Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited
Return to career-consulting-limited.com
People |
|
|
 |
Surviving Office Politics
It's your first month in a new position and it's rougher going than you'd anticipated. You feel like an outsider and you're miserable. Pondering how this happened, you nostalgically recall how comfortable and well-liked you felt in your last job. Not only do you possess the requisite skills to do well in your new position, you've also built a solid reputation in this field. Yet, you are floundering. Badly. It's not the actual work that is driving you crazy; you like the work. Even the long hours are not the problem. It's the emotional undercurrents, gossiping and backstabbing thickening the air that you find exhausting. You can't seem to find your feet and get traction in your new environment. And people have started to notice and are making comments. What the heck is going on here? Welcome to the world of office politics. Here are tips to help you survive and thrive: ? Find a mentor - either inside or outside the company. A mentor can offer advice, counsel and act as a sounding board. Getting objective, professional support is crucial. ? Take notice of who performs well in your company. Observe their use of language, tone of voice, confidence level, and preparedness. Learn from their behavior and emulate it. ? Don't complain, gossip or join in backstabbing conversations. Kvetching will get you nowhere. ? Learn to read the company's culture. How do people dress and speak? What is the company's mission statement? How is it reflected in the workplace and in the treatment of employees? For example, if you work for an environmentally-friendly company, don't brag about your SUV. ? Form Strategic Alliances. Make yourself valuable to those with power, knowledge or tenure. Go out of your way to offer assistance. When you need help, you'll have established a network of supporters. ? Think before you speak or act. One impulsive, off the cuff statement or act can significantly damage your career. Silence is golden, especially when you are angry, tired or at a company-sponsored social event. ? Proof your e-mails for typos and politically incorrect language. Every message you send is being judged. Make sure you don't "bury the lead" in your e-mails. Get to the point quickly and end with a call to action. ? Request second-party endorsements. If you've performed well in an assignment or project, asking the manager whom you've helped to pass along words of praise to your boss is a smart thing to do. If they are willing to put it in writing, better yet. ? Hone your sense of humor. This can be your ace in the hole! It will get you through trying times and people will seek out your company. Learning to effectively survive office politics is a skill that you perfect with trial and error. Anytime there are more than 2 people working together, you can experience tension and conflicting desires. You'll need a tool kit of survival techniques. Start practicing now! Dale Kurow, M.S., is an author and a career and executive coach in NYC. Dale works with clients across the U.S. and internationally, helping them to become better managers, figure out their next career moves and thrive despite office politics. Visit Dale's web site at http://www.dalekurow.com/newsletter to sign-up for her free monthly ezine "Career Essentials," chocked full of useful career tips and strategies you can use immediately.
MORE RESOURCES: Report: community college students need more career guidance Inside Higher Ed Will Artificial Intelligence Steal My Job? | On Careers | U.S. News U.S News & World Report Money The energy transition’s effects on jobs MIT Technology Review Careers - Human Resources Kennesaw State University Workers eager to fill 3,000 Las Vegas jobs to build Brightline Fox 5 Las Vegas Jobs and Training at FDA FDA.gov Careers at TWU | The Office of Human Resources | TWU Texas Woman's University Careers Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Tesla mass layoffs impact Bay Area, with over 2,750 jobs lost San Francisco Chronicle Careers Micron Careers at FEMA FEMA Careers | Job Opportunities MaineHealth Careers at Bucknell Bucknell University Industry sells workers on ag jobs The Western Producer Job Search Results - Careers at UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group Career Paths FEMA My career race is in the home stretch, here's what I know Financial Times Green careers report: Understanding green jobs and their increasing demand The Economic Times Veterans and transitioning military | VA Careers VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Data indicates a strong job market but some employment seekers — even those with a Ph.D. — say they struggle Yahoo Finance What Researchers Discovered When They Sent 80000 Fake Résumés to U.S. Jobs The New York Times Careers Smith College Grécourt Gate Careers Opportunities: Join our Team National MS Society Careers at NATO NATO HQ Apply for a Job The City of Vancouver, WA Despite lagging performance, California expected to avoid recession Los Angeles Times Join our team FHI 360 Careers at USI University of Southern Indiana Careers Medline Newsroom Work for Us (U.S National Park Service Careers The Ocean Cleanup Careers at Air Liquide Air Liquide Another month of robust US job growth points to continued economic strength The Associated Press 25 Best Jobs That Pay $100K or More | Careers | U.S. News U.S News & World Report Money Careers | US Forest Service USDA Forest Service Lawsuit claims Sheetz denied employment to class of job applicants because of their race WPXI Pittsburgh Careers Technip Energies Careers Tulsa Health Department Early careers UBS AI Will Transform the Global Economy. Let's Make Sure It Benefits Humanity. International Monetary Fund Careers CPKC Work Here UnitedHealth Group CoinGecko Careers: Careers at CoinGecko CoinGecko Careers with Impact IFC Press Releases Best job site of 2024 TechRadar Education and Development WellSpan Health The Challenges of Retiring from a High-Powered Job HBR.org Daily Opinion | The A.I. Economy Will Make Jobs More Human The New York Times Careers The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Washington County launches housing careers pilot program Metro newsfeed 10 Things to Know About Autism and Employment Verywell Health John Lewis publishes job interview questions to aid preparation Personnel Today Explore and find your profession TotalEnergies.com A mid-life career change is as good as a rest Financial Times Jobs home Mitie Career Services Wake Tech Newsroom Upgraded National Career Service portal to give job market a fillip Business Standard Find a Role Bain & Company Exploring green careers The Star Online Careers at UNHCR UNHCR Jobs Energy.gov Employment Opportunities City of Windsor Careers City of Somerville Employment Opportunities Unity Health Toronto Careers | City of Norfolk, Virginia - Official Website City of Norfolk (.gov) Jobs at Parks Canada Canada.ca Careers & Employment Pinellas County ADM Job Openings Unlocking Nature. Enriching Life. | ADM |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Identity Theft and Your Online Job Search While identity theft is nothing new, the Web has opened up whole new world of opportunity for identity thieves.According to the FBI, identity theft is the top online fraud. Lets Talk About Trust I agree with Brooker T. Washington, "Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him. Searching for Jobs Online Searching for jobs online is easier than ever, but also more confusing than ever. Any Internet user doing a job search online will find that they can choose from hundreds of national employment listing web sites and the numbers can often be staggering. Dressing Tips for Interview Success Dressing appropriately for job interviews is one of those areas that puzzles some people.Should you dress conservatively or wear casual attire?What colors work best?What types of shoes should you wear?As a rule, you should dress conservatively for most job interviews. Any Job is an Honorable Job Seeing your job as an honorable job, adds more meaning and peace to your life. Also, seeing the honor in what you do now, creates an ideal foundation upon which a career change can be built. 7 Tips to Deal With a Bad Performance Review Q. "I wasn't happy with my last performance review. The Top 10 Ways to Achieve Balance in Your Life 1. Define Success for YourselfClarify and write down what success means for you. An RX For Your Résumé Whether you are an accountant, virtual assistant, or a corporate executive, your job skills are constantly refined. A new sales presentation you've organized or the new spreadsheet package you've mastered should be included on your résumé. The Myths of Career Change Chances are you already have many ideas about what it takes to successfully transition into a new career, even if you have never done it before. Some of those ideas might be useful - most probably are not. Overwhelmed and Overworked: The Myth of American Productivity Employment finally seemed back on track during the first few months of 2004. Politicians crowed that "Our tax cuts are working. Job Interviews -- The Real Reasons Why You Need to Follow Up Effective follow-up after a job interview is often a key reason why someone gets a job, even though there are other equally qualified candidates. Many candidates treat follow up as an optional add-on to their job search. Stacking The Deck In Your Favor Many people do not bother to look at their own magnificence and without that view it is not likely that we will recognize the need for strategies to maximize our strengths. When we buy an outfit for a special affair, we automatically try to coordinate each piece so that they enhance one another and amplify our sense of "looking good" from head to toe. What to Do if You are Over 40 and Have Lost Your Job Unexpectedly loosing your job can be a very traumatic and distressing experience at the best of times. If you are over 40 and can't find the job you deserve, you will need great inner strength and self belief to come out on top. 4 Tips for Making Successful Job Offers The interviews are completed, the paperwork is all filled out for Human Resources, and you have decided that this is the right candidate for the job. Now comes the formal job offer. How to Make Your Career Change Easier Despite what your grandmother told you, life is not supposed to be a struggle. The same is true for making a career change. Have Enough Money to Change Careers - Five Key Steps At every talk I give, I ask the audience to tell me the reasons why people don't change careers. The most common answer given each time is "lack of money. How to Change Career Horses in Mid-Stream You'll get wet but the reward just might be a more fulfilling ride!In Survival is Not Enough, author Seth Godin says change is the "new normal." Rather than thinking of work as a series of stable times interrupted by moments of change, Godin says we "must now recognize work as constant change, with only occasional moments of stability. When Your Job Goes Away: Seven Tips Q. "What do I do after a job goes away?"A. Business Dress for Women: Making Impact Buying a suit can be an important investment when you are trying to improve your look for business or career advancement. Wearing a standard off-the rack suit for business or a job interview does not always mean success. What You Cant Ask a Job Candidate is as Important as What You Can Ask As a human resources professional or business owner, you face many challenges during the hiring process, from sorting through stacks of job applicant résumés to making an attractive offer to the one person you believe best matches the specifications of your open position's job description. The whole procedure is more than time-consuming; it can be stressful as well.
|
|
|
| © Career Consulting Limited.com 2011
|