The Holiday Office Party A Cautionary Tale

The Holiday Office Party A Cautionary Tale Well, another year has come and gone, and the holidays are once again upon us. For most of us, that means the obligatory holiday office party. It’s a time for us to come together with people we work with and celebrate as if we didn’t work with them. We can eat, drink and be merry without the requests, demands and general office politics. But what we all know to be true is that once the party’s over, reality comes rushing back in. What happens at the holiday office party does not  stay at the holiday office party. Yet every year, there are always a few who seem to forget…and they’re the ones who make for good stories after their untimely departure from the company. Let’s take a look at a few best practices when partying with coworkers this season. Know your limits: This should be considered rule 1, as well as rules 2, 3, 4 and 5. It’s very simple â€" if bad office party behavior is stacked in the form of an upside-down pyramid, the bottom block upon which everything else rests is alcohol. When was the last time an office party faux pas was made that didn’t involve alcohol? There’s something about the office party setting that causes people to blow off more steam than they normally would on a typical night out. Maybe it’s the allure of throwing caution to the wind around those who have only seen us on our best office behavior. Regardless, office parties are a breeding ground for career-killing mistakes, and they’re always fueled by generous amounts of alcohol. If you want to ensure your career and your relationship with coworkers remain unscathed, know your limit, or stick with the soft drinks. Remember where you are: Before you even get to the party, make sure you’re dressed appropriately. Even if the party is held in a bar or nightclub, it doesn’t change the fact that you will be in the company of managers and coworkers. Whether intentional or unintentional, an outfit that is too casual or too revealing can send the wrong message to work associates and make your return to the office uncomfortable. Also, the same goes for your date. If you bring your spouse or significant other, his or her appearance, speech and mannerisms will reflect on you. Make sure he or she knows this beforehand, and is able and willing to make a good impression on those who hold your career in their hands. Don’t dance if you can’t dance: Remember the episode of Seinfeld when Elaine decided to dance at her office party, and the result was so bad that her coworkers ridiculed her upon returning to work? If dancing isn’t your strong suit and you feel the need to bust a move at your office party, it probably has something to do with the above paragraph on alcohol. Nevertheless, be aware of your actions, and know that they will be scrutinized from the time the dance ends until every person attending the party has quit the company. If you end up leaving the company and working elsewhere with a former coworker, expect the scrutinization to continue. Incidentally, this advice also applies to singing if your office party involves karaoke. Just don’t: Any other office party shenanigans you decide may be a good idea at the spur of the moment, just remember, don’t. Play it safe, and you’ll be glad for it the next day. This goes for speaking badly about your job or your boss, flirting with coworkers, acting disrespectful toward supervisors or subordinates, or any other behavior that you wouldn’t want reflecting on you in a corporate setting. The best rule to live by is when it comes to holiday office parties, if it’s not something you would do sober and during office hours, it’s probably not appropriate for the office party.

Ten Quick Tips to Nail The Cover Letter Format

Ten Quick Tips to Nail The Cover Letter Format Ten Quick Tips to Nail The Cover Letter Format Your cover letter is most likely what your prospective employer will read first. So, make sure you dont use the exact same cover letter script for every single job that you apply for.If you don’t want your job application to end up in the reject pile even before an employer has read your resume, then be mindful of what you write! How to write a cover letter that worksYour cover letter should start in a strong manner that captures the attention and curiosity of the person reading it.Although your goal is to keep your letter short and sweet, it needs to be informative enough to deliver the information that the employer is looking for.To increase your chances of getting shortlisted for an interview, you need to deliver the facts that are needed while creating a level of curiosity in the employer to find out more about you.By using these top ten tips, you can plan out and build yourself a cover letter that will grab the attention of the employer and encourage them to read your resum e.1. Don’t be impersonalRemember that your cover letter is a professional introduction. Whenever possible, address your letter to an actual person. This is usually the person in charge of hiring at a company such as the Human Resources Manager.In most cases, the job advert will give a name for you to address your application to. Make sure that you use it! If there is no addressee mentioned, reach out to the company and ask for a name.This is better than being vague and impersonal by addressing your cover letter to: The hiring manager, or: To whom it may concern. This is too impersonal and creates the wrong impression.2. Introduce yourselfYour cover letter is a tool to break the ice and to introduce yourself to the employer. So do just that!Give them your nameWhat position you are applying forWhat skills, experience and knowledge you can bring to the company3. Customize your cover letterThis is probably THE most important tip that we can pass on to you. Customization is the key to a successful cover letter.Always take the time to customize your cover letter for each job application that you make. Make sure you detail the specific skill-set that you possess that the company is looking for.Use phraseology that mirrors the company language â€" mimics how they speak. Describe your skills and knowledge in a way that the company would describe them.Try to avoid many of the commonly repeated phrases that people use in generic cover letters. Remember that an employer can spend many long hours sorting through cover letters and resumes.Their minds will quickly switch off and your application will be lost to the reject pile.4. Do your researchIf you want to work for a company, it helps to know them inside and out. Many businesses will have a lot of free information for you to search and read up on via their company website.Read their back history, the company ethos and their beliefs. If they meet and align with your own then this makes it easier for you to speak with ge nuine passion about why you want to work for the company in your cover letter.Always remember that the company will be swamped with perfectly qualified job candidates with the exact same skill-set and work history as you. What makes a candidate stand out is someone that is very well-informed about their company and has shared beliefs and goals.5. Look at the job requirementsWhile doing your company research, check the job advert and the job description. Note down what skills are required to do the job.Also, look at who the company mainly deals with. Do they focus on B2C or B2B? This will give you an idea about how to phrase your language in your cover letter.If this is a B2B company you can highlight and reinforce your B2B experience. This will help you to stand out more than a similar candidate with only B2C experience and vice versa.6. Use a resume cover letter formatMake sure to format your cover letter to perfectly match your resume. Your cover letter is not only a tool of intro duction, but it also helps to back up your resume.Formatting is important here to show that you pay attention to detail. Make sure that you use the same font size and style as you use for your resume.Also, make sure to use the same margin sizes and spaces that are reflected in your resume. You want it to match so that it doesnt break the eye-line of the reader and their attention isnt broken by an inconsistent layout.You can make it a lot easier on yourself if you chose to use a resume template with a matching cover letter. By doing this you will be sure that both of these important documents will match perfectly.7. Remain humbleThe last thing you want to do is to put off your potential new employer by coming across as a big-headed know-it-all in your cover letter.While it is fine to talk positively about yourself and your achievements that are relative to the job in hand, it never sounds good to brag.   Instead, stay professional and courteous in your address.The employer will be l ooking for a candidate that will fit in well with others in their company. They will be looking for someone that has the knowledge and experience they need, but will also be open-minded and willing to learn from their peers.8. Check, edit, check, edit, then check and edit againYou will be amazed at how many resumes and cover letters get rejected because of reasons such as poor grammar, spelling mistakes, repeated information and obvious typos.While you may be tempted to shoehorn a lot of information into your cover letter, remember that it needs to be kept short.By reviewing and editing your cover letter you can cut out on excessive words or long explanations that can be said in fewer words.9. Get someone else to review your cover letterIt is always worth having a fresh pair of eyes to scan over your cover letter. Having someone else check your letter may draw your attention to something you missed, such as poor grammar or phraseology, a spelling mistake or a feeling that the letter is too long/too short etc.While it may be handy to simply get one of your family members to check over your cover letter for you, it helps to remember that they will be biased because they love you.What you need is an objective pair of eyes to cast a look over your letter, so choose someone that you know will give you an honest opinion and isnt afraid to appraise it with a critical eye.Choose a trusted work colleague or a friend that has your best interests at heart. This way you will get an honest opinion rather than flattery or praise for your efforts.10 .Finish in a strong mannerYou need to close your cover letter as positively as you started it off.It is better to have a strong finish that tells the employer what to do next. Tell them that you are happy to go into more detail about your experience and are willing to discuss this further in an interview.Dont forget to include your contact details â€" you will be surprised to hear that so many people forget to include this inform ation, especially when they are busy focussing on the content of the cover letter rather than the basics.ConclusionHopefully, these top tips will give you the tools to help write a very strong and compelling cover letter. Check out our list of cover letter examples by profession for laser targeted tips.Do remember that your cover letter gives you a chance to get your foot in the door for an interview. Try to stick to the points above and avoid any negative language that will be a turn off to a potential new employer.Don’t include information that is already listed in your resume. Never repeat your resume in your cover letter. The employer will not appreciate reading the same information twice.One final tip â€" NEVER use your cover letter to speak badly of your former employer. This not only looks very unprofessional, but it bears absolutely no relevance to the job that you are applying for. Stay on point!Good luck with your next job interview! previous article Simplexing â€" Fre e Modern Resume Template next article Ready For The World a Free Functional Resume Template you might also likeWhy Good Cover Letters Never Include These Words and Phrases

Even the Receptionist Needs to Be a Corporate Marketing Maven - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Even the Receptionist Needs to Be a Corporate Marketing Maven - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The corporate view of personal branding is very different than from an individuals point of view, which Ive previously discussed. Companies need to understand the importance of personal branding within the corporate culture. If only the executives have a grasp on the corporate message, then the company will fail. I believe that you have to market more to your employees than to customers because employees are the ones who are facing customers. The more they understand your purpose, values and can replay your message, the more effective you will be at customer acquisition and loyalty. I discussed this and more concepts with Noel Capon recently. Personal Brand Statement: Professor Capon is the world leader in key/strategic and global account management. Bio: Professor Capon is the R.C. Kopf Professor of International Marketing and former Chair of the Marketing Division at Columbia Business School in New York, where he has been on the faculty since 1979. Professor Capon is widely published. His articles have appeared in many reviewed journals and trade magazines. He has also written many books on marketing and sales management. He is the author of Marketing Mavens. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-F78qh94W0] Why does every employee need to have basic marketing skills, not just the marketing department? How does a company create a company-wide-marketing culture? Big-end marketing involves everyone in an organization. No one gets a paycheck unless the customer is happy, therefore customers are the lifeblood of the organization. That being said, they are the concern of everyone. It’s not easy to create a company-wide marketing culture but it has to come from the top of the organization (executives). If you get that message throughout the organization, it goes a long way. You need to put in place a mechanism and processes to ensure everyone gets it. For example, with Bloomberg; whenever they sell a terminal, there is a financial impact on everyone because they all get commission. What do you mean by making consumers “core assets”? What role does the end user play in the marketing of a product or service these days and do you feel that social media has impacted that relationship? The only way a company gets cash is through revenues from products or services from customers. It needs cash to pay people, therefore customers are critical. If you look at a corporate balance sheet, you will notice that customers don’t appear at all. If you take a traditional way of looking at assets, they don’t show up. We need to move away from that strict financial view because customers are the source of cashflow, which means that they should be treated as assets. Communication is now much greater both between companies and customers and between customers themselves. Traditionally the company has a message and they send it to a customer (web 1.0). Now with interactive media, there are more customers talking back to companies (web 2.0). That feedback enables them to modify their products and services and attracting and retaining customers. Customers are playing a role in the innovation process. The value that people get from customers is very important. Social media increases closeness between customers and companies. We always know that word-of-mouth is an important aspect of the mix. The media explosion today has made this much greater, so companies are trying to figure out how to use these different devices (facebook, etc). They are looking to get information back from the market. Today, companies dont have full control over what their customers say. What are your five imperatives for companies, as discussed in your book? There are strong cases about marketing just being communications. I view marketing as much bigger than that. Pick markets that matter â€" figure out what markets are attractive to your company, giving the competencies you have. Any market has a number of segments â€" Its a matter of creativity and analytics to figure out what those are. In the segments that you choose, you need to figure out how to deliver value and create competitive advantage. Making sure that the organization can deliver on the promises that you just defined. The marketing department is the architect and the rest of the organization acts as the builder. You need to measure what matters because you are making an investment and you need to see if you are achieving the results you are looking to achieve.

What Ive been doing while Ive not been posting

What Ive been doing while Ive not been posting I havent posted for two weeks. This is the first time in ten years that I have gone two weeks without writing a column. Really. I have a track record for continuing to write when every other sane person would take a break: I wrote a column right after I delivered a baby, I wrote a column from the admitting room of a mental ward, and I wrote a column four hours after the World Trade Center fell on me. So you can imagine that I did not plan this blogging break. Of course, I tell people that planning a break from routine work is very important for learning. And of course, I dont take my own advice. So, the break was accidental, but I did learn a lot. Heres what Ive been learning about myself. 1. I am sick of straight-up career advice. Do you want to know what I was writing when I wasnt writing? I wrote ten thousand random paragraphs about the farmer. I wrote about him considering dumping me for being Jewish, and me having to argue with his pastor about our interfaith relationship. And I wrote about the farmer borrowing my books about business. Every time I wrote something that was straight career advice (like how to change departments in your companya question people ask me a lot) the post sucked and I didnt run it. But at lunchI had a lot of lunches while I was not taking time to write postsI met with a potential investor, and he said, I read your blog for two hours last night. And I said, Oh, did you get a lot of career advice? And he said, I read mostly the personal stuff. It hit me then that its okay for me to write personal stuff all the time. You have to write what interests you. I want to tell you that stuff that is not me is interesting to me. And it is. But only in relation to me. 2. I missed my editor. In case you didnt know, I have an editor for my blog. This comes from being a columnist for so long. My editors were incredibleone was from Vanity Fair, one went on to the Harvard Business Review, and they definitely made me a better writer. So I have an editor for my blog, and if you think thats over the top, consider this: he also edits my Twitters. I mean, you cant write about sex and investors in the same 140-character phrase and still get funding unless you have an editor to save you from yourself. So anyway, when I am posting regularly, I talk with my editor three or four times a day. When I stopped posting, he called me to see if something was wrong. And when I said, Yes, of course something is wrong. I have too much to do, he changed his tune and started telling me that if I have to cut something, writing on my blog probably wasnt the best idea. And then I snapped at him: When someone is cutting out something they love as much as I love blogging, then you can imagine that person is really, really busy. The problem with being friends with someone who works for you is when you snap at him about time management issues, its hard for him to come back to you with something like, You are being a brat and a bitch and Im sure you have twenty minutes to crank out a post about how everyone should be lost in life or something like that. So I missed writing a lot. Every night I would tell myself, Tomorrow I will write. I will have time tomorrow. It didnt surprise me that I missed writing because Im addicted to the process of self-discovery through words. But it did surprise me that I missed my editor. Talking with someone about things that matterlike does the sentence have better rhythm with an and or an alsois a foundation for talking about everything else. 3. My traffic is mysteriously not related to my rate of posting. On days when my blog is rocking, like when I write about transparent salaries and the New York Times quotes me and I get 200,000 page views from the intelligentsia, Ryan Healy will point out that my blog is not really a blogit is something elsebecause I have the same traffic no matter how often I post. But this is not totally true. For example I experimented by canceling my whole life and posting five days in a row, and yes, my traffic went up a bit. But only a bit. And after not posting for two weeks, my traffic only went down a tiny bit. 4. Some things dont change. Even after a break. Look, Im still writing lists. Right? And Im still telling myself that for me, blogging is mental, and if I would just take any free half-hour of the day to sit down and write what I care about, Id have enough posts in the hopper. And even though I spend tons of my time meeting with investors who tell me that I should use my blog as a way to plug my company, I continue to write posts about me instead of my company, and I still insist on tossing in off-color missives about the investors for good measure. Our SEO guy, who I love, told me to use the word Generation Y in a sentence and then link to Brazen Careerist. So I am doing that now. Because I want to be a good team player. But really, I took time off from the blog to raise funding for my company, and realized that I care too much about the blog to make the company come before it. They are together. The blog is where I experiment with ideas that end up driving the company. 5. I hate my photo. This is something Ive learned in the last two weeks. For those of you who dont know, I never look like my photo on my blog. First, my hair is never that organized. I try to remember back to when Yahoo had the photo taken and I dont remember hair like that, so maybe it was never like that and its all Photoshop. That wouldnt be too outlandish an assumption since my skin also never looks like that, or my lips, and it might actually not even be a photo, but a Yahoo rendition of what a photo might look like. A British womens magazine did an article about me and my divorce. And they asked if I had three hours to do a photo session. I was like, I dont even have a half hour for a blog post, so Im definitely not doing three hours of photos. Then they told me it was a famous photographer, and he takes pictures for Vanity Fair and other big magazines that I figure surely starlets demand to look great in. So I said yes. And it paid off. Because I have new photos that actually look like me. Here they are.

This Is How Your Boss Is Screwing Over Your Career

This Is How Your Boss Is Screwing Over Your Career Feeling underappreciated is a big reason why a lot of people leave their jobs. It’s not about the money or the lack of time off work. It’s about doing something every day that appears to be utterly meaningless to the people around you.The evidence suggests, however, that humans are more than mere automatons showing up for a paycheck. We’re a social and emotional bunch. And we want to feel as if what we’re doing has some immediate value.Michael Kerr is a business speaker and author. He’s researched the ingredients of great leadership. He says that a lot of it comes down to expressing simple interest in employees and what they’re doing. Caring for team members is, therefore, important.evalUnfortunately, this happy state of affairs doesn’t exist for every company out there. Much of the time, the opposite is true. Here’s how your boss is screwing you over.1. You Don’t Get Any Guidance Or SupportPhoto Credit â€" Flickr.comIt’s a well-known fact that if you want to adva nce your career, you need the mentoring and support of your seniors. Unfortunately, that support isn’t always forthcoming. Think about this: does your boss only care about project completion? Or do they look for ways to challenge you and advance your skills?If it’s the former, it’s likely they see you only as a pawn on the chessboard. You’ve got a function, but you’re not worth all that much to them. The solution in the medium term is to quit your work, especially if your co-workers are getting trained and you aren’t.2. Your Boss Is A BullyGreat bosses can read people really well and understand their needs. They know that if they meet their emotional needs, they’ll have a productive and engaged person on their side. Bad bosses don’t know how to do this. And they way they get what they want is through bullying.Intimidation and bullying are serious issues that may require the involvement of employment lawyers. Chances are if they don’t take your feelings into account , they don’t care about you as a person. Staying in this kind of environment is toxic for your self-esteem and prospects. Get out as soon as you can.3. You Only Hear From Your Boss When You Make A MistakeIdeally, managers would take the time to recognize the good work you do as well as the bad. But unfortunately, some bosses only focus on the negative aspects of what you produce. This makes it you feel as if you can do nothing right, even if the overall quality of your work is good. This is a sure sign that your boss is taking you for granted. They only want one thing out of you, and that’s work.4. They Demand You Work During Your Time OffPhoto Credit â€" Flickr.comMost places of work make a point of protecting other colleague’s time off. People need time off to recharge and get on with the important things in life. But some bosses don’t afford their employees this luxury.evalInstead, they’re on the phone on bank holidays, vacations and weekends. Perhaps the project you’ re working on is super important or time-critical. But being disturbed out of hours shouldn’t be a regular part of your life.

4 Ways to Impress Your New Boss - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

4 Ways to Impress Your New Boss Entering a new role can be daunting in many ways. With new responsibilities to adapt to and an unfamiliar work environment to find your place in, there is much to think about before you arrive at your first day on the job. Arguably the most stressful component to this is impressing your new boss, who is an important person in dictating how you grow within the company. To remove some of the stress involved with impressing your boss, you should take note of some handy tips that will ensure you also keep your own life at the top of your priority list. Be Confident Confidence is something that most people struggle with at some point in their lives. It could relate to confidence in your abilities, to confidence in conversing with new people. In any case, keeping your confidence levels high is a sure-fire way to stand out to your boss. Not only will they be more likely tosee your finely-tuned work skills, but it reassures them that they can place you in charge of any responsibility. Finding this confidence in yourself can feel impossible at times, but if you act your genuine self and you  practice confidence building techniques, you will quickly find your time to shine. Don’t Go Overboard When starting a new job, it is easy to assume that taking on as much as you can is the best way to impress your boss. While this is true, to begin with, stress can quickly spiral out of control, and there is more risk of things going wrong. It also opens yourself up to being taken advantage of by your boss if they know you will say ‘yes’ to every responsibility. If you find yourself in this predicament, and your stress is beginning to negatively impact other areas of your life, you need to take a step back and reassess your current workload. Don’t be afraid to speak to your new boss about it; the chances are that they will appreciate your honesty. Always Keep Safety First Whether you work in a 9-5 office or spend your days in an industrial manufacturing plant, it’s crucial to ensure you adhere to every health and safety procedure. While you may not think you could injure yourself or suffer a strain at your desk, it can happen, including injuries such as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), and common slips and falls. Asking to review the health and safety procedures in a new workplace is sure to impress the boss, as they will see you are a responsible individual. However, you should speak to The Compensation Experts to see how they can help if you do hurt yourself; they can easily be found at the-compensation-experts.co.uk. Think Outside The Box Regardless of who you are, you will be more likely to be impressed by those who think outside the box for innovative solutions and ideas. Your new boss is no exception. Although it can be scary to pitch an idea to your boss, you should use your new-found confidence to show them how your ideas can be more than helpful for the company. Distinguishing between great ideas and irrelevant ones can be tricky, so it’s best to familiarise yourself with your boss and company before adding a new spin to your next suggestion. Even better is if you go on to inspire the same innovation, creativity, and enthusiasm within other employees. Align Your Goals With The New Company Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how clever you are and how great with people you are if you are only in your job role for yourself. Bosses look for people who wish to align themselves with the company, where they can grow together to achieve success. If you build a healthy rapport, loyalty, and dependability with your boss, you can almost guarantee they will hold an appreciation for you that goes far beyond that of any other employee.

Summary Sunday Turbocharge Your Job Search and Career

Summary Sunday Turbocharge Your Job Search and Career Turbocharge your job search and career with this collection of articles which includes job search cheat sheets, advice on how to nail your next phone interview, tips on how to proactively use LinkedIn to discover job leads and network, trends in the workplace and more! Im pretty sure youll find something in this summary that will give your job search a little extra boost! JOB SEARCH 25 Free Cheat Sheets On Every Job Search Topic by Jacob Share | JobMob Cheat sheets help remind you of important steps. Thanks to Jacob Share, youll find reminders for all the important stages of job search. This post includes cheat sheets on Career Success,  Social Media Personal Branding,  Job Fairs Networking,  Cover Letters,  Resumes,  Job Interviews and  Salary Negotiation. 8 Expert Tips for Using Your Infographic Resume Successfully by Jessica Hernandez | WorkItDaily If youve been thinking about creating and using an infographic resume to stand out, then youll have to read this article. (I want to thank Jessica for including my suggestions in this article!) 4 Common Assumptions That Kill Your Job Search Before It Even Starts by Gary Burnison | FastCompany You know what they say about assuming If you are planning a job search or even actively searching right now, please read this. INTERVIEWING How to Nail Your Next Phone Interview by Mac Prichard | Macs List If a recruiter calls you on the phone, thats a major accomplishment! You want to convert the phone interview into an in-person interview and youre more than halfway there! Have a listen to this podcast I did with Mac and learn what you can do to get called in for a face-to-face job interview! LINKEDIN 5 Ways Your LinkedIn Feed Can Lead to a Job by Arnie Fertig | US News World Report Youve already optimized your LinkedIn profile so youre ready to start trying these 5 things to turbocharge your job search. Job search requires you take action and this article helps you understand how to use your LinkedIn Home Feed to generate job leads, grow your network and more! WORKPLACE TRENDS 5 Big Trends in Jobs for 2018 by Andrew Chamberlain, Chief Economist   | Glassdoor Understanding these 5 trends will help you think about what you need to do to stay up-to-date and competitive. Here are just a couple of these trends:  Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming to HR and Finance and companies are implementing greater transparency in the application process. Please, go read about these changes and what they mean for your job search and career. CAREER TOOL 17+ Creative Ways to Use Trello and Organize Everything by Melanie Pinola | Zapier What if there was a different way to create your to-do list or keep track of the books you want to read. There is. Trello is an amazing tool that helps you create lists and organize projects. Theres even one for tracking your job search.