How do you know if perfectionism is hurting your career, job search, overall professional success? Ask yourself the following:Do you find yourself getting ready to get ready to make a move…that you never make? For instance, you know you need to start networking, which you fully intend to do, once your resume is in better shape/website is redesigned/life is perfect. Does your productivity suffer, because you spend way too mu...

After landing a (hopefully) great job and having a (hopefully) great experience, you’ve determined that it’s time to move on. Happens all the time. However, what doesn’t happen all the time is the graceful exit. You’ve heard about Steven Slater, but did you hear the one about the guy who sent the angry email to everyone in the company when he quit? How about the one where the woman gave the boss a piece of her mind (and the...

Have you ever thought any of the following:I’m so bored with my job!I could be doing so much more for my clients…but they aren’t using me to my fullest potential!I know that I am capable of doing more than what I am doing and getting paid for. Why can’t anybody else see it?You’ve heard the expression, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Here’s a new expression to consider: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, a...

After attending many a business lunch, corporate event, dinner outing, and more under the guise of “work fun,” (raise your hand if you think that’s an oxymoron ) I feel compelled to write the following, rather obvious statement: Your Fork is not a Shovel. And while we’re on the subject, I might also mention that your knife is not a saw and that your napkin should not be waved around like you’re heading off to a bullfight l...

We all hear about how important networking is for our careers, but many of us simply don’t do it. In fact, some of us hate the practice, and would rather eat an entire copy of my book, Work 101: Learning the Ropes of the Workplace without Hanging Yourself, (sorry, shameless plug) than network, even if it meant we’d wind up in better jobs with better opportunities as a result. Does this make any sense to you?It’s time to gro...

First, let’s accept a little fact about people: They lie. All the time. So, when Mr. Smith is offering to forward your resume to his contacts, he might be sincere and really mean it. Or, he might have a problem with saying no, might be afraid to disappoint you, so he offers to help, even though he has no intention of doing so. Or, Mr. Smith may have had the best of intentions, but he got slammed with a project at work, or h...

It’s review time at the office and your boss has asked you to complete a self-assessment – those forms that ask you to rate yourself on your own work performance. Here’s where you’re going to have to walk the gauntlet like never before. After all, you’re being asked to step back and consider how your work on the product launch, or office reorg, “exceeded” or “met” expectations (or, God forbid, only met the “minimum” require...

As the economy starts to slowly get back on its feet, companies are also slowly starting to rehire. You loved your old job and would like nothing more than to be rehired by your former employer. How to get back on the short list when your company starts hiring again? Here are a few tips: Here’s the good news: You’re well-positioned to be a top contender for a shot back in the door at your former employer. After all, you...

We’ve been told to be assertive, and ask for what we want – but do we cross the line when it comes to our careers? As a former fundraiser, I was taught to ask for the money – we can’t expect people to read our minds or to hand over their checkbooks. And, I’ve seen enough ‘Oprah’ by now to know that, no, I can’t expect my husband to know that, yes, I really did want to get a huge bouquet of flowers for Valentine’s Day, not j...

Run, hide, here comes a Cubicle Invader! They’re everywhere, in every type of workplace imaginable – they might be in your cubicle right now. Just look for the person, other than you, who is in your cubicle almost as often as you are, and you’ll know you’ve got an Invader on your hands.Why have you been the lucky one chosen by the Invader? Who knows – maybe your cubicle is a temporary escape, allowing the Invader to hide, a...