Job Hunt: Equal or Better Your Last Salary

Take Advantage of the Time Between Jobs

The latest Challenger report of quarterly job search times indicates that during the last quarter of 2008, it took job seekers about 3.0 months to find a new position. It is an ample amount of time to conduct professional self-improvement.

By taking a proactive stance to increase marketable skills, a candidate will increase opportunities for securing a satisfying position. From taking a computer language course at a local community college to starting an MBA program online at a high-profile university, job seekers will increase their marketability simply by being enrolled.

Improving your ability to get hired, especially in an economy such as this one, is tantamount to landing the next job offer. Human resource executives notice which candidates have taken it upon themselves to update their skills through education. Companies want employees who have the zeal to be life-long learners.

Leading by example, straight off a cliff…

Dear Office-Politics,

I am second in command (transitioning soon to first in command) of a tight-knit team that excels at our jobs. We focus on collaboration and high-quality output, and communication is essential. I am generally known as an individual that will accept nothing less than excellence, and most of the team members appreciate that. However, one junior level member recently completed a project at home (out of sight) and went to another office for review, specifically asking the other person to not mention that he had talked with them. That person, recognizing the potential for catastrophe, told me immediately, but asked me to keep it confidential.

I am relatively new at a leadership role, and so the first thing I did was talk to my immediate supervisor to ask for his opinion. I outlined the situation as I have told it here, including the sub-par project for review and expressed to my supervisor that the other office person did not want to be involved.

My coworker humiliates me

Dear Office-Politics,

I am hoping for some advice. I am a high school librarian. I left my previous position for a position that offered $20,000 more a year. The extra income is a big deal for me.

I am a single parent and I have struggled to provide for my child. I was at my previous job for 6 years. I left with a good reputation, an excellent work record, and an offer to come back. I love my work!! I love turning kids on to books!! This new position was fine in the beginning.

I found out from my co-worker that the reason the former librarian left was because she was “difficult to get along with.” Everyday, for the past several months, I heard about how awful this former coworker was, sometimes several times per day. My coworker knows where her former coworker is employed and is now starting a hideous gossip chain about her to her new employer. What does this have to do with me? In meetings, my coworker, humiliates me in front of everyone, she says demeaning comments to my face. She has sabotaged me with other teachers by telling them that I do not know what I am doing. She tells everyone I am a “dingbat.”