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Just Step Away from the Netbook, Ma’amLast weekend I took a three-day vacation from connectivity. Not even a peek at my email. It helped that I was in the middle of 180 acres of wilderness with nary a Wi-Fi in the breeze. Admittedly, I was a little twitchy at first. After all, I had made it to Level 130 in “Babylonia” - the procrastinating writer’s friend.There’s been much written lately on the emotional/mental and even physical effects of being in constant contact with everyone electronically. As a psychotherapist, I constantly stress the need for downtime. I wrote an article about it in 2007 (which sounds almost quaint now and predates Twitter); Disconnect Doesn’t Have to Be a Bad Thing. But as someone who also makes a living writing and glued to a computer, I realize that disconnecting is not easy. So maybe baby steps are indicated. Here are a few to try...* Turn off the mobile for a couple hours. If it’s really important, your callers will … [Read more...] about How to Disconnect During Downtime

I’ll Have a Side of Risotto with that PositionLast week, I posted about Extreme Job Hunting where people are using unconventional methods to get the proverbial foot in a company’s door for an interview. It made me recall some of the goofy hoops I’ve jumped through to get a job.Interviews where they make you do stuff…In the 90’s, I interviewed for a job with a psychiatric facility. The job was in marketing and was not a clinical position (I’m a licensed therapist), but several of the people who interviewed me were psych nurses and therapists. (There has to be a joke here about a roomful of therapists, light bulbs and/or change.) The interview was a disconcerting mix of touchy-feely therapist type questions and queries about market share, growth potential etc.In a second interview, they took me to lunch. I realize an interview over a meal serves a purpose - make it seem more relaxed for the candidate, check out their table manners, etc. These folks … [Read more...] about “Extreme” Interviewing – Part II

In this time of high unemployment numbers, how do you get noticed by potential employers? A recent Wall Street Journal article by Joanne S. Lublin addressed this question. Lessons of Extreme Job Hunting provided some examples of what desperate job-seekers have tried.The article describes one man who wore a sandwich board with “M.I.T. graduate for hire” in the financial district where he had worked. Creative? Possibly, but it didn’t land him any interviews. So in your effort to stand out in your employment search, what kinds of moves are not cool? An accompanying article by Dana Mattioli, Bold or Brazen? Bold Tactics Don’t Always Get the Job discussed behaviors recruiters advise against. Most often, people are not following established protocols for interviews, i.e., showing up in person when a phone interview was scheduled or harassing recruiters with phone calls. Starting my own business was a result of two layoffs in less than five years. It’s been … [Read more...] about Extreme Job Hunting: Where Do You Draw the Line?

My part-time job as a therapist allows me inside the minds of adolescents and young adults. When I gain their trust, I get a peek into their “culture.” As a result, I find I’m less likely to jump on the current “youth-bashing” bandwagon. I’m growing weary of articles lamenting Gen X or Y (or whomever) workers inability to get with the program.That’s why Pamela Redmond Satran’s new book, “How Not to Act Old” is so refreshing. It shifts the burden of responsibility for keeping up to us older folks. Satran identifies behaviors and beliefs that mark us as old. For instance, we need to stop emailing; younger people are IM-ing, texting and Facebook-ing (it is SO a verb) to communicate. And as she points out, quit using your index fingers to type, it’s all about the thumbs.I was particularly interested in Satran’s take on “how not to work old.” Some of her suggestions for not skewing into that demographic … [Read more...] about How Not to Act Old (Especially in the Workplace)

Yes, There Is Such a Thing as Visual TMIBack in the day (OK, waay back), I worked out at a real gym - one where you would often see professional bodybuilders. We were serious about our lifting, those big boys, ripped girls and I. So when a woman came in one day in full make up, wearing matching workout togs, we all just stared. She was an anachronism. I bet she didn’t even own a ripped, sweat-stained Rolling Rock T-shirt. Obviously, she didn’t know our culture.I’ve never had the privilege of working for a company that provided an on-site workout facility. Personally, I admire those folks who take the time during the work day to squeeze in a session on the treadmill. But do corporate gyms have their own etiquette? To find out, I asked my friend and former colleague, Rhonda Burnaugh, RN, a wellness director who ran the gym program at her last job. Here are some tips from Burnaugh:Things NOT to do at the Company Gym     1. “Dress like a sumo wrestler … [Read more...] about Etiquette for the Gym at Work

After moving eight times in the last nine years, I have come to the conclusion that I really hate moving.Aside from having to put everything I own into boxes, moving is the only way to truly appreciate all of the garbage that I own.  Dumping the contents of my junk drawer on the floor revealed, among other things, Weezer tickets from a concert I attended in 2003, a broken Tamogotchi and my old pager.I guess a part of me is hoping that the items I've outgrown will serve a future purpose, when in reality, I know that they won't.  It's important to know when to clear the clutter out of our lives because if we don’t, we get bogged down with useless junk and have no room left for new and exciting things.This doesn’t just apply to our personal lives.  We need to know when to let go in our professional lives as well.   Ever seen the film Office Space? Remember Milton Waddams? After working at Initech for years he was banished to Storage Room B. And then, … [Read more...] about Clearing Out the Clutter

Choosing to be self-employed for the past 13 years, I don’t get to partake in much corporate-world fun anymore. But I’m fascinated by it - in an anthropologic sort of way.Recently, I became interested in conference call protocol when my husband began working from home one day a week. (a whole other post topic…) He often participates in calls with up to 50 people. Firsthand I learned that building a fort for the cat and yelling from my office to tell him about it while he’s on a call is verboten. Additional do’s and don’ts he shared with me are below.DO use your mute button. If you are having a side conversation with a co-worker, it’s not sufficient to hold your headset mic. away from you. People on the call can hear you! And do we really need to remind grown-up telecommuters that call participants can also hear you FLUSHING THE TOILET? (OK, that one really happened.)DON’T speak too close to your mic. Unless you’re practicing for … [Read more...] about Conference Call Do’s and Don’ts