Excelle

Along with paychecks, deadlines, and overtime, bosses are one of the things you just can’t avoid in the workplace. But how to identify these strange characters and deal with them? Don’t go it alone — it’s a jungle out there. We show you how! [page] The Robot Distinguishing characteristics: An empty desk, no family pictures. What they do: All business, all ...

I've been getting a lot of emails lately from women who identify with some of my articles at High-AchievingWomen.com and here on Excelle The emails take two forms: that either I'm living their dream of being a writer, or that their lifelong dream is to be a writer. It started me thinking ... what is a writer? Actually, the answer is ...

1. Non-words Filler words such as "um," "ah," "you know," "OK" or "like" tell the interviewer you're not prepared and make you sound like a Valley Girl (or Boy). A better strategy is to think before you speak, taking pauses and breaths when you lose your train of thought. Everybody utters an occasional "um," but don't let it start every sentence. ...

Very few people doubt the corporate deck is stacked against women to some degree. Still, you can sabotage your own career through errors made in the name of doing well or doing more. Here are nine career stoppers that can prevent you from advancing in your career. Do any of them figure into your modus operandi? 1. Flirting with Men to ...

Celebrities. We love to hate them. We also love to watch their every move, laugh at their mistakes and scrutinize their decisions. Like them or not, their celebrity status means not only have they achieved career success, they’ve also got a hell of a lot to lose. And sometimes, whatever actions have helped catapult them to fame or rendered them ...

Effective communication is key in order to build a strong relationship with anyone. You have to be prepared at all times to engage in a conversation with the people around you, and maintain a calm, professional state. You can only leave a first impression once, so it’s crucial to present yourself in the best way possible so you are never forgotten. ...

Nearly every day, someone sends me a bit of astounding job-search advice from a blog or a newsletter. Some of this advice seems to come directly from the planet X-19, and some of it seems to have been made up on the spot. Here are 10 of my favorite pieces of atrocious job-search advice, for you to read and ignore at ...

Starting your first job, changing positions, trying a new career, moving to another department or location — all of these can be frightening experiences. You’ve left where you were comfortable and successful and now you have to establish yourself all over again. You go to the new area, and your first day is a disaster! Surprise! You are not alone. Your ...

I consider myself a social person. I’m at ease talking to strangers in line at the grocery store, meeting new people at social gatherings and making conversation with people ages 2 to 92. But I have to admit that professional networking makes me uncomfortable. It just feels too self-serving. So for many years I just avoided doing it and rationalized that ...

The older I get the more I realize my time is worth as much to me as any money I could possibly earn. And while I firmly believe I have unlimited earning potential in my chosen business, I also realize that no matter how hard I try, I cannot increase the number of hours in my day. Yes, I’ve managed to ...

In most job-filling situations, the employer has the luxury of choosing from several well-qualified applicants, all of whom could probably do the job. That's when the little things, like the common but often unrecognized mistakes described here, almost always come into play. Make sure you avoid them, so they don't cost you a shot at the job. h4. *1. Using a ...

What does disorganization cost you and/or your company? The Wall Street Journal published a study indicating that the average employee wastes nearly six weeks a year looking for information and things in their office. Multiply six weeks by the salary and then the number of employees and that is a lot of money! The cost of being disorganized is not only ...

Do you put off long- or short-term tasks at work? Does the last-minute dash to finish a report cause unwanted stress? Are you avoiding chores in your personal life that may be affecting your career? Whether it be laundry, grocery shopping, or even taxes, is procrastination getting in the way of what you need to get done? Relax, you’re only human! ...

Don't just sit there, basking in your continued employment... Phew. You survived the culling. Or maybe your company has managed to avoid a mass layoff. Either way, you're one of the lucky ones. Unlike so many of your friends and family, you won’t have to deal with the unemployment office or cancel your cable -- yet. But instead of sitting ...

Do any of these sound familiar? • You have a great idea but you aren’t telling anyone because it still needs work. • You stay up late to redo the presentation you have already spent 20 hours on. • You won’t tell anyone about the job you have applied for, just in case you don’t get it. • You have more ...

In your business life, you will be required to attend business meetings, formal and informal events, even interviews, that involve dining. Knowing what is expected of you as the guest or the hostess is very important, and this knowledge, or lack of, can make or break your business dealings. In this article, I will explain a few basic table manners that ...

Wow. As I thought about the past eight years and what it’s been like being an entrepreneur, I was struck by how many mistakes I’ve made. I was also struck by how great those mistakes have been for my business. If it were not for all those mistakes, my business would never have grown. I would never have written a book, ...

I love reading Sara Pennypacker’s “Clementine” books to my girls because I laugh out loud at the antics and musings of this spunky third grader. But while Clementine is amusing, I wasn’t expecting her perspective in “The Talented Clementine” to resonate with me. I mean, come on, it’s been 30 years since I’ve been a third grader! But in this book, ...

It's still unclear how much a company profits from doing good, but a new study of international executives shows it certainly doesn't hurt business. It is one of the biggest questions in corporate governance: Is there really any financial payoff for promoting enlightened social, environmental, and ethical practices? Or are companies that get the most attention for doing good merely those ...

That was the question posed by Suzy Welch in a recent article for Oprah Magazine. She focused on three high-powered women, two CEOs and one senior staff person. These women loved their jobs but had made difficult choices to achieve career success. One delayed having children until she was 41. Another consistently missed important family functions. The consensus of the group ...