Articles

4 tips for letters of recommendation

April 8, 2022
At some point in your career, you may be asked to write a letter of recommendation for someone. This is a good thing; it’s an opportunity to show mutual respect. Any recommendation you write reflects on you as well, so it should be crafted carefully. Keep these general guidelines in mind.

Time to update your email policy?

April 6, 2022
With the growing threat of ransomware, new regulations around privacy and the impact of improper disclosure of company-sensitive information through email, it might be time to have another look at your email policy. Here are some things the policy should cover.

The difficulties of group writing

April 6, 2022
The challenge when people get together on a document is to maintain one voice so that the reader isn’t thrown by changes in tense, point of view, phrasing, word choice, structure and so on. Sometimes it’s even difficult to keep on the same point. Group writing is hard, and the more people involved, the more difficult. Here are some guidelines.

Effectively negotiate your bills

April 6, 2022
When the term negotiation arises, it’s often in the heady context of business deals, referring to tactics and skill. Well, what makes your personal finances any different? Try a bill negotiation app.

What’s your OOTO look like?

April 6, 2022
The sculpting of your “Out of Office” email message is part of the ritual of being away. Of course, there’s a craft to it, and some best practices. Remember these pointers.

20 questions to ask your mentor

April 6, 2022
When you get time with a mentor—or even just an interesting interview subject, or someone you professionally admire—you’ll want to make the most of it. Here are some ideas for questions to ask.

Heed NLRA rules when discouraging unions

March 31, 2022
Organized labor is on a roll, with union elections making news everywhere from Amazon warehouses to John Deere factories to Starbucks coffee houses. The trend has employers wondering what they can do to thwart union organizing activities.

Here’s your ‘5 years’ audit

March 25, 2022
It’s the interviewer’s favorite question, or the interviewee’s least favorite, or both: Where do you see yourself in five years? The five-year plan is an example of a future-oriented question that challenges applicants to look ahead. But why limit these fascinating questions to job interviews? How about turning them on yourself?

Beware 4 negotiation squeezes

March 25, 2022
When entering negotiations, you have faith you’ll be talked to honestly. But you do have to go in prepared for underhanded tactics. Here are a few of the tackiest old-school ploys negotiators may present.

How clear are your KPIs?

March 25, 2022
Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are progress metrics intended to help drive business decisions. Strong businesses don’t just ask, “How are we doing overall?” They discuss and define which specific KPIs best reflect their goals most effectively. Here’s just an idea of the range of KPI tools.