does it only affect the guilty · competitive with our 2016 salary guide, which provides the...
TRANSCRIPT
The Exclusive Online Magazine for Administrative Professionals
January2016
FEATURES:Choose a Fun Team Building ActivityPay Up!Here’s a Look at the Office of the Future
AdminAdvantage
Vengeance: Does It Only Affect
the Guilty
2
CONTENTSof January ‘16
AdminAdvantageUS & North AmericAN editioN
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Suresh KaruppannanWebsite designer
AdVertiSiNg
Susan SilvaAdvertising & Sales US
Jane olsendirector Advertising & Sales UK
BUSiNeSS StAFF & Pr
mek rahmaniFounder, ceo & Publisher
How to Build a Resume - The Biggest List of 37 FAQs About Award-Winning Resumes
6
Choose a Fun Team Building Activity12
Pay Up!17
Administrative Professionals, Here’s a Look at the Office of the Future
19
Vengeance: Does It Only Affect the Guilty
23
23
19 17
12
6
© 2015 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veteran. 0915-3409
For recruiting and retaining the best administrative professionals, salary is critical. Stay competitive with our 2016 Salary Guide, which provides the administrative industry’s most respected data on compensation. As the industry’s leading staffing firm, we understand what you need to assemble the best team. Job seekers know what they’re worth. Make sure you do too, with the OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide.
Download your 2016 Salary Guide today at officeteam.com/salary-center.
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“It’s only money,” said no job seeker ever.
6
How to Build a Resume - The Biggest List of 37 FAQs About Award-Winning Resumes
by Oleg Savchenko
CAREER
6
7 JANUARY 2016
How to Build a Resume - The Biggest List of 37 FAQs About Award-Winning Resumes
CAREER
What is A Resume?
A resume is a presentation of your qualifications for
employer. It lets your employer know what type of
job you are seeking and highlights your education,
experience, skills and other relevant information. A
resume (or CV - Curriculum Vitae) only may be the
tips to potential employer for determination whether
or not you will be interviewed.
2. Does a resume always need to be only one page?
Resume (CV) length should not exceed 2 sides
of A4. How much of those two sides you fill
depends on how much you have done.
3. Should the education section always be near the top?
If you have recently completed formal education
your academic achievements will form a major
part of your qualifications, and it is recommended
to place these near the top of your resume.
4. Is an objective always necessary?
No, it is not crucial. But however an employer
will be impressed if you have a focused idea of
where you want your career to be heading.
5. What if I haven’t done very much to fill up my
resume?
This does not matter. If build a resume is a
problem - use sensible formatting and fonts so
that you comfortably fill one side of A4.
6. Do hobbies and personal interests need to be shown?
It is not imperative but it can provide an employer
with an insight into your personality.
7. Must references be included?
One note that ‘References available on request’
will be sufficient.
8. What should be on my resume?
Contact details, Date of birth and nationality,
an introduction, employment history, academic
qualifications, hobbies and interests are enough
for resume building.
9. What shouldn’t I put on my resume?
Religion, references, sexuality, why you left
your previous jobs, all your school grades,
a photo, lies should not be included into
resume.
10. Do I have to include all of my exam results?
No, just the most recent.
11. In what order do I list information?
Contact details at the top, a brief introduction,
employment history, education, interests hobbies.
Follow these simple instructions:
• The heading is first.
• The objective is second.
• All other headings are listed as they relate to your
job objective. Build a resume that highlight your
objective and enhances you as a candidate for the
job you are seeking.
12. What sort of paper should I print it on?
The best quality that you can get your hands
on, but don’t get paper that is too thick ;-).
8
13. In what text format should I save my resume so
that it can be e-mailed?
Employer unequivocally can read your resume
in *.txt attachment. However this format does
not allow you to include attractive formatting.
The MS Word document or PDF will probably
be suitable. If you want to be certain you could
paste a txt version of your resume into the body
of the e-mail and attach a Word or PDF version.
14. How can I ensure that my resume will be read?
Resumes (CVs) usually aren’t read at first. They
are scanned (look at the questions #21, #22). So,
how to build a resume to be easily scanned:
• Present information in concise, compact statements.
• Leave irrelevant, unnecessary or inappropriate
information off your resume.
• Organise your information so that the reader doesn’t
have to hunt for your skills.
15. Do I need more than one resume?
Construct a ‘core resume (CV)’ using the ‘How to
build a killer resume’ guide then configure that to
the recipient each time you send it out.
16. How far back should I go with the information I
put on my resume?
Ten years is usually required. However, there are
certain situations in which experience from more
than ten years ago may be advantageous to
show on your resume.
17. What are some common components of a resume?
CAREER
They are:
• Identification: Your name, address, and home and/or
message phone number with area code, and e-mail
address should be placed at the top of the resume.
• Objective: Describe your career or professional
objective. Be specific and include what you want
to do for the employer - not what you want the
employer to do for you.
• Summary: Used by the candidate with experience;
briefly state your achievements, the range of your
experience and the environment(s) in which you
have worked.
• Employment: Describe your job history in reverse
chronological order - most History recent first.
• Education: Build your resume with list of educational
experience, most recent first.
• Skills: Include into your resume (Curriculum Vitae, CV)
foreign language fluency, knowledge of computers
including specific hardware, software, operating
systems and anything else that may be relevant.
• Community: Create a resume with information
about any volunteer efforts, including name of
organization, dates and a brief description of your
activities and experiences.
• References: List professional references on
a separate page. You may want to state that
references are “available upon request” (you can
see question #7).
18. How long is the standard resume?
See question #2. The general tips of resume building
are to use enough space to provide all info and to
write only relevant information about yourself.
9 JANUARY 2016
19. What resume style is preferred by employers?
There are three resume building styles:
Chronological, Functional, and Combination.
Chronological resumes present your work
history and experience most recent first.
Functional resumes focus on the skills and
abilities that have been acquired and can
be applied to new career opportunities.
Combination resumes combine elements of
both the chronological and functional formats.
20. Are All Resumes Alike?
I wrote above there are three basic types of
resumes. The format you select should be the
one you believe will best allow you to target your
education, experience, and skills towards your
career objectives.
21. What is a Scannable Resume?
A scannable resume is one that may be “read”
by a computer equipped with Optical Character
Recognition (OCR) hardware and software.
They scans your resume and puts data into
a database. The software then creates a
summary of your resume and ranks it among
other qualified candidates for the position.
This process, sometimes called electronic
applicant tracking, is gathering popularity among
medium- to large-sized companies as an initial
employment screening device.
22. Why are the Employers Using Scannable Resumes?
Scannable resumes have advantages for
employers:
• Employers can simply search through their database
and identify names with the specific experience,
skills, and qualifications.
• Human Resource departments can be much smaller
because this technology speeds up the entire hiring
process.
23. What is an Online Resume?
An online resume is a plain text document (*.txt)
which can be cut-and-pasted into online forms.
It can be used by resume builder because ASCII
files are recognized by PC’s, Macintoshes, UNIX
Workstations, and mainframe terminals.
24. Why do I need an Online Resume?
You can build a resume in online version and to
send it to companies who are soliciting resumes
via e-mail. Frequently the companies who are
calling for resumes want them in the form of a
plain text document sent in the body of an e-mail
message - NOT PDF, NOT MS WORD.
25. Can’t I just send my resume as an email attachment?
Sending any attachments through email can be
tricky, and the last thing you want to do is make a
potential employer work to read your resume. There
are many types of computer systems, increasing
the risk that the program that you create your
resume in will not be compatible to the computer of
the receiver, making it impossible for them to open
up the attachment. The online resume solves that
problem as you import it directly into the text body
of the email message. Its simple, plain text look is
easy for employers to read through email.
CAREER
10
26. What is a Functional Resume?
The Functional Resume is a resume in which
the resume builder organized information by skill
sets. These resumes design focus on individuals
whose education and experiences do not
obviously match their career objective.
27. Who Should Use a Functional Resume?
Functional Resumes can be used for people who
have a History or Psychology degree. In these
cases it may be easier for the student to highlight
their Communication, Computer Skills, Leadership,
Research, Administration, and Management. A
functional resume allows such people to feature
their volunteer and other non-paid experiences. It
also includes individuals who have multi-track job
histories, or work history gaps.
28. What are the Benefits of Using a Functional
Resume?
Functional Resumes are beneficial in these ways:
• Utilizes volunteer, unpaid and non-work experiences.
• Demonstrates precisely the skills that the employer
wants.
• Eliminates work history that does not support your
current objective.
• Directs the emloyer to what you want them to notice.
29. What is a reference?
A reference is someone who knows you well
and can builds talk about your job related
qualifications with a potential employer. Many
employers will want a list of your references,
including addresses and phone numbers.
30. How many references do I need?
You will need at least three to five references as
a recent college graduate. It is also a good idea
to tailor your references to the job for which you
are applying.
31. Who do I ask to be my reference?
Someone who knows you well through a job,
class or organization. Find someone who can
make a positive statement about your skills, work
habits, and other qualifications. There are three
main kinds of references:
• Professional References are the best help, it can
provide the potential employer with specific work
habits and abilities.
• Academic References can also assist you in finding
a job in your chosen field, for example a professor in
your major can attest to your knowledge base and
study habits.
• Personal References are usually not recommended
unless the potential employer specifically asks for
them. Generally, personal references get the least
amount of attention from employers.
32. What Is A Cover Letter?
A cover letter is an accompanying letter that
serves as the introduction to your resume. No
resume should be sent without one. The cover
letter is created separately and individually for
each position for which you express an interest.
33. What Is The Purpose Of The Cover Letter?
The purpose of the cover letter is to introduce
CAREER
11 JANUARY 2016
yourself to an organization, demonstrate your
interest in the company or a specific vacancy,
draw attention to your resume and motivate
the reader to interview you. A cover letter tells
a potential employer that you are available,
qualified, and interested in employment. Cover
letters personalize your resume by briefly
highlighting your strengths as they relate to the
position sought.
34. How Should Cover Letters Be Organized?
The cover letter typically consists of three parts:
Introduction, Body, and Closing. Within these three
parts you must get the following three points across:
• Why you are specifically interested in the organization?
• Why they should be particularly interested in you?
• When and how you will contact them to follow up on
your letter and schedule an appointment.
35. Should cover letters be personalized to match
each job opportunity?
Yes, certainly! The cover letter is your chance to
personalize the resume to highlight your strengths
as they relate to the needs of an employer.
Often this means simply changing the address,
salutation and opening paragraph to specify
the employer. The manual of resume building
recommends to personalize the cover letter in any
manner that you can because such cover letters
assist in grabbing the attention of an employer.
36. Should a cover letter always be included with a
resume or application?
YES, Of course! Cover letters clarify what are
you seeking and highlight your strengths to an
employer’s needs.
37. Where Can I Learn More About Resume Writing?
Available steps are:
• Look at the sample resume handouts, and the many
resume-related resources in the Career Discovery
Center.
• Request Career Services to present a Resume
Writing Workshop to your club or organization.
• Schedule a Resume Review with a Career Associate.
• Make an appointment to discuss your resume with a
member of the Career Services staff.
• Look for additional FAQ pages, including Action
Verbs to Enhance Your Resume.
Oleg Savchenko is the author of the eBook “Expert Resume
Writing” and the site “How to create a CV” [http://how-to-
write-a-cv.net/]. He is expert in the resume building - all
of his experience in the theory and practice of building a
resume allow him to receive more favorable position in
the more famous company each time at job changing. His
last job position is management in the one of the largest
worldwide advertising agencies. If you are worried about
the resume writing, sign up for our email course “How to
Build a Resume” [http://how-to-write-a-cv.net/course-10-
resume-writing-trade-secrets.html] and receive 10 resume
writing ‘Trade secrets’. It’s Absolutely Free!
CAREER
12
Choose a Fun Team Building Activity
Let’s say you are a manager or executive, and you want to reward your team with a
fun activity to build teamwork, or perhaps you are an administrative assistant and
a supervisor has asked you come up with a few team building event ideas. Where
do you start? Most people go to Google and do a search, and get everything under
the sun as options. So how do you narrow down the choices to something that will
work for your group?
by Doug Staneart
12
LIFESTYLE
13 JANUARY 2016
Doug Staneart
LIFESTYLE
13
DETERmInE THE PURPOSE OF YOUR ACTIVITY First, let’s cover what “team building” is.
Unfortunately, the term team building can mean
just about anything. It is kind of like “leadership”
or “customer service” in that each of these
terms is extremely general. However, if you
narrow down the focus, you’ll more likely find a
better solution. For instance, if your leadership
problem is that when your executives retire or
quit, your company has a tough time developing
new executives, then your leadership solution
might focus around succession planning. If you
own a restaurant, and your customer service
problem is that customers are waiting too long
to receive their food orders, then your customer
service solution might involve faster food prep
or more efficient ordering procedures. The point
is that if you hire a motivational speaker to fix
your leadership problem or force your restaurant
staff to attend customer service workshops, the
underlying problems will likely persist.
Team Building solutions can have a similar
challenge. In order to find a good solution,
ask yourself a few questions to determine the
ultimate purpose of the activity.
• So why do we really want to do a team building
activity, anyway?
• Are we rewarding the staff?
• Are we looking for a way to add some fun to a dry
agenda?
• Are there challenges that we need to solve? If so,
what are the specific challenges?
JANUARY 2016
14
• If this activity worked perfectly, what results would
we expect?
By asking yourself these questions, you will have
a better idea of what success really looks like.
ACTIVITIES FOR REWARD OR FUN If your group already works really well as a
team, and you are looking for a way to reward
your staff or add some fun into the normal
workday or meeting, then just about any
fun activity will likely go over pretty well. For
instance, many of our team building clients will
often schedule their annual conventions to start
the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday so that
they can have a huge Super Bowl party in the
hotel banquet hall for the entire group the night
before. Charity events often work well in these
kinds of situations as well. Organizers will often
insert a bike team building event into an annual
convention just to add some fun to the agenda
and give back to the community in the process.
WHAT IF THERE IS A REAL TEAM CHALLEnGE, THOUGH? What happens if your group is involved in a
challenge, though? If this is the case, you’ll want
to put a lot more thought into your solution,
because if you choose the wrong program, it
can backfire on you. For instance, when two
companies merge, two cultures are being forced
together and conflict is likely to erupt. So, just
throwing together a fun company outing probably
won’t have a lot of positive benefits (and might
have a lot of negatives). Instead, start at the top.
Work with your executives first so that everyone
is on the same page as to where the new
culture is being developed. Then, identify team
workshops, activities, and training that will help
strengthen those aspects of the culture.
For example, a few years ago, a family-owned
furniture company that had been in business
over 30 years with two stores began to expand
and grow very quickly. In the last three years,
they have added an additional six stores, so the
company owner, for the first time, has created
a corporate support team for the stores. In the
past, the few store managers were captain
of their ships and pretty autonomous. Today,
though, there is an entire level of new executives
and support staff between the owner and the
store managers. Conflicts began to develop
LIFESTYLE
15 JANUARY 2016 15
almost immediately, so the human resource
department hired us to come in and lead a
fun charity bike build with the group. Instead,
we showed them that if they really want to fix
this challenge, the first step is to get the store
managers to see that the corporate support
team is there to “support” them. We organized
a series of workshops to help the support staff
improve communication skills and people skills.
Once the culture of the organization begins to
shift, then, the fun shared-experience programs
work much better.
HOW BIG IS THE GROUP? One key aspect of determining the appropriate
activity is to pick an activity that is appropriate
to the size of the group. As a rule of thumb, the
bigger the group, the more likely you are to want
to get professional help facilitating the event.
For a small team of under 25 or so people, it is
much easier to both shift culture and lead a fun
activity. Just taking your team bowling or out
as a group for a big meal will create more of a
team culture and build rapport. In fact, the high-
energy shared experience team activities can
actually fall flat in a small group. For example,
with a charity bike build for 10 people, in order
to make it team focused, you’d have to divide
the group up into three, four, or five person
groups. So, if each group builds one bike, the
ending is anticlimactic because only two or
three bikes are actually built. So a group outing
is often actually less expensive and will likely get
you better results.
LIFESTYLE
However, as the group gets bigger, it is better
to get help. It is pretty easy to keep 20 or fewer
people active and entertained for a few hours.
Keeping 100 or 1000 people entertained and
active is a high-level skill, though. In addition, if
you are doing something for charity as a group,
the more people that you have, the bigger the
donation, and the bigger the “reveal” at the
end when the group gets to see the donation
to the charity. For instance, if you are donating
food to a food bank, then tons of food boxed
up is more exciting than a couple of boxes, and
hundreds of underprivileged kids rushing into
a banquet hall to receive a new bike is more
exciting than two or three. Big events like this
take lots of planning, though, because things
will not always go as planned. A good event
planner or team building company might be a
great investment.
So if you want to build a great team, don’t just
throw something together. Plan ahead and ask
for help if you are new to this type of activity,
and you will be more likely to have a fantastic
success.
Doug Staneart is the founder of The
Leader’s Institute® and specializes in team
building activities for corporate clients. He
is author of the books 28 Ways to Influence
People and Cultivating Customers
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17 JANUARY 2016
Perhaps you got carried away
with buying during the Christmas
season and your balance is
higher than you even expected.
Pay Up!by Linda Hancock
WORKSMART
17
Well, it’s time to get back on track again:
1. Don’t ignore the situation - Not opening a bill
doesn’t mean that the balance will go away. You
need to open all the mail and face reality.
2. Make a list of your debts - On a piece of paper set
up columns, each of which has a specific heading
such as the company you owe, the total amount,
the minimum payment, the due date and the
interest rate. Then enter the information from your
statements and add up the columns.
3. Never pay less than the minimum due - Your credit
rating is one of the most important things that
you have. Every time that you miss a payment,
it is a mark against you. Remember to send the
cheque or make the online payment a few days
ahead so that it reaches the vendor on time.
Otherwise you may pay an additional penalty and
interest.
4. Target the debt with the highest interest rate -
Paying interest is like giving your money away to
someone you don’t even know. Make a plan to
JANUARY 2016
18
attack the bill with the highest interest rate so that
it is paid off quickly. Then you can take the amount
that you have been paying for this bill and add it
onto the payment you have been making for the
debt with the next highest interest rate. Continue
doing this until everything is paid off.
5. Get rid of things that get you into trouble - When you
have more than one credit card or line of credit, you
might not exercise restraint. Practice living on cash
rather than plastic because then you can see what
you have and not be fooled into thinking that your
possibilities are unlimited. Cut up the high interest
cards. Talk with your financiers about replacing
what you have with lower interest products.
6. Be wise - Instead of eating out or ordering in,
cook something at home. Walk to work and save
gas. Borrow books and movies from the library
rather than buying them.
7. Reduce your commitments - There are likely things
that you can do to save money. You might change
your cable package, wait an extra week before
getting your hair cut or call your phone company
to see if there is a cheaper plan.
8. Quit spending - You might have to eat out of
your cupboards or stay home and watch reruns
for a while in order to get things under control
again. It also helps to stay out of the stores
where you will be tempted.
9. Increase your income - Think of ways that you
WORKSMART
And now I would like to invite you to
claim your Free Instant Access to a
complimentary list of 10 Steps to Making
Your Life an Adventure when you
visit http://lindahancock.com
From Dr. Linda Hancock, Registered
Psychologist and Registered Social Worker
can earn extra money. Perhaps you can do some
paid overtime, work a few hours a week at a
part-time job or use skills that you have developed
to generate additional cash. This money, when
applied to your debt will purchase freedom for you
down the road.
10. Turn unused items into bonus income - What do
you have that you can sell? There are internet
sites that allow you to post ads without cost.
Remember, every dollar that you put against your
debt will reduce not only the amount you now owe
but also the amount of interest you will be charged
until it is paid.
When you buy things on credit you are
responsible to pay for them. There is no one else
to blame. You cannot expect anyone else to pay
your bills for you.
But, the good news is that you can take control of
your situation and get to a point where all of your
money is yours again. Remember, you don’t have
to share it with others in the form of interest if you
don’t owe anything.
19 JANUARY 2016
The roles of administrative professionals have shifted enormously over the decades.
Admins now handle a variety of duties that range from managing social media to
planning special events — and everything else in between. And according to data
from Office of the Future (http://www.roberthalf.com/officeteam/research/office-
of-the-future), a research initiative by OfficeTeam and the International Association
of Administrative Professionals, the roles of administrative staff will continue to expand into new
territories. In fact, 50 percent of administrative professionals surveyed say they have skills that
aren’t being tapped. .
Administrative Professionals, Here’s a Look at the Office of the Futureby Robert Hosking, OfficeTeam
19 JANUARY 2016
TRAINING
20
Whether or not your organization is making good
use of your full potential, it makes sense for you
to keep developing and honing your abilities. The
more skills you have in your toolbox, the fresher
your resume is and the higher you can go in your
career — both with your present employer and
in future roles. Here are some must-have abilities
for today’s administrative professionals.
EVENT PLANNING More and more administrative professionals are
called on to help with office celebrations, in-
house recognition programs, corporate meetings,
conferences and team-building activities. About
eight in 10 (78 percent) of survey respondents
said their boss has asked them to be part of
planning events.
COST CONTROL Two out of three (66 percent) of respondents said
they’ve been asked to reduce office overhead.
Because office professionals are responsible for
arranging travel, managing reimbursements and
ordering supplies, chances are good they have
insights into wasteful expenditures that managers
may not notice. Administrative staff are key
partners in many organizations’ efforts to reduce
costs and improve the bottom line.
LEVERAGInG TECHnOLOGY
The office of the future will be increasingly
focused on technology — and this means
knowledge of more than just Word and Excel.
TRAINING
21 JANUARY 2016
Today’s administrative professionals may need
intermediate to advanced skills in software such
as Outlook, PowerPoint, Photoshop, FileMaker
Pro, Microsoft Access and SAP. Social media
management falls under this category, too,
and 54 percent of admins have been tapped
to help with LinkedIn. Forty-nine percent have
assisted with Facebook at their company. Office
professionals are so involved with technology
that 79 percent of respondents say they
communicate with the IT department at least
once a week.
CORPORATE RESPOnSIBILITY As more organizations become concerned
about polishing their brand’s image, corporate
responsibility is making its way to the top of office
agendas. Forty-five percent of administrative
professionals surveyed said their manager has
asked them to lend a hand with service projects,
fundraisers and green initiatives within the office.
Even if corporate social responsibility doesn’t
fall within your job description, volunteering is a
good way to network, improve your soft skills
and increase job satisfaction.
HUMAN RESOURCES Among their many tasks, today’s administrative
professionals play an important role in recruiting,
vetting and hiring. Besides writing/updating job
descriptions and posting job ads, our research
found that many administrative staff also screen
resumes (42 percent) and interview candidates
(44 percent). Indeed, a survey of managers found
that 88 percent of respondents think highly of
their assistants’ feedback regarding candidates.
Ways to get the administrative skills
you need
While these administrative skills come naturally
to some professionals, others may have to work
harder to acquire them, along with other abilities.
Stay on top of your game by seeking out training
and professional development, as well as on-the-
job opportunities to polish those skills. Here are a
few ways to invest in yourself and take charge of
your career:
BE PROACTIVE Don’t be shy. Managers won’t know of your
interest in organizing a charity gala, interviewing
new hires or managing your office’s Twitter
account unless you tell them. Similarly, they
may not realize that you’ve been steadily
improving your PowerPoint skills until you
demonstrate what you can do. The important
thing is to express an interest in taking on more
responsibilities and show them that you’re
capable of more.
JOIN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIzATIONS Industry organizations often provide free
or discounted access to training materials,
seminars and webinars. Additionally, attending
conferences is an excellent way to network with
fellow support professionals while further your
administrative abilities.
TRAINING
22
STUDY UP You can find a wealth of training materials
online, many for free. Pour over blog articles
and YouTube videos on software shortcuts,
read reviews on administrative apps and spend
time perfecting your social media prowess. If
your company has a subscription to an online
education provider such as Lynda.com, you
should definitely be taking advantage of this
valuable resource. Depending on your current
status and how you want to progress in your
career, you may want to work toward some type
of degree. For example, if you enjoy creating
reports and compiling technical documents, you
could get an associate or bachelor’s degree in
business writing.
GET CERTIFIED Certifications not only bolster your administrative
skills, they also show employers you’re dedicated
to your profession. If you’re looking to enhance
your proficiency in PowerPoint or Outlook,
consider Microsoft Office certification, which
you can tailor to the areas you need to improve.
In addition, the latest OfficeTeam Salary Guide
(http://www.roberthalf.com/officeteam/
salary-center) finds that holding a Microsoft
Office Specialist designation can result in a salary
increase of up to 8 percent.
Today’s administrative professionals have very few
limits on what they can do. To move up in your
career and be more satisfied in your job, keep
refining old skills and picking up new ones.
Robert Hosking is executive director of
OfficeTeam, the nation’s leading staffing
service specializing in the temporary
placement of highly skilled administrative
and office support professionals. OfficeTeam
has more than 300 locations worldwide
and offers online job search services at
www.officeteam.com. Connect with us
on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+,
Pinterest and the OfficeTeam blog.
TRAINING
23 JANUARY 2016
Vengeance. One of the leading causes of mass destruction and a powerful,
yet dangerous, anecdote to our pain. Yes, vengeance. We all sought it,
yearned it, and possibly rubbed our hands together maniacally until we
conjured a plan to get even at those we believe have wronged us.
Vengeance: Does It Only Affect the Guiltyby Tamika Thomas
LIFESTYLE
23 JANUARY 2016
24
YOU THOUGHT YOU’D GET AWAY WITH
IT, DIDN’T YOU? We mentally whisper in our
wrongdoer’s ear. THEY GOT WHAT THEY
DESERVED! We say to ourselves, as fire finally
leave our hearts. But, guess what? We may
have gotten our sweet revenge but we didn’t
take into consideration an important factor in
our triumph... the other victim! “Victim?” You
ask? But, I AM the victim!” You exclaim. Yes,
before your get-even-plan, but as soon as you
do, it is highly possible someone else takes
your place as victim. Let’s take a look at this
scenario, shall we?
My office manager, “Mr. Wrong”, had been
giving me hell for several years. It started out
with me asking him if I had any chances for
growth and the reply was always in my favor,
but for years he would hire others for the
same position I was pretty much begging him
for, even though I had proven myself worthy
many times before. Adding insult to injury,
for years, the receptionist insisted on not
showing up for work and out of six customer
service reps. I was the only one required to
cover her and was threatened to leave if I
did not comply. My end-of-the-year salary
was even threatened. On many occasions, I
expressed this unfairness to Mr. Wrong, the
vice president, and the C.E.O. of the company
and was told, “you have a good receptionist’s
voice so we like to put you up there” or “well,
we don’t pay her for not being here anyway, so
why should you care? Besides, her absences
do not concern you.” I even approached
the receptionist in hopes that she had a
conscious, but angry words were exchanged
and there was no resolve.
But, a more disturbing matter persisted with
Mr. Wrong when he started showing up at
my cubicle every ten minutes, pretending he
was using the copier or doing something else,
meanwhile, I would catch him standing behind
me, watching my computer. Unbeknownst
to him, I could see him through the reflection
of the glass and through the mirror that I
strategically placed on my desk. This was
an all-day, everyday event. When I made a
complaint to the vice president she told me she
was sure Mr. Wrong was not “stalking” me and
that she questioned my credibility. I grew even
more livid at this blatant disregard and found
myself becoming isolated and always angry,
believing there was no hope for me. I wallowed
in self-pity and started thinking of one thing...
VENGEANCE.
Plotting my revenge: I wasn’t exactly sure how
I would do it but I started coming up with ideas
on how I would make Mr. Wrong pay for the
emotional and mental distress he was inflicting
upon me. One of these thoughts was to destroy
as many files as I could and then quit the job,
leaving whomever to deal with the months it
would take to recover the work. In addition, I
considered anonymously letting Mr. Wrong’s
wife know what kind of a person she married: a
LIFESTYLE
25 JANUARY 2016
deliberate being that allowed drama to persist
in the workplace. THIS WILL SHOW HIM, I told
myself... but then my conscious kicked in and
that changed everything.
Casualties of my wrath: Because I desperately
wanted Mr. Wrong to PAY I did not consider
who might be caught in my “wrathfire.”
It wouldn’t be Mr. Wrong’s files I would
be destroying, but the client’s files, who
entrusted the hard-working employees of the
company to render impeccable services to
them. Not only that, the employees would
have to all chip in to recover work that I
destroyed, delaying their own work in the
process. This probably wouldn’t have affected
Mr. Wrong as much as it would have affected
the others and all because I couldn’t let go of
my anger towards him.
The Domino effect: Things could go awry rather
quickly and whether or not someone deserves
revenge is not the issue because usually the
guilty aren’t the only ones affected. Someone else
usually falls prey to our wrath and then they’ll want
revenge from you! In 2.5 seconds we would have
managed to go from being a victim to being the
wrongdoer. And guess what? If you deserved to
get revenge, they did too, didn’t they? Take your
time... I’ll wait for your answer.
That ‘Aha!’ moment: I started really listening to
other people’s advice and took heed to what
others saw in me that lead to my pain. Although
it was clear to many that I was being treated
unfairly, there was only one reason it prolonged.
It was I who gave Mr. Wrong and everyone else
the right amount of power to control me. There
was something else. It was my lack of self-worth
that initiated this anger which inevitably led to
this unquenchable thirst to get even. I allowed
people to play on my emotions and they greedily
ate it up! Had I the confidence in myself, I would
have started searching for other employment,
leaving the intoxicating environment where I was
consumed with negativity.
The resolution: Once I came to terms with the
reality that I was causing my own distress I started
doing a few things to benefit myself rather than
avenge myself. Here are some of them:
• I started spending more time building my
confidence instead of helping others break it down.
• I began focusing on the things that made me stand
out positively, like my creative skills and talents,
and worked on how to utilize them to achieve a
high-paying career instead of settling for a low-
paying job.
• I sent mr. Wrong a stern, yet, respectful email
telling him I did not appreciate how I was being
treated and I wasn’t standing for it any longer. I
let him know that I was aware he was constantly
creeping behind my desk and to direct his
attention where it was needed. Slowly I began
to notice he wasn’t doing it anymore or at least I
stopped noticing it as much.
• I started meditating and seeking spiritual guidance.
LIFESTYLE
26
Without it, I wouldn’t find peace and freedom, nor
the faith necessary to move forward.
• Finally, I decided on a date that I would quit;
without the date, I would never move forward with
this huge step in my life.
The conclusion: Inch by inch my anger
lessened and vengeance was no longer my
concern because I had gotten it without having
to do anything to Mr. Wrong. The stupid look
on his face when I disregarded his existence
with my head held high was and still is
priceless. I said nothing to him unless it was
necessary, while still keeping the amount of
respect for him that was required. There was
absolutely no negative energy directed towards
anyone in order for me to get even so no one
got hurt. As for the receptionist, well, let’s just
say a new sheriff arrived to town who didn’t
exactly appreciate her incompetence. Within a
couple of months of tolerating her, the “sheriff”
let her know her services were no longer
needed at the company.
Your turn: There are many ways to get even with
someone without hurting them or yourself and
here are a few things that can help you achieve
this blissfully:
• Express yourself to the person you are at odds
with. Sometimes, and I stress “sometimes,” people
honestly do not realize the misery they cause others.
• Be mindful of the people who might get caught
in your crossfire. You might find that you’ll take
“They will pay. They always pay, whether
you are around to know it or not. Good
receives good. Bad receives bad; it is
karma’s way.”
-THE BLACK STONE, by Tamika S. Thomas
http://tamikat.hubpages.com/
http://Blackstonenovel.wordpress.com
a different route and still find relief in a non-
detrimental approach.
• Work on your emotions. Our emotions affect the way
we respond to things and we can save ourselves, our
rivals, and the innocent from unnecessary conflict.
Please note: I want to point out that there are,
of course, many more serious situations that
cause people to want revenge, but know that
this will cause you more pain then you think
because while your mind wants to get even
your spirit only wants freedom and you rob your
spirit of that in a vengeful state of mind. Know
that you should seek a deeper level of guidance
and healing that will help you get past it all.
Nevertheless, there will be situations where all
you have to do is shift a few things around and
things will fall into place just famously without
violent or anger-driven revenge. So, keep your
head up. Keep fighting. Stay strong.
LIFESTYLE
Find the Typos!
Find the Typos!
1) 2) 3) 4)
There are 4 typos, what can you find?