Are employers who waive medical insurance coverage more valuable to employers? Since you're saving the company money, you would think this could be used in negotiations for a raise or to entice a company to hire you. Listen to the audio below and share your opinion. … [Read more...] about I Declined Medical Insurance at Work. Should I Be Rewarded?
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10 Most Stressful Jobs (And the 10 Least Stressful Jobs)
CareerCast.com has released a report identifying the most stressful jobs for 2010 based on 200 surveys that measured work environment, job competitiveness and risk. Top 10 Most Stressful Jobs for 2010: 1. Firefighter2. Corporate Executive3. Taxi Driver4. Surgeon5. Police Officer6. Commercial Pilot7. Highway Patrol8. Public Relations Officer9. Advertising Executive10. Real Estate Agent The 10 Least Stressful Jobs for 2010: 1. Musical Instrument Repairer 2. Medical Records Technician 3. … [Read more...] about 10 Most Stressful Jobs (And the 10 Least Stressful Jobs)
What Are the Most Dreaded Words at Work?
Hint - It’s Not “Can I see you in my office?”Not that “Can I see you in my office?” coming from the boss ever has a happy ending. You know he’s going to tell you how you screwed up, or worse, you’re being let go. I’m talking about your co-worker prefacing a statement with, “It’s probably TMI, but…” What follows is almost guaranteed to be cringe-worthy. But at least that person might have a clue that what he is about to share might be TMI.For those of you who don’t live by acronyms, TMI means “too much information.” I recently wrote a magazine article on setting limits and boundaries with people, especially those who wouldn’t know a boundary if they tripped over it. The office TMI-er more than likely has poor boundaries and shares personal information with anyone, regardless of the setting. What makes the situation worse is that most people’s workplaces are open and afford little … [Read more...] about What Are the Most Dreaded Words at Work?
Q&A With the Founder of Innovative 'Sockscription' Service
I've told you before about my biggest workplace fashion pet peeve: faded black socks. Samy Liechti, the Swiss entrepreneur behind Blacksocks.com, the international “sockscription” sensation now sweeping into North America, offers his tips on running a successful e-retail business below. Success Lies in the Small DetailsWhat has been your most memorable career moment? I started my career as a marketing executive. One day, I was invited to dinner with Japanese business associates. The dinner was a great success, and afterwards we moved to a Japanese tea house where, following tradition, everyone removed their shoes. I looked down, and I had two different socks on – one with a hole in the big toe. I sat cross-legged for an entire evening, trying to hide my foot. It was then that Blacksocks was born.How has your business grown since its founding? I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make the Internet the linchpin of my business. This was in 1999, … [Read more...] about Q&A With the Founder of Innovative 'Sockscription' Service
When to Quit and How to Quit a Job
The saying, “quitters never win and winners never quit” has been quoted so often that it is engrained in our brains as truth. But when it comes to quitting your job, this is not always the case. In many instances quitting your job will make you feel like a new person, and a winner again.According John Khoury, CEO and founder of the latest comprehensive online health and wellness resource, Liquic.com, there are several healthy reasons to quit your job, and plenty of health benefits from quitting. Here are some pointers on how to know when to quit, how to quit, and what quitting can accomplish. Reasons to Quit* Work is overly stressful and leaves you with a headache, backache, ulcer, or other stress related ailments.* Your job does not challenge you, leaving you depressed.* The career field you have chosen leaves you unsatisfied.* Work leaves you out of touch with your friends and family.The Art of Quitting* Give plenty of notice. The company is … [Read more...] about When to Quit and How to Quit a Job
Work Time-Out: Play Vending Machine Roulette
I want you to get a dollar's worth of change and go to your company's vending machine. When you get there, hold out your hand and count to the twelfth item. Start with the first horizontal row and work your way across. When a row is complete, skip down to the one below it. When you identify item #12, drop the change into the slot and watch the salty/sweet goodness drop to the bottom of the machine. Stick your hand into the metal slot and remove the treat. Unwrap and enjoy. Maybe 12 is your lucky number and you are eating one of your favorite treats. Perhaps you're trying something new. Whatever your 75 cents bought, it was a break from the routine.Habitual days define office life. Predictability provides a safe haven for some - it breeds contempt for others. Breaking the repetitive cycle is easier than people think. Sometimes it's as easy as a trip to the vending machine.There are a million ways to break up the monotony … [Read more...] about Work Time-Out: Play Vending Machine Roulette
How to Turn Your Office Into a Sports Haven
Baseball season is upon us, meaning day games galore for the sports fan. Unfortunately, most of us are stuck at work for the majority of the day, meaning very few opportunities to enjoy this time of year. Baseball season is especially tough on those of us working in an office or cubicle every day. If you can’t make it to the game, or your favorite sports bar – why not bring the atmosphere to your office? Some of us are lucky enough to have bosses that are bigger sports fans than we are, but for the most part, you have to be careful to not attract too much attention when turning your office into your sports sanctuary. But through some carefully selected appliances and décor, you should be able to enjoy your favorite sports without catching any heat. Here are three rules for turning your office into a sports sanctuary along with the items you’ll need to pull it off. 1. Always have a cold drink availableEver been to a ball game and not have something to … [Read more...] about How to Turn Your Office Into a Sports Haven
LinkedIn Launches Job Seeker Premium Accounts
For between $20 - $50 a month, LinkedIn wants to help you stand out from the crowd with a Job Seeker Premium Account. (If we're not connected on LinkedIn, we should be.)Benefits include:* Move to the top of the hiring manager’s list as Featured Applicant * Communicate with hiring managers, even those outside their network* See full profiles of hiring decision makers* Keep track of contacts from your job search * Access "Job Seeking on LinkedIn" Webinars Here's the scoop from the the Director of Product Management at LinkedIn, Parker Barrile.In this economic environment it’s tough to find a job. But LinkedIn can help. Today we’re excited to announce a major upgrade for job seekers on LinkedIn: the Job Seeker Premium Account.We spoke with hundreds of job seekers to understand their needs and designed a package of features to help them stand out from the crowd, reach out to hiring decision makers, and manage their job search more effectively. The new Job Seeker … [Read more...] about LinkedIn Launches Job Seeker Premium Accounts
Veechi’s Job Genius™ – College Students Can Create Social Résumés
Job Genius helps students create, improve, and publish résumés – and identify job matches via best-fit technologyVeechi Corp. — developers of the “Veechi Classes” Facebook application — today released Job Genius™, the first cloud tool to help college students create a professional résumé with input from invited members of their Facebook circle.Job Genius guides students through their résumé with directions and suggestions for completion. It automatically transfers relevant information from a student’s Facebook profile to the résumé. The student can invite any member of his or her social circle to comment on the résumé, and then accept or ignore any edits. The completed résumé can be downloaded as a PDF file to be printed or posted at job sites.Many college students have never created a résumé and few are experienced résumé writers, so … [Read more...] about Veechi’s Job Genius™ – College Students Can Create Social Résumés
Company Says You Should Thank Us, Employees Barf
An envelope stamped CONFIDENTIAL arrived in my home mailbox today from my company's Human Resources Department. Inside is a "Personal Earnings & Benefits Statement," a pamphlet that lists my annual salary, 401k contributions and the cost (to them) for all of my benefits.While a convenient "stat card," I'm not sure what the purpose of this mailing is. Oh wait. I think I DO know. It's propaganda.The final page includes my "total compensation," a figure that adds items like my 12 vacation days and 10 paid holidays to my salary. The number is displayed in bold at a larger font size than everything else.The point they are trying to make is you think you make X but you're really making Y. You should be grateful. Look how generous we are.And I AM thankful to be gainfully employed, making an honest living. However I'm not a child. I don't need to be reminded that my "compensation does not mean salary alone."Is this a foreshadow of … [Read more...] about Company Says You Should Thank Us, Employees Barf