Yes, I play softball for my company team. Let me rephrase that. I USED TO play softball for my company team. A few days ago I experienced the ultimate guy nightmare: the ball hit me where no man ever deserves to get hit. And hard. REALLY hard. I went down like a pile of skin and bones as the sky turned every color but blue. After gathering myself (as best I could) I sped home, a bottle of cold Gatorade glued to my groin, ready to show the damage to any state trooper who even considered pulling me over. Fear not friends, I'm on the mend - almost as good as new. Things were close to being really ugly, and I consider myself lucky, as crazy as it sounds. Let's get to the reason at hand - company softball teams - and why they serve the company so much more then they serve YOU - the player. HOW IT BENEFITS YOU Fun. Any "athlete" enjoys playing the game. It's not always easy to rustle up eight of your closest friends, secure a field, and a play a game. A corporate team leaves … [Read more...] about Company Softball: Taking One for the Team
Freelance Blog and Podcast Services Available
After today I am taking the rest of the week off for a much-needed and long-overdue mini vacation. A few days sitting on the beach and thinking about nothing will be a beautiful thing. And while I doubt I'll be able to shut my mind off completely, I will do my best to forget what my cubicle looks like.That being said, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank every Jobacle visitor. Since I launched this thing at the beginning of the year, I've been amazed at the feedback, growth and relationships that have formed.July marked our best month so far:The increased popularity of the Jobacle blog and the Working Podcast have led a lot of people to contact me about partnerships, advertising opportunities, etc. While I analyze every offer on an individual basis, allow me to give you a better idea of what I'm currently looking for:Web site advertisersPodcast sponsorshipsI'd like to produce YOUR podcast.Or write YOUR blog. Basically, I'm expanding the time I spend … [Read more...] about Freelance Blog and Podcast Services Available
The Worst Fictional Bosses
Fictional bosses. They are often even more dreadful than their real-life counterparts. They can utter the words "You're Fired!" on a whim, cause in the fake world, wrongful termination lawsuits don't exist. The list below is by no means complete. We need YOUR help! Share your opinions - and more importantly - your additions. On with the list! Buddy Ackerman, Swimming With Sharks As usual, Kevin Spacey nails the role, this time as a back stabbing movie mogul in a story of two-faced revenge. When new assistant Guy starts his assistant job, the last thing he expects is to run meaningless errands, have his ideas jacked, and (the straw that broke the camel's back) assume that his current girlfriend is banging the bossman. Needless to say, Buddy gets his - and then some. And that results in vicarious living for all. Mr. Angelino, Three's Company We've all worked for a Frank Angelino. He takes credit for your hard work, hires crappy help (Felipe!) and keeps you shoved out of sight … [Read more...] about The Worst Fictional Bosses
Career Bloggers: Dare to Be Different
It seems like almost every career blog and Web site offers up the same recycled advice. As our regular readers and listeners know, Jobacle dot com tries its best to bring you a unique take in an already over-crowded genre.Notice how the same "writers" and bloggers show up in all the same places? All they do is troll each others blogs looking to riff on the same tired topics. We're not going to name names. You know who you are. And so do most of your readers.With that said, we are calling on career bloggers to issue a fresh voice. We kindly request you join in on a joint post, "The Best Career Advice You've Never Heard." We don't want to hear how you should never burn bridges and how you should always maintain eye contact - quite the contrary. Share some out-of-the-box concepts and explain how they could actually help a career. They can reflect a sense of humor. The only criteria is that your item is different, … [Read more...] about Career Bloggers: Dare to Be Different
Why Is HR So Darn Happy?
According to a new survey conducted by ExecuNet, a career-networking firm for executives, IT and sales pros are not very happy at work. But guess who is: HR. Maybe it's all of those raises and extra vacation days they keep approving for themselves.Based on 2,149 executives earning an average salary of $221,000, the survey turned up the following. Here's the % who say they are "satisfied" with their current gig:HR = 67% CFOs = 63% Marketing = 44%Sales = 42%IT = 41%It doesn't really surprise me that the majority of people are not satisfied at work. What does surprise me is that the tech world is at the bottom. The top five reasons cited for dissatisfaction included limited advancement opportunities (13 percent), lack of challenge/personal growth (both at 13 percent), differences with culture (10 percent), "boss not a good match" (10 percent) and compensation (9 percent). Why are HR pros so darn happy? Is it the power to hire and … [Read more...] about Why Is HR So Darn Happy?
Job Predictor Tool
It's a summer Friday, and I don't know about your job, but for me, it means virtually everyone of "importance" is nowhere to be found.Why not use this slow time to learn more about yourself with our Forward of the Week.Ever wonder what job you were meant to have? Download the Job Predictor and find out. You'll be pleased to know that the highly-accurate tool is very instinctive. It pegged my as a Supermodel. Duh!Also, if you want to know exactly how old you are - to the second - then you need to download the Age Calculator. I've been breathing for 79,839 weeks. Let's hope that number continues to climb.Both downloads are MS Excel docs that have been virus scanned. Don't forget to add us to all of your fun office forward lists: jobacle at GMAIL dot com. … [Read more...] about Job Predictor Tool
Minimum Wage Challenge = Powder Keg
Holy smokes! Regular readers of this blog have often heard me preach about keeping religion and politics out of the workplace. If I only I took my own advice for this blog! I was probably not knowledgeable enough to introduce a Minimum Wage Challenge. Sometimes my ideas get me so jacked up that I jump a little too soon.As John Chow and many others have pointed out, perhaps the entire concept of a minimum wage should be abolished. I don't know. What I do know is that $5.85 an hour, regardless of your socio-economic status, sucks.The challenge does have many loopholes - and I am considering abandoning the idea (depends on the feedback that has been pouring in). As originally pointed out, the goal is not to make people truly experience the difficulties of minimum raise, rather raise awareness of how difficult it is.I am so pleased that a simple blog post has sparked some great dialogue. Every argument has two sides. Your thoughts and ideas and … [Read more...] about Minimum Wage Challenge = Powder Keg
Your Hands as a Caluculator
This week we are busy at work preparing our '08 budgets. Thanks to a handy article I just came across, it looks like we'll have to reject all of those requests for new calculators. Okay, so maybe no one has requested a new one - but just look at what your hands can do... … [Read more...] about Your Hands as a Caluculator
Sponsored Post: Moving to Long Island?
A quick time out to help pay our bandwidth and blog costs... As regular readers of this blog know, I live about 20 minutes outside of Manhattan. Recently, my wife and I gave up on house hunting. We had been looking for close to a year. Our desired destination: Long Island, NY. One of the many realtors that showed us around was ReMax - and they are an authority on Long Island NY real estate. Since prices are still sky high (I don't care what any of those "experts" say) we're going to sit on the sidelines for a while and save our pennies. But if you're in the real estate game, Long Island is where it's at! … [Read more...] about Sponsored Post: Moving to Long Island?
50 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress
Here are some quickie reminders on how to make your life a little less stressful. Even if you only pluck a single nugget from the list below - you'll be better off! 1. Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful. 2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table. Make lunches. Put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc. 3. Don't rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. ("The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory."- Old Chinese Proverb) 4. Do nothing you have to lie about later. 5. Make copies of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden. Carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring. 6. Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home and relationships will be less likely to break down "at the worst possible moment." 7. Be prepared to wait. A paperback book can … [Read more...] about 50 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress