Thanks to the folks who have answered our Career Questionnaire Part 1 so far. This is an open project and we ask that you click here and play along. Remember, full disclosure helps ALL working stiffs! Plus, you can get a link back from us - so you have nothing to lose except career karma! Here are some of your answers so far:Amybeth Hale's worst boss: I always got the crappy leads and the bad hours. She didn't hide her pleasure when I told her I was quitting either. YourHRGuy.com's Most Rewarding Task: Putting together a training that motivates but empowers the downtrodden hourly worker to succeed.HD BizBlog 1.2's Best Item "Permanently Borrowed": I have a beautiful watercolor painting of a sailboat. An original. No one will ever miss it.FlippingHeck.com's Worst Boss: One of my previous bosses decided to have me arrested for theft.Keep the good stuff rolling in! … [Read more...] about YOUR Career Answers: Batch #1
Career Advice Blog
Exit Interview Gone Awry
Offsite Work Meetings Are Evil
Every now and then some "forward-thinking" boss thinks they're going to extract more out of you by taking you off campus for some extended meeting. I've been a part of my fair share of these torturous "change of scenery" experiments. Like the time I was dragged to some townhouse owned by Art Garfunkel where they fed us soul food and had some British mediator cut us off when we went too long. Or the time I had to go play tennis and we broke into small groups and participated in "icebreakers."Note to bosses. Making me go to a new and fresh environment will not stimulate me. It will frustrate me as a worry about how I'm going to get there and back without sitting in traffic. I will also resent you for forcing me to interact with folks who won't even make eye contact in the hallway at work. And then, we'll be forced to pretend we know each other... for a week... until it all wears off.But I have no right to … [Read more...] about Offsite Work Meetings Are Evil
Stay-at-Home Parent – A Career Killer?
Sometimes a thought just hits you out of the blue like lightning and you wonder how you never could have thought of it before. Call it a revelation.Maybe I should stay home with a baby. Me, Andrew G.R.My wife's not even pregnant, but I'm a born planner and over-analyzer. It's something we plan for down the road. Now, it always seems natural just to have mommy stay at home - but when I started to think about it - it hit me that I might actually be the better candidate for a healthy diet of diaper changing and Days of Our Lives. Here are the questions you need to ask yourself (and your spouse!)Who makes more money?I lose this one. My wife if the bread-winner. And unless you turn this blog into a revenue-generating machine, it will stay like that. Why should we give up X thousands a year?Who has better benefits?Put another one in my wife's checklist. As a city employee her benefits far exceed mine. Not only are they cheaper but … [Read more...] about Stay-at-Home Parent – A Career Killer?
Sometimes You Should Quit
Check out an excerpt from Pushing Through the Dip: How to Become the Best in the World by Seth Godin. Not like he needs my help to sell product, but I dig what I've read so far and expect that the book is as billed - a little punch in the gut to keep you climbing to the top of whatever it is you want. … [Read more...] about Sometimes You Should Quit
And the Winner Is…
On Friday we had our little "Where Do You Eat Lunch" contest. I said it would be a random drawing. So, I simply asked my wife to pick a number between 1 and 28. There were no favorites cause she never reads my blog. Ever. It was nice to get so many comments for a change. Since contests seem to be a nice draw I promise we'll do another next week. Instead of filling your tummy, we're gonna give you a hand with your career if you're looking for a new job. Stay tuned by subscribing now.And by the way, congrats to #18 - Danielle from Maryland! I hope they have a Red Lobster near your job. I'll be thinking of you when I'm brown-baggin' it and you're eating shrimp! Hope you enjoy!P.S. - I know that I still owe a few people books. And I promise you will get them. … [Read more...] about And the Winner Is…
YOUR Career Answers – TAG, You're It!
"Tag, you're it" type questionnaires seem to sweep the blogosphere every now and then. I figured, why not one by Jobacle.com! We'll keep it career-related, brief and fun! Some bloggers talk about their "real" jobs - others don't. I encourage everyone who has a blog or a Web site to post the questions below and insert their own answers. Our careers all have ups and downs, and when we share the ride with the world, everyone sees that they are not alone. Give your readers some insight into your career - it's good karma! Copy the questions and answer them on your blog. Please try to link back to this original blog post and let's see if we can get something going! Drop me a note at JOBACLE AT GMAIL DOT COM or leave a comment below and we'll get you a link on Jobacle.com in return. Now all about me, Andrew G.R. Career Questionnaire 1 Worst Boss This nameless boss was your classic passive-aggressive control freak. She let let emotion … [Read more...] about YOUR Career Answers – TAG, You're It!
CONTEST! Eat Lunch AWAY From Your Desk and WIN
In elementary school we were all forced into the lunchroom to eat. I can still smell the mix of odors: sauerkraut, apple sauce and sawdust (used to help clean up barf). Ew.These days, workers should be so lucky. Many people are sitting in the cafeteria right now - their desk. Among the psychological implications, you might remember from my post "Your Cubicle, The Petri Dish" why this is such a bad idea. There are plenty of ways to do lunch WRONG.You can spend too much, drink too much, be a total loner or fudge up the freakin' office fridge.A survey from the American Dietetic Association once found that 75 percent of office workers eat lunch at their desks as often as two or three times a week. C'mon people, you're not that important!I went through a lunch-at-my-desk stage. And I will be the first to admit, it's usually built into your employer's culture. It's hard to break the mold. But there's hope. I used … [Read more...] about CONTEST! Eat Lunch AWAY From Your Desk and WIN
ARGH Alert! We Have a Company Mascot.
I always walk that fine line between a blog about work and a blog that is about MY work. That's why you'll rarely read about specific happenings. But sometimes, I just can't hold back.Today, my company announced that we have a mascot. Yes, a mascot. In short, it's a freakin' cartoon character that communicates important security messages to us. So now, I have to get e-mails from a fictional character reminding me to wear my company ID at all times. Are you kidding me?And if the passive-aggressive nature of it all wasn't so aggravating, wait until I tell you how many hours of waste have gone into this project.First, a committee was formed to come up with a "plan." Then an internal contest was held looking for mascot ideas and a slogan. Then the creative folks actually had to work for days to design the darn thing. Then the committee had changes to the mascot. Then HR had to write a whole memo explaining to us that the … [Read more...] about ARGH Alert! We Have a Company Mascot.
Top 5 Things to Do With an Idea
The Beatles sang ""You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and there's a good chance that at work you "Hide Your Ideas Away." You know the drill, your brain tells you that someone will either take credit for it, steal it for their own purpose or look at you like you have three heads.Regardless of the risks, if you want to really make a name for yourself, especially in a creative industry, you must give all of your idea away so that more come back to you.The Top 5 Things to Do With an Idea:- Share it- Believe it- Stick with it- Don't get emotional- Create it I remember once reading a quote by TV writer Stephen J. Cannell (Rockford Files, A-Team, Knight Rider, etc.) which explained that the odds of someone "taking" your idea and actually running with it is miniscule. In fact, in his 30-year-plus career, it's never happened. I'm not saying you shouldn't protect yourself, but there's a smart way to share your brilliance.As an … [Read more...] about Top 5 Things to Do With an Idea