You already know nothing is more valuable than a good first impression. What should you do if you arrived late, stuck your foot in your mouth or just weren’t feeling like your usual self during that first encounter? Should you throw in the towel and accept your fate? Absolutely not! Even though research supports the difficulty in overcoming a negative first impression, you can take action to up the odds of getting back in someone’s good graces.
Has e-mail become so ubiquitous that it has changed the way we craft business correspondence? That’s what admins recently debated on our
Admin Pro Forum. Some suspected that writing “Dear” or “Very truly yours” has become too old-fashioned for digital—or even printed—correspondence. A bevy of self-proclaimed “old-school” admins protested.
When used incorrectly, apostrophes are a huge annoyance for readers such as Lynn Crocker of Comcast Spotlight. “What drives me nuts is people using apostrophes for plural things,” she says. “I’ve even seen people make signs that say, ‘We make key’s!’” Make sure you aren’t using apostrophes recklessly. Some tips:
It’s a myth that good work makes a good career—rather, good office politics makes a good career, says career columnist Penelope Trunk. Here’s are four common-sense rules to follow. They’ll make people want to work with you, and boost your credibility and influence in the process.
What can you do about the younger boss who ignores your experience? That was the question an admin reader posted recently on our
Admin Pro Forum. She writes, “Most of our managers are younger and think they know everything. They tend to listen to the younger, fresh-out-of-college administrators.” Readers weighed in with their advice:
In business writing, you don’t receive extra credit for slathering your sentences with fancy phrases, the way you did in college. Do that in a memo, and you can expect eyes to glaze over. What you cut from your writing is often more important than what you add to it, says Jane Dominguez of The Write Business Advantage. Trim the clutter from business writing with her tips:
When you first see “FW:” in your
e-mail inbox, you never know whether the sender is sharing something useful or frivolous. Use the “forward” button wisely, and you can connect others with valuable information or make a new, prized introduction. Keep these three tips in mind:
A new academic study finds that people who get along with their co-workers deal better with life’s stresses. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, also looked at the connection between work stress and depression.
Question: “After making a career change, I am six weeks into a new job at a large health care company. I hope to be promoted to a specific position in the next three years. In trying to get ahead, I understand the importance of all the basic stuff, like good attendance, proper dress, meeting deadlines and so forth. But can you suggest any other smart moves for career-minded new employees?”
Some online tools allow you to say something to work colleagues anonymously, such as
Anonymous Employee or
TxtEmNow.com. The trouble with this sort of anonymity is that it doesn’t allow you to fully resolve a problem.
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