Radio Talking Book

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) Write Your Boss That Kiss-Off Letter. Then Press Delete. The Workologist By ROB WALKER SEPT. 2, 2016 Send your workplace conundrums to workologist@nytimes.com, including your name and contact information (even if you want it withheld for publication). The Workologist is a guy with well-intentioned opinions, not a professional career adviser. Letters may be edited. I was one of several people my boss bullied into resignation by collecting gossip, pressuring people to say vaguely critical things and overstating what they said — a witch hunt, basically. When I saw this happening to me, I consulted a lawyer, but ultimately concluded I had no interest in s

Top of Form Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) Job Seekers Face Virtual Interviews -- WSJ Recruiters are turning to video meetings to speed up hiring and widen their reach By Dahlia Bazzaz For job seekers looking to make a good first impression, a working webcam and a tidy room might be the new firm handshake. First-round job interviews are the latest part of the hiring process to undergo digitization as companies use video interviews to cut recruiting costs and times. Cigna Corp., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. are among the employers now asking some applicants to log on to a website and submit video responses to interview questions in lieu of tal

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) Working Strategies: More rules to help you win the job By Amy Lindgren | alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com | September 24, 2016 at 1:49 pm When you’re faced with a complex or confusing process, guidelines can be very helpful. In the case of helping job seekers prepare for interviews, I enjoy providing a handful of basic mantras distilled from my experience with the process. For the most part, these aren’t mantras that change lives or create new paradigms — no top-of-the-mountain “aha” experiences here. Just solid principles to help order one’s thinking and enhance strategy. Last week I started my list of eight mantras by providing the three that ar

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) How to Find Out What the Boss Really Thinks of You Some managers won’t give feedback for fear of angering employees; acknowledge your weaknesses, don’t overreact How do you get honest feedback from your boss in order to improve your skills and know how well you’re doing? WSJ’s Sue Shellenbarger joins Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero with a few tips. By Sue Shellenbarger The Wall Street Journal Updated June 28, 2016 2:31 p.m. ET Do you ever wonder what the boss really thinks about you? Finding out can be a difficult and delicate task. While most people fear the overly blunt, critical boss, an overly nice or evasive boss can be just as frustrating. In a p

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) Working Strategies: Start with gratitude when thinking about work By Amy Lindgren | alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com | November 26, 2016 at 4:22 pm Thanksgiving week is an appropriate time to consider gratitude in all things. Some things are easy to feel grateful for: Loving family and friends, a comfortable home, enough food to eat … if these are gifts you’re enjoying right now, it’s only right to count them among your blessings. Of all the gifts we might remember in our Thanksgiving rituals, one that could easily be forgotten is work. Undoubtedly, anyone who recently found a job is feeling thankful for the new opportunity. But what about those o

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) Top Workplaces: Minnesota employers want you With a tightening labor pool and below-average unemployment, Minnesota companies are offering unusual incentives to attract and retain qualified workers.  By Katy Read Star Tribune June 24, 2016 — 3:45pm Want to make an extra $100 every month, indefinitely, for doing nothing? Well, almost nothing. You just have to find a plumber and refer him or her to Bonfe Plumbing, Heating & Air Service in St. Paul. If Bonfe hires your candidate, the company will pay you — you, random member of the public who doesn’t even work for Bonfe — a cool Benjamin a month as long as that plumber stays with Bonfe. Tempted to round u

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) Bad Job Interview? Ask for a Do-Over Get second chances by admitting mistakes, offering more information; ask for feedback often and always follow up By Sue Shellenbarger Updated Nov. 15, 2016 4:03 p.m. ET You’ve blown a job interview or presentation. What if you could get a do-over? A humble plea for a second chance sometimes reopens closed doors if it strikes just the right note: Email new evidence of your qualifications for a job. Apologize when you’ve misinterpreted a question, or send more information to clear up a misunderstanding. Do-overs for job seekers are rare, and the few who get a second chance make an argument that is both highly persu

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) Working Strategies: Are you enjoying your work? By Amy Lindgren | alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com | September 3, 2016 at 12:00 pm Is your work life fun? I’d quote statistics from any one of the kazillion surveys on this topic, but what’s the point? The ones sponsored by a job board will tell you everyone hates their work (and should immediately use the board to find new employment) while the surveys sponsored by … hmm. Who exactly benefits from us being happy at work? That’s part of the problem, I think: We’re a culture that knows how to cash in on the negative emotions, so we tend to study them, discuss them and just generally convince each other

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) 10 Things Managers Should Never Ask Employees to Do Avoid These 10 Actions to Create a Satisfying Workplace for Employees By Suzanne Lucas Balance.com, dated December 21, 2016 In the United States, unless you have an employment contract, a manager can require an employee to do just about anything that's legal. But, should they?  Sometimes accidents happen in the workplace—water leaks, copy machines break, infestations occur, the internet goes down, among other unexpected messes that can make the office environment unhealthy or interrupt work—and someone has to clean up. So what should a manager do? And, what are ten things that a manager s

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) The 10 Biggest Misconceptions About Remote Work, trello.com Remote work is on the rise. Believe it or not, employees are opting for 30 more minutes of shut eye over 30 minutes in traffic. Turns out they prefer home cooked meals at a kitchen table over microwaved frozen meals in the breakroom. They’re also choosing impactful co-worker collaboration over water cooler gossip. In short, remote work is working. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, 37% of the US labor force works remotely, and that number is only rising. Yet, misconceptions and stigmas persist about remote work—things like work attire (Do remote workers even get dressed?) and level of commitment

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. (music) 5 Ways You Don't Realize You're Turning Off Your Job Interviewer Pay attention to cues that will make your interview go smoother. By Alison Green | U.S. News.com Oct. 24, 2016 If you've prepared for a job interview recently, you probably know the basics – bring extra copies of your resume, don't bad-mouth your previous employers, arrive on time and so forth. But as someone who's interviewed hundreds of job candidates, I can tell you that there's a lot more that goes into the kind of impression you make, and that an awful lot of candidates do things that really turn off interviewers, probably without having any idea it's happening. Here are five ways

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Working Strategies: You want a part-time job, now go get one By Amy Lindgren PUBLISHED: June 11, 2016 Last week I looked at part-time work in the abstract sense while noting that a partial work schedule seems to garner less respect than a full-time position — a fact I acknowledge but really don’t understand. This week I’ll get down to brass tacks on how to get a part-time position and what to negotiate for. Let’s start with definitions. When I say “part-time work,” I’m talking about the schedule, not the scope or duties. So even though you might think of retail or warehouse positions, remember that those jobs make up just a portion of the part-ti

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Why You Should Never Accept a Low-Ball Salary Offer May 11, 2016 Suzanne Lucas No one starts to look for a new job simply because there's a full moon or Netflix removed your favorite show. There's generally a stronger reason, like you can't stand your boss, there are no promotional opportunities at your new job, or you really, really, really deserve a raise. All these things can mean that you are anxious to find something new, which can cloud your judgment. Of course, if you're unemployed that's another story, and I'll deal with that below. When you're anxious, you sometimes make bad choices and accept a low-ball salary offer. Here's why this is

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Working Strategies: When over-confidence is the problem • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) • • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) • Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window) • • By Amy Lindgren May 1, 2016 Did you happen to see last week’s column on being at a loss for words during key job search processes? I was describing ways to overcome a natural reticence to speak when faced with situations where speaking isn’t optional: interviews, networking, phone conversations with potential employers, etc. If this is a problem you struggle with, you already

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Working Strategies: Taking the ‘elevator speech’ to another level • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) • • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) • Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window) • • By Amy Lindgren | alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com PUBLISHED: May 7, 2016 at 12:00 pm | UPDATED: May 4, 2016 at 3:22 pm Since I’ve devoted the last two columns to the dangers of being either too quick or too slow with one’s words while conducting a job search, it seems natural to round out the conversation (so to speak) with a look at a classic job search communic

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Perils of a Gap in the Résumé: Whether to Explain or Not By PATRICIA COHENMAY 20, 2016 When Brooke Bleyl started job hunting after taking 10 years off to care for her children, her interviews did not go well. “They even said they typically don’t hire people with such a gap,” said Ms. Bleyl, who lives outside Cleveland and has three children, ages 7, 10 and 12. Ms. Bleyl, who worked as an employment recruiter before taking time off, said she tried to fill in gaps on her résumé, including online selling to earn extra money. “But when you see eBay on someone’s résumé, you know that’s a stay-at-home job,” she said, “and that you’re just selling stuff ou

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music How Do You Survive Office Competition? Hypercompetitors spark strong reactions in colleagues, from fighting back to shutting down; warriors vs. worriers Nothing can disrupt the ecology of the workplace like an hypercompetitive employee who's out to win at all costs. WSJ's Sue Shellenbarger joins Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero to discuss how employees become hypercompetitive and how other employees should deal with them. By Sue Shellenbarger April 19, 2016 Every office has at least one—the hypercompetitive employee who’s out to win at all costs. These adversarial types go beyond striving for success. They turn every endeavor into a competition

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Working Strategies: Finding the right words and how to use them • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) • • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) • Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window) • • By Amy Lindgren PUBLISHED: April 23, 2016 at 12:00 pm I’ve always been a smooth talker. As a child, I could talk circles around my peers and family. Ironically, being somewhat introverted, I didn’t often display my secret super power. If I’d had a special costume to wear under my school clothes, it might have featured a big pair of lips and a microphone as part of the

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Don't let small talk derail a job interview Go light on personal chat, but give the interviewer a sense of who you are.  By Steve Twedt Pittsburgh Post-Gazette June 11, 2016 — 7:00am PITTSBURGH – Whether it's a summer job or a career launch, job search specialist Cheryl Hyatt has a word of caution for aspiring candidates: Don't get tripped up by small stuff or, more specifically, small talk. Hyatt has heard some doozies about too-nervous interviewees. There's the applicant who inquired about the company's policy regarding employee theft, or the one who sought a $90,000 salary so he could finance his new Camaro. "Most people have common

Career Corner is a program produced by the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network, part of State Services for the Blind, and it is recorded for people are blind or have reading disabilities. You can listen to the stream of the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network at www.mnssb.org/rtb, and the password is RTB. Your host, for Career Corner is Anne Obst. Music Don't Ignore These Job Search Red Flags Sometimes turning down a job is the right decision. By Alison Green | June 27, 2016, • When you're searching for a job, it can be easy to get so focused on getting hired that you overlook the red flags that can reveal a job or a company isn't the right fit for you. That's a dangerous mindset to have, because it can mean that you end up in a job that makes you dread going to work each day. Here are seven job search red flags that people often ignore, to their detriment. The person who would be your boss is rude. Your boss will have an enormous impact on your day-to-day quality of life at work, as we