You know the drill. If I suffer, you suffer. Here's the most recent forward to hit my inbox - three times! Don't you people have any work to do!?21 Uses for Vodka (Other Than Drinking It)1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The solvent dissolves the adhesive.2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set for five minutes and then wash and clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.3. To clean your eyeglasses, wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.5. Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, then blot dry.6. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and … [Read more...] about Forward of the Week: 21 Uses for Vodka
Career Advice Blog
They’ve Taken Away My Internet… Those Bastards!!
It’s true. Just this week the unthinkable happened. The old-fashioned, clueless, heartless, SOB that runs my company had his IT department put the mother of all firewall, filter, padlock, security alarm protected, deadbolts on our network. We were prepared for it during a company meeting. One of the many recent converts to the idea that the Internet is nothing more than a toy that will squelch productivity and lure people into the darkest and seediest corners of the World Wide Web. At first we were told that HR (the watchdog, judge, and jury for our web browsing) would be making sure not too much time was spent online, and that employees were not going to naughty sites. They were also going to be looking for “trends”, i.e.; Sally was on jobacle.com for four minutes one morning… perhaps it could slide, but if Sally felt the urge to spend those four minutes of company time every morning at jobacle.com reading the latest blog during her morning joe, well, Sally … [Read more...] about They’ve Taken Away My Internet… Those Bastards!!
Ominous HR Rules Toxify the Office
He got his start laying pipe for the Atlas Water and Sewer company. Eventually, he climbed the ranks, becoming responsible for a staff of 800 and annual revenue exceeding $120 million. His name is Victor Kipling. This is his weekly column.In their never-ending quest to show a human face, most corporations claim that they want you to think of your cubicle, or assigned bullpen area, as a ‘home away from home.’ After all, you are expected to spend a helluva lot of time there.If you believe this stuff, then I strongly suggest a reality check. Just think about this seemingly benign little memo that a friend who works at a major company recently shared with me. The text is from an e-mail which she received from (you guessed it) her HR department. By the way, and it’s probably not coincidental, that this was sent to all staff shortly after everyone had to complete a mandatory on-line ‘sensitivity survey.’ “While we at the Corporation seek … [Read more...] about Ominous HR Rules Toxify the Office
What's Your Work Ritual?
You have one; I guarantee it. A little something that you do everyday to magically try to control your world. For example, here's what I do:Right before I swipe my company ID and enter the building in the morning I kiss my right fist, knock on my chin three times and kiss my fist again.Sounds weird, I know.As I do it, I say a mini-prayer (to anyone who's listening) that the day will be decent, without any office catastrophes. I'm not 100% certain where the ritual started, but I think I can trace it back to when the Yankees started making the playoffs in the mid-90s. I started knocking on my chin and the Yankees started to win - why the heck would I stop? In fact, my chin might be responsible for four world championships. Of course not. In fact, if I needed further proof, look at this week's playoff elimination. But I'm sticking with it. While I might not really be controlling the day, I like the illusion of power.Now it's YOUR … [Read more...] about What's Your Work Ritual?
Farewell Letter to Coworkers – Samples
It's your final day at work at your current job. You've already cleared out your personal belongings and tied up any loose ends. There's just one thing left to do: write a farewell letter to coworkers. These letters take many shapes and forms - with one constant - a sharing of personal e-mail addresses, LinkedIn user names and MySpace 411. Some of the more popular variations include: The Final Brown Nose The PLEASE Join Me for a Drink The HA HA You're Still Stuck Here All approaches being equally contemptible. According to Twentysomething Career Expert Alexandra Levit: "My advice is to keep these communications relatively professional, to send them AFTER your period of notice has already begun, and to only send them to people who are truly relevant (i.e. people you have personally worked with and actually might want to stay in touch with). The biggest mistake I see people make here is sending overly personal communications (a la this job changed my life) to entire … [Read more...] about Farewell Letter to Coworkers – Samples
Stuck at Work on Columbus Day? Digg This!
While school kids play and bank workers save 10% at the department store and government officials look for new ways to incriminate themselves, there's a good chance you're suffering the day away at work.According to the Society for Human Resource Management, only 1 in 10 companies shut their doors and give employees a much-needed reprieve on Columbus Day. While some of us look forward to the second Month in October to "celebrate" the least-observed federal holiday, many others will experience yet another generic, bleary-eyed Monday.President FDR made Columbus Day a federal holiday in 1937. And while the holiday has its fair share of detractors (85% of the Native American population was wiped out with 150 years of Columbus's "discovery), how will forcing me to work an extra eight hours help matters? Without a De Lorean, we're all stuck.Opposition continues to grow.Minnesota and Nevada ignore the holiday.South Dakota renamed it "Native American … [Read more...] about Stuck at Work on Columbus Day? Digg This!
100 docstoc Invites Up for Grabs
docstoc is a user-generated community for sharing professional documents. On the site, you’ll find hundreds of legal, business, technology, educational, and creative documents. You can read more here.Since docs are uploaded by professionals just like you, they are all free. You have the option to view, download or embed - the choice is yours. Think of it as Scribd with a business focus.Thanks to docstoc CEO Jason Lawrence Nazar, Jobacle is getting 100 of our readers in the door early!You can join our private beta by clicking here; Copy and Paste this code into the invitation ID box: jobacle.That's it! I recommend you sign up today. With almost 10,000 useful documents to date, it appears docstoc is prepping for the big time. I'd expect to see the number of career-related documents (resume templates, cover letter examples, etc.) to rise exponentially over the coming months. And in my humble opinion, being an early adopter usually tends to pay … [Read more...] about 100 docstoc Invites Up for Grabs
Jobacle's Biggest…Week…Ever!
In a week where Britney Spears lost her kids and some washed up reality dude Johnny Fairplay lost his teeth - Jobacle gained a bunch of new fans! Thanks to some amazing love from Gawker, Google and Thoof, Jobacle has just experienced it's biggest week ever! It's only October 5 and we've already hit our monthly target for unique visitors. Simply amazing. That being said, I am hard at work on some compelling content that will continue to set us apart from all of those other HotMonsterBuilder sites and generic career blogs. Here are Friday's musings.1) Check back at 3pm ET today for your chance to get a private invite to a hot new Web 2.0 site. Our first 100 readers at that time will gain access to a very valuable business resource. Subscribe now!2) I do not consider myself a techno geek but there's a new item out there that I've already placed my order for: The 8-bit tie. For $19.99 you get a slice of 1988! It looks straight outta Super Mario … [Read more...] about Jobacle's Biggest…Week…Ever!
Public Resume Blunders Outed
The Resume Hunter continues to scour the Web in search of the elusive blue diamond: the perfect resume. We are pleased to report, we're still coming up empty. As always, the goal is to collectively learn from one person's mistakes. Before you put your resume out there for the world to see, make sure it's error-free and represents you in the best possible light. Today's subject is one Donald G. Helsten, a transportation manager straight outta West Valley City, Utah, population 118,917. Below is the Hunter's 90-second scan - and the problems he uncovered. This exercise works best if you print the resume or pull it up in a new window. Then read the notes. They work from top to bottom. What Is This? In case you were confused, this is Donald's resume. How do I know? Because he has a header at the top center that says "RESUME." Phew! I was confused. Double Error. Listing two e-mail addresses unnecessarily confuses the reader. When it comes to giving people options on how to … [Read more...] about Public Resume Blunders Outed
Uniform Dress Codes for All
He got his start laying pipe for the Atlas Water and Sewer company. Eventually, he climbed the ranks, becoming responsible for a staff of 800 and annual revenue exceeding $120 million. His name is Victor Kipling. This is his weekly column.Are unisex jumpsuits ready to become the very latest in office fashion? After all, they’re serviceable, practical, non-offensive and, well, one size fits all. How very appropriate for the modern march towards collectivism! Clerks and CEOs unite; you have nothing to lose but your dry cleaning bills. Just think of the advantages - no one will dress sloppily, or provocatively, or provide grist for the daily gossip mill. Yes, the proponents of the bullpen, the advocates of political correctness and the adversaries of individualism and independence are probably selecting your jumpsuit color as you read this... Yet, and if we really think about it, the office as an institution has always demanded that it’s employees wear a … [Read more...] about Uniform Dress Codes for All