Water Cooler Wisdom

Career Lessons from a Hollywood Producer

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

There are a lot of books out there on how to achieve job satisfaction and get ahead in the business world, but few are from the viewpoint of someone with a front row seat in the always-elusive entertainment industry. That’s what I found interesting about...(read more)

8 Ways to Save Money Today

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails from desperate folks who are short on cash and are hoping against hope that they can get a raise at work. But just in case they can’t, over at Brazen Careerist , Alex Fisher has some great ideas for saving money during...(read more)

4 Day Work Week is a Reality in Utah

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

According to USA Today , this summer Utah will become what experts say is the first state to institute a mandatory four-day work week for most state employees. Gov. Jon Huntsman, a first-term Republican, says he's making the change to reduce the state's...(read more)

Living in Peace in the Present Moment

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Have you ever noticed that when you spend too much time dwelling on the past, you get depressed about how certain situations played out and what you could have done differently? And when you are always looking ahead to the future, you get anxious about...(read more)

Surviving Your Company’s Merger

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

In his bestsellers Brand Warfare and Career Warfare , author David D'Alessandro offered sharp advice for building a brand and building a career. His new book, Executive Warfare is the advanced class for the truly ambitious. The book covers what it takes...(read more)

Should You – and Can You – Get a Temp Job?

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

I’ll be honest. I always thought that going to a temp agency was a waste of time. This perception comes from the fact that when I was in college in the late 90s, I visited a few firms, filled out reams of paperwork, took a few computer tests, did several...(read more)

Inconsistency: Accept It and Move On

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

I love the show Jon and Kate Plus 8 . For those of you who might not be familiar with it, it’s a reality program on TLC that follows thirtysomething Pennsylvania parents Jon and Kate as they raise seven year-old twins and four year-old sextuplets. I like...(read more)

4 Tips for Avoiding Fan Worship

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:00:00 GMT

My friend Pam Slim over at Escape from Cubicle Nation has a great post on how to tread the fine line between expressing admiration for someone and fan worship. Straight from the ECN blog are 4 “fan traps” to avoid. I’ve been known to do some of these...(read more)

Qualities of Good Presidents and Good Employees

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

I love this post from Michael McKinney at Leading Blog . It’s based on a new book from Alvin Felzenberg, The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game . Felzenberg devised six criteria to best describe various...(read more)

Career Lessons from Bill Gates

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

So Bill Gates is preparing to retire as CEO of Microsoft . Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen founded Microsoft on April 4, 1975, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to make and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800, an early computer that was sold...(read more)

Easing Commuter Shock: The New In-Demand Perk?

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

I was recently interviewed for Yahoo! Hot Jobs for a story on how the continuing upward pressure on gas prices is forcing many workers to change how they get to their jobs and to seek added benefits that offset commuting costs. In a recent survey by the...(read more)

5 Ways to Make HR Love You

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Admittedly, staying on HR’s good side is probably not at the top of your list of managerial priorities, but HR has the power to make your life easier…or very difficult. Over at HR Capitalist , Kris Dunn has five great tips for how managers can make HR...(read more)

Boost Your Earning Power with the Power of Language

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Did you know that the most accurate predictor of earning power is literacy? Literacy does not just mean being able to read, but also refers to your command of written language. I recently read an article by Steve Kaufmann at LingQ , a company that provides...(read more)

What Defines Success?

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about success at work, and how it means different things to different people. When I first graduated college, I thought success was setting and then achieving a goal to reach a certain level. But for someone who is naturally...(read more)

Go Home with Some of the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered how super-successful business owners with millions of customers get started? Surprisingly, many don’t spend years toiling in Fortune 500 brand powerhouses, some had no money or no connections going in, and some weren’t even trained...(read more)