Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Can you say no to your boss?

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Screen Shot 2014-07-03 at 10.38.49 PMAre you the “yes man or woman” at work? Whenever your boss or a colleague needs anything, your name is at the tip of his or her tongue? If you are the go-to person at work when someone needs a “yes,” congratulations! You’ve likely secured your place in the office. Who wants to lay off the person who can never say no? On the other hand, it’s likely you put yourself (and probably non-work relationships) at risk in favor of doing whatever is necessary for your career. That could be a big mistake.

How can you find a balance between maintaining your indispensable status at work and your sanity? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and if you work in a place where you’re only as good as the last thing you’ve done, not all of this advice may work for you. However, in many cases, once you’ve created a reputation for being helpful and agreeable, carefully choosing times to say “no” may not hurt your work reputation, and may actually earn you additional respect.

How can you say no without risking it all at work?

Choose the situation carefully.

If everyone is stressed to the hilt, you’re up for a promotion and the boss comes to you with a desperate request for help, it’s probably not the time to decide you’re going to change your reputation as the “can-do” person in the office. On the other hand, if things are a bit more stable, and it seems like there are plenty of people who could help out, you should have more leeway to indicate if your plate is already full. See the following suggestions for ideas to say no instead of yes.

Learn to say no, without saying no.

Perhaps your boss forgot about all of the other crucial work you are doing. Instead of saying, “No, I cannot take on one more project,” say, “I can see how important this project is. Can we sit down for a few minutes so you can help me prioritize my work? I want to be sure to focus on the most important things.”

In this meeting, make sure you don’t forget to include any key projects (or even day-to-day work) you’re managing. If you can make a solid case indicating that you really don’t have time to handle another thing, it’s possible you can say “no” without actually uttering those words.

Suggest an alternate solution.

Perhaps you are too busy to take on the work by yourself, but you can handle one part of the project. If you have a specialty area (for example, you’re the best at analyzing data), suggest that you could manage that piece of the project in partnership with someone who specializes in the research piece.

No doubt, this is a tricky conversation, as you are trying to deflect pieces of a project away from you. However, if you maintain an enthusiastic, “can do” approach and communicate in a way that will resonate with your boss, it’s possible you can trick him or her into thinking you’re still saying “yes,” even though you are really saying “no.”

Put your foot down, but have a really good reason.

What qualifies as a “good reason” will vary from office to office. Condolences to you if you work in a place where there are no good reasons – perhaps you are in the wrong job and it is time to look for a new job that values your time outside of work.

If you already have planned time off to attend a family wedding or your child’s graduation, and this new project will interfere with that, you may choose to tell your boss you cannot help. Ideally, you won’t lead the conversation with the word “no.” Instead, choose your words carefully, remind your supervisor that you always like to say yes, but the circumstances this time mean you’d like to help by coming up with another solution.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

How to get a job when you work the night shift

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Night ShiftDo you work two jobs or odd hours? Are you a freelancer, but you’d prefer a more traditional job? Perhaps you’re sick and tired of your unconventional schedule and hours, but you can’t figure out how to break out of your current work situation.

You’ve heard that networking is the key to landing a new job, but you don’t have any time to attend events or hob nob with people who may be able to influence your job opportunities. Is there hope for you?

There is, if you’re willing to take a few key steps to manage your career. If you continue on your current path, you may eventually luck into a new opportunity. However, finding a new job that fits your best-case scenario isn’t likely if you don’t make a concerted effort.

How can you find a new job when you’re so busy keeping up with the odd hours or inconvenient oddities of the job you have?

Make a plan

You’re never going to get anywhere if you don’t know where you are going. Having a general idea that you’d like “better hours” or a “different” job is a first step, but it’s not specific enough to help you make a change. Write down exactly what type of job you want. Include target companies, hours you’d like to work and what you want to do. Don’t be afraid to be very specific. Once you specify your goals, it is much easier to reach them.

Research people

Even if you work odd hours, you can turn to Google or LinkedIn at any time of the day or night to research people who work in places where you want a job. If you’re already using LinkedIn, see if the company has a page there and determine if you have any contacts that connect you to people who work there. Look in LinkedIn’s advanced search to find possible contacts, and investigate the “Education” section to see if you should connect with fellow alumni. Don’t forget to check out Groups. This is a great place to meet new people, and your odd schedule doesn’t prevent you from connecting with new people who may be able to refer you to job opportunities.

Expand your network on your own time frame

One thing a lot of people don’t realize: even if you can’t meet people in person, when you connect online and share information and resources, you can win friends who may open their networks to you and help connect you with opportunities. No matter what type of work you do, there is likely to be a community online of people who can help you along the way.

For some professions, it’s most obvious to turn to LinkedIn’s groups to connect, but what if your profession doesn’t have an obvious professional arena? Look for interest groups unrelated to work. Do you have a hobby or interests that could help you connect with people you don’t know online? Search Facebook or Google+ for an interest group. Maybe you like to cook or are passionate about ultimate Frisbee. Even if you can’t participate with in-person groups, you can still extend your network. Look on Twitter to see if there is a chat about something you like to do. Even if you can’t attend a Twitter chat “live,” you can still connect with the people who participate and get to know them online.

Network everywhere

The best networkers look for opportunities to meet new people wherever they go. In the grocery store at 2 a.m? You probably have something in common with the person in the line behind you. At the gym in the wee hours of the morning? Say hello to people working out beside you. You never know how a smile and a hello can influence your future.

Don’t ask for a job

Even if your primary purpose for using social media may be to increase your network for job opportunities, avoid telling people you’re looking for a job when you first meet them. Even though you’ve heard you should let everyone you meet know you are looking for work, it’s better to get to know people first and share your professional goals later. If you play your cards right, you could be quitting that job before you know it.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

 

How to work with a clueless co-worker

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cluelessDo you work with someone you could only generously refer to as “dumb as a post?” Do you have a clueless co-worker? You have no idea how this person finagled a job in your department or company, but it’s clear focusing on the task at hand is not his or her strong suit? There are a lot of difficult personality types in the office, but it’s possible the colleague who just doesn’t seem to ever “get it” can be one of the most challenging to manage – especially if patience is not one of your virtues.

Take these tips into consideration if this hits home for you.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

Maybe you’ve already decided your co-worker is clueless, but try to stop and think about what may be confusing him or her. If the job is new or the job description recently changed, it is possible your colleague is experiencing overwhelm and maybe isn’t as dumb as you think! Instead of getting angry or annoyed, take a deep breath and try, try again to explain things, or co-opt another colleague to take a shot at helping make things clear.

Is it you? 

Maybe you don’t realize how intimidating you are at work. Do you have a tone of voice that makes it clear you think the other person is clueless when alerted to a mistake? Do you raise an eyebrow a little too quickly or let out an exasperated sigh? If so, you could be contributing to the problem. Try to take a long look at how you are handling the co-worker and make a change.

Extend yourself. 

Perhaps a little special attention from you can make a difference in helping get things on track. Don’t underestimate the power of spending a little extra time explaining things and offering support and help. Some people would rather make mistakes than ask a question. If you offer to respond to inquiries – even though you’ve already explained things – you could save yourself a lot of grief later.

Seek assistance. 

Depending on your company, there may be external resources available to help manage a problem employee. In some cases, he or she may be offered formal training. In other cases, it will be up to you (or a supervisor) to carefully document problems in order to counsel him or her into a more appropriate position elsewhere.

Problem solve.

If the problem isn’t a matter of a new employee, and it’s clear you’re stuck working with someone who is more likely to cause a problem than to solve one, do what you can to circle the wagons and avoid handing important projects to the sub-standard colleague. It may mean more work for you and others in your team, but if you can avoid cleaning up problems later, it could be worth it. (Consider trying for a promotion yourself while you are at it.)

Be a friend.

If nothing else works, and it looks like your clueless colleague is there to stay, consider how you can help him or her find a different job. Share information about networking events and talk up the value of social networking to move ahead, career-wise. While you won’t want to give a strong work recommendation to someone who clearly can’t perform, maybe you can mentor the person into a role more appropriate – and out of your department.

Originally appeared on AolJobs.com.

 

How to get a job at a company you left

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door knockerParting may have been sweet sorrow, but you now notice there’s a new job at your old company, and you want to apply. What should you keep in mind to give yourself the best chance to avoid job seeker mistakes to recapture a spot at the organization you left? [Read more…] about How to get a job at a company you left

Does your organization appreciate you?

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career expert, social media expertPerhaps you are underappreciated and seeking a new job – hopefully, with a company that will be an improvement in the appreciation department. Sometimes, when you’re so focused on getting a job – just any job – it’s easy to forget that you should do a little research on your own to decide if you even want to work for the organization. [Read more…] about Does your organization appreciate you?