
When I was growing up my parents listened to Tony Bennett. I still listen to him and am astounded that at 85, the man still has such a vital presence in the music world.
Helpful information and advice from America's favorite workplace columnist
• Cultivate relationships. "Try to find out what (former colleagues) will say about you. Talk to them about the job description and how you're qualified for the job," he says. "Make sure you always check in with your most recent supervisor."
• Google yourself. Do you see anything that can be perceived as damaging?
If someone has written something negative about you online, try to reason with the person about why you need it removed.
"Tell them their off-the-cuff remarks are hurting you. If they won't listen, tell them you may take legal action if they don't rescind them," he says.
• Confront vindictive sources. Shane says his company has sent a number of cease-and-desist letters to people providing negative references about someone, and in all those cases the people have stopped making the comments.
Since company policy forbids many to reveal more than employment dates, they realize they're violating the rules and could lose their jobs, he says.
"My final advice is to never assume anything. References are key, so be proactive and do your due diligence. Find out what people are saying about you," he says.
How would you react if you knew someone gave you a bad recommendation?
You may be so busy at work that you're lucky to hit the bathroom once a day and find time to grab a sandwich to eat at your desk. When your boss offers you more training, your immediate response may be to decline. More training? Who has the time?
But in this story I did for Gannett/USAToday, you'll see that it's to your advantage never to turn down a chance to learn something new....
One of the more frustrating messages in this poor economy has been employers' contention that they have job openings but the skilled labor needed to fill them isn't available.
Now, instead of complaining, more companies are beginning to train employees for the skills they need. Some are even working with high schools and colleges to develop students who will be ready to take on those jobs when they graduate.
Chief Executive Marc Blumenthal of Intelladon, which provides talent-management solutions to employers, says some employers now are designing very specific career development paths for workers, arming them with the skills needed now and in the future.
Among the most popular skills employers want are communication, writing, finance and customer service, he says.
Still, an employer won't target all of it's current workers for development. If you're not on the list, your company might not consider you worth the effort and your future there could be limited. Also, missing out on a company-paid training opportunities or education can put you at a disadvantage if you have to look for another job and lack critical skills.
So how do you position yourself to be selected for more on-the-job training?
Many companies have employee-development plans clearly outlined in their performance guidelines, so Blumenthal suggests first making sure you're following those steps to the letter. This can include getting certain certifications before being eligible for the next step.
If your company's career guidelines aren't spelled out clearly, you still can make yourself stand out as someone worth the investment, he says. Watch employees in your company whose work is being recognized already.
"You want to model them and make them your mentors," Blumenthal says.
Another key: Be known as someone who treats customers like gold, he says.
"These days, it's all about service," Blumenthal says. "Everyone has to be focused on keeping the customers happy."
Deborah Shane, a career brand strategist, says you want to show an employer that you're a disciplined and focused worker, but one who also is eager to embrace new opportunities.
"Go into management and tell them that you have an idea on how to streamline a process or improve something. Show that you want to be a part of the process," she says.
Blumenthal says it's important to be seen as someone who can offer solutions or jump in to help with a problem. One way to do that these days is through an online wiki or intranet that companies use for employees to collaborate and seek solutions.
"Employees who are massive contributors (to online boards) and answer the most questions and provide the most solutions are more likely" to be considered for additional opportunities within the company, such as training or education, he says.
Shane agrees, noting that employers favor those who are "go to" people and willing to be a resource to help other team members. Most employers want to see employees with she calls an "entrepreneurial mindset."
"It's having the attitude that you may work for an employer, but you act like it's your business," she says. "Employers want to see you bring your very best, just like you would if you owned the company."
Even if your employer doesn't have a formal training program, Blumenthal says you should pursue improving your skills. For example, you can ask your boss if she will pay for you to take a computer training class because it will help you use new technology and be more productive. Many training programs now are available online, making it even more convenient.
"Always relate it to how your job can be done better," he says.
In addition, federal money targeted for job training means that you may be able to find local programs that will pay for some or all of your training, he says.
"Most companies do want to invest in their people," Blumenthal says. "You can help them see that it doesn't have to be expensive."
Sometimes the highlight of my day is meeting the new UPS driver. Or cleaning out my keyboard that has become gummed up with peanut butter (the hazards of eating at your desk.) That's why I was intrigued to talk to someone who broke away from the mundane working world and set himself up to work from a truly fabulous place. Read this latest story I did for Gannett/USAToday.com...
If you think you have a pretty sweet deal because you're allowed to work from home one or two days a week, consider the arrangement Barry Frangipane managed to make with his employer.
He worked for 13 months telecommuting from Venic -- no, not Venice, Calif., Venice Italy, the stie of glorious architecture, canals and historic treasures.
Frangipane says his was a work arrangement that many can emulate.
He argues that if you can telecommute five or 25 miles from your office, why can't you telecommute from another part of the world? And even though he lived in Venice in 2004 to 2005, he says what he did is still possible today.
"When I returned to my job in the U.S., I had a renewed sense of vitality toward my job and my life," he says. "When you experience life outside the U.S., you get to look at life from a different lens. You then realize that you can look at everything differently. I even came back and looked at problems at work differently."
So at a time when many Americans feel overworked and stressed, could telecommuting from Venice — or another desired location — be possible?
First you have to do a little planning. Frangipane's advice:
• Start slowly. Frangipane had been working for a software company where he is still employed five miles from his home in Florida.
He began telecommuting one day a week then eventually increased that to full time. His productivity increased, and he kept in touch via email, phone and teleconferencing.
That helped convince his bosses that a full-time telecommuting arrangement wouldn't hurt his work.
"Except for the Christmas party, I didn't miss a meeting or event," he says. "I had my tools in place to show it could work."
• Deal with questions as they arise. For every issue that might be a roadblock to working in Italy, Frangipane was able to come up with an answer.
For example, he worked 2 to 11 p.m. in Italy so he was putting in the same hours as his employer's East Coast workers, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
• Set a departure date. If you don't set a timetable, you'll continue to put it off, Frangipane says.
As the date neared for Frangipane and his wife to leave for Italy, they took care of items such as renting their furnished home and selling their cars. With the money they received from the cars and rent, they were able to get an apartment in Venice and make up for the salary lost when his wife quit her job.
• Be realistic. Frangipane's wife quit her job as an administrative assistant and knew it would be nearly impossible to find another job in Italy.
Frangipane says his wife found much more discrimination than in the United States; most employers won't hire non-Italians. Months before returning to this country, Frangipane's wife applied for jobs online and had another position lined up when she returned.
• Understand technology overseas. It took a while for Frangipane to figure out that the main government provider of Internet service was unreliable, so he finally contracted with a private company.
He also discovered that cell-phone service was much more widely available and reliable than land lines.
• Understand the language. Frangipane and his wife took Italian classes while they were there.
"When you know the language, you become a part of the society because you can have real conversations instead of just being able to ask where the bathroom is," he says.
Frangipane, who still visits Venice yearly, believes that his experience made him a better worker and a happier person and that others shouldn't dismiss such an idea as impossible.
"Venice is a family. Your friends and relationships become much more important, and you're less likely when you come home to live in a cocoon," he says. "It's given me a renewed interest in my work and in relationships."
Where would be your dream place to telecommute from?
My friends in college used to tease me because they said when someone walked into a room, I looked them up and down, from head to toe. I wasn't aware I was doing this -- until I realized that I could later remember everything the person was wearing.
I worried that this habit of mine would be seen as rude -- even judgmental -- so I worked to curb it. But as I got older, I realized that we all make assessments within seconds of seeing someone. It's ingrained in us, and even though I was more obvious about it when I was younger, I know that I still "size" someone up -- especially when meeting for the first time.
Do you make assessments within minutes? What would someone glean from your appearance or behavior, do you think? It's a subject I explored for my latest Gannett/USAToday column....
If you think you'll be recognized at work or garner a promotion just because you work hard, you need to get a clue.
While you may believe you're a diligent worker and deserve to be rewarded, others may not perceive you the same way. And it's others' perception of you that will determine your success, says Joel A. Garfinkle, a career coach.
"Perception is important because how people view you and how their minds gets made up about who you are directly impacts your career," he says. "Everyone gets to the point at sometime in their career where you can't just expect to be noticed for what you do."
It's critical to let others know what you do and how your efforts directly help a company, Garfinkle says. That doesn't mean you become an arrogant blowhard who brags constantly about your efforts, but do keep others informed of the facts about your work that are helping the bottom line.
Instead of bragging how you're the only one able to handle a certain customer, send an email to a boss noting how you used strategies suggested in a recent industry article to deal effectively with an unhappy patron. This shows the boss that you not only made an important contribution, but that these are valuable strategies that could help others.
"Too often people feel that if they promote the good work they're doing, people will look down on them," Garfinkle says. "But you can talk about your role in the process and what you achieved. Or, relay the good comments people make about your work to the boss. You're just passing on information, and that starts to change their perception of you."
What happens if you find out that others don't have a flattering perception of you? If that happens, Garfinkle says you should try to find advocates within the company willing to speak positively about you.
If just one person holds a negative view of you, try building a better connection and rapport with the person, he suggests.
"Engaging this person and getting to know him or her takes courage and a lot can be gained by it," he says.
In his book, Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level, (Wiley, $24.95), Garfinkle outlines several "influencers" on perception that may be out of your control, such as your life experiences or where you grew up. He says you can take some steps to deal with such perceptions. For example:
• Your cultural upbringing taught you not to stand out or be too visible.
That's a problem in American business climates where you must learn to call attention to your contributions. To battle this problem, seek high-profile projects and learn to share your accomplishments with colleagues.
• You behave in a certain way because of the region where you grew up.
A New Yorker may be more direct while a Southerner may be more reticent. Garfinkle says it's a good idea to learn where your colleagues or boss grew up. That may help you connect with them better.
Making an effort to understand differences will help give others a better perception of you.
• You're a woman in a mostly male environment.
Such women workers may be judged because they are in the minority and may have a more difficult time being heard if they don't speak strongly.
A male mentor can help give advice to women in such a position, Garfinkle says. He also suggests women develop advocates among their male counterparts.
• You can be judged by the company you keep.
If you mostly hang out with people at work who don't have good reputations, you may be perceived in the same way. Try to limit interactions with gossips while spending more time talking to those who are well respected.