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
Archives for October 2007
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
Learn From the Mets Colossal Collapse
The New York Mets are fresh off their latest failure: the worst collapse in baseball history. On September 7th they held a 7 game lead with 17 left to play. Statistically, they had a 98.5% chance of making the playoffs - 1 out of 500 that they would not.Then it happened.The bullpen collapsed, the offense went missing and manager Willie Randolph pressed all the wrong buttons. After sitting comfortably in first place for virtually the entire season, the Mets fell dreadfully short on the last game of the season, disappointing the fans, the city and themselves. It's amazing how quickly success can be turned on its head. Just like your career. Things can be moving along beautifully and then BOOM! You show up on time, never miss a day and appear to be a shoo-in for that well-deserved promotion. Then you blink, and suddenly, you're stuck.Don't choke like the Mets. Here are a few ways to make sure you cross the career finish line … [Read more...] about Learn From the Mets Colossal Collapse
The Secret Apartment at FOX News
What would you do if I was your boss and I told you that we were moving your desk...next to the toilet? That's what happened to me during during my tenure with FOX News Channel. Sort of.Allow me to preface this entry with a few answers to questions I am commonly asked:- Not everyone at FOX News is a right-wing nut.- For the most part I enjoyed the time I worked there.- The bathroom incident wasn't the only reason I decided to leave, but was definitely a factor- Bill O'Reilly is monstrously tallOk, on with story. The day started just like any other. I navigated my way past the smokers and proceeded through the revolving door at 1211 Avenue of the Americas. I touched down my ID and the glass security doors parted. I journeyed upstairs and walked down the long corridor that I traversed several times a day.But this time, something was different. A door was ajar.Not just any door, but one of those that I had passed a million times before and never … [Read more...] about The Secret Apartment at FOX News