CareerMysteries

If I can take a post to revisit the letter writing comments I made, a friend asked about the possibility of sending a more personal, handwritten note to the interviewer to thank them for taking the time to meet with you.

 That would be okay to do, but preferable in my book anyway, is the business letter with a final reminder from that person about why they are a great candidate, in brief but detailed form.  If it is well crafted and compelling, I will take notice and if there is a close call between two candidates and one sends me a flowery thank you versus a serious letter worth reading, I will go with the more serious candidate.

Either way, please send a note of some kind to make a lasting impression and one that says “Look at me, I am very qualified and also very interested in the job.”

 Someday it will happen.  You will go in to work, sit down in your rickety, old chair, squeak over to your computer screen and like a book falling on your head from a shelf high above you, the realization will hit you.  This job sucks.

 You used to like it, when it was challenging and you were learning new things, going to training seminars and getting excited about your new ideas.  But now, it is stale and crappy, and you need bigger, better ways to change your world.

So do it.  Sounds simple enough, but it may take time to get some more training or a certificate or whatever, but don’t just sit there in that nasty old chair, dumbing yourself down like a dolphin in a fish tank.  Get out and change that sucker up. (sucker = you).

 People need change in their lives because they must be challenged.  Most of us change our careers eight or ten times over the span of a lifetime.  Sometimes, change is not only good, but exactly what you need.

If a friend or colleague asks for your feedback on how they are doing, how they look, the resume they are using or whatever, try to use it as an opportunity to really help by giving honest feedback.

Now, that does not mean you tell them mean or negative things, certainly skilled tactfulness is your best way of proceeding, but don’t just say everything is “fine” when you know it is not fine.

If they have problems on the resume, offer specific suggestions on ways to improve and offer to help them come up with better alternatives.  If she wears inappropriate clothes to work or to an interview, show her something that would look nice, without having to insult her or call her a skank.

Constructive feedback and criticism with a suggestion on what would be better may hurt her feelings a tad, but it is better than lying to her and saying she looks great if she goes to work looking like a castoff from a Vegas curbside.

There is nothing more discouraging in an interview when you have a fine looking person, dressed well with a great resume who opens their mouth and out comes an ugly stream of speech with words slurring together in an indistiguisable mound of bad grammar and profanity.  The interview goes downhill from there when I end it quickly and decisively.

Bad speech is never in fashion.  I will guarantee you, one will never hear our new commander-in-chief say, “Lemme axe you sompin,” yet many minority candidates will be seeminly oblivious to how damaging this lack of vocal exactness can be to one’s career.

I would not want this guy talking to one of my customer’s like that.  Some of these people are even college graduates who think it is okay to speak with this colloquial banter.  I am saddened by this person, who might have had real potential based on the other merits of their background and accomplishments.

So if you or someone you know is subject to diction issues, practice your way back to acceptable English as hard as it may be.  It will be worth the trip.

A coworker starts acting strangely in the workplace.  This is someone you have been friendly with in the past and now notice she is dressing carelessly, looks tired and worn out, and she is not “with it” anymore when it comes to being a solid job contributor.  You don’t understand what has happened.

There are a number of possible explanations including alcohol abuse, drug abuse or even mental illness.  The best thing you can do as a friend is to pull her aside privately and tell her you have noticed a change and are concerned because you care about her.

Ask her what is going on and how you could help her to get back on track at work. If she denies there is a problem or becomes very defensive, you know there is something wrong but she is not willing or ready to talk to you.

She may show some minor improvement because she knows people are watchful.  However, most often, the problem will continue.  One thing you might consider is to talk to either your boss or your HR representative about your concerns.

More often than not, this kind of thing will go on until something bad happens before anyone will try to step in.  For example, the person may start having serious absentee issues. 

It is incumbent on the immediate supervisor, with assistance from HR, to talk to her as soon as her performance on the job dips or sputters, and to give her a referral to an Employee Assistance Program, where one is available.

Even if there is no EAP, talking to her about seeking counseling or other needed services, without being accusatory, may result in her seeking help.  If she continues to backslide, you can talk to her again, but she has to make the decision to fix her problem, whatever it may be.