The New York Times’ Sunday Magazine featured a column from Randy Cohen, “The Ethicist,” on the immorality of corporate lay-offs. I thought the piece was very interesting and brought up a lot of points that people may be thinking but aren’t saying out loud. Plus, he’s a funny writer, too. Cohen makes broaching the depressing topic of how evil corporations treat human beings like objects is, well, less depressing.

“Mass layoffs relegate people to the status of disposable objects. A
company can mothball its welding robots (although I hear the new models
can wake themselves up and contact some kind of killer robots of the
future who will travel back in time and terminate us all). But people
are not machines. Many ethical systems mandate that you do not treat a
person like a thing. You must regard other people as full human beings
with the same moral rights as you. And that must include the right to
make a living.”

Cohen goes on to suggest alternatives to immediate lay-offs as well as shames some CEO’s for their gargantuan salaries. We’ve all been hearing about corporate greed for months, but in treating the issue as one of morals and ethics, Cohen lends a new element to the shame these giants should be feelings. It’s not all just part of the big corporate game, it’s personal immorality. And that’s the kind of stuff that gets people thinking and maybe taps into that old consience a little bit. Take a read. It’s worth it and humorous.

Some readers, of course, found no place in business speak for ethics. Take a look at the comments. Read Cohen’s reply to these commenters here.

Today’s Wall Street Journal career gem features a few great websites for the unemployed and frustrated to commiserate. I’ve added a few of them to my Links section and thought the article would be a healthy read for the many struggling executives who need a reminder that they’re certainly not alone.

“It’s all part of a growing movement of community-organized groups formed around the country aimed at helping the laid-off cope with the recession and get their careers back on track. Most were launched by people who lost jobs themselves and couldn’t find the resources they needed to land new ones. The groups — found both online and off — do everything from hosting workshops to providing place where job seekers can vent and share stories.”

Online groups, blogs, networking meet-ups, and seminars are offered all over by these groups and their popularity is growing as swiftly as the unemployment rate. If you count yourself as one of the pink-slipped pro’s out there, take a read.

Photo of the casual-tee above is from one of these groups- the 405 club. Check out there site to browse more recession related goods.

By Beverly Weinstein

You already know how important it is to look your best in a job interview. But with temperatures starting to rise, the unemployed networker will be braving smoldering subways and pounding the white-hot pavement only to risk showing up for their next appointment with wind-blown hair or a sweat-marked shirt. To help beat a summer meltdown, we are offering a list of Manhattan’s best “rest stops” compliments of Frances Croke Page, a media and marketing veteran with a discriminating eye and a knack for organizing information.

“Tucked inside and next to office buildings, there are wonderful oases where a weary job seeker can sit down, take a breather and even use the restroom to emerge fresh and re-energized,” said Page. She originally developed the list as part of an interactive online database for holiday day-trippers, ChristmasTimeInNewYorkCity.com.

The same information would be useful for people who used to have an office in the city and are now commuting in every day and going from meeting to meeting. Page agreed to revise the list with an eye to warm weather job hunting.

According to Page, her research led her to discover that there is more than 3.5 million square feet of public space in NYC. Here’s a partial sampling from her list; it includes some of the most surprising and accommodating locations where you can take a rest and cool down before rushing off to your next meeting.

(*Tip: While Page’s list guarantees refinement, if you just need a quick bathroom stop, you can download MizPee on your mobile device to find the closest facilities to your location at MizPee.com)

Midtown Manhattan

Olympic Tower Atrium Public Space – 645 Fifth Avenue This little-known gem is quite possibly the best privately owned public space in midtown Manhattan, opposite the north side of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It even has a free museum downstairs, thanks to the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation. The pleasant amenities on street level include tables and chairs for the public alongside a small food counter, modern artwork and a museum shop. The bathroom is small and very clean. There is also a small cafe serving Greek-inspired dishes. (You do not have to buy something to sit down.)

Rockefeller Center-30 Rockefeller Plaza from 49th- 50th Streets and 5th to 6th Avenues

Aside from being one of our iconic tourist attractions, Rockefeller Center boasts a large underground city, complete with retail stores, quick food stops and elegant dining. The grandeur of the 10 building complex, with its art deco magnificence will buoy your spirits and remind you why working in this magnificent city is worth the trouble. The complex was built during The Depression, with faith that better times would return. Lots of tables and chairs and a large public bathroom on the underground concourse level (the same level as the ice rink/summer patio dining) make this is a great spot to take a break from summer’s heat or a sudden rain shower. The expansive bathrooms are next to the restaurant ‘Witchcraft and the Swarovski Crystal store. They are clean, with over 20 stalls.

Heading for an interview? Step up at Eddie’s Shoe Shine at the 6th Avenue side of the lower concourse and get your shoes spruced up while you get to put your feet up. (Eddie’s also has a location downstairs at Grand Central.)

New York Public Library, Mid-Manhattan Branch-455 Fifth Ave.

The Rose Reading Room, a remarkable, two-block long space is open to the public as are the library’s exhibit areas. The room also has an open stacks area, computers, free Internet access and a laptop docking service.

Lord & Taylor Star Spangled Banner Break Spot- 424 Fifth Ave. between 38th and 39th Streets.

9:30 in the morning may seem early for a break, but if you are at loose ends between a breakfast meeting and a mid-morning call, you can get in from the elements and have a seat in one of the folding chairs in the foyer of Lord & Taylor before the 10 a.m. opening. The lights are dimmed and music is played softly inside until a few minutes before 10:00, when “The Star Spangled Banner” is broadcast. It’s a heartwarming way to take a break and a great place if you need a fresh accessory for that interview suit. Bathrooms are located on upper floors.

Downtown

Winter Garden Atrium at the World Financial Center – Vesey Street and West Street

Art, music and performance events are all free here, so a break can include a little song and dance as well as a bite to eat. Check out their Web site for the events calendar and map of the complex. Two levels provide an impressive and soaring space. Bathrooms are on the Winter Garden’s street level.

A complete listing of France Croke Page’s convenient New York City locations to rest and recuperate is available at http://dearbev.com.

Read the column on MediaPost.

Today’s Dear Bev column includes a listing of many accommodating public spaces in NYC where you can make a rest stop to freshen up, use the rest room,  get internet access, or just take a breather between interviews, networking meet ups, or industry events. For many laid off media professionals, commuting in to the city each day remains a constant in their life, but they no longer have an office to kick up their heels for a few minutes or to regroup and prepare for the next meeting. With the summer heat on its way, this becomes even more of an issue as the on-the-go exec hits the hot subways and emerges an even hotter mess–not the best first impression for a potential employer.

The column featured on MediaDailyNews.com (as well as in the Columns tab above) gives just a few of the many places that media and marketing maven Frances Page scoped out and deemed worthy of mention. Page originally compiled the list for her website ChristmasTimeinNewYorkCity.com, a resource for holiday day trippers who would need a place to stop while they shop. We asked her to take another look at the list and gear it towards the warmer months as well as towards the professional set. You might think you know every nook and cranny of this city, but see the complete listing below and you may just be surprised at some of these hidden hot spots.

Midtown Manhattan
Rockefeller Center
Aside from being one of our iconic tourist attractions, Rockefeller Center boasts a large underground city, complete with retail stores, quick food stops and elegant dining. The grandeur of the ten building complex, with its art deco magnificence will buoy your spirits and remind you why working in this magnificent city is worth the trouble.  The complex was built during the depression, with faith that better times would return.  One cold and wintry day, workers at the construction site set up the first Christmas tree, the humble beginning of one of the city’s grandest traditions.

Lots of tables and chairs and a large public bathroom on the underground concourse level (the same level as the ice rink/summer patio dining) make this is a great spot to take a break from summer’s heat or a sudden rain shower. The expansive bathrooms are next to the restaurant ‘Witchcraft’ and the Swarovski Crystal store. They are clean, with over 20 stalls. For added shipping convenience, there is a UPS and US Post Office on the lower level too.

Heading for an interview?  Step up at Eddie’s Shoe Shine at the 6th Avenue side of the lower concourse and get your shoes spruced up while you get to put your feet up. (Eddie’s also has a location downstairs at Grand Central.)

Rockefeller Center
30 Rockefeller Plaza from 49th-50th Streets and 5th to 6th Avenues
Rockefeller Center Information Line 212-588-8601
Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Tour 212-664-3700
Website: www.rockefellercenter.com
Subway: B, D, F, V trains to 47th and 50th Street/Rockefeller Center. N, R W to 49th Street put you in the western end (6th Avenue) of the underground Rockefeller Center concourse.
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5 to 49th or 50th Street. M6, M7, M27, M50, Q32 also intersect Rockefeller Center.

Olympic Tower Atrium Public Space
This little known gem is quite possibly the best privately-owned public space in midtown Manhattan, opposite the north side of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  It even has a museum downstairs that you can enjoy free of charge thanks to the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation.  The pleasant amenities on street level include tables and chairs for the public alongside a small food counter (you do not have to buy something to sit down), modern artwork to gaze upon and a museum shop. The bathroom is small and very clean.  There is also a small cafe serving Greek-inspired dishes.

Olympic Tower Atrium Public Space
645 Fifth Avenue (entrances on 51st or 52nd between 5th and Madison Avenues)
Hours: 8am-10pm
Website: www.onassis.org
Phone: (212) 838-9113
Subway: D, F to 47th-50th Sts/Rockefeller Center or E, V to 5th Ave/53rd St
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M27, M50

Public Atrium at Trump Plaza
Right in the midst of Fifth Avenue and just a few blocks from CBS’ taping of The Early Show and the Apple Store, this makes a nice oasis from early morning to hot afternoon and beyond.  Take the escalator down to the bright atrium for outfitted with tables and chairs, food purveyors and a sparkling bathroom.  A large wall fountain cascading down marble walls and piped-in music complete the picture.  Good gelato, sandwiches, pizza, coffee and dessert concessions surround the seating area but you do not have to buy food to sit down. The only draw back is that sound echoes off the marble making the music feel a little loud so not our favorite place for a rendevouz. For a quieter venue, head upstairs and use the rear walkway to The Atrium public space in the neighboring building.
Public Atrium at Trump Plaza
725 Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets, next to Tiffany’s.
Hours: 8am-10pm
Subway: N, R, W to 5th Ave/59th St; E,V to 5th Ave/53rd St
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4 Q32 down Fifth Avenue; M5 east on 59th Street and down 5th Avenue; M30, M31, M57 to Fifth Avenue

The Atrium at 590 Madison Avenue
Warm and sunny, this glass-enclosed, 5-story atrium has bamboo groves in large planters set among plenty of seating.  Hot and cold beverages and light snacks can be purchased from the little stand near the Madison Avenue entrance.  The atrium is underneath some of IBM’s offices and cubicle space and Tourneau Corner (at the 57th Street entrance) will keep you correctly calibrated for any upcoming international conference calls. This space does not have bathrooms; go next door through the passageway into Trump Tower and down the escalator to use the public restroom.
The Atrium at 590 Madison Avenue
590 Madison Avenue between 56th and 57th Street.
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4 up Madison Avenue; M31, M57 to Madison Avenue M30 to 57th Street
Train: N,R, W to 5th Ave/59th St
Public Atrium at Sony Plaza
This public space adjoins Sony’s NYC headquarters, Sony Wonder and the Sony Style store. The space is a large atrium with lots of indoor seating and food choices.  Weekdays you will find office workers from nearby buildings brown bagging and eating take-out.  From here you can enter Sony Style (the brand’s flagship store in the city) and Sony Wonder. Bathrooms are inside Sony Wonder (open Tuesdays-Saturdays at 10am)
Public Atrium at Sony Plaza
550 Madison Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets
Hours: 7am-11pm
Subway: E,V to Fifth Ave/53rd St. Walk east 1 block to Madison Avenue, then up to 55th Street.
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4 up Madison Avenue

575 Fifth Avenue Public Space (L’Oreal’s building)
Take the escalator downstairs to the atrium to access this convenient spot to regroup before or after an interview. Though renovation construction may still be in progress, it is not far from Rockefeller Center and much quieter. The cafeteria and L’Oreal store are open to L’Oreal employees only but the bathrooms, benches, tables and chairs (though a bit drab) are for your use. Bring a coffee and a snack from the Starbucks on street level or other nearby lunch spot.  There are 2 unisex bathrooms downstairs toward back of atrium. (A tissue or two is recommended for unisex bathroom situations as toilet paper and other supplies can be low.)
575 Fifth Avenue Public Space at 47th Street
Subway: #4,5,6,7 to Grand Central (exit northern end of Grand Central)
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M27, M50

Bryant Park
Now a midtown favorite, Bryant Park is lined with gravel paths and small patios.  Pull up one of the green folding chairs and enjoy a bag lunch or soup and sandwich from purveyors nearby. Stroll about or just sit and relax. The restrooms are at the northeast corner of the park, along 42nd Street, just behind the back of the New York Public Library.  With flower-filled vases to greet you and an attendant to keep things sparkling, this is quite possibly the city’s nicest public bathroom.  Not terribly large, but oh how welcome.
Bryant Park
42nd St between 5th and 6th Avenues; enter via 41st St, 6th Ave or 42nd St.
Website: www.bryantpark.org
Subway: B,D,7 to Bryant Park station. N,Q,R,S,1,2,3 to Times Square station which is one block west of Bryant Park.
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 down 5th Ave; M5, M6, M7 up 6th M42, M104 along 42nd St

New York Public Library, Mid-Manhattan Branch
The Rose Reading Room, a remarkable, 2-block long space is open to the public as is the library’s exhibit areas displaying the original Winnie the Pooh toys, Mary Poppins’ umbrella and letters and portraits of New York luminaries.  There is even a copy of the Gutenberg Bible in the Edna Barnes Solomon Room.  Patience and Fortitude, the names given to the lions by Mayor LaGuardia during the Great Depression flank the entrance and exhibit banners announcing the current free exhibitions and events.

In the Rose Reading Room, ask for a wonderful volume by Audubon or Hardy and take a break from the madding crowd.  The Rose Reading Room also has an open stacks area, computers, free internet access and a laptop docking service.  Check out the events and activities open to the public at NYPL branches throughout Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx (Queens has a separate system). The library’s collection and public programs include many resources for job seekers from career advice to soul restoring literature and art.

Aside from the main branch, check out the Library for the Performing Arts branch at Lincoln Center where you can listen to music and the Science Industry Business Library  (188 Madison Avenue at 34th St.) housing Job Search Central and the New York Small Business Resource Center.  Check the website for locations and hours of other branches.  Note: the library is much used in these difficult economic times and is facing budget cuts.  Please consider answering their appeal or writing your representative in support of the library.
New York Public Library, Mid-Manhattan Branch
455 Fifth Avenue (between 40th and 42nd Streets)
Website: www.nypl.org
Hours: Mon-Wed, 9a-9p, Thurs-Sat 10a-6p, Sun 1-5p
Subway: #4,5,6 to Grand Central Station. Walk west to Fifth Avenue. B,D,F,V,7 to Bryant Park.
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 down 5th; M42, M104 along 42nd Street

Lord & Taylor Star Spangled Banner Break Spot
9:30 in the morning may seem early for a break but if you are at lose ends between a breakfast meeting and a mid-morning call, you can get in from the elements and have a seat in one of the folding chairs set out in the foyer of Lord & Taylor before the 10am opening.  The lights are dimmed and music is played softly inside until a few minutes before 10am when the Star Spangled Banner is broadcast.  The tradition started in 1979, sparked by the Iran hostage crisis.  Joseph E. Brooks, then chairman of Lord & Taylor, instituted the daily ritual because “with all its problems, this is still the greatest country in the world.”  It’s a heartwarming way to take a break. Bathrooms are located on upper floors.  Lord & Taylor is the oldest upscale department store in the United States, located on Fifth Avenue since 1826.  Need a fresh accessory for that interview suit?
Lord & Taylor
424 Fifth Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets a block south of the New York Public Library
Hours: Opens at 10am after the playing of the Star Spangled Banner
Website: www.lordandtaylor.com
Phone: (212) 391-3344
Subway: #4,5,6 to Grand Central Station. Walk west to Fifth Avenue, turn left at library and walk to 39th Street. B,D,F,V to Bryant Park. Walk east to Fifth Avenue, turn right at library and walk to 39th Street.
Bus: M2, M3, M4, M5 down Fifth Avenue. M1 down Fifth Avenue turns east at 40th Street; disembark before turn. M42, M104 along 42nd Street. Get off at Fifth Avenue, walk south to 39th Street.

Grand Central Station
MetroNorth commuters don’t need to be reminded of this gem but no mid-town list would be complete without it.  If you need a break near meetings on the east side along Lexington, Park or 3rd Avenues you will find the dining concourse on the lower level peaceful in the morning and bustling at lunch where cheap eats abound. Shoe shine stations and some well-stocked newsstands will keep you interview-ready. The bathrooms, also on the lower level at either end of the food court, are ample and can handle the numbers.   The sinks spray a bit so prepare to step back.   There is another very small bathroom in the stationmaster’s office on the main level (western end of station).  Connecting bonus—Cocina, upstairs in the MetLife building is a good place to meet someone for a working breakfast or coffee with a very nice staff.
Grand Central Station
42nd and Park Avenue; entrances on 42nd Street, Vanderbilt, Lexington and 44th Street (via MetLife building)
Website: http://grandcentralterminal.com/
Subway: #4, 5, 6, 7 and S (Times Square/Grand Central Shuttle)
Bus:M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M42, M98, M101, M102, M103, M104, Q32.

Penn Station
For the best bathroom experience at Penn Station, go to NJ Transit’s waiting room near the 7th Avenue side of the station.  It is reserved for ticket holders but if you are neatly dressed and walk with purpose, you should have no difficulty.   Outside the waiting room, there is not a lot of seating except at similar waiting rooms for LIRR and Amtrak train ticket holders.  On the plus side, Penn Station is a good spot to get a shoeshine and pick up a trade journal or two.
Penn Station
7th Avenue, 32nd Street; additional entrances on 8th Avenue and 34th Street.
Subways #1,2,3,A,C,E and PATH trains
Buses: M4, M10

Port Authority
Port Authority leaves much to be desired but because it is close to Times Square and so many flow in and out of the city through here, its few features can come in handy.  Aside from the cafeteria-style eateries, there is really no place to sit, even for the people waiting for their buses downstairs (though there are rather precarious benches that flip down).  There are bathrooms on each of the three levels of the southern building ranging in quality from top to bottom floor, the top floor bathrooms being the best kept. A post office, a few newsstands and a drug store round out the amenities.  For a few bucks, there is a bowling alley (with a nice bathroom) on the second floor.  Cocktails are served in the evening.
Port Authority
625 Eighth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets
Website: www.panynj.gov/commutingTravel/bus/html/pa.html
Subways: #1,2,3,A,C,E,7
Buses: M42, M10, M16, M27, M104

888 7th Avenue Public Space
The open-air plaza is behind the office building on 57th St between 7th and Broadway, nestled between the Brooklyn Diner and Lee’s Art Shop. Nine tables with chairs provide a brown-baggers lunch spot on sunny days.  Nicely situated 1/2 block from Carnegie Hall (on 7th) and across from the Art Students League  (on 57th).  Extra: The Art Students League gallery, across the street, is open to the public.
Note: no bathroom facilities at this outdoor break spot.
888 7th Avenue Public Space at 57th off 7th Avenue
Subway: N,Q,R,W
Bus: M31,M57,M6,M7,M10,M20

Upper West Side
Museum of Biblical Art
Need some divine intervention? This small museum, just north or Columbus Circle on Broadway, has set aside a small atrium at its entrance with a few tables and chairs, each with a Bible.  Open to the public to bring a bag lunch or just sit and relax, it is a quiet, sunny space on the Upper West Side. Note: Bathrooms are for museum ticket holders. (Find the nearest public bathrooms a block south at the Time Warner Center on the 2nd and 3rd floors.)
Ticket prices: The sitting area is free.  Recommended admission fee to MOBIA: $7.00 for adults; $4.00 for students and senior citizens (with valid ID); Free for children under 12.
Museum of Biblical Art
1865 Broadway at West 61st Street
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday, 10am-6pm. Thursday, 10am-8pm. Friday-Sunday, 10am-6pm. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Website: www.mobia.org
Phone: (212) 408-1500
Subway: 1, B, D, A or C to Columbus Circle/59th Street. Walk north up Broadway to 61st Street.
Bus: M7, M11 or the M104 to 61st and Broadway

Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Just beyond the box office in Avery Fisher Hall are a few cafe spaces that open shortly before performances and stay open until intermission.  Other times it is very quiet and you can stop in to check out upcoming performances, buy tickets, use the restrooms downstairs and sit down at one of the tables for a brief rest while you peruse the performance schedules or your resume.
The Revson Fountain on the Josie Robertson Plaza, under construction since 2008, is now visible and makes a stop here more relaxing.  Construction and renovation at Julliard, New York State Theater and other venues continue and affect access to some buildings and subway exits/entrances. For the most current information, go to lincolncenter.org and look for the construction news link under visitor information.

Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Columbus Avenue and West 65th Street.
Box Office: Open Monday 10am–7:30pm, Tuesday–Saturday 10am–8:30pm, Sunday 11:30am–7:30pm
Website: www.lincolncenter.org
Phone: (212) 870-5570
Subway: #1 to 66th Street/Lincoln Center. The entrance to the downtown side in front of Avery Fisher Hall is still closed. Downtown subway access is available at 66th St. and Broadway. Entry to the underground concourse from the subway also remains closed during construction.
Bus: M5, M7, M10, M11, M66 and M104; the M104, M5, and M7 bus stop at Broadway and 65th St. remains temporarily relocated to 66th St and Broadway.

Bel Canto Public Space
Over a dozen tables and accompanying chairs provide seating in this indoor, cooled plaza that forms a very large foyer to Ollie’s Chinese restaurant. Take-out from Ollie’s (or anywhere else) can be eaten here or simply have a seat and cool down on a hot day.  Just two blocks north of Lincoln Center and near some Upper West Side shopping, Bel Canto is also near ABC’s (and ESPN’s) offices. No bathrooms but the literary-minded may stop into nearby Barnes and Noble at Broadway and 66th Street whose restroom on the café level is open to shoppers.
Bel Canto Public Space
1991 Broadway, west side of Broadway between 67th and 68th Streets
Hours: 8am-midnight, daily
Subway: #1 to 66th Street/Lincoln Center.
Bus:    M5, M7, M104 north-south along Broadway; M66 running from east to west sides using 66th (heading west) and 65th (heading east) on the west side.

Downtown
Staten Island Ferry Terminal
Within easy reach of Wall Street, the Staten Island Ferry Terminal is a no fuss break spot on Manhattan’s southern tip.  A plain but spacious waiting room has plenty of seating and the bathrooms are well kept.  If you have the time, jump on the ferry for a really restorative free break cruising New York’s Harbor.  A one-way trip is about 25 minutes and the Staten Island side has recently installed two huge salt-water fish tanks.  Also on the Staten Island side is the Ballpark at St. George where Yankees’ single A team plays.  The stadium has a view of the harbor and lower Manhattan.  Ferries leave and return at 1/2 hour intervals (more frequently during rush hours) so you can kill an hour or so between meetings with a free mini-sea sojourn.  Ferry schedules are on the website and at the terminal.
Staten Island Ferry Terminal
1 South Street, Manhattan
Website: www.siferry.com
Subway: #1,4,5,W,R,J,Z
Bus: M1, M6, M15

Winter Garden Atrium at the World Financial Center
Art, music and performance events are all free here so a break can include a little song and dance as well as a bite to eat.  Check out their website for the events calendar and map of the complex.  Two levels provide an impressive and soaring space.  Bathrooms are on the Winter Garden’s street level.
Winter Garden Atrium, World Financial Center
Vesey Street and West Street
Website: www.worldfinancialcenter.com
Subway: #1,2,3,4,5,A,C,J,M,Z to Fulton St/Broadway-Nassau. Exit at Fulton, walk west to Church, then north to Vesey.  Follow Vesey west to WFC.
Bus: M1, M6 to Broadway and Liberty (walk west on Liberty, then north on West Street); M9 to South End Ave or M20, M22 to North End Ave.

An interview with Wal-Mart’s Vice Chairman, Eduardo Castro-Wright, was featured in the New York Times’ Corner Office section a few days ago. In challenging times, as I’ve said before, it’s important for managers and senior level executives to be able to properly lead their troops. Here are a few excerpts from the insightful Q & A.

On Leadership

Q. What is the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

A. Walking the talk is the most important lesson I’ve learned. There’s nothing that destroys credibility more than not being able to look someone in the eye and have them know that they can trust you. Leadership is about trust. It’s about being able to get people to go to places they never thought they could go. They can’t do that if they don’t trust you.

Q. What have you learned to do more of, or less of, over time?

A. I read something early on when I was in my first or second management role that you can accomplish almost anything in life if you do not care who takes credit for it. So I’ve tried to do more of that. And I’ve tried to do less of the things that make business more complex. I really like simplicity. At the end of the day, retailing – but you could apply this to many other businesses – is not as complicated as we would like to make it. It is pretty logical and simple, if you think about the way that you yourself would act, or do act, as a customer.

On Career Advice

Q. What was the best advice you were given about your career?A. Someone I trusted when I was working for Nabisco convinced me that if I really wanted to have bigger and more impactful opportunities, then I probably needed to become broader in my knowledge. And I’ve changed industries twice since then, completely different industries.

On Interviewing & Hiring

Q. What do you look for in job candidates?

A. People I interview today are most likely going to be in a senior leadership role. And leadership roles in business require enormous energy – both physical and, very importantly, emotional energy. And so I try to find out whether they have the enormous amount of energy it takes to lead and manage. You’re exposed so often to decisions that are emotionally charged; you have to have the balance and the energy, the emotional strength to actually do it.

Q. What kind of questions do you ask to get at that?

A. I ask them to share how they have dealt in the past with major issues, like a reduction in force, and major changes in the business environment. An interview is not a perfect process, right? You can’t learn about people in one hour, but it is helpful.

On Better Business Education

Q. What would you like business schools to teach more, or less?

A. I’ve done this quiz several times when we have gone to talk at business schools. I always ask people, “So who’s taking accounting?” And everybody raises their hand. And, “Who’s taking strategy?” And everybody raises their hand – and you go on with your typical curriculum about the business school. Mostly they are very good at teaching strategy, operations, management, finance, accounting.

But then I ask, “O.K., how many courses have you taken on how you talk with an employee you’re firing?” Or, “How do you talk with the person who comes to your office late at night to tell you that her daughter is sick and she might not be able to come in the following day?” Or, “What do you say when they come in with issues in their marriage that are impacting their job?”

As managers and leaders of people, those are the kinds of questions that one deals with probably 80 percent of the time. I think that business schools could do more to prepare kids to deal with the often more difficult side of business management and leadership. The balance of courses is probably weighted to the numeric side of business as opposed to the people side of business.

Q. And you obviously think such things can be taught?

A. I think they can. You can guide people to get them to understand the implications of decisions they make.

Photo credit: Spencer Tirey for The New York Times

Today’s Wall Street Journal tackles the issue of the overqualified candidate. With so few senior level jobs available, many executives are trimming their resumes, changing titles, and even omitting some of their education to appear less experienced and thus less likely to jump ship if another opportunity comes along. Here’s an excerpt from the article, The New Résumé: Dumb and Dumber:

“Kristin Konopka sent out nearly 100 copies of her résumé in January in search of receptionist work, but got only one callback. That’s when Ms. Konopka, a 29-year-old New York actress and yoga teacher, took her master’s degree and academic teaching experience off her résumé.

The calls started coming in. The slimmer version of her résumé landed in 30 in-boxes and earned her three callbacks and two interviews. “It definitely picked up the interest,” says Ms. Konopka, who realized quickly that people don’t “want to hire anyone who is overqualified.”

I touched on this very same issue and a few others that come along with it in a recent column. My advice, and that of the pro’s I interviewed, erred on the side of caution with deceiving an employer. Instead, creating a new type of resume placing emphasis on talent over title and skills over salary can put a new spin on your job hunt while still keeping you honest. The author of the WSJ article touches on this kind of editing rather than ommitting in resumes towards the end of the article:

“Some résumé writers advise reworking a résumé into a functional one stressing transferable skills instead of past job titles and accomplishments. “Instead of focusing on the big achievements that might scare an employer away, you can spell out what you can bring to an employer in the next position,” Ms. Kabell says.”

While creating a new, less traditional resume can shed a new light on your experiences and take the emphasis off your age and experience level, the overall question of overqualification seems to be less concrete to tackle than changing a resume. Many readers of today’s WSJ, commented on the fact that they see “overqualified” as a cloak term and that you’re either qualified or you’re not. That may be true, but what some readers see as descrimination against a more experienced and “very qualified” applicant, is a red flag to an employer who is looking for someone to stay on for the long run and not bail out for a better salary or title in a few months and can you blame them? Better to adjust to the times than try to fight it.

-Bev

One of my best friends is an executive at a health magazine. The mag is currently conducting a survey of beauty products and as the only 50-something in a group of 20 and 30-somethings, my friend was appointed to test all the anti-aging products. She enlisted my help, handed me two bags full of night creams and serums and told me I had three weeks to give my user opinions.

I’m well into week two and as I was lining up my product picks for next week I had an Aha! moment. This reminds me of interviewing candidates!

It starts with the product pool.  All products are designed to deliver similar results even though they say it in a variety of ways on the box or any enclosed literature—smoother skin, better skin tone, fewer wrinkles, etc. (A lot like the jargon filling resumes.) Next qualifier to be in the pool is natural ingredients. I’ve read the boxes, trust me not all the ingredients are natural. Some have more and some have almost none.

When I started my journey as a product tester the first thing I did was to take all the products out of the bag and sort through them. Here’s what I found out. I’m a sucker for a pretty box or a nice looking container. Over engineered containers remind me of someone that’s wears too much jewelry (or too much for my taste anyway.) Then there is a category called oils. A lot of them come in an eyedropper type bottle. That doesn’t seem very creative. Product packages with too many graphic elements feel like shouting.

Next I looked for brand names. These are natural products mostly from companies I’ve never heard of, much less seen at my favorite drug or department store counter (sorry to say I don’t shop Sephora). But I did recognize a few well known spas, something from a free standing store I’ve passed in Soho and a famous dermatologist or two. Brand names make an impression, at least on me. It’s sort of like Hulu by NBC Universal versus obscure.com.—unless obscure.com is backed by Allen and Co. and says so up front.

Preliminaries are finished and sampling begins. Since all of the products have been pre-qualified none can be eliminated without trying them first. With two bags and three weeks to make my assessments, nothing has much time to make an impression. If  I don’t like the fragrance-out; too oily-out; too much alcohol-out, difficult to use or apply-out and of course didn’t really do much for my skin-out.

So do the fancy boxes and brand names win out? On balance yes, but there have been some really nice surprises in the group. My lesson, which I’ve already learned from watching the Susan Boyle video, is not to prejudge based on superficial factors. The lessons for candidates: you’ll get a lot further a lot faster if you look your best, know how to market your assets, overcome objections on the spot, and finally be able to prove you can deliver the goods.

Illustration: Andy Warhol via harpersbazaar.com

Ever want to throw a piece of dysfunctional technology out of a window? Or perhaps into your blender? Well, I haven’t heard of many problematic iPhones as of yet, but over 6 million people were still interested in watching a YouTube video in which one of the apple gadgets goes up, quite literally, in smoke. Tom Dickson of BlendTec has become a YouTube phenomenon and a viral marketing maven with his short videos in which the Total Blender devours everything from an entire rake handle, to whole golf balls, and, yes, the much coveted iPhone. His formula seems fool proof, simply blend something crazy and seemingly unblendable, put it on YouTube, and BAM the product reaches millions of viewers.

I first found the video on fellow media blogger, Lisa Hickey’s The Hurricane Inside My Mind,where she posted the following dialogue about the future of advertising that she had with her teenaged daughter:

“I was eating supper with my daughter, Allie. We were discussing the future of advertising. Believe me, everything else I might have been discussing with a seventeen-year-old was off limits.

Me: “I think you have to look to YouTube for the future of TV commercials.”

Allie: “But really mom, who would go to YouTube to watch a commercial. I can’t imagine anyone would go seek out, say, a Honda commercial voluntarily.”

Me: “Hah! How about a commercial for a $375 blender?”

Allie: (shakes her head)

Mom: “A guy blended an iphone – an iphone – and got 6 million people to watch it on YouTube. It turned into smoke. It was pretty cool.”

Allie: “I want to see that.”

Me: “Precisely.”

Anyone who has ever tried to get the last word with a 17-year-old knows how hard that is. About as hard as getting 6 million people to *want* to watch your commercial.”

If you haven’t seen it already, take a look below and feel free to make your own comments and conclusions on the future of advertising. Interesting stuff.

Check out the funny video below created by an “emerging filmmaker” for Howcast.com, a great site filled with fun and useful how-to videos. They range from the serious to the more tongue-in-cheek and many are user generated allowing aspiring film makers to flex their creative  muscles and gain published experience and exposure. There is a job hunting section where I found this really well-made and amusing animation. Take a peek.

Social media site, Mashable.com, featured the humorous cartoon seen above poking fun at the latest trend in social networking, simplification and aggregation. This blossoming trend just happens to be the topic of this weeks Dear Bev column. There are so many ways to combine social networks, instant messenger clients, and e-mail servers to access your connections in a more streamlined and efficient manner. Weeding through them and finding which is right for you is a challenging task when new apps  pop up all the time, some of which (like the Flitterin spoof suggests) may not be worth your time. I profiled a few tools for networking as well as personal branding in the column. Check it out in the columns section to see if you might be able to put some of them to use in your job hunt.

-Bev.