As you might have guessed from the title above, this is a purely self-promotional post. So if that turns you off, now's the time to turn away.

If you're still reading, here's my pitch: I just published a new book on networking called The Short and Great Guide to Online Business Networking. It's about using sites like LinkedIn to help you network from the comfort of your home to get that next big job, client or promotion.

It's no...

I watched the season finale of the walking dead a couple of weeks ago, and, like a lot of people, I was a bit peeved by the cliffhanger ending (by the way, no spoilers here!)

It wasn't totally unexpected. Shows these days love the cliffhanger, and almost every episode ends with one kind of tease or another so that you'll be sure to tune in the following week.

But still. A major cliffhanger like that - at the end of the season...

Following up with someone via email can be tricky. How do you ask again (and again?) without coming across as being a bother? Well, there’s definitely a lot of subtlety that goes into that follow-up email. But, all too often, the difference between an email that gets trashed and one that is responded to is a word or two. A strategic word can be the hook that gets the response.

Here are seven effective words to help make your...

The first step in changing careers—or changing the direction of your career—is to convince yourself it’s possible. The next step is to convince someone else that it’s possible. That someone else could be your boss, an HR department, or maybe an interviewer. Most people tackle this challenge by using facts to back up their decision. But that’s the wrong way to go. Emotions, not facts, are the best way to get people to believe...

I was recently hired to pitch the services of one of my clients to about 20 prospects. The pitching was done through a presentation that I wrote, given in a conference room. The prospects were often two or more senior people from big, international companies.

I was a high-pressure kind of thing.

I prepared for this as I normally do, writing, rewriting and generally polishing my presentation deck until I felt it was really stro...