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How to Respond to an E-mail That Enrages
Tweet Share on Facebook January 29, 2010 Comment (3)Imagine that you are angry, very angry, at a coworker in another department who has just sent you a very irritating E-mail. You believe this person has broken a promise, betrayed your trust, and is playing Machiavellian games. “Livid squared” might best describe you as you sit before the keyboard and prepare to hammer out a scathing reply.
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7 Questions for Every Career Changer
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2010 CommentI love dreaming about what could be. I love playing with ideas and refining and expanding my vision. Where I run into trouble--more often than I would like to admit--is actually taking the action to breathe life into those ideas. And without that implementation, dreams remain little more than puffs of smoke. Needless to say, I have plenty of experience figuring out how to take myself out of my dreamworld and make the rubber meet the road.
Here are seven questions that I have discovered help me take action and get traction:
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When FMLA Time Off Affects Your Performance Review
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2010 Comment (10)I was out [under] the Family Medical and Leave Act for four weeks. I have now been back to work for four weeks, however I have doctor's appointments three times a week. I try to schedule them as late in the day as possible. However I was placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) yesterday, due to my attendance and performance. Now, with being out for four weeks, I understand that my performance and my team's performance would have gone down.
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10 Tips for Playing Well With Others at Work
Tweet Share on Facebook January 27, 2010 Comment (6)Who would you rather work with: a genius star performer who’s an incredible pain in the you-know-what or a “merely” competent worker who’s a breeze to get along with?
Your coworkers think so, too.
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How Much Interview Follow-Up is Too Much?
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2010 Comment (8)A reader writes:
Just before Thanksgiving, I had an initial phone interview with a company. It went well and in the first two weeks of December I was called back for a second and then third interview, as I was up for two different slots in this company. Since then, I was told I was one of the final two for one of the slots. Also since then, the holidays have happened, a [reorganization], and now someone gave notice in the group I was one of the final two for. I've been touching base weekly with my recruiter just to see if there was any news. In my last E-mail with her, she told me she would let me know when something changes.
Should I still keep touching base every week or so, or am I becoming an annoyance?
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Don't Encourage the Dysfunctional Defenders
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2010 Comment (3)You have probably met a dysfunctional defender or two in your career.
These are the folks who are convinced that their coworkers and management are giving away the store, and if it weren’t for their dedicated work, the place would fall apart. They believe that they are the defenders of high standards and models of solid performance.
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4 Steps to Taking Your Career Off Autopilot
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2010 CommentDo you feel like you’re drifting along in your career without any meaningful focus or direction? Do you feel stuck or uninspired, but you keep showing up for work day after day without taking any significant action to jump out of your rut? If you do, you just might be on autopilot. And if you want to make the most of your career, the time to break out of that mode is now. Here are four ways to take your career off autopilot, put your hands on the wheel, and jump-start the journey to a career that lights you up.
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Should Subordinates Interview Potential Bosses?
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2010 Comment (10)I just had an all day interview with eight individuals for a director position. I was interviewed by people I would be directly supervising. This is not the first time this has happened to me. Is this the new direction that interviewing is taking--for subordinate staff to have a say in who will be their immediate supervisor? Or do you think this is more of a way for senior management to include subordinate staff and let them feel like they have input [in] a decision which they may not?
This is confusing to me. As a senior manager who also does hiring, I would never allow a subordinate staff member, or even a peer, for that matter, be part of the interview process.
I'm not sure I'd want to work for you.
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9 Tips For Getting Good Career Advice
Tweet Share on Facebook January 20, 2010 Comment (10)A 60-something friend known for her wonderful design sense tells this story:
Since I was a child I’ve loved putting things together—table settings, shelves, furniture, colors. I dreamed of becoming an interior designer. But while still in high school I talked with a professional and she discouraged me. She said there were already too many interior decorators. So I never pursued my dream.
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How to Love the Job You're With
Tweet Share on Facebook January 19, 2010 Comment (4)I am a dad, I write a blog called “What Would Dad Say,” have gray hair, and I'm active in an employment media site called LinkUp. All of which means I get a lot of questions and comments from Generation X-ers and Y-ers on job-related matters.
