New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken

2009. Thank goodness it is almost over.

Today marks the end of what has been the worst year in the history of many companies, not to mention many people’s personal lives.

Every year, people think of resolutions that they will try to keep all year long. If you are anything like me, by February, you’ve already broken most , if not all of them.
This year, I’ve got a resolution for work and I'm going to try to make it last all year.

I am going to be stricter with priorities. I’m going to make a list at the start of each day of what I need to work on and stick to it, adding only when necessary.

So that’s my resolution; what’s yours?

How would you spend a holiday bonus?

CNN has a slide show about how people from around the US are spending their bonus (if they were lucky enough to get one this year).

Check it out here.

Did you get a bonus this year? If so, how are you spending it?

61 percent of Wisconsin and Illinois workers do not expect raise in 2010

QPS Employment Group surveyed more than 300 companies including manufacturers, banks, printers, distributors and information technology firms throughout Wisconsin and Illinois as part of its quarterly employment forecasting survey.
The survey found that 61% of respondents are not expecting a salary increase in 2010. 39% said they do expect a raise. Of those 39% the average salary increase expected is 2.76%

Are you expecting a raise this year? If so, how much do you think it will be?

Leave it in the lobby: Things not to say in an interview

Imagine this:

You come across a job posting online. Everything seems like the perfect fit. You have all the education, background and requirements they are looking for. The position is at a great company that's known for taking care of its employees. The benefit package is amazing and the salary is even better than you expected. And best of all, it seems they want you—you’ve landed an interview with their HR department.

When you get into the interview, you sell yourself brilliantly. You go over strengths and weaknesses and how you’d handle job situations. Everything is going swell and as you are getting ready to leave, you thank your interviewer for the opportunity. You say that it’s your dream job. The HR rep flashes you what might have been a forced smile and says that they will let you know.

Two weeks pass, and you finally hear back. You didn’t get the job. You wonder what went wrong?


According to a survey released by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 69% of hiring managers say that “this is my dream job” is the phrase that they least like to hear.

So remember, leave the clichés in the lobby. They sound insincere and can actually damage your chances of a successful interview. Focus on selling yourself and how the company would benefit from your experience, not the other way around.

Back in the saddle!

Hello all!

I'm back after some time off. I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful holiday, and were able to squeeze in some relaxation time for yourselves during the holiday hustle and bustle!

Check back soon for new Career Corner postings!

Perks that You Should Never Ask for at Work!

Careerbuilder recently surveyed almost 3,000 U.S. Managers and asked them what was the most memorable "perk" that they had been asked for on the job by employees. These answers are a sampling of the findings:


• Install a tanning bed in the break room.

• Put beer in the vending machine.

• Allow jail time to be covered under family medical leave policy.

• Put in a special smoking area for medical marijuana.

• Permit employee to work only during daylight hours because of fear of the dark.

• Give employee more time off to pursue side business as a clown.

• Let employee replace his desk with a futon so he can work lying down.

• Hold the next team meeting in Hawaii.

• Require the HR manager to wear nicer shoes.

Share Your Holiday Party Stories

"Unbelievable. I do the nicest things anyone has ever done for these people and they freak out. I wanted this party to be fun. I wanted people making out in closets. I wanted lampshades on heads."

-- Michael Scott, from NBC's "The Office"


As anyone who watches "The Office" knows, Michael Scott pretty much breaks every HR rule imaginable. So it was no surprise that Michael have said how he wanted the holiday party to get out of control.

Now that most workplace holiday parties have happened (if yours wasn't canceled), what did your bosses plan this year? Did you have your party, same as last year, or did your company cut back on costs?

Worst Office Phrases: It's time to retire some of these sayings

CNN had an article today about the 10 Worst Phrases to Use at the Office.

So let me pick your brain: what is your least favorite office catch-phrase?

Facebook: Can't live with it, can't live without it

As you may already know, Facebook recently updated its privacy settings. Gone are the days when you could only be searchable to your friends and seemingly here to stay is the new era of “information sharing.”

For smart job seekers, a click of a mouse was all they had to do to protect their information from being seen by potential employers. Now, with the new public profile, employers can see comments that you’ve left on friends with public profile’s walls, see your profile pictures and see the pages that you are “fans” of.

Now more than ever, job seekers need to be careful of what they are posting on social networks. Be aware of what could come back to haunt you in an interview or hiring process, and remember: “when it doubt, leave it out!”

QPS Releases First Quarter Employment Forecasting Survey

QPS recently surveyed over 300 companies in Wisconsin and Illinois to get their predictions for the upcoming year.

Check out the survey results which were printed in the Business Journal!

"The Jobless, in Their Own Words" from the New York Times

The New York Times' Web site polled job seekers on how unemployment had affected their lives. They invites respondents to post videos of their responses.

Take a look: "The Jobless, in Their Own Words"

Are you thinking about jumping ship?

According to a survey from Spherion, 37% of workers surveyed in November said that they would look for a new job within the next year.

The survey also found that 39% are confident that they will find a new position.  The survey was given to 2,766 employed people in the U.S.

Are you one of those that are looking for a new position? If so, what is the factor behind your decision- more pay, better benefits or something else?

Just how important is chemistry during interviews?

Chemistry: It's not just for romantic partners these days.

According to a survey from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), 54% of HR professionals base their hiring decisions on the chemistry they feel with the job candidate.

The survey also found that 28% of hiring managers make a decision whether or not to hire in the first 5 minutes and 30% decide in 15 minutes.

So what does that mean for job seekers? I would say that first impressions weigh heavily during interviews, so at the very least, show up a few minutes early, dressed like you want the job and having done research on the company that you want to work for. That way, you are prepared to make a good initial impression and the rest is up to chemistry.

Fox's Glee: Do you have a Sue Sylvester in your workplace?

Ok, I admit it.

I am a Gleek.

As a former musical theatre nerd, I am additcted to Fox's new hit show, Glee. As I watched last night's season finale, I couldn't help but want to blog about it today! But, since this is a blog relating to work topics, I wanted to focus on the work relationships between the characters.

Example 1: Emma and Will: 2 co-workers who have crushed on each other all season long and who finally appear to be hooking up. What will this mean for their work relationship and workplace dynamics?

Example 2: Sue: A classic enemy, a co-worker who seems to want to destroy any sort of competition she has. She'll go to any lengths to take down anything that stands in her way, even if it means playing dirty.

Do you have any Emma, Will or Sue-types in your workplace? Have you watched two co-workers fall in love or have you been in a work relationship? Do you know someone who sabotages their co-workers just so they can get ahead?

What's your company's snow policy?

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Brookfield, Wisconsin!

With the first official snowstorm of the season underway, many workers were hoping that they might have a snow day today as the forecasters were predicting blizzard-conditions. Some were lucky and got one, while many more trudged through the snow during the morning commute.

How does your work handle snowy days? Does your company have a formal snow policy?

Bridge to Employment: Temp Worker lands dream job

While I don't normally post on Tuesdays, I just had to share this article with you from CNN.

Allison Riney, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, got over her negative perceptions of the staffing industry and once she got her foot in the door, landed her dream job.

Have you ever used a temporary service before? What was your experience like?

Unemployment decreases in November, Temp services on the rise

New unemployment figures have been released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the report, unemployment dropped from 10.2% in October to 10% in November.

Employment in professional and business services rose by 86,000 in November. The report says that "temporary help services accounted for the majority of the increase, adding 52,000 jobs. Since July, temporary help services employment has risen by 117,000."

To learn more about QPS and the staffing industry, visit http://www.qpsemploymentgroup.com/

Tiger Woods: Is his work image tarnished?

It seems like everywhere you go this week, people are talking about Tiger Woods. His alleged "transgressions" have been an extremely hot topic as the world finds out more and more details about his personal life.

So how will this affect Tiger's golf game? In other words, Tiger's endorsments and his sponsorships make up a considerable portion of his income. Golf is how he earns his living, and companies pay him big bucks to sport their logos while he is working. They still expect him to perform and do his job to the best of his abilities.

All personal problems aside, do you think his work image will be tarnished?

Running on Empty: How long can you live off your savings?

According to a Monster.com poll, most Americans would only be able to live off of their savings for two months if they were to lose their jobs. Over 16,000 people participated in the poll.


The findings:

• 34% only have 1 weeks worth of savings

• 16% have between 2 and 4 weeks of savings

• 16% have 1 to 2 months of savings

• 20% have 6 months worth of savings

Do you have a "plan b?" Has this recession made you re-think your savings plan?

Cyber Monday: Worth the Risk?

According to a news article from CNN, online shopping was up 14% on "Cyber Monday," which is the online retailer's version of "Black Friday."

Have you ever participated in online shopping while on the clock? According to the article, "an average of 4.2 million consumers per minute visited shopping Web sites throughout the day Monday in North America." I'm not a math expert, but that high of a number tells me that employees had to be browsing during work hours.

So if you are one of those cyber shoppers while at work, tell me why. Does your company have an internet policy, and if so, aren't you afraid of what might happen if you get caught?