Career Tools

This cast describes when it's okay to disagree with your boss, and how to do it.

This cast describes what to expect of our bosses when it comes to confidentiality of our communications with them.

This cast concludes our conversation on how to dress when giving presentations.

This cast recommends how to dress when giving presentations.

This cast is another in the series of how to answer the main questions that recruiters ask.

This cast is another in the series of how to answer the big 4 questions that recruiters ask.

This cast continues the series of the four questions recruiters will ask you with the second question: "what are you looking for?"

The conclusion of our discussion on how to effectively conduct Meeting Breaks.

This cast describes how to schedule and how to action breaks in meetings.

This cast recommends keeping an ongoing Delta File of changes you will make in the future.

This cast recommends that Generation Y professionals keep their parents out of their careers.

This cast describes how to effectively answer the "What's your current situation?" question from a recruiter.

This cast describes how to effectively answer the "What's your current situation?" question from a recruiter.

Part 2 of our conversation on the basics of Airline Travel.

This cast makes some basic recommendations regarding airline travel for professionals.

This cast concludes our conversation on the Midyear Goals Review.

This cast recommends reviewing our annual performance goals at midyear.

This cast describes how to manage your seating on airlines, because it matters.

This cast describes how to be effective when you are one of several speakers to a larger audience.

This cast recommends changes to resumes based on the 2009 hiring market and beyond.

This cast explains a simple way to stay in touch with your professional network.

This cast explains a simple application of DiSC Behavior on greeting others.

This cast explains how to respond to the announcement of impending layoffs at your firm. This is a long overdue cast, based on comments we get by email and on the forums. Far too many of us respond POORLY to an announcement or rumor of impending layoffs where we work. In fact, it's worse than that . . . MOST of us respond TERRIBLY, and HURT OUR CAREERS in doing so. But there's a better way, and there's a playbook to follow, and guess what? Career Tools has it, and that's what this cast shares.

This cast explains how to respond to requests for 360 degree input.

This cast explains how to respond to requests for 360 degree input.

This cast explains how to respond to requests for 360 degree input. 360 reviews are a powerful - and growing - part of the Human Resources toolbox. They help leadership teams find out what managers and other professionals "really" are like based on input from the people most likely to "know" them: their boss, their peers, and their directs (if they have any), and in some cases other related personnel. Why NOT ask the consumers of a manager's behaviors whether or not he is a good manager? Unfortunately, 360 reviews, as powerful as they are - and done well Manager Tools strongly recommends them - they are fraught with danger. Here's how to navigate them successfully.

This cast concludes our conversation on Press Relations.

The Internet and the explosion of communication media and media forms and software have changed the way most of us in our careers will interact with the press. All of us need some simple guidelines for our relationships with the press, if for no other reason than risk mitigation. We have a lot of straightforward ideas to share, some of which will surprise many of our listeners. Think about that: simple straightforward guidance that surprises...a clear indication that attention must be paid.

The conclusion of our conversation on Audio Visual Equipment Use.

In this cast, we're going to describe how to use the two most common audio-visual tools: slides and flip charts.

This cast explains how to handle exit interviews.

Part 3, and the conclusion, of our series on Attention Management - Distractions.

Part 2 of our series on Attention Management - Distractions.

Most of us do a poor job of managing our time - whoops, that's managing our priorities. None of us actually manage time, right? Time can't be managed. But what we DO with our time we CAN manage. One way we manage our priorities is we choose to schedule those things that we believe are in line with our priorities. An example of that is putting meetings on our calendars that help us accomplish our projects and responsibilities. Makes sense. When we schedule a meeting, we're saying, this is worthy of my attention. We're managing what we attend to, we're managing our attention. But unfortunately many of us, no matter how good we are at scheduling those things to which we wish to attend, also are terrible at managing those things that distract us from our priorities. But if we're going to have plenty of time for what we want to accomplish, we better not only schedule things well, but we ought to avoid distractions. And most of us are terrible at that. This cast recommends specific actions to take to reduce the pain of distractions on our effectiveness.

It seems that a lot of people still don't realize that we're all managing our own careers now. Yes, your organization has some say and power in the equation. But that ability to influence our choices is often misunderstood as managing what job we're in, why we're in it, and what other jobs we can have. And one of the situations that confuses us is when our organization asks us to interview for a job without us applying for it. Maybe we really want the job, maybe we would have never considered it. But when they ask US - when the COMPANY seems to know more than we do, and we don't know what the invite MEANS ... it's confusing. And that's why Career Tools is here: to explain what to do and why.

In this cast, we finish our conversation on how to work with an angry and demeaning boss.

In this cast, we continue with part 4 of our conversation on how to work with an angry and demeaning boss.

In this cast, we continue with part 3 of our conversation on how to work with an angry and demeaning boss.

<p><strong>In this cast, we continue our conversation on how to work with an angry and demeaning boss.</strong></p> <p>In case you missed it, here is part 1 of the series: <a href="http://www.manager-tools.com/2009/02/bad-boss-1-angry-and-demeaning-boss-part-1">Bad Boss #1 - The Angry and Demeaning Boss, Part 1</a></p> <p></p>

<p><strong>This cast explains how to work with an angry and demeaning boss.</strong></p> <p>We wish we didn’t have to do casts like this, but angry and demeaning bosses are a fact of life. And, for most of us, it doesn’t matter how great a boss WE are if we WORK FOR someone who is angry, demeaning, and generally unprofessional. Despite our recommendations to focus on your team, because that’s where the leverage is, OUR boss still exists. And if she’s a jerk, we’ve got to adapt. Here’s how.</p> <p></p>

<p>This cast recommends a simple approach to speed up your fitting in to a new organization and role.</p> <p></p>

<p>This cast explains how to improve an especially important relationship during economic downturns: your boss's peers.</p> <p></p>

<p>This cast explains how to handle gossip in the workplace.</p> <p></p>

<p>This cast describes a recruiting “technique” called the “Dangle”, and how to combat it.</p> <p></p>

<p><strong>This cast explains the SECOND most important behavior or habit to ensure your success as a project team member.</strong></p> <p>It’s one thing to manage a project. But far more of us are ON projects, not managing them. How can we do this while still getting “all of our real work done”?</p> <p>We have a series of recommendations – this is the second one. ;-)</p> <p></p>

<p><strong>This cast explains an effective way to maintain relationships with professional recruiters. </strong> </p> <p>In today’s slow economy, we don’t want to NEED a recruiter and then discover none of them remember us. Almost no one but smart senior executives reach out proactively – but you can do it too. Here’s how.</p> <p></p>

<p><strong>This cast describes the reasons why leaving your company or industry in a downturn CAN be a bad idea, and recommends options to consider in those situations.</strong></p> <p>Too many professionals fail to realize that leaving their company or industry during a downturn has a long-term consequence – executives are expected to have experience navigating all the way through a slowdown.</p> <p></p>

This cast explains an important career search question, and how to answer it: "What do you want to do, and where do you want to do it?" You're going to be asked this question, and you have to know how to answer it, without limiting yourself. It's one of those fleeting career moments whose outcome is defined likely BEFORE the moment arrives.

This cast makes the case for the most important thing you do at the beginning of your professional life: get good grades in College/University. This is the first in a series of what surely will be many Career Tools casts about college and university as preparation for one’s professional adult life. As with so many other [...]

This cast describes a simple way to handle the interviewing question, “What’s your location preference?”