Movin' On Up

Is a Two-Week Notice Still Necessary?

2009-07-20T15:58:49-05:00

I recently read an article on MSNBC titled Take this job and shove it! The article talks about how employees who survived recent company layoffs aren’t following traditional job protocol when they leave their company. Employees are now leaving without giving their employers a two-week notice, and some are even going to work for competitors – despite noncompete agreements they signed with their previous employer.

Company layoffs and benefit cuts can leave surviving employees feeling angry, scared, and nervous that they might be next on the chopping block. In this economy, employers can’t promise their employees that no more cuts will be made. Even if employers give a sense of security to their workers, the trust between the company and its employees is already broken, resulting in many people searching out other job opportunities.

Often, when the trust is broken between employers and their employees, employees no longer feel obligated to give a two-week notice. The need to feel in control of the future often overrides feelings of loyalty and common workplace courtesy toward employers.

But, is it OK to leave your current job without giving the courtesy of a two-week notice?

Leaving your place of employment for better opportunities, a more secure job, or simply because you don’t like how they handled things when layoffs came around is not necessarily a bad thing. But, leaving without giving your employers adequate notice is not good for your professional image.

So, if you’re looking for different employment, don’t leave on a sour note or burn bridges with your employer. No matter what the situation, make sure to give ample time for the company to make alternate arrangements and offer your help to make sure the transition is an easy one. Leave with your professional image intact, and you will not only feel better in the long run, but you’ll leave the door open for any possibility your career leads you to.

Bad Boss of the Week: A Christmas Carol’s Ebenezer Scrooge

2009-07-17T15:17:44-05:00

Ebenezer Scrooge – the self-centered, tight-fisted, hum bug in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – is this week’s bad boss. His constant malice, degrading demeanor, and entire lack of work/life balance make him the classic bad boss.

While there’s a great deal to be said for hard work, knowing how to balance business with life is an important and necessary skill that eluded Scrooge for much of his career. He spent most of his life at work and expected his employee, Bob Crachit, to do the same, only reluctantly giving him Christmas day off.

Have you found that your work/life balance can be more work than life? In order to keep pace with a workaholic boss, here are three things you can do to reprioritize your life and still meet their expectations.

1. Discuss and understand your employer’s expectations
2. Take time to evaluate your goals and priorities
3. Establish an agreed-upon plan in advance, including deadlines and time off.

To view a clip of Ebenezer Scrooge in action, click here.

Share your bad boss stories at www.worstbosses.com. For more information about 100 Worst Bosses – Learning from the Very Worst How to Be Your Very Best and the Movin’ on Up Bad Boss of the Week, click here.

Local Express Offices Help People Find Jobs

2009-07-17T11:24:34-05:00

Express Employment Professionals is busy helping people find jobs. Although the national unemployment rate has reached 9.7%, companies are beginning to look for employees through staffing agencies. Check out this great video from the local NBC affiliate in Wisconsin to see how the Express Employment Professionals Janesville office is leading the charge in helping people find work. If you’re looking for a job, check out the Express office in your area to find an employment opportunity that fits your needs and schedule.

Top 10 Job Search Tips of All Time

2009-07-14T11:17:00-05:00

A successful job search is definitely not easy. First, you have to find a job you’re interested in. Next, you have to apply and wait for an invitation to interview. After that, you have to prepare for the interview, and then you have to follow up. And, that’s just the basics – there are many more small steps along the way that make things complicated and sometimes overwhelming. So, we put together our top 10 job search tips of all time – to keep you from forgetting an important step along the way.

1. Broaden your job search

2. Build a network

3. Write a top-notch résumé

4. Submit a cover letter with your résumé, every time

5. Research your potential employer’s company

6. Practice answering common interview questions

7. Prepare to ask the interviewer questions

8. Be sure to dress for success

9. Bring the proper items to an interview

10. Follow up after an interview

Landing the job you want takes time and effort. Rarely does the perfect opportunity just fall in your lap. But, you can make your job search process simpler by following these top 10 tips of all time.

Tell us what you think – did we miss one? Share your job search tips in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.

When to Share and Not to Share Stories at Work

2009-07-06T08:41:32-05:00

Recently, I wrote a blog about job search tips and how my brother used some more traditional techniques to find a job. But before I wrote that story, I wondered just how much I really wanted my co-workers, let alone the public, to know about my family’s personal life. I decided to go ahead and share my brother’s story because I felt it would help others who were in similar situations.

I’ve often used my family and their job search methods for inspiration when writing. I’m pretty open about my own personal life with colleagues at work, but have wondered on more than one occasion whether or not I should have told a particular story. Which brings me to my question: What does telling personal stories at work say about you and how does it affect others’ perceptions of you?

I’ve come to the conclusion, that although some stories are OK to share in the workplace, others are best left to be shared with close friends and family members outside the office.

So, if you’re trying to move up the career ladder, present yourself as a professional, or simply be seen as a dependable, hard working employee, inappropriate stories about your fun-filled weekend or fights with your spouse are not the types of topics you want to discuss with your teammates.

Have you shared too much and not realized it until it was too late? Did it affect your work relationships or your career? What kind of stories have you heard in the workplace that you felt were inappropriate? Leave your comments in the section below.

Bad Boss of the Week: In Good Company’s Carter Duryea

2009-07-02T17:45:52-05:00

In Good Company’s Carter Duryea doesn’t have any over-the-top quirks, personality traits or attitude issues that make him impossible to work for. In fact, he’s quite likeable – even charming. What makes him this week’s bad boss is his inexperience. His lack of work experience causes him to have tunnel vision and he fails to focus on his clients’ needs.

Carter replaces a highly qualified twenty-year executive veteran of an advertising company after a corporate takeover. When Carter takes a mature, and seemingly conservative, client out to a hip-hop concert, his ostentatious sales approach exposes his inexperience as he fails to connect with his client. To watch a clip, click here.

So how do you cope with an inexperienced boss? Start with these 4 tips.

Recognize and acknowledge the skills they have
Be patient
Guide and teach them
Give them time and space to grow

This Year, Is Higher Education Worth the Cost?

2009-06-30T11:44:35-05:00

Summer may be at its peak, but just around the corner, another school year waits. Not just for children to return to class from summer vacation, but for a growing number of people in America, from the unemployed to those with newly minted degrees.

This year, a rising number of unemployed Americans are returning to school to improve their knowledge and skills in an increasingly tough job market. In fact, many community colleges reporting their largest enrollment spikes ever attribute the increase to the need to meet the demands of a highly competitive job market.

To cope with the monetary strain of higher education, many high school graduates are simply opting for a low tuition option such as in-state or community colleges, rather than ivy league, gold sticker institutions.

Many new college grads, who faced a dreary job outlook upon their recent graduation, are opting to go straight into grad school, fearing uncertain immediate employment future. In fact, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported that 26% of new grads planned to go on to graduate school, up from 24% in 2008 and 20% in 2007.

So, with all this emphasis on going back to school, we want to know what you think. Is it worth it to get a college or graduate degree in this recession? Let us know by voting in our poll below.

poll by twiigs.com

Are you struggling with the decision of whether or not to enroll in higher education? Looking to increase your skills, or hoping a degree will help you earn a higher paycheck? Share your thoughts on higher education in our comments section.

Second Jobs are Still Hot this Summer, New Poll Shows

2009-06-29T17:03:01-05:00

At the beginning of this month, we asked workers if they were looking for a second job as the summer’s seasonal employment opportunities started to open up.

Of almost 1,600 respondents, 56% reported that they are indeed looking for a second job this summer – because they need the extra cash – up from 41% who reported looking for a second job to generate more income when we asked the question last November.

As economists continue to predict that the recession is nearing its end, these results reflect that financially, workers are still feeling the financial strain of the economy.

This poll also offers an interesting insight on the current unemployment situation. In this month’s poll, 24% of respondents said they are unemployed and looking for a position, down from 27% in the November poll.

When asked, “Are you looking for a second job?” 1,595 readers responded, and 56.7% said they were looking for a second job to generate more income, 9.1% said they wanted a second job to get their foot in the door at a new company, 6% said they don’t have time to work a second job, 3.5% said they didn’t need a second job because their finances were okay, and 24% said they are unemployed and currently looking for a position.

Have you found a second job this summer? Is it worth the stress of managing a hectic schedule? Share your thoughts and comments on working a second job in the comments section.

Bad Boss of the Week: Arrested Development’s Gob Bluth

2009-06-26T14:37:01-05:00

Gob (pronounced “Job”) Bluth’s colossal incompetence and complete lack of qualification and experience make him this week’s Movin’ On Up Bad Boss of the Week. Gob is a deficient magician who is briefly appointed – by his mother – to be president of the family business, The Bluth Company, on the sitcom Arrested Development.

Hopefully, you’ve never had a boss so incompetent, inept, and unfocused that they’ve managed to make their office into a pool room, turn their desk into a massage table, and cost the company $45,000 in damages – all within their first three hours on the job. But, if you’ve ever had a boss who left you wondering what dark magic they used to get where they are, here are five tips to help you manage the situation and successfully work with a truly bad boss.

1. Manage up
2. Don’t undermine their authority
3. Support the strengths they have
4. Focus on doing your best job
5. Take responsibility for the things you can

Have you worked with an incompetent boss like Gob? How did you work through the situation?

Struggling to Find Inspiration to Make it Through Your Workday? 4 Places to Look

2009-06-24T08:25:08-05:00

If you find yourself in the same work environment day after day, year after year, you might start to feel drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. You may even become apathetic, causing your creativity to drop. Then, your work might begin to suffer. Suddenly, just getting through the workday can be challenging. If you’re one of many workers struggling to find motivation to get through your workday, discover your inspiration and revive your passion through one of these four avenues.

Environment

Sometimes, simply changing your environment can give you a new perspective on your job. If you’re able to take your work with you, ask your supervisor if you can work outside for a short time, work in a different area of the building, or possibly even work from home for a day. Work not portable? Use your lunch break to get outside, take a walk, and enjoy the different scenery.

People

Do you know someone who always makes you laugh, makes you feel better about your situation, or shares words of encouragement? Check in with those friends, family members, and co-workers when you need a pick-me-up during the workday. Consider writing down some of their encouraging words on note cards and posting them in your workspace to view throughout the day. Want to hear someone else’s view on the world? Talk to a child you know. They’ll be sure to make you laugh and appreciate the smaller things in life.

Art

Whether your favorite type of art comes in the form of photography, paintings, music, poetry, or novels, surrounding yourself with the art of your choice can provide new inspiration to help you reach your goals at work and at home. Not sure where to look? Hang a print of some art that brings you joy. Inspiration is sure to follow when you are surrounded by things you love.

Dreams

Sometimes, inspiration comes from dreaming of what may come. So, don’t be afraid to dream big and look toward the future to find your inspiration. Whether you’re motivated by striving for the VP’s chair or simply want to earn a raise to buy the car you’ve been eyeing, dreaming can supply the power you need to make it through the workday.

You’ve probably experienced at least a day here or there when you’ve struggled to stay on task at work, making your day seem endless. But, if you concentrate on what brings you motivation, you’ll soon be right back where you need to be – inspired to get the job done and done well.