ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2008 > August
August 2008
Now that’s a weird job!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In honor of the upcoming Labor Day holiday, let’s take a look at some really weird jobs that people actually do to earn an honest living. The list compiled by JobProfiles includes some gag-inducing gigs (hair-boiler, dog food tester, cow hoof trimmer) and some wacky jobs that actually sound fun (fortune cookie writer, cartoon mascots and my personal favorite - “whiskey ambassador”). For the skeptics, here’s a picture of a dog food tester in action.
What is the weirdest job you have ever had? Send us photos of you on the job at your odd occupation.
Need some inspiration to find an unusual job of your own? Check out Why I Love My Job, a weekly feature showcasing interesting jobs that people do right here in Atlanta.
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Does your job depress you?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With such dreary weather this week, let’s take a look at what Chandra Fox has to say about those with depressing occupations:
Let’s face it, many people have very depressing jobs. Typical jobs that can be emotionally devastating include personal care workers, prison guards and counselors for abused children. The good news is that you can learn to balance your work and personal life without being overwhelmed by a job that seems hopeless.
A prison guard I spoke to said that dealing with inmates is typically sad. “The same criminals are back through the system over and over. Many times the intellect you are dealing with is very low and the difference between good and bad does not seem to resonate.” In a similar way, child abusers cannot change overnight, if ever, and the impact on their victims will last a lifetime. When counselors focus on rehabilitation of these individuals, the process can be long and cumbersome. From these examples, you can see that change is difficult and your job can seem more bad than good. So how do you overcome it?
Train yourself to keep things that are handled at work only in your mind during work hours and allow yourself the time to escape when you are not at work. Many professionals handle workplace pressures with exercise like yoga to combat the stress or depression that often accompany particular jobs.
What are the most stressful or depressing aspects of your job and how do you cope?
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Employees gone wild!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A web video has been circulating showing a Burger King employee, an adolescent appropriately nicknamed “Mr. Unstable” taking a bath in the restaurant’s kitchen sink. (Note: may contain explicit language.) And yes, he appears to be completely naked. His explanation? It was his birthday. The video hit the Internet and he was promptly fired. Burger King also terminated several people present on that sudsy shift who either ignored or cheered on his actions. No big surprise there.
As I was reading various comments about this story, I was surprised by how many people said “Oh, get over it, if you ever have worked in a restaurant, you know this is nothing.” No doubt shocking acts by employees happen frequently at restaurants and at workplaces in other service industries. So readers, let us know, is the actions of the Burger King bathing bonehead that big of a deal or have you seen far worse actions take place at your job? Give us the details (minus specific names of people and companies), and yes, keep it clean!
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Business lunches can make or break career
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A recent ajcjobs cover story talked about the strategic importance and best use of the business lunch (or breakfast or other meal). Experts said that, even with tighter budgets, companies shouldn’t be too hasty to ban the business meal, which can be a great way to build relationships with clients and improve trust and loyalty.
Of course, food-and-beverage situations always can lead to mishaps. What if you invite the client to lunch and then spill red wine on his or her tan suit? What if you get spinach stuck in your teeth, and you don’t discover that until long after the lunch is over?
There also could be etiquette issues. One person interviewed for the article described a business lunch to which she was invited. Someone working at the company where she used to work invited her to lunch so that he or she could “pick her brain”. After two hours of picking her brain, this person said “thanks for lunch” and took off, leaving the invited guest to foot the bill!
Have you ever been a part of a business meal that had unexpected results? Tell us what happened and if you ended up landing the client or the job.
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Does your desk look like Obama’s or McCain’s?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Recently, the AJC ran a story about the offices of the presidential candidates, which featured a photo gallery giving viewers a sneak peek into the kind of work personality Barack Obama and John McCain have. Of course, the comparison is a bit unfair, since McCain has been in Congress for over 25 years while Obama is a junior senator who has only been in office since 2005. So it’s to be expected that McCain’s office would display years of accumulated mementos while Obama’s office still has that new shine to it.
But as the article mentions, McCain’s office has a “comfy clutter” vibe to it while Obama’s workspace feels more like a “gallery of modern art”. While pundits will mull over whether or not this speaks to their leadership capabilities, what are your feelings about the organization of one’s office space? Are you turned off by co-workers who are messy and have papers scattered all around their desk? Does someone who obsesses over the precise order of their desk items leave you cold and creeped out?
Most importantly, putting aside your own personal organization preferences, do you think that being messy or tidy has any impact whatsoever on a person’s ability to peform their job well? Send us your office photos and let readers decide.
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Should one stupid stunt sink your career?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This week, one of the most talked about stories on ajc.com surrounds Josh Jarboe, the former Cedar Grove High School star football player who was kicked off the University of Oklahoma football team after school officials saw a video posted on YouTube of Jarboe rapping. The freestyle rap song was filled with the usual references to guns, violence, sex and otherwise profane lyrics that are consistent with popular “gangsta rap” music. So why were Jarboe’s collegiate athletic career aspirations suddenly dashed by the Sooners? And what does it mean to the rest of us in the real job world?
What’s most interesting is that university officials overlooked what could be considered a much more serious transgression, in which Jarboe was found in illegal possession of a gun on high school property earlier this year. The university stood by him then, but ditched him over a freestyle rap? Jarboe’s lawyer stated his client was a “victim of technology.”
Do you think employers overreact when it comes to the personal lives of their employees or job candidates? Should employee’s private indiscretions ever be used as evidence for dismissal?
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Is your job dangerous?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Recently, the AJC profiled the wild world of bike couriers. These messengers encounter all sorts of obstacles on a daily basis, from violent summer thunderstorms to slick winter ice to inpatient Atlanta drivers. It’s a job that only the most fearless can take on, but those loyal to the occupation love the adrenaline rush and independence. However, due to the advances of modern technology, they know their occupation is a dying breed.
Have you ever had a job that could be considered dangerous? What was it like and would you do it again?
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Are men and women treated differently at work?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While we hear a lot about sexual harassment in the workplace, sex discrimination charges also crop up from time to time. This week, the AJC reported that a former female Atlanta police major has filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against the Atlanta Police Department. In her lawsuit, she claims that she was fired for an infraction that a male police officer also committed, but the male officer was able to keep his job.
Of course, this case is ongoing and we don’t have all of the facts yet. But do you feel in this day and age that employers still discriminate based upon gender? Have you ever been treated differently on the job by your superiors because of your gender?
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When the boss grabs the wrong girl
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There seems to have been a slightly different standard when it comes to sexual harassment in the restaurant and bar business than in the corporate world, but that may be changing.
In the corporate environment, people are pretty sensitive about what you can and can not do and for the most part, touching someone is totally off limits. I think we have all worked in a restaurant environment or witnessed employees in one that are extremely playful, touch one another, hug and play.
One of the manager’s of a local restaurant and bar that I go to had a reputation for touching the ladies on the bottom and grabbing them with both hands. We will call him Dennis the Menace. Most of the women who worked for Dennis would slap him and tell him not to do it again. Well, Dennis finally met his match when he grabbed the wrong girl in front of a customer. The server decided to take Dennis and his family’s restaurant to court.
The judge fined the establishment and decided that Dennis was not fit to live in the State of Georgia so he sentenced Dennis to leave the state for one-year as a term of his probation.
Sexual harassment is illegal and there is no tolerance for this type of behavior even in the bar and restaurant business which has not always been held to the same standard as the rest of corporate America.
What do you think- is it okay for a male manager at say, Hooter’s to be more touchy-feely with his waitresses than the CEO of a conservative corporation with his female administrative staff?
