Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Getting Started

This is the first posting in The Job Lounge. In fact it's my first blog and I'm a little nervous. What if I say something stupid? Make a typpo (oops!)? Or my in-laws decide to use the lounge to tell me what they REALLY think? Yes, I'm nervous. What if nobody blogs me back and I just sit in this lounge all alone? I'm going to need a lot of help from YOU to figure out how to make this work for all of us. Tell me what you want to hear and talk about. Ask me questions and give me your opinions about job search stuff like resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and salary stuff. Moan and groan about your current job. Hey that's a good idea, let me tell you what I love and hate about MY job: I love it that I set my own hours and have contact with thousands of cool people (bosses and job seekers) each day. I sometimes hate my boss 'cause she so damn fussy about things getting done on time and no matter how hard I try my evaluations are always less than 10. Did I mention I'm self-employed? What about you?

2 comments:

Mr Black said...

Wow! Nice blog! Maybe just break it up into more paragraphs so I can read it faster..

Now about me... I'm lucky, like my boss. In fact I think that's good advise. Make friends with your boss. You don't have to brown-nose or be a suck up, but don't avoid them or be advisarial (typpooo?). Say, "Good morning!" and mean it.

And what do you know about your boss? What family do they have? Pets? Hobbies? Interests?

And while you're at it, share something about yourself. Not really time for one-upmanship, but come on people! We spend a lot of time together! Let's get to know each other.

Oh, yeah. My other big fat advise for today is SMILE. Look in a mirror. Are you REALLY smiling? Can you smile with just your eyes? A smile goes a long long way asw a social lubricant...

Susan Ireland said...

That's good advice, Mr. Black. Making friends with the boss comes naturally for some folks--the smile, the greeting, the friendly banter. Other people get nervous around their bosses and don't know how to be themselves and still keep it professional.

You can't force it if you're the shy type, so take it a little at a time. Start with "Good Morning" one day and try to work up to "How are you?" and maybe you'll get to "You know, I like working for you because _____" (something that's true like, "you have such a good sense of humor." But refrain from telling that dreaded knock-knock joke your family runs from.)

Not everyone's great with the chit-chat, but smiles, laughter, and eye contact go a long way.