The Monster Blog

Are You in Love with Your Job?

In this lead-up to Valentine’s Day, thoughts turn to hearts, candy, flowers and romance. You love your significant other. You love your kids. You love your parents. But do you love your job?

According to a Harris Interactive survey from last February, 9 percent of respondents would marry their job if it were a living person, while 34 percent would date it seriously. Forty-three percent are playing the field, reporting they’d date their job casually. On the flip side, 9 percent said they didn’t like their jobs, and 5 percent wanted to break up immediately. Ouch.

What about you? Are you in love with your job or composing a Dear John letter right now? If you’re looking to leave, this advice will help you make the break. And if you aren’t quite sure about this relationship’s prospects but want to work it out, check out these articles to boost your happiness at work:

·         “Ten Tips for Staying Happy at Work”

·         “Ignite Your Career by Changing Your Circumstances”

·         “Improve Your Cube Life”

·         “Ten Signs You Should Keep Your Job”

Sabotage at Work: How to Fight Back

When I started at one of my old jobs, I was introduced around. A coworker in a remote location gave me what cops call a hinky feeling, but I figured we’d get to know one another and everything would be fine.

I should have gone with my first instinct. This person literally had it out for me from day one. And then, through some decisions by management, I wound up with her job, and all hell broke loose. She took it out on me by constantly trying to make me look bad. Even worse: She alternated her sabotage attempts with trying to become friends with me.

I decided I wasn’t going to get sucked into the pettiness and stayed away from her, killing her with kindness when I had to deal with her. She wound up getting laid off -- and since everyone knew what she was up to, her behavior meant she was not eligible for rehire.

Sometimes, as they say on “Survivor,” it’s best to outwit, outplay and outlast. But what if your saboteur works directly with you, or worse, is your boss? According to this Wall Street Journal article, workplace sabotage is on the rise in this difficult economy. And it’s a tough situation. If you don’t deal with it, a potential saboteur can hurt your career. Deal with it the wrong way, and you could look like a whiner or worse. The article’s advice:  

• Don’t confront the person directly, but go to your boss about it.
   

• Have someone talk to your supervisor if the boss is the problem. If it’s your boss, though, realize it may come down to one of you leaving the company.  
   

• Document, document, document, so people know whose ideas those really are.

Have you ever worked with a potential saboteur? Tell us how you dealt with this person in the comments below. And check out these resources for more advice on this sticky situation: 

• “Handle a Sabotaging Coworker”
   

• “Win at Office Politics Without Selling Your Soul”
   

• “Workplace Bullying: What Can You Do?”
   

• From the Monster Blog: “What About Toxic Coworkers?”

Recession-Proof Jobs

On the radio the other day, I heard an interview with an unemployment office claim processor, who said she could barely keep up with the number of people filing claims. My first thought in these troubled times: That’s job security.

So I started thinking about jobs that are relatively safe in a recession. Some of the few I immediately thought of were obvious ones like working in a funeral home (death happens, whatever the economy), as well as healthcare and education (people need medical treatment and schooling, no matter what). But according to Peter Schiff, author of The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets, you can add these jobs to the list:

• Engineering

• Construction

• Agriculture

• Merchant marine

• Commercial fishing

• Energy

• Computers and high technology

• Entertainment

• Automotive repair, small appliance repair, etc.

• Tailoring and textiles

So are any of these jobs appealing to you? Check out the Monster job search to see what opportunities are available. And if you’re looking for work, this advice will help you job search during a recession. Finally, here’s a look at the general hiring outlook for 2009/.

In This Economy, Should You Look for a Job If You Have One?

Looking for a job when you have a job is tough. Just ask now-former Boston College head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired for interviewing for the vacant job coaching the New York Jets after BC told him not to. “Jags,” as he is known, was well-liked, and firing him may seem harsh for simply going on an interview somewhere else. But BC warned him, and he went on the interview anyway, which, it could be argued, showed he wasn’t committed to BC.

Many job seekers can identify with Jags’ plight. It may seem reckless to interview somewhere else when you may feel lucky to have a job in the first place in this age of layoffs. But I would argue that if a better opportunity comes along, you should go after it no matter what the state of the economy. After all, Jags is considered a dark horse for the Jets job, but he just might get it.

If you do decide to go for it, at Monster, we can help. Look for a job here, or if you’re looking for ways to keep your current job safe while looking for another, check out these resources:

• “Interviewing on the Sly”
  
• “Keep Your Job Search Secret with These Tips”
  
• “Networking Confidential”