Water Cooler Wisdom

Water Cooler Wisdom is Moving

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Hi Everyone, it has been a pleasure hosting the Water Cooler Wisdom blog here at Getthejob.com over the last two years. I want to let you know that you can now view Water Cooler Wisdom at my personal website . Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you...(read more)

Book Review: Bounce

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:00:00 GMT

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to meet longtime entrepreneur and author Barry Moltz in our shared hometown of Chicago. Barry has founded and run small businesses for more than 15 years, and he’s a nationally recognized expert on entrepreneurship...(read more)

How to Make Money While Looking for a New Job

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:00:00 GMT

It’s easy for workers who have recently been laid off to quickly get discouraged, especially when faced with dismal economic news and grim job prospects. While traditional office jobs may be difficult to snag, there are many inspiring, nontraditional...(read more)

Accountability Groups Help Unemployed Stay Motivated

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The New York Times just reported on a new phenomenon in job hunting that has arisen as a result of the high unemployment rate among white-collar workers – accountability groups. According to the Times, membership in various networking organizations across...(read more)

Get That Feedback and Get it Now

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Thanks to WCW reader Amy for turning me on to the cool new service Rypple , which seems to be a direct response to Gen Y's need for constant feedback at work. The premise of Rypple is that successful people have friends, mentors, managers, and clients...(read more)

Make a Deal with a Bigshot in 10 Minutes

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Thanks to ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse for sharing an excellent piece by Laura Roeder on making deals with bigshots in 10 minutes. Here are some highlights of Laura’s advice, which is sound and absolutely worth following, because no matter how great you...(read more)

Economic Downturn Humbles - But Does Not Negate Needs of - Gen Y

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

I’d suspected as much, and then I read it in the Economist . Sometime between the beginning of the economic downturn and now, Gen Y has become unentitled. Says the article that confirmed my thoughts: Jessica Buchsbaum first noticed that something had...(read more)

Book Review: Lead Well and Prosper

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Nick McCormick recently sent me a copy of his new book, Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager . I’ve read a lot of books on management, and too often they’re gimmicky and theoretical. What I liked about this title...(read more)

Have You Taken the Myers Briggs Lately?

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Thanks to my friend Jason Alba , this week I headed over to HumanMetrics.com to take the Myers Briggs personality test for free. I’ve taken the test before, but it’s cool to revisit it occasionally to see if the results are the same. In the interest of...(read more)

Are THEY a good fit for YOU?

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

In their eagerness to get a job offer, many prospective employees forget that they are making a choice too. Presumably they’re going to spend a good chunk of their lives with this organization, and yet they don’t take the time to really evaluate whether...(read more)

A Global Perspective on Millennials at Work

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

In a soon to be published podcast with the fabulous Peter Clayton at Total Picture Radio , I discuss this new survey from Price Waterhouse Coopers that aims to provide a brief insight into the minds of the Millennial. While I’m not sure I agree 100 percent...(read more)

5 Signs of Poor Productivity - And What to Do About Them

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Some people are just not all that productive at work despite spending significant face time at the office. And the worst thing is, you might be one of those people and not even realize it. Check out some signs of poor productivity and what you can do...(read more)

Work and Play on the Other Side of the World

AlexandraLevit — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

I just received a press release about this incredibly cool overseas work opportunity, which my friend Lindsey Pollak also featured on her blog this week. Tourism New South Wales is sponsoring a contest to win a free working vacation in one of the greatest...(read more)

Help! My Co-Worker is a Communist!

AlexandraLevit — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Back in the 50s, admitting you were a communist at work would be enough to land you in jail, so you’d keep your mouth shut. But nowadays, people will divulge any and all details about themselves to colleagues. The question is, what do you do when a close...(read more)

Don’t Annoy People by Committing these E-mail Sins

AlexandraLevit — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

For those of you who need New Years resolutions (and by the way, I’m not doing a post on career resolutions because I feel that topic has been substantially covered in the blogosphere already), here are two ideas for improving your reputation through...(read more)