No matter where we work unless we are hermits you will share work space with coworkers. It could be physical space at the office, hyperspace as in telecommuting or virtual office. Without fail, there will always be a difficult coworker or difficult boss who challenges your people skills and ability to cope with difficult people. […]

Many of us study hard and prepare to fully answer any interview questions, which may be thrown at us. The old curve ball questions, like what animal would you choose to be, or if you could change one thing the world what would be? Are supposedly used to check ones imagination. I took a course […]

By Cheryl Stein, Monster Canada Personal Coach http://career-services.monster.com/yahooarticle/get-along-with-coworker-you-hate#WT.mc_n=yta_fpt_article_get_along The reality of life is that sometimes we have to work with people we don’t like. Worse than that, sometimes we end up working with people we absolutely hate and wish we could vaporize into oblivion. Although making people disappear is not a good (or viable!) option, […]

I went bowling with some friends yesterday afternoon. I am not a regular bowler and really haven’t bowled for several years. I did set pins when I was around 14 for a couple of years at the local Elks Club. They had four alley’s and we used to have to set doubles. That is we […]

Although designed for use in the short interval when you have a captive audience in the elevator, an elevator pitch is also handy when you have just a few minutes to pass on information or make a favorable impression. While for the longest time, I thought that elevator pitches were shameless acts of self-promotion, and […]

Most of were taught that self-promotion is rude and distasteful behavior. This is sort of funny because the whole time parents are trying to teach their children not to boost of their own accomplishments, the parents spare no opportunity to brag about their children. No matter how small the feat a child performs, it is […]

Even leaders can gain from a mentor and mentoring comes in many forms. I am becoming a fan of the TV show Survivor. In many respects it is a microcosm that reflects leadership strategies. In my opinion the game of resembles the workplace. There are teams that compete against each other while each individual is […]

The stock market took a nosedive Friday (01/28/2011) and all reports pointed to the unrest in Egypt as the root cause. This made me stop to think that if the stock market can be affected by seemly-unrelated political events could there be a link between Egypt’s political unrest and US careers? Looking back over my […]

One of the most common overestimations we make is our ability to communicate effectively. Most of us have been communicating since birth to get our message across to others. An infant almost instinctively learns to get mother’s attention when hungry, in need of maintenance or attention. Usually this involves making an annoying noise (crying) until […]

Networking is one of the most fundamental elements of success and one most of us neglect the most. There are many axioms relating to the importance of building personal and business relationships. If we take a few minutes and think about it, almost everything we want must come from someone else. In this tightly interwoven […]

This week my heat pump broke.  There is a light that indicates the probable cause of the malfunction. After some searching I found the flashing code on the thermostat pointed to a circuit board in the outside unit.  When I took a look, the board in question appeared easy enough to change. A few plugs […]

For the past nine days I was on New England cruise to view the fall foliage and tour several ports of call. During the voyage, by chance, I met a semi-retired physiologist who specialized in helping patients who were having difficulties facing challenges. The bottom line to his clinical observations is many people in challenging […]

Forging alliances at work may be the most beneficial strategic career move a person can make.  Alliances are more than casual friendships, and are formed to advance common goals or interests.  These bonds of common purpose can provide a shield against adversity, and a conduit for opportunity.  Making and keeping alliances can improve and maintain […]

Confidence is a necessary skill that is often neglected in the development of a career strategy. There are different kinds and degrees of confidence, and finding the balance that best suits your personality and goals is often difficult. As many people suffer from over confidence as lack of confidence not only in themselves, but also […]

I am not sure exactly what causes it, but every year at the end of August or the beginning of September, I get the urge to go back to school.  Perhaps it is the realization that summer is drawing to a close as the days get noticeably shorter and there are hints of autumn appearing […]

I re-learned a lesson the hard way this week.  This summer I took a temporary job. When I was hired I was told the job had a definite term, and there would be no more work after the term was over. I accepted the job.  There were several people who were hired to accomplish the […]