Career Advice

I am not a huge comic book/superhero fan, but I did enjoy The Dark Knight this past weekend.  While a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger might be a bit much, there is no doubt that strong acting, coupled with violent outbursts of action, made the film a smashing success.But I'm not here to lobby for Ebert or Roeper's old job.  Rather, I'd like to tell you why you are Batman and your boss is The Joker. Or the other way around.The prevailing theme throughout The Dark Knight is the dependency between the hero and the villain.  Without each other to fight, where would the other be?  The question to ask yourself is: how good would you be at what you do without a boss?The answer might seem simple: 'I'd be better off with no one to answer to!'  But let's look a little deeper.  Take a crack at these questions:Without a boss...- Who would you fight?- Who would motivate you?- Who would hold you accountable?- Who would you rally against?- How would you fill the time?- … [Read more...] about Are You Batman? Your Boss The Joker?

For those of you who work in an office environment, you will of course be aware of the concept of boredom. Me, myself, my imaginary friend Barry the horse, and George the office-plant are becoming more and more stir crazy by the boredom that exists in the realm of the office. If this boredom is allowed to persist, it will inevitably lead to a fully fledged psychosis, in which everything and anything becomes possible. Due to this fact we have taken it upon ourselves to stand up to this tyrannical concept, and come up with ways to overcome it. Here they are:  IKEA: Browse through the new improved IKEA website. Those Swedes have come up with some fantastic home decorative concepts that have left their furniture rivals weak at the knees with squirting orgasmic jealously, and throbbing blue veined temple region anger. Recently I bought a toaster from them. It’s lovely.   Buy a Pet: Animals are cute, and my dog always cheers me up. It doesn’t matter if its been 10 … [Read more...] about Things to Do at Work When You’re Bored

Have you ever been to a job interview and felt completely overwhelmed when you sat in the “hot” seat? Have you ever felt so nervous that you were oozing buckets of sweat even before your interviewer asked you those tricky intricate questions? Well, it may not be your fault for feeling like this. It may have something to do with the cunningness of your interviewer. It is likely that your interviewer may have arranged his office furnishings to raise his own status and power, and, in doing so, lowered yours. Just look at the chairs around your office and then look at the executive ones and you’ll see the difference. Here’s how it works... Chair Size: The height of the back of the chair raises or lowers a person’s status, and the high-backed chair is a well-known example. The higher the back of a chair, the greater the power and status of the person sitting in it. Kings, queens, dictators, popes etc… always have ridiculously pronounced chair backs to … [Read more...] about The Status of Chairs. Where Do You Sit?

Food days, potlucks, international feasts, share days…no matter what you call it, these gluttonous events remain a serious work hazard.  OSHA should have a workplace regulation that bans these (and vending machines while they’re at it).  As we spend more time sitting in our cubicles, our natural tendency is to find a way to relieve the boredom.  Why else would we look forward to the monthly food day with as much anticipation as a long weekend?  Ok maybe not quite that much enthusiasm.As summer rolls in with full force, many of us find ourselves scurrying around trying to start that 10-day diet or at best, a half-hearted attempt to stick to the one you were already on.  Then enter the food day at work, complete with macaroni and cheese, lasagna, homemade chicken strips (who can pass up homemade??), potato chips, brownies, cookies, cake…I could go on forever.  If you are one of the fortunate ones that does not know what I’m talking … [Read more...] about The Work Hazard Known As Food

Here's how the story usually goes: "I HAD to leave.  My boss was determined to make my life miserable." In my experience, both personal and secondary, I have discovered that in the majority of cases, the failure of the relationship lies on the employee, not the boss or the organization. People who tend to get 'unlucky' and experience this misfortune over and over again, usually can use a little self-reflection.  Start with these questions: - Have you had more than one 'horrific' boss who 'drove you crazy?' - Do you find yourself thinking very bad thoughts (not in a good way) about a current or former boss? - Do you feel these 'evil' bosses not only held you back but went out of their way to keep you down or make you miserable? - Were you or are you so desperate to find a new job that you're willing to work anywhere, earning just about anything? If you answer 'yes' to most of these questions for more than one job, there is a good chance that you will need to … [Read more...] about You or Boss: Who’s at Fault?

You always hear about how over 50% of marriages are doomed to fail from the start. To anyone who is happily married, the statistic sounds grossly exaggerated.  With several friends and acquaintances on the brink of the big 'D-word,' I've been thinking about the parallels and differences between the relationship we have with our significant other and the relationship we have with our jobs.  Each couple seems to head for Splitsville for different reasons, yet there is a consistent theme: they all try to force it to work for too long.We human beings seem to have a very difficult time 'quitting while we're ahead.'  Win $200 at the roulette table?  Give it all back.Talk about selling your home? While you were talking, prices have dropped.Get laid off after years of ignoring signals?  Exactly.Your relationship with your employer isn't all that different than a marriage (with less sex).  You'll have butterflies in your stomach as you court one another; times when … [Read more...] about You Are NOT Married to Your Job (you are only dating)

It's not just horror movies that give folks the willies. From natural disasters to a floundering economy, there's no shortage of workplace fears. Since going to the office is such an integral part of our lives, and an anxiety-provoking one at that, I think it would be interesting to discuss common work terrors.Here are a few common ones that have hit the Jobacle inbox over the years. Check them out and please tell the U.S. News community what freaks you out in the comments section on their Website.GETTING FIRED: The economic downturn has certainly added fuel to the fire. How will you break the news to your family? Pay the mortgage? Find another job? This is the powder keg of panic, potentially leading to a bevy of unpleasant, catastrophic thoughts.PUBLIC HUMILIATION: Whether you stumble during a presentation, spill coffee on your pants, or drop an F-bomb within earshot of your boss, no one wants to be embarrassed—especially in front of people you are forced to see on a daily … [Read more...] about Scaredy Cat? 7 Common Workplace Fears

This article proclaims to describe "20 of the Best Cities in the World for Telecommuting". Not only does the article suffer from a seriously awkward title (how about "The 20 best cities for telecommuting"? See, that wasn't so hard.) it also has some serious flaws in its choices. I mean, Mexico City? Really? I'll live in Mexico City if I want to die from an upper respiratory disease or lose my sense of smell, but not if I want to telecommute. Also, when talking about Canada, the author espouses that Vancouver BC is "one of the largest cities in the state." Yes, in the state. Edit much? OK, so the article has some problems. But it also points out some really cool cities, and makes a strong effort to be global minded, mentioning cities such as Taipei and Cordoba. I also give the article props for including Seattle on the list, where I have spent the last four years of my life (great city, by the way). As I was reading, I kept asking myself the question: What … [Read more...] about What Makes a City Telecommute Friendly?

Let’s face it, we humans are greedy. We always want more, and the neurotic nature of our species has kept us ahead of all the others. Personally I think this is OK, because if we were not like this, then we would more than likely be happy, but would be relegated to somewhere in the bottom half of the food chain; something more akin to a hedgehog. Those fellas look happy don’t they, with their little spikes and all. Anyway, as I was saying, let’s embrace our perfection-seeking-self-centred-nature, and use some interesting techniques, which may give you an advantage over others in the work related arena.  Stick your tongue out This may sound a bit strange upon the initial reading of this statement, but rest assured the men in the white coats are never wrong. Many years ago researchers (by researchers I mean NLP practitioners, cold readers, and con men) discovered that in an occupational, educational, and examination setting, people in a position of power are less … [Read more...] about How to Gain an Advantage at the Office

On the first day of my very first job out of college, my new boss offered a piece of advice: “Be careful of making any personal relationships with your co-workers.”  She was telling me this for good reason; the program I had joined was a fast-track to management, and she didn’t want me to have to manage my friends once the program had finished.  However, the finality of her words stuck through me for that first year at the job, and I slowly evolved into a robot at work.  I was functioning at maximum speed, obliging the polite “hellos” and “how was your weekend,” but always keeping my colleagues at arm's length. When promotion time rolled around and I moved up to supervisor, I immediately relaxed.  It became easier to befriend some of my fellow supervisors, and I quickly learned the line between boss and friend with my employees.  To my surprise, the more engaged and involved I became with my co-workers, the quicker my … [Read more...] about Human vs. Robot: Who Wins the Challenge at Work?