Doing the Dirty Work: How to Tell an Employee He’s Not Dressing Appropriately

August 30, 2010 – 5:46 am
Wear appropriate clothing to work, even if it's business casual. Don't wear strong cologne or perfume. Take care of personal hygiene--and wear deodorant. All of these tips sound like common knowledge, and common sense, for the work world. You'd think everyone would know how to present themselves in an office. Even if the office dress code is lax, you'd hope employees would know that while jeans might be OK, a micro-mini and a halter top is probably not appropriate for the women (no matter how much the guys in the office support it), nor are wife beaters for the gents (sorry guys, even the girls aren't supporting this one. No one wants to see your arm pits). Belly shirts should also be avoided. Well, you'd think so. But, whether people are new to the workforce, or just clueless about how others in the workplace view them (or smell them), sometimes people don't present themselves appropriately for an office. Now, they're ...

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Awesome Creative Resumes…That Could Go Awesomely Wrong

August 25, 2010 – 6:10 am
Did you ever watch the show "Arrested Development"? It was like the funniest show on TV, when it was on, which wasn't for long. It introduced Michael Cera to the world and saved Jason Bateman from Teen Wolf 2 infamy. If you didn't watch it (thanks, by the way, you're the reason it's off the air), the show was about "a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together." Anyway, one of my favorite characters on the show was Tobias Funke (played by David Cross), who was Michael Bluth's (Bateman) brother-in-law, a former analysist-therapist (although he combined those words...interestingly) and want to be actor. Tobias Funke In one episode his daughter Maeby (Alia Shawkat) was posing as a casting director (don't ask). Tobias didn't know that, and asked his daughter to help him send his resume to casting directors, and he insisted ...

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Facebook Places: Effectively Destroying How We Take Our Sick Days

August 20, 2010 – 4:41 am
Facebook recently announced that it is launching Facebook Places, a program similar to Foursquare that allows users to "check in" where ever they go. And allow users to tag their friends at these places too, showing where they go and at what time. And employees should be afraid. Very afraid. Now, I never tried Foursquare for several reasons. One, I don't care about badges unless they're the result of selling Thin Mints. Two, being mayor seems like too much responsibility, what with all the scissors for the ribbon cutting ceremonies and "mayor" sashes I would undoubtedly have to buy with my own money. But Facebook, with it's difficult-to-figure-out privacy settings, will probably make it difficult not to participate in Facebook Places. Because even if I don't tag myself, that doesn't mean that my friends won't tag me. Doctor's orders! In theory, Facebook Places sounds cool. You can find some cool new restaurants, find out ...

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Predictions for the Future of Office Life

August 18, 2010 – 5:12 am
"Nirvana is on the classic oldies station." --Number 46 on Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2014 Are they kidding? I feel like it was just yesterday when I was stomping around in Doc Martens, baby doll dresses, and flannel shirts. But, according to the Beloit College Mindset List, which was just released to show us the mindsets of incoming college freshmen (and to make the rest of us feel ancient), for something to smell like teen spirit, it must be Tweeted in 140 characters or less.  Way to pick the voice of your generation, Class of 2014! What else is on the list? Apparently the Class of 2014 think e-mail is too slow (No. 2), don't know the joy of giving the pizza guy convoluted directions in the hopes that he won't make it to your doorstep in 30 minutes or less (No. 39), and only know Michelangelo as a computer virus (No. ...

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Career Lessons from ‘Jersey Shore’

August 16, 2010 – 8:51 am
Sigh. I can't believe I'm doing this. Seriously, I feel like I'm sinking to a new low. A low so low I'd need to dig up to see sunlight. But, here goes: Career Lessons from Jersey Shore *Shudder* If you've been living under a rock, Jersey Shore is an inexplicably entertaining reality show on MTV about some idiots who like to get drunk and party, featuring characters named "Snooki," "The Situation," "JWoww," etc. So what can you learn about your career from these Mensa candidates? And they're all making more money than I am too. Sigh. Do what you do best. The cast of Jersey Shore drinks, parties, and gets girls into the hot tub (presumably by knocking them out with a club and dragging them by their hair). They're not out lobbying for environmental bills or performing surgery, or even, I don't know, getting a book from the library. Why? Because they're good at drinking, partying, and getting girls ...

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Don’t Follow JetBlue’s Flight Attendant’s Lead: 6 Ways to Gracefully Quit Your Job

August 11, 2010 – 9:19 am
I hate to admit it. But the story about the Jet Blue flight attendant, Steven Slater, who quit his job is kind of amazing. Come on, you've heard it by now, right? A passenger was grabbing her carry-on bag even though Slater told her she needed to put it away. So she cursed him out. And then he just quit. Well, he didn't just quit. Dude got on a loudspeaker of the plane to curse out the passenger and quit. And then he proceeded to grab two beers. And then he exited the plane by sliding down the emergency chute. Seriously, any of the three would have been a pretty cool way to quit a job. But Slater reached the trifecta of quitting awesomeness. Who wouldn't want to quit like that? Just imagine what he would have done if the passenger asked for extra peanuts. But, American Dream aside, let's take a serious look at Steven Slater. He was working ...

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How to Deal When People You Manage Just Won’t Listen

July 30, 2010 – 5:24 am
It's good to be the king. It's hard, however, to be the manager. I have a friend, "Scarlett," who's in a new position as manager. And not only is it a new position, but it's also the first time she's managing others. If I can make a dress out of curtains, you can certainly finish that spreadsheet by deadline. Scarlett is in now managing "Rhett." It's hard enough coming in as the new sheriff in town. Employees are usually set in their ways, and don't like to be told that they have to do things differently. Especially if there wasn't a manager there before, as is the case with Scarlett. Additionally, Scarlett is younger than Rhett. And Rhett isn't having any of it. Deadlines aren't being met. Projects aren't being completed. Rhett just doesn't want to do anything. And, OK, it's understandable that it's tough getting used to a new supervisor, especially one who's younger than you. And maybe ...

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Let’s Beat Up Some Interns! (Figuratively, Of Course)

July 28, 2010 – 9:23 am
No one starts out their careers on the top. Most of us have to start at the lowest rung of the employment ladder, as an intern. And while most of us have graduated on to more advanced positions, we never forget our employment roots. And any mistreatment you received when you were an intern is passed down to your interns. It's sort of like if you were in a fraternity or sorority in college. When you pledge you're forced to do all sorts of dumb, and sometimes humiliating, tasks. And you vow that when you're in, you'll never treat new pledges the way you were treated. Yup, definitely want an intern. But you totally do. I was lucky enough to have some great internships at the start of my career. I interned at a magazine where I got to write and edit articles. I interned at a book publishing company where I got to essentially ghost ...

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5 Positives About Webcam and Skype Interviews

July 26, 2010 – 9:52 am
You kids and your new-fangled technology! First there were in-person interviews. Then phone interviews. Now, apparently some companies conduct webcam interviews over Skype or similar programs. The future is here, my friends! While there will always be a place for the face-to-face interview, webcam job interviews are becoming increasingly more popular. Here's five reasons why you should conduct your interviews via Skype. 5 Positives About Webcam and Skype Interviews It is cheap! Say your company is in Milwaukee (I don't know why I picked that--it just has a Dr. Seussian ring to it that I like), and you found this top-notch job candidate in Timbuktu. If you fly this job candidate out to Milwaukee for an interview and the person ends up not being a good fit for the position, well, you're out about a million dollars (give or take), and you still have no one for the position. Do the interview over webcam, ...

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What To Do With Expense Account Abusers

July 20, 2010 – 8:23 am
My boss once handed me his credit card. I just couldn't do it though. I folded under the pressure--the responsibility was too great. What if I messed up everybody's pizza order? Because of the tanking economy, most companies cut back on them. But, now, they seem to be making a comeback. Clearly I don't have one--I can get everything I need in the office--but does your company offer the all mighty expense account? I'm committing company fraud. Yabba dabba do! When we think of those with expense accounts, we often picture CEOs and presidents; the high-powered editor being driven around the city in the fancy town car, the VP banker schmoozing up clients with $400 bottles of wine and steaks the size of your refrigerator. Of course, they're not the only ones who have, or should have, corporate expense accounts. When my fiance was just starting out his career as a lowly production assistant at ...

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