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02 Oct 09 Deal With A Mean Manager

If you’ve ever had to cope with a boss or manager that is less than friendly, life at work can be extremely difficult.  Most people just don’t know how to get around this, and instead let their personal lives suffer because their professional life is hopelessly out of order.  Not to mention the fact that a problematic boss seems like an unsolvable issue that you just have to live with.  But not necessarily, as long as you know what to do about that troublesome superior.

Make peace with yourself before you try anything on your boss.  Cope with the fact that they aren’t rude or angry with you because of your job performance.  Rather it’s just a negative personality trait that your boss has.  Just like a bully, the bad behavior is a social issue that they have, not something you’ve done wrong.  So don’t let it bother you as much as it might, because their rude attitude has nothing to do with you.

Asses the problem, and after you’ve made peace with the fact that the anger isn’t about you, evaluate your options.  If your bad boss is a real problem, you may have to take the issue higher within the company.  Consider your options for reporting an issue like this within the company, and also your legal rights if you feel the treatment is completely unwarranted.  Otherwise this may be time to asses your career.

If you feel this problem can’t be solved within the company, you might just have to suck it up and look for a new job.  If you don’t like the way things are going at your current company, you just might have to pack up and go to a different one.  If you just can’t work with your boss, and don’t have any other avenue to correct the situation, it’s not a bad idea to start again somewhere else.

Tags: , , Bad Behavior, , , Bully, Current Company, , , , Personal Lives, ,

24 Sep 09 Professional Networking For Shy People

Trying to network when you happen to be a shy person can be a very daunting task.  The hardest thing to do sometimes in your professional life is stepping outside of your comfort zone.  But in an economic downturn, it’s more important than ever to get your name out there.  Maintaining a good score card at your current company just isn’t enough anymore, as that position is not as guaranteed as in the past.  Only by making sure others are aware of your skills, and track record, can you ensure that you’re as hirable as possible, should anything happen.

Preparing for the worst is never a bad idea, and that’s especially true of your job.  Try to keep that in mind as you brave the networking world, despite your shyness.  It’s rough, but try going to professional networking events around you.  Whether it be seminars in your field, or any other gathering of the like where other professionals are likely to be found.  Or if it helps don’t think of this as just job related, but rather a chance for you to meet more people in the same area as you are.  Developing professional relationships with others that know what you’re going through is always a good thing.

Now you just have to battle the route cause of your tendency to be shy in public gatherings.  If you fear that you don’t have anything interesting to say, prepare for that beforehand.  Because a professional atmosphere is much different than a regular social gathering, just being knowledgeable about your industry is a good start.  If you’re good at your job, you’re already well prepared.  Just make industry related insights, and you can make connections either with people that share those thoughts, or those that are intrigued by such thinking.

Finally, it’s always a good strategy to bring someone you know to an event, so that you have a partner.  You may feel more at ease by bringing a colleague, or friend that you have in the same industry.  Anything that helps you feel relaxed and casual.  Stay courteous and positive, and you’ll find networking to be pretty easy.  You just have to extend your hand so someone else can take hold.

Tags: , , , Current Company, , , Hardest Thing, Insights, Networking World, Professional Atmosphere, , Professional Networking Events, , Public Gatherings, Relationships With Others, Score Card, , Shy Person, Shyness, Tendency

31 Aug 09 Never Pad Your Resume

When writing your resume, it’s fairly normal to feel disappointed with the way that your work history, or academic accomplishments appear.  No matter how many of either you  have to add, the anxiety of searching for a new job can make you feel as though your resume just doesn’t measure up.  So many people choose to ‘pad’ their resumes, to make a more respectable document, more likely to garner the attention of potential employers.  But more often than not, that’s a very bad idea.

In case you didn’t know the term, padding your resume refers to adding accolades that aren’t true about yourself.  Whether it be false work history items, or false educational accomplishments, or even dishonest community contributions.  All are considered padding, and are wrong in the sense that you are being dishonest to companies that you are trying to attract.  Nothing really sets you on the wrong foot with a new company more than them discovering you lied in order to get the job.

Which is why if you are unhappy about how something appears on your resume, you should take advantage of explaining yourself in your cover letter.  If you don’t like a particular gap in your employment history, you have ample opportunity to put a positive spin on things through your cover letter.  The same with anything else you feel uncomfortable about, whether it be education, etc.

But mainly, padding is bad because it sets a bad precedent for your new job.  Even if you get the job, you’re not presenting yourself correctly.  That puts you and your company in an awkward position, as tasks you don’t have the skill to accomplish may be expected of you, and your new company is getting an employee that doesn’t have the skill set expected of them.  If it’s found out you lied on your resume, most places won’t hesitate to terminate you immediately, so that little bit of padding can really come back to bite you.

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