I never realized that I was taking my life into my hands when I cleaned the refrigerator at the office. An office worker cleaning a fridge full of rotten food created a smell so noxious that it sent seven co-workers to the hospital and made many others ill.Firefighters had to evacuate the AT&T building in downtown San Jose on Tuesday after the fumes led someone to call 911. A hazmat team was called in.What crews found was an unplugged refrigerator crammed with moldy food.Authorities say an enterprising office worker had decided to clean it out, placing the food in a conference room while using two cleaning chemicals to scrub down the mess.The mixture of old lunches and disinfectant caused 28 people to need treatment for vomiting and nausea.Authorities say the worker who cleaned the fridge didn't need treatment — she can't smell because of allergies.Source: Associated Press Related reading: The Poison Office … [Read more...] about Office Fridge Cleanup Sends 7 to Hospital
Do Not Follow the (Bad) Leader
Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. As we drove in to work the other day, I jokingly told my wife that I would pull into her parking lot the wrong way (one way street) to save some time. She told me no, and I reminded her that some of the other employees did it all the time. She looked me in the eye and said, “We don’t follow bad leaders.” Now, I don’t know if that has an impact on anyone else, but it gave me a little chill. What does it mean? I’m not exactly sure. I want to ponder the idea some and develop the idea, but the things that immediately sprang to mind are the times that we do follow bad leaders. First, we follow them when we are forced into it. A manager can push and prod you to follow them, because they have the authority and position power to do so. Even when the person is a bad leader, we prefer not to be jobless and eating from a dumpster, so we follow them anyway. We rarely follow bad leaders for long without fear or … [Read more...] about Do Not Follow the (Bad) Leader
What the Heck Is in Your Work Bag?
If we're really gonna be honest about it, we-and that means all of us, men as well as women-make a fashion statement every day that we trudge into our cubes. True, what we opt to wear (or, in this case, carry) is dictated either by necessity, personal preference, or a combination of both. And the choices we make may indeed be as much subliminal as conscious.Take what we carry, for example. True, the leather briefcase is now probably relegated to memories of your eighth grade science teacher, and the totally passe attache case is only seen as a prop for 'businessmen' in circa 1960s movies. Yet, the fact remains that almost all of us actually feel compelled to carry some form of hand luggage (for want of a better word) to work every day. So, and whether you carry a portfolio, or wear either a messenger bag or back pack, the fact is that you do lug (no pun intended) your 'stuff' to the office. Maybe it's just a security blanket, but we all seem to need one. Maybe I'm just a voyeur at … [Read more...] about What the Heck Is in Your Work Bag?
Laid Off? "Recycle" Those Old Business Cards
With almost 9 percent of the American workforce out of work, one thing's for sure: there's no shortage of outdated business cards hanging around.Aside from keeping a few for nostalgia, there's really not much you can do with hundreds of paper squares that contain irrelevant information.Until now.The good folks at Cardsofchange have come up with a way to capitalize on biz cards from your former employer.What you do is take your old business card and cross out your former contact info. Then write in your new email address along with 1 positive change that happened in your life as a result of losing you rjob. You then upload the photo to their Website.From their mouth:There's more talent out on the streets than ever before. Brilliant people looking to reshape their country, build their career and perhaps even grow your business.Cardsofchange is a place where the glass is always half-full. A destination where all the bad news of the day takes a back seat to stories of individual success. … [Read more...] about Laid Off? "Recycle" Those Old Business Cards
Jobacle Hosts the Career Blog Carnival
Welcome to the Career blog carnival! Jobacle is proud to host this inaugural event, and we have quite a few great career blog posts to showcase. Without any further ado, let's get started! Our first poster is a wonderful young lady who has helped so many people with entry level job advice. Hmmm, maybe that's why she's the Entry Level Careers Examiner? Heather Huhman throws out a great post called Creating Your Dream Internship From Scratch. This nearly 700-word article brings up some great points on how to get a company to see the benefits (and ease) of setting up an internship program. The CAREEREALISM crew is at it again. The founder, JT O'Donnell, has delivered a buzz-creating article about recruiting. 10 Things Recruiters Won't Tell You But I Will shows us how the recruiter really sees the job seeker. And not only does it detail the flaws of the candidate, but it also shows how to get past the flaws and get the job. Next up, our buddy GL Hoffman of the blog What Would Dad Say … [Read more...] about Jobacle Hosts the Career Blog Carnival
Work Lyrics: i'll photocopy all the things that we could be
Jersey emo darlings My Chemical Romance can capture bleak aggression better than any other 21st century band.On Cubicles, the rockers - who promise that their next album will be "full of hate" - enter the world of love lost while suffering from the office doldrums.Cubicles - My Chemical RomanceIt's the tearing sound of love-notesDrowning out the gray stained windowsAnd the view outside is sterileBut I'm only two cubes downI'll photocopy all the things that we could beIf you took the time to notice meBut you can't now, I don't blame youAnd it's not your fault that no one ever does-Chorus-But you don't work here anymoreIts just a vacant 3 by 4And they might fill your placeA temporary stand-in for your faceIt happens all the timeAnd I can't help but think I'll die aloneSo I'll spend my time with strangersA condition that is terminalIn this water-cooler romanceAnd its coming to a closeWe could be in the park and dancing by a treeKicking over blades we seeOr a dark beach with a black viewAs … [Read more...] about Work Lyrics: i'll photocopy all the things that we could be
The Tale of the Poisoned Office
What would you do if you found out that your company was poisoning you? Hmmm. That’s a pretty heavy opening question. I can guarantee that most of you have never even thought about the prospect. So, what would you do? Before I changed jobs, I worked in an old building. It was riddled with mold and mildew in some parts, but the infestations were supposedly “not the harmful” kind. Right. Most of us had respiratory illnesses every few months, but miraculously, every time they tested the air quality, it was just fine. One of my coworkers would have excruciatingly painful migraine headaches every so often, but they never occurred when she was not in the office. But hey, don’t worry, the air quality is A-okay. Well, as if the air situation wasn’t bad enough, we also had another issue. There was a water fountain in the hallway. I’m sure you have one at your own workplace. You’d never imagine the thing was spewing chemicals and detritus … [Read more...] about The Tale of the Poisoned Office
Civilian Jobs That Make a Difference
As Americans struggle with high unemployment, many are searching for new opportunities while others continue to seek meaningful jobs that "make a difference" to their careers, families and country.In response to these challenging times, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is launching a new initiative focused on civilian career opportunities available worldwide with DoD. The public awareness campaign, dubbed "Making a Difference", spotlights civilian employees in several career positions available now: Medical Professionals, Language Specialists, and Engineering & Science. These are 21st century careers that provide meaningful work supporting our military and the country.The DoD initiative highlights job opportunities at all levels of the labor market, from entry level to top executives. The campaign is designed to provide a hopeful, realistic avenue to career success for any American willing to work hard, learn new skills and become part of the DoD civilian career team.To see … [Read more...] about Civilian Jobs That Make a Difference
The High Achiever’s Secret Codebook
There are so many amazing books out there about careers. If I sat down and read all day, every day, I’d still never catch up on all of the ones out there. When you happen onto a book by chance, you never know what you’re going to end up with. Chance is exactly how I describe ending up with a copy of The High Achiever’s Secret Codebook: The Unwritten Rules for Success at Work by Sandra Naiman. A good friend and career coach, Miriam Salpeter, had a contest on her multiple blogs sometime earlier this year. I entered and was quite delighted a few weeks later when I received my prize in the mail. In the first section of the book, Ms. Naiman writes a section describing the book’s target audience. This book is not just for people who have stumbled in their careers and don’t know why—those passed over for promotions, left out of the loop, or maybe even fired. This book is for successful, talented, young professionals who appear to be rising … [Read more...] about The High Achiever’s Secret Codebook
The Wizard of Oz and Your Career Do Not Mix
If you’re like me, you can still fondly recall the first time you saw The Wizard of Oz. It was a masterpiece in its own time, and it is still seen by pretty much every child ever since. When someone mentions a scarecrow, a witch, or red slippers, your mind may drift back to the comforts of that old classic. However, you probably don’t want to follow the pattern of the Wizard of Oz in your career. Traveling Companions In the movie, Dorothy had a slew of traveling companions to “help” her on her way. They included a brainless dunce, a heartless brute, and a spineless wimp. In fact, the one with the least faults was Toto! If you surround yourself with brainless, heartless, and spineless people, then you’re going to have trouble succeeding. Find someone with courage, compassion, and competence to mentor you, and you won’t be attacked by flying monkeys. I promise. Yellow Brick Road The Munchkins pointed Dorothy along the Yellow Brick Road early on as a … [Read more...] about The Wizard of Oz and Your Career Do Not Mix