How to Excel in Communication at Work

Have you ever found yourself feeling like you aren’t in the loop at work? Maybe you have a hard time understanding what your duties are at your job, or perhaps you just have a hard time dealing with coworkers and seem to always run into conflicts at work.

If any of these problems happen to you, you may need to take a look at how effectively you are communicating in the workplace. Communication is vital to any job, and without good communication, a lot of bad things can happen. Dealing with conflicts is a part of any job, and keeping yourself in the loop and knowing what’s going on is essential to excelling in any job or career. How can you improve your communication skills you may ask? There are several ways, of which I’ll name a few:

Remember to listen to people instead of trying to talk over them, especially when it comes to your boss or manager. If you don’t listen, you may miss critical information about how you’re doing, what your assignment is, or other critical knowledge that will really hamper your work performance. Take notes if necessary when listening, but make sure to learn this very important skill if you want to succeed in your job.

When you face a conflict in the workplace, resolve it with humility and honesty. Remember that conflict, like communication, is a two-way street, and both sides usually have something that they can improve on. If you’ve done something wrong, own up to it, apologize once if necessary, and then move on, resolving to do better the next time. Avoid apologizing too much, as that just makes you look like you want pity or attention. Also remember that everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect, no matter what they might say. Be prepared and ready for conflict, so that when it happens, you’re not caught with your pants down.

Another thing to remember is that it’s not good to communicate too much or not enough, and there is a balance that needs to be met in your communication with your boss. If you don’t communicate enough with your boss, he or she won’t know what’s going on with you and may question what you’re doing, as well as if you really care about what you’re doing. On the flip side of that, if you communicate way too much, then your boss may become annoyed and want to flick you out of his or her face like an annoying fly. In general, it’s better to communicate with your boss whenever an important question comes up and you really need help with it, or if you are low on work and need another assignment to work on. Use your own best judgment though, as every situation is different. Go with your instincts, and you should be able to tell with body language and verbal responses from your boss if you’re communicating too much or not enough.

Of course there are many other aspects of communication in the workplace that I haven’t gone into here, but one of the most important things to remember is that effective communication is essential to every job out there, whether you’re working from home, a part time job, or are in your full time career. Stay positive in your job, listen, and make yourself heard where appropriate, and you will be off to the right start when it comes to effective communication in the workplace.

Tags: boss, business communication, career advice, communication, interpersonal communication, Jobs, success, workplace

Still Employed? Don’t Make Job Search Mistakes

If you’re like me, an oxygen-breathing hominid, then searching for a new job while you are still employed causes you a lot of stress. It shouldn’t — especially in this economy, workers need a job in which they can feel secure. Many of today’s job searchers aren’t looking for a better wage or title. They want greater job security.

But certain mistakes can reduce your current job security, or even get you fired. While employers should take an employee’s job search in stride, most don’t. And many managers will fire you if they find out you’re looking, even if you’re only passively searching.

So keep your job search secret at work. And here are some things you should not do.

Don’t discuss your job search with your “friends” at work — even the trustworthy ones. Remember the young woman who admitted an affair with her boss to a co-worker “friend?” What was her name? Monica Lebowski? Feel free to discuss your job search with your work buddies — after you get a new job.

Don’t conduct your job search on your computer at work. As I’ve mentioned before, your employer has the legal right to monitor everything you do on your work computer, even if it’s personal business or your personal web email. Conduct your job search at home.

Don’t mention your job search on social networking sites. Believe it or not, some employers actually know that Facebook and LinkedIn exist. Use these sites to network — but get a hold of possible job contacts via your personal email, from home.

Don’t talk to your current employer’s clients or competitors. I know, this can make it very hard to find a new job. But there’s a very good chance these people will contact your boss and report that you are job hunting. You can never know who your boss hung out with at the national convention last year.

Don’t go to job fairs. There’s too a high chance that one of your boss’ friends, or someone representing your own company, will see you there.

Be careful where you post your updated resume. It’s okay to have the latest version of your resume on LinkedIn or a resume hosting site. But you don’t want your boss to see your resume on Craigslist or some other classified ad site — it implies you are actively looking.

Don’t forget to ask anyone you interview with to PLEASE not call your current employer. I’ve never personally known a potential employer to call a current employer without express permission. But mistakes happen, so make sure the recruiter or potential employer understands they should not call your boss. Provide three alternate references, at least one a former supervisor.

Tags: boss, Craigslist, currently employed, Facebook, job application advice, job fairs, job search advice, job security, LinkedIn, networking, resumes

Keep Your Party Pants in Check

The holiday season is officially upon us and we know what that means, PARTY TIME! YAHOOO!! We’re already four days into December and this weekend is perfectly suited for starting out the season with tiny finger foods and adult beverages. Tis’ true that many a company is scaling back the office extravaganzas, but, regardless, chances are you will be attending at least one festivity.

Parties abound during this time of year, both personally and professionally. There’s your friends’ Tacky Christmas party, your work holiday party, your bf’s/gf’s work holiday party, family get togethers, random cocktail parties, and don’t forget about New Year’s parties too! With all the ‘stuffing your face’ and imbibing going on this time of year, it’s important to keep yourself in check and not make a fool of yourself…you never know who may be watching. You do not want to be that guy/girl chugging Goldschlager straight from the bottle with reindeer ears on your head. You just never know who works where, who runs what, and who can’t keep their mouth shut.

In the spirit of holiday giving and keeping you in the good graces of any potential employers, co-workers, even family members, here are some surefire tips to staying out of the dog house.

Number One: Learn to hold your alcohol. Just kidding…what I meant to say was don’t drink too much.

Number Two: There is no number two. If you don’t take down five glasses of Chardonnay or any Jager Bombs, you can avoid a massive amount of embarrassment needed to survive the night with your dignity and reputation intact. Not to mention you’ll be alert enough to carry on a convo and network seamlessly through the night.

Enjoy all your siorees this weekend and let EmploymentCrossing contribute to the success of your job search. We make up for what cocktail schmoozing lacks. Gotta free trial, too.

Tags: boss, friend, holidays, parties, reindeer