September 22, 2008

Love the one you're with
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 1:12 PM

It's a tough economy out there. The country's financial situation has has the word "crisis" stamped on its forehead, and it seems everyone from hedge fund managers to delivery truck drivers are worried about their jobs and their wallets.

It probably makes it hard to even think about leaving a job you're not happy with.

Do you feel stuck? Are you burned out at your job but terrified of hopping into a job market that is as miserable as you are?

Well, maybe the solution starts at home, so to say. Or, as Stephen Stills sang: "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."

That's the general theme of an article by Liz Wolgemuth in "The Inside Job" blog on the U.S. News & World Report website. She offers "10 great things you can do right now to improve your job." Among my favorites:

1. Make some friends. "Life is hard and then you die." My mother has been saying this to me since I can remember (she pulls no punches). Well, work is also hard. But you have to do it if you want to pay your mortgage and your cable bill and avoid scavenging for Christmas presents. That being the case, why not just make some friends where you do it? Try making a joke. Ask someone about their weekend. If you say something stupid, at least you'll get some notice, which is better than being "the guy who works down the hall beside the copier."

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6. Stop eating at your desk. It makes you look like a slave. It makes you look like you have no boundaries. I do it all the time, but I don't agree with it. If I were wiser, I would take my packed lunch to the lovely courtyard across the street, or to the indoor tables in a neighboring building. I would get a break, and then I'd come back with a clearer mind. I'll do it tomorrow.

7. Enjoy your commute. Read the news if you like. Bring a book if that's what you'd prefer. Listen to a George Winston album. Find a little pleasure on your way to work every morning.

(Click this link to check out all 10 of the tips.)

OK, so I'm writing this post while breaking rule No. 6, but still...

Anyway, I've seen people who are miserable in their jobs and seem like they honestly don't even want to like them. Sometimes taking a fresh approach to your tired routine can do wonders.

What about you? Have you ever felt your job was stagnating and tried to do something about it -- short of looking for a new job?

Were you able to take a fresh approach by changing how you act, think, or perform your daily routines? What worked, and what didn't? Share your thoughts in our discussion forum.

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September 17, 2008

Difference of opinion
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 10:02 AM

Ever wondered what hiring managers think when your résumé flops across their desk? Do they intently scan every word, or does it quickly get crinkled up and shot through a mini basketball hoop and into a garbage can?

This is one of the things we wanted to know when we solicited résumés from Boston.com readers and sent a select few to hiring managers, HR experts, and recruiters across greater Boston.

Some of the things we learned: First impressions are key, however you will probably make different first impressions on different hiring managers. And is there really a perfect résumé? Well, it depends -- there are definitely some basic things most employers like to see, such as clear, concise, specific accomplishments in bullet-point format. But on the whole, there seemed to be enough divergance in opinion on any number of résumé features to dispel the notion of a perfect résumé.

Take the following feedback on one job seeker's résumé as an example:

10. Overall, how does the résumé flow from section to section?

Tom Egan of Veritude: For better flow from section to section, I would definitely change the order of the candidate's credentials presenting her summary of qualifications first, followed by her knowledge base (technical skills). I would then immediately follow that with her professional experience and move her education, specialized certifications, and specialized training to the end of the résumé .

Randy Stevens of RL Stevens and Associates, Inc.: The résumé leaves a reader begging for answers to what makes THIS candidate different or special from all others. There are too many thick and long paragraphs, and it makes the reader skim through it.

Radhika Rana of the Professional Staffing Group (PSG): The flow of the résumé from section to section is smooth and very easy to read. It's not a jumpy résumé, so there's no hopping around from page to page. It's a smooth read all the way through the end.

Check out the rest of the "Rate my résumé" feature. It's a meaty piece, and will take a while to go through all six résumé critiques, but it contains a lot of insight into how hiring managers view résumés, what their most common pet peeves are, and how getting called in for a job interview can really just depend on the type of person your résumé first encounters.

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September 10, 2008

More ways to green the office
Posted by Jesse Nunes at 10:54 AM

There has been a slew of stories lately on how just about everyone under the sun is trying to become more environmentally friendly.

People are looking for green sources of power for their homes, wind turbines are in demand like never before, car manufacturers can't roll out hybrids fast enough, and now supermarkets are doing all they can to cut down their carbon footprint.

The knowledge that comes to light every day of ways to green up our lives has also reached the workplace. Maybe there is more of an awareness on recycling paper, or maybe your office building is turning out more lights at night to conserve energy.

Even the most standard of office appliances is not immune. Yes, there are ways to make your office printer more environmentally friendly.

TallyGenicom, a provider of business-class printers, offers the following five tips to help companies green their printing operations:

Remanufactured cartridges – Purchasing remanufactured print cartridges not only saves an organization almost 40 percent off of OEM pricing, but it also reduces the number of non-biodegradable plastic print cartridges heading to landfills. Remanufactured cartridges go through vigorous inspection, disassembly, cleaning and refilling to ensure high-quality products that are just as good as new cartridges.

Paper stock recycling – Recycling and purchasing recycled paper products for your company's printing needs can have a dramatic impact on the environment. According to recent figures, one ton of paper from recycled pulp saves 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 7,000 gallons of water, 4,200 kilowatt hours, 390 gallons of oil, and eliminates 60 pounds of air pollutants.

Duplexing – According to the Clean Air Council, U.S. businesses use approximately 21 million tons of paper every year, which is equivalent to approximately 175 pounds of paper for each American. Duplexing, or double-sided printing, could effectively slash paper waste in nearly half.

Pre-printed forms – Historically, every time an organization changed its telephone number, company logo or office address, several reams of pre-printed stationary would become obsolete instantly and then thrown away. Electronic forms allow businesses to eliminate significant costs associated with the development, purchase and storage of expensive pre-printed and multi-part forms. Technology is currently available that allows data associated with general use forms to be pre-loaded electronically into a laser printer and automatically merged with existing print data streams to help eliminate paper waste.

Printer fleet optimization – The historical move over the last 10 to 15 years toward multifunction machines and away from departmental printing has brought with it a high level of inefficiency – using a laser printer to print shipping labels, for example, is akin to using a shotgun to kill a termite. Companies need to reassess individual printing needs for the front-office, back-office, warehouse and logistics, and partner with a trusted printer provider to deploy tools specifically designed for the particular job, location or business process. This means, for example, using specialized thermal printers with lower power requirements than laser printers for shipping label printing.

Has your office stepped up its efforts to be more environmentally friendly? Is telecommuting more acceptable now? Do you recycle a lot more paper? Turn out more lights in rooms that aren't in use?

What steps has your company taken to be more green? Share your thoughts in our discussion forum.

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