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A Foolproof Way to Cure Job Boredom
Tweet Share on Facebook September 3, 2008 Comment (3)Summer's over. (Sigh.)
Are you back at work? And are you bored silly?
If so, you're not alone. According to a Gallup Poll cited in the Washington Post, 55 percent of all U.S. employees are not "engaged" at work.
Boredom can lead to fatigue, overeating, chronic pain, and, often, job loss. But fear not! There's a foolproof cure:
Learn something new.
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Copy Football Coaches for Work Success
Tweet Share on Facebook September 2, 2008 Comment (2)It's September, and football season is now officially underway. The first high school and college games were played over the weekend, and it's about time.
I want to talk about coaches today. You can insert your own memory of your favorite sport and coach, beginning now.
Here are seven things that coaches do that each one of us can do in our own jobs:
1. Put people in positions where they can be successful. Good coaches don't put small kids in the line—they know better.
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6 Reasons You Failed the Phone Interview
Tweet Share on Facebook September 2, 2008 Comment (17)Last week, I wrote about reasons your résumé might end up in my trash. This week, let's assume you've made it past the initial résumé screening and now are at the phone interview stage. Here are some ways to quickly fail the phone interview:
1. Not displaying a grasp of what the job is all about. I'm amazed by how often I ask a candidate to tell me what she knows so far about the job and receive an answer that's significantly off-base. If a job description is posted online, read it—and read it with clear eyes. I've noticed when candidates get this wrong, they tend to add more glamour to the job than really exists. For instance, if I'm hiring for a high-drudgery data entry job, I'll always get a candidate or two who tell me that they think the job involves research and lots of contact with the public. This is bad for two reasons: (1) It shows that they haven't paid attention to the detailed job description I posted, and (2) It makes me think they won't be satisfied with the reality of what the job actually entails.
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Help! My Project Is in Quicksand
Tweet Share on Facebook September 2, 2008 CommentWhat happens when a project drags on and on and on? I'm not talking days, weeks, or even months. I mean years.
That's what has unfolded at my current gig, where a major project that I am ultimately responsible for is constantly put up on the shelf. Oh, there's plenty of talk about it. Just no action.
Stalled. Stagnated. Stopped. These 'S' words suddenly sound uglier than the 'F' bomb.
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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.
