Ask the Experts

How to Handle a Toxic Client

2010-03-18T11:57:04Z

Kathi Elster and Katherine Crowley give advice to a team leader whose client is verbally abusive, takes credit for the team's successes and throws them under the bus when mistakes are made.

Working with a Toxic Client -- www.AskK2.com from K Squared on Vimeo.

Katherine Crowley, a Harvard trained psychotherapist, and Kathi Elster, a management consultant and executive coach, create the yin and yang of their company, K Squared Enterprises. Bestselling authors, educators, public speakers, executive coaches, and veteran consultants, Kathi and Katherine are seasoned guides in the area of professional fulfillment through self-awareness and self-management. Together they have written Working For You Isn't Working For Me, The Ultimate Guide To Managing Your Boss and the national bestseller, Working with You Is Killing Me: Freeing Yourself from Emotional Traps at Work.

Is a Video Resume Right for You?

2010-03-12T17:29:00Z

The following guest post from Rivka Kawano, president of Life Train, LLC, might be helpful for those who feel they need a video resume to increase their chances of finding the entry level jobs they most desire.

For some professions a video resume is not only helpful, it is almost necessary. If you are a model, actor, videographer, or in another field where you will be on camera or creating material to be on camera, then it is very helpful - as long as it is professionally done. In addition, if you are a high level executive or sales person where your physical presence may be an important part of your job, then it may be okay to create a video resume.

]]> For most people though, I really think that video resumes are a fad. Digital video is perceived as being "easy" and a way to get the attention of busy HR execs. But lets look at the reality. A video resume takes much more time to review than a paper one - time most people doing hiring do not have. And having an unpolished video may be worse than none at all. Given the extra cost and time to job seekers I think most will soon realize that it is not worth the return on their investment in their job hunt.

Having said that, if you feel like a video resume is truly needed, here are a few tips:

1) A video resume should never replace a written resume - instead it should be in addition to.
2) If you are going to do a video resume, take the time and money to do it right. Correct lighting, shot set-up, background, even picking an outfit that will look good on camera are all things that take significant training and practice to do right. This is beyond what most job seekers are able to do and they will need to hire a professional videographer. Finding someone who both understands the craft of video as well as the hiring process may be difficult, and expect to spend $1,000 or more just for a 2-3 minute video. In fields like video, the adage is more true than ever that you get what you pay for. This may impact whether or not you get a job, and how much your salary and benefits end up being, so if you are going to do it at all, do it right!
3) Consider only putting your video resume online on a personal website, LinkedIn profile, or your visual CV online. Packaging will present a whole other opportunity to succeed or fail, and you can save time and cost by not trying to duplicate DVDs, create professional labels, and need to choose between the myriad of packaging options. Putting it online may also be simpler for the person reviewing it as they do not have to worry about transporting it, losing it, etc.
4) If you do have video available, the cover letter is a great place to mention where to find it (website address, etc.). You can also put a note at the bottom of the resume such as: "video resume available at - www.mywebsite.com"

There's more to producing a video resume than some might realize. If it isn't a necessary enhancement to a written resume, then the question becomes, is it really worth the time, money and effort to do something that will in no way guarantee an entry level job offer?

How to Become More Visible at Work

2010-03-10T14:37:14Z

Kathi and Katherine tackle the issue of how someone can go from being a "background person" and start playing a leading role on the job.

Overcoming Invisibility -- www.AskK2.com from K Squared on Vimeo.

You're Too Nice to Get Promoted

2010-03-09T14:57:03Z

I've been passed over for promotion at my company five times now and when I complained about it to one of my former coworkers - one of the people who got promoted ahead of me - he said it's because I'm "too nice," and that upper management thinks I don't "have what it takes to make tough decisions." Does that mean I have to start being a jerk in order to move my career forward in this company? Please tell me there's a better way.

How to Overcome Communication Barriers

2010-03-09T14:51:35Z

Our new boss has a very thick foreign accent so it's difficult to understand him. No one in the office speaks his language and he refuses to use an interpreter. Instead he puts everything into email messages and sends them out to all of us. That's great until we have a question and can't understand the answer. How can we work this out to everyone's benefit?

More Help, Less Attitude, Please

2010-03-09T14:40:37Z

My boss has been giving me increasingly complex tasks lately with minimal training or explanation. When I ask questions, she gets annoyed and rolls her eyes and says things like, "Oh, God, this project's never gonna get done." I told her once that things would get done a lot faster if she taught me how to do them at the beginning, but she just looked at me and asked if I was "getting smart" with her. The woman in the cube next to mine said the reason my boss isn't training me is because she doesn't know how to do it herself, and that's why she gets upset and has to run off to "look this up" whenever I ask for help. Really? I love being challenged and couldn't care less if my boss is dumping work on me that she can't do herself, but I hate her attitude. What can I do to change this situation for the better?

Online Degrees Get No Respect

2010-03-09T14:36:05Z

When I interviewed with a recruiter recently, he looked at my resume and told me I should focus more on my experience because online bachelor's degrees get very little respect in the corporate world. Is that true, even for accredited schools like the one I attended?

A Crafty Career Move

2010-03-09T13:40:30Z

I've always been good at knitting, crocheting and doing macrame as a hobby, but now that I have had my hours cut in half at work, I'm thinking about using my extra time to start my own business. How can I find out if there's really a market for the things I make (sweaters, scarves, coasters, etc.)?

How to Handle Hostility in the Workplace

2010-03-04T12:33:58Z

Let's face it, we've all worked with a jerk or two in our careers; and if we're brutally honest, some of us have been the jerks who made other people's lives at work unpleasant. Well, Kathi and Katherine have a way to deal with a hostile co-worker with which I happen to disagree. Watch the video below and see what you think.

Dealing with a Hostile or Demeaning Co-worker -- www.AskK2.com from K Squared on Vimeo.

The Name Game

2010-03-02T14:11:46Z

One of my company's biggest clients never gets my name right. He constantly calls me by my predecessor's name. I ignore it, but it really upsets me because I feel as if I'm not measuring up somehow and that he wishes she were here instead of me. Am I reading too much into this?

Will You Stop Touching Me?!

2010-03-02T14:06:55Z

One of my co-workers is a touchy-feely sort. Every time she talks to someone, she touches him/her on the arm at least once or rubs his/her back (not in a creepy way). Most people love her and even the ones who don't like her respect her. But I hate being touched by virtual strangers, regardless of how casual or comforting the intent. How can I make this clear to her without making myself look like a people-hating jerk?

Taming a Beastly Boss

2010-03-02T14:02:28Z

I have a great group of people in my department. During the last team meeting, they played a video they created themselves to address the issue of bullying in the workplace. I recognized myself in their "Wizard of Oz" themed demonstration. Now that I've been made aware of my faults, how can I apologize and start changing the way I treat them?

The Youth Obssessed Boss

2010-03-02T13:56:23Z

Our boss clearly favors the younger members of our team. Every time one of the younger employees does something well, our boss praises them openly in front of everyone. When one of us older employees does well, she just says, "Good job, thanks," kind of flatly while standing right next to us so only we and our nearest neighbors can hear. It makes us feel unappreciated and it's affecting our productivity. How can we get her to see things from our point of view?

Should I Accept a Promotion if it Means My Boss Will Be Demoted?

2010-03-02T13:44:23Z

My boss talked her boss into creating a supervisor position in our department because she had, more than once, caught people slacking off every time her back was turned. Since I became the supervisor, people have stopped slacking even when we're both out of the office, and productivity has increased by 10%. Because of that, my boss' boss wants to give me her job and make her a regular employee, and she would report to me. She thinks I did something underhanded to "feed my ambitious heart," but I didn't. I just did my job the way she trained me to do it. What should I do? What can I do?

How to Ask for a Raise in a Down Economy

2010-02-24T13:13:27Z

A lot of people found themselves putting in extra hours and doing double duty thanks to layoffs in their companies. They stayed with their struggling companies and may have been instrumental in keeping those companies afloat. So, they feel they deserve a raise for their hard work, loyalty and dedication. But they feel a little hesitant. The economy hasn't really recovered, yet. In the video below, Kathi Elster and Katherine Crowley offer the following advice to someone who finds himself/herself in just such a quandary.

Asking for a Raise in a Down Economy -- www.AskK2.com from K Squared on Vimeo.