HowToDoThings.com Business & Co-Worker Relationships

How To Ask Your Boss for a Raise

jasonkeeley — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:56:38 -0500

How To Screw Up a Job Interview

Mattheller — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:05:22 -0500

Your interview for that new position starts before you sit down in the uncomfortable chair. It begins with the submittal of an application or resume and includes communication to schedule an interview, the interview itself, and post-interview conversation. Each interaction tells your prospective employer about who you are and what type of employee you will be. If you want to be sure you do NOT get the job you are looking for (or a future opening at the company), follow these steps:

How To Be Fit for Promotion

aesta — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:55:12 -0500

While your managers are staring at the walls and sorting their brains out on how to replace those moving on or the boomers retiring, don't stay in your cubicle praying that you will get the promotion simply because it's your turn! Start planning, too. And start your personal "Fit for Promotion" campaign. To get fit and keep fit, here are some of the steps to take:

How To Stand Up for Yourself

Marilisa560 — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:13:37 -0600

"Standing up for yourself": kind of a dated term. It's what we now call assertiveness. But I still kind of like "standing up for yourself"; this phrase creates a clear directive for action. Research shows that people respond better to active vs. passive verbs. We also prefer to be told what to do, rather than what not to do. So I am going to give you a set of active verbs -- your 'to-do list' to stand up for yourself in any situation.

How To Handle Difficult People in the Office and Workplace

Waheedaleko — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:55:50 -0600

We all have experience dealing with difficult, unpleasant and problematic people at our offices and workplaces.

Difficult people are those who:

How To Recognize the Biggest Mistakes Women Make at Work

goldenpen — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:06:09 -0600

Many women let the “chick difference” stand between them and career success. Sometimes success is so close, yet so elusive, when well-meaning women sabotage themselves. Do yourself a favor; find out where you may be making a flub-up at the office.

The biggest mistakes women make when trying to climb the corporate ladder:

How To Handle Office Politics

Elizabeth69 — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:51:06 -0600

Office politics come into play in virtually every workplace. No matter how efficiently you perform your job, your place in the pecking order is going to be influenced by your ability (or inability) to read people and conduct yourself in ways that present you in the very best light. While it can be easy to say that career advancement should be based solely on job performance, the fact remains that whether you like it or not, if you are employed, you must know how to play the game. That doesn’t mean, however, that you have to leave your ethics at the door – you can work to advance your career while staying true to your values if you keep a few things in mind:

How To Impress Your Boss

Mattheller — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:54:48 -0600

Making a positive impression is important when establishing any relationship. Impressing your boss is essential if you wish to be successful in the workplace. There are no shortcuts to making a lasting positive impression. Hard work, respect, and sincerity are key factors. You will be sure to impress a boss in any work setting by following these steps.

How To Use Instant Messaging in the Workplace

christphe6 — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:32:02 -0600

The use of instant messaging in the workplace is on the rise. Many people, myself included, believe that IM will someday replace email as the main communication tool for companies -- large and small. Given my current occupation, I think IM is fantastic -- it allows me to quickly and easily share code snippets with other developers, easily communicate non-technical information with other members of my team, and keep in touch with a few friends that I don't have the luxury of working with.

Having said that, companies for the most part don't have any "formal" guidelines in place when it comes to the use of IM by employees. However, just because said guidelines may not be in place, there are some "best practices" that you should try and stick to when using IM at work:

How To Manage Your Professional Brand

Margaret — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:56:03 -0500

If you are not clear about who you are as a professional, others will make up their own image for you. Then they will broadcast that image. Wouldn't it be better if you took control? If you heard an associate describe you, would you be shocked? You don't have to let that happen. Your character is your own. Your reputation is defined by others. It is your job to make sure they get it right.

If you want your management and associates to ‘get' you, then first you need to understand just who you are. You need to define your true professional self or professional brand. Then act in a way that clearly reflects the real you. Then you are not taking any chances. When you hear your management describe you, it will be as if you have put the words in their mouths yourself.

What are the steps?