Our buddy Duane over at the Commute Smarter blog tipped us off to a game that has a concept that most of you can relate to. The premise? You're so miserable at work that you have "Five Minutes to Kill Yourself" before you have to attend another meeting. You can take yourself out in a variety of ways! My personal fave - stapler to the head. Ah, God bless those twisted folks over at Adult Swim.You use the arrow keys to storm around the office. I found the controls a little awkward, but it could just be my lack of video game skills. It's a solid concept. I've often thought of drowning myself in the toilet or sticking a wet paperclip into an outlet... so this game hits home.You can play it here.And just like Duane, please be sure to send us any career-related links for us to share on the blog or podcast.And don't forget to kick anyone in the ass who uses the word "hump day" today! … [Read more...] about Cubicle Suicide Made Easy
Career Advice Blog
12 Rules of the Annual Review
It's that time, dear readers. My one year anniversary is rapidly approaching - along with it - the inevitable "review." Below you will find some "tips." Basically, a few items I keep repeating in my head. Please leave a comment below and share your words of wisdom! I don't care what those monster sites have to say - I love hearing from REAL people who bust their butts everyday! Subscribe to the blog.Ask early. Your review is extra work for your boss. He'll likely stall until the last minute - potentially holding up the process. Sure you'll get some retro money - but you also have to suffer with some extra butterflies in the tummy for a few days, weeks or even months. Remind your boss early and often without being a pain in the ass.Get a copy. Before you sign off, ask if you can have a copy of your review to review overnight. This way, you can look for items that you feel are missing or unfair and challenge … [Read more...] about 12 Rules of the Annual Review
Yoga at Your Desk
Episode #63 of the Working Podcast is dedicated to all of you out there who are anchored to your chair - stuck in front of your computer day in and day out. On this show Chaz Rough of Yogamazing will teach you some yoga basics that you can do at your desk on the company dime. Also, New York City chiropractor, Dr. Todd Eglow will share 8 steps to save your back and spine if you're a desk slave. Use the embedded player below to stream the show. I just realized that I've never use this blog to invite YOU on to the show as a guest. If you feel you have something work-related that your fellow employees can benefit from drop me an e-mail or call the toll-free # @ 888/786-1080. Direct Download … [Read more...] about Yoga at Your Desk
Biggest Dot Com Blunders (and Successes)
DotcomArchive.org is a Web site that collects "dot com tales" in order to allow society to learn from past mistakes and successes. Now that Web site is being folded into even a more valuable research tool - The Business Plan Archive. The site is a partnership with the Library of Congress, the Center for History and New Media, and the University of Maryland Libraries.What's cool is that you can access thousands of business records - many which you probably thought were not for public consumption. If you are thinking of starting your own business, or work for an evolving company, this is an absolutely amazing resource.You can also put your stamp on history by contributing your own materials and experiences for "permanent preservation."Ask yourself, what should the citizen of 2100 know about this important episode in the history of business?The Business Plan Archive has future plans to get all Web 2.0 on us. There will eventually be … [Read more...] about Biggest Dot Com Blunders (and Successes)
How to Start a Company Without Quitting Your Day Job
Graduate School Research Made EZ
When you think about going back to school, odds are you are going to make decisions based on schools' general reputations. But just because a school is "highly regarded" for XY or Z - doesn't mean it's a good fit for YOU. Enter the The Graduate School Guide - an online tool that allows you to search for continuing ed schools based on YOUR criteria. You choose items such as how long you want to finish your degree in, expense, student demographics, acceptance rate, etc. Your search result will cull info from nearly 6,000 programs at 418 U.S. universities. According to the Web site's founder, Dr. Geoff Davis (a former assistant professor @ Dartmouth), the "current ranking systems have serious flaws." Check out the Web site (which also specializes in 411 regarding science, math and engineering degrees) and let us know if you think it's a valuable resource. If you guys dig it, we'll see if we can get Dr. Davis on as a guest on the Working Podcast. … [Read more...] about Graduate School Research Made EZ
Ditch Meetings! Phone My Phone Tool.
One of our most popular blog posts to date was on Caller ID spoofing. When it was working, it allowed people to make a phone call and "fake" the Caller ID to any number they liked. If you're still looking for this gag - and are willing to pay for it - check out SpoofCard. Of course, we don't condone or encourage any of this nonsense, but hey, it's your career and you ARE an adult, right? Two new tools, which could be useful in the workplace, have surfaced on the Net.Oh Don't Forget is a gem when it comes to getting you out of meetings, unwanted business lunches, etc. This tool allows you to send a text message to yourself. You pick a time, day and message and voila - your phone will be "ringing" when you want it too. I suggest staggering several in a row for that "family emergency."Phone My Phone has been picked up by many popular tech blogs but they are "withholding" the link. Lame. They … [Read more...] about Ditch Meetings! Phone My Phone Tool.
Need a Job? South Africa or Bust!
A new employment index shows that job growth among privately-held South African companies is up over seven percent. But that's child's play! If you're looking for a job boom - you best be packing your bags and heading to India, the Philippines or Armenia. Each of these is expecting growth of 60 - 80% in 2007.It also looks like Citigroup might cut 5% of its workforce in the U.S. and take those jobs to India.There's also Canada. New numbers show that the Canadian economy is expected to grow at a rate of 2.4% this year - the U.S. is expected to crawl along at 2.2% - down 1.1% from last year.Is it time to leave the country? I'd never really leave the good ol' U.S. of A but my salary over the last few years has been flatter than a pancake! … [Read more...] about Need a Job? South Africa or Bust!
The Best (and Worst) Business Buzzwords
As many of you know, this blog is a result of the Working Podcast. Since April '05 I've been doing a weekly podcast that gives people realistic career advice, interviews with "experts," and a look at useful job-hunting resources. It's aggressive, moves like lightning and is a ton of fun to produce. If you haven't checked it out yet, please click here. Show #62 runs about 13 minutes and offers the following: Matt, the creator of the Ridiculous Business Jargon Dictionary speaks out on Stall Naps, Optics and the art of Phone Shui! All those ridiculous phrases that catch on like wildfire in offices around America. We'll also talk about a new Web site that allows people to make up to $1200 for referring friends for jobs. Also, your keyboard speaks! Check out the audio version of an "Open Letter From Your Keyboard." Direct Download … [Read more...] about The Best (and Worst) Business Buzzwords
Get Friend a Job. Get Paid.
I came across the following video yesterday from WorkGiant.com. While I did register, I need to head back and spend some quality time checking out if these guys can really give those monster sites a run for their money. Among the benefits: - Your resume info is kept private (from employers if you choose or from being sold) - Refer friends for jobs and get PAID between $50 - $200 dollars. - Employers can post ALL of their jobs for free. They only get charged when a position gets filled. The Web site also claims that they have a process that will assure that all postings are real and that they will concentrate on quality not quantity. We're inviting these folks to be interviewed on the podcast. So please subscribe now to learn more about this and other great career resources. … [Read more...] about Get Friend a Job. Get Paid.