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Unless you're a superhuman, sooner or later you will make a mistake at work. Here are 3 strategies for damage control that won't make you look even worse to co-workers and supervisors. They may even make you look better!   1. You did it, now admit it. The absolute worst thing you can do is to try and cover up, blame someone else or pretend like it's not a big deal. This will only, at best, make you look like you don't care about doing a good job, and at worst, make you enemies. On the other hand, you'll get serious respect if you step up and say, "It was my fault."   2. But don't spill your guts everywhere. The entire workforce doesn't need to know that you screwed up. It's better to quietly inform your immediate supervisor and any directly affected co-workers who might need to help you fix the mistake.   3. Have a plan to fix it. This should actually be step 1. After you fess up, your next sentence should be how you're going to correct your mistake. So have an...

Few things in life are more annoying than to watch your hard-earned money fly back out the door as soon it comes in. Let's see what we can do to keep more of those dollars where they belong: in your pocket.   1. Make interest your #1 enemy. The interest you pay on credit card debt, car loan, mortgage, etc., can add up to thousands of dollars a year. Keep those bloodsuckers out of your bank account! Don't buy anything with a credit card unless it's a real emergency, or you know for sure you can pay the entire balance when the bill comes. Get lower interest rates on loans by improving your credit score. Pay those bills on time, especially the ones you know will tell on you to the reporting agencies. (Get your report to see who they are.) Prepay your mortgage principle a little bit every month. Plug your numbers into an online mortgage calculator to find out how much you'll save; it could well be five figures.   2. Trim car expenses. Shop around for the lowest gas...

Yes, even your boss is human and sometimes makes mistakes. If it's a mistake that could impact the company's business and/or its customers, you should definitely try and do damage control, even if it means telling your boss he/she is wrong.   And yes, it can usually be done without damaging your own career. Here's how:   1. Be discreet. Never call attention to your supervisor's mistake in front of other people, whether they are superiors or subordinates. And definitely don't talk about it behind his/her back. Causing embarrassment won't get you anywhere, except possibly out the door. Instead, ask for a couple of minutes private discussion, or send an email.   2. Be respectful. Nobody likes to be corrected. Don't make the situation even worse with a know-it-all attitude. Start your comment with a "compromise" phrase that allows your boss to acknowledge the error with dignity. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you used last year's production figures instead of this...

If you hired temporary or permanent staff for the holidays, now is the time to assess how well it worked for you. And if you didn't, here are some great reasons to think about doing so next time.   Use — Instead of Lose — the Annual Hiring Budget If your budget is tied to the calendar year, you might have unspent reserves that you shouldn't let slip through your fingers. This is especially true if you're reasonably sure you'll need to do some significant recruiting in the near future; by starting in Q4, you can spread the expense over two budget years.   Get First — and Only — Crack at the Best Employee Material Many recruiters, and job seekers, go into a holding pattern for the holidays. Those candidates who don't slack off now demonstrate a superior work ethic; and if you are equally persistent, you can snap them up with virtually no competition.   Test Drive Temporary Workers for Permanent Positions Lucky you if your business needs to bring in extra help for the...

Think you deserve a raise or a promotion? Well, the reality is, you probably won't get one unless you ask for it.   Gone are the days of automatic yearly increases for all employees. You might think this trend started with the recent economic crunch, but it actually goes back long before that. We'll save the reasons behind it for another article; what you want to know right now is how to get more money in your pocket every payday.   1. Don't ask during your performance review. For one thing, many companies have already finalized their payroll budget before they start holding annual employee reviews. This makes it easy for them to tell you it's too late to change anything. Try to schedule your salary meeting two months in advance of your normal review month.   Also, the review is often focused on things the employee needs to improve; or, in less politically correct wording, what you did wrong last year. You want your salary conversation to be all about what you did right....

As we've mentioned before, almost all hiring managers now check a job candidate's social media pages before making an offer, sometimes even before asking for an interview. Do you want their first look at you to be: (A) you in your teeny tiny tank top partying the night away, or (B) you dressed and posed like the highly paid professional you hope to become?   We suggest that you invest a bit of time and money in getting a classic profile photo you can be proud of, and use for years to come. If it gets employers to take you seriously when they didn't before, it could pay for itself many times over.   Here are a few tips for the perfect profile picture:   No selfies. Bite the bullet and shell out for a professional quality portrait. Even a cheap passport/ID photographer has better lighting and camera equipment — and the knowledge to use them — than you do.   No wing men/women. This is one of the most frequent problems with your average Facebook profile photo. Having...

Sometimes job seekers do things with the best of intentions, but their actions give a completely different impression from what they meant. Let's look at our top 3 unintentional resume and interview fails, and see if they seem familiar.   Being a comedian. "Objective: to claw my way to the top by any underhanded means necessary, and then rule with a benevolent hand, spreading peace and justice." That's an actual quote from a resume.   The writer probably thought he was being witty and standing out from the crowd. But how did he come across to the recruiter? He failed on two counts: he did not provide the necessary information about himself, and he gave the impression that he did not take the job opportunity seriously.   It would have been far better to skip the humor and stick to what the employer was looking for: reasons why hiring this candidate would benefit the company the most.   Being a distraction. By that we mean anything that distracts the hiring manager's...

People will say them behind your back. They may even say them to your face. Either way, these 5 words could spell the end of your chances for promotions, raises and good relationships with your peers.   Selfish If this is said about you it could mean several things: you've taken the credit for work that was done by the whole team; refused to help out when a team member was overloaded; or even hogged the office supplies.   Lazy Do you habitually come in late and/or sneak out early? Take a lot of sick days? Spend your slow times making personal phone calls instead of finding something work-related to do? Have the lowest productivity rating of your group?   Rude This generally boils down to being inconsiderate of people's needs and feelings. Forgetting to always say "please" and "thank you" might not be a deal breaker, but constantly interrupting and not letting others talk definitely is.   Angry Yeah, sometimes you have to stick up for what you believe is right....

You've worked hard to present yourself and your qualifications as perfectly as possible. You've handled the interview well, and believe you've given them good reasons why they should want you to work for them.   But did you find out whether YOU want to work for them?   Most job applicants are so focused on making a good impression that they get tunnel vision while they're on company property: they see nothing but the interviewer and his/her reactions to what they're saying.   Big mistake! Next time you go on an interview, keep your eyes open to what kind of a work environment you might be getting into. Then you can decide whether it's a culture you'll be comfortable with, or whether you'll be wanting out in a few months.   When you pass employees in the hall, do their smiles look fake or real (or non-existent)? Is the atmosphere casual and fun, or serious and business-like? Is there a lot of movement and collaboration going on, or is everyone glued to their work...

Interviewers love to ask this question. Why? Because it reveals more about the job candidate than you might think.   If you can come up with a good answer, it tells them that you (A) can think on your feet, and (B) understand the needs of the job and company you're interviewing for. Read through the following tips and you'll see what we mean.   1. Be prepared. Hesitating or stammering when this question is thrown at you will give the impression that you lack awareness both of yourself and the job requirements. Memorize an opening statement that you can deliver quickly and confidently.   2. Keep it short. We believe your first response should be no longer than a TV commercial: 30 seconds. If the interviewer wants you to go into more detail about a particular point, he/she will ask.   3. Make it all about them. Remember, you're there to sell yourself as the answer to their problem: which candidate will be the biggest asset to their company. Information about your...