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5 Things Your Boss is Thinking as You Ask for a Raise
Tweet Share on Facebook June 29, 2010 CommentIn this economy, there's a good chance that you have gone for years now without a raise. And still, you have done your part. You have worked longer hours. You have assumed duties not normally in your job description. You have supported management every step of the way. You have been a positive role model and mentor to other employees.
[See 22 ways to be a better boss.]
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5 Things to Consider Before You Quit Your Job
Tweet Share on Facebook June 28, 2010 Comment (6)Far too many people quit their jobs in frustration, only to find similar (or worse) conditions in their next positions. If you find yourself tempted to quit your job, you'll make a far better decision for yourself if you analyze your situation calmly and rationally.
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What's in a Nudge?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 25, 2010 Comment (2)The executive went to the retirement party of a woman who’d been his secretary years ago. She’d gotten promoted since then and wound up in an important and rather influential spot. He’d seen her a few times over the years. He was surprised that she was retiring so early, but in those days early retirement was not that unusual.
[See 10 rules of E-mail etiquette.]
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How to Get a New Job When You've Been Fired
Tweet Share on Facebook June 24, 2010 Comment (4)Does getting fired mean your chances for a new job are ruined? How do you overcome a boss who won't give you a good reference? One reader writes:
[See 22 ways to be a better boss.]
After 14 years of working as an executive assistant for high profile organizations, I took a job for an “up and coming” European company. I found myself the new HR Administrator to a team of 70 employees. I had almost no previous experience, but I loved my job! Last September, fourteen months into my role, I was fired. It was a bad situation and unjust fire, but that’s another story. Previous to this role I had a pristine employment history. During recent interviews I have described it as a bad fit and a learning experience, but have not used the words “got fired” yet. The CEO of the company is willing to give me a reference, but I won’t ask him to lie and he’s in France. How do I explain that my US boss won't?... (It’s all politics…)
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8 Ways to Overcome Perfectionism
Tweet Share on Facebook June 24, 2010 CommentIn your career, as in the rest of your life, perfectionism can be a huge obstacle to living out your fullest potential. In the perfectionist’s mind, anything short of perfect is instead a form of failure. Perfectionists are fully aware of how greatly the odds are stacked against success (that is, achieving perfection). That awareness creates resistance to taking new steps that lead them outside the comfortable, dependable, and the tried and true. And when they do decide to take those steps and get the predictably less than perfect results, they use the opportunity for a little negative reinforcement, focusing on their “failure.”
[See 22 ways to be a better boss.]
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Why BP's Tony Hayward Could Work in HR
Tweet Share on Facebook June 22, 2010 Comment (5)By now everyone has heard about the head of BP’s incredibly tone-deaf moment over the weekend, when he took time off from the oil spill disaster to attend a yacht race off the southern coast of England.
When was the last time you attended a yacht race?
[See 22 ways to be a better boss.]
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Job Seekers' Top 5 Complaints About Employers
Tweet Share on Facebook June 21, 2010 Comment (15)As the recession drags on, and many job seekers see their time out of work grow longer and longer, frustration is building over employers who treat applicants poorly. Here are job seekers' five biggest complaints about how employers handle the hiring process:
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When Convenience Rules Decision-Making
Tweet Share on Facebook June 18, 2010 Comment (2)There’s a old joke about a man who was looking for a lost ring in his kitchen. A friend asked him when he had lost the ring, and he replied, “I lost it sometime this morning in the living room.” The friend asked, “If you lost it in the living room, why are you looking for it in the kitchen?” The man replied, “Because there’s more light in the kitchen.”
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Why Fear is Really Your Career's Best Friend
Tweet Share on Facebook June 17, 2010 CommentThink you’re going to do anything worth doing in your career without feeling a healthy dose of fear? Ha! Good luck. The reality is that, if you are stretching yourself to any degree and not just playing it safe, fear of some sort is bound to come with the territory. And that’s not altogether bad. Fear can actually be your career’s best friend.
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How Underdog Applicants Can Win Jobs
Tweet Share on Facebook June 17, 2010 CommentIndulge me for a minute. Yesterday, Switzerland (the country I currently live in) went into their World Cup match against Spain as the underdog. No one expected Switzerland to win. But they did. It's a pretty spectacular thing here and everyone is taking about it. The newspaper devoted numerous pages to the Swiss team's victory. Even I was excited., and I don't really care about sports. Everyone loves stories of underdog success.
