General

Super Bowl XLII will be remembered for many reasons.  However, the commercials, which cost advertisers $2.7 million a pop for the air time, were lackluster at best.Over 300 million eyes deserve better.  Especially when you consider over 30% of Americans watch the annual game just for the ads.Being a career and employment blog, let's zero in on ads that had to do with working.CAREER BUILDER: Last week we expressed our excitement that CB was finally getting away from animals and concentrating on motivating passive job seekers.  In this humble bloggers opinion, the ads were NOT effective and fell flat. I recognize that it's easy to sit here and criticize without offering a better solution.  But giving away ideas for free would just be foolish.  What I will say is that my biggest beef is that the job-seeking individual watching the game couldn't connect with the characters in these ads.  Want our attention?  A heart jumping out of a woman's body isn't … [Read more...] about Super Bowl Ads Target Office Workers (and fail)

Ever since we were spanked by Google for participating an a little paid post activity, we have been working diligently to reclaim some of our lost ground.  Many bloggers downplayed the importance of Goggle PageRank, even - prematurely might we add - speaking of its imminent death.  I'd be lying if I said sliding five whole ranks didn't adversely affect the blog.For February, I'd like to try something a little different.  During the month link to any Jobacle page and we'll put a banner promoting your Website into our rotation.  It will run site-wide for 30 days, meaning you'll get thousands of impressions.Just contact me at jobacle at gmail dot com and let me know you blogged about us.  Feel free to send a 160 x 50px banner my way.  If you do not have one, I'll be more than happy to create one for you.We're never scared to link to other career blogs and employment Web sites since we are confident that our unique posts and Working Podcast speak for … [Read more...] about Link to Jobacle. Get Rewarded.

Are you proud of your lack of organizational skills? Do you have a pathological aversion to conforming to society’s standards of neatness? If you answered 'yes' and think your office is a stinky fire hazard, you can nab one of the eight remaining slots in MyFax's Messy Office Contest. A panel of “Messperts” will pick two out of 10 slobs to advance to the finals for a $10,000 cash grand prize. Weekly prizes are handed out as well. Check out the competition so far. If you're game, upload a photo or video of your office before February 25, 2008 noon EST. The winner, voted on by the general public, will be announced by March 5, 2008. The Internet fax service provider, which currently adds more than 10,000 new subscribers a month, is hoping this viral campaign will help build their brand and sell their service. I've got some work issues, but being messy ain't of 'em! Good luck! Here are the rules... … [Read more...] about Slobs Get Paid! Messy Office Contest

In an effort to "get the juices" flowing, many companies turn to some interesting tactics to get people to brainstorm. I've been part of my fair share of off-site meetings. They've brought us to mansions and fed us upscale soul food. They've brought in an "independent third party" to help keep us "on-point." They even splurged for an overnight trip to a popular amusement park. In the end, the result was always the same: watered-down ideas from the same jaded employees who would have all preferred an extra dollar in their paycheck. I've moved on to a company with much smaller pockets. Nowadays, taking us off-site consists of traveling up the block to one of our satellite offices. Does that mean we don't communicate as well as my former fancy-pants company did? Not likely. But if you have some extra money in the budget and are looking to bring people together in the most awkward way possible, The Dutch Bicycle Company has the answer: The Conference Bike. I kid you not. Powered by … [Read more...] about A Bicycle: The New Conference Room?

Flirting at work.  A hobby for some , an art form for others.  Without office crushes, the workplace would be an even colder and darker place.  In honor of Valentine's Day, Jobacle would like to thank our co-worker crushes for never expecting flowers the next day. Name: The New Girl Signs: You wake up in the morning and suddenly realize that you’re not dreading work as much as you did yesterday.  In fact, you even care about your appearance. Relationship: This new hire will have you going out of your way to see her or converse with her.  You’ll likely find excuses to deal with people you normally avoid just to get a glimpse. Why It Works: She’s like a bright light in a dim office.  You’re desperate for change and this cutie represents hope.  Plus, she’s unaware of your jaded past.  You get a clean slate to flirt on. End Game: Just like a new car, her “newness” will wear off and you’ll grow to despise her, just like you despise the rest of your co-workers. Name: The … [Read more...] about 8 Types of Office Crushes

If you've ever felt trapped in your career, there is a good chance that you have considered relocation.  The thought of a new city and a fresh start feels like just the thing to jumpstart your stalled professional life.As someone who has personally looked into uprooting his life in the past, I can tell you firsthand about what a daunting task it is. Not for the weak of heart. One of the most important things you can do to make your life easier is to narrow down where you want to live.  I don't need to bore you with the importance of location. When it comes to real estate, location is everything.When searching for a home in a new area, you'll research the schools, analyze the taxes and crunch those crime rate numbers.  But an often overlooked point of research is the "culture" of the neighborhood.  By this, I mean local events. From sporting events to street fairs, performing arts to comedy clubs, identifying these events will not only ensure entertainment … [Read more...] about Relocating? Fizber Launches Neighborhood Event Finder

CareerBuilder wants you to self-help yourself. As you know from last year, we think that Super Bowl ads dis hard-working Americans across the country. In fact, we've even considered boycotting sports. Rather then piss and moan about all that wasted money, we're just hoping that Career Builder gets it right this year. We were fans of their chimpanzee co-workers, but thought the "wild office jungle" was an example of going back to the well (zoo) one too many times. The ads were misdirected and ineffective. “This year’s campaign is more poignant and urges the sense of empowerment,” said Richard Castellini, Vice President of Consumer Marketing at CareerBuilder.com. Already sounds better than last year. Between stuffing your pie hole with chicken wings and pizza, you can expect to see Career Builder ads that emphasize; change is possible, it lies within and that it's up to YOU to be proactive. Amen. There's a viral marketing element to the ad campaign as well. So if you see a bright … [Read more...] about CareerBuilder Super Bowl Ad 2008

FORTUNE Magazine has done it again.  They've "wowed" us with their "100 Best Companies to Work For: 2008"Are YOU jealous? Don't be. Even Google has gotta have a crappy, passive-aggressive, nightmare-of-a-boss. Or stinky people who don't understand the concept of personal space. Or, dare I say it, the potential for layoffs. America loves this list. They'll spend weeks Googling it. Personally, I don't get it. A truly great place to work lives in your head more than anywhere else. So, here's a list of our own: Jobacle's 100 Best FICTIONAL Companies to Work For.  Since they're not real companies, work can't suck as bad!  Help us complete the list!  Please leave a comment below with the fictional company you'd wanna work for and why.  We'll complete the list and go through your picks on a future episode of the Working Podcast.  Please subscribe!  100 Best FICTIONAL Places to Work (once you help us finish it...) Arcade Flower … [Read more...] about The Best (Fictional) Companies to Work 2008

Stuck at work on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?  Yeah, we are too.  But that doesn't stop us from honoring Dr. King by dreaming out loud:We have a dream...That companies pay you what you're worth.  Pay is based on your experience, accomplishments and ability to perform in the future. We have a dream...That America's vacation day standard increases (Brazil = 30, Finland = 35, Russia = 28, etc.).We have a dream...That passive-aggressive behavior is abandoned and if someone has something to say to our faces - they say it!We have a dream...That everyone gets an hour for lunch and that everyone TAKES their hour for lunch.We have a dream...That more industries adapt the education system work model; either give the summer off or six weeks on, two weeks off.We have a dream...That the work week shrinks to four days.  We guarantee that everything would still get done.We have a dream...That stinky foods are banned from the office.We have a dream...That employers realize only .01% … [Read more...] about A Dream for American Workplaces