Career Center Blog | How to dress for interview success

Struggling to decide on an outfit for your upcoming job interview? What you wear to an interview creates an image or perception of the type of person you are, so choosing your attire is crucial to presenting yourself as the

Career Center Blog | They're not just company picnics, they're business events

The days are getting longer in Seattle, and your company has scheduled a picnic for employees and their families this summer. You're thinking about hot dogs, apple pie, baseball and relaxing with your colleagues. Many people don't think twice about

Career Center | Soft skills: Gen Y gets schooled in old-school professional etiquette

By Lora Shinn / Special to NWjobs Like many young professionals, Gracie Quatchon is learning how to navigate the business world with charm. It’s not necessarily something taught in school alongside marketing or budgeting, the 30-year-old Seattle banker says. Of

Career Center | Q&A: Boss pressures workers to buy products

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: The head of our department has been pressuring employees to purchase products from her husband, who recently began selling diet supplements through a multilevel marketing company. When I was invited to

Career Center Blog | How to earn respect at the office

Last month, I discussed how employers can build a culture of respect. But how can employees earn respect at work? Someone I was coaching told me one of her development goals was to "earn the respect of more people at

Career Center | Jerks at work: a field guide for spotting and defending against them

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Imagine the workplace as a forest. We walk through the forest each day surrounded by creatures (co-workers). Some are kind, like squirrels and deer and animated talking bears. Others, like snakes and snarling wolves

Career Center | Walking the personal, professional line on LinkedIn

By Cindy Krischer Goodman / The Miami Herald Have you ever received a request to connect on LinkedIn from someone you didn’t know or couldn’t remember? Josh Turner recently encountered this situation. The online request to connect came from a

Career Center | A call for human decency in hiring, job seeking

By Diane Stafford / The Kansas City Star Job hunting is stressful -- more stressful than it needs to be when some simple human decency is missing. First, though, a couple of reminders. As a job hunter, keep telling yourself

Career Center Blog | Spring-clean your email habits

The other day after returning from lunch I listened to several voicemails. One message was from a client letting me know he had sent me an email. Later that afternoon, someone else texted to ask me to read the email

Career Center | Q&A: Is it OK to ask for interview feedback?

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: I recently completed a lengthy interview process for a general manager position. The first two interviews were with the owners of the company, followed by individual meetings with several mid-level managers.

Career Center | Headphones at work: yea or nay?

By Allison Ellis / Special to NWjobs David Aronchick, a self-described “productivity nerd,” runs Hark.com, a Seattle startup where users can create, share and play their favorite sound clips. Since the business is based on noise, you’d think that

Career Center | Q&A: Office feud leaves both parties tainted

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: For a long time, one of my co-workers was very rude and snippy to me. Our new manager recently decided that we should be separated, so she transferred both of us

Career Center Blog | Female flirting: how it can hurt AND help your career

To flirt or not to flirt at work? There aren't many studies on this topic, and the few that exist show conflicting information. What the results do show is the need for women to tread carefully when it comes to

Career Center | Do exclamation points belong in work emails?

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Hello! I want you to know that I’m super excited about this week’s column!! It’s about exclamation points!!!! I recently received a work-related email riddled with them, as if it was written by an

Career Center | Q&A: Chatty co-workers are getting on my nerves

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: I am constantly distracted by people chatting near my desk. My cubicle sits next to a hallway, so there is an endless stream of employees passing by all day long. For

Career Center | 11 reasons you didn't get that job

By Aaron Gouveia / Salary.com You thought you nailed that interview, but weeks have gone by without a peep from the employer. Wondering why? Here's a list of common interview mistakes, one of which may have been your downfall. Arriving

Career Center | Watch your words if you want career success

By Diane Stafford / The Kansas City Star Little things we say every day can make or break our workplace image. Darlene Price, an executive coach and founder of Well Said Inc., has a list of phrases that we may

Career Center Blog | Balancing holiday cheer and your career

"Now that it's December, I can't wait to decorate my cubicle!" exclaimed a friend while we sipped coffee. Our other friend rolled her eyes, shook her head and groaned, "That's exactly why I hate the holidays at work -- people

Career Center | Beware: Holiday treats lie in wait at the office

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune The problem with the bags of treats and trays of cookies that appear around the office this time of year is that if you don’t eat them you get sent to prison. At least,

Career Center | Q&A: Office romance sparks gossip, hurt feelings

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: Two of my co-workers, “Jake” and “Cheryl,” sit next to each other and spend a lot of time whispering and giggling. They often leave the office together and are sometimes gone

Career Center | Study: Just say 'no' to alcohol at job interview

By Darrell Smith / Sacramento Bee Good news: You’ve made it to the dinner interview with the company’s boss. Want to make sure that good news doesn’t become a Dear John letter? Think twice about the wine list. A new

Career Center Blog | A positive response to rejection can reap later rewards

Like the quest for true love, the course of a job search usually takes people down a series of dead ends and disappointments before a desired destination is found. According to career coach and author Orville Pierson, the average job

Career Center Blog | It's election season: leave those political buttons at home

It's that season again, the time when campaign signs litter the medians like trash after a windstorm, fresh bumper stickers scream out sound-bite ideologies, the politicians are calling you with prerecorded messages, and your cubicle neighbor can't stop railing, "Wait

Career Center | How to discuss politics at work (without getting into a fight)

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune The real problem with talking about politics in the office is that I’m right and you’re wrong. Just kidding. (I’m not kidding.) As we enter the meat of the 2012 presidential campaign and our

Career Center | Q&A: Boss only has eyes for his iPhone

By Liz Reyer / Minneapolis Star Tribune Q: My boss is addicted to his iPhone. He checks emails during meetings and sneaks glances at it when we have one-on-one meetings. I really feel like he's not paying attention to me

Career Center | What the #@!%* is wrong with workplace swearing?

By Natalie Singer / Special to NWjobs We all know someone guilty of it. Every workplace has one. Some do it well; others seem addicted. And then there are those of us who want to try it but are just

Career Center | Q&A: Language barrier puts workers on defensive

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: Many Hispanic people hold management positions in the government agency where I work. These managers often speak Spanish in front of employees who only speak English. This makes us very uncomfortable,

Career Center | Career Q&A: Is this a job-search faux pas?

By Karla L. Miller / Special to The Washington Post Q: I am a college junior. I was applying for internships and had only heard back from one place. They told me the position was mine if I wanted it.

Career Center | Commentary: I'm so over oversharing at the office

By Peggy Klaus / New York Times News Service Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about 20-somethings who are too eager to tell all at work. Whether they are recounting their drunken exploits or their external job searches, their tendency

Career Center | Q&A: Co-worker can't stomach noises from office mate

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: I share an office with a woman who makes all kinds of irritating noises. She is constantly coughing, burping and clearing her throat. I have mentioned this problem in a nice

Career Center | Seven ways to mess up a job interview

By Alesia Benedict / Salary.com Once you land a job interview, you may feel the hard work is done. You might even allow your enthusiasm to melt your inhibitions during the meeting. Don’t let your excitement rob you of a

Career Center Blog | Letter imperfect: The necessity of clear communication

Conducting a job search today requires not only great communication skills but the ability to impress prospective employers with your knowledge and experience. Unfortunately, these two qualities don't always appear at the same time in some resumes and cover letters.

Career Center | Q&A: New employee wants to suggest changes

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: Since joining this company a few weeks ago, I have noticed a lot of areas that need improvement. However, I'm not sure how honest I should be in sharing my views

Career Center Blog | Is all fair in love, war and job hunting?

While many experts can advise people about the best ways to write a resume or interview more effectively, there's one career-related topic that you and only you will be able to address: your personal career morality. For better or worse,

Career Center | Quit whining: What to do when office griping turns chronic

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Most of us do not work in a lounge chair on a white sand beach. And so we complain about work. But even if we were on that beach, we’d probably still find something

Career Center | How to prevent rocky work past from haunting you

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: In my previous job, I basically committed career suicide. I gossiped, backstabbed and yelled at important people. I assumed my co-workers were out to get me, even though I had no

Career Center Blog | How to say no without burning bridges

In improvisational comedy, there is one overriding tenet that is the basis for all successful performances: the concept of "yes, and ..." Basically, this means that for whatever situation arises, the first response is to accept the premise, no matter

Career Center | How to escape a chatterbox manager

By Marie G. McIntyre /McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: My manager has an annoying habit of talking nonstop about her family. She goes into great detail about her daughter’s clothes, her son’s sports activities, or her mother’s latest trip. I obviously

Career Center | Shhh! We're trying to work here

By Linda Hughes / Special to NWjobs Phones ringing, copiers and printers chugging away, computer keyboards tapping all day, co-workers chatting about, well, anything — it all leads to distracting noise in the office. As open workspaces and cubicle farms

Career Center Blog | Drowning out the new office buzz

I read recently that the new buzzword in office design is "sound masking" -- the practice of making up for the poor acoustics and increasing "speech privacy" in new open-office floor plans. As office walls come down and more and

Career Center | When is it OK to use initials after a name?

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Q: I've been seeing many business cards and LinkedIn profiles listing "MBA" after a person's name. Is this appropriate? I thought that was reserved for those with specific certifications or J.D.s and Ph.D.s. A:

Career Center Blog | Summer work attire: flip-flops, tube tops and Speedos, oh my

With so much rain and gray all fall and winter, an early spate of sun and warmth is all we need around here to go a little crazy. You know what I mean: Shorts as soon as the temperature hits

Career Center | Co-worker's perfume a headache of a problem

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: A woman in my office wears so much perfume that you can still smell it after she passes by. Unfortunately, her cubicle is next to mine, and the constant odor gives

Career Center | Standing out: How to shine during job interviews

By Jeffrey Kudisch / The Washington Post It’s incredibly important to outshine your competition in all stages of a job interview. Here is some interview advice compiled from talks with top recruiters. Do your research. Make sure you have a

Career Center | Your idea of business casual may not match mine

By Rex Huppke / The Chicago Tribune Good news for facial-hair enthusiasts earlier this year. After six decades of flagrant beardscrimination, Walt Disney Co. lifted its ban on employee goatees and other face fuzz. The loosening of dress-code rules at

Career Center Blog | What 'The Hunger Games' can teach us about work

A challenge, a test, a modern coliseum of brutal competition and limited rewards: At one point or another, for many of us, the workplace can be all of these. I was thinking about the similarities between the gauntlet of job

Career Center | What a cover letter can still do for you

By Diane Stafford / McClatchy Newspapers Hiring professionals are divided about cover letters. Some don’t read them. Others do. Because job hunters don’t know which camp their application will land in, most career advisers recommend including cover letters. Brad Justice,

Career Center Blog | Bridge of bitter flames might not be the best exit strategy

Most of us have been there at some point, maybe more than once. You're sick of your job. The very idea of waking up in the morning and hauling yourself into that soul-deadening place, where you are overworked and underappreciated

Career Center | Mend fences with co-worker to avert career disaster

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: My boss recently moved my desk so that I would be farther away from my co-worker, "Tamara." Tamara's annoying behavior causes me to react, and our conflicts have been getting progressively

Career Center Blog | Forget sticks and stones -- words can hurt you in an interview

Last weekend, many Seattle residents were glued to their TV screens during the Academy Awards broadcast when the Best Documentary Feature category came around. One of the distinguished nominees was T.J. Martin, a Seattle-born filmmaker who co-directed the film "Undefeated,"

Career Center | How to interrupt a chatterbox at work

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: Can you suggest a nice way to interrupt during a business conversation? For the past week, I have been meeting with vendors who hope to sell their products to our

Career Center | Dogs and offices can mix well, with a few rules

By Melissa Kossler Dutton / The Associated Press No one at the Ohio chapter of The Nature Conservancy enjoys going to meetings more than Annie. Once, she was even disciplined for attending a meeting to which she was not invited.

Career Center | How to deal with backstabbers at work

By Joyce E.A. Russell / The Washington Post Let's face it: Backstabbing happens at work all the time. Backstabbers engage in underhanded tactics that make you look bad. Their actions-- such as turning the boss against someone -- can be

Career Center | Hide your tracks when looking for another job

By Anita Bruzzese / Gannett Previously, the only way your employer might get a hint that you were looking for another job was when you showed up in a nice outfit suitable for interviewing during your lunch hour instead

Career Center | Boss has squashed love between 2 co-workers

By Karla Miller / Special to The Washington Post Q: A colleague and I have fallen in love after working closely together for about a year. Unfortunately, our boss has forbidden us from dating because he feels it would

Career Center | If you can't truly recommend someone for a job, then don't

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Q: A person I worked with at my last job was let go, and he just requested I write him a recommendation. This co-worker was not the best employee, and I do not want

Career Center | Digest these business-meal tips

By Diane Stafford / McClatchy Newspapers A business meal is never just about the food. It may be about the drink. If you’re a job applicant or ambitious employee, you should treat with care any job interviews or business meetings

Career Center | Frankly, some office restroom manners stink

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Every office has a bathroom, every non-robot worker has to use the bathroom, and sharing a bathroom with co-workers seems to be an almost universally unpleasant experience. My workplace bathroom advice, from a decidedly

Career Center | Ten bad work habits to leave behind

By Laura Frongillo / Salary.com In order to make room for the great new work habits you’re resolving to adopt in 2012, be sure to ring out any bad office practices. And, yes, procrastination is on the list, so reading

Career Center | Good call: How to prepare for a phone interview

Joyce E.A. Russell The Washington Post In today’s job market, applicants can expect to undergo numerous interviews for jobs. While savvy applicants often spend hours practicing their face-to-face interview skills, many pay less attention to their phone skills, despite the

Career Center | Office drama causing trauma? Nip it in the bud

By Brian Hyslop / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Whether it’s back-stabbing gossip, whining or bullying, drama in the office saps energy and wastes time. If you don’t address it, then you are counting on “the four-letter word ‘hope’ that it will

Career Center | Sick time: Use it, abuse it, or avoid it like the plague?

By Lora Shinn Special to NWjobs As a nurse in a Seattle-area hospital, Sacha Davis realizes how precious health can be. Davis is also a working parent of two young children, and as any parent can attest, kids are like

Career Center Blog | How to rock your office's white elephant gift exchange

A friend recently emailed me distressed about the Secret Santa gift she had to buy an officemate. [Flickr photo by gruntzooki] "I don't know the person at all and have no idea what they like. Do I get a

Career Center | How to steer clear of messy office politics

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Q: What’s the best way for a newbie to avoid office politics and still fit in with the rest of the crowd? -- Dave in Chicago, via Facebook A: You may want to sit

Career Center | Take the first step to repair rift with co-worker

Q: I'm having a communication problem with a co-worker, "Angie," whose father owns our company. Angie repeatedly oversteps her bounds and tries to do my job. I had a direct talk with her in a kind and gentle tone, but

Career Center Blog | The fine line between being hard-nosed and a jerk at work

Maybe you heard about the recent study claiming that agreeable workers make less money than their more obstinate counterparts. Called "Do Nice Guys -- and Gals -- Really Finish Last?" the study makes a case for checking all pleasantries at

Career Center Blog | Secretly videotaping your co-workers with your smartphone

There's sure to be lots of talk of scary supervisors and creepy co-workers this week. But you know what's really scary? The person at work who secretly uses their smartphone to record unflattering, embarrassing, or compromising videos of their

Career Center | Standing out: Rocking an alternative look in a mainstream job

By Lora Shinn Special to NWjobs A traditional Japanese dragon tattoo wraps around the back of Sandra Magallanes. Characters from the book “Where the Wild Things Are” dance across her bicep. But to score an accounting position in a property-management

Career Center Blog | Handling the 'weakness' question from a position of strength

A few weeks ago, I wrote about some ways to address a question about salary requirements during an interview. That is always a tricky subject, but it is a reasonable request with a number of effective responses. There is, however,

Career Center | Red-faced at work: Embarrassing office moments and how to avoid them

By Laura Laemmle Frongillo Salary.com Cringing through another awkward-moment-filled episode of “The Office,” you might think, “These things could never happen.” Well, according to a recent Salary.com survey of embarrassing moments at work, they do. Out of hundreds of great

Career Center Blog | Quitting the job you just started for a better one

A Seattle area reader I'll call "Mark" recently wrote me about a sticky employment situation he found himself in: "I have been doing consistent contract work with one employer for several years. I just signed the paperwork for a new

Career Center Blog | When the boss cries in front of you

Crying at work is back in the news. This time, it's because Dick Cheney suggests in his new memoir that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is a bit of an on-the-job sobber. Much can be said about how those

Career Center Blog | A little enthusiasm goes a long way

In your last job interview, did you really want the job? Sure, you needed the income, along with the benefits and the cocoon of security that comes with being fully employed. But did you really want that job? And did

Career Center | How to walk the fine line between confidence and interview-killing arrogance

By Jeffrey KudischThe Associated Press As soon as you walk into an interview, you’re making an impression. Recruiters like to see self-confidence, which helps job candidates sell themselves through nonverbal communication such as body language, strong eye contact, firm handshakes

Career Center | Quitting without notice won’t affect retirement benefits

Q: You mentioned in your column that Washington State is an “at will” employment state, so my question is this: If I quit my job on the spot, will there be repercussions regarding my future retirement benefits from management, or

Career Center Blog | The biggest email mistakes workers make

A fun Forbes article on 10 of the most common email gaffes in the workplace has been making the internet rounds. [Flickr photo by paul_irish] Three email abusers mentioned in the article rank high on my own email peeve

Career Center | How to quit: Jump ship professionally without going overboard

By Lora Shinn Special to NWjobs Tonia Smalley wishes she had resigned differently. One day, she dropped off her daughter at day care and then called her boss to quit. After 11 years in pharmaceutical sales, Smalley wanted to spend

Career Center | Underdressed? Dress codes can help prevent sticky situations

By Joyce M. Rosenberg The Associated Press It’s an uncomfortable summertime moment: A female co-worker shows up for work in the shortest of shorts. Or a male staffer arrives wearing a tank top. Dress-code problems aren’t confined to the summer

Career Center Blog | A guide to vanpool etiquette

I recently wrote about the pros and cons of vanpooling for NWjobs. While researching the story, I learned that each van has its own code of conduct, no matter how informal. As my article mentions, "Don't keep your vanmates

Career Center Blog | How to deal with a clueless boss

As you've no doubt heard, Will Ferrell is guest starring on "The Office" this spring. If you watched Thursday night's episode (preview below), you know that Ferrell's Deangelo Vickers is just as bumbling a boss as Steve Carell's Michael Scott.

Career Center | U want a job? Communication skills of ‘Generation Text’ aren’t so gr8

By David Phelps and Chen May Yee The Associated Press Corporate recruiters say they see the problem a lot these days: College juniors and seniors stepping into the job market — too casually. They’re members of “Generation Text.” Blame texting.

Career Center Blog | April Fool's Day pranks at the office: Yea or nay?

Like March Madness office pools, there will always be killjoys vehemently opposed to having a little innocent fun in the workplace on April 1. [Photo by sandman_kk] A few days ago, one labor attorney issued this warning by way of

Career Center Blog | The lost art of picking up the phone

People in my freelance writing community are still talking about last Friday's New York Times article on how nobody uses the phone anymore. [Photo by sagriffin305] Writes journalist Pamela Paul: It's at the point where when the phone does ring --

Career Center Blog | Interviewing tips for the socially awkward

Like many techies, I know what it means to be painfully shy and socially awkward. (As a writer, it's pretty much part of the job description.) Unfortunately, face-to-face communication skills can make or break an interview, even if the job

Career Center Blog | Leaving work early today? What's your excuse?

Perhaps you saw the CareerBuilder poll released last week about the weirdest excuses employees use for showing up late to work. [Photo by subflux] Among the tales of traffic snarls and faulty alarm clocks were gems like "My Botox appointment

Career Center Blog | Are you a digital drag at work?

So many ways to communicate at the office, so many ways to hang oneself by being a total digital drag. [Photo by Paul Keller] In a poll of 650 North American HR professionals conducted by staffing firm Robert Half,

Career Center Blog | How to handle an office romance

If you're like a majority of U.S. workers, chances are you've dated, had a fling with, or fallen in love with someone from the office at some point during your professional life. [Photo by Sister72] A new survey of 2,000+

Career Center Blog | Job etiquette: Don't be afraid to speed up the process

Recently, a Hire Ground reader wrote in with a "job etiquette" question. Here's an excerpt: 

"I applied over a month ago for a position that closed at the beginning of January. ... While researching the position further I ran across the

Career Center Blog | Employee awards: Yea or nay?

With Hollywood's awards season officially in full swing, I thought it would be fun to discuss on-the-job awards for the rest of us working stiffs. Using Facebook and LinkedIn, I conducted an informal, unscientific poll on what rank-and-file employees and managers

Career Center Blog | Would you attend your own layoff party?

A friend recently mentioned that her employer was throwing a goodbye party for its outgoing pink slip casualties. [Photo by Flashy Soup Can] One of the laid-off, my pal was unsure whether she should -- or even wanted to --

Career Center Blog | Make your Boxing Day list of year-end thanks

I've always liked the idea of Boxing Day. For those unfamiliar with obscure holiday customs of the former British Empire, Dec. 26th traditionally has been a day off for the laboring classes, during which the wealthy provided charitable gifts for

Career Center Blog | How to avoid awkward holiday gift situations at work

Last year on NWjobs, we talked about budget-friendly holiday gifts that bosses and subordinates can give one another during lean financial times. But what we haven't talked about is ad-hoc gift-giving among officemates outside those department-wide Secret Santa and white

Career Center | Surviving a bad boss: tips on dealing with a difficult manager

By Joyce E.A. Russell The Associated Press Most everyone can say they’ve worked for a bad boss. You know — those supervisors who dictate what you’ll work on and how you’ll do it, and then find fault if it doesn’t

Career Center | Navigate holiday work functions like a pro with these etiquette tips

By Lora Shinn Special to NWjobs The odds of an etiquette lapse at work pick up in December. Mix work pals, end-of-the-year parties and possibly alcohol, and you may end up with a volatile cocktail of things you wish you

Career Center Blog | Giving holiday gifts to those who've helped with your job hunt

A friend recently asked, "What do I get or do for all the folks who helped me this year with job hunting favors? Do I even need to get them anything?" As with many professional development questions, the answer is,

Career Center Blog | How to fess up to your workplace foul-ups

You may have heard about the surgeon who's gone public with the details of how he managed to perform the wrong surgery on a patient's hand two years ago. Breaking from the time-honored medical tradition of sweeping operating room

Career Center Blog | Is it ever okay to talk politics at work?

Between President Obama's recent pit stop at Top Pot Doughnuts, the bevy of hot-button initiatives on the November 2 ballot, and the incessant churn of Beltway gossip this election season (paging Ginni Thomas), it's becoming increasingly difficult to not talk

Career Center Blog | How to network without being a jerk

Branding doesn't stop with your website or Twitter account. What others in your field think of you as a person has everything to do with your brand, too. [Me 2.0 author Dan Schawbel] Sadly, far too many professionals fail to

Career Center | Respectfully decline a promotion you don’t want without committing career suicide

By Anita Bruzzese The Associated Press Most of us look forward to receiving a promotion at work. After all, it’s usually the culmination of a lot of hard work and personal sacrifice that has finally netted us more money and

Career Center Blog | If the job listing says 'no calls, please,' should I call anyway?

Many candidates in my career search optimization seminar ask me, "Can I call a recruiter about an opening even when the job listing specifically says 'no phone calls please'?" The answer is "Yes," and several of my clients have gotten