The Gossiper, The Slacker, The Hypochondriac, The Kiss-ass?

SnagAJob.com, a job site for hourly workers, recently conducted an online poll to find just how Americans rate office stereotypes on the irritation scale. According to the 7,000 people who responded to the poll last month, the “slacker” and the “kiss-up” tied for the most annoying person to work with. Third on the list of annoying co-workers was the “gossip hound,” which 18.4% said was the most annoying co-worker. The “loud talker” was deemed most annoying by 11.8% of participants and the “hypochondriac” was ranked worst by 4.6%.

How To Handle The Annoying

1. The Loud Phone-Talker.  Obviously the first step is to pull them aside quietly and ask them to lower their voice when using the phone. Or you can hold up a sign that says, ‘Please turn volume down’.
2. The Hang-Arounder.  When confronting the co-worker who chronically lingers to chat when you’re busy, try standing up when they enter your office or cube. The unspoken message of your body language will clearly tell him or her to keep it brief and head for the door.
3. The Idea Stealer. There is a strong possibility that this thief can’t distinguish between a good idea and a bad one. Somewhere along the way, slip in a really bad idea and let the jerk steal that. Beware that this might only encourage the thief to become worse.
4. The Bully. Remember, you’re not in high school anymore. Hold your ground and refuse to be bullied. They’ll usually back off over time.

Difficult people don’t always know they’re being difficult. People generally don’t have a very high level of self-awareness, so specific and constructive feedback is important. Try to understand where the behavior is coming from, and tailor your response to that.

People will pay a premium for a language

For jobs in finance and sales, learning key languages (such as Mandarin, Arabic and Japanese) could give you an advantage. Workers who depend on commissions or are looking to introduce products overseas could also benefit, experts say. But bilingualism doesn’t come cheap. You’ll have to spend anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 or more for classes that will give you proficiency in a second language. Those who only speak English can get by in the business world. But if you’re going to study another language, some may be more helpful to your career than others.

Mandarin can be particularly useful, especially in fields such as manufacturing.  People with Chinese language skills are very much in demand. That definitely becomes in your favor when you’re negotiating salary increases. Financial-services professionals could benefit from leaning another language. There’s a lot of deal making around the world. Unless your company funds your instruction, picking up a language could be financially daunting.

A 10-week group class for two to four students costs about $1,500. The Boston Language Institute charges $499 per level — it provides five levels of instruction plus a conversational class — for its group Mandarin classes. Arabic will set you back $599 per level. “In most cases people come here on their own volition…sometimes reimbursed by their companies, sometimes not,” said Siri Karm Singh Khalsa, president of the institute. Many employers might not have a policy that dictates paying more for bilingual workers, says Kurt Ronn, founder of professional-level recruitment firm HRworks. “But if you’re bilingual, that’s going to make you a more desirable candidate. You have a better chance of getting the position and being successful,” he says. Experts also recommend taking time to learn cultural nuances, which can be just as important as speaking a language if you’re looking to close deals.

Some Stores Can Make As Much As 500% Interest

Payday loans. They’re either a quick cash solution when money’s tight, or a business that preys on the poor. Here’s what three employees in the industry had to say:

• Bill Harrod was a payday loan manager for 10 months and says he was trained to target a specific community. Bill Harrod, Former Payday Loan Manager: “My company was deliberately targeting minority people for a continuous loan process that they would never, ever get out of.”
• Cameron Blakely, Former Payday Loan Store Manager: “Our borrowers were like indentured servants. They work, they work, but each payday we claimed a piece of their paycheck. Every paycheck.”
• Mike Donovan, Former Payday Loan District Manager: “The average Check ‘n Go customer in Washington, D.C. is continuously in debt to the company for over a year. We train our sales staff to keep customers dependent. The repeat borrower is vital to our business model.”

Turn That Sick Frown Into A Healthy Smile

With the long hours most of us put in at the office these days, spending more time at your desk means a greater chance of germ build-up–and illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cold season typically lasts anywhere from late December through March, but peaks in February. We’ve heard plenty of antibacterial products promising to keep our homes and offices cleaner. But do they really work? Just how effective are these products in preventing the spread of germs, and ultimately, illness?

Entrepreneur Magazine consulted with Dr. Charles P. Gerba from the University of Arizona at Tucson to get the truth about germs in the workplace. Gerba has learned that many factors go into creating a germy office–from office location to gender to occupation. From his studies, Gerba has discovered that in most work environments, offices and cubicles have higher bacteria levels than surfaces in common areas. What spot in your office space is friendliest to germs? Telephones topped the charts in most offices across the United States, followed by desks and computer keyboards.

Here’s the average number of bacteria per surface:

Phone: 25,127

Desk: 20,961

Keyboard:  3,295

Mouse:  1,676

Fax Machine:  301

Copy Machine:  69

Men’s Toilet Seat: 49

According to Gerba, East Coast offices win the germiest title, hands-down. “The dirtiest offices are on the East Coast since people are in larger buildings and tend to bring food to their desks more often,” Gerba says. “East Coasters also tend to spend more time indoors due to the bad weather.” Which Eastern city tops the charts as being the best environment for bacteria to grow? Gerba says that New York is Germ City, with Chicago coming in a close second. On the other hand, the cleanest offices can be found in San Francisco and Tucson, Arizona.

Interesting Facts:

• Women’s offices were nearly three times higher than in men’s offices. 
• Men’s wallets were the single germiest item in any office

 How To Keep Yourself From Catching Anything

• Wipe down your desk and surrounding items with a disinfecting wipe once a week.
• Keep a hand sanitizer at your desk and use it throughout the day.
• If you tend to eat at your desk on a regular basis, think again–this behavior is inviting bacteria to grow at your fingertips.
• Wash coffee mugs and glasses on a regular basis.
• If you’re sick, don’t go to work.

72 Hours In Los Angeles

Drivers waste nearly an entire work week each year sitting in traffic on the way to and from their jobs, according to a national study released Tuesday. The nation’s drivers languished in traffic delays for a total of 4.2 billion hours in 2005, up from 4 billion the year before, according to the Texas Traffic Institute’s urban mobility report. That’s about 38 hours per driver. The study estimates that drivers wasted 2.9 billion gallons of fuel while sitting in traffic. That’s about 26 gallons a year per driver.

The Los Angeles metro area had the worst congestion, delaying drivers an average of 72 hours a year. It was followed by Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas and San Diego. The least congested metro areas were Spokane, Wash., and Brownsville, Texas, where drivers were delayed an average of eight hours a year.

Ever have a desire to really separate yourself from the pack when trying to get a job?

We’re not talking using creme paper for your resume versus standard white, but something much more extreme. Job hunters feel compelled to use creative tactics to stand out, but while a rare few succeed, most fail miserably. A junior marketing professional tried sending his resume to a company hiring manager via homing pigeon, says Cynthia Shapiro, a job-search coach. “It’s really disheartening when you send your resume out there and you get nothing in return,” she notes. “It just makes people feel like they have to do something crazy to get noticed.”

What are some of the extremes people have gone through for recognition?

• Ms. Shapiro says a job hunter in a gorilla suit once dropped off his resume at her office at a construction company. Then, she recalls, he burst into a song describing why he would make a strong candidate. Approaching recruiters in a social setting about job opportunities is also unwise.
• One recruiter was cornered by a job hunter as she was searching for a seat at her daughter’s high-school volleyball game. An acceptable alternative would have been to ask to meet in a business setting at a later date.
• Another strategy sometimes used by job seekers is to send a recruiter a cover letter inside an unsealed envelope with no resume. The goal is to make it appear that the person’s resume fell out, prompting the recruiter to personally follow up, but this can also leave the impression that the job seeker is deceptive, incompetent or careless.
• Some job seekers regularly email recruiters jokes, goofy photos or other unprofessional items just to stay on their radar.
• Others send their resumes about once a month, noting that they made a change to the document even though the edits are usually minor.
• Job candidates have also been known to offer recruiters free tickets to concerts or other events during interviews. Others send thank-you letters with a fruit basket or a bottle of champagne attached. Such actions are tantamount to bribery, which can be an automatic knock-out factor.
• One recruiter once received a resume with two Pepto-Bismol tablets attached and a note that read: “I’m one candidate that won’t nauseate you. However, since I don’t know how the rest of your day is going, accept some relief, compliments of me.”

If you decide try something risky in order to stand out, it’s recommended that job seekers research recruiters’ personal interests to identify ways to grab their attention using resources like the networking Web site or simply Googling. Recruiters in creative industries like advertising, marketing and public relations may be more receptive to gimmicks than others. One easy way to stand out is to include a link to a personal Web site or blog in an email resume. Just be sure the content on the site is appropriate. Consider sending recruiters a card for a nondenominational holiday such as New Year’s to remind them about your interest.

Company blog can be a great way to get your message out

Blogs are becoming popular in the business world. Experts believe that the trend will continue and that companies should at least monitor blogs to learn what’s being said about their products and services. That being said, why not share your thoughts through a CEO blog or company blog that’s visible to your customers, clients and others who might become inspired by your entrepreneurial wisdom? If you have the time and inclination to start your own blog, the result could be increased business visibility, excited audiences and added revenue. Here are 10 things to consider before beginning your blog.

• Determine what you have to offer. You have learned plenty of lessons along the way, some of them the hard way. You could use your blog to shed light on the complexities of running a small business, which can add to your credibility and create added exposure for your company. 
• Decide whether your blog will be a marketing tool. Blogs are both far-reaching and cheap to produce and maintain. They might not be a substitute for traditional marketing materials like press releases and direct mail.
• Define your editorial vision. There’s a lot of work to do before you start your blog. First, shape the editorial policy. How often will you publish? What will be the tone of your messages? What kind of content will you include? 
• Consider the content. Your blog might include industry trends, hot topic news, interviews with other industry leaders, your position on industry issues, innovations in your industry or company, book and article reviews, case studies, shared experiences and lessons learned, and links and downloads to related subjects that might be important to your readers.
• Share your thought leadership. If you want to be a leader, you need to get others to buy into your ideas. That means writing about the sound tactics you’ve used to position, promote and reinforce your credibility within your company and, more importantly, within your marketplace. Everyone loves to get valuable information for free, and if you’re willing and able to provide it, that can only mean good exposure for you and your business. 
• Be a credible source. Remember that as soon as you put something in writing, it lives forever. So be careful about what you write. If you want to stray from your personal experiences and opinions, consider devoting a section of your blog to breaking industry news, vital facts and key findings. 
• Decide who will be the writer. Will you be the blog’s sole writer, or can your team and staff also make contributions? If a team is producing your blog, you may want to consider holding weekly editorial meetings to brainstorm ideas and give out writing assignments. 
• Choose your partnerships wisely. You’ll want to consider which outside sources you want to share links with. Doing so is a great way to create cross traffic and to ultimately increase traffic to your blog. Consider who your customers are and what other blogs they might be interested in.
• Learn how to engage your readers. Your blog’s success will depend on the number of readers you have, and increasing their numbers is a matter of motivating them to come back time and again. You may want to provide access via links to recent topics, highlights, sub-topics and monthly archives. A little humor never hurts, either. 
• Know what matters to your readers. This kind of blog is all about sharing what you know, including your experiences and knowledge, with a wider audience. Do this, and do it well, and they’ll come back to read your future good ideas.

Brett Steenbarger’s two cents

Responding to his column on creating change through powerful emotional experiences, Brett Steenbarger’s reader indicated that his dreams of trading riches had died and that he had to “just be happy with the person I am“. Here’s what good ‘ol Brett had to say:

So let me start by saying that I have felt much the same feeling. There’s a part of me that would love to be a super-successful trader, even as I know deep within myself that this is neither where my greatest talents nor passions lie. It must be how many decent college basketball and football players feel. They’ve excelled in high school and made it to their university teams, but they never quite make it to the pros. They’re good–but they’re not among the elite. Those dreams of success in the “big leagues” can be difficult to put aside. Some of those competent college players–Bob Knight, Dean Smith, and Jim Boeheim in the basketball ranks come to mind–end up becoming superlative at coaching.

They’ve made the transition from mourning the loss of a dream to crafting a new one. Most important, they’ve brought something from their first, sports endeavors (discipline, competitive drive, self-development) to their new pursuits. So, hopefully, it can be with trading.When the trading dream dies, it is a loss and that can feel depressing. The challenge is to figure out how that trading experience is going to equip you for the next dream, the next pursuit that may be better suited to you and your talents and interests.

My experience, particularly with young traders, is that trading often doesn’t express a dream. A dream is what motivates an entrepreneur: someone who founds their own business, develops their own products, and spends long hours refining those, marketing them, and finding financing for growth. For many young traders, however, trading is a fantasy. It is not connected to a concrete business plan, and it certainly is not accompanied by long hours of dedicated effort. What makes it a fantasy is that it is an effort to achieve success without such effort. When that fantasy dies, it opens the door to reality. That is sobering, to be sure. But it is also the first step in finding oneself: discovering a career and calling that are so meaningful and stimulating that the real work necessary for success won’t feel like work at all.

Her Site Whateverlife.com Is a Hit For Teenage Girls

Fast Company published a fairly long article in the September edition of their magazine about the 17-year old Ashley Qualls. At 17 going on 37 (at least), Ashley is very much an Internet professional. In the less than two years since Whateverlife took off, she has dropped out of high school, bought a house, and rejected offers to buy her young company. Although Ashley was flattered to be offered $1.5 million and a car of her choice–as long as the price tag wasn’t more than $100,000–she responded, in effect, Whatever.

Ashley is evidence of the meritocracy on the Internet that allows even companies run by neophyte entrepreneurs to compete, regardless of funding, location, size, or experience. She has taken in more than $1 million, thanks to a now-familiar Web-friendly business model. Her MySpace page layouts are available for the bargain price of…nothing. They’re free for the taking. Her only significant source of revenue so far is advertising.

I’m doing what everyone says they want to do, “live like there’s no tomorrow.” –says Ashley in her blog.

Requirement To Start Company: Laptop and Good Idea

In the old days, the entrepreneurial avenues that were open to minors could have been a paper route, mowing the lawns in your neighborhood, or a lemonade stand. But thanks to cheap bandwidth, online advertising, broadband access, and the ability to spread ideas through blogs or social networks, younger and younger people with little funding and few connections have been starting Internet-related companies in recent years.

In ninth grade, Zaid Farooqui cofounded Web design company Cyquester Technologies and hired an employee in India for $400 a month. In tenth grade, Steven Bao sold a Facebook program to a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and started the Facebook Developers Meetups in Boston this summer. Entrepreneurs who launch companies in puberty are anomalies, but the Web has lowered the bar for people with skills and ideas. People don’t need a development team or a big budget - they just need a good idea and a laptop.

Y Combinator, started by entrepreneurs in 2005, introduces founders to investors, and doles out funds to the budding moguls who participate in its weekly dinners, giving striving entrepreneurs a community. Typically, the firm provides startups $5,000, plus $5,000 per founder, in exchange for a 6% stake in each company. The average entrepreneur in a Y Combinator session is 25, and he or she does not need an advanced degree, connections, or work experience. Jessica Livingston, a cofounder, said that there’s a trend of younger people launching startups.  “It was cheaper to start one, and you don’t need to ask permission” from investors, she said.

Steps To Sell Your Business

Although many formulas and tools can help you determine the selling price for your small business, there is no magical solution that will come up with the correct price for every instance. The final price ultimately depends on how badly the buyer wants to buy and how strongly the seller wants to sell. There are a number of ways to value your company and determine your asking price. For example, find out the selling prices of similar businesses in your area and use them as a starting point. Or contact the national trade association for your industry, when applicable. These organizations usually keep detailed statistics and are more than willing to provide information to members or potential members.You can also hire a professional business appraiser. This may lend more credibility to your initial asking price and allow you to keep the reins on sale-price negotiations.Common valuation methods include:

• Market-based valuation. This method is frequently used by business brokers and is based on their past experiences selling similar businesses. The broker may recommend an asking price based on the sale prices of similar businesses in your area and industry. Although this is not a comprehensive valuation tool, it is common practice for the sale of small businesses because it is quick, inexpensive and makes sense to buyers.

• Asset-based valuation. This takes into account figures such as the book value and liquidation value of the business. These are considered bare minimums in business appraisals and are not generally used as the sole path to an asking price.

• Earnings-based valuation. This method uses historical financial figures, including debt payments, cash flows (past, present and projected) and revenue. Earnings-based valuations are often combined with asset-based valuations for a more-inclusive appraisal.

When preparing your business for sale, present the most accurate, up-to-date information for prospective buyers. A selling memorandum is a marketing piece designed to highlight all aspects of your business, including:   The products or services you provide, How you have fared in the industry, Your competition, Operational procedures, Management, Employees, Marketing materials and History of the business. Once you’ve sold your business, notify your insurers. They will want to know about any liabilities that could arise once you’re no longer in business. You may need to return the original policy or sign a “policy release” or “lost policy release.” But consult with your attorney before signing anything. You also will be responsible for paying any unearned premium.

Take A Good Look At Your Industry And See What Needs Some Innovating

Mature companies understand that to compete today they need to innovate. But finding sources of innovation while still paying attention to the current business can be a struggle. The good news, says Harvard Business School professor Lynda M. Applegate, is that one of the forces that threatens established companies can also be a source of salvation: disruptive change.This excerpt from a recent presentation encourages executives to leverage disruptive change as a platform for innovation. Innovation is not an option today. This interest in innovation is confirmed by an IBM study in 2006 that asked over 750 CEOs of the world’s largest and most respected firms, “What’s the extent of change that you need to make in the next 2 years?” The answer surprised them. They knew that innovation was important, but 65% of the CEOs said they were planning significant change over the next 2 years, and another 22% said they planned to implement moderate change. Clearly, jumpstarting innovation is a critical business imperative. Executives realize that radical change is needed, and they do not feel equipped to make those changes. Almost 50% of the CEOs surveyed in the IBM study said the source of innovation was from changes in the business environment. Disruptions in the business environment cause economic shifts that destabilize industries, companies, and even countries.

What are some of the disruptors that innovators are exploiting to create value? As you review the list below, take a moment to stop and think: What are some of the disruptive changes in your industry that might serve as the source of innovation for you and your company? Each topic can pose as an opportunity or as a threat.

Technology: What are the key emerging technologies, and how are they being used inside and outside your industry, company, and region to create proprietary advantage?

Business Models: Are there new business models emerging that you can adopt or adapt to deliver radical improvements in the way you and others do business? Can you expand not just your “share of market” but also your “share of wallet” by adding new business models? Can you expand into adjacent businesses by either taking over activities that used to be done by someone else in your industry, expanding into new markets, or adding new products?

Industry Dynamics: Are there fragmented industries where significant value can be delivered through consolidation?

Globalization: What’s happening in another part of the world that you could adopt or adapt in your environment? What are the proprietary advantages that you have based on your access to people, information, materials, or capital?

Offshoring and Outsourcing: Are there opportunities to create value by outsourcing or offshoring activities that you currently perform inside your organization?

Different Approaches
Entrepreneurs often view disruptive change as a source of opportunity. When they see a disrupted business environment—whether that disruption is from new technologies, new business models, or new regulations—they ask, “How can I leverage these changes to create value?” Established companies often approach innovation and disruption much differently. Having worked hard to align strategy and organization to support the current business, they develop tunnel vision, encouraging employees, customers, suppliers, and partners to work together to deliver today’s business results. As a result, executives in established firms often frame disruption as a threat. When they see changes happening, they work to defend their existing business model and ask, “How can I insulate against these disruptive threats and preserve my current business model?”

As disruptive technologies, business models, regulatory environments, and societal norms destabilize markets, industries, and organizations, executives are finding that incremental innovation is not enough. The good news is that these disruptive shifts are the perfect place to search for opportunities. The key is knowing where to look, how to interpret what you see, and then how to manage uncertainty as you exploit opportunity.

Find That Bully From High School

Searching for a someone who owes you money or a long lost classmate? Rather than scouring the entire Internet, these search engines troll only Web sites that are rich with personal information. The results they provide are individual profiles coupled with links to where users can find more details. The goal is to cut through the clutter that Google and other general-purpose search engines sometimes offer when users enter the name of a friend, co-worker or celebrity.In addition, the information the search engines provide isn’t always reliable.

The results occasionally include fake profiles or profiles of people who are only tangentially related to a query. Rather than scouring the entire Internet, these search engines look only at Web sites rich with personal information, like Wikipedia, MySpace, LinkedIn and Friendster. Lists of keywords, or tags, that the engines automatically generate for individuals, based on what’s online about them, are sometimes unflattering. Someone who has written about child abuse, for example, may be linked with the tag “pedophile.” Policies for removing inaccurate or embarrassing material vary. Spock allows users to vote down an image or tag so that it isn’t as prominent. Go ahead, find someone…

Spock ( www.spock.com)

Wink ( www.wink.com)

Zoominfo ( www.zoominfo.com)

Just don’t get too carried away: Stalking is a serious crime in every state.

Simple And Straight Forward Career Advice

Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, reflects on his own career (which includes majoring in economics, picking up an MBA, and working at a bank and a phone company before becoming a world-renowned cartoonist) and gives his thoughts on what it takes to develop a successful career.

For every person who studies something specific, such as the law or medicine, and actually ended up in that sort of career, I think there are five who let chance pick their careers. That works out more often than you’d think, but you can’t recommend it as a career strategy. Instead, I recommend a general formula for success. Allow me to explain.

If you want an average successful life, it doesn’t take much planning. Just stay out of trouble, go to school, and apply for jobs you might like. But if you want something extraordinary, you have two paths:

1. Become the best at one specific thing.
2. Become very good (top 25%) at two or more things.

The first strategy is difficult to the point of near impossibility. Few people will ever play in the NBA or make a platinum album. I don’t recommend anyone even try. The second strategy is fairly easy. Everyone has at least a few areas in which they could be in the top 25% with some effort.  I always advise young people to become good public speakers (top 25%). Anyone can do it with practice. If you add that talent to any other, suddenly you’re the boss of the people who have only one skill. Or get a degree in business on top of your engineering degree, law degree, medical degree, science degree, or whatever. Suddenly you’re in charge, or maybe you’re starting your own company using your combined knowledge.

Capitalism rewards things that are both rare and valuable. You make yourself rare by combining two or more “pretty goods” until no one else has your mix. At least one of the skills in your mixture should involve communication, either written or verbal. And it could be as simple as learning how to sell more effectively than 75% of the world. That’s one. Now add to that whatever your passion is, and you have two, because that’s the thing you’ll easily put enough energy into to reach the top 25%. 

Sleep Studies Show Why People Still Feel Tired After A Full Night’s Rest

People who spend more pre-bedtime hours using the Internet or watching television are more likely to report that they don’t get enough sleep, even though they sleep almost as long as people who spend fewer pre-bedtime hours in front of a computer or television screen, survey findings show.

“While many people use electronic media, such as the Internet, it should be noted that the longer media use before sleep can trigger (self-perceived) insufficient sleep,” lead researcher Dr. Nakamori Suganuma, of Osaka University, Japan, told Reuters Health.After testing a total of 5,875 Japanese respondents, nearly half of the respondents associated their lack of sleep with electronic media use before bedtime. Those reporting longer electronic media use were also more likely to report insufficient sleep.