Comedian Rob Paravonian has a hilarious bit about a boss telling him to dress for the job he wants, so he shows up in a Cubs uniform. (He wants to play Center Field.) He’s just riffing on one of those pieces of advice that seem to be the default choice when it comes to the concept of “dress for success.” After all, the conventional wisdom goes, you are what you wear.

The truth is, though, that what you wear to work on a day-to-day basis isn’t nearly as important as what you wear for your first job interview. It’s all about the image you project and the right clothes help you project the right image. Where it gets tricky is that corporate culture has changed so much in the last few years that the term “dress code” may not even be in the company manual. (Assuming there IS a company manual.) (more…)

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E-mail is the greatest communication innovation since the invention of the printing press, and I’m not just saying that because I share a surname with the guy who invented it (Ray Tomlinson). But as everyone who uses it knows, there are some pitfalls inherent in the e-mailing process that can sabotage a worker’s reputation faster than getting caught photocopying their rear at the annual Christmas party.

For example, it is way too easy to hit the “reply to all” button and accidentally send an embarrassing message to every single person in the company instead of your best friend who works in shipping and will appreciate your joke at management’s expense. (If you’ve never done it, you don’t use e-mail enough.) (more…)

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Shari has a problem. She likes her job as a magazine advertising accountant. Her salary is good, her benefits decent, and management doesn’t mind if she takes the two weeks of her vacation at the same time. Her problem? It’s becoming increasingly difficult for her to avoid after-hours socializing with the four other women who share her office.

It’s not that she doesn’t like them. In fact, she does her fair share of socializing with them during the work day. (Studies have shown that American workers lose about two hours a day to socializing, a “time wasting” activity that comes in just after “Internet browsing” as a drain on work productivity.) (more…)

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Cece is 52 and has just been laid off from her job as an education specialist for a county school system. She suspects a younger co-worker who had “issues” with her age had something to do with her ouster, but she’s not one to sit around and brood. After taking a week off to watch Ellen and eat junk food, she polished up her resume and hit the job hunting trail.

After six weeks, her optimism is flagging a bit because she’s running into the twin bugaboos of job hunters over the age of 40: she’s over-qualified and, according to prospective employers, overpaid. “I’d be happy to under-report my salary,” she says mournfully, “but everywhere I’ve applied, they want a salary history. What am I supposed to do?” (more…)

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It sounds like an existential query posed late at night after one too many glasses of red wine, but for a job hunter, it’s more of trick question. More and more classified ads–both in print and online–are suggesting you send your resume and your salary requirements. For someone already stressed out by the job hunt, this little exercise in “guess the right answer” is nerve-wracking.

You can usually postpone the compensation question with a sentence or two in your cover letter that suggests you’re looking for a salary in line with your experience. Once you’re on the hot seat, it’s way too easy to be thinking of a number (say “50 thousand”) and then blurt out you’ll take the job for $40,000 because you’re afraid your salary request is too much. Employers are counting on this. They have a vacancy to fill. You want a job. And if you offer to work for ten thousand dollars under the money, they’re not going to object. It’s a lot easier to ask for what you’re worth if you have the facts on the tip of your tongue. (more…)

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