On the Balls of Our A$$ets

It's that time again, friends. Where are all my irony-lovers? Step right up. Have I got a story for you! A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece for The Muse titled  I Have Layoff Anxiety. Here’s How I’m Learning to Cope.   The idea for this story came to me in September when my then-manager sent me an instant message asking, "Hey Liz, got a sec to talk?" leaving me with a sweaty-palmed certainty that my relatively-new gig had come to an abrupt end. After being let go twice, the feeling that you could be dismissed at any moment lingers, making you suspect that every impromptu meeting may be your last.  But it turned out he wasn't terminating me. Instead, he said he and I were moving to a new global team. Knowing that restructuring is often the kiss of death, I took a deep breath and bluffed my way through a chorus of "Wow, that sounds exciting!"  As this group formed, one teammate immediately quit because his new position was quite far afield from what he'd bee

Photo by  Chris Montgomery  on  Unsplash I'm a sucker for a free online course. In fact, during the past two years, I've signed up for dozens. Just this week, I took author Marion Roach Smith's 5 Ways to Become a More Productive Writer webinar. Last week, I watched marketing and publishing experts talk about ways to engage with readers and market books.  One thing I really love about most of the classes is that if you can't attend in real time, the hosts will send you a replay link. So, often I end up watching while I eat lunch or make dinner. (Yes, I am dividing my chilly winter days by meal times now, as in, "It's 90 minutes 'til my afternoon coffee break.") When I received an email from  Remote.co highlighting 14 free online courses  covering key areas like accounting, marketing, analytics, SEO, and more, I thought I'd share the content. (I'm eyeing the  Grammar  & Punctuation one as a refresher since Grammarly loves to tell me I'm u

Photo by  Eric Prouzet  on  Unsplash Happy (belated) new year! I'm usually not one to make resolutions but this year, reader, I must. No matter how tempting, 2022 is the year I refuse to duped by the sweater ads that flood my Instagram feed. You know the ones that make you do a double-take and whisper, "Cashmere for $12.99? Why not?" Or, as my hero Ina Garten likes to say, "How bad can it be?" Answer: Bad. Really, really bad. Here's a recent ad that caught my eye and then caused me to waste precious time battling the merchant (Karladress—never heard of them? My advice: Keep it that way) and pleading my case to PayPal to get a refund, which I did because: The ad: Karladress  The reality:  For many, the new year is the perfect time to rethink your career. With that in mind, Bradford Goodwin, Chief Content Strategist at job board Lensa shared his top tips for job seekers in 2022: Decide your location: Remote or in the office “With the pandemic still ongoing,

Photo by  Mario Wallner  from  Pexels When it comes to things that are exhausting, I put job searching right up there with cleaning out the basement and arguing with toddlers. It can feel like you're trying   really, really   hard, and still getting absolutely nowhere.   Looking for a new job—especially during the holiday season—may seem particularly unpleasant, and there's a lot of conflicting information about whether it's worth the effort when HR specialists and hiring managers are busy finalizing year-end reports and organizing virtual Secret Santas.  Some say don't bother sending out your resume in December, no one is hiring. Others argue that departments have use-it-or-lose-it money left in annual budgets and quotas to fill, so go for it.  My husband, who was laid off three times within a seven-year period, is no stranger to job hunting. Interestingly, he was offered two of his last three full-time positions (including the one he's currently in) between Thank

In 2013, I received a phone call that temporarily derailed my life.   It was days before Thanksgiving, and prior to this my biggest concerns were things like: "Is brining my bird really worth it?" and "Do I have enough matching wine glasses?"  So when my husband called to tell me he’d been laid off, I was in shock. He’d been with that company for 18 years. What made matters worse was that my job was also in jeopardy. Six weeks later, I was let go too. In a short span of time, we went from a two-income household to a no-income household with three kids and a mortgage.  As weeks bled into months, we sent out resumes but heard nothing. I felt embarrassed whenever I saw friends and family who knew we were both out of work. I was certain people must’ve thought we were either incredibly lazy or there was something seriously wrong with us.   How could I cope?  I started this blog. To be honest,  I didn’t really expect anyone to read it, but I felt like it was imp