Career Management

What complaining says about us

February 9, 2022
We all complain. We also complain about complainers. Author Robin M. Kowalski discusses the myriad of different reasons we complain, and one of them is conveying a social image.

Are you being taken advantage of?

February 9, 2022
A 2019 survey by Paychex.com revealed that over 77% of employees feel that they’ve been taken advantage of at their jobs. Now, those people surveyed knew about setting boundaries; you know this too. But sometimes you don’t know that you need to set them until they’re tested.

Rethink how you refuel

February 2, 2022
The pandemic has seismically altered the world we live in and the way we live in it. While we adjust and move forward—returning to onsite work, adjusting to new hybrid positions or taking extra precautions to combat new covid strains ramping up—it can be trickier to take care of ourselves in the ways we used to.

The art of procedural writing

February 2, 2022
Whether it’s being tasked with updating the employee manual, or you’re trying to prepare your colleagues to handle your desk during a planned absence, or you’re leaving a list for your pet sitter, at some point most of us have to prepare written instructions. Authors Jane Curry and Diana Young share specific tips.

Preserve your brain’s health

February 2, 2022
Recently on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” guest Professor James Goodwin talked about brain health. Host A. Martinez mentioned that his father was convinced that doing a crossword puzzle in pen, every day, would keep his mind sharp.

A new idea for structuring your day

January 12, 2022
Talking to a friend last month after a long disconnect, I asked him if he had anything new he was into: hobbies, fitness routines, anything to cope with the stress of his job as the CFO of a printing company. “I discovered something interesting by accident,” he said.

What’s it all for if your health suffers?

January 12, 2022
In the book Dying for a Paycheck, Jeffrey Pfeffer delivers some straight talk: Don’t wait for public policy to address the social costs of excessive work hours and work-family conflict.

The two types of ROI: Return on investment vs. return on influence

January 12, 2022
While your return on investment is very matter-of-fact and measurable, this is not always the case with return on influence. This is categorized by the social media engagement factors that have a robust effect in terms of business visibility and a knock-on effect in generating leads, sales and awareness.

‘What do you do’? Respond strategically

January 12, 2022
It’s one of the most asked questions in small talk: What do you do? Still, few of us are prepared to answer that question beyond the merely required data: the company we work for and the title of our position. Reframe the question to make for more compelling answers. Here are a few ideas.

Argument tactics: How to undercut your opponent’s evidence

January 12, 2022
Let’s say you butt heads with a savvy negotiator who floods you with data that works against you. Don’t buckle under the weight of raw information. Here are some techniques to salvage your position in the face of overwhelming evidence against you.