This cast recommends that Generation Y professionals keep their parents out of their careers.

A lot has been written about Generation Y, or the Millennial Generation. Several books have come out – the Trophy Generation, Not Everyone Gets a Trophy. LOTS of articles have been written.

The entire Generation Y management and career advice business is dross. Really, really bad advice, both to Gen Y professionals and to their bosses. Perhaps the one silver lining in all the bad advice is that many professionals and managers will read it and say, "anyone who publishes stuff like this can’t be very good when it comes to career advice, I think I’ll disregard their future stuff."

One of the "trends" of Generation Y is that because they were doted on by their parents, their parents get involved in their careers. Career Tools has some guidance on that.

1. Parents Must NEVER Communicate About Professional Matters To Your Associates
2. Politely Tell Parents Not To Do So
3. Parental Involvement In Your Career Sends a Message That You Are a Child

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This cast explains an important career search question, and how to answer it: "What do you want to do, and where do you want to do it?"

You're going to be asked this question, and you have to know how to answer it, without limiting yourself. It's one of those fleeting career moments whose outcome is defined likely BEFORE the moment arrives.

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This cast describes your initial communications with a friend or associate whose career is at risk, for whatever reason. We read in the Wall Street Journal this week about a bank failure in the US due to the mortgage/debt crisis the markets are facing. As it turns out, we have several Manager Tools members there, one of whom is a good friend of ours. Mark sent a quick email to this executive. When Mark mentioned to another member that he had done so, the member said, "I didn't want to intrude, so I didn't say anything." As Mark asked around some more, he discovered that others felt similarly. "Didn't want him to be embarrassed that I knew." "Didn't know what to say." "Didn't think I could help." Well, they won't be embarrassed, here's what to say, and you CAN help. And, this cast has a nice surprise ending.
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This cast tells you how to handle requests for your references when engaged in a job search.

Even though "References Available Upon Request" is no longer a good idea, reference CHECKING is on the rise and will only increase in the coming years. It seems like since resumes don't include the age-old line -- the why of which we'll share -- somehow far too many job seekers are caught off-guard by reference requests. Ahh, Horstman's Christmas Rule!

We'll tell you how to manage and share your references in this cast. And hey, if you're maintaining your network, this one is EASY!

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This cast is about interview preparation, and the need for ethics and candor during the process.

We've been pleased by the demand for our interviewing product - close to 1,000 purchases so far, and the early feedback has been quite powerful. If you'd like to order, you can do that here.

One of the tenets that distinguishes the casts is its emphasis on preparation. One of the Forum posts actually suggests that folks buy before they think they need it, because many of our suggestions require time to implement (it can take months, done right).

BUT... there are those who disagree. There are interviewees who believe that the key to interviewing is to "play the game". Many of these folks will tell you that the way to prepare is learn about the company (false, and proven so in Lesson #1), so that one can "be what the company wants".

Those who have suggested that to Mark meet with his famous response: "you've never seen Horstman's Wager, have you?"

In this cast, we'll discuss Horstman's Wager: why "playing the game" is the kiss of death in interviewing.

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Today, we finish up our conversation on how to be an effective mentor.

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This cast describes how to be an Effective Mentor. [We released two previous casts on how to be mentored: Basics of Mentoring - Part 1 and Basics of Mentoring - Part 2]

In a departure from our normal planning, Mark wrote this week's show based on his strong response to a recent WSJ article, "Career Mentors Today Seem Short on Advice But Give a Mean Tour", published 28 August in the Cubicle Culture

Mark recently blogged about the crazy advice being given - by the Wall Street Journal! - about how to handle the perennial interviewing question, "Tell me about a weakness." He was stunned by how wrong some of the suggestions were, as well as the implication that a clever interviewee could trick the interviewing manager into accepting a non-responsive answer. We think it's funny how many folks think that "they" can fool "their" interviewer, but of course, if "they" were the one "interviewing", why, "that would be different". Yeah right. In this cast, we share one of the best interviewing answer templates you'll ever hear. It's simple, elegant, easy to deliver, and surprise, surprise: it directly answers the question.
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The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article about how to make your resume stand out... and they agree with us.

I answered a post this morning about male managers' dressing habits, and left something out.

If you can't shine your shoes, you have on the wrong shoes.

Managers shoes are able to be shined.  If yours are not, you're leaving out an important part of your wardrobe.

If you don't know how to shine them... maybe there's a cast there.  Mike and I are, thanks to school, quite adept at it.  I stumbled over this early in my corporate career, and felt like a fool for not using the skills I had been given.

Ladies, many of your shoes are shinable as well.... and therefore, yes, we recommend it for you too.