Speaking badly of the ex?

I know. I know. Ex-anythings are rarely spoken well of unless they are dead. And if you've left any of your previous jobs on less than your own terms, it's easy to dish the dis on ex-bosses, ex-companies, ex-co-workers, etc. But now's the time to apply another old adage you might have learned when you were a tiny tot - "if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all."
Speaking badly of your previous employers during a job interview is the kiss of death. Why? Because employers identify with other employers. What you do unto one is a pretty good indication of what you will do to them so if you complain about your last boss, talk badly about a company you've worked for in the past and or comment about what lazy butts your coworkers tend to be, the game is over. It's the equivalent of hitting the eightball into the corner pocket during a game of pool - doesn't matter how well you played the rest of the game, you've just lost.
The solution? Focus on yourself (and this is the only time I'm giving you this piece of advice - normally doing so is counterproductive). Talk about what you have been able to accomplish in previous positions, give examples of what you have done to help your previous employers, focus on what value you can bring to them. So when you're heading out for an inteview check your negative opinions at the door and leave your baggage at home - you'll soar higher if you travel light.

Have you napalmed a bridge today?

I often read on HR related blogs and websites about applicants who are unhappy about the lack of feedback they receive when applying for open positions. It doesn't help the cause of applicant nation, however, when one of their own returns a courtesy email (which many claim they would be content to receive) with a snarky response. To tell you the truth, it doesn't help the applicant much either.
Case in point. I recently posted for a part-time night auditor (desk clerk) position. I received about 70+ emails out of which we interviewed seven candidates and hired one of them. While I'm not able to respond to everyone who applied due to the 70+ to 1 ratio, I do try (as time and workload allow) to let as many of them know as possible that the position has been filled so they can focus their attention on other potential jobs for themselves. While these update emails are often received in silence, an occasional applicant will stand out from the crowd.
The positive ones reply with a quick "thanks for letting me know." The negative ones just respond badly. In this case it was "Shouldnt of bothered after almost 3wks discard my info." His reward? Demotion to the penalty box of the internet; his email address is now registered on the blocked junk mail list.
While I can understand the frustration of unsuccessful job hunters, it's never a wise move to act out of that frustration. This candidate just expanded his no-hire status from a single job to an entire company. That's how the bridges burned today can continue to light the way to the unemployment line for a very long time to come.

Is keeping your word an event or a lifestyle....

I recently received an unexpected thank you card from an employee. Why? Because I told her I'd get back to her by the end of the day with an answer to her questions and I did.
Jane called me requesting information about her training pay, getting a locker assigned and help in accessing our payroll website shortly after she began work. Since I was in a the middle of a project when she called, I explained I needed a little time to get her the info she wanted and asked if it was okay to forward the information to her via email (because it was simplier for both of us to send the website instructions she needed in writing) by the end of the day.
I sent the email in the afternoon and within a few hours received an effusive email reply thanking me for my detailed and prompt response to her questions. While I appreciated her thanks, I was puzzled over its intensity; even more so when I received another hand written thank you note in the mail from her the following day.
Is follow through so unexpected these days that employees are surprised when they get it within their companies? If so, it makes me sad as one of of the few "entitlements" I strongly support in any workplace is the right of any employee to receive quick and accurate answers to their questions. If we expect employees to be accountable for their own performance, I hope we're regularly leading from the front of that pack.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you ....

I think the employment relationship is like any other relationship in your life, you get out of it what you put into it. If you value it, you take care of it. If you don't, you generally lose it and usually you don't even realize you've lost it until it's over.
Where does it start to go wrong? In our own heads. When we think our companies should treat us better than they do, when we think we're not getting enough recognition or pay, when we believe we are not being treated fairly, we plant the seeds of our own unhappiness.
Employment, whether we admit it to ourselves or not, is a voluntary activity on both sides. Either party can walk away at any time (barring an employment contract or agreement). So wouldn't it be more effective to leave if we are so unhappy and can't make our employer treat us the way we think they should than it is to complain while still taking their money?
I've spent the last day assisting a manager who is dealing with an employee who can't seem to stop himself from talking to the company's customers in a negative way about how the company operates. The company recently made an operational change that was discussed and agreed to in advance with the employees involved (including this employee). The first day the change was implemented this employee, instead of trying to make sure the change worked for both himself and his employer or even just waiting to see what impact the change would have on him, immediately started "sharing" his negative thoughts with "his" customers, coworkers, and even in an inappropriate way with other company managers. His manager, in response to the problems he was creating for the company by involving customers & coworkers, sent him home to spend his time off thinking about whether he really wanted to work for this company. How will it end? Badly unless and until this employee figures out that if he can't be trusted to back his company up in public (he can discuss his concerns behind closed doors with the management staff), he will not be allowed back to work.
Today's lesson? Disloyalty to your employer hurts you more than it will ever hurt them. You'll be gone and they will still be standing. So if you are truly unable to restrain yourself from acting against and talking badly about your employer while onsite and on the clock, it's probably time to voluntarily change your job before the choice is no longer yours to make.

On the radio.....

I was listening to Charlie Sykes' program on WTMJ this morning. He read an email from an applicant interested in an internship who was outraged (and expressed it!) that the organization didn't return his email when he's waited an entire 24 hours for them to respond. The applicant stated how appalled he was by their lack of professionalism, how it cast doubt on whether he'd consider working for such a company, etc, etc. The topic for discussion was whether these types of emails are actually sent to employers and how would listeners handle them. The answer to the first part of the discussion is an emphatic yes. People not only write but submit outrageous emails to employers - it's a growing trend. One of my more notable recent ones was in response to an email I, as a courtesy, sent to an applicant letting him know why he would not be hearing from us any further:
John (name has been changed to protect the guilty!),
Just wrote you about this position being on hold and
asking if you would be interested later if it opens up.
Just read through your application more closely.
Since you are looking for full-time work (this is part time)
and this position pays substantially less than you are expecting,
it wouldn't be a good fit.
Sorry!
My less than courteous reply from the job applicant?
"Unfortunately you must have a fear of someone who has a masters degree and has excelled at a higher level than you will ever obtain. While it is true I am looking for full time due to state of economy I would accept part time for now. I only work for establishments that encourage people to excell to a new level obviously you are not one of those places."
The next time you wonder why an employer doesn't contact you (unless it's for an interview), remember this missive. I'm filing this one under the very large category of "no good deed goes unpunished."

hmmmm....

Unlike my enthusiastic approval of a badly needed offensive lineman for the Pack in the lst round of the draft, the jury is definitely still out on our #2 pick (Mike Neal - defensive tackle). Not a need pick and defintely not listed under Gil Brandt's top 100 yet taken at the 56th pick of the draft. Other websites had him listed as low as the 168th spot - hardly a value pick. Add to the equation that our next pick cost us the entire 4th round to select (Safety Morgan Burnett - gave up 2 picks to move to 71st pick from the 86th slot) and I really wonder what's up. Why not take Burnett at the 56th pick and wait a round or two to draft Neal? TT must really believe in this guy but he believed in Justin Harrell (another reach) too and look what that got him - an expensive benchwarmer who's consistently hurt.
Burnett might be a good addition but when I read he likes to blow people up rather than tackle them, I have to wonder if he isn't just Atari the sequel. Unless this guy learns to use the arms God gave him to tackle with, he will not outplay Mr. Bigby for the starting spot.
Of the late round picks, I liked the Newhouse selection only because I saw his relative (cousin?) Robert Newhouse play like a demon for Dallas. If he brings the same family pedigree to GB, I'll view the late round selections as a success.
Lessions to be learned from this? Just the realization that recruiting talent in any organization is as much art as science. It's not just ability that determines whether you are selected by a company, it's also dependent on who is hiring you, what the company culture is and their perception of your potential in moving the organization forward. If you've ever been passed over for what seems a perfect job for you or been selected for a job only to find out that your strengths are not a good fit in that position, you soon understand that the recruiting process is far from perfect. But right now, like the draft, it's the only process we have to pick talent and we often aren't able to truly realize who our star performers are until long after the selection process ends.

Welcome to the NFL Mr. Bulaga!

Lots of happy Packer fans today as our first pick was not only a need pick but a value pick at offensive tackle. Bryan Bulaga was rated anywhere from a mid-teen to a top ten pick in many 2010 mock drafts. A tier one player according to Gil Brandt (one of the most credible guys I know of when it comes to evaluating talent) and a Big Ten lineman to boot makes evilcatbert a believer in his ability to play with the big boys. Now let's lock up an outside linebacker who can play both like and opposite of Clay Matthews and tonight's draft will be just as joyous!