Career Chat

Friend as a boss

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:49:38 +0000

Have you ever worked with a good friend who then became your boss? Did it put a strain on your friendship?

Networking

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:51:41 +0000

For some, networking skills come naturally. For others, networking can be downright awkward. What are some good tips for the not-so-savvy networker?

Politics in the office

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:24:50 +0000

Do you have a politically active co-worker? Do you think it’s appropriate for them to campaign in your work environment? When is it suitable to talk politics in the office?

Digital disruptions

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:44:57 +0000

Do you have a co-worker or manager that is constantly disrupting meetings or not fully attentive because of frequent phone calls, text messages, or e-mail messages? How do you deal with these disruptions? Where do you draw the line? And do you confront the culprits?

Turning negative into positive

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:24:56 +0000

What is your greatest weakness? What are your two weakest skills? We’ve all been asked tricky questions like these in an interview. How did you respond? Do you think you answered successfully?

Explaining breaks in employment

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:53:04 +0000

Have you ever been unemployed for 6 months or more? How did you explain this break to prospective employers?

Co-worker Conflicts

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:10:26 +0000

Have you ever had a mean or rude co-worker that held you back in your career? How did you resolve the conflict?

Have you been fired from a job?

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:15:40 +0000

Career advisor Penelope Trunk discusses being fired in her latest blog post, and describes it as follows:

I have been fired a lot. Sometimes it has not mattered, like when my grandma fired me from her bookstore because I kept reading on the job. Sometimes it has been a bad scene with me shaking because I was so scared - like when I was fired at Ingram Micro for using the computer for non-work-related stuff (Yes, people got fired for that in 1995.) But I checked in with myself at Yahoo and realized that I was fine. I was not going to cry. I was actually in problem-solving mode. So I asked why I was being fired.

Read the full post here. Have you been fired from a job? How did you recover?

What was your holiday bonus?

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:44:56 +0000

This week Star Tribune reporter Matt McKinney wrote the holiday bonus may be a practice of the past:

If you’re going home empty-handed from the company Christmas party, you’re like most of us. The holiday bonus is a thing of the past, or maybe just a thing of an overworked imagination: It never existed at half of the 350 companies surveyed in a recent poll conducted by Hewitt Associates.

Read the full story here.

What was your holiday bonus? A diamond or a lump of coal? Should companies give out a holiday bonus to their employees?

What is your dream job?

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:44:40 +0000

According to an AP story “Job posting: Frequent travel, must love space” the usajobs.gov lists this job “open to all qualified U.S. citizens.”

Yes, NASA has a job posting for astronauts.

The article states: “The pay starts at $59,493 a year and goes up to $130,257. “Frequent travel may be required,” the posting states — no kidding — and candidates must pass a medical exam and background check.”

What’s your dream job?