Moving to the front of the boardroom, classroom, auditorium, etc., to give a presentation – the nightmare. Your hands are shaking, you’ve got cotton mouth, and you’re strangely pale. The words stick in your throat, you stutter, you forget your place. The audience is staring, waiting for you to make your point, and you just wish the floor would open …
What is the Key to Handling Mistakes at Work?
How do I address mistakes in the workplace? Whether I was the one who made a mistake or a co-worker is the one in error, how do we resolve them and move forward professionally? – Fernanda in San Diego, CA Answer: Maya Angelou said, “People may not remember exactly what you did or said, but they will always remember how …
How Will Social Media Impact My Job Hunt?
Many job applications require me to include links to my social media profiles, including Facebook and Twitter. I’m not very active on either one anymore. What are they looking for on there, and should I start posting more often, or more of a certain kind of content? Should I be worried about them seeing my wedding photos or political articles …
Interviewing Secrets: How to Rock Your Phone Interviews
Looking for a job? Learn all the most helpful interviewing secrets in our three-part webinar series. In this first installment, HR Executive Sara Hill explains all the insider tips to knock your phone interview out of the park. How should you prepare? How can you deal with the unexpected? Find the answers here. You’ll be a master of phone interviews …
How to Enjoy Business Lunches Despite Vegan Dietary Restrictions
I often need to attend business dinners and lunches, and often do not have a say in the choice of restaurant. I’m vegan, and many restaurants do not have food options that I can eat. How can I participate in these professional meals without going hungry or looking impolite? – Danielle in Lancaster, CA Answer: Everyone with a dietary restriction, …
How to Attract More Woman Business Owners
I work for our city business development commission. What advice would you give to a city looking to attract more woman business owners? – Maggie in Big Bear Lake, California Answer: Female business ownership is an important component of working towards gender equality. Owning a business is a huge investment and opportunity for financial growth, but only 36 percent of …
What Can You Do When You’re Working with a Bottleneck?
There is someone I work with who is a bottleneck and I need to work with her daily. I’ve tried talking with her and have done everything I can think of to get what I need from her. I’m so frustrated. I’m dependent upon her so I can complete my work. What can I do to get her moving? – …
To Grad or Not to Grad? Is Advanced Education Right for You?
Should you go to grad school? Pursuing your dream job is a journey of constant opportunities. Careers follow myriad paths, and you will have many forks in the road where you will have to choose which direction to go. One of these forks may be the decision of whether you should get/keep a job, or you pursue a graduate degree. …
Want to Be Remembered? The Key is Energized Presentation
People in business attend hundreds of presentations throughout their careers, so how are you going to make yours stand out? The key to making an impactful, memorable presentation is to be high-energy and engaging. An energized presentation starts with you: Your enthusiasm, passion, and inspirational vision will resonate with your audience. By infusing genuine energy throughout your presentation, you create …
How to Raise Children While Having a Successful Career
I’ve started my own business, try to keep a healthy lifestyle, and now want to start a family and raise children. How does one balance all this out? How do you ensure you spend enough time with your kids while running a successful business? – Clara in Locust Valley, NY Answer: Yes, you can have it all. You can have …
How to Interview Discreetly But Effectively While on the Job
“I hate the job I have, but I can’t afford to quit… at least not until I find another one. How can I make time for job interviews I may have without it interrupting my current work or my employer finding out? How can I interview discreetly… but effectively?” – Anna in Three Forks, MT Answer: Finding a new job …
In the Zone: Coordinating Communication Around the World
Working with others is always full of its ups and downs. Coordinating different schedules and commitments can make it tricky to find a meeting time that works for everyone. But add in divergent time zones and you’re in for a real ride! As you deal with colleagues and partners around the globe, you’ll run into the issue of wildly disparate …
A New Checklist for Gender Pay Equality Now
No matter how you slice it, women are paid less than men at work. Women make less doing the same work as men, but the careers women pursue also pay less than careers primarily employing men. Why is that? And why is it that benefits still fall short when it comes to the needs of women? For all the progress …
How to Contact a Recruiter on LinkedIn
What is the best way to reach out to a recruiter on LinkedIn? – Arina in Mahwah, NJ Answer: LinkedIn is a powerful platform that can connect people and lead to valuable career advancements. Recruiters will often reach out to people on LinkedIn whom they believe would be a good fit for a certain job opening or organization. But remember: …
How to Trade Superficial Networking for Real Connections
I feel like the networking events I go to are superficial. People swap business cards and never hear from one another. What am I missing? How can I get past the superficial networking and make valuable connections? – Melissa in Davenport, Iowa Answer: When you hold a preconceived notion about a situation, it’s far more likely to be fulfilled. You’ve …
Office Romance: Is It Actually Worth It?
So many of our favorite TV shows include an office romance as a central point of interest. Sit-coms like The Office, Parks & Recreation, and Brooklyn 99 feature one or more intra-office pairings that are endearing, romantic, and entertaining, and the same goes for dramas like Grey’s Anatomy and Bones. With such a ubiquitous story arch in all of our …
How to Create a 5-Year Career Plan for Success
How do I create a 5-year career plan? In this day and age, with people getting into careers in a very roundabout way, is this still a good thing to do? – Erin in Dayton, OH Answer: A 5-year career plan should come from within. What I mean by that is tapping into your inner self, deepest desires, and values …
You Need a Break: Why Regular Time-Outs are Necessary
We all know we should take breaks, yet so many of us cut our time off short or out entirely. When the workload is growing by the minute, it can feel like we’re simply too busy to take a break. We might think we’re being more productive by focusing on our tasks rather than taking a breather, but the opposite …
Help! My Co-Worker Has a Problem With Me…
I have a co-worker who seems to have a problem with me. She tells me the work I do is bad, doesn’t include me in conversations, and keeps saying I’m in the wrong field. I’ve told my supervisor, but he just tells me to ignore her. I’m still having a very hard time working with her and her negative attitude. …
How to Say “No” Gracefully and Professionally
Saying “no” can be hard. Declining an invitation or refusing to help with something can feel uncomfortable, unprofessional, and even mean. Even not volunteering for a project can seem like a sort of crime. Even so, it’s important to be realistic about your bandwidth – refusing to take on extra projects prevents you from making promises you can’t keep. Saying …