As we know, virtually any kind of information can be found on the Internet. But, what is the best way to find the advice you seeking?
Check out this infographic.
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![How to Find Great Advice for Just About Anything [INFOGRAPHIC]](http://thumbnails.visually.netdna-cdn.com/how-to-find-great-advice-for-just-about-anything-infographic_519693501e5c5_w587.png "How to Find Great Advice for Just About Anything [INFOGRAPHIC]")
Is Sharing One’s Salary Data with Co-Workers OK?
16 MayMany (most) companies frown on their employees sharing their salary information — to avoid jealousy and possible legal complaints. Some firms even have explicit policies that prohibit sharing such information (even though this is typically illegal).
However, the times are changing. According to Lauren Weber and Rachel Emma Silverman, writing for the Wall Street Journal: “Comparing salaries among colleagues has long been a taboo of workplace chatter, but that is changing as Millennials — individuals born in the 1980s and 1990s — join the labor force. Accustomed to documenting their lives in real time on social-media forums like Facebook and Twitter, they are bringing their embrace of self-disclosure into the office with them. And they’re using this information to negotiate raises at their current employer or higher salaries when moving to a new job.”
In their article, Weber and Silverman summarize several tips on how to behave.
Click the image for a video clip.
Illustration by James Yang
A Personalized Self-Assessment Infographic
14 MayNo matter the stage in your career (or life), it is imperative that you regularly do a self-assessment. In the infographic below, there is a 20-item self-assessment quiz for you to take.
How do YOU fare on this quiz? What activities do YOU need to modify to improve your career profile? How YOU can be happier? 
Are You Trying NOT to Get A Job?
12 MayThere are a lot of things that people do to try to improve their chances of getting the jobs that they want. But, sometimes, they also do things that are not helpful to themselves.
As Michael Trust writes for Careerrealism, here are three harmful things that people sometimes do:
- “You Have Not Fully Grasped The Reality of today’s market and the massive economic upheaval that is occurring. All of the fancy degrees, past experience, and so on just isn’t enough today. These things DO matter – it’s just the applicant pool is full of people with these backgrounds. Thus, the competition is much more stiff. Nothing in this job market will come easily. Some positions will come more easily than others, but they may be positions for which you feel you’re overqualified. The ‘gem’ positions will typically take much longer and be harder to get.”
- “You Don’t Apply because you don’t like to be rejected, and if you don’t apply, you can’t be rejected. This is circular logic, and self-fulfilling (and self-defeating) behavior. You don’t know until you try. In the marathon that is today’s job search, you’re going to be rejected until you’re not. It’s a fact of life. We’ve all been there. It’s not personal; it’s just business.”
- “You Don’t Take Your Job Search Seriously. If you’re unemployed (or underemployed), your job search should be at least 30-40 hours per week – responding to ads (low value return, but necessary), resume and cover letter customization, and networking, networking, networking (did I mention ‘networking’?). If you are employed and are looking for a new gig on the sly, at least 10-20 hours per week would be appropriate. Watching daytime television and hanging out with friends is not likely to get you a new position. Looking for a job is a job. Treat it like one.”
Click the image to read more.
Want to Be A Business Success? Don’t Do this
9 MayIn this new high-tech, less personal era, people are sometimes being quite rude in their interaction with others. And the others are noticing. So, here are some tips on what to avoid. If we want respect, we have to give respect.
According to Michael Hess, writing for CBS MoneyWatch, these are the “top 10 ways to be rude in business:”
- “Being late: Nothing says ‘your ever-shortening life is less important than mine’ than keeping someone waiting.”
- “Communication evasion: I see this more and more often — the phone rings, Mr. Important looks at the screen and doesn’t take the call even though he’s able to, then immediately responds with a text that says ‘what’s up?’It’s dismissive, even arrogant, and inefficient to boot.”
- “And the opposite… phone abuse: It seems all hope of self control is lost when it comes to our small screen addiction. We’ve all seen it: talking on the phone in a public restroom, texting during a conversation or meeting, emailing in a nice restaurant.”
- “Inviting messages, then ignoring them: If you have a voice mail box, it implies that you check and attend to them. Yet more and more people who have the standard ‘leave a message and I’ll get right back to you’ recording never listen to their voice mail.”
- “Being ungrateful: If someone does something nice for you, show your appreciation. Gratitude sometimes seems to be on the brink of extinction.”
- “Demanding instead of asking: There’s a world of difference in tone between ‘please get me that report’ and ‘get me that report.’ Sure, the recipient often understands it, but would it kill you to add one word?”
- “The cloak of anonymity: Notes without names on them — particularly to customers who may want or need to respond to you or keep records — are obnoxious. Who are you hiding from, and why?”
- “Dropping names: “I’m talking about not addressing people by name when you can and should be doing so. Again, this happens a lot in (poor) customer service. If someone gives you their name, use it when addressing them.”
- “Dissing job applicants: I am amazed at how often I’m told that companies interview good people and never contact them again. If a job applicant is good enough to be asked to visit you for an interview, you owe her a follow up, whether she got the job or not.”
- “Annoying the other 95 percent of the world: America may be the hub of the business world, but unfortunately many American business people act as if it is the center of the universe. I see it when people correspond with overseas companies, and I certainly see it in my international travels. Quiet, humble politeness is a universal language.”
Click the image to read more from Hess.
Photo by Skooba Design
