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!
Archives for 2007
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
Friday Cubicle Report: Jobacle Mishmash
Every Friday I will bring you up to speed on the latest Joabcle happenings. Fear not, we're not ditching The Forward of the Week. It will be posted later today.1) We would like to congratulate Graham Langdon, founder of the MillionDollarWiki, for hitting the 1,000 page mark. In a few short months that's a very impressive feat. To learn more about his project, download episode #69 of the Working Podcast.I purchased the page MillionDollarWiki.com/Podcast which has already received hundreds of unique visitors. If you are a podcaster who is interested in having your show displayed on the page, please contact me, as I will be subleasing space on the page for $5 per show per month. You'll get to experience the benefits of the Million Dollar Wiki for a few bucks before you decide to shell out $100. As the MDW grows, this is a great way to get some extra, targeted exposure for your show.2) This is a great time to subscribe to the Jobacle blog. We've got some … [Read more...] about Friday Cubicle Report: Jobacle Mishmash
The Death of 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. Under the guise of wanting to increase ‘transparency,’ the new organizational trendsetters are touting the benefits of the horizontal work space...that is, the cubicle and (worse yet) the bullpen. So, and from the lowest clerk to the highest CEO, everyone is now expected to march in lock step and function in an open, and thoroughly non-private environment. These theorists would have us believe that the loss of privacy and the increase in noise is indeed a very small price to pay for this more democratic environment. Yes, we’ll not only increase productivity, but we can also foster diversity, eliminate class distinctions, etc. ad nauseam. Of course, most of the folks promoting this stuff have never really worked for a living, but why should that … [Read more...] about The Death of the Office
Office Supplies You'll Never See
Desk supplies haven't really advanced. Sure, pens use gel ink. But dry erase markers still stink. Chairs have better cushions, yet they still find a way to inevitably squeak. As the world continues to technologically evolve, is the office being left behind?Perhaps. Off the top of my head, here's a list of items that I pray some engineer is working around the clock to produce.- Bend-proof paperclips- Everlasting ink pen- Odor-free White Out- Silent Stapler- Unsmudgable high lighter- Leak-proof 3-hole puncher- Tape without seams- Stain-free computer mouseLearn more about the history of lo-tech office supplies.What office supply inventions would you like to see? Share yours below and win some cool prizes. … [Read more...] about Office Supplies You'll Never See