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How to Mix Business With Friendship
Tweet Share on Facebook July 21, 2009 Comment (4)Around town they like to joke about the owner of chain of carpet and cabinet stores who makes the rounds at charity events, chatting up people about their carpet needs. And it is not an "oh, by the way" piece of the conversation either--it is “Hi Joe, how’s that old carpet of yours doing??”
Obviously, he loves his business and shows a passion for it. But where is the line? How do you mix business with friendship? If you believe in your products/service, why should your friends miss out on the opportunity for you to serve them?
I am interested in your responses to this, as well as hearing your own questions around this topic.
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What to Do When You're Frustrated at Work
Tweet Share on Facebook July 20, 2009 Comment (6)I frequently hear from people who are frustrated and unhappy with their jobs and want to know how to change whatever is making them unhappy. Often what they're chafing against is some inherent aspect of their job or their manager or their workplace, but they don't want to accept that--they want to know how they can make it different.
Sometimes the answer is: You can't.
For example, I once worked with someone who regularly got frustrated and resentful about several demands of the job and did everything he could to resist them. He would ignore explicit instructions because he disagreed with them, neglect projects he didn't like working on, and constantly argue about the things he didn't like. He was trying to force the job to become something it wasn't. Rather than seeing the job for what it was, and deciding if it was something he was willing to live with or not, he kept himself (and others around him) miserable by engaging in a constant struggle against the realities of the job.
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7 Effective Ways to Sabotage Yourself
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2009 Comment (6)The finish line is near. The goal that you have been working toward for months, perhaps years, is finally in sight.
And many of you are thinking: “What can I do to keep from winning?”
Well, here are some self-sabotage tactics that have worked well for others:
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The Many Benefits of Helping Others Succeed
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2009 Comment (1)When it comes to pursuing your dreams, it’s easy to get caught up in “me me me!” It’s all about finding your clarity, and taking your steps, and overcoming your obstacles. Perfectly understandable, of course. After all, it is your dream. But if that’s all you do, you’re missing out on a great source of energy and inspiration: supporting others in their dream pursuit.
Have you ever talked with someone about a goal they’re passionate about, and found yourself getting caught up in their excitement? If you have, you’ve had a taste of the potential energy that can come from shifting your focus--even momentarily--from your own vision to someone else’s.
Watching for opportunities to support someone else’s dream also gives you a chance to engage with others in an optimistic, possibility-expanding way. And that can feed your own positive perspective. Not to mention the fact that it just feels good to help.
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20 Ways to Annoy Your Job Interviewer
Tweet Share on Facebook July 15, 2009 Comment (15)At a job interview, it’s not just what you say. It’s what you do, too.
While wowing hiring managers with your knowledge and enthusiasm, keep in mind that they’re watching what you do as well as listening to what you say. So ask yourself: Do you have any annoying mannerisms? Hiring managers assume that if you are a little annoying at an interview, you’ll be much more so once you’re hired and, presumably, off your guard.
Lasting impressions are formed within 90 seconds of first meeting. So make an effort not to do any of the following at job interviews:
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Companies Need More of What Used to Be
Tweet Share on Facebook July 14, 2009 Comment (2)It used to be that when times were bad, and no one was hiring, you went down a paygrade or two and didn’t whine or complain about it.
Commission-only sales jobs were plentiful and top notch sales people actually wanted them: higher reward for higher risk.
You spent more time talking to the hiring manager than people in HR.
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Should You Give Away Your Ideas For Free?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2009 Comment (3)A reader writes:
I interviewed with a nonprofit two years ago and didn't get the job. I also donate a small amount of money every month to the organization--like $25 per month. The group had a phone-a-thon the other day and called me to get my opinion on a variety of their issues. I answered the questions so well that the executive director now wants to meet with me to discuss my ideas. All the topics they want to know about are what I would be doing for them if they hired me two years ago. There was no mention of possibly getting a job and I don't know of any available now that match my background. I obviously want to provide meaningful insight but I'm unemployed and want to be paid for my expertise as well. How should I handle this meeting?
It's natural for you to think, "If you thought I had something to offer, why didn't you hire me when I applied two years ago?" But there are many possible reasons for their decision at the time--a surplus of great candidates, a concern about how your style would mesh with the manager's, or limitless other ways in which you could be valuable but not exactly the right fit.
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17 Rules for Job Seekers
Tweet Share on Facebook July 10, 2009 Comment (11)1. The job that is a sure thing isn’t.
2. Most employers who ask for a college degree are less interested in your coursework than the fact that you got the degree. In other words, there is hope for English majors.
3. On the resume and in the interview, don’t talk about how hard you worked. Stress what was achieved.
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How to Respond to a Job Rejection E-mail
Tweet Share on Facebook July 9, 2009 Comment (8)Just about an hour or two ago, I received a rejection E-mail for a job I was very excited about. The entire process lasted a month (maybe a little longer) and I had felt I performed very strongly during my interview, test, and phone screen. I'm very disheartened right now and after a month of riding a high, the crash I'm experiencing now is difficult to deal with. Part of me is in shock (because I felt I had done very well in the interview), the other half is utterly depressed. What makes this all the more distressing is I'm chasing a dream -- in an industry (video games) that's extremely hard to break into. I have a Master's degree in English and had passed up a handful of good opportunities to chase this dream by taking a foot-in-the-door, one-year contract job at $12/hr and no benefits and it seems my sacrifice isn't paying dividends.
I'm feeling very frustrated and angry, and I have no idea how to respond to this E-mail. I know the decision to pass on me wasn't the HR person's call, but it's hard for me to write back a 'thank you' letter right now. How would you suggest I approach the task of responding to a rejection e-mail?
Ah, another person with an English Degree. Not to stomp on you even more, but in grad school I shared a house with three English PhD students. One, when she applied to a particular school, received a letter that said, essentially, "If you are applying because you want to enrich yourself, great. If you are applying because you want a job, you should know that you won't get one." Ha! Ha! Ha! OK, not so funny. But the reason I tell you this is because if you, with an MA in English, are passing up opportunities, you must be a strong candidate in many areas.
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Hey Job Seeker, Do You Feel Lucky?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 8, 2009 Comment (5)If you’re looking for a job and reading books and blogs about “How to Job Hunt,” you undoubtedly know about compelling cover letters, snazzy resumes, knock ‘em dead interviews, and the all-important thank-you note.
If you’ve been looking for a while now, you may be starting to suspect there’s another, less talked-about, element to the successful job search:
Luck
You would be right. Even in fat times, luck plays a major role in getting hired. In lean times, it’s correspondingly more important.
