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.For some reason, and even among those of us who snoozed during history class, we know - almost intuitively - to avoid, avert and stay very far away from anything to do with 'isms.' There's an almost primitive gut feeling that kicks in and tries to alert us to the fact that most isms are, well, bad for you.Nope, this isn't about the usual suspects; capitalism, communism, fascism or even etceteraism. Instead, it is about another ism, and I guess you can label it an organism. That's because it's growing, like a rampant infection, without apology, appearing all over the workplace. Its name? NEPOTISM. By far one of the ugliest, most frustrating and morale-destroying of the isms. Worse yet, it's one that almost all of us have been … [Read more...] about Nepotism Puts Your Career in Jeopardy
Career Advice: Be the Anti-Britney Spears
It's one thing to be a woman and lose custody of your kids. It's another not to even show up at the hearing and pretend you want them back!The eighth best-selling female artist in American music history might not have much to teach us about life - except about how NOT to behave. Here are four ways to make sure you accelerate your career by not being like Britney Spears.Put Yourself FirstIn order to keep harmony between your mind and your body you must listen to your body. This includes sleeping when tired, eating when hungry and being kind to yourself.We understand it's not easy for poor Britney with the Paparazzi breathing down her neck and all. But you don't have people camping outside your house, do you? So you have no excuse.Make time for yourself and you will think clearer, make better decisions and put your career on the right track.Under the InfluenceAnd we're not talking about that flask of tequila in that bottom drawer. You must operate as an … [Read more...] about Career Advice: Be the Anti-Britney Spears
Podcast: Don't Get Mad, Get "Even"
And by "even" I mean "even tempered." Anger at work is bad news and can lead to things much worse than just hating your job. On this episode of the Working Podcast you'll learn: -Simple tips that can help keep you calm while you're at the office. - The latest career resources, including pocket resumes. - An interview with Bruce, the founder of DayJobNuker, a Web site that chronicles his dislike for the 9 to 5 and how he plans to make ends meet by making money online. There are three ways to listen: - Stream on our homepage (shows plays instantly) - Stream from the player below (about a 60 second load time) - Download direct … [Read more...] about Podcast: Don't Get Mad, Get "Even"
Forward of the Week: 21 Uses for Vodka
You know the drill. If I suffer, you suffer. Here's the most recent forward to hit my inbox - three times! Don't you people have any work to do!?21 Uses for Vodka (Other Than Drinking It)1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The solvent dissolves the adhesive.2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set for five minutes and then wash and clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.3. To clean your eyeglasses, wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.5. Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, then blot dry.6. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and … [Read more...] about Forward of the Week: 21 Uses for Vodka
They’ve Taken Away My Internet… Those Bastards!!
It’s true. Just this week the unthinkable happened. The old-fashioned, clueless, heartless, SOB that runs my company had his IT department put the mother of all firewall, filter, padlock, security alarm protected, deadbolts on our network. We were prepared for it during a company meeting. One of the many recent converts to the idea that the Internet is nothing more than a toy that will squelch productivity and lure people into the darkest and seediest corners of the World Wide Web. At first we were told that HR (the watchdog, judge, and jury for our web browsing) would be making sure not too much time was spent online, and that employees were not going to naughty sites. They were also going to be looking for “trends”, i.e.; Sally was on jobacle.com for four minutes one morning… perhaps it could slide, but if Sally felt the urge to spend those four minutes of company time every morning at jobacle.com reading the latest blog during her morning joe, well, Sally … [Read more...] about They’ve Taken Away My Internet… Those Bastards!!
Ominous HR Rules Toxify 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.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
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