[photo source: google.com images]

What really get’s you all up in the collar? People who don’t return emails? How about when someone cuts you off while you’re in the middle of a sentence? What about “non-team” players who want all of the credit?

Brown-nosers?

Yes Men?

What about managers who don’t give clear directions or bosses who want their coffee mugs filled all day long?

I shared one of my business pet peeves at my blog on work-at-home professionals today. Working in business whether it’s corporate America or in your PJ’s at home, there are all pet peeves that we have that get our dander up. So, maybe there’s not much you can do about it. But you can vent here. Maybe nothing will change. Maybe it will. But, I guarantee you’ll feel better about things, at least a little.

So give it a shot. Tell me, what’s your business pet peeve?

Post from: EveryJoe

Today’s Soap Box: What’s Your Business Pet Peeve?

Well, I’m sorry, but it’s true. I’m sure Dana agrees with me — just ask her. (And we’re not the only ones.) Neither of us coined the term "prostitot" (though we’ve both used it) but I for one sincerely wish I had. No wonder young women are so utterly baffled about what to wear to the office these days. From early childhood their parents are dressing them like little whorelets. Of course they’re confused.

Personally, I think the sexualization of children is playing a big factor in the rise of teen and tween sexual activity, inappropriate relationships between students and teachers (in middle schools, high schools, and colleges), and inappropriate office relationships. I mean, duh. When you’re giving your 12-year-old a glittery baby tee emblazoned with "Boys Are Stupid" or "Your Boyfriend Thinks I’m Hot," you’re not empowering her — you’re teaching her that she’s (a) a billboard and (b) supposed to put people down to feel better about herself. You’re also teaching her that glitter and sex are attractive.

When you put a string bikini on your 8-year-old or a tube top and miniskirt on your toddler, when you teach her to dress provacatively and use her body to get what she wants, you’re training her to be a skank for life — and it is going to her her in the long run.

What do you think?

Don’t forget to share What You Want to Be When You Grow Up and be entered to win a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card!

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Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

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Tags: wome and business, women in business, business, woman, women, business advice for women, prostitot, skank, sexualization of children, office romance, office relationships, inappropriate clothing at work, dressing slutty at work, what to wear to work, how to dress professionally, biz chicks rule, kristen king

Post from: EveryJoe

Little Girls Who Dress Like Skanks Grow Up to Be Women Who Dress Like Skanks

When we are in business meetings, either online or offline, it’s important to be grammatically correct. Is it correct to say I’ve got or is it I have got?. What about kind of…is that acceptable? What do you think of somewhere up here? That was what a team leader really said during a business meeting when referring to a flow chart!

Correct grammatical usage of words during a meeting and in our everyday lives can a challenge. Especially for those who perhaps do not have a “business” job or are in a relaxed environment so slang or poor grammar are “acceptable.”

What do you think about relaxed grammar? Is it acceptable online? Should we take note of it at ALL TIMES?

I just ordered the “For Dummies” series on grammar. I’ll read it and letcha…I mean let…you know.

Post from: EveryJoe

Relaxed Grammar – Using Correct Grammatical Usage In Business Meetings

When is the last time you Googled yourself?

Okay, I can see that you’re back now. What did you find? Are you listed at previous places of employment? Do you see activities and affliations from college? Maybe a few professional organizations? These are all good things.

But what else came up? One writing colleage confessed to me that she shares a name with an erotic writer whose website borders on pornographic. A design colleague revealed on his blog that someone with his same name was attemtping to piggyback on his search engine rankings. Others have been maligned by former coworkers and schoolmates, and some have been targeted by strangers.

Some folks make their own troubles online by posting inappropriate photos, tons of personal information (fights with your mom, your reproductive issues, a rant about that stupid boss of yours), or just not being online at all.

How can you start the new year off with a clean slate in the online world? It may not be possible to eradicate every piece of negative information about you online, but you can make a big difference with these 5 easy steps.

• Delete your own content. That “secret” blog of yours probably isn’t as secret as you think. If you’re just using it to vent, switch to a paper journal, or something stored locally on your computer rather than online for all the world to see.
• Remove incriminating photos. Yes, I’m sorry, but that shot of you stealing the office copier has to go. So do drunk photos, wild party photos, and and crazy make-out photos.
• Say goodbye to MySpace. Even if your page is pristine, you can’t control what your friends are doing, and a great judge of a gal’s character is the company she keeps. Stay connected via e-mail, not comments, “friend”ships, and bulletins. (Others disagree with me, but I stand firm on this one.)
• Request that your stuff be taken down. If you have content or photos that are potentially negative on a site you don’t control, contact the webmaster and ask that they remove it. Be sure to specify the exact conten and its location, and be very, very polite.
• Set up a Google Alert for your name. Google will give you a free e-mail notification every time your name or your busines name appears online.

Keeping your ‘net nose clean is a good idea for both the self-employed and those working for others. Your potential clients and employers will inevitably check you out. Make sure they’re seeing what you want them to see!

If the results of your Google search were woefully slim, consider joining a professional networking site such as LinkedIn to get some career background information about yourself out there for the finding. You may also want to join an online forum or bulletin board in your area of expertise and post some helpful comments on a regular basis. Use your full name in your post signature line for best results. Just be cautious about engaging in harsh debates. What may seem witty when you first say it may turn into a head-slapper a few months down the line.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever found in your online image? Anonymous comments are completely acceptable for this one!!!

Addendum: Great minds think alike!

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: women and business, woman, business, online image, networking, career search, professionalism, myspace, linkedin, google

Post from: EveryJoe

Your Internet Image: Smoothing the Rough Spots and Creating a Positive Online Persona

What place does religion have in the workplace?

Personally, I think there’s a strong argument for religious morals and values in business dealings. The Bible contains straightforward advice on contracts, dealing with employees, running a business from your home, all kinds of stuff. (And no, I’m not making this up!) It also teaches timeless principles like honesty, integrity, a good work ethic, and setting good priorities. But how overt should your religious beliefs be at work?

I recently stumbled across a small business website that had a scrolling Bible quote across the bottom and lots of religious references throughout the owner’s biography, as well as a healthy dose of personal information (kids, husband, blah blah blah) that struck me as being way too over the top.

Maybe I’m just biased against scrolling anything (and don’t even think about a dancing Jesus gif, people), but it just felt unprofessional. So how much is too much? When and where is it appropriate? And what’s over the line?

What do you think?

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: women and business, woman, religion, professionalism, god, god in the workplace

Post from: EveryJoe

Does God Belong in the Workplace?

• Naturally WAHMs
• News on Women
• Pajama Professional
• Sisters in Biz
• Small Biz Survival
• Smart Not Cheap
• Startup Princess
• The Anti-9-to-5 Guide
• The Business of Life
• The Work-at-Home Diva
• The Savvy Entrepreneur
• Today’s Workplace
• Water Cooler Wisdom
• Women on Business

Do you have a blog? Why not join?

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Tags: blogher, recommended reading, recommended blogs, women and business

Post from: EveryJoe

Tripping Down the BlogHer Blogroll, Part 2

Not sure if anyone has done a statistical study on this particular issue, but in business folklore there
is the common belief that many a career has been torpedoed at the annual holiday office party.

If not torpedoed, certainly embarrassed.

…There are two genres of holiday office etiquette. There’s the real advice from business etiquette experts and there are the cautionary tales from those who have been there and done that.

Read more…

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: women and business, holiday parties, office etiquette

Post from: EveryJoe

Office Holiday Party Coming Up? Don’t Blow It!

Why not just make an online video demonstrating your skills instead of talking about them. As long as you’re not an undertaker, I believe demonstrating one’s capabilities would work better than saying that you can do this or that.

Interestingly, this topic came up in my local paper’s Business section this weekend. Evidently, it’s all the rage nowadays for doctors to advertise their services in YouTube videos. No, I’m not joking.

The article, by Tom Kisken for Scripps Howard News Service, published in The Free Lance-Star, cites online advertisments as becoming more and more popular for surgeons, dentists, and chiropractors to promote their services.

Technically, there is little difference between doing a commercial on YouTube and doing a commercial on Channel 6. But YouTube will never be Channel 6, and any professional advertisment that could show up alongside this or this is one I have hard taking seriously.

And this guy dropped about $20K on 30 short videos:

$20K for that times 30? Is this really going to improve his business? Personally, I’m feeling skeptical.

What do you think?

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Tags: women and business, video resume, online video advertising, self-promotion, marketing, youtube

Post from: EveryJoe

A Different Kind of Video Resume: The Doctor Is In!

A while back, I wrote a post on what is feasible and what is inapprporiate to say in front of others. This is also the mistake that Don Imus made when he used deragatory comments about the women basketball players. (You can read the full story here). Now, Imus is being talked about constantly on radio’s across the country and will even appear on Barbara Walter’s show tonight to give his side of the story. But, what I wonder is how will he appear to the public now after he’s made such remarks on his station. Will be censor himself? Will he go back to his old ways? Will he try to change at all?

I believe that as people in the community, in business, schools and churches, we have to be mindful of EVERYTHING that we say. We are totally responsible for it. While no one can stop you or judge you by your thoughts, we still need to be careful of what we say when those thoughts want out. Being professional means knowing when and how to say nothing at times. It requires focus, imagination and maturity. While I am a firm believer in being honest with people, there is a way to say things. Being mean or nasty is not that way.

Do you or have you ever said something that was embarrassing? Do you wish you could take it back or could have said it differently? Do you think Imus will change his ways or will he continue to be the “shock-jock” that he is?

Tell me what you think.

Post from: EveryJoe

Are You An Imus?

So with that in mind, here’s an ad for a video resume service: VidRez.com

Honestly, the quality and content of this ad don’t exactly sent my heart all atwitter and convince me that this company can help me land my dream job. But hey, maybe I’m just biased toward print. Let’s take a look at some actual video resumes. Natalie, college junior:

Patricia Schuldenfrei, seeking new career in Florida:

Pia, recent grad and former pro athlete seeking sports reporter position:

Alaina M. Slempkes, social worker:

Jordasche, wannabe actress (Is this one a joke? I hope???):

Do you think these hopefuls avoided the three most common video resume errors?

Share your opinion on these resumes and video resumes in general: Leave a comment!

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Tags: women and business, video resume, video resume service, youtube, job hunting

Post from: EveryJoe

Video Resumes: Good Idea or Bad Idea?