If you're bored by your current job or just looking to make a quick buck, a job as a Charmin Ambassador could be just the ticket.

Industry
Customer Service/Entertainment

Duties:
Greet and entertain bathroom guests and then blog about the experience. According to the Business Courier of Cincinnati the lucky applicants will post content on Charmin-branded websites and popular social media sites and share "family-friendly" videos from the washroom space and surrounding areas.

Character Traits and Aptitude
Must be "super-fun" (their words, not mine), enthusiastic and able to engage with "guests." (Those with inhibitions clearly need not apply.)

Qualifications:
"Must really, really enjoy going to the bathroom" and be able to express this clearly and passionately. (Presumably an ability to write and operate a video cam would be helpful.)

Working Conditions
Seasonal and Unusual

Employer
Proctor & Gamble

Renumeration
$10,000 for about five weeks of duty (Nov. 23 through to Dec. 31)

Location:
Charmin temporary restrooms at Times Square, New York City

Gaining Work Experience
As a volunteer, find and record conditions of bathrooms via cell phone or video. Go to the Sit or Squat section of the Charmin website for inspiration.

Note: The application date was due Nov. 5, but there's always next year. In the meantime you can figure out how to get a temporary work permit and work on your super-funness (clearly not a problem for self-proclaimed king of the go, Frank Pullicino, who came for his "audition" dressed in a robe and a toilet paper crown).

For More information:
25 Most Bizarre Jobs

kathyo

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

For the most part, I've regretted decisions that I've made in haste and urgency. At the top of this list of less-than-brilliant decisions was applying for and, then, accepting employment at a life insurance company.

Working at an insurance company is not in and of itself a bad thing, but, given my personal values, it was a most miserable experience. At the time I applied, I was adamantly anti-corporate and, in my mind, few industries say "establishment," as loudly as insurance does.

After one too many poorly paid part-time or temporary gigs (including telephone research, and delivering newspapers) I just wanted a full-time job, any job. My two roommates, who both worked in insurance, encouraged me to apply -- the industry was overflowing with jobs, they said.

Applying for the same job as your roommates is not a particularly effective career strategy, (especially if said roommates come home each day, grumbling about how much they hate their work). A better approach to job searching, involves time, company research and, above all, selectivity. Although knowing and prioritizing your values is good, you can't stop there. You have to go one step further, researching industries and companies, keeping an eye out for places that share these values.

You can pick up clues by doing information interviews with employees or scouring a company's website. Read press releases, annual reports, company policies and so forth. Determine whether the company's mission statement gels with your own values and see if the company in question supports causes that are dear to your heart. Visit the office if you can, paying attention to how the receptionist treats you, how people are dressed, and how diverse the staff is.

At the end of the day, ask yourself if the idea of working there excites you. And please, don't repeat my mistake of accepting a job in the financial sector if one of your main values is working for the public good.

kathyo

For More Information:

• Organizational Culture: Finding the Right Fit
• JustJobs.com: Tell-Tail Characteristics of Company Culture

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

A friend of mine, Jessa K. started a "passion group" several years ago with another friend. Intrigued by this passion group, I wanted to know more and interviewed Jessa.

How did the passion group come about?
We started the group after I left the company I had worked at for 10 years. Although I had a good salary and [job] security, I wasn’t experiencing a connection between my skills, my talents and my passion.

What are you passionate about?
Nurturing my spirituality, exploring my creativity and living mindfully.

How does the group work?
We talk about how we can bring creativity into our lives as well as any barriers we’re experiencing towards cultivating our passion. We give feedback to each other. This helps us define our blocks and create paths that lead us to the things that bring passion and joy. There’s something magical about being in a group -- there’s an energy and excitement that can inspire people to take action.

How has the group helped you?
The group has sustained my hope. It has motivated me to take up drumming and singing, to start a decluttering business and to try out living in a spiritual community. It’s inspiring to see people who don’t know how to proceed with their goals get clearer about the actions they need to take.

Do members do homework?
Some of us commit to taking specific action steps. For example, one member has committed to researching cameras and bringing this research back to the next group. Other action steps have included contacting employers or applying for school or for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada programs, such as or the Self-Employment Program or the Opportunities Fund.

What have you learned from the passion group?
I have learned to focus on the steps I can take now. Long-range plans are great, but I don’t have to figure everything out before I proceed -- I need to stay in the moment and let the process unfold. In addition, I have learned to pay attention when I feel motivated or energized by something. This year, for example, I explored academic upgrading in two streams of interest (health care and recreation); I found that my energy felt lighter around health care –- so that seems to be where I am heading.

kathyo

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

In a former life I was a camp director. While my friends and family would tell you that I’m just writing about this so that I have yet another excuse to reminisce about camp – it’s actually relevant this time. (I swear!) Camp has helped me to get jobs.

And no, I’m not about to wax nostalgic about how I developed strong social skills early on because I learned to share my soap and candy, participated in trust circles and sang fireside folks songs in rounds. My actual greatest camp-related life lesson stems from a simple-yet-perfect abbreviation: E.G.E, or Enthusiasm Generates Enthusiasm. It’s a phrase I learned as a counsellor-in-training, and even though my camp days have long passed, I’ve used this saying to achieve loftier goals than just getting campers to make their beds.

Following every successful interview (and even some unsuccessful ones), my potential employers have intimated that they were impressed by my energy and enthusiasm. Granted, I think I’m a fairly enthusiastic person by nature, but it didn’t really occur to me that this could help me land a job. As it turns out, lack of enthusiasm can cost a highly qualified candidate a position for which she is well-suited.

After interviewing candidates, a colleague of mine wrote (on this site): "…another candidate seemed so bored, I felt deflated afterwards. She wanted a job, any job, not particularly one with our organization, and it showed." (July 2009 p.s. Life on the Other Side)

So how can you achieve a high degree of enthusiasm if it’s not really there? You could try faking it, but most observant types would probably see right through you. The best way to show excitement is to actually be excited! While preparing for an interview, don’t just anticipate questions, but take the time to consider why you actually want the job. Then, keep these thoughts in mind on the day of your interview. If you can’t think of an honest answer, the job may not be the right fit –- but if it is, don’t forget to show it, and yay! -- go get that job! Woo hoo!

SKY

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

I would never dissuade job seekers from using social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn for networking -- never, ever. Not in this day and age. At the same time, I would not encourage people to desert traditional forms of networking. So, I was pleased to find others out there in the blogosphere who, like me, believe in the importance of connecting with people face-to-face.

Workplace columnist Anita Bruzzese thinks it’s smart to for networkers to use every tool at their disposal, both of the Web 2.0 variety, as well as conventional ones. “[M]ost employers tell me they still give much more weight to a job applicant who has personally been recommended by another employee or referred by someone they trust,” says Bruzzese. “That still appears to be the fast track to a job.”

In another Personal Branding interview, speaker and author Susan RoAne points out that "we are still humans who require relationships (professional or personal). It’s how our species is wired. This is why even Twitter sponsors ‘gatherings’ in some of the urban areas.”

Some further thoughts on networking:

• Don’t wait until you’re out of a job to network -- effective networking is a process that can (and should) be practised regularly.
• Build up your social skills in small, routine ways. For example, take the time to talk to the cashier as she rings through your bananas and toilet paper, or have a chat with fellow laundry washers at the local laundromat.
• Take business cards everywhere you go (except maybe the public pool).
• At social functions, don’t stick like glue to the people you feel most comfortable with. Instead, while milling around the cheese and crackers table, strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know.
• Join groups. Check out Toronto Meetup where you can hook up with people who share your interest in, say, cars, pool or jazz music.

kathyo

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

When I was younger, I considered myself a bit of a Luddite -- in the broad sense of the term, that is. I didn’t like technology, had no use for it, would have been quite happy to use a quill pen.

During my first few years in university, I wrote most of my essays by hand. In my final year, I gave in and – get this – used a typewriter (this was the early 80s, after all.)

At my first full-time writing job where I pumped out stories on an old-time computer, I discovered cut and paste. C&P sold me on computers, but I was still a far cry from embracing technology.

Flash forward 20 years plus: technology is transforming both society and me. I’m finding a small revolution (or at least an evolution) in the way I think about all things technical.

To my bemusement, I have recently noticed my own budding interest in technology. Being an information junkie has nudged my interest along. All of a sudden, I find myself sending out Facebook friend requests, getting news through RSS feeds and, gulp, actually considering getting a cell phone.

Although I won’t be applying for web mistress jobs anytime soon, I have concluded that avoiding technology like the plague is a philosophy right out of the Middle Ages. So I’m learning what I can, reading up about technology (on the Internet of course) and asking my younger co-workers web-related questions.

By doing the latter, it turns out I am taking part in a trend called reverse mentoring. This is where younger employees mentor their older colleagues, with some companies actually assigning younger people as technology guides, says Ramon Greenwood in his Secrets of the Job Hunt blog. Greenwood refers to a survey that shows that four out of ten senior executives have asked younger associates for help with text messaging, social networking and using iTunes.

Reverse mentoring makes sense to me: Twitter, iPod and iPhones are probably as common to a twenty-something as televisions and landline phones were to me in my day. I recommend taking a look at Greenwood’s blog, though I must admit I take exception to being referred to as a “lost ball in tall weeds.”

kathyo

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

In an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a new study entitled, "The Smell of Virtue," shows how a clean smelling workplace can lead to increased fairness and generosity amongst colleagues.

According to the study, 22 per cent of participants working in a recently Windex-ed room said they'd like to donate money, compared to six per cent of participants in non-Windex-ed rooms. But it wasn't all about the Benjamins -- the same participants were more likely to lend a helping hand, too (even without being voluntold).

As Adam Galinsky, a co-author of the study explains, "[the] study shows that morality and cleanliness go hand-in-hand. Researchers have known for years that scents play an active role in reviving positive or negative experiences. Now, our research can offer more insight into the links between people's charitable actions and their surroundings."

It seems a bit bizarre, but if you put it in context, it's actually not much different from other senses that affect our perceptions. We know that lighting and sound can affect our behaviour, why not scent? Be it the nostalgic scent of an ex-boyfriend's cologne or the nauseating stench of Pepé Le Pew in our backyards, we've all experienced some reaction to smell.

Still not convinced? Why not test out your colleagues' or manager's olfactory-driven behaviours for yourself? I myself plan to test this theory around the holidays. I hope Santa likes lemon-scented cleaner.

SKY

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

How to Answer the 64 Toughest Interview Questions is one of the best articles I've seen on how to prepare for interviews where you are asked ruthlessly probing questions. Essentially, the article takes questions meant to render you into a dithering blob of jello and turns them on their head, giving you a chance to market yourself. Here's a sample of some of the questions addressed:

Question 1: Tell me about yourself?
Although this question seems benign, even friendly -- it's not. If you don't answer this one well, you could trip yourself up and reveal things that are better left unsaid. As the article points out: Many candidates "skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters." Ouch! Instead of heading down such treacherous paths, halt the running-off-at-the mouth before it begins. As the article exhorts: stay in the present, explain your qualifications for the position and "sell what the buyer is buying."

Question 8: Aren't you overqualified for this position?
Underneath this "compliment" likely lies a fear that you will bail as soon as a more appealing job comes along. To combat this fear, you need to demonstrate your commitment to the employer and to "teach the interviewer a new way to think about this situation." For example, let the employer know that your strong background in, say, accounting, means you wouldn't need additional training and could hit the ground running.

Question 13: Why have you been out of work so long?
Hmm ... this question has a decidedly less friendly feel to it. But "What's it to ya?" is not going to win you points. Instead, try to keep cool and, if you can, spin your answer so it seems like you chose to be out of work for this time period. (Perhaps some version of the following: "I decided to take whatever time I needed to think through what I do best, what I most want to do [and] where I'd like to do it ...")

Fortify yourself for a good long read; there are 61 more questions to go, including the dreaded silent treatment. (Memories of childhood, anyone?)

kathyo

No comments yet. Start the conversation.

It's a hard knock life these days. And that's especially true for some fields more than others. Auto workers continue to face closing plants, hospitality personnel are getting laid off for lack of business, and we word-crafters -- though we're used to slim opportunities even in healthy economic climates -- are being turned away in staggering numbers.

So why bother? Why pursue a career in communications, when it's tough work even if you can get it? My belief is that it often doesn't really feel like a choice. Writers, like other artists, feel compelled to write. (Maybe surgeons feel compelled to cut, too, but I hear there's a bit more money in that.)

So if you've tried to fight off those sane and logical urges to pursue a more stable career and have arrived, once again, at writing ... what now? Where does that leave you?

Look at this as an economics assignment: there simply aren't enough positions for newspaper reporters or editors of novels; that is, there's way more supply than demand. This means that these jobs are not only hard to come by, but they often don't pay much, either.

But if you're determined to beat the odds and get a job in communications, the best strategy is to keep an open mind to the various industries that require wordsmiths: banks hire technical writers, charities hire editors, and law firms always need good public relations folk. You've got to be tenacious and, frankly, creative about your need to be creative.

SKY

No comments yet. Start the conversation.