Online Career Tips

By Nicole Lindsay, The Daily Muse
Special to Online Career Tips

You’ve just landed a new job or a promotion. Score! You eagerly accept, ready to tackle your new responsibilities—only to find that while you (and your manager) are thrilled about your arrival, your co-workers are less than enthusiastic.

No one is happy about work every day. However, if there are more bad days than good at your workplace, maybe it’s time to evaluate what you do, why you do it and whether it’s time to make a change. Continue Reading

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 J. Mason
Online Career Tips Staff

Ever feel like some of the things you do at work are below your skill set? Or maybe because you didn’t cause the problem you shouldn’t be the one fixing it? Unfortunately, when you’re part of a team (at work) you sometimes have to perform tasks that are beneath you and not your fault. Mostly everyone you work will have to do this at one point or another. The last thing you want to do is tell your boss you’re too overqualified for something so trivial. Best rule of thumb here is to just keep it to yourself.

You may need a pep talk with yourself, if what you’re being asked to do is really beneath you. It’s understandable to be offended by the request, but it happens, and more often than not it’s because others are too busy to do it themselves or maybe because they trust that you’ll do it better the second time.

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Some other things to consider not saying to your boss would be that you’re too busy to help out, the task is so easy anyone can do it, and a simple “I don’t know”. Everyone around you should be busy, and complaining about it might send the message that you can’t handle the stress. Instead take the task with grace, and ask about a flexible time frame to complete it if it’s not high priority.

Simplifying a task might suggest to your boss that you think the work is stupid. Just don’t say it out loud. If the work you initially agreed to when you got your job has turned out to be too elementary for you then maybe you should set up a meeting to discuss increasing your role and responsibilities. Complaining that the tasks you’re receiving are too easy instead could come off as whiny and not productive.

One last pet peeve is “I don’t know” or “It can’t be done.” The best way to work this is out is trial and error. Exhaust your resources before you come to this conclusion. These statements are usually impulsive, which could read very badly on your work ethic to your boss. When you don’t know something right away, try figuring it out for yourself first. This shows initiative as well as ingenuity. Your boss will appreciate the effort if you come back to them with a list of places you’ve gone to complete the task…especially since crossing out the other avenues may save them time too.

Just remember this key message, when there’s doubt, silence is your best bet. Don’t blurt the first thing that comes to mind, unless it’s a solution to the problem. Don’t turn down a good opportunity just because you think what’s being asked of you is too trivial.

[Look for the next step forward and up.]