But, things change. Now life expectancy on a Job before termination is often less than five years, and in some industries less than two years. Company loyalty barely makes the top ten list of most important worker attributes, according to managers, and ranks below beauty in importance. Is loyalty worth considering or developing as a core value anymore?

No, if it is to the Company. Companies (though comprised of thinking/feeling humans) base their decisions on number crunching and projected revenues and costs. A Corporation is Incapable of caring; it's just not in their nature. However, your supervisor IS capable of some human qualities, all evidence to the contrary. Loyalty to your boss may be the best way to ensure your current Job security, and prepare you for either promotion within your company (or a better Job on the outside).

Unfortunately, there are often obstacles along the way. Sometimes your boss is unethical, and asks you to do morally repugnant or even illegal acts. Unless there's a boxful of money involved and no one's going to get hurt, avoid the illegal acts. This kind of loyalty only works in Mafia dominated Industries. What if your boss asks you to lie to customers? This is a fairly common request, and comes about for a variety of reasons - marketing deadlines were missed, creditors need to be postponed, or the work simply isn't done and telling a paying customer the truth may lead to lost sales.

Your personal sense of Ethics will have to guide you through some of this. It's OK to ask your boss why you are being asked to lie or do something that feels wrong to you. You may even have to run a minor cost/benefit analysis on it, weighing the pros and cons, so to speak. Will your decision affect your current Employment status? Or future chances for advancement in your career? Will your action/inaction harm a colleague in your company? And how would you feel if you were the recipient of this kind of act?

Despite the inherent risks of 'tying your career' to few higher level Supervisors, Loyalty is something people don't forget quickly. Many wildly successful entrepreneurs owe a good deal of their fortune to believing 'my word is my bond', and then living up to it. Trust is not easily given in competitive environments, and once lost is virtually irretrievable. If you act in a way that brings success and laurels to your boss, you have a great chance of getting on 'the inside' for contacts, information, meetings, and membership in the 'good old boys network' - and that is worth something.

In Law, perjury is the coin of the realm. In Business, it's trust.

-Mark Poppen

Go0d Job Gone Bad

February 25, 1999

Typically we start out our new Job with excitement and some apprehension. Will I be able to perform my duties at an acceptable level? Will I be able to get along with my fellow workers? Will my immediate supervisor recognize and reward me when I perform well, and encourage/help me when I need some assistance?

After the first nervous month on the Job, we settle into the corporate culture and daily routine. Lunch becomes the highlight of the day, and the actual day to day activities seem more like busywork than exciting new projects. You have moved beyond being comfortable in your Job, you are now, in a word, bored.

Welcome to the wonderful world of work! What do you do now? Well, for those who like to drink, I suggest the local watering hole. Taverns are a great place to play pool, darts, and generally have a fun time meeting new people. While bars may not be the Best place to increase your Networking circle, they are not the worst, either. Oddly enough, most career counselors advise against this course of action! They recommend treating yourself to more sleep, a good book or movie, a luxurious bubble bath, a massage, etc. I can attest that these are all good things as well.

Almost as good as these activities, re-evaluate your Job title, duties, and possibilities for advancement. Doing your Job extremely well may garner enough notice to get a promotion to a position that rekindles your interest (though occasionally it will cement you to your current Job, as you are 'indispensable'). Dress and act like the professional you want to be seen as. Believe it or not, your supervisors may more easily assess appearance and demeanor than the quantity and quality of your work. Take some of the work off of your supervisor's plate - if you make them look good they are more likely to pull you up with them when they are promoted, or at least recommend you highly.

Examine your expectations for yourself, colleagues, supervisors, and the company. Have they changed significantly since your first day on the Job? Were they realistic to begin with, given what you now know about the industry and your company? Often readjusting one's expectations is the key to happiness. "You can have everything you want, if you simply want nothing." Bring your wants closer in line with your needs.

Seek feedback at work, and keep in mind that the criticisms can be more useful than the praise. Ask for, and initiate, regular review periods every first of the month (or quarter). Treating your Job as a profession, rather than merely as a means to get your next paycheck, will set you apart from your peers. And it just might earn you some respect on the Job, as well as give you a sense of pride in what you're doing.

If not, then it will serve you well as you seek your next professional association with a new Employer.

-Mark Poppen

Be A Pest

February 24, 1999

A reader wrote last week wanting to know why she hadn't received any responses to her numerous resume postings. "I'm on all the major Job Boards!" she asked, "And I haven't seen a single response. What's going on?"

The answer is fairly simple, and also somewhat depressing. Your posted resume is not alone out there. And there are millions of online resumes chasing after a much smaller number of Jobs and Employers who have them. A few examples: One site with 85,000 resumes posted on it saw only 850 Employers, another with 40,000 resumes only had 400 Employers visit it. Two other sites had similarly dismal stats: 60,000 resumes for 1300 Employers, and 30,000 resumes for just 15 Employers.

Hiring Managers love the potential represented by searchable resume databases, they'll be able to screen you out of the Job you need with lightening speed. Richard Bolles (What Color Is Your Parachute) estimates that one Job offer is given and accepted for every 1500 resumes circulating, whether in paper or electronic form. Those are pretty tough odds. Bolles figures that over half of all Jobhunters that use resumes (email or snail-mail) as their primary method to acquire a new Job not only fail in their mission, but get so discouraged that they give up the search within the first two months.

-Mark Poppen

Sales Semantics

February 23, 1999

What's the difference between Advertising, Marketing, Sales, and Lying?

The number of syllables. (At least that's how the old joke goes). Salesmanship is an art form that requires an interesting blend of charisma, insensitivity, ability to perceive underlying motives, and downright arrogance. The same abilities that might make you a wonderful salesman for one company might also hinder your chances for success as a team player for another company.

Marketing is not altogether different, though there is an aura of objectivity that gives it the feeling of a scientific endeavor. Modeling, statistical analysis, and regression theory all sound more like mathematics than sales puffery. But the purpose is one in the same, to sell the specific product to a target market. And all of us are in sales, if to no other end than to sell our own services (or products).

After long, hard, and frustrating months on the Job search, it can be real tempting to 'trick' your way into the office of your target Employer or Hiring Manager. Some Job candidates do it by turning what were supposed to only be 'informational interviews' into 'please hire me' sessions (which Employers universally despise). Other Jobhunters pass themselves off as someone (or something) that they are not, in terms of contacts or qualities. The problem, of course, is that beginning your relationship with a prospective Employer by Lying to them is often the end of that short-lived affair.

While career counselors generally regard deceit as ill advised, there may be more room for the imagination when it comes to Sales and Marketing. Bluffing your way past the outer shell of a company's defenses does show initiative, and getting your foot in the door is a tried and true method of professional salespeople. You may hate the dinner time calls from telemarketers, but they are only hired to do it because it works often enough to justify the expense. Depending on the situation, Job, Company (and your desperation), a little dose of arrogance may be sufficient to get you noticed as someone who 'gets the Job done'.

If Sales comes naturally to you, investigate some of the sites devoted to the 'not quite dismal' sciences. NationJob's Sales Page has Jobs from over 1,000 Employers. Marketing Classifieds lists employment opportunities from professional marketing, sales, and advertising firms. Advertising Age has its classified ads online, and The American Marketing Association has a searchable database, along with placement and referral services for a fee.

-Mark Poppen

(Don't) Just Do It

February 22, 1999

Unemployment is at record lows. The Job market looks good, and the economy keeps humming along. And you have come to the realization that you really don't like your Job, your Boss, or your coworkers. Is now the time to jump ship?

Probably not, according to most career counselors (though I suspect you might get a different answer if you talked to your average recruiter). One of the best ways to find a Job is to use your current contacts at the Job you still hold. Networking with colleagues from within your firm and from other industry leading companies is still one of the largest sources of Job leads, and gives you a personal intro to the Employer or Hiring Manager at the other firm.

If you worked at a company for any length of time, you have a network whether you realize it or not. Just being on a first name basis with people is sufficient to ask them if they know of any available Jobs in your field. If they don't, ask if they know of someone else who might be a good contact. In any case, thank them and offer to do the same courtesy for them when they're looking.

As usual, having a plan now while you're working will make the transition a hell of a lot smoother. Look at the Job prospects in your field, and see what these Jobs are paying. Are your skills in demand at the moment? You may need to re-label your abilities to get noticed, and staying on top of the current Job market will lead you in the right direction. Talk to Employees at the companies you have targeted as your next work haven - things may not be as dreamy as they appear.

Investigate websites where resumes are posted for recruiters, and select a resume database. Do a keyword search a number of Job titles similar to yours, and read the resulting resumes. How does your resume stack up to them? If necessary, cut and paste some of the skills, abilities, and Job titles that are appropriate into your resume. Create five different resumes that reflect your changeable resume, your goal is to avoid the primary 'screenout' that is automatically done to you and your resume.

Some web sites that have searchable databases: America's Job Bank, Career Path, Career Mosaic, Internet Career Connection, Monster.com, E-Span, Career Magazine Database, Career City, NationJob Network, Headhunter.net.