When I was in Grade 11, we cut classes because we were protesting something (I can’t recall what). A friend who lived in France for a year came back with stories of students marching out of classes on regular basis. When I was a kid growing up in Poland, the entire country was on strike for quite some time – I remember the Solidarity banners, marching and some violence.

But it seems that marching with banners and violence may soon be a thing of the past. In March, IBM workers in Italy organized an online protest in Second Life . Second Life is is a 3-D virtual world. The protest involved 10,850 people, er, avatars. Some showed up flying in, some showed up in their fantasy form – as magical creatures or with flashing red and green heads – and most were bearing posters. Those without posters could use the "Protest Kit" box to find protesting accessories.

The virtual protest worked – it led to the IBM workers securing a better deal. The Globe and Mail article You Won’t Touch Me, I’m Part of the … Avatars , pointed out that the development of online strikes is because workers are more individualistic than they used to be and are more comfortable linking with others through their computers rather than face-to-face. Technology is more and more accessible and it creates a powerful activist tool.

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I have a friend who had strict dating rules. She would refer to one type of handshake as “the jellyfish,” as in, “He gave me ‘the jellyfish’ instead of a handshake.” My friend claimed this was a bad quality in a guy.

The TIME magazine article In Job Interviews, the Handshake Counts mentions new research, which finds that a wimpy handshake can cost you a job. According to professor Greg Stewart who led the research, it’s not true that interviewers make up their mind within the first few minutes of an interview; it’s sooner than that: "We found that the first impression begins with a handshake that sets the tone for the rest of the interview." Stewart says that this may be because a handshake offers the interviewer a glimpse into the job seeker’s personality. According to the research, people with good handshakes are thought to be extroverts and they tend to engage interviewers with their ease.

So how do you get a good grip? Give a firm squeeze (but not bone-crushing), maintain eye contact and don’t forget to release the other person’s hand after about two seconds.

For handshaking humour, read the CEO's Success Credited To Unbelievable Handshake article about (a fictional) man who was named as one the five greatest corporate handshakers by Forbes magazine (not really).

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There was a man driving down the road behind an eighteen-wheeler. At every stoplight the trucker would get out of the cab, run back and bang on the trailer door. After seeing this happen several times in a row the motorist followed the trucker when he pulled into a parking lot.

After they both had come to a stop the truck driver once again jumped out and started banging on the trailer door. The motorist went up to him and said, "I don't mean to be nosy, but why do you keep banging on that door?"

To which the trucker replied, "Sorry, can't talk now, I have 20 tons of canaries and a 10-ton limit, so I have to keep half of them flying at all times."

It turns out that humour is really beneficial to our productivity and the best bosses have a good sense of humour. In the article Top-Down Humour it says that “workplace humour helps to ease stress, builds feelings of camaraderie among employees and leads to greater creativity.” Further on, the author, Philip Quinn, quotes a 2007 survey by global staffing placement firm Robert Half International which found that 87 per cent of workers indicated their manager has a good sense of humour. (More than 60 per cent said it was important for their boss to have a good sense of humour).

Of course, if you’re having a hard time smiling at work, there’s always the Happy Worker Mask.

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Many of us have had jobs that require a uniform. My first job at Wendy’s required me to wear a ridiculous visor hat and a bow tie. (And also, at one time, an “AM I SMILING?” button for one excruciating day.) The colours of my Wendy’s uniform were blue and navy. Another job was all about maroon (colours) and a skirt that ballooned in all the wrong places. When I was in my late teens, I wore uniform shirts that I had bought from Value Village. I wore them ironically, of course, to demonstrate how anti-uniform I was deep inside. My favourites were the ones with other people’s names stitched on them. I was so rebellious.

But uniforms are often just a part of the employment deal. There are some misconceptions about uniforms. We mention this in our Did You Know? Ten Facts About Working in Ontario.According to the Employment Standards Act, 2000: “The employer is responsible for making decisions about dress codes, uniforms and other clothing requirements.

Your employer may also make a deduction from your wages to cover the cost of a uniform or other clothing requirements.

You should also be aware that a dress code can't violate a collective agreement, the Ontario Human Rights Code or the rules under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

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I never understood what the big deal was –- were people really so into gambling that they could spend their entire life savings by pressing buttons and pulling one-armed bandit handles? Why did grown-ups go nuts over the sound of coins clinking against each other? How was it that the gambling industry was so popular?

And then I went to Vegas.

Actually, it was my mom who went -- and not only to Vegas. She went from being a nice Polish lady to a wild-haired one-armed bandit’s girl in less than an hour. We practically had to drag her out of the casino, stuff her back in the car and continue on to California, which was our final destination. There was no doubt in my mind that my mom would have easily spent our family’s savings that day, if we hadn’t stopped her.

So, I understand now. The power of gambling is both terrifying and impressive; no wonder the industry is so successful. In Canada, it is the most financially strong entertainment industry. According to the Gambling Employs 267,000 in Canada article, $6.6 billion is spent on sustaining gambling operations. This is the amount paid out in salaries and used to purchase goods and services.

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I tried to think about a situation when I had an annoying co-worker and somehow I can’t remember anything in particular. Just the opposite – one place I worked at, I met a whole bunch of great women with whom I remain good friends. But I know that working with a difficult it happens and I think most of us had watched the TV series The Office where some frightening annoying co-worker stereotypes are taken up to the next level.

In the article "Plays Well with Others": How to Get Along at Work Even When You Don't , the author, James Houston , lists seven key components to a successful co-worker relationship.

• Communication –- responding quickly to emails, asking questions, listening, talking face to face if there are issues
• Respect –- appreciating your co-workers good qualities
• Trust –- fulfilling commitments you make at work
• Flexibility –- recognizing others’ experience and perspective
• Boundaries –- making suggestions in a professional manner and not criticizing others
• Working it out –- dealing with problems immediately, before they grow bigger
• Harmony –- being willing to compromise

(If you need more suggestions on how to deal with difficult co-workers, check out Cheryl Stein on Working With People you Can't Stand.)
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I still laugh over a saying that my former co-worker came up with many years ago when I worked at what we referred to as a “word-sausage factory.” When asked how she was, she would answer, “I am trying not to die.” In a morbid-funny kind of way this pretty much summed up how we felt about where we worked.

It’s a good thing that we didn’t get to fill out an employee satisfaction survey because we would have brought the Canadian average down big time. At the same time, it’s possible that we were just normal, wanting what seems to be most important to Canadian workers – fairness, consistency, decent pay, advancement opportunities.

In the Globe and Mail article "Canadians More Positive, But Not More Motivated, Than Americans" it was noted that “82 per cent of Canadian employees were positive about the over all job done by top management, compared with 64 per cent of U.S. workers.” As well 81 per cent of Canadians felt they were treated with dignity and respect. Interestingly, as the article’s title already says, high satisfaction levels didn’t necessarily translate to employees being motivated and performing beyond what is expected of them.

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True story – someone I know who was interviewed for a job at a health-oriented publication was asked why she wanted to work there. She replied, "Because I have a history of mental-health illness in my family."

First of all, let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with the information itself. It’s the context (the publication did not deal with mental-health issues). Mental illness or otherwise, just saying that she had a personal interest in health, without going into details, would probably have been enough. Especially if she mentioned a couple of health-related publications, that she subscribed to.

She didn’t get the job and the story ended up being her cocktail party fodder (mine is spending the month of February on the bus – PossScript May 2).

In the article Leave This Info Out of Your Interview, there are three categories of interview information that are colour-coded to indicate their suitability.

Here are some examples:

Green (Go ahead and discuss.) “You can and should talk about the things you've done up to this point to invest in yourself and your professional development.”

Yellow (Discuss with caution.) “If you're bragging about the six month trip around the world you took during your unemployment, you should probably refrain.”

Red (Do not discuss.) “House problems, nanny drama or rehab trips. Employers don't want to know much about your life except as it relates to what you've done professionally and what you're likely able to do for them.”

So, yes, even if your future boss strikes you as the most trustworthy, likeable person in the world, always keep everything as professional as possible, please. Just to be safe. You are not on Oprah.

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I thought that once you got called to the HR headquarters to receive your walking papers, all you had to do is throw your stapler in the cardboard box and get out as quickly as possible.

It turns out I am wrong – sure it still happens, but it’s not necessarily the only outcome when you’re fired. Some employers can give you something called “working notice.” This means that they may ask you to stay on until the official end date. Why do employers do this and what can you do about it is better explained in the Workopolis advice column, When Given "Working Notice" Upon Termination. One of the suggestions in the article is to seek legal advice before signing anything. Another good idea (pink slip or not) is to read the Ministry of Labour’s fact sheets to check out the termination and severance laws that affect Ontario workers.

Being fired is tragic enough but remember -- if you have to stay on, make the best of it. After all, you might need a reference letter and more – a decent severance package. You qualify for severance pay if you have been with the same employer for five-plus years, whether you were continuously working or not.
Know your employment rights. Knowledge is power.

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A journalist friend sent me a link to a story (it was mentioned in a couple of blogs) that’s been creating a lot of buzz among members of Toronto media. In a Facebook status update, a spokesperson for a major Canadian company wrote that he “is realizing how little separates journalists from lemmings.” Ouch. But it was an even bigger ouch for the spokesperson whose main job is (was?) to maintain a good relationship between his company and, well, those so-called lemmings.

Another friend told me a story about wanting to hire someone for a management position at a large Canadian bank. Before giving him a job offer she Googled his name. His Facebook page came up, complete with offensive photos and questionable information.

You can now change privacy settings on Facebook. There’s a way to set it up so only your friends can see what’s on your page – the rest just get your picture and your name. The spokesperson guy did that eventually, after the image of his page along with his picture and the unfortunate status update got copied and sent around to many journalists in Toronto. (But even if you change your privacy settings, you never know – someone from your network may know someone from your boss’s network and, well, you get the idea.)

Facebook has been causing trouble for some time now. In January 2007 several Farm Boy employees in Ottawa got fired after they formed a couple of facebook groups where they discussed their workplace. Would you believe that those groups included the company’s copyrighted logo? Yikes. One person even talked about stealing from the company. Pure genius.

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There’s a fascinating trend out there of people redirecting their career focus (or changing careers entirely) to become green-collar workers. According to the Globe and Mail article Green Jobs Take Root and Proliferate you no longer have to have a degree in environmental science to do the planet some good. Lawyers, architects and business employees are just some of the professionals who are more than happy to green up their careers. And it’s predicted there will be an 8.8 per cent increase in environmental job growth over next five years in Canada.

This trend is not unique to Canada. In the article Switching To Green-Collar Jobs another development has been noted in the U.S. -– people actually taking a pay cut to work for good causes. Silly? Not really. According to the American Solar Energy Society report mentioned in the article, jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency industries could grow to as many as 40 million by 2030.

And, back home, just last year, Alqonquin College introduced a Green Architecture Program that is a sure sign of the demand for qualified workers to design green facilities and improve existing ones.

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I know two recent university grads stuck trying to figure out where to go from here. But figuring out a career path doesn’t have to be so hard if you take certain employment trends into account. You just have to do a little bit of predicting and planning.

The article Top Jobs and Career Trends lists 10 top jobs for the next decade. Some of them are environmental specialist, elderly care specialist and computer programmer. These jobs are predictable because they jive perfectly with current and future trends.

Some of ongoing phenomena are improvements in health care and technology –- this means that in the future people will live longer and there will be a need for more health care (equals more healthcare workers). Other likely occurrences are improved technology (more computer specialists needed) and environmental issues (more environmental specialists). Then there are increased costs of childcare (more day-care specialists) and aging baby boomer population (need for more home health aides). All of these factors may influence the employment market.

Think up what other careers may come up in the future. All the research materials are here, now.

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In the Globe and Mail article, When Skills Aren’t a Perfect Fit, the author, Tony Martin, surveyed a few human resources practitioners to get their take about what job-seekers could do when they are told they are either not qualified enough or are overqualified for a position.

Some bad ways of tackling this problem include arguing, ignoring the fact, or trying to convince the employer that his or her assessment is faulty. But it also turns out that there are some good was of addressing the issue. If you ever find yourself in this position, here are some ways that may save your case:

• Underqualified? Acknowledge that you are and explain how you can make up for your shortcomings; for example demonstrate how your other experience may be relevant.
• Overqualified? Show that you have a long-term interest in the company you’re applying for and be prepared to prove it (by agreeing to work in a less prestigious capacity or even by taking a pay cut).
• If an employer turns you down you can ask for feedback* and, if you are really keen on working there, tell him or her you will stay in touch – it shows your interest.
• No matter what the outcome, always thank your interviewer

*I applied for a job once and in the final round lost to another candidate. I asked for feedback. The employer was honest with me and told me that my portfolio wasn’t diverse enough. It was actually a great motivator to expand my writing range.

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When I was six I wanted to be a veterinarian. I thought it was the greatest job ever because you got to talk to animals. Yes, I actually believed that you went to school and got a diploma that allowed you to communicate with animals in their own language. I planned to have long discussions with my hamsters.

My aunt was a veterinarian and one day she took me to the clinic where she worked and showed me what her job was really about. Sad puppies, worms and blood, just to name a few things I noticed. Needless to say, I switched back to wanting to be a princess.

Which is what I am today. Not really. Today, I am a writer. It’s a fantastic job and I actually do what I love. But don’t think it was easy to get here. Why would I not want to actually be veterinarian like I planned to be, my mother wanted to know? I would have more job security, more money, more everything. So then I said…:

Actually, why don’t you check out this article instead -- Screw Pleasing Your Parents: 11 Careers That Will Make YOU Happy.

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Long time ago, I lost a job. After I came out of the initial state of shock, my first instinct was to call up everyone and whine about the terrible thing that happened to me. I didn’t do that. Instead, I just moped around for a few months (read: isolated) and focused on my freelance work. And eventually through doing freelance I realized that I had a lot of contacts that could be helpful and that, actually, I should call them up. Maybe not to complain but to let them know that I was looking for work so, I started telling people. And, before I knew it, I was getting internal job postings from friends of friends and referrals or queries from people I’ve never even approached for writing gigs.

In the article Network Beyond Your Comfort Zone there’s a great metaphor for networking: it’s like throwing pebble into a pond and watching the waves spread out further and further.

It’s good to tell your friends and family that you’re looking for work. Next step may be to tell them to tell everyone. And you, too, should tell everyone that you’re looking. Maybe not the nice lady on the bus, but people who may be connected to your field or people who may know those connected.

The network article says to develop “an elevator pitch” that defines your potential contribution to prospective employers. This means being prepared to quickly and swiftly paint a picture of who you are –- it’s a little bit like a verbal resumé. And don’t be shy – what’s the worst that could happen? Someone will brush you off. But on the other hand you could make a great career contact.

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It’s a mess out there – I sit here still worrying about paying off the last bit of my student loan and it turns out that most of my peers are already obsessing about retiring. No wonder since, according to the Reuters article Generation X Glum on Retirement Prospects: survey, “someone who envisions 20 years of retirement on about $50,000 a year would need to have $1 million stashed away.” (This is an American article ... but we can probably use that as a measuring stick.)
And in Australia, 70 per cent of gen-Xers (born 1965 to 1982) are unhappy with their work conditions. A study done to measure their satisfaction, mentioned in the article Gen-X Workers Threatened by Gen-Y found that the generation X population feels caught between generation Y and baby boomers. Their overall feeling is that they are less valued by their employers than the other two groups.

(A new book about the Gen-X dilemma came out just last month. X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking is written by one frustrated Gen-Xer himself, Jeff Gordiner, who debates his generation’s persistent feeling of being overlooked and underappreciated.)

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My friend R. likes to say to me something along the lines of, "Your career is what happens while you wait for the dream job." I take it as: make the best out of it.

Most of us spend time doing things we don't love for a pay cheque. Sometimes we work less desirable jobs to pay our dues. Or we stay in a dead-end job because we're afraid of change. Other times there is just no other choice.

It is hard to make the best out of soul-crushing jobs. The important thing to remember is that it's never too late to go after your dreams. I’m no Pollyanna but often, if you work hard for your dreams, chances are they will happen. How to make them happen? Have a clear idea what they are. Then write out your goals on a piece of paper or make a diary recording the steps needed to take to get there (save up money, take evening courses).

Or here's a radical suggestion: start a blog in which you let others monitor your progress (that way you have less of a chance of flaking out). This is something that is quite popular with fitness competitors. It helps them to stay motivated -- maybe something similar would help you, too? Just always keep in mind that your current (and prospective) boss may be reading it.

In Your Career Path: Choice or Chance? article, the author writes, “After all, time has a funny way of slipping by and before you know it, you may have spent several years in a position that's not truly satisfying.”

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You've dazzled and charmed and answered the best you could. You're ready to shake hands and go. Suddenly, your interviewer says, "So, do you have any questions for me?"

"Sure, Steve -- what do I have to do to get your position, heh heh?" along with a conspirational wink may not be the best way to go.

Not saying anything is almost as bad. I used to think that the part in the interview when I was asked if I had any questions was just a courtesy (huh!) and didn’t require any particular response. So I would usually say, "No, I don’t have any questions," and smile in blissful ignorance as the interviewer waited (in vain) for me to show that I cared.

Having good questions ready tells an interviewer that you are well-prepared.

By “good” I don’t mean doing a Barbara Walters on your interviewer ("When I say 'water' what picture comes to your mind?"). By "good" I mean relevant questions, like: "How does the company promote personal and professional growth?" And other Questions That You Can Ask The Interviewer that show you care.

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Long time ago, I interviewed for a job in a certain corporation. I had to go through a phone interview, then a structured interview with an HR person. Once I passed (?) that stage, the manager came into the room and asked me the exact same questions that the HR person had.

I remember feeling panicked about giving the same answers -- not because I had lied but because of performance anxiety. Ironically, I got stuck on the question, “How do you relax?” both times. Well, at least I was consistent there. I didn’t get that job then but then they called me back for a third interview months later. Perhaps I was at the top of their Maybe pile.

It’s no secret that interviews are stressful. We all have our interview horror stories as well as bizarre interview anecdotes. I have a friend who was once asked, during a job interview: If you were a sandwich, what kind of sandwich you would be?” (His answer? “An open sandwich.”)

Here's some good advice about Handling Weird Interview Questions.

Let me know the strangest interview question you've ever been asked.
We may list some of the responses, which will be edited for length and style. Names and contact details will be confidential.

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There’s no denying it -- commuting is a part of employment reality. According to the latest available commuting census a large majority of workers (13,069,900 or 81.6 per cent) commute to their usual place of work.

Most of my friends commute. One friend drives from Ajax to Mississauga every day. That is more than 70 kilometres one way. Often in traffic. Another friend works in downtown Toronto and has to take the GO train from Hamilton (80 kilometres). Our graphic designer, Sharon, gets here from Oakville - 40 kilometres.

I am lucky because it takes me exactly 20 minutes to walk to work but I used to have a job that took on the average 2.5 to 3 hours of daily commuting. Thankfully, I often ran into my work colleagues on the way there and we made many morbid jokes about how we spent the equivalent of the month of February on the bus (250 work days x 2.7 hours = 675 hours = 28 days).

According to the article Turn on, Tune in and Relax, commuting influences our stress levels significantly and we have many different ways to cope with that anxiety and boredom. The article reveals that, "Commuters are multi-taskers and use their in-car time to engage in a number of activities including: Catching up on e-mail or text messages (16 per cent); applying makeup (20 per cent); singing while commuting (62 per cent); drinking coffee or other beverages (83 per cent); engaging in sexual activities (4 per cent)."

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I’ve always been baffled by the Objective section on a resumé. I had used it in the past (I’d seen my friends do that and when I was younger I was a huge copycat so I did it too). I would just stick it right there, at the top of the page, in shouty CAPS as if I were actually announcing something worthy of attention. But all that it would say would be something like: OBJECTIVE: TO SECURE EMPLOYMENT USING MY EXPERIENCE AND PEOPLE SKILLS.

Clever, eh?

Not really. First of all, what am I really saying there? Obviously that is my objective -- after all, I am applying to restaurants with that particular resumé -- what else could my objective? I just never really got the point of it. So I started putting Highlights in the Objectives space instead -- you know, listing all those things that will make me stand out (bilingual, 5+ years of experience, etc.).

Today, I came across the Recruiter Roundtable: Objectives on Resumés article on the Yahoo hot jobs site. Yes, I thought, the Objectives mystery will be revealed!

Well, almost. In the article, some recruiters say it’s a waste of space, some find it helpful if it’s written as a kind of a summary. I liked this reasoning: "Including an objective targeted to a specific position can be helpful since it quickly tells an employer why the job candidate is interested in the opportunity and is the right fit for it." (DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International)

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