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Why the Secretary Is Part of the Interview, Too
Tweet Share on Facebook August 29, 2008 Comment (3)Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad we were able to find a convenient interview time so quickly.
Let me explain how this process works. You were waiting in the reception area for around five minutes. You arrived a little early and scored a few points for that. (You'd be surprised at how many applicants show up late for interviews and how many don't appear at all, so I appreciate your beating the clock.)
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How to Change Your Life With People
Tweet Share on Facebook August 28, 2008 Comment (3)Want a quick prediction of your potential in life? Take a look at the people around you.
How high do they inspire you to fly? Do they lift you up, or do they drag you down? Do they energize you or drain you? Do they inspire belief, or do they plant seeds of doubt?
When you surround yourself with people who are positive and motivated, who believe in their potential, a funny thing happens. Even if nothing else in your life changes, it starts to rub off on you. It starts to change your paradigm.
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The Worst Interview Question of Them All
Tweet Share on Facebook August 27, 2008 Comment (8)No, it's not "If you were a breakfast cereal, which kind would you be?"
Although that's close.
It's this: "What is your salary history?"
You will want to say, "It's really none of your business." But it's hard to pull that off without sounding snarky. So here are four sample answers. Take your pick.
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A Pretty Website Won't Make Selling Easy
Tweet Share on Facebook August 26, 2008 Comment (6)Over the years, I have seen far too many sales and marketing people develop, create, and depend upon sales literature and brochures to present, and even sell, their services and products.
Far too much time and resources have been spent on this activity.
One time, at a sales meeting, I passed out our new literature and asked, rather proudly—since I had been involved its development—how the literature was "performing" for them? One older, rather confident and curmudgeonly sales guy held 'my' sales literature and looked at it. He said: "Well, if you want to know, here's what I think." He then tore it in half and said, "It's worthless, no help at all."
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6 Reasons Your Résumé Goes Straight to My Trash
Tweet Share on Facebook August 25, 2008 Comment (17)When I review résumés, a surprising percentage of them go straight into the reject pile because of mistakes that could have been avoided. Here are the top reasons why:
1. Your cover letter is clearly a form letter that you're mass-mailing—and it doesn't even relate to the job. The most extreme version of this is when an applicant leaves another company's name in the letter by mistake. But plenty of times, the letter is simply utterly generic and displays no sign that the candidate bothered to read my job posting.
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The Power of Reciprocity at Work
Tweet Share on Facebook August 25, 2008 CommentFrom Christianity to Buddhism, almost all of the major world religions believe that the more you give, the more you get in return.
Making the place you work the best place possible falls on your shoulders. Help make the office a better space by giving until you drop.
It's not just giving; it's the intention behind giving. You have to want to make it really count without motive or selfishness. Mutual action, or the power of reciprocity, starts with YOU.
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21 Management Lessons from Successful Politicians
Tweet Share on Facebook August 22, 2008 Comment (1)- Call people by name.
- Find out what they want.
- Give them your time.
- Go to all parts of your community.
- Listen carefully.
- Don't try to do too much.
- Keep in touch.
- Simplify your message.
- Maintain key principles.
- Think several steps ahead.
- Recognize your supporters.
- Listen to your opponents.
- Adjust your strategies so they correspond to, or reshape, reality.
- Marshal your resources.
- Consider new perspectives.
- Develop your skills.
- Pay attention to those who may feel excluded.
- Understate your case.
- Avoid convoluted explanations.
- Don't accord too much weight to your greatest fans and critics.
- Lead and serve.
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When to Ignore Your Turnover
Tweet Share on Facebook August 21, 2008 Comment (2)I work for a large third-party logistics company that has some of the largest retail suppliers in the world. My site has an average of 115 hourly and management employees on the payroll per month. What is the best way to calculate turnover, hourly and management? What is the clearest formula for finding the monthly and year-to-date percentile?
Of course, if you are still reading by this point, I have to give you credit. What on earth can be more boring than turnover? (Hint: data audits)
I admit it—I have a soft spot in my heart for turnover. I do, really. I've also had some rather intense arguments on how we should calculate turnover. I've even become somewhat emotional over the subject.
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Put Your Favorite Quote to Work
Tweet Share on Facebook August 21, 2008 Comment (4)Do you have a favorite quote? Are you wasting its potential?
Quotes have the potential to be inspiring reminders of the way we want to live our lives. Unfortunately they rarely live up to that potential, amounting instead to little more than meaningless sound bites. They go in one ear—we nod vigorously in agreement like a bobblehead doll—and they go right out the other.
I started thinking about this recently when I came across a quote from Gandhi that seems to be ubiquitous these days: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
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Is Your Boss Superhuman?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 20, 2008 Comment (7)Maybe you've had one. A boss who's a likable, funny, generous, and all-around lovely human, but who is...a terrible boss. Unreliable. Inconsistent. Disorganized. In short, a nightmare.
The qualities that make people charming and fun are not the same qualities that make them good bosses. In fact, it's a lot harder to be a good boss than to be a nice person. Why? Because a good boss is a predictable, sane, and organized human being who can handle power with grace and humility.
