As another month of Jobacle-mania wraps up, here's what's on my mind:

1) Thanks to the ladies at Clearchannel's NewsRadio 740 KTRH in Houston, TX for giving us some love.

2) The time waster of the month has definitely been the Cubicle Freakout Game. How much destruction can you unleash on your cube in the allotted time period?

3) The Working Podcast continues to grow rapidly, especially in Asia!?  For some reason we've been getting a nice clip of traffic from qq.com and music.soso.  I have no idea what they're saying about us...but thank you...I think!  Can anyone translate?

4) An open message to career blogger posers.  You know who you are. Download the 90-second rant.

5) According to a recent Vault survey, 89% of employers are interested in viewing video resumes. If that's the case, we think about 88% of them will be disappointed.

While video has swept the Web, we here at Jobacle still feel the video resume has nowhere to go but up. Vault recently wrapped up their Video Resume Makeover Challenge.  Entrants had to send in a short essay detailing why they were in need of a video resume. Four winners were treated to  a professionally produced video resume, a salon makeover and an expert paper resume review.

Check out the winners.

While the winners look great from an appearance standpoint, they sure do come across as one-dimensional characters.  Which proves our point. If these are "professionally" produced video resumes that are considered cream of the crop - the video resume craze will never catch on.  Oh, and one of the winning videos is from a guy named Ron Studley.  Now that's a name! We'd hire him for that alone.

We don't want to be overly harsh with Vault, since we do think some of the services they provide are better than the competition.  But these "winning" resumes still blow.

6) We're announcing a new contest on Monday with a great prize that's gonna be easy to win.  Please subscribe now so you don't miss out.

We here at Jobacle are on an endless hunt for the perfect resume. And we're pleased to report that so far, it's nowhere to be found. Cue the music, Bob. It's time for the Resume Hunter! Today's lucky contestant is Vinay Pandey of New Delhi.

Fluff: The first thing I gather from this resume is NOTHING. After reading his objective I have no idea what Vinay does or wants to do. Be clear in your objective; especially if you want to work in HR. Also keep it short and to the point, and for God's sake, no run on sentences.

Grammatical errors are completely unacceptable in this day and age. Word processing has come too far to allow misspellings. If anyone can figure out Vinay's objective, please explain it to me because I'm lost. If one has enough technology to post a resume on the Internet, one has the technology to make sure that what they write is grammatically correct. Or at least darn close.

Layout: A Google search of "resume format" garners roughly 22 million results. There is no reason anyone should have a resume that follows no apparent format. There's a fine line between experimentation and a cluster f***. Vinay has the latter on his hands. The Internet offers an enormous amount of free resume samples and layout templates. In today's e-World employers are flooded with potential employment candidates. At some point they have to narrow down the pile, and I can all but guarantee that this resume would be deleted at first glance.

Editing: Take the time to trim the fat. Have someone you trust read the resume over to make sure that you have included what is important. I will assume that a candidate currently pursuing an MBA has graduated high school, right? In fact, the majority of jobs available to those that have not earned a high school diploma or a GED are ones that only require an application to be filled out. Also, declaring that the information that you gave is true to the best of your knowledge is completely suspect and should be omitted. Due to the misuse of capital letters and its disjointed layout, this resume already looks like a ransom note. I would consider dropping the line all together.

This resume smells like it might have come from an agency that promised to find Vinay a job. Well, suspected language barrier aside, he should definitely ask for his money back.

Simply stating that you are pursuing your MBA is not enough. Heck, I'm pursuing Angelina Jolie. That doesn't mean I have a realistic chance of landing her.

Personal History: One has got to keep in mind what information is pertinent to the position being applied for. Something tells me that there isn't an employer in the world that would need to know the names of Vinay's parents. I'm also not a big fan of the hobbies section. If the employer cares they will ask during the interview. The resume is not the place to inform people that you enjoy light music. In fact, that's a personal nugget you should probably keep to yourself - always.

Vinay also boasts of his "ability to interact with people." This isn't a strength, it's an indicator that you are a human being.

Maybe Vinay just isn't that computer savvy. One of his hobbies states how he loves the "inter net."

His address is listed as "Opposite Pushkar Gas." This might be a cultural thing that I shouldn't even point out - but I'm curious - does anyone out there have an answer? Is this the equivalent of listing my address as "across the street from Dairy Queen?"

So there it is folks. I'm sure Vinay is a great guy. An athletic fellow that enjoys light music and loves his parents. Unmarried he may be but not for long, ladies. The point is, an employer should take away a feeling of professionalism and confidence when skimming through a resume. Having parents does not qualify one to work in marketing or human resources, but it just might wind up as material for the Resume Hunter.

As Facebook continues its march towards social networking domination, they are regularly adding career-related applications.  Here's a look at some recently-added employment tools that can help Facebook users land their dream job.

INTERN NATION: College students looking for three credits and employers looking for cheap labor both find love with an internship. An updated list of opportunities can populate within your profile with this app.  Remember, even if you are removed from college, internships can be a great way to make a successful career transition.

JOBSTER: With over 250 partner employers targeting the 18 - 30 demographic, you can connect directly with hiring managers at companies you'd like to work at.  Find openings, learn about recruiting events or convert your profile into an online Jobster resume.

FIND A BETTER JOB: This Career Builder project is designed for job-seeking college students.  Your profile info is scanned and you are matched with job opps.  Then, apply directly from your Facebook profile.  

HOTJOBS: Search for jobs, find out what jobs your friends are searching for and discover where your friends work.  Aside from the normal job hunt, you can also give employers a more revealing look at your friends personalities by participating in career-relating profile polls.  Additionally, users can create a "Companies I Heart" list that has the potential to catch the eye of specific employers.

LINKED IN: The "My Company's Hiring" app lets you broadcast available positions at your company to your friends.

WHEN I GROW UP: It's the question every kid is asked by every adult: What do you want to be when you grow up?  Now you can answer them all at once with this form before function app.  

HOBNOB: Job seekers and employers can create connections by requesting to be friends of a friend.  Sounds like LinkedIn, right?  Yeah, it does to us too.

TECHTRIBE: The LinkedIn of India gets in on the app game by helping you and your friends earn money by referring people you know to jobs available in on the techTribe career networking platform.

Has anyone out there had any luck with career-related Facebook apps?  Please share your story below.  Also, if you'd like to add one to the list, feel free to leave the 411.

I recently purchased a vintage employee handbook from the now defunct Trans World Airlines (TWA). Thumbing through it, secretly hoping to find some ridiculously outdated and outlandish personnel policy, I uncovered what I think is a pretty neat perk: The TWA Suggestion Plan.

The benefit made employees eligible for cash rewards (over $5,000) if their suggestion was adopted and helped make the company money. Folks also won awards if their suggestion had an "intangible value" to the company. That's some serious money in 1965!

Now I can only speak from my experience, which to this point has been: Share an idea // make the company money // get no reward // get no credit. Perhaps it's just the media industry where companies feel your mediocre salary also gives them ownership of your ideas.

Check out the vintage handbook excerpt below.

If your company has a "suggestion plan," we'd love to hear about it.

What are your thoughts? Should companies reward employees for helping them make more money? Or should it be just part of your job?

 

He got his start laying pipe for the Atlas Water and Sewer company.  Eventually, he climbed the ranks, becoming responsible for a staff of 800 and annual revenue exceeding $120 million. His name is Victor Kipling. This is his weekly column.

While the barrage of begging continues year 'round, it is never, ever worse than at Christmas time. Professional solicitors (aka Chariteers) well know, it's the time of year when sentimentality is at its height and common sense at its lowest.

There appears to be no escape from the ongoing charity onslaught.

Turn on the radio, especially during drive time, and you'll be sure to hear either laughing or crying children, and the charities they supposedly represent, wanting you to donate your car to them. Switch on the TV for some mindless, escapist stuff, and you're bound to see some very slickly produced pleas for the homeless, the addicted, the sick or the dying - especially those in some fly infested and far away place. Your mailbox is stuffed with more return address labels than you can ever hope to use, along with ill-fitting T-shirts, pens that don't write, key chains and an assortment of useless miscellania that we usually just call junk. Ushers ask for money at the movies and actors stand at theatre exits preaching aid for AIDS. Don’t even get me started on spam.

Ever been accosted outside a department store or shopping mall by a few thug types, who belch 'Hep save a life' in your face? Oh sure, I know, it's to rehab drug addicts - and if you're feeling intimidated and/or guilty...well, that's just what these guys want. So not only do they bully you into giving them a buck or two, they make you feel like a wimp at the same time.

Really, is this very different from the ever-expanding charity hustle at the office? True, there's usually no physical intimidation between the cubicles. Yet the charity types do indeed play the shame and blame game. And as a result, they just add more unwanted pressure to an already charged environment. Sometimes hiding under a humanitarian wrapper, these pains in the ass get to feel morally superior to their peers. Think about the nerve - wanting you to give your hard-earned cash to a charity of THEIR choice.

You know the drill...Joe Blow from three cubes down the hall is running for some newly discovered medical syndrome next Saturday, while Suzy Q of the HR department will be walking for battered whomevers Tuesday night, and your boss is selling over-priced, stale cookies for his kids private school (where even the janitor makes twice what you do).

These charity solicitations never cease.  In fact, they seem to multiply as newly discovered victims, causes and diseases are found. Despite their denials to the contrary, many of these charities have political, social or other agendas that, if you knew what they were, you may well want to avoid.

And where the hell is your company in all this? Why don't they have a policy, an enforceable one, that stops the so-called do-gooders from invading your space and your privacy? They sure seem to have enough rules about everything else. Why are these self righteous types permitted to run rampant, especially when they should be, well, working?!

In the real spirit of giving, here are some tips to help you cope with this issue, and not be bulldozed into giving away your money when you really don't want to:

> For the bold hearted, you can just say NO, thank you. Actually, this is a good exercise in self-assertion for all of us.

> If you want to still say no, but don't want to look 'bad,' you can say that you're fully subscribed and already donate to the charities of your own choice.

> Sliding down the self-confidence scale, you can always say that you already gave to whatever the charity is.

> And, for the weak among us, you can always weasel out by saying that you're kinda short this month, or that you have a lot of expenses.

> Also, and if you want to know how much of your contribution really goes for the right stuff, and not for admin. overhead, public relations, high salaries and expensive travel costs, do check out CharityNavigator to investigate.

I know, you're a good person who probably has sufficient sympathy for the less fortunate; and that's fine. Donating to charities of your choice is admirable. Allowing yourself to be bullied, shamed or otherwise extorted to give your hard-earned cash where and when you don't want to is anything but fine. It's really a matter of self-esteem. And that's why charity does indeed begin at home.

Thank God, it's the last dance!  The fifth season of Dancing With the Stars (DWTS) is finally over. I don't understand the success of much that's on TV, but this show is an absolute enigma to me.

If at this point you're thinking, 'Andrew, if you hate the show so much, why the hell do you watch it?'  Fair point.  My only response is that it's difficult to avoid when you're wife is addicted to the show and you live in a one-bedroom apartment.

Since I must purge my system of this dreadful show (at least until next season), please allow me to share with you several common themes I've noticed between Dancing With the Stars and working.

The Fix Is In

The premise of the show is that non-dancers get teamed up with a professional to learn how to dance.  We all know that most of the contestants have had some training and/or instruction on the past - but for some unfathomable reason - over 20 million people a week choose to look the other way.  This season's runner up, Mel B. (the irritating Spice Girl who fathered Eddie Murphy's child and then jumped into another marriage), has professionally danced her entire career!  So even though she technically shouldn’t even be on the show - she gets rewarded by almost winning the whole thing.  Next time you get passed up for that well-deserved promotion or rejected for a perk that is extended to others - remember Mel B.  Life isn't fair - especially at the office.

BUT WAIT!  Sometimes life is fair - the finale of Dancing With the Stars just ended and hard worker Helio Castroneves won the mirrored ball trophy thingy.  You can too!  See how far hard work and a glorious smile can get you?!

Who's Judging You?

Well, if it's reality TV, it's likely two men with accents and an eccentric woman.  We're in a society that believes that these judges should be accepted as qualified at face value.  Does anyone even know what any of them have accomplished in the past?

Unfortunately, we're all judged on a regular basis at work by people completely unqualified to do so.  Let's take Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba.  She might be a great choreographer, but lest us forget that she once played "Fook-Yu" in Austin Powers  (watch the video) and spent months sliding down a poll naked (with a shaved head) for Madonna.  So next time she tells someone to 'be more ladylike,' they should tell her to shove it.

Next time you get "judged" by someone who has no clue what they are talking about it, just imagine them sliding down a stripper's pole naked - just like Carrie Ann.

It's Boring

Hundreds of millions of people tune in to watch ballroom dancing.  BALLROOM DANCING!  Who knew that the samba, rumba and Paso Doble would sweep the globe.  If the actual event was boring enough, how hard can a root for celebrities looking to reclaim an ounce of the spotlight.  If you want to learn how to dance, dead famous person, do what everyone else does and go to Arthur Murray on your own dime.

Part of the boredom comes from repetition.  Yes, Marie Osmond fainted.  The clip was played over and over and over again.  That seems to be the formula for DWTS. Every 60-minute episode is filled with at least 20 minutes of content that we've already seen.
 
Next time you're bored at work and history seems to be repeating itself, ask yourself if you rather be dancing.  Probably not.

Muzac

Here's another similarity between work and DWTS: bad music.  Have you ever heard the DWTS band butcher a classic?  Well, if you watch the show, you have.  The music doesn't sound much different than the crap they pump into the elevators.  Heck, it's like a Bar Mitzvah band not knowing when to quit.

Followers

Work, and life, are filled with more followers then leaders.  This is blindingly apparent when the DWTS audience gives standing ovation after standing ovation.  One of the reasons work can suck so bad is because no one will stand up and fight for a change.  Next time you think you can revolutionize things at your job, take a step back and think of an audience.  There's power in numbers - and most people will hang you out to dry.

Not sure if this post even makes sense!  But it was on my mind - so I couldn't resist.

Have you learned any career lessons from Dancing With the Stars?

This is a guest blog post by job hunter Sally Lawton. 

Company: Jiibe.com
Slogan: Company culture
Pros: Empowers the job seeker; Learn more about what YOU want in a job  
Cons: Limited sample size; Can't search geographically; Company write-ups a bit stale

Finding the right job is a lot like finding the right partner. So what happens when you take a job classifieds site like Monster and smash it headfirst into a matchmaking site like eHarmony?  Jiibe.com is born.

Jiibe.com’s defining characteristic is a lengthy personality quiz that examines 18 'critical factors' of employment. By asking questions that compare your current company’s culture to your ideal company’s culture, Jiibe promises to scientifically match you to your next employer. By the end of the compatibility quiz, users will know which cultural characteristics are important to them, and which companies value the same characteristics.  

Once a 'match' is selected, users can then read more about the company, see if there are any job openings, and even reach out to other Jiibe users currently employed there to get the real scoop.

Examples of questions Jiibe asks users include: Does your current manager stay positive under stress?; Are you encourage to take risks?; What is the level of gossip at your current job?

Be getting a peek into what you currently deal with at work - and your feelings about it - both Jiibe and the user get a snapshot of what works and what doesn't.

By thinking in terms of what a job seeker wants in a company rather than what an employer wants in a candidate, Jiibe stands the traditional job search model on its head. Jiibe not only gives power to the job seeker, it makes company-targeted networking a cinch.

Because Jiibe gathers information about companies from its users, it can only provide information about employers that users have contributed. However, as Jiibe grows, this limitation should diminish. Another drawback is that users cannot limit their job searches by city. After an hour of answering the quiz, it was a bit disappointing to see a lengthy list of companies with locations half way across the country.  

While Jiibe has some frustrating elements, it has incredible potential, and seemingly, so do online matchmakers looking to find love between the job seeker and the employer.  Jiibe's success relies heavily on user-generated content.  If they beef up their inventory of information, they will continue to attract users. By requiring companies to meet certain qualifications,  Jiibe might even change the way people look for jobs.

I intend to keep an eye on the site as I push forward with my own job search, and hope that Jiibe matches me to a company in my city.

Tell me if this sounds familiar...

It's 7pm on a Sunday night. You've just finished dinner and you are starting to settle down for the evening. Normally this would be a relaxing time. Maybe you take this time to reflect on the past week, or perhaps settle into your latest Netflix arrival. But this night is somehow different. You suddenly become filled with a certain something.  You can't exactly but your finger on what it is.  Unfortunately, there's a good chance that it's anxiety.

Rather than relax you actually begin to get worked up, even annoyed. It comes in waves and is an overall malaise. This is a serious indicator that you could be experiencing the early warning signs that it's time to leave your job.

At some point most of us will reach this crossroad.  Maybe you're there now but just don't recognize it.   With that in mind here are five surefire signs that it may be time to change your job.

Change in Appearance

This can include weight gain or loss, bags under the eyes or simply an overall devil-may-care attitude towards your appearance. If you've thrown in the towel with regards to your look or you find yourself either unable to eat or rather using food to pacify your angst it may be time to punch up that resume.

Lack of Sleep

Insomnia brought on by the dread you feel waiting for the alarm clock to sound. Even if you do manage to catch a few winks they are often restless and disturbed by nightmares. How do you get these negative dreams to stop?  Read this.

Complaining About Work

Some people just can't leave it at the office. They are defined by their jobs. If you suddenly find yourself
consumed by work and unable to shake the negative attitude you have towards it, you may be heading down a dead-end path.  In many cases, this behavior starts at work with a small clique.  Each member works the other ones up on how horrible  everything job-related is.

Job Search Addiction

You start by checking once a day, then twice a day - before you know it - you're refreshing Monster like a madman.  Before you know it, you're looking to change fields and take a $15k pay cut.  Read more from "Confessions of a Job Search Addict."

Internet Search Balance Shift

Sure, most of us surf the web at some point during our workday if only to check our bank accounts or the weather. But if you find that you are spending more and more time Web window shopping, or treating fantasy football like it was reality football you might as well start clearing out your desk.  Give yourself this one-question quiz: Are you begging to be caught?

It might sound dramatic, but unhappiness at work can quickly lead to anger - which is anxiety's best friend.  And if you're not careful, anxiety will introduce you to his big brother: depression.

There are so many more indicators and solutions, many of which we plan on discussing in the coming weeks.  Please subscribe to the blog and the Working Podcast.

Every Jobacle entry in incomplete until you leave a comment.  Please leave a note on your experiences and warning signs that have not been included above.

If any of the above scenarios sound familiar, you need to learn more about beating the Sunday Night Blues.

Throughout my career I've always been amazed at the lengths employees will go to to avoid talking to their supervisor or boss.  The result: The person in power feels like an outcast - a situation that benefits no one.  Especially you.  I've been on both sides of the fence and trust me, it's time you start chatting up your boss.  Here's why:

Someone who likes you is more apt to help you...

The best career advice is usually simple.  That's why I'll never understand why 10 new employment books come out every hour.  But I digress.  Ask yourself a simple question: Would you rather help someone you like or someone you don't?  If you want to get ahead in your career, you're going to need your boss's support at some level.  Whether it's submitting the paperwork to HR or submitting a proposal to the clowns upstairs, being nice to your boss today will make your life easier tomorrow.

Makes your motives crystal clear...

Chapter Four of the Manager's Handbook reads something like this:

When an employee approaches you regarding a promotion and/or vacancy, be sure to act surprised about their interest, regardless of how long they've been with the organization. Suggested responses include:

"I had no idea you were interested."
"You should have come to me sooner."
"Hang tight. Other things are in the works."

You goal must be to communicate often and early in order to preempt any of the above statements.  You owe it to yourself to figure out what you want and then go for it.  Part of that equation might include telling your boss (and documenting) your intentions.

Eliminates awkwardness of infrequent communication...

The more we do something, the easier it becomes. Repetition breaks down walls of all heights and depths.  Asking your boss for something is never easy. Whether it's for a raise, promotion, reference letter, day off, etc. - odds are - your stomach will be in knots.  Imagine how much more difficult you make things for yourself when you only talk to your boss when you need something.

An added bonus is that you also get to brush up on your 'suit speak.' Leadership speaks another language.  The sooner you speak it fluently, the better chance you have of running with the big boys.  Unfortunately, there's no Rosetta Stone for this dialect.

Helps you learn your enemy...

We hope you get lucky and have a cordial relationship with a boss you genuinely want to talk to.  However, whether it's a love or hate affair, knowing what makes your boss tick works to your advantage.  The only way to uncover that information is to actively engage.  Is he or she religious?  Wealthy?  Ill?  

You will be in a better position to get what you want.  Also, by letting your boss think he/she 'gets you,' will put you in a better position to be a manipulator - and not a manipulatee.

Spreads the word from above...

Another important reason to get along well with your boss is because you want he or she to sing your praises. Your boss has access to the heavy hitters.  These are the people that you want to know your name.  The more you talk with your boss, the better chance you'll have of ending up on the corporate radar - an essential element to move up the ladder.

The bottom line is this: Don't be a kiss ass - but be human.  Your boss has feelings and emotions just like you.  If you think you're not hurting their feelings when you avoid them like the plague - think again.

I hope you see the benefits of regular communication with your boss.  Anyone have anything they'd like to add?

If you like this post, please subscribe! 

An open letter to stores that feel they have to push the envelope this shopping season, specifically on Black Friday:

Dear Kohls/JC Penney,

Congratulations!  You're one-upped your retail counterparts by opening a whole 60 minutes earlier.

As if your employees weren't thankful enough for the crappy pay, lousy uniforms and non-stop Christmas music - now they have the pleasure of reporting for duty at 3am.

I'm sure they'll have plenty of nice things to say about you over Thanksgiving dinner.

Retail giants won't be happy until the PR nightmare hits.  The headline will read something like this:

Family of 3 Killed When Soccer Mom Careens Off Road Rushing to Save 10% on an Irregular Pair of Levi Jeans

Have you guys ever even been out at 4am?  It's dark and lonely.  A time reserved exclusively for silence and 9-1-1 calls.

I get it.  We're a capitalist nation and our economy relies on hardcore holiday shopping.  Or at least that's what the media tells us.  It's up to the folks making $48k a year and $9 an hour to shop 'til they drop.

Maybe this year I'll eat straight through until 4am.  With a tummy full of turkey giblets and cranberry Jell-O, I'll take the maximum number of items into the dressing room and jam a hanger down my throat.  That'll teach these stores a lesson.

Nah, it'll just be the unlucky bastards at work who'd have to clean it up.  I'm sure the only place the CEOs of these companies will be at 4am on Friday is in their beds - where everyone belongs.

I say do your shopping online, and actually enjoy the extended weekend.

Sincerely,
Andrew G.R.
Jobacle.com