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12 Things We'd Tell Our Bosses if We Could
Tweet Share on Facebook June 16, 2010 Comment (12)As employees, we are told to be diligent, to follow through, to be “self-starters,” to have a good attitude, to be flexible and patient and dependable and loyal and respectful. We’re told there is no “I” in “team.” We’re told, “You should just be grateful you have a job.” But surely bosses have obligations to us just as we do to them. And surely one of the biggest of those obligations is to seek out their employees’ point of view.
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5 Ways the World Cup is Like Your Job Search
Tweet Share on Facebook June 15, 2010 Comment (2)You just knew someone was going to make a job hunting metaphor out of the World Cup events. No? Well, you can count on me.
Here are five ways the World Cup is like job searching:
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5 Ways Job Seekers Sabotage Themselves
Tweet Share on Facebook June 14, 2010 Comment (24)The job market is hard enough right now without you sabotaging your chances of getting hired. Make sure you're steering clear of these five common ways job-seekers hurt themselves:
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The Great Pretenders: Why Looking Busy is Such a Problem
Tweet Share on Facebook June 11, 2010 Comment (3)Jack is staring at the computer screen. It has been two hours and he’s made no progress. He’d be more productive if he walked down to the corner for a cup of coffee, but Jack is determined to stick it out.
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How Etiquette Cops Can Hurt Business
Tweet Share on Facebook June 10, 2010 CommentIs it good business sense to point out rudeness? Or is that just rude? A reader recently wrote to ask my opinion on the issue.
Dear Evil HR Lady,
I made a mistake of putting all capital letters in the subject line of an E-mail, to show this item was still outstanding. I am a customer, he is the provider, and it had been five days without any reply. The recipient sent me an E-mail stating I did not have to put this in all caps. Wanting to do the right thing, I sent an immediate response that I did not intend to offend, and apologized. He sent me a quick E-mail back stating he was not offended.
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Why You Need to Be a Decent Public Speaker
Tweet Share on Facebook June 9, 2010 Comment (25)You’re at a funeral. Where in the room would you rather be: lying in the casket or standing up front giving the eulogy? Most people pick the casket (at least according to Jerry Seinfeld).
OK, it’s a joke, but it’s true that many people claim they fear public speaking more than death itself.
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9 Symbolic Gestures a Good Boss Can Make
Tweet Share on Facebook June 8, 2010 CommentThere’s a lot of talk today about the importance of symbols that our national leaders can provide in times of crisis. Think FDR with his fireside chats, telling us there’s nothing to fear but fear itself. Reagan leaving the working man’s bar holding a beer stein as he's cheered by the mostly out-of-work patrons. JFK going hatless at his cold inauguration, signaling that there was a young wind coming to inspire and lead.
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5 Tips for Meetings That People Won't Dread
Tweet Share on Facebook June 7, 2010 Comment (1)Meetings get a bad rap for a reason: They're often inefficient; veer unproductively off-track; are attended by people who don't want to be there; and frequently end without anyone being clear on what was decided.
You can give your meetings a makeover with these five tips and eliminate some of the dread that usually accompanies them:
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10 Rules of E-mail Etiquette
Tweet Share on Facebook June 4, 2010 Comment (11)Since E-mail is not going away any time soon, it makes sense to develop some ground rules for its usage. Here are 10 that I try to follow:
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How to Get a Foot in the Door Before Graduation
Tweet Share on Facebook June 3, 2010 Comment (4)It isn't an easy market for soon-to-be grads. As one reader writes: "I have two quarters left in school, then I will have my AAS in Paralegal [Studies]. I have applied everywhere. How can I gain experience if there is [no one] able to give you a chance? I have spent a lot of money for school and I always wanted to be a paralegal, what should I do?"
