September is Wealth & Wellness Month

30 ways to improve your wealth and wellness

DISCLAIMER: ASK THE STRATEGIST is a blog that addresses business, career, workplace and etiquette issues. Any advice dispensed by Ask The Strategist is purely for informational and entertainment purposes. Take the advice and opinions at your own risk – and betterment! Follow @KesiStribling or @CareerConnectDC on Twitter. Post your questions/email your conundrum/send your question via video to ask@ksgsc.com. All submissions become the property of Ask The Strategist. Names and other identifying information may be changed to protect the person asking for advice.

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Workplace Primer for College Students (part II)

In part I of the Workplace Primer for College Students, we detailed the importance of tailoring the job search and preparing a flawless cover letter or resume. Part II focuses on the interview, specifically what collegiate job seekers should do before, during, and after the meeting with prospective employers.

Prepare for the interview

You're hired! Interview preparation can score big points for your career.

Your cover letter and resume have passed muster and the company you eagerly want to work for has contacted you for an interview. There are several tips to help you prepare for the face-to-face meeting (or telephone screening, as is the trend these days). From selecting an appropriate wardrobe to asking a potential employer the right questions, interview preparation requires a lot of thought – and action.

Look the part: It is essential to select appropriate attire for the interview; and, the accessories that make the outfit, which complete your overall appearance. Ultimately, the interview wardrobe should be professional, and make you blend in, rather than stand out, from the company employees. The reality is that companies want new employees who reflect the current corporate culture, and that includes attire.

Men should wear slacks, a crisp shirt, and matching blazer. Of course, the tie completes the look – not a clip on! Freshly shined shoes and simple accoutrements, such as a watch, sans bling, and conservative cuff links complete the professional look. Interviewees can look stylish, no matter the budget constraints.

Related: professional attire for men

Women do not have to sacrifice style when preparing for the interview.  A modest length and well-fitting (not too tight) skirt or dress is appropriate, with a conservative shirt and blazer. If suiting seems a bit boring, or if the industry has a more relaxed approach to dressing in the workplace, it is okay to pair trousers or a skirt with a cardigan set. Moderate heels or sling backs should be clean and not scuffed. Understated jewelry rounds out the interview outfit.

Related: professional attire for women

Even if the industry usually calls for khakis in the workplace (think technology), you can wear the corporate style once you land the job. For your interview, avoid the casual Friday look.

Women's professional attire on our pinterest page

Research the audience: Knowing one’s audience is imperative. Conduct research about the company in advance, including reviewing the corporate website, Facebook fan page, and Twitter account. Being armed with information about the company helps during the interview. Potential employers will appreciate the initiative, and will view the well-informed candidate as one who possesses a can-do attitude.

Before the interview, practice responses to potential questions that may be asked. Ask a trusted mentor, friend, or family member to conduct a mock interview, and assess your performance. Pay particular attention to the use of fillers when responding to questions  (um, ah, and you know), so that you can avoid them. Record the mock interview, and look at it a few times to improve your delivery. Doing so will help nervous candidates  ace the interview by being ready to talk about tasks undertaken in the current job, or skill sets and special talents that can translate to the job being applied for at the company.

Arrive early for the interview: One of the most important aspects of the interview is arriving on time to the meeting. Even if you’re familiar with the geographic area of the company, identify a preferred and alternate route to get to the interview. If there is an accident, detour, or water main break, taking an alternate route may be the difference between getting to the interview on time, or missing out on the opportunity by being an hour late. Drive to the location, if possible, the same day of the week and time the interview is scheduled, beforehand.

Professional attire for men on our pinterest page

Arrive early (not more than 30 minutes ahead of time), or on time, but never late. Companies often ask candidates to complete applications prior to the interview. Remember, the interview actually begins as soon as you arrive at the location. Be pleasant when speaking to or interacting with anyone in the office. Do not be haughty, put off, overly friendly, or flirt with the staff. By the way, waiting patiently until called in for the interview means no texting, listening to your iPod, or talking on your cell phone with or without your Bluetooth.

Ask the right questions: Be sure to ask at least one question during the interview. It should be one that is of genuine interest and not something that the interviewer has already covered. After the meeting is over, send a thank you note. Conventional thought is that a handwritten note to the interviewer is the way to go, it is also okay to send a brief, error free email thank you note.

Once the company has offered you the job, there are a number of questions to ask, not just those related to salary. Detailed questions include those related to annual and sick leave, retirement contributions by the employer, corporate culture, employee expectations, and other details about the position that may not have come up during the interview (i.e. the position’s funding is contingent upon grant money received).

Next: Part III (final) of the Workplace Primer for College Students

© Copyright 2012 Ask The Strategist™

DISCLAIMER: ASK THE STRATEGIST is a blog that addresses business, career, workplace and etiquette issues. Any advice dispensed by Ask The Strategist is purely for informational and entertainment purposes. Take the advice and opinions at your own risk – and betterment! Follow @KesiStribling or @CareerConnectDC on Twitter. Post your questions/email your conundrum/send your question via video to ask@ksgsc.com. All submissions become the property of Ask The Strategist. Names and other identifying information may be changed to protect the person asking for advice.

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Workplace Primer for College Students (Part I of III)

Begin your career the right way!

This week, thousands of students will enter the hallowed halls of colleges across the country. For many, once the excitement of moving into dorms and registering for the requisite classes has subsided, collegians will settle into pursuing job opportunities. Whether a necessity, or a means for generating work experience for their resumes, entering the workforce – from searching for jobs to the on-boarding experience – can be a daunting task for rookie employees.

For college students, there are some key imperatives to help them become successful job seekers:  streamline the job search; create a flawless cover letter and resume; prepare for the interview; ask the right questions before you accept the position; give an award-winning performance at work; and, treasure your mentors and advocates.

Streamline the job search

Applying for any-old-job is a strategy that can lead to a disappointing workplace experience. Streamlining the job search is the first step in gaining temporary or long-term employment. Job seekers typically visit online job sites first to find opportunities. In addition to surfing popular sites, such as DCJobs.com or Career Builder, there are a number of websites tailored to specific industries. For example, CareerMD is an online career source for physicians and residents looking for jobs in the health care industry. The American Marketing Association job site lists thousands of opportunities in marketing and communications. Another site, the American Institute of Architects, lists architecture opportunities spanning internships to project managers.

Paid jobs, apprenticeships or internships in a desired field, such as technology, marketing, and business, are often advertised at the campus career services office. Recruiters who advertise jobs and internships with career services typically have a pre-existing relationship with the office, which can be an advantage to college job seekers because of that rapport. Many campus career centers allow students to register for online alerts for posted positions, workshops, and campus job fairs.

Create a flawless cover letter or resume

Before applying for an internship or job, students should create detailed, flawless cover letters and resumes. These documents are an introduction to potential employers, who critique the applicants’ experience, soft skills, and specialized skills before deciding if they even want to bring candidates in for interviews.

Recruiters typically spend less than a minute to peruse a cover letter or resume, so it is important to structure your cover letter and resume, list only relevant information, and proofread everything. Structuring your cover letter or resume covers everything from ensuring your documents are the appropriate length to layout and font.

Visit specialized career sites for jobs

The cover letter expresses the candidate’s interest in a position. It also details a few highlights that complement the position for which a college job seeker is applying, and lists specialized skills, such as web design, HTML code, certifications, and foreign language proficiency. It should also include the person who recommended that the job seeker apply for the position, if applicable.

A college student’s resume should be one page – the average person does not have enough relevant job experience to justify a two-page curriculum vitae.  Highlight the principal tasks (primary work responsibilities) for each job or internship. Do not use informal fonts and large pitch for your resume. Stick to fonts like Times New Roman or Arial in 12 pitch. Ask a trusted friend, parent, or mentor to proofread your cover letter and resume before submitting it – errors will almost guarantee that a potential employer will not call you for an interview.

Finally, be sure to follow applicant instructions the company lists. If candidates are asked not to call the company about the position, respect the recruiter’s process. If candidates are allowed to call the prospective employer, only ask questions that are not covered in the position announcement. For example, if the job announcement states that travel is required, do not ask (before or during the interview) if traveling is expected.

Next week: Part II of the Workplace Primer for College Students

© Copyright 2012 Ask The Strategist™

DISCLAIMER: ASK THE STRATEGIST is a blog that addresses business, career, workplace and etiquette issues. Any advice dispensed by Ask The Strategist is purely for informational and entertainment purposes. Take the advice and opinions at your own risk – and betterment! Follow @KesiStribling or @CareerConnectDC on Twitter. Send questions, your conundrums, or questions via video to ask@ksgsc.com. All submissions become the property of Ask The Strategist. Names and other identifying information may be changed to protect the person asking for advice.

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In an era of seemingly uncivil people (cue slap fest on The Real Housewives of New Jersey), I recently stumbled upon Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts That Guided Our First President in War and Peace, edited by Richard Brookhiser.

Originally published in 1997, with a healthy update from Brookhiser in 2003, Rules of Civility pre-empted the onslaught of reality television, and stories of soccer moms behaving badly on the field. This book takes a refreshing look at sage advice President George Washington followed, which he first found as a child in the 1700s.

While a few rules appear outdated (rule #9 – spit not into the fire, nor stoop low before it), the majority of the ‘rules’ are practical ways of living…and conducting business affairs. More than a primer in etiquette, Rules of Civility focuses more on the motivation beyond the action. For example, rule #23 admonishes that “when you see a crime punished, you may be inwardly pleased, but always show pity to the suffering offender.” The motivation is to treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Here are the top five career-related rules:

1. Rule #12: Shake not your head, feet, or legs, roll not the eyes, lift not one eyebrow higher than the other, wry not the mouth, and bedew no man’s face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak

These are a few non-verbal communication no-no’s that job seekers and entrepreneurs meeting with potential investors should avoid.

2. Rule #15: Keep your nails clean and short, also your hands and teeth clean, yet without showing any great concern for them.

Be neat, tidy, and professionally garbed when you interview for a job, or go to work everyday; however, take care not to overly emphasize your appearance, for it can make you appear conceited and superficial.

3. Rule #35: Let your discourse with men of business be short and comprehensive.

Brevity, when speaking with business leaders – men and women – is always a plus.

4. Rule #40: Strive not with your superiors in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.

The boss – or customer – is always right. Also, do not be heavy handed with your judgment, so as not to embarrass your co-workers or become the office know-it-all.

5. Rule #82: Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your promise.

Enough said.

Which of these rules hit home the most for you?

© Copyright 2012 Ask The Strategist™

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Article Excerpt: The Washington Post hosts July job fairs

Washington Post hosts job fairs

The Washington Post will host two career fairs during the month of July in the Greater Washington, DC region for job seekers in targeted industries. For minimum requirements, or to pre-register and post your resume, visit the Washington Post job fairs home. Job seekers are asked to bring copies of their resumes to the fair.

Some of the featured participating employers include BioReliance, Community Connections, and Contact 1 Inc.

Read the entire article

Read more DC Workplace articles on Examiner.com

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Nominations now open for Employee of the Month

Shout out the hardest workers in the DMV!

More than 711,000 employees make Washington, DC run efficiently, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Add the surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia, and the number grows to more than 1,000,000 people who drive business, revenue, and services in, and around, the nation’s capital. We seek to sing the praises of many of these hardworking and talented employees in our new article series, Employee of the Month on Examiner.com.

In order to make Employee of the Month a success, your nominations – and spreading the word about the friendly competition – are vital.

Submission Process and Guidelines

Anyone may submit a nomination for consideration for Employee of the Month, including those who wish to self-nominate. Eligibility is based on two criteria:

1. The nominated employee works in the metropolitan Washington, DC area (i.e. the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia – Fairfax County, Prince William County; Montgomery County, MD; Prince George’s County; Howard County, MD)

2.  The nominee must work for a company, nonprofit organization, federal/local government, or educational institution; be support staff, a manager, executive director, administrator, intern, or anyone who works there; and, be a part-time or full-time employee of the company

Winners are selected based upon how well the nominator documents the employee’s contributions to the workplace. Nominations should be sent in Microsoft Word, and contain no more than three paragraphs. Include the nominator’s AND nominee’s name, telephone number, and email address.

Tips for writing a successful nomination:

• Include specific contributions to the workplace
• Indicate nominee’s work title and employer
• Specify why the nominee should be selected asEmployee of the Month

Employee of the Month Submissions

Email nominations to eotm@ksgsc.com. Winners will be featured in an upcoming article on Examiner.com.

For complete details and submission guidelines, visit www.ksgsc.com/eotm. Follow us on Twitter @KesiStribling or @CareerConnectDC.

This story also appears on Examiner.com.

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It’s National Career Development Month

It's National Career Development Month

Today, November 30, 2011, is the last day of National Career Development Awareness Month.

In an effort to encourage young people and adults to take charge of their professional careers, the month was chock full of activities, including a poetry and poster contest, My Career Dreams, sponsored by the National Career Development Association.

Why celebrate career development awareness only in November? I exhort you – job seekers and those who are content with their careers – to use this month as a kick off for becoming, and staying, empowered about your choices for your career. Following are 10 things you can do to boost your career:

 Talk to your mentor about your career pursuits and advice
 Review job announcements for positions in which you are interested
 Visit your college Career Services office (students and alumni, alike)
 Begin developing your career plan
 Apply for an internship or volunteer
 Shadow an employee at work
 Take a continuing education class
 Get a certificate in an area of interest
 Update your resume
 Overhaul your social media sites to make sure they are professional

For more resources and tips to strengthen your career, visit our Career Connect website. Did these tips help you? Do you have a tip for us? Let ASK THE STRATEGIST KNOW by commenting below.

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State of US jobs - what concerns YOU?

We are seeking respondents for two articles and an ASK THE STRATEGIST blog post about President Obama’s jobs speech tonight, Thursday, September 8, 2011. We would like to hear from job seekers, career/workforce experts (i.e. human resources, recruiters, trainers, directors of training centers), and employers to talk about the following:

1. What do you hope President Obama includes in his speech on jobs?
2. Describe how the economy has impacted you personally (positively or negatively)
3. Detail how you are surviving or thriving in this new economy
4. How much (if at all) and how exactly are politics stalling progress on jobs in the USA?
5. How has the economy impacted your workplace/department/entire company or organization?
6. Share if you have a plan to navigate the job market

If you live and work in the Greater Washington, DC area ONLY, and would like to possibly be featured in the article(s), email me a BRIEF response to the topics above (no more than one paragraph) AND the following ASAP:

1. Your first and last name (which may or may not be used)
2. Your city/state
3. Email address
4. Phone number

NOTE: All articles will be written today for potential publication tomorrow. So, also include the latest time you are willing to be called or emailed TONIGHT.

Only respondents selected for the interviews will be initially contacted.

Email your responses to yourvoice@ksgsc.com (no phone calls, please).

p.s. We are Tweeting live during the President’s speech tonight 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. on Twitter. Follow us and join the conversation at www.twitter.com/CareerConnectDC.

Theatrical release poster/New Line Cinema

Horrible Bosses pulled in $28.3 million during its premier last weekend. That should come as no surprise as the summer heat beckons us to cooler environments. Movie theaters are the perfect place to enjoy a little humor while keeping cool. The draw, however, was not solely the promise of frigid air for a few hours. Folks flocked to the big screen comedy to gain a glimpse into the characters’ world of horrible bosses – and how they dealt with the annoying rabble-rousers.

In Horrible Bosses, art imitates life for most of us. We have, or have heard about, horror stories involving supervisors who demonstrate weird behavior in the workplace: sexual harassment, slacking off and doing no work, or basic ineptitude.

Characters played by Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day are believable on the big screen, even though their zany plans to eliminate their horrible bosses is far-fetched. For the rest of us real people, how can we bear the burden of horrible bosses, get our work done, and even thrive in a dysfunctional environment?

In all fairness, there are probably multitudes of great, supportive supervisors out there. For those poor souls who brave the horrible bosses every day, here are some helpful strategies for dealing with them.

Surviving Horrible Bosses

1. Know who you are dealing with and act accordingly

If your boss morphs into the Incredible Hulk when employees approach her early in the morning, take this cue to ask any questions or get feedback later in the day. You can easily gauge your supervisor’s personality by taking time to observe her in the workplace. This includes how she treats her inner circle, including the executive assistant, human resources manager, and any interns assigned to the department. Does she treat certain individuals differently? If your boss seems to become more pleasant with an individual than the rest of the team, figure out why.

Does that employee anticipate what your supervisor will ask for and have it in advance? Does the staff member exert extra initiative? Does the employee cower or stand up for his or her rights in the workplace? Take a moment to study an employee who seems to get some level of respect from horrible bosses (yes, there is usually one), figure out how the positive interaction can work for you, and implement the process for yourself. Take care to avoid artificiality. Bosses will notice it, and it may place you in a less desirable situation than you are already in at work.

2. Don’t give them an inch and they won’t be able to take a yard

Some bad bosses simply get away with bad behavior because employees, who want to make a good impression when they begin work, change the game in mid-play. Most people, at work and in life, get used to the way people behave and respond. If you started the job with a can-do, bend over backwards to get it done spirit, your supervisor will always think of you as a go-to person who never says no. Even when it is 7:00 p.m. and you are trying to leave the office to pick up your son at daycare before it closes at 7:15 p.m., a bad boss will expect you to call your spouse, neighbor, or stranger to collect your kid from the babysitter. Having a little backbone in the beginning, while still displaying the ultimate professionalism, helps curtail excessive expectations from an insensitive supervisor.

3. Let them know when enough is enough

There are times when a bad boss’ behavior crosses the line – morally and legally. I do not recommend that you consider hit men to take care of these annoying individuals as the protagonists did in the movie Horrible Bosses. Instead, do three things: take your temperature; get feedback; and, put them in their places.

Taking your temperature – or surveying yourself to identify if you are responding appropriately, or are overreacting – is the first step in identifying what, if anything, you should say to a cantankerous supervisor. Consider the boss’ behavior. Is the perceived violation a personal affront? Offensive to everyone? Offensive to women, transgendered, or racially different (from the supervisor) employees? A bad mood leading to a one-off slight?

If the temperature is off the charts, the next step is to get feedback from someone else. It always helps to get another perspective. A coworker who reports to the same supervisor, or has witnessed bad behavior by the boss, can shed light on the situation and help you determine if you should advance to the final step: put them in their places.

There are many ways to check bad behavior in the workplace. If your supervisor’s activities warrant intervention, there is a way to address the behavior professionally, and without potential repercussions. If you have a good relationship with your horrible boss (it can happen – think Dwight Schrute), then you may be able to gently approach the subject. If your supervisor is not that congenial, you may want to take the situation to your human resources department and let the hr professional deal with your supervisor directly. Not only does it take the pressure off you, it lessens the likelihood of potential retaliation if human resources handles the issue appropriately.

4. Become indispensible at work

Chances are that if you are indispensible in the workplace, horrible bosses may check their rude behavior so that you do not quit your job. They may still be ill tempered and rude; however, these supervisors generally know not to press their luck with you.

Develop and display your exceptional skills – fiscal responsibility, the ability to troubleshoot and fix office technology, exceptional speech writing capabilities – that your horrible boss relies upon to get through his or her day. When people have to ask you to do things, they are less likely to tick you off for fear that you may not help them or will be reluctant to assist when you are truly needed. Sadly, this is a reality in some workplace environments.

Do you have a horrible bosses (or staff) story to share? We would love to hear how you overcame the situation.

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