Advice

Dear Diary … Today so-and-so had reheated lutefisk for lunch again – gross. The whole office stunk. LOL. And then you-know-who spent the afternoon on his desk phone with his new girlfriend. Get a room! Oh well. At least America’s Got Talent is on tonight … That’s not the kind...

Getting amped for the release of the movie based on Suzanne Collins’ novel Hunger Games on March 23? If you’re a fan of the first book, this post is for you! Collins has said she was inspired to create this disturbing yet intriguing dystopia while watching TV one day, alternating...

If you’ve been reading our stuff for a while, you know that employers and hiring managers get pretty peeved at emails with nuisances like vague subject lines and “thanks in advance.” Turns out, a lot of people feel pretty strongly about email etiquette. Let’s face it — emails are our...

What do Jay-Z, Mark Zuckerberg, Stephen King and NBA’s newest heartthrob Jeremy Lin have in common? Yup, legendary success — a direct result from their pristine work ethic. Jay-Z wrote raps relentlessly, burning through rhyming dictionaries at a young age. In order to infuse his work ethic into his company culture,...

Company culture – the term is bandied about so often that it has achieved near-buzz word status. But there are reasons why “culture” has earned such a high place in our career vernacular: It is real and it is important. While it can seem intangible, company culture manifests itself in ways...

Stress. Anxiety. Unhappiness. Frequent urges to bang your head against your desk. Feeling like your head is on a platter. Too many professionals suppress these feelings for far too long, especially when it’s a byproduct of poor company culture. Well, it’s a paycheck, right? Putting up with a poor working...

Your attitude, not skillset, is the top predictor of your success at a new job, according to Mark Murphy, author of Hiring for Attitude in an interview with Forbes In his recent study, he looked at 20,000 new hires and found that almost all of the 46 percent of failed hires...

It may not feel like it right now, but being fired could possibly be the best thing that’s happened to you. After all, you were likely neither appreciated nor happy working there anyway. Try to keep your head up and move forward! If JK Rowling succumbed to devastation after getting fired...

Congratulations! You finally got that promotion you’ve been hoping for. Now you’re a manager and you’ve got some great things to look forward to, like a new job title, a nice raise, and having more authority within your organization. In addition to those perks, you also have an entire...

A job interview can be a very stressful event for a potential candidate.  Eating out with the person who might become your boss can add another layer of worry to the process. Next time you’re going to be interviewing during a meal, keep these things in mind: 1. Manners Matter Brush up...

You’re finally going to do it. You’re going to get a real job. Your parents/significant other/cats have been bugging you for years. Your student loans are more than you could ever hope to make in a year. Plus, you’re tired of eating hotdogs every night. Yep, there’s no stopping...

It seems that people tend to allow negative events to have a more profound impact on them than positive ones. It’s the nasty comment, the failure or the error on the job that seems to stick in people’s psyche like a splinter.  So we walk around overemphasizing the things...

We really believe there is a happy job out there for everyone. But we also understand that sometimes you just need a job – and that might mean you wind up at a company with a not-so-great culture (seems like those ones are always hiring because of high turnover). Don’t...

Everybody likes a good acronym, right? There’s T.G.I.F., R.O.Y.G.B.I.V., not to mention the good ol’ U.S.A. Ask a resume writer what their favorite acronym is, and it’s probably  K.I.S.S. K.I.S.S. stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid – and it's one of my favorite phrases. Simplicity is key when it comes to writing...

Are you a fan of the weekly singing competition The Voice? If you are, you may have already noticed a distinct parallel to the way things are in the workplace. If you’re not familiar with the show’s format, four celebrity singer-coaches select the best aspiring singers from a blind audition....

You’re ready for your first real job and are raring to go. But wait! Before you say “I do” and negotiate start dates, you have a few more questions to ask: How will your new employer onboard you? That is, how are they planning to integrate you into their...

Building relationships and establishing trust are key elements to success in any organization, especially for recent grads. One of the most important relationships to build is the one with your manager. Often in the haste to get into the task at hand, learn the job and meet the other...

It’s crunch time, undergrads! A lot of students have their summer internships locked down because most companies start searching for interns at least one full season beforehand. But don’t worry. It’s not too late if you start now! Realize, however, that employers are being bombarded by applications right now—so you really have...

Think your master’s degree in metallurgy of the Middle Ages won’t help you get a job outside of academia? Think again. Due to the fickle economy, more and more people have gone back to school for advanced training before hitting the job market.  Along with this trend, there is a growing...

Knots and butterflies in your belly. Heart and mind racing. Sweaty palms. Shortness of breath. These symptoms can be pretty hard to shake right before a big job interview. But here’s the kicker: it’s all in your head. “Anxiety and jitters come from not knowing what is going to happen -- basically,...