Career killers: 7 workplace mistakes that can cost your job

From a new article in NAFE magazine by yours truly…

You’re at your desk by 8 a.m., wouldn’t dream of pocketing a single box of binder clips, and haven’t worn flip-flops to work since your lifeguard days. But there’s more to keeping your nose clean at the office than hitting deadlines and following the employee manual. Some of the most seemingly innocuous acts can kill your shot at that promotion — or worse, land you on management’s hit list next time layoffs roll around. Following are seven fatal workplace mistakes you should avoid at all costs.

Abusing technology
Think one little email rant about your boss to a sympathetic pal can’t hurt you? Think again. A recent American Management Association study found that 25 percent of companies have fired employees for email misuse. And 26 percent of businesses have given workers the axe for browsing sites they shouldn’t.

“Misusing the technology in your office is the number one career killer,” says Cynthia Shapiro, former HR executive and author of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know — And What to Do About Them. Thanks to computer monitoring software, “you’re no longer invisible.” So the next time you want to shop online for a new pair of pumps, vent about management via email, or burn up the phone lines with your latest childcare crisis, do it at home.

Butting heads with the boss
You don’t have to invite your boss out for happy hour, but you do have to build an amicable partnership with her. “If you don’t have a good relationship with your boss, your job is in jeopardy right now,” Shapiro says. “Your boss can put a raise freeze on you that will last your entire duration at that company.” Not only that, a bad write-up in your personnel file can haunt you any time a future employer calls to check references.

Unless you’re working for an abusive Neanderthal — in which case you might want to dust off your resume — treat your boss as though you’re self-employed and she’s your biggest client, Shapiro advises. A supervisor who is unsure of your commitment will have trouble grooming you for the next rung.

Settling for a support role
“Support roles are dead ends,” says Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success. If you have your eye on the executive suite, Trunk advises getting out of HR, marketing, or customer service. Instead, move into a department that’s responsible for the company’s bottom line, such as sales, finance, or business development.

In meetings, too, avoid playing the servile mother hen who takes notes and ensures everyone’s had a chance to voice their opinion, says Michele Lodin, a veteran HR executive at Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., in California. Instead, focus on the job you were hired to do and fearlessly offer up your expertise.

Confiding in HR
Contrary to popular belief, your human resources representative is not your friend, advocate, or confidante. “The role of human resources is to support the company, not you,” says Trunk. “If you need support, hire a career coach.”

Complaining about your boss to HR is like griping about your husband to your mother-in-law and expecting her to keep quiet. Ditto for voicing concerns to HR about your health, family, or ambivalence toward returning to work after maternity leave. “You cannot tell them anything that would make you appear to be a threat,” either legally or in terms of job performance, Shapiro says.

Read the rest of the article here.

2 comments September 8th, 2007

Six tips for newbie freelancers

Here’s the first half of a guest blog post I have on MyGlobalCareer today:

I fled the cube 15 years ago to work as a freelance writer, and I’m happy to report that I’ve yet to be evicted from my home or wind up on food stamps. As a result, I’m constantly asked to share my top tips for would-be and newbie freelancers. Here are a few of my tried and trues:

Turn down some of the gigs. Don’t automatically accept every project you’re offered. Instead, choose a handful of topics and industries to specialize in. Building a niche or three makes you far more marketable. Besides, some jobs are so downright miserable that you’d be better off eating Ramen for a few days than tying up your schedule with them.

Hit up your ex-boss for work. There’s no better freelance lead than someone who already knows and loves you. (For the sake of argument, I’m assuming you left your day job on good terms.) Managers live to hire freelancers who are already familiar with their SOPs and corporate culture. And we freelancers love knowing in advance who we’re really getting into bed with.

Give it away for free. We all know that doing a few freebies is the best way to gain experience in a niche when you have none. But don’t just give it away to anyone. Shoot for high-profile gigs that pay in prestige and visibility, like helping with a sizable charity fundraiser or contributing to a well-read but shallow-pocketed magazine. Often these projects will lead to bigger and better.

To read the rest of this post, check out MyGlobalCareer.

Add comment September 4th, 2007

Anti 9-to-5 profile: Stacy Brice

The anti 9-to-5er: Stacy Brice, Baltimore, MD

My job: Chief Visionary Officer for AssistU, the virtual training company I founded; coach; and writer.

What makes my gig anti 9-to-5: I’ve created a company that’s bigger than I am. While still at the center of it, I smartly created the infrastructure in such a way that business continues whether or not I’m around and available. I work when and where I want, on what I want, and with whom I want. It’s important that I have the time and space to be able to do the visioning work that I love so much and do so well. I take the last quarter of the year off — every year, and use the time to recharge my proverbial batteries.

I actually never thought I’d do anything other than be someone’s employee. And then I was fired (wrongfully). I was so angry and disheartened. I decided I never again wanted to be in a position where someone had that kind of power over me. I wanted to create my own security. So I sat down and decided to do my own thing, in my own way, and on my own terms. I made travel plans and did virtual administrative work for my travel clients. Ultimately, I decided to create a company to train virtual assistants. Now we train, coach, support, and certify them, and refer them to people who want to work with them. Along the way, I also became a professional business coach, and a writer.

What I did in my former 9-to-5 life: I was a corporate travel consultant for ten years.

How I made the anti 9-to-5 leap: Being fired was the leap. I wasn’t prepared, but ended up just fine. Because what I chose to do was pretty much what I had been doing, I didn’t have much of a start-up cost — just a better desk and chair than I’d had before. Ever since then, anything I’ve wanted to add to my business only happened when I had the funds and the infrastructure to support it.

My tips for other cubicle expats: Don’t reinvent the wheel. Get industry-specific training. Settle for peer coaching and mentoring from people who are successful only if you absolutely can’t afford training. Don’t listen to a bunch of people — it will only confuse you. Have incredibly high standards (and realize that your standards can always be higher). Create a niche — not a specialty. Raise your fees regularly. Be attractive. Embrace abundance. Do what you love. Focus your attention on your own work and don’t worry about what others are doing. Become the best virtual assistant you can possibly be. Realize that you can do things your way and be successful on your own terms.

What’s that link again? AssistU.com, VirtualMoxie.com, MoxieCoach.com

Read past anti 9-to-5 profiles. Then fill out your own profile to be featured on this site.

Add comment September 3rd, 2007