Tag Archives: career

Emotions, meet Professionalism


Posted by Jessie Spielvogel

Are you…crying? Are you CRYING? ARE YOU CRYING?! There’s no crying. There’s no crying at work.

If your game face isn’t on, it should be.

Wearing your emotions on your sleeve can be one of the most detrimental flaws in any professional – all the way from intern to CEO. It’s easy to show your feelings on your face, but it’s never professional, productive, pleasant…or any other p word I can come up with.

Sure, we all have days when we want to scream, punch a wall, punch a person, or just cry from 9-5, but these emotions only cloud your judgment and prevent you from being productive and letting your best work shine. This may seem like common sense, but it can be surprising how many awkward moments can be created from emotional outbursts at work!

When I was 17 years old, I was a junior in high school, I was dancing 15 hours per week, working 25 hours per week, and attempting to manage a social life all at once for the first time. Like any teenager first experiencing all of these stresses of life, I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and highly emotional. One late night at work, I was so desperate to get out of there that I ended up breaking down and bawling my eyes out right then and there in the middle of the store. Why? I don’t know, maybe I had an English assignment to finish? Whatever it was, I’m sure it was valid, right?

Why I did not get fired, I have no idea. But, nonetheless, I learned a valuable lesson that evening.

You are getting paid to do a job, and a business is a business. While it may seem heartless, many (okay… probably most) managers do not care about the stresses in your personal life; they just want you to get your work done, and they want it done right.

Having emotions is obviously a good thing – they mean you’re human! But, whenever you’re feeling sad or angry on the job, hold it in until 5 pm. At 5:01, walk out that door and get as emotional as you want! Til then, keep your chin up, keep smiling, and never let ‘em see ya sweat!


The Gambling Trilogy [Where's part 3]?


Posted by Jessie Spielvogel

A few weeks ago, after developing my gambling-with-fake-money addiction, I decided to begin a 3-part series on comparing various gambling games to job searching and professional development techniques. In The Gambling Trilogy [Part 1], I discussed how the game of blackjack relates to your job search. In The Gambling Trilogy [Part 2], I discussed how you can learn to be a “doer” vs. a “watcher” through the game of craps.

Well, the reason you see no [Part 3] is because, frankly, the series was crap. (<< I crack myself up). When I decided that I was not going to finish out the trilogy to complete the whole, I looked at it from two perspectives:

1. Quitting half way through a project can just make you look bad. It comes off as a character flaw, and no one wants to be known as a quitter.

-or-

2. Realizing where your strengths and weaknesses are is important, and correcting what isn’t working sooner than later is just one more key to success (and will ultimately prevent you from wasting time on a project destined to fail).

I chose option number two because it makes more sense to me. Think about it like this: Why would a cable network pull a TV show off the air before the series concluded? Because the TV series in all likelihood sucks, and there is no reason to throw more time and money into a series that no one is watching. Plain and simple – they see their flaw, they listen to their audience, and they do better next time. Hopefully.

Going back to square one isn’t always a bad thing. It’s a chance for a fresh start, a new perspective, and endless opportunities. If you see that something isn’t working, change it.

  • If you’re not getting any bites on your cover letters and resume, change up your job searching techniques.
  • If you’re not closing sales at your job with an important company, talk to someone to help change up your strategies.
  • If you’re working on an artistic project and it’s just not turning out like you’d hoped, start over!

The beauty of starting over is that you already know enough to realize what works and what doesn’t, now all you have to do is switch up the approach to your project. Throw your energy into something worthwhile, and let’s see if something comes of it!


Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein 

Jessie


The Gambling Trilogy [Part 1]: What you can learn from Blackjack


Posted by Jessie Spielvogel

What’s the draw to this crap (pun intended) called “gambling”? 

This is the first of three posts to help you look at your professional and personal life from the perspective of the inner workings of a casino.

This week, I bring you blackjack: my gambling gateway drug, and previous addiction (until I discovered craps).

In blackjack, while on your mission to have the sum of your cards equate to 21, your only competition is the dealer – not the other players at the table – just you, the cards you’re dealt, and the man or women across the table anxiously waiting and hoping to take your dignity. You have tunnel vision and are aiming for 21… you’re aiming to hit a blackjack – to be dealt the perfect hand and feel the sweet satisfaction of immediate success.

Well, here comes a bubble burster: the odds of getting dealt said blackjack are 4.8%. That’s it. 95.2% of the time, you’re going to have to put in a little bit more effort if you expect to truly find success!

So, for your life, what’s the deal? (Pun intended…again)

If you’re only up against the dealer, then who are those people sitting next to you at the table?

Those people are in the same metaphorical situation as you. They are playing with the dealer and only the dealer. They have their own knowledge of the game, their own experiences, and their own views about gambling, just like you do. These tablemates may make a stupid decision like taking a hit with a 13 against an upright four on the dealer’s side (essentially causing you and the rest of the table to epically fail and want to punch him or her in the left eye), but you can’t really do anything about that.

All you can do is play your cards as they were dealt, and play strategically by what your dealer has presented you with.

To quit with the cryptic messaging in this scene, the dealer is your interviewer and potential employer, and your tablemates are your fellow interviewing candidates. Don’t worry about them! Yes, they are technically your competition, but in the end, all you can do is the best that YOU have to offer, and your competition can’t change that.

Now that the players have been identified, and we’ve got the dealer, the tablemates, and yourself, what am I proposing?

The more money on the table, the more you can pocket or lose, right? (Right). I propose that you put yourself out there and take a professional gamble! Don’t be meek or shy about your goals and job search. If you want a particular position, GO FOR IT. If you want 21, take that hit (unless you’re already above 17…then you may want to call it quits). Take big risks, and the rewards may surprise you.

Maybe there is a job you feel you’d be perfect for, but it says that you need 3+ years of experience. Maybe you’re looking to change your career, and you’ve got ample amount of professional years under your belt, but not in this direct field.

Well, amigo… you have to start somewhere.

Apply for the friggin’ job. You can’t get hired without the application, even if it does attempt to deter you by way of listed qualifications.

As Joel Runyon states on his Blog of Impossible Things:

Rules matter far less than you think, and oftentimes, they don’t matter at all. Qualifications are supposed to level the playing field. They make things “fair”. People with the same qualifications are supposed to be rewarded the same, get the same things and act similarly. Those are the rules. That’s how we know it’s fair. One problem. Life is not fair. Read that again. Accept it. Then screw qualifications and break the rules.

Odds:

What are the odds of the dealer winning? What are the odds of “failure?” That depends on how you choose to look at it.

Your hand as the potential candidate needs to wow the dealer (potential employer) in order for you to take home the dough (or for sake of the blackjack metaphor, just be closer to 21 without busting…and get the job you’re applying for).

Here’s the up side: your internships and college experience can be considered. If you impress the company with an outstanding resume, great references, and a SPAHKLING personality, who’s to say you’re not qualified?

I’m not suggesting that you apply for the Vice President of Communications at a Fortune 500 straight out of college; I’m just saying to take a chance on that “three to five years of experience” position, even if you’ve only been out of college for two years.

Potential outcome:

You could bust. You could get a 20 and you could be thinking you’ve got this one in the bag… but then the dealer could take hit after hit, statistically destined to bust, and then pull a 21, completely destroying your hopes and dreams (or just taking your money). Basically, the company could take a look at your resume, see the year you graduated, laugh, and toss that sucker in the trash. Fine. That company was weak sauce anyways.

ORRRRRRR, they could call you in for an interview, you can wow them with your charisma, guts, and ambition, and you could pull that sweet 21. Whatever happens, take the chance. You won’t get anywhere by sitting stagnant, and you’ll at least have the satisfaction of knowing you played the game and did it to the best of your abilities.

What gamble are you going to take this week?

-Jessie


The impact of a handwritten letter


Posted by Jessie Spielvogel

Think about how many emails, Facebook messages, or tweets you scan through on a daily basis. Every single day, we interact with people on a digital platform in some way or another…and after a while, it all starts to blend together into a giant mass of digital communication overload. But how often do you receive a handwritten postcard or letter?

I don’t THINK it’s because I’m a huge loser, (although I could have a very misinterpreted opinion of myself), but I become over-the-top, embarrassingly giddy when I receive any sort of holiday card, post card or handwritten letter via snail mail. I know that this form of correspondence is quickly becoming (or has already become) obsolete, but that’s what makes it even more powerful, now, in 2012.

Now is the time to utilize this resource to your advantage – to send those thank you notes after an interview, to send a “just because I’m thinking of you” card to an old friend or co-worker – before we don’t have it at our disposal anymore, and we lose just one more chance to stand out from the crowd.

Here are some tips for who to consider, and how to approach it when thinking about sending handwritten notes:

Interviewer/Potential Employer

If you are interviewing for a job, in all likelihood, you’re not the only candidate going through the process with the same awesome company. Most candidates will send a follow up email after meeting with potential employers, which is fine… if you want to be LAME. Try sending a handwritten thank you card. Write it the day after your interview so that it arrives 2-3 days later (ish). This gesture stands out, it shows effort, and will most likely give you an extra leg up on your email-sending competition.

Networking Contact

Send a random “just-checking-in” or a thank you letter to a contact you’ve come across during your job search (you still have their business card, right?) Not only is this good networking and professional sense, it’s also a chance to show people that you’re not just completely exploiting them for professional reasons! These cards should be very personalized, as no one likes a generic card (or else you may as well have just sent the email). Maybe this person helped to originally connect you with some job interviews… let them know that you still appreciated their help, no matter how much time has gone by!

Previous Co-interns/Classmates

This is a group that often gets overlooked, and it might be one of the most important ones to include. In college, what people don’t realize is that your classmates are your future colleagues…not just your hungover drinking buddies. These people are going to be most likely to have your back when it comes time to starting a career. They have grown with you throughout your academic and pre-professional development, and generally have a stronger bond with you and other alumni than people you meet outside of these groups. Send a card to stay in touch. Sure, they may think, “what a dork,” after opening it… but they will definitely remember it, smile, and think you’ve got even more charisma for taking the time to send it! These cards can be funny, twisted, sick and/or lighthearted (depending on who it’s for)… no need to be professional and classy ALL the time!

Family/Friends

I include this group because when I receive holiday cards from my friends or family, it puts the biggest smile on my face. Like I said before, I may be a huge weirdo for getting excited about random just-because cards from a parent/aunt/uncle/friend/whatever, but I don’t think I’m the only one! Send a letter and put a smile on someone’s face. (Thank you, Linn, for my postcard from Barcelona)!

Happy letter writing! Hope it works out as I’ve described, or else it makes me look like a huuugeeee *%&$)#*…

-Jessie

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