job & interview

Why Baby Boomers Can Be Great Entrepreneurs

Why Baby Boomers Can Be Great Entrepreneurs

Why Baby Boomers Can Be Great Entrepreneurs Increasingly, this generation is dipping its collective toes into the entrepreneurial waters...

7 Tips for Job Hunting While Still Employed

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
7 Tips for Job Hunting While Still Employed</h1>
<h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
Here’s how to tactfully shield your search from your employer.</h2>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-1" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn1_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<img alt="(Alex Wong/Getty Images)" class="img-responsive block-generous" data-size="rectangle652" height="413" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/f36c29f/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F76%2Fca68384dcd3f1ea28b826052247773%2F45137WideModern_JobsListings_130725.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 25px; width: 652px;" title="(Alex Wong/Getty Images)" width="620" /><div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">In today's workforce, it's not uncommon to look for a new job while currently holding one. In fact, about 73 percent of employees don't have a problem searching for new employment before leaving their current firm, according to a survey released in July by the staffing firm Accountemps.</span></div>
</div>
</header><div class="block skin-editable" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Such employees have the best of both worlds: They can test the job market waters in hopes of finding something better, while holding onto a job they may genuinely like. Andy Teach, author of "From Graduation to Corporation," says employed job seekers are in a good position. "If you don't get the job you're looking for, you can always fall back on your present job," he says.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Still, engaging in this job seeking practice could backfire. Even if you're universally liked in your office, the revelation of your job search could cause feelings of resentment, damage your reputation and possibly lead to your dismissal.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
To ensure your search is both tactful and discreet, follow the steps below.</div>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-2" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Maintain a positive attitude.</strong> It's natural that your enthusiasm for your current job may slip once you've decided to bolt, notes Patti Johnson, CEO and founder of PeopleResults, a Texas-based human resources firm. But don't wear that attitude on your sleeve. Continue to excel in your current position and diligently complete your work on time. Also, take on additional assignments, like mentoring a new co-worker, to prove that even in the midst of your departure, you've remained fully committed to the company. "You want to make sure that there's no visible sign that, internally, your heart's not in it," Johnson says.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>[See: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-10-worst-times-to-switch-jobs" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">The 10 Worst Times to Switch Jobs</a>.]</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Don't let your job search enter the office. </strong>Save your search time for your house or a local coffee shop. A snooping employer may catch on if you're using the company's email, phone line and/or fax to facilitate a job search. "You don't want to use any company materials to look for a job," Teach says. "Those obviously can be traced, and a lot of companies track Internet usage."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Plus, your search won't be productive when you're conducting it in a state of paranoia, according to Jaime Petkanics, a career advisor and founder of The Prepary, a website devoted to job search advice. "I think all aspects of the job search require focus, and if you're worried about someone coming by, or pausing to pick up a phone call, or complete a task, you're not going to give searching, résumé updating (or whatever else) the attention it deserves," Petkanics writes in an email.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Stay quiet on social media.</strong> While you may not directly interact with your boss and colleagues on social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, that doesn't mean they aren't viewing your profile. It's even easier for them to see your activity if you fail to activate your privacy settings or if you share mutual acquaintances who acknowledge your search through a post or tweet. "Even if you don't think people from work are in your networks, it's best not to post anything that indicates you're looking for a job on any social media outlets," Petkanics says.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Don't list your present employer on your references list. </strong>"If you're interviewing with another company, you want to let them know, 'Please don't contact my present employer,'" Teach says. Instead, fill your roster of references with previous employers. If you're determined to demonstrate success at your current job, direct hiring managers to a key recommendation or endorsement on your LinkedIn profile that you received from a boss or colleague.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>[Read: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/10/24/the-job-seekers-guide-to-mastering-interview-image" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">The Job Seeker's Guide to Mastering Interview Image</a>.]</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Keep in line with the company dress code. </strong>Wearing a suit to an office that embraces business casual attire will only ignite suspicions on your job interview day. "If you dress informally, and one day you show up with a suit or tie, that's going to raise some red flags," Teach says. "You don't want to dress any differently than you normally would." Whether you're directly leaving work before the interview or returning after, find an offsite location where you can change. If time allows, return home or turn the backseat of your car into a dressing room.</div>
</div>
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/10/30/7-tips-for-job-hunting-while-still-employed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

7 Tips for Job Hunting While Still Employed

7 Tips for Job Hunting While Still Employed Here’s how to tactfully shield your search from your employer. In today's workforce...

Surviving the Holidays With Your Job Intact

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
Surviving the Holidays With Your Job Intact</h1>
<h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
The do’s and don’ts of making it to the new year while preserving your professional reputation.</h2>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-1" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn1_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<img alt="Rear view of co-workers holding presents behind back for their  boss." class="img-responsive block-generous" data-size="rectangle652" height="413" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/7184e75/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F9c%2F138da6540e26fe9d39d896230745a6%2F50994WideModern_GiftsBoss_121513.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 25px; width: 652px;" title="(iStockPhoto)" width="620" /><div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Enduring the holiday season isn't just a challenge we face in our private time, it's also one we grapple with at work. While there's plenty of good tidings to go around, there's also a swell of anxiety and awkwardness in the air.</span></div>
</div>
</header><div class="block skin-editable" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Below are the three most common trouble areas for how the working world celebrates the holidays, plus do's and don'ts to make it to the new year with your job and professional reputation intact:</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>[See: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-dos-and-donts-of-surviving-the-holidays-at-work" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">Do's and Don'ts of Surviving the Holidays at Work</a>.]</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Vacation Time</strong></div>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-2" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Carole Delouvrier, one of the manners and etiquette experts behind the website Right or Rude (www.rightorrude.com), says taking time off during the holidays is sacrosanct. "It's for spending time with family or getting some rest – a time of year when your boss should be more flexible." Still, many departments can't stop working completely at holiday time, plus your boss has the vacation needs of an entire staff of Christmahanukwanzadan-celebrating employees to coordinate and monthly goals to strive toward. If you want to ensure you're one of the lucky employees to take personal days, then make your requests early. Delouvrier suggests asking in October, so that your needs are considered well before Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. When talking with your boss, "have a plan in place for how work will continue to get done, and be as flexible as possible with what you're requesting," she says. "Also ask if your boss will make a decision by a certain deadline, so that you may make travel plans."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Be extra nice to whichever one of your colleagues has been left behind to cover for the work you'll miss. Diane Gottsman, etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, recommends that you compile a work binder or digital folder of how-tos for your basic duties, so that your co-worker has materials to reference while you're out. "This is something that can be used for vacation time at the holidays or any other time, plus you can use it for a step-by-step guide of what's expected if you're out for illness," she says. "It's also a great training manual for future employees. Really, creating this binder is just a win-win."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Last-minute tip:</strong> If you didn't submit your request for time off early, consider asking for flextime during the holiday. Perhaps you could telecommute or stagger your hours so that you might still celebrate away from work.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>[Read: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/12/11/7-tips-for-navigating-the-office-holiday-party" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">7 Tips for Navigating the Office Holiday Party</a>.]</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Holiday Parties</strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
If your employer is kind enough to host a holiday gathering, then you should do your utmost to attend, "even if it's after hours or on the weekend," Gottsman says. "It's an indicator that you value your team and the people you work with." Wendy L. Patrick, business ethics lecturer at San Diego State University, says the holiday party is "an opportunity for team building. This is your chance to interact with those co-workers that you wouldn't interact with otherwise. The important connections that you build in your career don't happen in the office hallway, but at social events."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
But the keyword of the office holiday party is "office," not "party," so mind your professional Ps and Qs. Arrive on time, wear something respectable and ration your trips to the bar, because you don't want to careen from the life of the party to the butt of the next-day's water cooler jokes. If you're unsure of whether you should drink or abstain altogether, follow your supervisor's lead, then stay at least a drink behind him or her. Also stick to beverages you know you can tolerate. "Now isn't the time to try out a signature cocktail," Patrick notes. "If the company culture is to allow employees to drink, keep what you order very practical."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Last-minute tip: </strong>If you don't drink, then you have your own set of obstacles. To ward off unwanted questions, Patrick suggests nursing a virgin cocktail as you network. "Order sparkling water or sparkling apple cider from the bar, or bring a drink you like with you and carry it around. It's a magic pill against hearing the 'why are you not drinking?' question," she says. If people still ask, "tell them that what you're drinking is your favorite. That shuts down any further inquiries."</div>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/12/16/surviving-the-holidays-with-your-job-intact" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Surviving the Holidays With Your Job Intact

Surviving the Holidays With Your Job Intact The do’s and don’ts of making it to the new year while preserving your professional reputati...

Interview Tips – Consider Timing to Interview Your Best

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Antic Slab', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif !important; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.interviewbest.com/?p=5178" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; line-height: 50px !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Interview Tips – Consider Timing to Interview Your Best</a></h2>
<div class="post-content" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'PT Sans', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
“Life is all about timing… the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable… attainable. Have the patience, wait it out. It’s all about timing.”<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Author Unknown</strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img src="http://ykdy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/how-to-pass-an-interview.jpg" /></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
The job selection process is typically long and agonizing particularly when a person is unemployed. Even if a selection process goes as scheduled, it can take 6-8 weeks to select a final group of candidates (from 100s of resumes), get candidates through multiple rounds of interviews with multiple interviewers, decide on the winning candidate and work through the job offer. With travel schedules, organizational changes, communication glitches, and general disorganization the selection process can stretch to 3-6 months. Many candidates have been surprised by a phone call in reference to a position to which they had applied but had totally forgotten over a long period of time and numerous unreturned inquiries.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
Exacerbating this long agonizing process is an almost universal lack of communication. I remember interviewing for a job and being told after my interview on a Tuesday that the selection committee would be meeting that Friday to make a decision. Monday rolls around no word; Tuesday Wednesday passes no word. Finally, I call Thursday only to be told the meeting was canceled and rescheduled for next week. Nice of them to let me know! I have heard dozens of stories about difficulty contacting hiring managers to follow-up on interviews and not being notified of negative hiring decisions. Based on all the time, effort, and emotion job seekers put into interviews, the lack of contact borders on the inhumane.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
So what is the solution? The best solution is for hiring managers to be empathetic and do the right thing. As soon as a decision is made, let the losing candidates know. Not being selected is bad, not knowing makes it worse. If you absolutely cannot handle picking up a phone and giving difficult news, send a letter or email. If you want to be a real human being, call the losing candidate and give them feedback about why they were not chosen. This will give them valuable information they can use minimally in their job search and maybe in their career and life in general. Why take the time out of a busy schedule conquering the business world to give feedback to a losing candidate? I could give you numerous reasons related to your company’s image and brand, your company’s ability to attract talent, what will be written about your hiring process on <a href="http://vault.com/" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51) !important; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Vault career information">Vault.com</a>, etc. However, bottom line it is the right thing to do and you will actually be happier having done the right thing.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
Ok, so given that there will still be hiring manager that won’t step up, what is a candidate to do? First and foremost, and this is important, do not take it personally. Companies are almost universally lousy in communicating with candidates- it is not you or anything you have or have not done.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
Second, be sure in your interview to ask questions about the hiring process and when and how you should contact the hiring manager to follow up. When they tell you when and how to contact them you can begin your contact with, “just as you requested…”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
Third, realize that job search takes a lot longer than you had anticipated and your sense of time is distorted. In the throes of job search, a day seems like a month. When you were working and you set up a meeting for next week, it was part of the natural business rhythm. When an interview is set up a week from now, it seems like an eternity especially if it is rescheduled for the following week, which is not unusual.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
Forth, there is a natural tendency to call hiring managers too often and too urgently. Talk with a trusted advisor and ask for advice and direction. An objective advisor can help you be more rational and set up a contact schedule that is reasonable and professional.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px;">
I often tell people that job search is about 1000 times more difficult than working. This is true for numerous reasons that will be the subject of subsequent entries. However, for the subject of this entry, the lack of communication and feedback adds extra angst to the already difficult job search process. However as Sir John Lubbock said, “When we have done our best, we should wait the result in peace.”</div>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.interviewbest.com/?p=5178" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Interview Tips – Consider Timing to Interview Your Best

Interview Tips – Consider Timing to Interview Your Best “Life is all about timing… the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable b...

How to Handle an Office Pest

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
How to Handle an Office Pest</h1>
<h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
It's the responsibility of the peeved and the pest to improve workplace relations.</h2>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-1" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn1_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<img alt="Composite of businessman being annoying at work" class="img-responsive block-generous" data-size="rectangle652" height="435" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/07869a2/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F6f%2F8b%2Fb85a047a4f5ca727190afa9c64d6%2F140327-annoyingbusinessman-stock.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 25px; width: 652px;" title="(iStockPhoto)" width="652" /><div class="t t-dim" style="color: #666666; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-top: -20px; padding: 0px;">
If you're the office goober, you might consider trying to fit in with – rather than blatantly standing out from – the rest of your colleagues. </div>
<div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">We don’t evolve much beyond a grade school caste system. We grow up, enter the workplace, supposedly mature and revert to the same social constructs we tried to fling off as kids: the workplace's cool cliquey group, the brains of the office, the mean girls, the goobers.</span></div>
</div>
</header><div class="block skin-editable clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
This article is dedicated to the latter group: The workplace goobers. From a performance standpoint there’s little to complain about, but personality-wise, they’re the well-meaning employees who are just a little bit socially awkward and socially annoying. If you’re nodding your head in agreement, it’s probably because you know who the goober is at your job. If you’re not nodding your head in recognition, then be warned: The office goober just might be you.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Whether you're the one doing the annoying or the one being annoyed, follow these tips for more workplace harmony.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>[See: </b><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-25-best-jobs-of-2014" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;"><b>The 25 Best Jobs of 2014</b></a><b>.]</b></div>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-2" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>For the Annoying …</b><br /><b>1.</b> <b>Watch what you say. </b>Figure out your work-to-chat ratio and err on the work side. You should be social in the office, but not so much that you’re siphoning productivity. Also note that sometimes it’s not about how much you talk, but how you’re doing it and what you’re talking about. "People write to me about what to do with close talkers a lot," says Richie Frieman, the Modern Manners Guy for QuickandDirtyTips.com and author of "Reply All … and Other Ways to Tank Your Career." "It's the person in the office who stands too close, who invades your space." Also be careful of revealing too much personal information, either about your life or the lives of your colleagues.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>2. Be careful what you send. </b>The way you communicate electronically could be just as annoying as verbal communication. With office email, keep in mind the reply all field should be used only when all really do need your reply. Alexandra Levit, author of "They Don't Teach Corporate in College: A Twenty-Something's Guide to the Business World," suggests you avoid it. "People really overuse that field, and it gets you into trouble." The carbon copy field, or CC, should be filled with recipients who need information from the  email, but who do not necessarily need to take action themselves. Dawn Rosenberg McKay, career planning expert for About.com, says you also want to be careful when populating this field. "One real problem with using the CC is that it clogs up people's inbox. Liberally using this field starts to affect productivity and performance, and that can be annoying to people as well."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Blind carbon copy, or BCC, is used to furtively inform recipients of an action within an email, and it's the devil's field. "The thing that's really problematic with that field is that it's usually used to convey something negative or something that you don't want to be public knowledge," Levit says. "But the fact that it's on email means it is public, and if whomever was included as a BCC doesn't realize they were a blind copy and decides to reply all, then everyone will know what was going on."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>[See: </b><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/12-steps-to-email-rehabilitation" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;"><b>12 Steps to Email Rehabilitation</b></a><b>.]</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>3. Blend in. </b>Shake things up with innovative ideas and make an impression with your work ethic. But when it comes to office culture, adapt lemming behavior: Observe how the other staff interact, and follow suit. If emails don't ricochet back-and-forth after hours and on weekends, then don't be the gadfly who insists on corresponding with non-urgent emails on a Saturday. If most people in the office leave their cubicle to answer personal calls, then avoid being the sole employee who has a long and loud personal phone powwow in an office common area.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>4.</b> <b>Be a team player. </b>"It's frustrating when a co-worker steals credit for work they didn't do," McKay says. "Or if someone is always running to tell the boss what's going on in the office." You want to earn your boss' trust and respect, but you're on track to lose the respect and trust of the colleagues who most affect your day-to-day job satisfaction and potentially, your success. "Shirking off work or delegating your responsibilities to someone else will also be a problem," Levit says.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>[Read: </b><a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/05/09/fighting-the-ghosts-of-beloved-employees-past" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;"><b>Fighting the Ghost of Beloved Employees Past</b></a><b>.]</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>For the Annoyed …</b><br /><b>1. Have compassion</b>. "There are two types of annoying workers. One is completely naive, not malicious and just doesn't get it. To put it bluntly, he's a doofus," Frieman says. "That might sound harsh, but with that person you can reach a resolution, because he probably can easily take a critique and will want to take the steps to get along with you better. The other type of person has a built-up ego, is aware of their actions and personality, and doesn't care how they affect others. That guy is being malicious."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>2.</b> <b>Allow three strikes. </b>Peter Bregman, leadership adviser and author of "18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done" has what he calls a rule of three. "If someone does something that I find annoying or disturbing the first time, I rarely say anything," he says. "The second time I make note of it because it could be a pattern and not an aberration. I may or may not do or say something at that point, depending on what the offense is. But by the third time, you have to take an action to resolve the problem. Otherwise, you'll become annoying yourself by constantly complaining about your situation instead of taking steps to fix it."</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>3</b>. <b>Be careful whom you talk to. </b>Venting your frustrations with other colleagues is counterproductive and will only make you feel better temporarily. Instead, confide in someone with the agency to change your situation. "People almost always would rather go to their boss with a complaint about a co-worker instead of going to the co-worker themselves," Bregman says. "And almost always a boss will rather that you resolve those situations yourselves. The goal of a good manager is to build an independently capable team." If speaking with your boss, frame your complaint in the context of how your co-worker impacts performance; otherwise, you run the danger of looking like a whiner and nothing more.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>4.</b> <b>S</b><b>often the blow</b><b></b><b></b><b>. </b>If the issue you're having is really just a personality clash, then it might be best to speak with your co-worker one-on-one without involving a supervisor. Be constructive and direct, but honest, Bregman says. "It's worth the risk to say, 'May I share some feedback with you?' Most people will say 'yes,' so you can then preface what you say by expressing the fear you've had to say anything at all," he says. "Calling what you're about to say 'feedback' makes it more constructive, and expressing your fear for how the conversation will go will help them to trust you more."</div>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2014/03/27/how-to-handle-an-office-pest" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

How to Handle an Office Pest

How to Handle an Office Pest It's the responsibility of the peeved and the pest to improve workplace relations. If you're th...

Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson</h1>
<h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
How to build a résumé that sells your strengths.</h2>
<img alt="Serious businessman  looking at report on the computer" class="img-responsive block-generous" data-size="rectangle652" height="434" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/c072f48/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F8f%2F63%2F1718ead2422e9da06529c23cff4c%2F140313-mba-stock.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 25px; width: 652px;" title="iStockphoto" width="652" /><div class="t t-dim" style="color: #666666; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-top: -20px; padding: 0px;">
Before editing your current résumé or drafting a new one, take time to think about your best qualities.</div>
<div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">We’ve all heard it: Your résumé is your sales document. You are the product. Therefore, your résumé should sell you to the employer so that he or she wants to meet you in person and ask you to interview. You might ask how that’s possible when you are not a salesperson. The key is to</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-resumes">write your résumé</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">in a sales style.</span></div>
</div>
</header><div class="block skin-editable clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Think of it like a marketing flier. In a flier, you’d include the most attractive information first, and the same goes for your résumé. Before starting to draft or make changes to your current résumé, really take time to think about <i>you</i>. How often do you have time to do that anyway? Take this opportunity to think about your strongest qualities, both according to you and those for which your colleagues and peers recognize you.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Now, consider events that have led to these impressions. Take each of your strengths into account separately. What specific project were you working on? What was your role?</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Descriptive title.</b> This title should go under your name and contact information. “Descriptive” doesn’t mean to use five words to describe what you do. You should aim for a title that makes clear where you want to go with your career. In other words, what’s the <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/tips-for-surviving-a-career-transition" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">next step</a> or level for you? Try not to limit yourself by your current or most recent job title unless you feel it accurately explains where you want to head as a next step in your career.</div>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-2" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Accomplishments. </b>Think for a minute about what about you stands out. You can use prose or bullet format just below the descriptive title to lay the groundwork for the rest of your sales pitch:</div>
<ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">What are the most notable things you’ve done in your professional career, as a student or as a community leader?</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Have you received accolades?</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;"> Have you worked at a well-known company?</li>
</ul>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
All of these elements will generally be recognizable to a <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/hr-specialist" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/hr-specialist">human resources manager</a> or recruiter and should be featured prominently. </div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Areas of expertise.</b> You can call this section any one of a number of things, such as “expertise,” “key skills” or “core competencies.” Use commonly accepted terms from your industry or for the industry to which you’re seeking to transition.</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Work history. </b>Next comes the traditional list of jobs, titles, locations and dates. However, make the bullets specific. As you compose this section, keep in mind the following:</div>
<ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">If your company or organization is not widely known outside your industry, include a few words to describe what it is. This can be in parentheses directly after the name of the firm or underneath your employer’s name and your job title, if there is no space on the employer line. Is it a nonprofit or private company? If it has significant revenue, include that. You can also write how many people work there. All of this gives the reader a better idea of where you’ve worked and what you are used to.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Employers want to see specific examples. They don’t want to see a list of your duties. If you managed several events, describe one or two of the biggest ones.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Employers want to see results that make sense to them. That’s why you should use metrics if you have some good ones. When you managed a specific event, how many people attended or what did people say about it afterward? If you overhauled a process, by how much or what percentage did you reduce cost or the time it takes to complete? Estimates are OK here. <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/10/03/the-top-10-lies-people-put-on-their-resumes" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">Lying is not</a>.</li>
</ul>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Education, community leadership and other skills. </b>Don’t leave out these important sections as far as they apply to you. For most people, these pieces should be kept short and sweet.</div>
<ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">If you’ve graduated recently or held a number of board memberships or executive leadership positions in organizations, these merit more detail.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">Most people today use a variety of Microsoft Office tools, so general skills such as those do not need to be included. Knowledge of programs and software outside of these can be incorporated as long as they apply to the jobs you’re targeting.</li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0.9em; text-indent: -0.9em;">The same goes for languages and <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/08/05/7-reasons-job-seekers-should-volunteer" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">volunteer work</a>: They should relate in some way to the job you’re applying to. If you’re trying to fill a one-page résumé as an entry-level employee, that’s one thing. But no matter where you are at in you career, every piece of information should relate in some way to the job you’re applying to.</li>
</ul>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
Many people say a sales résumé is distinct from other types of résumés, but that isn’t how it should be. Non-sales professionals should aim to write their résumé in the same way a salesperson does: with clearly placed recognition, specific details and results. After all, your résumé is a sales document of sorts. Its goal should be to sell <i>you</i>. </div>
<div style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 25px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Marcelle Yeager</b> is the president of <a class="" href="http://www.careervalet.com/" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://www.careervalet.com/">Career Valet</a>, which delivers personalized career navigation services. Her goal is to enable people to recognize skills and job possibilities they didn’t know they had to make a career change or progress in their current career. She worked for more than 10 years as a strategic communications consultant, including four years overseas. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland.</div>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/09/25/want-a-killer-resume-think-like-a-salesperson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson

Want a Killer Résumé? Think Like a Salesperson How to build a résumé that sells your strengths. Before editing your current résumé or ...

5 Ways Baby Boomer Job Seekers Can Build an Online Presence

5 Ways Baby Boomer Job Seekers Can Build an Online Presence

5 Ways Baby Boomer Job Seekers Can Build an Online Presence Show employers and recruiters you're online and tech-savvy. The Int...

How to Recover After Being Fired

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<header style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;"><h1 class="h-biggest" style="font-size: 35px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
How to Recover After Being Fired</h1>
<h2 class="h-big h-slacker h-light h-normal" style="color: #999999; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
Getting the axe doesn’t mean the end of your career. Here’s how to pick yourself back up.</h2>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-1" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn1_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<img alt="Businessman just fired from his job holding a carton box with his personal belongings" class="img-responsive block-generous" data-size="rectangle652" height="413" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/4215575/2147483647/resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F57%2F11cab93ba30d93b1e35c6b69e21fab%2F49743WideModern_Fired_111313.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 25px; width: 652px;" title="(iStockPhoto)" width="620" /><div class="drawer block-generous" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="drawer_main bar-sep-overunder t-small" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 652px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">The consequences of being fired shouldn't be underestimated.</span></div>
</div>
</header><div class="block skin-editable" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 15px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
According to a 2012 survey by the online recruiting software company Bullhorn Reach, 78 percent of recruiters ranked getting fired as the most damaging to a candidate's future job prospects. Still, you shouldn't hold onto the belief that you're damaged goods or that another employer won't offer you a more satisfying career option, notes Paul Anderson, managing director of the Seattle-based career management and job search firm ProLango Consulting Inc. "Sometimes it really is a blessing, and it's almost like you got a present from the universe," he says. "Just take advantage of that self-reflection opportunity to find something even better."</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
Here are ways to reflect on your dismissal and reignite your career prospects.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">Come to grips with your faults in the matter. </strong>Some fired employees struggle to understand why a project they completed didn't meet their boss's expectations and they were let go, according to Gerry Crispin, co-founder of CareerXroads, a New Jersey-based consulting firm that helps companies recruit. "It's hard for people to accept it, simply because they think about the process as opposed to the results," he says. Move on, he advises, but accept your role.</div>
<div class="ndn_embed ndn_embedding ndn_embedContainer ndn-widget-embed-2" data-config-distributor-id="90080" data-config-site-section="ndn2_usnews" id="ndn-video-player-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">[Read: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/10/10/are-you-on-the-verge-of-being-fired" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">Are You on the Verge of Being Fired?</a>]</strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">Reach out to a truth-telling friend.</strong> "I encourage people to get an honest but helpful friend," Crispin says. By viewing the dismissal through an unbiased lens, a friend can assign the proper amount of blame to both you and your employer. Plus, if a friend has experienced a firing, he or she may be able to give wise counsel on how to bounce back. However, an overly sympathetic friend could also perpetuate your denial about your faults. If that's the case, Anderson suggests seeking out a career coach who can provide an outside perspective.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">Make a list of key questions regarding your time at the company. </strong>To discern why you couldn't meet expectations, Crispin suggests making a list of pointed questions, which can include: What did I do? What were the results I achieved? Are there things I just didn't know? What didn't I learn? Did I get the support I needed?</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
By fleshing out the answers to those questions, you'll get a better sense of what conditions may help you succeed in your next job, Crispin says.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">Take on an internship or volunteer.</strong> It's beneficial to stay busy and avoid lengthy gaps of inactivity on your résumé. Through an internship or volunteer work, you can acquire new soft and hard skills such as leading projects or helping manage a company's books. "These will all add value to how you overcome this particular time," Crispin says.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">[Read: <a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/alpha-consumer/2013/10/01/will-we-all-be-freelancers-soon" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">Will We All Be Freelancers Soon?</a>]</strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">Do freelance work.</strong> Job candidates are better served by a résumé that displays some level of employment, even if it's not full-time, according to Anderson. "Freelancing will create that perception that you're currently employed," he says. Another bonus to staying busy with freelancing, he adds, is that you can expand your skill set beyond what you learned in your last job. "It gives you the chance to experiment with different technologies and put additional skills on your résumé that you would not have," he says.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">Attend networking events. </strong>The obvious benefit is expanding your contact list. But hearing others talk about why they love their current job could inspire you when searching for your next one. Before attending, research who might be there and how you can connect with them, Anderson suggests. If the sting of being fired makes you cringe at the thought of mingling with throngs of bosses, think about networking via social media sites like LinkedIn, and directly contact the hiring manager of the company you want to work for.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold;">Stay connected to industry associations.</strong> If you're adamant about staying in the same field, you'll want to stay in tune with industry trends and "network with an extraordinary array of people who are doing the kind of work that you essentially want to do," Crispin says. Keep in mind that some of these associations may charge high membership dues that you may not be able to afford while unemployed.</div>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/11/13/how-to-recover-after-being-fired" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

How to Recover After Being Fired

How to Recover After Being Fired Getting the axe doesn’t mean the end of your career. Here’s how to pick yourself back up. The cons...