, you’ll find that they probably have spent some time creating a career development plan. A career development plan documents your goals and aspirations, the skills ...

These days I'm asked frequently about the role of social media in personal and organizational productivity. The question is timely, as the major social media applications have millions of users and are still growing fast. Also, the phenomenon is closely tied to e-mail, which itself has presented major challenges to professionals in time management and keeping an appropriate focus in their ...