My Campus Chronicles
Our college blog dedicated to helping students prepare for life outside of college.
February 2008 archive
An interesting article about disgruntled workers cites a survey that says bored workers are more disgruntled than overloaded employees. At first glance, this might seem to be a surprising revelation, but if you are one of those "bored" employees you can understand how this makes sense.
Employees who don't feel they have accomplished anything at work have lower job satisfaction and pride in their employers, not to mention decreased morale and productivity which can affect coworkers.
If you feel yourself being bored at work, there are some steps that you can take to try and improve your work environment.
First, speak with your manager and ask if you can take on more responsibilities, or spearhead a new project.
Second, re-evaluate your own workload. Perhaps you are missing opportunities to do more or be more creative with your current assignments.
Third, consider continuing education classes or training opportunities at work. Not only will this provide you with more stimulation and get your brain working, but it may provide you with additional skills that will help you stand out for job promotions.
If these suggestions don't rid you of never-ending boredom, it's likely time to start looking for a new job.
Q: Dear Seymour, I am currently searching for a job and I'm finding a lot of employers ask for resumes to be sent via email. I'm confused about whether I need to include a cover letter, and if so, how do I make it e-friendly?
- Submitted by Hilde Thomas, Breckinridge, CO
A: Dear Hilde,
It is becoming increasingly more prevalent for resumes to be sent via email to potential employers. Email boosts the efficiency of the traditionally time-consuming job search process, but it also presents new challenges. Though there are some differences sending resumes via email rather than through the mail, don't think you can get away without including a cover letter. Here are some tips for making your cover letter ready to send at the click of a mouse:
- Maximize your subject line. Don't ever leave the subject line of your email blank or waste it by just inserting the job number. Use it to entice the employer into your cover letter. For example: "high-tech product-marketing executive for director of marketing."
- Short and sweet. Online cover letters don't need to be as lengthy as traditional cover letters, but their basic elements should remain the same. Keep it to two concise paragraphs or under 150 words. Hook your employer in the first paragraph. It should not be any longer than one screen in length. However, use standard cover letter protocol - salutation, standard closing, blank lines between paragraphs, etc.
- Use keywords. Include keywords pertinent to the position because your cover letter may be filed into a database. Using critical keywords will enhance the likelihood that your cover letter and resume will be retrieved in a future search.
- Insert rather than attach. Paste your cover letter in the body of the email. You can always make the notation "hard copy to follow."
- Remove formatting. Use plain text - black font, normal size and typeface (i.e. 10 point, Arial or Times Roman) on a white background. Practice sending it via email to yourself and a friend who uses a different Internet service provider to ensure the letter is clean and professional-looking.
- Always proofread. Never hit "send" without thoroughly spell checking and proofreading your email cover letter. Surveys show that just one typo is enough for hiring managers to eliminate a candidate for consideration. Let another set of eyes read your letter to recheck for content and style. Make sure that what you send by email is something you'd want printed out and shown to a prospective employer.
No matter how your cover letter is sent, it should be clear, concise and professional looking. Use email as a tool to your advantage - employers often prefer it, it's faster, and demonstrates your technology skills.
Losing your job can be a terrible experience, and the psychology behind it can throw you for a loop. If you are fired, at least you can come to terms with it by assuming some of the responsibility and changing a behavior that may be trouble at work.
But if you are laid off from your job, it may be harder to come to terms with it and you could find yourself asking nagging questions about why you were chosen and not others. Even though you know it's not because of your abilities, the fact that you were chosen to lose your job leaves you feeling helpless and out of control.
Heeding the advice of professionals who can help you land on your feet will certainly keep you motivated to stay in the job hunt, and not be discouraged.
Should you lose your job through a lay off, remember to tap into your network and stay on top of job opportunities. Seek guidance from career counselors or try a staffing firm to uncover opportunities.
You may have to be patient, so if the hunt looks like it will take longer than anticipated consider a part-time job so that you can keep your head above water financially, but also stay in the habit of working.
Best of luck job seekers!
Have you ever had a job interview, and were asked questions that seemed out of left field? For example, if you could be a household appliance, what would you be and why?
This type of question would throw nearly everyone a curveball, and might make you question the point of being asked these types of questions. The way to handle this situation is to stop and think about the hidden meanings behind these questions. In the interviewer's mind, a household appliance may symbolize the type of culture or work style the company possesses. Perhaps it's how the interviewer gains insight into your personality.
Whatever the reason, take time to carefully answer the question knowing that the interviewer has his/her own reasons for asking it.
But what about questions that make you feel uncomfortable? Interviewers delving into your personal life can clearly cross the line. One article even discusses the illegalities of interviewers asking these types of personal questions.
Should you encounter this in an interview, don't be afraid to tell the interviewer that you feel that information is personal and you are not comfortable providing the information during an interview, or to your employer.
Try to stay polite with your answer, but be firm. If the interviewer continues to ask inappropriate questions and continues to make you feel uncomfortable, you might consider telling the interviewer that as a result of the line of questions, you are uncomfortable and believe that this company is not the right fit for you. Thank the interviewer, and then excuse yourself from the situation.
Don't worry about burning a bridge by not completing the interview. More than likely, this is not a company you want to work for anyway.
What about our readers? What was the strangest or most offensive question you have ever been asked during an interview?
From the holiday party to the going-away party, the office is often a place for fun, social gatherings. While this can be enjoyable for the person of honor, it often can be expensive for other employees. Instead of chipping in money or going out to eat, what are some unique ways to celebrate?
For example, if the entire office must put in money towards someone's birthday cake, why not have the person with the most recent birthday buy the cake for the upcoming birthday? Or, encourage everyone to design a homemade card to give to the special person.
Instead of going out for lunch to celebrate a new employee, why not try pot luck? Every employee can make a dish, which is certainly less expensive then dining out. It also encourages camaraderie!
Readers, what are some other cost-saving yet fun-filled ways to celebrate around the office?
"Have you ever wondered if your new cubicle mate may also be your soul mate? According to Spherion research, 36% of U.S. workers would consider dating a coworker if they were single, and 39% have had a workplace romance already. Tell us your office romance story...
Q: Dear Seymour, I use Instant Messaging a lot while I'm at work. Most of the time its work-related but occasionally I have IM chats with my girlfriend, who happens to work for the same company I do. Should I worry about doing this? How private is IM?
- Submitted by Anderson Tribels, Denton, Texas
A: Dear Anderson,
First let me assure you that you're not alone. A recent study by the AMA and ePolicy Institute found that 35 percent of employees use IM at work. More concerning is their finding that 24 percent of employees use ill-advised content including jokes, gossip, rumors, and disparaging remarks and another 10 percent reference sexual, romantic and pornographic in their chats.
The general rule of thumb about Instant Messaging (IM) or any other electronic communication is if you don't want it to be public, don't write it. Many workers mistakenly believe that their IM chats are private, and only seen by themselves and their fellow chatter. When, in fact, there are several entities that can be "saving" the contents of your chat. For example, the person you're talking to can be logging the chat, your computer can be logging the conversation, and third parties such as your IM provider can save chat records.
More importantly, employers are starting to hold employees accountable for misuse of IM chats. According to the AMA study, 13 percent of employers now retain IM business records, and 2 percent of workers have been fired for inappropriate IM chat.
So, my best advice is to fight the urge to discuss the last date with your girlfriend over IM and stick to business-related topics. Remember, this is business, it's not personal.
I once worked for a manager who intimidated me to the point where I was nervous to work on her projects. She was personable, fair, well-respected and everyone held her in high esteem. So my anxiety about performing up to her standards left me intimidated and unsure about my abilities.
Then, one day we had an office lunch where we all laughed and shared stories about work and our lives, and I realized that she was just like everyone else. From that day forward, I realized that I had created most of my anxiety because I was thinking of her only as a boss and not as a person.
As a recent blog post points out, bonding with your boss can be easier than you think. Finding commonalities are as simple as listening to office banter and paying attention to how your manager or supervisor spends their free time. And remember, they have superiors too, and they know what it's like to try and develop a rapport with a higher up.
Now, don't expect to make them your best friend by sharing intimate details about your cousin's bad break-up or the painful root canal that needed extra medication. Keep conversation light and simple to ensure that you don't say too much. Losing your professionalism while developing a comfort level with your boss could be detrimental to your image or career path, so be selective about how much you are willing to share.
Once you take the first step, you might find out that you have more in common with your superiors than you think!
