A Brooklyn Public Library blog for workers, entrepreneurs and freelancers.

5 Minute Break: Yoga at Your Desk
TylerBetween doom scrolling, looming work deadlines, virtual meetings and streaming services, we are all a little bit more crouched over our phones and laptops. Although the term “text neck” is over a decade old, you may have come across its symptoms recently.Rarely do we remind ourselves to take short breaks for ourselves to recenter and relax our bodies at the office. The good news is that you don’t have to compromise your work or your screen time. Just consider carving out time for yourself for some hand or chair yoga. This is a yoga routine that doesn’t require a mat, the right leggings…
Achieving Financial Success for 2025 (The S.M.A.R.T Way)
The Pew Research Center found that right behind health, exercise or diet, people are most likely to make a New Year’s resolution to improve their finances. The study also found that those who make resolutions are more likely to keep them. One of the best ways to stick to a financial goal is by using the S.M.A.R.T method. 1) Ask yourself: what is your financial goal? Here are some examples of financial goals you may be hoping to achieve: Saving for a vacation Growing your emergency fund Saving for school or to buy a house Paying off debt…
One Minute with George Kong, a 2024 PowerUp Winner!
On the evening of November 13th, the Business and Career Center announced the 2024 PowerUP Winners at our Annual Awards Ceremony. Check out the livestream on Youtube if you missed it or want to experience it again.Since 2003, the Business and Career Center has nurtured 10,900 individuals with over 1,800 business plans and awarded more than $650,000 in cash and in-kind gifts to Brooklyn entrepreneurs. Our success stories include more than 100 companies with passion for food and drink, health and wellness, arts and crafts, media and fashion, education, social justice, and cultural…
Get On the Fast-Track to In-Demand Jobs with Brooklyn Public Library
The Business & Career Center (by way of our LevelUP program) recently received a grant to provide Google Career Certificates to the public, exploring UX Design, IT Support, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Data Analytics and Cybersecurity. Participants must live in Brooklyn and have an active Brooklyn Public Library. To apply for a scholarship spot, fill out the Brooklyn Public Library's Grow with Google Scholarship application.Maybe you are unsure of which program is right for you? Maybe you find it hard to commit to just one course? Have no fear! The Brooklyn Public…

The Rule of Three for Neurodivergent Creatives (and for everyone else!)
It was early morning and I was sitting by a lake in Maine, a cup of coffee in hand when one of those bolt-from-the-blue moments of clarity struck me. Before I share my a-ha moment, let me give you some context. I am a business coach for creative entrepreneurs and freelancers, dedicating my entire career to helping creative professionals build profitable and successful businesses and careers. I am also a neurotypical parent of a neurodivergent child. Until I had my son, I had no idea how different neurocognitive styles impacted everything from time management and planning to…

Things That Should Not Be on Your Resume
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Your resume should be customized each time you apply for a job, to emphasize the specific skills and experience and strengths that make you a strong match for that job’s requirements. Information that is unrelated to the position should be minimal, so the reader can easily find the relevant info. Here are some other things that should not be on your resume, whatever position you are applying for at the moment:

Red Flags - Part 2: From the Applicant's Point of View
Ellen, Business & Career Center

Red Flags - Part 1: From the Employer's Point of View
Ellen, Business & Career Center
This is Part 1 of a two-part series; Part 2 will be "Red Flags from the Applicant's Point of View".

Unrealistic Expectations During the Job Search
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Job searching can be challenging, even when unemployment is low(er), and at times can be discouraging. Having unrealistic expectations can make things even more difficult, unnecessarily. The more you understand about the hiring process, the more realistic your expectations will be, and the less frustrated you will feel.

Discussion of "Out of Office" by guest writer Valerie Livingston
This month’s post is by guest writer Valerie Livingston, a Business Librarian in the Business & Career Center – a discussion of questions on changing workplace norms raised by the book “Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home”, especially as they pertain to librarians. By now the notion of remote work has become so commonplace and absorbed into the culture that it seems almost quaint to label it as such. And yet, for many of us “working remotely” remains a goal and conduit for more of that precious resource: time and grander vista or even…

Into the Details: Salary Negotiation
Ellen, Business & Career Center
[This post has been updated]

Into the Details: References
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Employers can ask for references with your resume and cover letter, during an interview, or after an interview. But exactly what are they looking for when they request your references? In this post we’ll discuss do’s and don’t’s, tips for cultivating references, and how to be prepared when you are asked for them.

Into the Details: Lean Staffing
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Many employees have experienced understaffing at their workplaces, especially recently, a situation exacerbated by COVID. They may not realize, though, that the circumstances they find themselves working in are not necessarily incidental or accidental. In this post we’ll discuss “lean staffing”, what the experience of this practice is like for employees, and what you can do as a job seeker to avoid it.

Into the Details: Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs)
Ellen, Business & Career Center
When job seekers are writing or editing their resumes and cover letters, they are not always thinking about what happens to their application documents once they are submitted. In this post, we’ll talk about Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs), which are often the first hurdle to get past in the job search process.

Resource Spotlight: Career Cruising’s Matchmaker Feature for Choosing a Career
Ellen, Business & Career Center
In addition to many other career and job search resources and services, the Business & Career Center has online resources you can access 24/7 for free with your library card. Career Cruising is one of these; an interactive database available in Spanish and English, for people who are choosing a career, changing careers, and/or choosing a school. It also has information on financial aid and scholarship opportunities. In this post we’ll take a look at Matchmaker, their survey for those deciding on a career. In the B&CC we regularly assist patrons who are switching careers,…

Interview with the Entrepreneur: Jaden Ordonez and Leo Liu of Everbooks
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Soon after the start of the pandemic, Brooklyn Tech High School students Leo Liu and Jaden Ordonez founded Everbooks, a site providing free student-written and -illustrated books for young children. In this interview we discuss their early days, what they've learned along the way, and their passion to continue and expand their work. Ellen Mehling: How did Everbooks start? Jaden Ordonez and Leo Liu: Everbooks has been in existence since the start of the pandemic last year. With social distancing becoming more enforced throughout the months, its…

Interview with the Entrepreneur, In Depth: Jamila McGill of Brooklyn Tea - Part 2
Ellen, Business & Career Center

Interview with the Entrepreneur, In Depth: Jamila McGill of Brooklyn Tea - Part 1
Ellen, Business & Career Center

Into the Details: Virtual Interviews
Ellen, Business & Career Center

Musings: Introverts, extroverts, WFH, and returning to the office
Ellen, Business & Career Center

Dishonesty During the Job Search - Part 2
Ellen, Business & Career Center

Dishonesty During the Job Search - Part 1
Ellen, Business & Career Center
This is Part 1 of a two-part post, where we discuss some of the ways people lie and misrepresent themselves while looking for work.

Jumping to Where the Jobs Are
Mark
Into the Details: The Resume Summary
Ellen, Business & Career Center
This is the first of a series, “Into the Details”, where we discuss a specific aspect of freelancing, job hunting, entrepreneurship, or other work-related topic. For this post we’ll be covering do’s and don’ts and tips for writing the Summary section of your resume. Summary vs. Objective Resumes used to begin, right after the applicant’s name and contact info, with a brief Objective statement, which either gave the reader information they already knew (“Seeking a position as a [title]”) or were so general that they offered no useful information at all (“Seeking a position where I may…

Cover Letters: Beyond the Basics
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Cover Letter Writing: Beyond the Basics “Is a cover letter really necessary?” “If I am sending the resume, why do I have to send a cover letter too? Doesn't the resume have all the information the employer needs?” “Do employers actually read cover letters?” “What is a cover letter for, anyway?” Cover letter writing can be mysterious and confusing, and job seekers are often unclear on what would make a cover letter “excellent” as opposed to just “OK”. First, you want to keep in mind the purpose of the cover letter (along with the resume, as they are usually submitted together): to…

Interview with the Entrepreneur: Yong Yan (Crystal) Liang and Cynthia Lei of OpportuniTeens
Ellen, Business & Career Center
In our latest in the “Interview with the Entrepreneur” series we are speaking with Yong Yan (Crystal) Liang and Cynthia Lei, seniors at Staten Island Technical High School, who founded OpportuniTeens, a for-teens-by-teens database of internships, volunteering events and other programs compiled by high school students in the United States. It focuses on several career fields such as STEM, Healthcare, and Civil Services. When did you start OpportuniTeens? The idea of OpportuniTeens was created in December 2019 on a trip to Upstate New York. What made you decide to start the site…

Interview with the Entrepreneur: Jon and Lisa Suneesa of ONE NYC Shop
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Our second series is “Interview with the Entrepreneur”, in which we talk with small business owners about what it is like to run (and/or start!) a business during a pandemic. Jon and Lisa Suneesa are owners of ONE NYC Shop, which specializes in well-fitting and highly comfortable reusable face masks, and canvas tote bags. Lisa is the interviewee. When did you start ONE NYC Shop? We started ONE NYC shop at the end of April, during the peak of the pandemic. Our first sales were in person in May and our website was launched by the end of June. What made you decide to start this business…

Interview with the Freelancer: Larry Fitzmaurice
Ellen, Business & Career Center
Welcome to the first post of the Work Life blog! We are looking foward to covering work-related topics including job hunting, workplace situations and advice, workers' rights, entrepreneurship and especially, freelancing. We're starting with an interview with a freelancer; the first of a series documenting diverse experiences of freelancing in and around NYC in the time of COVID and beyond. Larry Fitzmaurice is a writer and editor from New Jersey who currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with his wife, who works as a children's librarian for the Brooklyn Public…