ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2007 > February
February 2007
March Madness invasion in your office?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oh…basketball is in the air! And if you are a true fan then you may well be a part of fantasy league or office pool. Nothing wrong with a little team synergy, right?
Putting money down on your favorite team and weighing bets with your coworkers is not uncommon for this time of year.
Depending on your workplace environment, your department may have office pools all the time, even for other things besides sporting events, such as American Idol or the Oscars.
However, there are some companies that do not allow anything of this nature. Whether they are just trying to play it safe or be party pooper’s, rules are rules!
With March Madness upon us, an AJC reporter is doing a story on office pools. Are you or do you know someone who always seems to win the office sports pool? If you’re willing to be interviewed for the story message tjoyner@ajc.com. Please include a daytime phone number.
Does your office have contests or pools or are they banned? What kind of dynamic does this create among your coworkers?
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Have ‘helicopter’ parents?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Imagine taking your parents to a job fair, or even worse an interview? I CAN’T. As a baby boomer, I was slightly embarrassed to go to a restaurant with my parents in my twenties. Not so for the Millennial, 20-something’s of today.
According to Tara Weiss, a writer for Forbes, the parents of young job seekers have hovered over their children for so long they have earned the name “helicopter parents.” Unfortunately, it seems that instead of corporations rejecting this ridiculous behavior from over-functioning parents, they are indulging them by including them in offer letters which are addressed to the job seeker AND their parents!
Even worse, at least one major financial institution, has invited parents to their new offices. Does the movie, “The Firm,” come to mind? Boundaries are work are hard enough to maintain with cell phones, PDA’s, and emails only a nano-second away. So what’s next — when you call in sick,
‘The Firm’ is going to call your parents to get a doctor’s note? I cannot fathom that a company would be remotely interested in employing a person who had their parent line up their interview for them. If you need your parents to help get you the job, what happens afterward? It is one thing to look to parents for support, encouragement, referrals, and even “free rent” while you are looking for a job.
However, if you aren’t motivated enough (or independent enough) to get to the interview without taking a chaperone, you may want to consider establishing some newfound boundaries associated with adulthood. If you don’t, you may find you are living your parent’s lives and not your own. Unfortunately, living someone else’s dreams tends to wreck careers, marriages, and future happiness.
If you’ve made it to the age where you need a job, trying steering your life on your own. It’s amazing how good it will feel to know what you accomplished was truly yours and not the professional meddling from parents who can’t let you fly solo.
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What is a good length for a resume?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you are just starting your career, you should try to have a one-page resume.
A person that is mid-career should have a two-page resume, but it doesn’t hurt if you can get the key information across in one page.
Technical people have two to three pages simply because to list all the IT systems, protocols and software and hardware they are familiar with takes space.
If you are a C-level professional or have been in the work force a long time and have a lot to talk about in the resume it could be up to three pages in length.
A CV can be a novella. It is very long. A CV is common in Europe, and is used in the States for doctors and professors due to their lectures and publications.
Just be sure to keep your resume short and sweet with a lot of your best accomplishments to wow your audience.
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Any family friendly employers?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How important is your family life to your employer? Should they even bother to think of your family at all?
Happy employees translate to committed workers and can lead to actual increases in productivity rather than their feared losses in productivity related to “family-friendly” efforts. When scouting out potential employers, if your family is important to you, consider whether such benefits as flex time, telecommuting, dependent care options, accessible day care, substantially above average benefits for maternity or adoption leave are available.
For those who don’t have kids (and many that do), does the company acknowledge that flexibility related to the care of elderly parents is also important? Scoping this out early in the job search can help you avoid the less-than family friendly workplaces.
Consider your present work setting, is it family friendly? I’ve seen some excellent family friendly benefits associated with some great companies but they’re not cheap. Even if the bottom-line doesn’t cover the premium family-friendly benefits, there are ways that don’t impact earnings but do make the workplace more family-friendly.
How about flex-time, partial telecommuting, being able to schedule extended lunch breaks while making up the time by staying later? Other options might be partnering with local daycare centers or elderly daycare locations to offer discounts to employees or at the very least identifying daycare and elderly care locations that are easily accessible to the workplace.
Is your workplace paying any attention at all to the needs of your family and the fact that you might be pulled in one or more directions by family responsibilities? In some places, I’ve observed that the childless, the partner-less, the pet-less or the parent-less seem to be the only ones who get ahead.
Unrealistic employer expectations that show preference to workaholics and those who don’t have a life are stressful and damaging to the family. Certainly if you work in such a place, it’s your responsibility to your family to carve out time for them or find something else, but don’t you think employers should be cognizant of the stress placed on employees when work policies discourage a balanced family life?
How family friendly is your workplace? Have you worked with the people who get ahead because they can drop everything and cater to the boss’s every whim?
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Money vs. Time?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Why do you work? What motivates you to leave your warm, comfortable bed each morning and fight traffic to get to the office on time?
We talked a few days ago about dream jobs. If your current job is not your dream job, then what keeps us motivated to show up at work every day? There might be a few of us out there who work just to have something to do, but for most of us, it’s the paycheck that keeps us coming back.
What’s interesting is that people tend to be wired in one of two ways: There are those of us who are willing to work as many hours as they can handle, as long as it means they will make more money. Then, there are those of us who would easily trade more free time for less money.
The distinction is rooted in our core work values. It’s not wrong to be wired either way, it’s just a difference in perspectives. It’s unfair to judge someone who is willing to work hard for money and call them greedy; just as it’s unfair to label someone lazy if they value free time or family time over earning more money. We don’t know their personal situations and we can’t begrudge their decisions.
Still, millions of people struggle each day with balancing their need to work to earn a steady income with their desire for a quality personal life. Based on your experience, which is your more pressing need?
Money or time?
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There’s no place like home?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For many people, working at home is a dream — often, an unattainable one. Either because our companies won’t let us or because our jobs couldn’t be done from a remote location, we are stuck in the office setup and can only daydream about the glorious benefits of telecommuting.
What are those benefits, exactly? I have thought about what I would cherish most about a work-at-home arrangement, and here are my top five “pluses”:
1) Privacy. I share a cubicle at work, and there are other people everywhere I go — the restroom, hallways, lunchroom. Private telephone conversations are unheard-of. I like interacting with other people, but not constantly. The chance to be alone sometimes would be a wonderful feature of telecommuting.
2) No commute. This is a close second — a very close second. I don’t like driving, to begin with, and it’s even less fun when I’m doing so amid seemingly millions of others. Saving gas money — and, especially, time! — would go far to decrease stress.
3) Comfort. Forget the panty hose and high heels! Working from home would mean standard “business attire” of jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of cozy fluffy socks. (Makeup would be likewise optional.)
4) Climate control. Too hot in my “office”? Turn up the a/c! Too cold? Turn up the heat or get a blanket. Too quiet? Turn up the radio or CDs. (And no more headphones!)
5) Quality time with the pet. My cockatiel probably forgets what I look like sometimes. She does enjoy perching on my shoulder while I work at a computer, though. The only potential for her to distract me would be her fascination with biting my earrings from time to time. (If I have them on, that is. See also, No. 3!)
Obviously, there would be downsides to working at home, too — for example, isolation from friends/co-workers — but it’s much easier (and it’s human nature) to identify ways in which the grass would be greener.
Do you work at home? If so, what do you like best about it and what are the downsides? Are the downsides, as the rest of us suspect, far fewer in number than the upsides?
If you don’t work at home but wish you did, what would you like the best about it? Would you find yourself tempted to turn on the daytime soaps, or would it be more conducive to working than your current setup?
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Incorporating “dreams” into reality
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was struck by the variety of comments posted on the “dream jobs blog entry” posted earlier this week. While I don’t believe there is ever a perfect job, I do feel some careers are the right fit for us at the time.
If I can laugh, forget about the clock ticking and be absorbed and involved, I am happy. But like relationships and the weather, nothing is perfect. It makes sense to do what I can today to live parts of my dream instead of waiting for a day that just may never come. As they say, “life is not a dress rehearsal.”
I think we can transpose job dreams. I would venture a guess that Niketa Patel, author of that blog entry (and BlogBreak Editor) is using her acting, interpreting and psychology interests every day in her job.
So try changing your paradigm from all or nothing. How can you incorporate parts of your dreams into your career? What can make you happy today?
Don’t put it off!
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Get your resume noticed!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have a resume that is results-focused and does not just list job descriptions.
When using job boards to list your resume, change a few words and re-post it to the job board(s) everyday so you can be up top.
Be sure you include a cover letter when there is a person you will be sending your resume to, unless they tell you it is not necessary.
Call and get a name so when you send a cover letter it goes to a specific person, never “To Whom it May Concern.” It will also help when you call to follow up.
Always confirm that your resume was received when you submit a resume to a company or person. It is a great reason to make contact and can make a huge difference.
Get a business card when you go in for the interview so that you have the information of the person you spoke with. It makes sending the thank you letter a lot easier.
After an interview, be sure that you handwrite or e-mail a personalized thank you letter that expresses your interest and qualifications for the position you are interviewing.
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The key to job searches
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Keywords” is the most overrated phrase in today’s ‘job search vocabulary.’
Understandably, every job seeker wants to find the keywords that will unlock the vault to their ideal job. As the founder of a recruiting and career services firm that has specialized in resume writing for more than 17 years, I am constantly being questioned about those all-important “keywords” that people feel pressured to include in their resume.
I’d like to unriddle this worrisome quest for those magical keywords. The key is to stop focusing on putting over-used and highly generic words in to your resume, such as communication skills, people skills, detail-oriented, team-player, etc.
Start focusing on including words that reflect your actual areas of expertise. For instance if you’re an accountant, important words that reflect your knowledge, such as Sarbanes-Oxley or SEC reporting, may be the key to getting your resume selected among the thousands. Or, let’s say you are a sales rep who has an expertise in the bio-technology industry selling medical devices.
The words that are key to opening the door to your next job are the ones that differentiate your industry knowledge (Bio-tech) and your type of selling experience (medical device sales) from others. If your resume brags about your interpersonal skills, and then omits relevant details about your job history, you’ve really missed the opportunity to sell yourself properly.
If you are in sales, your resume should highlight the kinds of products you’ve sold, types of accounts you’ve called on, and the amount of revenue you’ve generated. Although generic words such as presentation skills may be important skills to use in your sales job, almost everyone in sales has those skills so mentioning them doesn’t set you a part from the pack.
I’ve found that the key to writing a resume is to include enough detail about each of your prior jobs, so that all the industry-related and job-function terminology along with key accomplishments are explained in a meaningful, thorough way.
With this strategy, your proven expertise is well-documented and those keywords will naturally appear in your resume. Keywords are substantiated, and therefore believable, when reflected in your job history because they relate to your actual work life. The point is to use those words that best reflect your real experience.
Real experience described accurately will inevitably get your resume into the hands of the people who will value what you have done and what you can do - and that is the real key!
What do YOU want to be when you grow up?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How many times were we asked this when we were kids? Then we would give the typical response like fireman, policemen, doctor, pilot, astronaut.
Today you might get this response, “I want to be a forensic scientist or a crime scene investigator.” You might be surprised that the hottest new area of enrollment in colleges and universities is in the field of forensic science. West Virginia University and the FBI signed an agreement in 1977 to offer academic programs in forensic and investigative sciences and since then, it has become one of the fastest growing degree programs in its entire curriculum.
In case you have been asleep for the past few years and have not seen a CSI or a Cold Case episode, these have been some of the top rated TV shows on the air. Is it a coincidence that the media or more specifically TV has a huge impact on college bound students and their choice of majors? Perhaps you might remember back in the 90’s that Melrose Place was the TV ratings darling, and yes, enrollment for an advertising degree was on the rise.
My question is: How are our high school graduates doing their research about the career marketplace to make an informed decision as to what studies are necessary to get them there?
Are television shows educating our kids on what to be when they grow up? I bet parents spend more on driver’s ed than on getting their kids equipped to make the first crucial decision they will make that will affect their future careers.
What is your ultimate dream job?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Between the ages of six and 16, I went through phases of wanting to be a singer, interpretor and psychologist. Instead, I am happily an Online Producer today even though I was pursuing an acting career in my late teens back in London.
We all have dreams, some we never achieve and some we keep a hold of in our hearts and minds - just in case.
A lot of us don’t even have careers in fields in which we majored in at college.
Are you in sales but aspire to be a photographer? Do you strive to be a prize-winning author but work as a data entry clerk just to pay the bills?
If you could throw caution to the wind and really pursue a career doing what you love, what career would you have?
What is your ultimate dream job?
5 ways to establish Professional Credibility
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When it comes to creating and maintaining a professional image people generally think about physical appearance. While this is an important factor, there are other aspects of professionalism that are often overlooked. If you fail to attend to these, your professional polish can quickly become lackluster.
Mastering these small details can positively impact the perceptions of the people upon whom you seek to make a positive impression.
1) LANGUAGE - Watch your language. Not only is proper grammar important, but the use of slang, annoying cliches, and inappropriate swearing can impact the way others view you. Fair or not, people make assumptions about your intelligence and your abilities based on your speech patterns. Gossip, derogatory comments and outright lies are also unacceptable. Don’t ever give anyone a reason to think negatively of you.
2) HANDSHAKE - A firm (not crushing) handshake, done properly, won’t draw attention away from your professional image. Think about it: You don’t remember proper handshakes…you DO remember sweaty handshakes, limp handshakes, and creepy handshakes that last entirely too long; and not in a good way.
3) YOUR WORD - When you promise to do something, do it. Don’t make excuses for why you can’t. Heed the advice of “Under promise. Over deliver.” This includes arriving on time for meetings, finishing projects promptly, and pulling your weight when working in groups.
4) COMPOSURE - Nothing is less professional during a business lunch than someone causing a fuss or being rude to the server. Yelling at someone in a meeting or disintegrating into tears when someone takes issue with your project can be just as unflattering. Don’t allow yourself to be labeled as the office hot-head. If you can’t shrug off something, know your triggers and excuse yourself from the situation long enough to regain your composure.
5) CREDIT & PRAISE - Give generously and receive graciously. When someone pays you a compliment, don’t feign humility. Smile and simply say “Thank you. It’s kind of you to notice. I appreciate that.” Likewise, when someone makes a positive impression upon you, accomplishes something significant, or goes out of his or her way to accommodate you, be sure to let them know that their actions are recognized and are appreciated.
Does it pay to be nice?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I recently read Thaler and Koval’s book entitled The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness (2006). The first thought I had was - do we really need a book written about being nice and doing the right thing? Does anyone really need an instruction book? My answer was - Yes, we do.
Success in business is often seen as a dog-eat-dog struggle to get to the top of the heap, without pity for those we trample on the way. Not so say the authors, why not spice up the day with kindnesses and make work a better place and benefit in the long run. This is a very short, readable book with great examples of the role of niceness in business situations we have all encountered. The premise is that being nice (not a door mat kind of niceness) and considerate of others will pay off in the long run. Sowing seeds of niceness and acting nice in situations where the opposite is expected can bring unexpected future benefits.
I reflected on my career and found more examples where a pattern of being considerate or thoughtful to someone that might expect to be treated indifferently or otherwise has come back to benefit me. Some of the principles the authors propose include making niceness automatic; the idea that negative impressions are like germs (they spread quickly); and positive impressions are like seeds, they grow with time. Personal experience has been that the effects of either seeds or germs may not be immediately visible, but they can sprout and become very evident at the most unexpected of times.
A concern most people have is that being nice means weakness. In the business world, weakness is not respected and may result in being the last to finish every time. I don’t believe that. You can be a nice, considerate, but firm competitor and people will respect you more in the short and long term.
If you have read the book, do you agree or disagree with its premise? Can you be nice if it isn’t inherently in your nature? How about chiming in on some incidents where your kindness helped down the road in unexpected ways.
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Managing meetings or herding cats?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many of us are asked to lead team meetings or training sessions.You can be well versed in a subject, but dealing with the people dynamics is another story.The art of managing people in these settings involves some subtle behaviors on your part.
Here are some quick tips you can use at meetings or training sessions.
1) Negativity-Validate, don’t discount the person’s concerns. Allow some venting. Ask for solutions and check in with the rest of the group - maybe they can shed some other light. Don’t get defensive!
2) Monopolizing-Tactfully interrupt, set time limits on individual report outs and direct questions to others. Make minimal eye contact with the person.
3) Shyness-Establish rapport outside the meeting. Allow people to solve problems in smaller groups. Encourage time for writing responses before speaking.
4) Socializing-Move physically closer to the talker(s). Set ground rules that discourage side bar conversations. Direct a question to them to get their attention.
5) Distracted -Help person identify if the distraction is external(the heat, chairs,etc.) or internal (stressed out about workload) and help them problem solve. Keep meetings focused and moving along. Training sessions should build in a lot of variety to head off boredom.
What do you do to manage these and other behaviors from your teammates?
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Coming in late is costing me money!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The meeting is scheduled to start at 8:00 am. Your co-worker arrives at work at three-minutes to eight, and the meeting doesn’t get started until 8:15. In their mind, they came to work on time, but in reality, they are late.
Some people are always late. They are late for work, meetings, appointments, dinner, parties, etc. They don’t think anything of it. It is an inconvenience to everyone who is on time. More importantly, it is costing your company money.
There is a solution to the problem. “Change the culture of your organization.”
UPS has a philosophy that still resonates with me today. This philosophy was called “Lombardi Time”, which comes from the legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi.
Lombardi Time is, “if you are not fifteen minutes early, then you are fifteen minutes late”. At UPS, managers were told that they were late, if they did not arrive at meetings fifteen minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Lombardi would impose a fine on players who came to practice late.
Once implemented, you will notice your meetings will be quicker and more relaxed. It will also save your company money.
Do you have colleagues that are perpetually late for everything? Is importance placed on tardiness in your office or is it overlooked?
Computer chips inserted into your brain…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
…could help you get the job done.
You are either in disbelief or laughing at the thought of a chip in your brain. But this type of technology is just around the corner. Most of the science fiction movies that make it to the big screen may seem impractical, but they actually reflect the types of research being conducted today.
Scientist have been able to fuse living brain cells and silicon circuits to create neuro-chips. These types of medical advances will help individuals with learning disorders, cerebral palsy and other disabilities.
Chip technology will one day help to alert us of a stroke or heart attack. Chips currently are placed under the skin to serve as hospital ID’s for adults, credit card payments, and tracking devices for children and pets.
Twenty-five years from now, employees who need to learn a new skill may have a chip implant which will give them instant knowledge, skill and abilities on how to perform tasks they have never been exposed to. Executives traveling abroad for an extended assignment may have a chip implant that will give them full command of the foreign language.
Adults learn more effectively when they have a mix of lecture, classroom and hands on experience. Technology will reduce two of the steps of the process in the future.
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Physical Fitness…and Working
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I went into my gym at the beginning of the year and I’ve not seen it so crowded … since January 2006!!!! In a few weeks, the crowd will be down to the usual size; back to the committed ones!
Those folks, who are quitting their New Year’s resolution to get fit or lose the added weight from over-eating during the holiday within just a few weeks of starting, aren’t giving themselves enough time to get fit or lose the extra weigh. Interesting, huh?
A recent article states that one-third of all dogs are overweight. And guess what? Dogs are now having the same health problems as people. It’s not enough that we’re doing it to ourselves; now we’re including our pets! Read “Diet Detective” for another view.
Given that physical fitness helps with having a healthy body and life style, how does it impact our work attendance, performance and productivity? There is much written that discusses the relationship of health and work productivity. As many of us know, there are lots of reasons people “lay out” of work, but health is one of them.
What have you noticed with fellow workers past and present?
If you’re a physically fit person, what’s been your experience with your work attendance, performance and productivity? What have you noticed with others?
For those with health problems, how has it impacted your work attendance, performance and productivity?
By the way, how do you feel about those physically fit folks? What keeps you from “keeping” your New Year’s resolution?
If you’re committed, I’ll handle the crowd!!!!
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