Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Strangest reasons to miss work

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file000671618538Is work becoming tiresome? Do you need a “mental health day” and a break from your job and co-workers? Sometimes, just calling in sick (cough, cough) doesn’t seem inventive or interesting enough, and you ramp it up a bit by offering a more interesting excuse.

Before you decide to call in sick (when you’re not really sick), or provide another excuse to stay home, keep in mind that some distrusting employers may decide to check up on you. A survey from Career Builder found 30% of employers checked in on employees to make sure they weren’t making up excuses to miss work. The survey found 64% required a doctor’s note for being sick, 48% called the employee during the missed day of work, 19% snooped on social media posts, 17% asked another employee to call the worker and 15% reported that they had driven by the employee’s house. (Presumably to determine if the person was actually at home or not.)

Recently, a man in Florida went so far as to fake a home burglary to avoid going into work. Apparently, he did not know that reporting a false crime was actually illegal; he wound up in jail.

Most people don’t go to such lengths to avoid work, but they do come up with some interesting excuses. Have you ever heard (or used) any of these:

“I was so overwrought because my team lost last night, I just couldn’t get out of bed.” There’s a reason the term “fan” comes from the work “fanatic,” but even the most die-hard fans would balk at this excuse for missing work.

“There was a squirrel in my house and I needed to wait for animal control. They took all day to get there.” It sounds crazy, but it is possible for outdoor animals to find their way into the house. Would you really want to leave home with a squirrel roaming your house? However, if this is true, it may be wise to post some timely pictures on social media of the squirrel chowing down on your cat’s food in the kitchen.

“The cat got out and is hiding under the deck.” If you have animal lovers in your office, they probably wouldn’t expect you to leave your indoor cat outdoors for the day. However, as with the squirrel, you better have some photos, and does it really take you the whole day to rescue your cat?

“There’s a sinkhole in my yard.” What sounds like a crazy excuse could actually be true, but this is pretty easy to confirm, especially if your employer is the “drive by to check on you” type.

“I didn’t have a thing to wear.” Even if you work in a fashion conscious environment, this is unlikely to hold water as a reasonable excuse to stay home from work. Similarly, “I can’t find my shoes” will not garner much sympathy.

“The electricity went out and I can’t open my garage door.” Even if you’re not particularly handy, it shouldn’t be too difficult to disable to automatic garage door. Alternatively, consider other transportation options, such as a cab or a ride with a friend.

Even if you work in a creative industry, make sure you’re using your skills to your advantage, and not to get you in trouble with your boss and colleagues. Don’t be the one in the office best known for reasons NOT to come to work!

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

When you should use “reply all”

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file5551237405366While some say email is a dying breed (some colleges don’t even assign students email addresses), the fact is, many people still rely on email for personal and work communication. Even though this avenue of communication is considered a dinosaur by those shifting to texting or direct messaging for their main modes of keeping in touch, there are still etiquette elements that confuse some users and cause consternation among their peers and colleagues. Chief among them is “reply all.”

Innocuous enough, on the surface, “reply all” is a great convenience. Instead of typing everyone’s email address on a distribution, you can easily send an email to everyone on the list. However, we’ve all heard stories of how things can easily go awry when people mistakenly reply to an entire list instead of one person.

No one likes to get emails they don’t need to see, and even if the solution is a swift tap of the “delete” button, using “reply to all” on email messages can irritate people. Consider these situations and think twice before you send your next email to everyone on the possible recipient list.

> Find a job in communications

Who needs to know?

Do “reply all” when everyone receiving the email really needs to know what you have to say. For example, when your boss asks everyone on the team via email to step up to handle a particular, timely project. Reply to all if you’re volunteering so no one else does extra work you are already handling. However, if you are too busy, or have three other projects on your docket and cannot pick up the extra work, there is no need to reply to all. No one else needs to know what you’re doing; just reply to your boss to let her know you aren’t planning to take on the project unless you hear back from her.

Thanks.

When you’re just saying “thanks,” or a similar message, it’s usually not necessary for everyone to see it. Don’t reply all with inconsequential information or notes; send those directly to the people who need to see them only. Otherwise, you’ll likely inspire everyone else to roll their eyes in disdain when they open your email to find it contains nothing of consequence.

Personal comments.

If you’re adding a personal comment to your note, don’t include it in a “reply to all” message. For example, if you’re asking how a person’s date went last night, or commenting on a particular personal detail, send it only to the person intended, not to the whole office.

Angry emails.

Don’t reply to all if you are angry. Generally, it’s best to avoid responding to anything in writing if you are upset, but it’s even more dangerous to blanket the whole office with an email written in the heat of the moment.

Snarky messages.

By the same token, do not use reply all if you are being snarky, scolding or disrespectful. Keep in mind, anything you put in writing can and will be used against you. Sending a less-than-kind message out to a whole list of people increases the chances that you’ll regret it later.

Bottom line.

Always think before sending a message to a group and ask yourself if anything in the message is appropriate for everyone on the distribution list. Then, question whether or not everyone on the list would appreciate the contents of the information: do they need to have this email? If not, change your reply to reach only the necessary recipients, and everyone will be happier.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

Are recruiters using Facebook?

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file1111243438731Do you know what recruiters like more than anything? Easy access to find quality candidates and few barriers to entry. Do you know one way you can provide this? Use Facebook as a professional platform.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know posting unprofessional information on Facebook can prevent you from landing a job. Employers don’t like profanity, comments about illegal drugs, posts of a sexual nature or excessive misspellings and bad grammar. What they do like, according to Jobvite’s research, is to be able to find you online and to learn about you. If you put time, effort and energy into creating some public information in Facebook, you could find yourself with a new job sooner than you thought.

Recruiters are looking for you.
Recruiters will source new hires where ever they can find them. With the exponential number of people using Facebook and the amount of time they spend there, it isn’t surprising to learn from Undercover Recruiter that 70 percent of recruiters say they connect better with potential jobseekers due to widespread use of Facebook and 85 percent of recruiters using Facebook recommend it as a tool to other recruiters. (Tweet this stat.)

Companies are spending a lot of time, effort and money to connect with you on Facebook. They want you to “like” their career pages, and they hope you’ll post smart messages there. Don’t disappoint them.

Make your information available.
You don’t have to post your vacation photos for everyone to see, but if you want to be found, it’s a good idea to allow certain sections of your Facebook profile to be public, including: Work and Education, Professional Skills and Contact information. Not only will this make it possible for people looking for someone with your skills to find you, it also provides professional information that will help people in your network connect with you when they are in job search mode.

Another benefit of making this data public, it allows you to engage with Glassdoor.com’s“Inside Connections” tool, which provides job seekers access to their Facebook networks to identify people who work at companies with interesting jobs. When people in your network provide public professional data on Facebook, you’ll also be able to access information from friends of friends for networking purposes via this tool. Clearly, making these items public on Facebook helps you be found as well as enhances networking opportunities. Since four in ten job seekers found their favorite or best job through personal connections, don’t ignore this opportunity to tap your online network.

Give them a little something.
Since many recruiters want to know a little something about you beyond what’s on your resume, why not give them a little professional information? Create public updates in your private Facebook page and you have the opportunity to post and share certain items that will be easy for people you do not know to find. This is easy to do.

Follow the link on the top of your Facebook page to check your privacy settings.

Once there, click on the icon that says “Followers” on the left side of the screen. Then, under Who Can Follow Me, select the drop down that says “Everybody.”

This will give you an option to create public updates and for people to “follow” your public updates. Public updates can include links to news about your industry. If you’re in customer service, you can occasionally post a public update about the latest customer service trends. If you are a bank teller, you can post links about your company’s financials.

Answer the key question.
There’s no more important question to answer for job seekers than, “How can I help employers find me?” Facebook could be one way to answer it.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

 

Is it a good idea to work for a friend?

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file9571236549144You need a job, and a friend needs some help. Perhaps it’s a match made in heaven. Or, it’s the beginning of a nightmare you wish you never began. Does working for a friend offer potential or pitfalls?

Is it a good idea to work for a friend? In certain circumstances, where the stars all align, it can be great. If you plan ahead and consider potential pitfalls, you’ll have a better chance of thriving in this work situation.

Consider the worst-case scenario. 
If things don’t work out, how will you feel if you lose the friendship? If you’re considering working for your very best friend, it may be too much of a risk.

What’s your history with the friend? 
One of the good things about working for a friend is that you may be able to rely on your knowledge to predict how she will be as a boss. Use what you know about your friend to decide if your relationship could overcome a professional disagreement or split. Does your friend hold grudges? Is he very dogmatic and only sees things his way? Have you experienced any difficulties or disagreements in your friendship in the past, and were you able to get past them? If your friendship has never been stressed and tested, it may not be the best idea to start now. However, if you know you can argue like cats and dogs and still “kiss and make up,” perhaps it’s worth the risk.

Make sure you are qualified. 
Usually, it’s up to the boss to decide if you’re qualified for the job. However, when you’re considering working for a friend, it’s a good idea to be responsible for figuring out if you’re a good match for the job. (Tweet this thought.) Your friend may give you a generous benefit of the doubt or assume you know certain things you really don’t. Be clear about the job description and how you can help accomplish the goals. If you can’t solve the organization’s problems, don’t take the job.

Get it in writing. 
Nothing is worse than ruining a good friendship over a misunderstanding. If you don’t already have one, ask for a definition of your job in writing. It’s important for everyone to understand what you are hired to do, and having it in writing means there’s no room for questions later.

Expect conflict. 
It’s not unusual for people who know each other well to eliminate professionally appropriate filters from conversation. Expect it will be tense at times. Conflict isn’t always a bad thing, and you can always agree to disagree.

Communicate.
Communicating clearly will be important before you decide to take a job working for your friend, and it will be even more important once you are working for him or her.

Make a well-informed decision. 
Without a crystal ball, you’ll never know if working for a friend will work out or not until you try. Just be sure you don’t go in blindly and overlook potential trouble spots and red flags.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.

Is it okay to swear at work?

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Don't Say That jar, collecting coins for bad wordsIt wouldn’t be surprising if you’ve heard what used to be language reserved for the locker room at work. As what used to be considered vulgar language makes its way into popular culture and finds its way on TV, many believe it’s appropriate for professional settings, too.

Academic research validates that, sometimes, swearing does not negatively affect credibility. Forbes reported on a study by Cory R. Scherer and Brad J. Sagarin, who were at Northern Illinois University. Students listened to three speeches, and the two whose speakers cursed scored as being more persuasive than the speech without curse words.

In their study “Swearing at Work and Permissive Leadership Culture: When Anti-Social Becomes Social and Incivility Is Acceptable,” researchers Yehuda Baruch and Stuart Jenkins, of University of East Anglia in the U.K., discovered that swearing at work can actually help workers bond together, improve team spirit and form relationships. Especially if it’s unexpected, swearing can win attention (both positive and negative) and the user may gain authority, even if just for the moment.

If swearing can win friends and influence people, is it ever a big mistake?

In cases where professionals are expected to refrain from impulsivity, cursing at work may be damaging. If your job is to appear in control at all times, randomly letting out a stream of expletives is not going to enhance your credibility or trustworthiness. Additionally, keep in mind, some will view your use of profanity as a weapon to try to dominate a situation or to aggressively seize power from more polite peers.

There are also gradations of swearing, and some may be more acceptable at work than others. For example, saying, “sh**” after spilling a glass of water on yourself is unlikely to raise many eyebrows. Cursing someone out because they’ve made a mistake, on the other hand, could get you in trouble, even in the most profanity-friendly workplaces.

Should you drop the “F-bomb” at work? Interestingly, a survey on the Today Show’s website suggests no, by a vote of 31% to 69%.

Unless it is clear (for example, in many trading floors in the financial sector or on a loading dock) that swearing is an acceptable and expected way of communicating in your workplace, with so many potential uncertainties, including gender dynamics, individual preferences and the emotional responses possible, the best advice is to use profanity sparingly, if at all, when you’re at work.

Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.