The Monster Blog

January Is 'Be Nice to a Recruiter Month'

So I was on one of those blogs I tend to frequent -- Technical Careers @ Microsoft. I don't consider my career to be technical, really. Sure, I use computers, but I don't have too much knowledge about them or their programs' inner workings. But this blog is about careers, and I love their picture of a kitty in a Corona box. It's just like the picture on my desk of my cat in a Cider Jack box.

The other day, just to the right of the kitty picture, there was a declaration of how January should be Be Nice to a Recruiter month. That sounds good to me, and it should sound good to you, too.

If a recruiter ever calls you, whether it's because he saw your resume or someone referred you, why wouldn't you be polite? Even if you have no interest in the job he's calling about, someday this recruiter might have a position that would be right for you. So do your best to be helpful and leave a good impression.

Although Jason at Recruiting.com doesn't totally agree. Saying that people who normally wouldn't be nice deciding to be nice "would probably confuse the issue" rather than help.

In the spirit of the month, check out these articles about working with recruiters:

• "What You Need to Know About Recruiters"
• "Know Thy Recruiter"
• "How to Work with Finance Recruiters"

Real vs. Fake -- For the Holidays and at Work

There’s been a lot of talk this year about a decline in the sales of real trees. That’s bad news for those who sell real trees, as well as real-tree enthusiasts. They point to that great balsam smell you can’t get with an artificial tree and the family experience of picking out that perfect tree as pluses and decry those who put up fake trees as sellouts.

I’ve always had an artificial tree. Part of it is for practical reasons. I love Christmas, and I want to enjoy the holidays as long as I can. A real tree can’t go up early. I also have a terrific artificial tree that is incredibly lifelike, so I don’t miss the real thing (except for the smell). But I do understand the love of the real tree. My parents-in-law get a real one each year, and I enjoy it when I visit.

Since I work for Monster, the whole debate got me thinking about fake versus real in the office. Honesty is a point of pride with me. But while honesty is usually the best policy, there are notable exceptions. Being friendly with coworkers can make the day go by quicker and even improve your productivity, but some things should be kept on the down low while you’re at work. Having a mental illness, family crisis or another situation on your hands is not necessarily something you should share with everyone you work with. This may call for a bit of being fake to make things look better than they are, kind of like those artificial trees. But in the end, some things should be kept under your hat.

Happy holidays, everyone.

The Workplace Workout

With the holidays here -- and all the good food that goes with them -- like a lot of people, I’m worried about the Thanksgiving-to-New Year’s weight gain I’ve experienced in the past. A busy life (and a dislike of gyms, despite many memberships) makes it hard to exercise. And as mentioned, I do like those sweets. I’ve also kicked off the holiday baking season at my house.

I realistically know I won’t lose any weight this time of year, but my goal is to be at the same weight on New Year’s Day that I am now. Since I spend most of my time at work, I’ve decided to make the office part of my weight maintenance solution. The Monster offices have been compared to an airplane hanger, so I use this to my advantage. I already use the time-honored Weight Watchers trick of parking far away, but I expand the theory to using the ladies’ room furthest out from my cube. I skip the elevator and take the stairs up and down when possible, and since we’re on the fifth floor of an old mill building, it’s quite a workout. And instead of losing my parking space when going out at lunchtime, I’ve been exploring Maynard’s cute little shops and getting some unique Christmas gifts to boot. Walking in the New England cold invigorates me, although I do sound like a drunk with slurred speech when I come in.

This article provides more tips on keeping your body healthy during the workday. Enjoy the holidays, but remember -- it will be nice to fit into all those new clothes you’ll get as gifts.

A Cup of Tea Is Not Always Enough

We all have our ways of relaxing after work. Some of us veg in front of the TV. Others go work out. Still more recount their day to blow off steam. My favorite way to relax is with a cup of Tension Tamer tea from Celestial Seasonings, a good book and some well-deserved quiet.

But sometimes my work comes home with me in a way that steaming water and stimulating reading material can’t combat. I’m trying to adopt more of my husband’s stance on our precious hours together. His answer to “how was your day” is almost always “fine.” He says, “I lived through it once. Why recount it?”

But a quiet atmosphere can sometimes promote stewing. So this article was a welcome addition to my reading this week. Its basic point is that your relaxation routine shouldn’t start at 5 p.m. -- it needs to be built into your workday. I think I’ll try some of its suggestions. But I won’t be giving up my Tension Tamer. It’s just too darn good.

I Prefer the Office

I read an interesting article this week about someone who left the 9-to-5 routine to work for herself as a freelance writer, mostly because she hated working in an office. I immediately zapped it off to a blog-writing friend who had recently gone down the same path. He’s doing well and enjoying himself, and feels it was the right decision after several years of working at a daily newspaper.

Hearing these stories made me think about my own work-from-home gig a few years ago. There are many pros and cons to such a situation. I hated it. Let me tell you why.

For one thing, like every job I’ve ever had, this one was very deadline-intensive. I tend to put in superhuman effort to meet deadlines and do it well, so thinking about what was due would wake me up at 2 a.m. -- with my office down the end of the hall and all. At times when I was really against a tight deadline, I’d even get up and work. And that’s not all. My husband would often call me for dinner (I’m lucky enough to have one who cooks) to find me working away into the night. And I frequently wouldn’t take lunch until 4 p.m., because without the often-welcome distraction of the office klatch, I’d become so wrapped up in my work that I’d honestly forget to eat. Breaks are important during the day, but without someone bugging you to take one, how many of us would?

I had to quit for my own sanity. It was all a job’s bad points without the things that make work life bearable. I need people around me while I work. I’ve got to physically leave my home and go somewhere different to create the psychological barrier between work and my personal life. While the article that started this walk down memory lane makes many good points about the drawbacks of working in an office, I still prefer it to the burnout and feelings of work/life imbalance I felt working at home. Every now and again, if the New England winter makes it a slippery slope to try to come in or I need a car repair, I will work at home, but I wouldn’t want to make it a habit.

Shop for Christmas Now

I come from a long line of list-makers, people who plan ahead -- and when it comes to Christmas, their theory is that it’s never too early to start shopping. My mom usually has her shopping done by November 1. I used to think she was nuts. Then I realized by adopting her strategy, I enjoy the holidays, my favorite time of year, so much more. And it saves me from the two things I hate the most: crowds and waiting in line. The weekend starts tomorrow, and my husband and I have our shopping list and budget in hand.

Of course, the retailers are ready, too, and they just love people like me. We stopped in a major big-box discounter the other night to find a Mrs. Claus animated figure singing Christmas carols, lights everywhere and Christmas trees as far as the eye can see. I thought my husband was lampooning the retailers’ attitudes by dressing as a Christmas tree for Halloween a few years ago, but turns out putting together such a getup was all he could find last-minute -- the store had already broken down all the costumes the week before Halloween. Some people in my neighborhood are in the holiday spirit early as well. I’ve seen more than one house with those creepy animatronic feeding does on the lawn or lights in their bushes.

What does all this mean for jobs? As much as some people complain that it’s too early, the wise company plans ahead, and the wise job seeker takes advantage of the opportunities that come from this. For example, UPS is hiring extra workers to deal with the upcoming mail onslaught. In retail, you can become one of the millions who turn a temporary gig into the green to buy presents or even a full-time job. So while some see the holidays as a big pain, with a little planning ahead, you can make the most of this time of year.

Like, You Know…Stop It

Like almost every other red-blooded American female born during Generation X, my language often is littered with verbal placeholders such as “like” and “do you know what I mean?” I even (shudder) end statements in an up inflection sometimes as if I’m asking a question. I know these are the speech habits that make me look unprofessional, unsure of myself and indecisive. But they seem to be part of my speech pattern.

This article made me realize just what the ramifications of such bad speech practices can be in the office and prompted me to try to fill in those verbal potholes through breaking some bad habits. As I move from my late 20s into my early 30s, I want to appear more like a grownup with significant work experience than a college graduate who’s still feeling her way through the corporate world. And as we all know, appearance matters. The impression you give off, whether verbal or nonverbal, can land -- or cost -- you a job. So I'm trying to hear myself more -- and be more decisive -- when I speak. I've found this is giving me more confidence, which in turn is helping me break these bad habits. You know, I hope it works.

Getting Ready for Vacation

I’ve always been boggled by the time investment that goes into taking a vacation from work. In a perfect world, workers would just leave at the end of the day, go on vacation and then come back with everything as it should be. If only it were that easy. It’s important to always put a plan in place before you leave the office. Luckily, I work with a group of great people, all who are willing to pitch in for a colleague who’s going to be away.  And no one takes advantage of the situation. We do all we can before we go so as not to overburden anyone else. A couple must-dos:

• Always let people know before you put them in your out-of-office email.
• Work a little bit ahead so you won’t be swamped with your regular work upon returning.
• Clean your desk just before leaving -– it’s so nice to be greeted by organization as you get back into the swing of things.

For more advice on what to do before, during and after a vacation, check out this article.  

Enjoying the Foliage

There’s two ways to come into Monster from where I live. One is a scenic, meandering tree-lined route, where New England’s spectacular foliage is on full display among the farm stands, white-steeple churches and vintage colonials. The other is all highway, five miles longer but a bit shorter time-wise.

For my first weeks here, I’ve taken the highway to save time, complete with the speeding, tailgating and aggressive driving that also are hallmarks of New England. The other day I decided to take the scenic route for a change. I’ve mentioned its perks, but a major drawback is that it’s a truck route -- and school buses stop at practically every house along it in the morning. I grew up in a small city north of Boston, so I’m not used to the school bus phenomenon -- the city is less than five square miles, so everyone walks to school or their parents drive them. When I see those flashing lights and the red stop sign groaning away from the side of the bus, I tend to groan myself.

The other day I had to stop for some kids taking their time getting off the bus. My first reaction was to white-knuckle the steering wheel out of frustration. I looked away from the road at the foliage, really looked at it, and got lost in the fiery reds and golds. I was completely in awe of the beauty around me and realized I had been speeding past it every day in a huge hurry. I almost was sorry when traffic started to move.

I began thinking about all the other things many of us probably just rush right past to get to what we feel are the essentials, especially at work. How many of us have spent days, even weeks, with our heads down, concentrating on getting our work done and not seeing the forest for the trees? Who among us don’t take that important class, shake that hand or keep up with what’s going on in the world? I know we’re all guilty of this sometimes, so this article provides some tips on keeping your eye on the ball -- and the whole ballpark.

Meeting Your Coworkers

I’ve worked at companies where almost daily meetings are part of the culture; long stretches of sitting, listening, talking and interacting, and then scrambling to get your work done afterward. At my last place, we almost never met -- and when we did, everything and anything landed on the agenda (and the meeting lasted hours), because people weren’t getting enough face time with each other and management. I’ve got to think there’s a happy medium between these two extremes.

In the short time I’ve been at Monster, I’ve seen that the company loves meetings (and the food that goes with them, which I’m trying valiantly to avoid). Some of it is related to being new, to be sure, but a lot of it is devoted to touching base, fleshing out ideas, deciding how to implement the good ones and checking on how things are progressing. So far, I’ve found my time at the table to be valuable in meeting people and learning how things work. But ask me again in six months.

Getting the most out of meetings with so many different personalities and viewpoints at one table can be a challenge. I’m still figuring out who the talkers and the listeners are, who comes to the table with the pie-in-the-sky ideas, who says “we can’t do that,” and who steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for implementing the great ideas. Next time you sit in a meeting, check out all the different viewpoints and personalities the conference room brings together for a common goal. Figure out how you can glean the most from the gathering, ask great questions, and try to return to your desk energized by the interaction and ideas the group threw around.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to a meeting.