Doostang News Feb 8: Be Mine, Valentine! Avoiding the Lusty Coworker

Hedge Fund Associate Analyst, New York, NY
Senior Project Manager, Los Angeles, CA
VC / PE Associate (Pre-MBA), San Francisco, CA
Manager – Energy Marketing, Chicago, IL
Investment Banking Analyst, Washington, DC

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Bill in HR coming on too strong? Janice playing footsy under the desk? Yeee-up. We’ve all been there. Whether you underwent your first awkward dance of unrequited love in the third grade or your third year of college, you’ll notice that the rules of the game don’t change much from the sandbox to the cubicle. But hey! No need to suffer – Doostang’s here to spare every hopeless romantic a little heartache. Keep reading for a list of tactful approaches to the advances of your love-struck coworkers.

Remain Calm

This is not a drill! And matters of the heart are of the utmost delicacy. In one fell swoop you can shatter a person’s dignity. It’s fairly obvious that when someone musters up the courage to profess their feelings or ask you out on a date, that no matter what your response, you need to be kind. More than this, when you are in the workplace you need to act professionally. It may be tempting to gawk at someone’s audacity, but if you laugh in their face or come back with a snide reply, you’re going to make the situation far more uncomfortable for yourself and for that other person. Remember, you work with this individual, so chances are you’re going to see them on a daily basis. It’s no fun having to time your jaunts to the water cooler or painfully wait to use the restroom in order to avoid having a one-on-one with said individual…because …well because this is what you were trying to avoid in the first place, now wasn’t it?

Steer Clear of Gossip

Yeah, maybe it was funny when socially awkward Frank with the taped glasses strolled in, proposing a night out on the town. But unless Frank mentioned a party bus, don’t go sharing the news with all of your office buddies. Doing so is disrespectful to that other person and has the potential to start nasty rumors. The workplace is a very small world, and things have a way of getting back to other people. Gossip is never a safe bet, and, more than this, it’s just plain unprofessional.

Seek Assistance

A little unsolicited flirting can be endearing sometimes, but when Cupid is launching an all out barrage of heart-shaped arrows your way, it may be time to take matters to a higher power. If you have already conveyed to a coworker that you are not interested and they still won’t take a hint, or, worse yet, begin treating you disrespectfully, you have every right to talk to a manager or Human Resources representative. Companies take sexual harassment very seriously, and you should report it the moment it becomes an issue.

Be Honest

While not necessarily a token of advice specific to the workplace, the golden rule of honesty is generally a good one to live by in any scenario. Picture this: Barbara approaches you outside the office kitchenette, asking if you’re free to join her for pizza Friday night. Don’t fib and tell her that you already have a girlfriend or you’re allergic to pizza, because when the GF fails to show up to company soirees time and again or you have to opt out of office pizza parties, you’re going to feel like a fool. Have the sense to tell the truth. How about, “You know, I’m really not looking to date anyone right now, I’m focused on my work.” Or maybe drop a hint like, “I’m not sure that Friday will work for me, but maybe you can come along with me and some of the guys in the office to grab pizza at lunch.” People will respect and appreciate you much more in the long run if you respect them enough to tell the truth.

Matters of the heart are tricky. And matters of the heart mixed with matters in the workplace can turn sour very quickly. So keep it sweet this Valentine’s Day, and implement a little tact into your office romance routine.

Love,

Your Secret Admirer (The Doostang Team!)

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Doostang Press – Doostang lands $1.25M

Job network Doostang hangs tough with the competition, lands $1.25M

Read the full article on VentureBeat

Part LinkedIn, part CareerBuilder, job site Doostang claims that its network includes 25 percent of recent graduates from the country’s top 30 universities. And now the Palo Alto, Calif., company has raised $1.25 million of an expected $2.1 million round of equity to expand even more, according to a filing with the SEC.

Doostang, which now claims 600,000 users, distinguishes itself from competitors as a career network for elite job candidates. Not only does it place emphasis on attracting members from top colleges and business schools, it also culls prestigious listings for them to choose from. For this reason, it offers several premium membership options that grant access to even better listings and high-profile connections to enable power networking.

But it’s not alone in trying to appeal to this niche, elite audience. TheLadders, a job site for people searching for six-figure salaries and up, has seen a lot of success. It raised $7.25 million from Matrix Partners to start back in 2004 and has grown to 1.8 million members, not to mention 35,000 recruiters.

Doostang justifies its smaller user base by saying it’s even more selective. Just two years ago, it was an invite-only service. Since then, it’s opened to the general public. But the company still faces one challenge we brought up in a previous VentureBeat article: that the most elite job seekers probably won’t have much trouble finding appropriate positions through their own personal networks. The site has managed to double in size since then — but many of its members probably belong to multiple job networks.

Shasta Ventures provided the recent round of funding, bringing Doostang’s total capital raised to $5.25 million since its founding in 2005.

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Doostang Top Jobs This Week: Feb 1 – 7

Doostang’s Premium service gives you exclusive access to thousands of highly sought after positions at companies like Google, Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital, Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts, Summit Partners, Time Warner, Facebook, and more.

Looking to get ahead in your job search? Here are this week’s top Premium jobs currently posted on Doostang.

Private Equity Operations Associate, Los Angeles, CA
Highly Recognized Private Equity Firm seeks Operations Associate for pre-MBA program.

Business Analyst – Social Gaming, San Francisco, CA
Leader in interactive entertainment for women seeks Business Analyst, Social Gaming.

Venture Capital Investment Analyst, Larchmont, NY
Oldest venture capital firm in the US seeks investment analyst.

Project Manager – Viral Brand Campaign, Boston, MA
Art-house, web-based entertainment studio seeking Viral Brand Project Manager for Spring 2010.

Investment Banking Associate – Consumer & Retail, Philadelphia, PA
Leading full-service investment banking & financial services firm seeks consumer & retail investment banking associate.

Director – Networking Community, New York, NY
Exclusive global women’s network seeks Director.

Financial Analyst, Shanghai, China
Chinese-Italian Private Equity Fund seeks Financial Analyst.

Doostang Success – New Job in 3 Weeks

“Doostang helped me find a job remarkably quickly. I was sitting at my new desk a mere three weeks from the day I began my job search.”

- Sara, Yale 2001

Want to be the next Doostang Success story? Start applying to those jobs and see where that takes you!

Here’s a small sample of the exceptional jobs you’ll find on Doostang:

Junior Hedge Fund Analyst – NY Based Hedge Fund, New York, NY
Strategy Consultant – Top-Level Financial Consultancy, Chicago, IL
Investment Banking Analyst – Top Investment Firm, Boston, MA
Film Producer – Specialty Film Production Company, Los Angeles, CA
Private Equity Associate – Energy Private Equity Group, Houston, TX

More jobs we think you’ll like…

Happy Job Searching!

The Doostang Team

If you’re interested in sharing your Doostang success story, contact Kat at katerina@doostang.com

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Five Best Bets for a Career Change Resume

By Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC GetInterviews.com

Investment Banking Analyst, New York, NY
Associate Consultant, Boston, MA
Trading Analyst / Trader, Los Angeles, CA
Business Analyst, San Jose, CA
Financial Analyst, Chicago, IL

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With the economy soured, many industries have simply dried up in terms of growth. For example, construction, automotive, and mortgage services have taken big hits over the past two years. People in these industries have not only seen their own jobs disappear, but most of the other jobs in their industries have evaporated as well. As a result, they often face an unexpected requirement of a career change. But how do you take experience from one industry and translate it into another? Here are some career change resume best bets.

1. Shift Your Paradigm.

Consider Joe. He’s been in construction all his life, moving from laborer all the way up to construction supervisor. He’s never considered a different career until now. Construction work in his area came to a screeching halt eighteen months ago. Nothing is happening in construction in his area and he’s unable to relocate due to family concerns. He knows he must make a career change but he doesn’t know what that change may be.

If you’ve been in the same career field for twenty years like Joe, your career field has become ingrained in your identity. Joe thinks of himself as a “construction guy”. He must start thinking of himself in a different light and translate that to his career marketing documents – his resume and cover letter. When Joe talks to people in his network, he cannot present himself as a construction professional looking to do something else. He must make that career transition mentally before he will make progress in his job search. That mental shift must also come before he constructs his career change resume. Joe found working with an employment specialist helpful because it gave him the necessary objectivity to see his career in a new light.

2. Know Where You’re Going.

Joe wasn’t sure what else he could do besides construction. As a result, he sought some career exploration assistance to help him find a new career direction. He wanted to pursue something that would offer him opportunities, interesting work, and financial reward (like a paycheck!). There were many resources available to Joe, many at no cost, which could direct him. Workforce development centers often offer counseling and job retraining options. Do a little research to see what is available in your area.

Once Joe determined where he wanted to go next in his career, his resume could be built to support that goal. The goal must come first, though. It is impossible to write an effective career change resume if the new goal is a mystery. A great resume is written with a goal in mind; the strategy of information selection and organization must support that goal throughout the entire resume.

Not only should a general goal be developed (such as home inspection for Joe) but details surrounding requirements of the new goal should be researched and understood. Will new training be required? What is the outlook for the new career field? Does it look favorable for the future? What skills are needed for the new job? Knowing all this information at the beginning will help you outline a plan for reaching your goal and give you a beginning strategy for creation of your career change resume. You will understand what skills you need to pull from your background and bring into your new resume.

3. Know Where You’ve Been.

If you’ve been in your job for a long time, it is likely you’ve not prepared a resume in years. You may not have thought about your experience and skills in terms of value to a different industry. When faced with a career change, it is very important to capture the scope of work you’ve done in the past and ways you have contributed, excelled, and succeeded.

A career change resume starts with an in-depth look at your past career history. The more information you or your resume writer has at hand, the better. Information selection will be important in constructing the career change resume. General information about job roles is not always helpful. For example, Joe noted he had experience working with zoning variances. That was pretty general. Upon questioning, Joe further explained he had to present project plans multiple times at municipal council meetings, meet with city engineers, and create PowerPoint slide shows to illustrate physical aspects of projects. Those details provided a lot more information about specific skills such as presentation, negotiation, and contract management which could be helpful in the career change resume.

4. Understand Your Assets.

Skills such as presentation and negotiation were not skills Joe fully realized he possessed until he started examining his background. He had simply thought of his experience as “zoning variance” knowledge. Breaking down his generalities with the help of his writer showed him specific skills he could take to his next career field. You can do the same thing. Think of what you do in general terms and then break that down into specific skills. Some of those skills will be transferrable and some won’t apply. First, you have to understand the skills you have and be fully cognizant of them. Only then can you start to construct a resume that will highlight those transferrable skills that make you qualified for the new career direction.

5. Establish a Clear Focus.

When a hiring manager reads your new resume, you don’t want him/her to be confused about your goal or qualifications. Many people make the mistake of producing a general resume when making a career change. They assume the hiring manager can connect the dots and understand their goals. That’s not the case. A career change resume needs to spell it out. It needs to establish the goal and then clearly show skills and experience from the past that support that goal. The resume must show how the needed skills exist, how they’ve been used to excel in the past, and make it clear the job seeker has “what it takes” to do the job.

Career changes can be scary, but in the long run most people say they were good change, offering opportunities to learn new things and meet new people. If you are facing a career change, look at your experience very critically. Get objective viewpoints on your plans. Understand you have value to industries outside your traditional career path. And finally, look at the career change as a new beginning, rather than an ending. A positive attitude will carry through into your resume and you will enjoy better job search success overall.

About the Author:

Alesia Benedict, Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) is the President of GetInterviews.com, the country’s leading resume writing firm. They provide professionals with customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents. Her and her firm’s credentials include being cited by JIST Publications as one of the “best resume writers in North America,” quoted as a career expert in The Wall Street Journal, and published in a whopping 25+ career books. Established in 1994, the firm has aided more than 75,000 job seekers to date. All resume writers are certified writers. GetInterviews.com offers a free resume critique and their services come with a wonderful guarantee — interviews in 30 days or they’ll rewrite for free!

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Don’t Become a Statistic – Tips for Staying Focused throughout the Job Search

Private Equity Analyst, Los Angeles, CA
Associate Consultant, Boston, MA
Investment Banking Associate, Chicago, IL
Business Solutions Analyst, Washington, DC
Financial Analyst, New York, NY

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According to the US Department of Labor, the average unemployed American spends 18 minutes a day searching for a job. 18 Minutes. Amidst one of the worst economies in recent history and fierce competition for jobs, this statistic is baffling. Conjure up images of the individual who has been jobless for eight months and has yet to make it past the resume pile, however, and you’ll understand why many Americans are disheartened and feeling aimless. Applying to jobs can be time consuming and certainly monotonous, but don’t lose your sense of urgency. Instead, consider a few Doostang tips on staying focused. They might just take some of the sting out of the process.

Break the Routine

You didn’t spend eight straight hours situated in front of your lap top, scouring job boards, and sending out your resume – shame on you. Oh come on, Doostanger! Yes, you’ve heard the words, “your job search is your job”, but that doesn’t mean it has to be Chinese Water Torture. Sure, it’s important to spend a considerable portion of your time searching if you want to land something great, but if you take the approach of a mindless automaton, you’ll burn out quickly. If you’re going to retain your motivation – and your sanity – it’s crucial that you take breaks. Go grab lunch; take a stroll around the block; go to the bathroom for goodness sake! Your mind needs a break when you’re doing anything for an extended period of time, especially something as mundane as reading job descriptions. So take a load off – and get your job search on!

Set a Goal for Yourself

A great way to stay on track is by setting daily goals for yourself. Aim to apply to ten jobs a day, make five follow-up phone calls on resumes you’ve sent in, or read thirty new job descriptions. When you set reasonable expectations for yourself, you’ll feel great when you meet, or, better yet, exceed them. And, in addition to being productive, that positive energy you garner from meeting your goals will compel you to continue working hard. The key here, though, is to set goals that you can meet. If you set your expectations too high, you may lose motivation when you fail to meet them.

Rock Out

Breaking the tedium of the job search with a power song is like hitting the reset button. It takes your mind off of things and pumps you up. A song can bring you to a happier place, where you weren’t propped in front of a computer screen selling your soul to hiring managers. Some people work better with music anyway, so if that’s your style, more power to you. Music has a way of making people feel more alive, and is much better than deadening silence. So go ahead – hit PLAY!

The Buddy System

A great way to make sure you get something done is to find an accountability partner. There’s something about the “we’re in this together mentality” that inspires us to forge ahead. At the end of each day or week, phone up a buddy and update them on your progress. If your friend is in the thick of his or her own job hunt, the two of you can bounce ideas off of each other. Use each other as a resource to look over resumes, edit cover letters, or pass along job information. Besides helping you to stay focused, this person’s added support can really streamline the process for you.

There’s no doubt that the job search can be a tiresome process. But if you can learn to relax, set reasonable goals for yourself, and bring a friend into it, finding that dream job won’t have to be such a nightmare!

Until next time,

Team Doostang

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Doostang Top Jobs This Week: Jan 25-31

Doostang’s Premium service gives you exclusive access to thousands of highly sought after positions at companies like Google, Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital, Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts, Summit Partners, Time Warner, Facebook, and more.

Looking to get ahead in your job search? Here are this week’s top Premium jobs currently posted on Doostang.

Hedge Fund Analyst Intern, New York, NY
Long-established New York asset management firm seeks Hedge Fund Analyst – Intern.

Product Manager Intern, Los Angeles, CA
Pasadena based start-up in one of the most exciting technology sectors seeks Product Manager Intern to work on a variety of product management / marketing assignments.

Investment Associate, Boston, MA
Leading venture capital and private equity firm seeks Investment Associate.

Sales and Marketing Intern, Nationwide
Industry leader in the field of 3-dimensional renderings seeks candidate for Sales and Marketing Internship.

Fundamental Equity Analyst, San Francisco, CA
Diversified asset management firm seeks Fundamental Equity Analyst.

Full Charge Bookkeeper / Office Manager, Houston, TX
Top-tier fully-integrated transportation service company seeks Full Charge Bookkeeper/Office Manager.

Global Investment Specialist, Chicago, IL
Leader in financial services seeks Global Investment Specialist.

Good luck!

The Doostang Team

Doostang Success – Quick and Effective!

Jonathan
Stanford 2007

“I graduated from college in 2007 and started a career in finance (investment banking) immediately afterward. I was fortunate to have attended a university where job fairs were organized every quarter and major corporations held information sessions throughout the year. I also had a valuable career center to help me coordinate interviews. After graduating, I realized that I no longer had easy access to this comprehensive network of employers. Furthermore, after my two-year investment banking program, I decided to pursue a career in a different industry. This career change rendered my finance network somewhat irrelevant.

The biggest obstacles in my job search were finding high-quality opportunities and getting my resume into the hands of someone who could make hiring decisions. Doostang solved both these issues.

I was able to browse through a wide range of job listings spanning multiple industries. When submitting my resume for an open position, it was routed directly to the inbox of the HR director.

I received a call from the company less than 24 hours later and was in their office the following week for my first round of interviews. Within one month, I had interviewed with four companies and received two job offers. Doostang made my job search quick and effective!”

Want to be the next Doostang Success story? Start applying to those jobs and see where that takes you!

Here’s a small sample of the exceptional jobs you’ll find on Doostang:

Investment Banking Analyst Intern – Multi-Billion Dollar Investment Management Firm, Chicago, IL
Associate Editor – Respected Provider of News and Media Information and Analysis, Los Angeles, CA
Research Analyst – International Wealth Management Firm, Hong Kong, China
Consulting Analyst – Well-Established Strategy Consulting Firm, New York, NY
Vice President of Investor Relations – Multi-Billion Dollar Long/Short Equity Hedge Fund, Boston, MA

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Happy Job Searching!

The Doostang Team

If you’re interested in sharing your Doostang success story, contact Kat at katerina@doostang.com

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Job Search Realities in a Tight Market

By Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC GetInterviews.com

Investment Associate, New York, NY
Product Manager, Los Angeles, CA
Analyst Intern – Private Equity, Chicago, IL
Strategic Consulting Analyst, Cambridge, UK
Portfolio Analyst, San Francisco, CA

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The rapidly changing economic conditions are having a profound impact on the job market. If you are one of the thousands of professionals who are unemployed or who are facing unemployment in the near future, there are some Realities you need to face. Job search is never easy and it is getting tougher every day. Unemployment is one of the most stressful events in life but it can be overcome with the right attitude, the right tools, and the right plan.

Buy Side vs. Sell Side

This sounds strange but the job market is just that – a market. You have buyers and sellers. Buyers are employers who are seeking to “purchase” the talents of human capital assets to add to their operation. Sellers are job seekers who are seeking to “sell” their experience and skills to employers who need it. Most people don’t like to think of it that way because it seems impersonal but that’s a Reality.

In a tight economic market, there are more sellers (job seekers) than buyers (employers seeking to hire). Just like a person who is hesitant to invest or spend money during market instability, employers are hesitant to hire during wobbly economic times. Many consumers will hold off on buying that new car or that new large screen plasma TV they’ve been thinking about. Likewise, employers hold off on hiring. They make do with the current employee base or even start thinking of cutting back.

The easiest and fastest ways for companies to cut costs is to cut the work force. Layoffs are a Reality of bad economic times. Stock prices fall and layoffs occur. Sometimes it is a gradual reduction in force where they work it through retirement buyouts, severance packages, and hiring freezes. With a dramatic change in company financial status, drastic and sudden reductions in force can occur. The first thing to get hit in cutbacks is always the workforce.

The Fear Monster

Those sudden layoffs are scary for everyone in the company, even those who make it past the axe without getting slashed. Tension abounds. Fear prowls the hallways. One of the best weapons against fear is information. Lack of information breeds wild assumptions and leads to more uncertainty. Everyone should try to stay as informed as possible about actual events and conditions.

Another weapon against fear is preparation. The worst position you can be in during bad economic times is standing flat-footed with a deer-in-the-headlights posture. Be ready. In relation to job search, that means you need to have a great, up-to-date resume and understand how modern job search works. You need to have a personal network that is kept warm at all times and not simply dragged out of the closet when you need it. You need to be open to opportunities and new directions and be able to evaluate them closely. Be realistic about your current situation. If you are in an industry that is going to get hit hard by a recession, start looking at alternative career paths that are more stable. Be more flexible in the type of work you are willing to consider.

When you are prepared with all the tools you need for a job search, a layoff is not so scary. Even if a layoff does not affect you, having your resume ready makes you prepared for unexpected opportunities that come your way.

Selling in a Glut Market

So you have over twenty years experience and a great track record of success? That’s good but many, many other people have the same background. They are your competition and they are angling for the same job openings you are targeting. Like Coke and Pepsi, there is often very little difference between candidates so how do employers decide whom to interview and whom to exclude from consideration? They decide based on the resume. It’s a job search Reality – employers include candidates based on their resumes. If your resume is not aggressively selling your skills to the buyer (the employer), you will be excluded from consideration and not be called for an interview.

Penny-wise but Pound-foolish

Many job seekers get caught flat-footed and are unprepared for a sudden loss of employment. Many make that worse by puttering along for weeks using an ineffective resume that doesn’t generate interviews. They waste time and opportunities while their funds dwindle until they are in desperate straits with very few options. They come to a realization that they must have a great resume in order to compete in the glut market but they can no longer afford to get help from a professional. The Reality is if they had just invested in a new resume before they were laid off or if they had taken immediate action and started the whole job search process with a great resume, they could have avoided being stuck in a no-win situation.

Job Search Technology

The hiring process and technology are irreversibly enmeshed together. Online job boards, resume databases, intelligent hiring technology, web-based interviewing, and online applications are NOT going to fade away. The paper resume mailed through the postal service or faxed is NOT coming back. Face this Reality now and deal with it. The use of technology in hiring and job search is here to stay and those who learn to adapt will thrive. Those who stubbornly refuse to learn how to use the tools and understand how hiring is done in today’s world, or who live in a state of denial about the use of technology in hiring will fall by the wayside.

Take Action

When facing a job search, you must take action. Learn about how to job search in today’s market. Get the best tools available (resume and cover letter). Be aggressive and proactive rather than reactive and passive. Work your network. Understand the system and how companies hire. Face the facts that it will take longer and be more challenging than the last time you changed jobs. Savvy job seekers know when it is smart to invest in professional help to reach their job search goals. A professional resume writer or coach can help guide you through the market and help you find success.

About the Author:

Alesia Benedict, Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) is the President of GetInterviews.com, the country’s leading resume writing firm. They provide professionals with customized, branded resumes and career marketing documents. Her and her firm’s credentials include being cited by JIST Publications as one of the “best resume writers in North America,” quoted as a career expert in The Wall Street Journal, and published in a whopping 25+ career books. Established in 1994, the firm has aided more than 75,000 job seekers to date. All resume writers are certified writers. GetInterviews.com offers a free resume critique and their services come with a wonderful guarantee — interviews in 30 days or they’ll rewrite for free!

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Good Employees Avoid Bad Habits – A List of Common Workplace Faux Pas (Part 2)

Investment Banking Analyst, New York, NY
Principal Consultant, Nationwide
Associate – Private Equity Firm, Bay Area, CA
Business Analyst, Los Angeles, CA
Equity Trader, Washington, DC

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Hey you! Nail-biter! Stop talking with your mouth full of food! It’s time for Doostang’s second installment of bad workplace habits to avoid. That’s right – last time we conquered potty mouths, online game addictions, Negative Nancies, and fashion disasters. Confused? Check it out and go for a little refresher read if you’re already spewing obscenities or showing up to work in scrubs (except for you, Doc). And, if we didn’t give you enough to focus on last go-around, we’re slapping your wrist just a few more times with the following career-saving precautions. Onward!

The Early Bird Catches the Worm; The Late Bird…Gets Fired

Ok, maybe it doesn’t go quite like that. But it’s safe to assume that if you’re chronically late, you may find yourself packing your work life into a cardboard box before you hit the road for the very last time. Whether you work on the clock or have a more informal standing date with the office, it’s imperative to show up to work on time. Failure to do so implies laziness. Employers will feel hesitant to rely on you if you are inconsistent or don’t seem to care. It’s ok if you get held up from time to time – just be sure to make the proper phone calls to the individuals whose schedules you will affect, so that they can plan accordingly. Your start time is a commitment, one you should hold yourself to if you want to excel in a company.

There’s No Time Like The Present!

Got a big project to work on? Work on it now! Don’t let it loom over you like a dark cloud. Ever notice how sometimes the mere notion of a certain task can be just as bad – or worse – than the task itself? The longer you continue putting it off, the more you draw it out. Since anticipation intensifies the pain, cut it out of the equation. Turn that assignment in early and get it off your hands (and score bonus points with the boss). Another drawback to waiting it out is that you may miscalculate and run into unforeseen obstacles that you failed to work into your timeline – and then you’re really hosed, because then you’re submitting late work…and we all know what happens to that late bird…

“When I Want Your Opinion I’ll Give it to You”

…A wise man once said. We hearken back to individuality here: in the same manner that a dress code eclipses uniqueness, so too does the unspoken rule that sometimes you just need to sit down and shut up. This plays itself out in multiple ways.

1. You find yourself at a company meeting. Unless this happens to be an open discussion forum, it’s advisable not to chime in every other PowerPoint slide.

2. Your boss decides to do something one way. Your wisdom and expertise establishes you the authority on matters, inspiring you to inform him of a better way. But unless your superior is at risk of putting the company in peril, unsolicited advice can very often spell out insubordination.

3. Even the largest corporations are receptive to employee feedback, but if you disagree with a company policy on principle rather than effectiveness, no one wants to hear about it. Your employer’s mission statement is your mantra from nine to five. Remember if you’re not the Big Guy in the office, you don’t run the show.

On Your Superhuman Abilities:

While you may rightly deserve praise for every glorious feat you perform in the office, the simple truth is that no one is going to give it to you every single time. That said, when you actively claim credit for everything you do, you may aggravate your coworkers or your boss. Performing well is your job, and no one is going to give you a gold star for every small personal victory. Be content to quietly accept praise when it is given, and your employer will appreciate you all the more. Equally as important, remember to share credit with others when it is due, and your coworkers will be gracious. When you try to one up the people working around you (or appear to do so by drawing unnecessary attention to your good deeds) you sow the seeds for resentment in the minds and hearts of your office buddies.

Our devotion of two blog entries to bad workplace habits may convey a certain pessimism in humankind of the career ilk. But of course here at Doostang we know that avoiding common workplace slipups boils down to common sense. As long as you’re a hard worker and pleasant to be around, you’ve got most of it down. Just remember not to interrupt when someone’s talking!

Much love,

The Doostang Team

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