Online Career Tips

By: Matt See

Online Career Tips Staff

I used to have this boss early in my career that would frustrate the heck out of me.

I would work hours and hours on a project and put it up for her approval. When she would shoot the project down I would get so visually frustrated about it, I would almost shut completely down. Her famous line was, “Hey, it’s not a popularity contest!”

Today this got me thinking. Even though she truly wasn’t the best boss in the world, this really is a very useful piece of information.

Easing into the working world, we have a tendency to treat our work life like our personal life. We want the folks at our new office to like us just like we want our classmates/friends to like us. This seems like it is all well and good because it is something that we have been doing our whole lives. When it comes to work it is completely the wrong way of thinking.

[Learn How to "Clear Your Mechanism" at Work]

Don’t get me wrong, I think you should fit in at your office and have a good working relationship with your co-workers, but trying to be the most popular employee in the office can cause definite problems.

To succeed in this transformation of thinking, you need to remember one key point; you are at work to work! Sounds easy I know. But honestly, if you spend most of your time at work worrying about what everyone else thinks of you your work will slack and you will not succeed.

[Do you know your company's promotion strategy? Maybe you should!]

Chime in on a conversation or stop by and say hey to a fellow co-worker during the day to build a team atmosphere. Remember, it is nice to have good working relationships with your co-workers, just don’t let that dominate your 9 to 5 day.

By: Beth LaGuardia Cooper
Vice President, Marketing at American Public University System

You’ve prepared for the content of your first in-person interview, but have you thought through the “rest” of the interview? Here are some tips to help.

#1  Make a reconnaissance trip. OK, so #1 is actually something you do beforehand, but it’s about physically getting to the interview so I included it. I know it sounds elementary, but it’s a must. You do not want to show up late or frazzled to the interview because your navigation system isn’t up to date. At that point, you would have to dig yourself out of a bad first impression.

Continue Reading

By: Beth LaGuardia Cooper
Vice President, Marketing at American Public University System

If the thought of interviewing makes you break out in hives, you’re not alone.

What makes me qualified to help?

I have interviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of job candidates during my twenty years in the professional workforce. (Early in my career I was a recruiter for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, so that’s how I get to the “thousands” if that sounded at all suspicious.) Before I met my husband, I also went on lots of first dates experience one can draw upon for a number of life lessons, interview tips included! Finally, I am a marketing professional. I spend my life finding ways to get people to do what I want them to do, i.e. “pick me” however defined by the brand I am representing.

So what can I offer? Five tips to start:

Continue Reading