Hard Work: Your Best Friend

How’s that dream of yours coming along? Are you living in a Penthouse Apartment? Do you own that yacht next to P. Diddy’s? Are you the CEO of a multimillion dollar company?

Whoa there! Don’t get down on yourself if these day dreams haven’t come to fruition yet. They can and they will happen if you truly want them to.

Truly wanting something, like your dream job, for instance, is not simply wishing and hoping for it day after day. It’s not sitting at your current job, huffing and puffing about how you’d make ten times a better boss than the man with the corner office down the hall.

Truly wanting something is going out and doing what it takes to get that something. It’s a driving force, that cannot be stopped. It colors every move you make and it leads you towards those promised lands: corner offices, CEO jobs, and even yachts!

The best thing you can do to get your goals into gear is to find the job that will take you there. Without a doubt, the best place on the internet for jobs is Employment Crossing.

Employment Crossing collects job data from every region of the country and in every sector of the workforce. What do you excel at? Accounting? We’ve got it. Landscaping? We’ve got it. Marketing? I think you get the picture.

Start your journey towards that corner office today at Employment Crossing.

How’s That Screenplay Coming Along?

At least one of you reading this, I will endeavor to say, is an unemployed writer working on the first thirty (if you’ve been really productive) pages of your future award winning screenplay. If you’re at home, across from you, on the desk, or dining room table (wherever your workspace is) is your cell phone bill… not paying itself.

You’ve maybe just barely paid off your rent for the month and it’s left you without much more than money for 79 cent tacos from one of those fast food establishments you’ve been relying on for survival.

You and I both know that reality has set in and it’s time to face the facts:

YOU NEED A JOB!

Not only do you need a job, but you need Employment Crossing to find you that job. After all, you’re a writer. You want to make that B.A. in Enlgish or Journalism proud. You’re passionate about the written word and you won’t compromise yourself working behind the counter of the local coffee shop.

“No, sir. You cannot get half-caf. And no, sir. You cannot get a scone with that.”

Listen to me. Jump onto Employment Crossing and find that job that allows you to use your talents, your skill set, and take one step toward that ultimate goal of being a professional writer.

Don’t waste time, my friend. Get started today. You’re phone bill is begging you.

Tags: Careers, crossing, Employment, Jobs, screenplays, writers, writing

Social Networking Snafus & Your Job Search

Do you have a photo of yourself posted proudly on your personal social networking page? No, I don’t mean that professional portrait you framed and gave to your grandma last Christmas. I’m talking about that night two weeks ago when you and 20 of your closest friends decided to play beer pong on the roof of a abandoned petrochemical facility and Bob captured the moment on his phone…

In that handy “personal information” section of the same profile did you list the following dislikes?:Working, collating, filing,bosses, HR departments and wage slavery?

Before you send your resume out to the employer of your dreams ( or lets face it in this economy, any employer) you may want to tighten the privacy settings on your Facebook/MySpace/Social Networking Site of Your Choice and other personal ephemera floating around out there on the ‘net.

Prospective employers do treat these resources like a free background check and they will judge you by what they find.

According to research done by the Career Builders website 53% of potential employers will research you online. 43% of those who do research you rely on common search engines and 12% go directly to Facebook to check you out. According to Career Builders, two in five employers found information during such a background check that dissuaded them from hiring a candidate. One third of employers said that an online search of candidates qualifications proved said candidate lied about his or her qualifications.

Once you’re hired you need to be careful too. 28% of employers reported firing an employee over material they posted on the web. In most cases this material was derogatory towards an employer or another employee. It is important to realize that the internet is a memory monster, all those blogs you wrote when you were 16, those wild beer pong photos, political affiliations, likes, dislikes, music and friends are out there once you put them out there. The best solution is to never give out personal information over the internet. If you do, use a pseudonym and don’t post identifying photographs. Many people live a great deal of their lives on the web so this may be an impossible option. As an alternative, protect the flow of information. Go into your account settings and crank up the privacy. Plug your name into a search engine and read your results. If you see any issues try to fix them if that is possible.

Also remember that Social Networking can be used for good. You may be able to make employment contacts or employers may reach out to you. Make your best impression!

Don’t put your name or identifying information to anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandma to read…unless your grandma belongs to a motorcycle gang ( Hi Grandma!).

Let It Begin In 2010

Attention world: Let it begin in 2010!

Let what begin? Your career, your attitude, and the rest of your life. Put it in your head that this is your year. Allow yourself to succeed beyond your wildest dreams and reach heights yet unseen. How are you going to do this? Remember this phrase: It’s all in your head!

Your outlook on life will determine the quality of your mood, the company you keep, and most definitely your career. If you’re unemployed: change it! You might say to yourself, “But there are no jobs!”

THAT IS NOT TRUE!

Check out sites like Hound and Employment Crossing today. Don’t wait. The longer you allow yourself to go unemployed, the more problems you are likely to have.

There is no need to fear, log on and find a job that suits your expectations. If you are currently in a  job you can’t stand, cross over to a job you love with Employment Crossing.

You can have the life you want. Let it begin, in 2010!

Tags: 2010, Employment, get a job, hound, hunting, Job Search, Jobs, motivation, unemployment

Encouragement Part II

I previously wrote a post about the impact of encouragement on you and your career and I got some feedback asking for a more in depth look at the phenomenon of discouragement and encouragement and how it plays into your career.

I want you to stop whatever you are doing and think about five things you believe about yourself.

- Do you believe you are capable of earning a million dollar salary?
- Do you believe that you are capable of getting a promotion?
- Do you believe that you are on the verge of getting fired?
- Do you ALWAYS believe that you are on the verge of getting fired?

Okay, now I want you to think back to the origin of such beliefs. It is my guess that these sorts of self-perceptions have everything to do with the company you keep.

Have you ever watched an awards show like The Grammys or The Oscars? More often than not, you will hear the recipients of such awards doll out a long list of thank you’s. And they are also,  quite frequently, very long lists. This is an interesting bit of proof that the most successful of individuals do not do it all on their own. They do it with the encouragement and, more importantly, the belief of others that they can achieve such amazing feats.

Rarely, if ever, do you see someone go up on a stage after receiving an award saying they’d done it all on their own. In fact, I have never witnessed this.

My point is, you should take a step back and analyze your life in this way. Divide your friends and family into categories of those who encourage and those who do not encourage. Does your mother tell you that you are very intelligent. Does she tell you that she “knows” you can acheive anything you want in life? Then put her into the pile of those who encourage.

Conversely, do you have a father (or mother, even) who is always telling you that you cannot achieve this or that. Do they tell you that you need to revise your thinking to be more realistic? Do they say that you’re dreaming too big? Then put them into the other pile!

Once you’ve got your lists together, you have some serious soul searching to do. I do not believe that you should, or that it is realistic to completely excise these negative people out of your life; however, you do need to learn how to more or less ingore those people.

Positive encouragement is one of the most important tools you can possess in your quest for career. The affects it can have on your mood will increase your aptitude at work. They will even make those sleepy mornings easier by increasing your motivation for going to work. If you know that when you get to work, you’re going to achieve something great, then I have no doubt you’re going to be thrilled to get there.

On the other hand, if people are telling you that what you think you can achieve is unrealistic or that it’s not possible, then how do you think that will affect you at work? It will invariably diminish your ability to work to your full potential, and quite possibly leave you with a sense of depression and hopelessness.

Listen to me: You need to ignore those naysayers because we live in a world where anything is possible. And in your career the sky is the limit. That is, and always will be the truth.

When your outlook is positive, good things will happen. They may take time, but from the very moment you believe, you will start planting the seed of greatness. Your continued encouragement will act as the sunshine that lets them grow into beautiful flowers!

Tags: awards, Career, enocouragement, positivity, promotion, success

Be Aggressive

Whether you’re in a high pressure sales position or do administrative work at a small start-up, there is one piece of advice that will apply everywhere: Be aggressive.

Now I don’t want you to start barking at your boss or co-workers, nor do I want you to cut-off every driver on the road, I simply want you to take control of your job.

When you go into work, get going! The best thing you can do is to have a list ready for you to work from. Start checking off the list right away. Your number one goal is to get things done before they HAVE to be done. Be on top of your tasks and you will see results.

Being aggressive also means finding things to do. Keep track of ideas you have to make your position more efficient and productive. Then, when you finish all of your tasks early, start implementing those ideas. Essentially, it all boils down to good ole fashioned hard work, but perhaps it will help you to think of it this way.

You want to make your way through tasks throughout everyday. Think of work like Tetris. You have to have a steady flow of completed lines to save room for all of the stuff piling on top. People around you will notice your hard work, guaranteed. You’ll be more likely to get promotions and raises because you will be seen as more dependable.
If you don’t have a job, then this methodology should apply to your job search. Sign up for sites like Employment Crossing. They have aggressive techniques of finding open positions all around the country. A month with them is sure to lead you toward some great work opportunities.

So get cracking!

Tags: aggresive, Employment, employment crossing, Job Search, job tips, work habits

Jobs You Don’t Want…

In this topsy turvy economy, lots of Americans are looking for work.  No matter how bad things may seem at times, there are still some jobs you just don’t want.

Take for instance this Craigslist post from a lawyer in Chicago:

Loop law firm looking to hire am energetic woman for their open secretary/legal assistant position. Duties will include general secretarial work, some paralegal work and additional duties for two lawyers in the firm. No experience required, training will be provided. Generous annual salary and benefits will be provided, including medical, dental, life, disability, 401(k) etc. If interested, please send current resume and a few pictures along with a description of your physical features, including measurements. We look forward to meeting you.

Other than the next to last line, it all sounds pretty routine until the follow up letter arrives, containing the following:

As this is posted in the “adult gigs” section, in addition to the legal work, you would be required to have sexual interaction with me and my partner, sometimes together sometimes separate. This part of the job would require sexy dressing and flirtatious interaction with me and my partner, as well as sexual interaction. You will have to be comfortable doing this with us.

Lastly, we’ve actually hired a couple of girls in the past for this position. But they have not been able to handle the sexual aspect of the job later. We have to be sure you’re comfortable with that aspect, because I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. So since that time, we’ve decided that as part of the interview process you’ll be required to perform for us sexually (i didn’t do this before with the other girls i hired, now i think i have to because they couldn’t handle it). Because that aspect is an integral part of the job, I think it’s necessary to see if you can do that, because it’ll predict future behavior of you being able to handle it when you have the job.

Any self respecting job seeker would immediately steer clear of this one.  If a potential boss can’t be bothered to capitalize the pronoun “i”, you can hardly expect them to pay attention to other important details, like salary and benefits.

For a listing of jobs you do want, check out the listings at EmploymentCrossing.com.

Should Job Interviewees Admit to Having Kids?

It’s illegal in most places for a job interviewer to ask if you have children, or if you plan to have children. And although this question would be as pertinent with a male employee as a female one, it’s women who have to worry that a recruiter will have a bias against employees with children. Although today’s fathers are often as involved (in a non-obstetric sense) with their children as mothers, employers still think that male employees will be more reliable and will work more hours than women.

Managers with large firms and corporations may tend to be more modern in their outlook on hiring women who have, or intend to have, children, simply because they have programs in place to deal with the issue. But a particular manager may still have a bias, and small employers may go so far as to violate the law and quiz you on your personal family plans.

So what should you do if a recruiter asks about children? That’s a tough call. You can’t lie — never lie. You can explain to the recruiter that the question is illegal — this could lead to a contrite apology from the recruiter, or they may become annoyed. Neither is good for your hiring prospects.

Or you could walk out. While this may be the most satisfying response (and who wants to work for a firm whose recruiters or managers don’t know standard practices?), in this economy it may not be very practical.

My advice is to be honest and answer the question. Don’t talk about future plans — that’s your business, and could change anyway. Mention that you have children, and if it’s true then say they are in a reliable daycare, or are looked after during the day.

Just be aware that a firm that asks these questions in an interview is likely to cause problems for employees who are parents, both women and men.

On a side note — a tip for managers, and for employed parents. The personal lives of parents are not necessarily more or less important than those of non-parents. Try not to make concessions for parents that you would not make for non-parents. It breeds dissatisfaction over perceived favoritism. And a 22-year-old’s emergency involving an elderly relative, for example, is no more or less important than a 42-year-old’s emergency involving a child.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: bad interviewers, family issues, interview tips, interviews, parenting

Humor: The Differences Between You and Your Boss

From the Internet, with some additions of my own:

When you take a long time, you’re slow.
When your boss takes a long time, he’s thorough.

When you don’t do it, you’re lazy.
When your boss doesn’t do it, he’s too busy.

When you make a mistake, it’s your fault.
When your boss makes a mistake, it’s your fault.

When doing something without being told, you’re overstepping your authority.
When your boss does the same thing, that’s initiative.

When you take a stand, you’re being bullheaded.
When your boss does it, he’s being firm.

When you break a rule of etiquette, you’re being rude.
When your boss skips a few rules, he’s being original.

When you please your boss, you’re a suck-up.
When your boss pleases his boss, he’s being cooperative.

When you’re out of the office, you’re wasting company time.
When your boss is out of the office, he’s “in pocket.”

When you take a day off sick, you’re sick too often.
When your boss takes a day off sick, it’s a tragic illness.

When you ask for a few hours off, you must be going for an interview.
When your boss asks for a few hours off, it’s unavoidable.

If you forget to do something important, you’re risking your job.
If your boss forgets, you forgot to remind him.

If you can’t get the printer to work, you’re incompetent.
If your boss can’t get the printer to work, it’s broken.

When you get laid off, you get two weeks severance and a security guard to escort you off the premises.
When your boss gets laid off, he gets a golden parachute and stock options.

Got any others? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: bad bosses, humor

What Your Manager Really Means to Say

From the Tubes — a Management-to-English translator:

That’s very interesting. I disagree.
I don’t disagree. I disagree.
I don’t totally disagree with you. You may be right, but I don’t care.
You have to show some flexibility. You have to do it whether you want to or not.
We have an opportunity. You have a problem.
You obviously put a lot of work into this. This is awful.
In a perfect world… I won’t give you any resources or guidance. Just get it working and get it out the door.
Help me to understand. I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t think you do either.
You just don’t understand our business. I hire experts like you and then ignore their advice.
You need to see the big picture. The CEO thinks it’s a good idea.
If you do want to discuss it further, my door is always open. Go f— yourself.
I appreciate your contribution. Go f— yourself.
We’re going to follow a strict methodology here. We’re going to do it my way.
I didn’t understand the e-mail you said you sent. Can you give me a quick summary? I still can’t figure out how to work the e-mail program.
Cost of ownership is a significant issue. We want all of the benefits and none of the costs.
We have to leverage our resources. You’re working weekends..
Your project is on hold. Your project is canceled.
Wrong answer. You didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear.
You needed to be more proactive. You should have protected me from myself.
I’d like your buy-in on this. I want someone else to blame when this thing bombs.
We want you to be the executive champion of this project. I want to be able to blame you for my mistakes.
We need to syndicate this decision. We need to spread the blame if it backfires.
We have to put on our marketing hats. We have to put ethics aside.
It’s not possible. It’s impractical. It won’t work. I don’t know how to do it.
It’s a no-brainer. It’s a perfect decision for me to take credit for it.
I’m glad you asked me that. My boss told me what to say.
There are larger issues at stake. I’ve made up my mind, so don’t bother me with the facts.
I’ll never lie to you. I’ll lie to you.
Our business is going through a paradigm shift. We have no idea what we’ve been doing, but in the future we shall do something completely different.
Human Resources. A bulk commodity, like lentils or cinder blocks.
The upcoming reductions will benefit the vast majority of employees. The upcoming reductions will benefit me.

Got any more? Post them in the comments!

Tags: business communication, humor, Internet meme, management