It's a combination: You have two jobs. Your primary job is the job that you're doing and your secondary job is getting along with your boss. How many times have you heard people say they know a really good doctor who's got the best reputation but a terrible bedside manner? Sometimes people don't go to that doctor. You think of your relationship with your boss in terms of a bedside manner.
Why do you advise that employees create Google alerts for their bosses?
Let's say your boss gets a DWI or their kid is arrested and it's in the paper. It's an empathy issue. You may or may not want to bring it up. But knowledge is power and you know the pressure they're under. Or maybe you have a relatable circumstance. You never shared it and you want to now. Or you see something else has happened—somebody died and there's a funeral. That's all critical stuff. That's the personal side. On the professional side—you stay on top of what's going on in the industry. It's very critical to review, clearly, the information you have and be sure it's up to date, and it's the right person.
Why are you opposed to career coaches?
Can you imagine going under open-heart surgery and all of a sudden you look up from the operating table and the surgeon is on the cellphone saying: "Can you hold on a moment? I got to call my career coach to be sure I'm doing this operation right." By now, you should know there are some very black-and-white rules—things that work and things that don't work. Don't overthink it. It's common-sense things you've heard before.
Any advice for someone who does lose a job?
When someone approaches you and says, "I got to let you go. You got great reviews, but it's a numbers thing," take less money. Call the boss's bluff. Say, "If it's a budget thing, I really want to keep my job." It's easier to find a job when you've got a job.
Updated on 9/5/08: The unemployment rate has climbed from 4.9 percent at the start of the year to 6.1 percent in August, nearly a five-year high.
of @ Sep 05, 2008 13:22:53 PM