Career

• How to Survive Your Office Christmas Party

  Christmas parties are an extension of the workplace. So while it's okay to be merry and have a drink, be careful not to go too far. Especially in a recession, with layoffs coming fast and furious, you don't want any blemishes on your record. Use the time to to mingle with higher-ups. Sounds gross, but that's reality. By Alfonso Serrano

  
  

• Is Your Credit Score Accurate?

  If you're thinking of buying a house or car, beware the tightened credit market. Lenders use a credit risk score to determine the risk a borrower represents. So make sure the information on your credit score is accurate--it could save you thousands of dollars a year. A good credit score, for example, might qualify you for a 5.67% interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage, whereas the rate for the same loan for a borrower with mediocre credit would be 6.99%. If you have bad credit, don’t fret. 'Nothing matters after seven years,' according to one expert.
  By Alfonso Serrano

  
  

• Now Is a Good Time to Be an Entrepreneur

  Looking for a job? Maybe you should create your own. Recessions are actually a great time to start a new business. With so many people out of work, human capital is cheap and abundant. And you may be able to pick up necessary equipment, office space, business services, etc. at fire-sale prices. Need proof the formula works? Look at Walt Disney Co., Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft. All were started during weak economies. By Alfonso Serrano

  
  

• Explaining Your Layoff to Job Recruiters

  Don't express bitterness or self-pity during the interview--and fight the impulse to open up about how your dismissal has ruined your life. That looks unprofessional. Show your willingness to undergo training or to relocate--a can-do attitude is essential--but don't offer to do anything you really aren't willing to do. And don't be TOO grateful. Instead of 'Thank you so much for considering me,' go with something a bit more restrained, like 'I look forward to hearing from you.' Be aware that you might have to cast a wide net geographically--and to consider moving into an industry that is still hiring. By Alfonso Serrano

  
  

• If You Get Laid Off, ACT FAST

  The first 24 hours after you've been laid off are critical. It’s no time to mope or even sleep in. Set your alarm for the usual time, because you should be working full-time to find your next gig. First, review your severance package to make sure your compensation is right. Then make a list of everyone you need to contact. You’re going to want to shoot an email or place a phone call to everyone. By Alfonso Serrano

  
  

• How to Find Your Dream Career

  If you’re looking for an easy guide to finding your dream job, prepare for a letdown. Finding an ideal career is a process, one that varies in length depending on how honest you are with yourself. The biggest obstacle is deciding what you want – what you are passionate about. If you have the knowledge to succeed in your dream career, the next step is to determining how much you’re willing to sacrifice to reach your goals. After clearing those hurdles comes the easy part: research your industry and find out the skill sets needed to succeed. Finally, develop a plan and take action. By Alfonso Serrano

  
  

• Networking for Guys Who Hate Networking

  IN A DOWN ECONOMY, being a good networker can spell the difference between being employed and, well, being screwed. But don’t approach networking like a hunter out to bag the big trophy. Bleg. Make like you’re a farmer who’s out to…cultivate crops of relationships. Speaking of which, here’s how to make the most of that upcoming office party:
      •Eye contact. Keep it steady, but not creepy. Look away occasionally--just don't make it appear that you'd rather be talking to someone else.
      •Body language. Arms folded across your chest says, “I'm bored.” Arms clasped behind your back says, “I'm listening.”
      •Positioning. If you’re talking in a group, don't hem anyone in or, worse, turn you back to them.
      •Facial expressions. Try to look friendly and interested, even if you're not. But avoid the pasted-on grin at all costs.
      Source: money.cnn.com

  
  

• 10 WORST Job Tips Ever

  Nearly every day, someone sends me a bit of astounding job-search advice from a blog or a newsletter. Some of this advice seems to come directly from the planet X-19, and some of it seems to have been made up on the spot. Here are 10 of my favorite pieces of atrocious job-search advice, for you to read and ignore at all costs:

  
  

• 4 Ways to Save Your Job in a Slow Economy

  Meet with your manager regularly to make sure you are on the same page regarding your performance. Don't complain--high-maintenance workers tend to alienate the powers that be. Stay busy, and forget about that three-week vacation. If you are fired, consider asking whether you can stay on at a lower salary. Source: SmartMoney magazine

  
  

• Simple Ways to Improve Your Powers of Persuasion

  When someone objects to something you've said, try not to become defensive. Listen carefully and try to initiate a real dialogue. Don't whine. Don't overpersuade, by listing 101 reasons why you're right. Most of all, listen carefully. Most people will tell you what they need to hear in order to be persuaded. Source: Fortune

  
  

• How to Build a Web Site for Peanuts

  For $10 and about eight hours, you can get your business's web site up and running. Low-cost and even free hosting companies are now available, and you can copy and paste much of the HTML you need to add calendars, shopping carts, etc. Plus--cheap ways to drive and monitor traffic to your site.

  
  

• Better Delegating: Four Key Strategies

  Entrepreneurs frequently block their own success by micromanaging and trying to tackle too many enormous tasks on their own. Galvanize your business ideas by taking calculated risks and investing in the knowledge of those close to you. Sound advice from Romanus Wolter, AKA “The Kick Start Guy.” Source: Entrepreneur

  
  

• How to Be Happily Self-Employed

  Many people would like to be self-employed but fear the risk—with good reason. Within five years, half of new businesses are out of business. The key to success is to do the opposite of what they teach in business school: don’t innovate. Replicate. An SMD Exclusive

  
  

• Smart Ways to BULLETPROOF YOUR JOB

  Downsizing is in the immediate future of many companies. Besides the obvious no-no's—completing projects late, griping noisily about the boss—here are seven strategies for deflecting a pink slip. How to toot your own horn and other smart ways to keep your name off the layoff list when the ax falls. Source: Money Magazine

  
  

• Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Good Leader?

  Are you a good leader? What do your management style and business philosophy say about your leadership strengths? Take this ten-question quiz to see how you score and find out if you’re on the path to success. Source: Fortune

  
  

• How to Win at OFFICE POLITICS

  Like it or not, every workplace is a political environment. But operating effectively doesn’t have to mean sucking up, lying, or slinging dirt. Office politics is simply about getting from here to there: securing a promotion, seeing an idea come to fruition, or gaining support to make an organizational change. Playing the game well is about defending your position, earning respect, exchanging favors, and keeping your sanity amid the chaos. Five steps to success. Source: BNET

  
  

• Picking the Best Email Program for Your Company

  E-mail marketing is a great way to interact with customers. These are the best services that let you manage subscriber lists, comply with spam regulations, monitor bouncebacks, and track who opened and clicked on what. Some programs will even check your message against spam filters, ensuring it won't share the same junk-folder fate as the Viagra offers or make your customers unsubscribe. Source: Inc

  
  

• 10 Ways to Get Your Message Across

  These ten tips will help you communicate with your employees consistently and effectively. The way a message should be delivered, whom it should be delivered to, what it says and the best time to deliver it all factor into whether the message will be understood or adhered to. The how, when, and why of giving positive and negative feedback. Source: Entrepreneur

  
  

• Confessions of a Layoff Coach

  What's it like to be the expert a company brings in to help fired employees find their next jobs? An outplacement counselor shares what it’s like to do his job and his advice for professionals who may be facing a layoff. How to make the most of outplacement counseling. Source: Fortune

  
  

• How to Cope with !@#$% Flight Delays

  Passengers are given little or no information about airline delays. They are herded in groups, fed institutional slop, and forced to sleep on floors or in hard chairs. Five strategies that are guaranteed to get you better treatment than the rest of the crowd, including how to get the airline to pay for the most comfortable hotel room. Source: Portfolio

  
  

• How to Catch the Eye of an Executive Recruiter

  If you want to get the attention of an executive search firm, mass mailing your resume isn’t the right approach. Instead, build relationships with recruiters while you're still employed. When the time comes that you need a job, you will have relationships with people who are willing to work with you. Source: The Wall Street Journal

  
  

• Insider's Guide to Early Retirement

  Retire younger and live better! How guys are redefining retirement and remaining in the workforce on their own terms. Men are shedding the aspects of work they don’t like and pursuing their passions. You can too, with this fifteen-year action plan. Source: Best Life

  
  

• How to Break Out of a Rut

  It's no fun to have to stay at a job that doesn't bring you a sense of excitement or satisfaction. How can you bring new vigor to your relationship with your job? Here are 13 never-fail suggestions.

  
  

• In a Sinking Industry? How to Jump Ship

  All is not lost. Many types of professional skills are transferable to other fields. Career transitions for professionals from the financial service, real estate, sales and automobile industries. Source: The Wall Street Journal

  
  

• How to Manage Your Former Peers

  It sounds like the ideal promotion: a management position in which you get to oversee your former colleagues, people with whom you already have a rapport and whose work habits you already know. But the transition can be anything but smooth. Six rules for your first ninety days as their new boss. Source: The Wall Street Journal.

  
  

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