Virginia Backaitis
Latest Articles
All work and no play? Take a timeouꩲt and a step back
Getting overly stressed over work? Take a trip. Now that the world is opening up again,🀅 consider heading for the beach, the mountains, Disney, whatever.
'Green' jobs are booming in New York and the tri-state area
Some people equate having buckets of money with success. Othe♓rs favor fancy job titles and power. For 31-year-old Patrick O’Gara, it’s all about eliminating carbon emissi♔ons.
Companies are offering ‘returnships’ for caregivers aiming to get back to work ꦯ
Ask a mother wh💮o left her career to raise a family what it’s like to return to the workforce. She’ll probably tell♉ you that the job search process is even...
Believe it or not, this coul🐓d be the perfect time to start🍃 a business in NYC
New Yorkers may be wearing masks, but their eyes are wide open. With every empty storefront or closed restaurant, there’s the quest🤪ion of what will fill the space, because New...
Your 🐷next great job may be with your current employer
You can look for a job, or th💦e job can find you. Moylagh Nargiso has experienced both.Her first role at the local Y was as a summer camp counselor. Next,...
Black entrepreneurs raise awareness as they lookꦗ to the future
During Black History Month, a time🍷 to honor pivotal moments large and small, these local, prominent entrepreneurs reflect on how they forge their successful paths. ඣ
🌄 Don’t give up Super Bowl 2021 squares: Why workplace rituals are important
The COVID-19 pandemic isꦉn't a deal-breaker for this annual tradi꧟tion.
🍌 Learning the art of clear communication cꩵan set you up for success
Spend 10 minutes with 31-year-old Olya Johnson an💖d you’ll 🐈find it hard to believe that Russian is her native language. Software designers such as Johnson tend to be known more...
Being happy at w💎ork might be completely up to you
Don't complain to Laurie Ruettimann about your w💫ork life unless you are willing to do something about it. Ruettimann knows firsthand about what it’s like to have a crappy job,...
NY jobs that re𒉰crui🥀ters are looking to fill this year
Plug your ears if someone tells you there are no jobs to be had.🐼 While it’s true that employment hasn’t rebounded from when the pa🃏ndemic began, “there are sectors that...
🐼 Career-improvement books and e-learning courses are gifts that keꦦep on giving
It's hard not to say “bah humbug” to ♔the holidays in 2020, but there are some thoughtful presents you can give to your co-workers, family members and friends that can...
Employment websites step𒐪 ♍up their game to get people back in the workforce
Emp🌌loyment websites and social networks are creating new online tools and features to help the world get back to work. All of these websites have one thing in common♓: a...
In a pandemic, smart companies are hiring unfla🌌ppable military veterans
It's hard to throw Luis Penichet for a loop. The 27-year-old Marine Corps veteran acclimates to unusual situations quickly — he spent weeks sleeping 🧔in a 7-by-10-foot box in the...
Today’s employee perks? Lunch st🐷ipends and virtual child c𓂃are
Working⛄ at home, alone in his Brooklyn apart𝓀ment, was not what Andrew Matsumoto signed up for. The 33-year-old product designer had just started his job at mortgage lender Better.com when...
Zoom-bi🍌e apocalypse: These video chat stereotypes are Halloween-worthy 🌼
🐻 ‘I love 🐓Zoom” isn’t a phrase you hear very often. After seven months of staring at co-workers in little boxes on the screens of laptops, tablets and phones, workers are...
🐈 Why job recruiters are taking t🌞he time to read every resume
When Chelsea-based SWORD Health advertised for physical therapists a few𒁃 months ago, the company was deluged with resumes. “We got over 100 in 24 🎀hours,” said Tak Nguyen, chief talent...
ꦿ Professionals turning to freelance, contract work to fill employment gaps
When digital marketer Allyssa Kaiser, 29, looked to part ways wi﷽th her employer a few months ago, jobs were few and far betwe💟en. Blame the timing — the pandemic had...
If you've been laid off, now is the time to pivot your skills into a new career
Some people think they’ve hit a dead-end when the industry in which they’ve built their career downsizes, temporarily closes or shuts down. But “t💦here’s no reason to lose hope,” said...
Compa🐟nies are getting creative onboarding new hires working from home
🦋 If you think that starting a job is stressful, imagine being responsible for onboarding a group of new hires just days after the COVID-19 s🅘hutdown began.
Virtual classrooms in 2020 means working parents won't catch a break
⭕ If Ben Ramirez’s gourmet coffee store had opened as planned this year, he’d probab𓂃ly have customers lined up outside the door. The 39-year-old barista-in-waiting, and father of two, became famous...