Author Byline: William Frierson is a CollegeRecruiter.com Staff Writer.
Author Website: www.collegerecruiter.com
What does your religion mean to you? To most people, their religion is a belief system that represents their morals and values. It is a guide on how to live their daily lives. At times, you may have heard about controversy involving people expressing their religious beliefs while at work. There may be occasions when employees want to practice their beliefs away from the job as well.
Now, federal law says that employers must “reasonably accommodate” their employees right to exercise religion. Companies employing over 15 workers fall into this category. The only way employers can make an argument against the law is to provide evidence of the harm that may be done to their business. Among the types of accommodations that can be made on behalf of workers are shift exchanges, flexible scheduling, and lunch time; these can all be traded in for an employee’s right to leave work due to religious reasons. If possible, employees should schedule time off around the time they need, using vacation time or unpaid days.
When workers need time off, they do not have to prove their religious affiliation to employers as a way to support their beliefs. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) believes that a more diverse work environment is a cause of the federal law supporting employees’ religious beliefs. There has been an increase in religious discrimination lawsuits; in 2007, the EEOC reported 2,900 of them, more than two times the number in 1992. Some of these lawsuits involved matters like missing work for religious holidays or being dressed in religious clothes at work. Depending on a company’s size, discrimination lawsuits can cost employers between $50,000 and $300,000, not including back pay.
For any recent college graduates looking for entry level jobs and college students searching for internships, know that potential employers cannot ask about your religious background or how it can affect your work schedule. Employers are allowed to specify how much time a job requires. It is a good idea for employees who are steadfast in their religious beliefs to be upfront with employers about their obligations once hired, or made aware of them; this comes from the Anti-Defamation League.
In our society, employees’ religious rights should be respected. While employers may not agree with a specific religion, they can respect that workers’ religious beliefs are a part of who they are. As long as both sides have an understanding, they can work together peacefully. Who would have thought that the law might affect religion in a positive way?
Author Byline: The Big 4 Guru wants to help you land the perfect job! Get all the insider information that recruiters don’t want you to know!
Author Website: The Big 4 Guru
During the campus recruiting process, companies will often make themselves available at a career fair. While these all work a little differently, the basic premise is the same: representatives from each company stand around a large room, pass out information and collect resumes. Even if you have already submitted your resume by some other means to these companies, and especially if you haven’t, it is imperative that you attend this function and generate some face time. However, this is not as easy as it sounds.
On the day of the career fair the recruiters from the companies will be inundated by you and every other accounting student in your class. You have two goals. First, you must make yourself known to the recruiters and obtain at least one business card. Second, you must manage not to give the wrong impression or you will risk your resume being “accidentally left behind.” Below are 5 tips to make sure that you achieve both these goals.
1) Approach with Ease - Typically there is some sort of receiving line where you will wait your turn to speak to the recruiter. Don’t be nervous! Most companies send their friendliest and most inviting staff to these events, so this is not the place to be intimidated. When it is your turn, shake hands with the recruiter and greet them with a smile. Introduce yourself firmly and hand them a copy of your resume.
2) Do you homework - Companies meet and greet so many students that think that they want a career in public accounting but don’t know why. You should know why a career in accounting is right for you and express that to the recruiter. Rather than simply saying “I want to be an accountant,” add some more information. For example, “I am interested in auditing public companies and gaining experience with SEC clients.” By letting them know that you understand their business, at least to some degree, you will separate yourself from those individuals who simply crave the Big 4 name on their resume. For more information to generate your own statement of intention, visit the Big 4’s websites located in the Appendix of this book. Study up on the different departments and lines of business and you will be sure to impress.
3) Ask a Good Question - After showing that you have a head on your shoulders, wow them again with a great question. People love to talk about themselves, recruiters included. Ask a sincere question such as “If you could offer me one piece of advice to be successful with (Insert Company) what would it be.” This will get them talking, thereby increasing your face time, and will show them that you value their input and advice. Further, they will subconsciously feel a vested interest in your success, as they have shared their advice, and will be more likely to put in a good word for you when they submit their resumes to their boss.
4) Keep it Brief - After a brief discourse it is best to be on your way. You do not want to be that guy (or girl) that stands around yapping for an hour, wasting everyone’s’ time (and there is always one). This will NOT leave a good impression. You are there to put your face to your resume and leave on a positive note. Once you’ve completed this there is no use taking the risk of saying something stupid.
5) Take a Business Card - As you leave, ask the recruiter for a card. Begin building a horde of these as they will be invaluable in the future. The contacts you meet at the career fair are excellent resources to bounce questions off in the future. They are typically not the same staff you will interview with and can be a valuable source of candid advice.
For More information, please visit http://www.big4guru.com
Author Byline: Lindsey Pollak is a college campus speaker and author of “Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World” (HarperCollins, 2007)
Author Website: Lindsey Pollak
Office politics exist in virtually every workplace, so what better training for a young professional’s career than to spend some time working on a political campaign? No matter what your political persuasion, the 2008 election is a perfect opportunity to jump into the fray. To find volunteer opportunities, check out the website of your favorite candidate or party, and remember to check out the local and state levels, too. You’re likely to get more responsibility if you work on a smaller campaign.
GOTV or “Get Out the Vote” is one of the jobs to which a new volunteer will likely be assigned. What does this entail? Calling registered voters and reminding them to go to the polls on Election Day and knocking door-to-door. GOTV requires little experience, but lots of enthusiasm. This is a particularly good option for Generation Y volunteers — candidates and their staff members will love your youthful energy and your connection to other young voters.
In addition to getting out the vote, you may have the opportunity to gain specific skills that will enhance your resume. This can be especially helpful for entry-level job candidates without a lot of professional experience, or for career changers who need to learn new skills. On a campaign you can gain experience in fundraising, negotiating, direct marketing, event planning, cold calling, graphic design, database management, public relations and more. Staffers will give you as much responsibility as you are willing to handle, so don’t be shy about asking for a specific role or raising your hand for more work.
What can you do if you end up stuffing envelopes day and night and you don’t seem to be contributing much to the campaign or to your own career development? Show some initiative! If you notice that a particular staffer is overworked, you can volunteer to answer her calls or organizer her files. If an event seems to be low on RSVPs, you can get on the phone or the web and persuade more people to attend. In the chaos of a political campaign, everyone loves–and notices–a problem solver.
Another career benefit of working on a political campaign is that it will build your knowledge of current affairs. You’re sure to impress your colleagues or a potential employer if you can talk intelligently about the economy, foreign policy, labor issues, procurement opportunities, taxes or any other issues relevant to your industry or community.
Last but not least, volunteering for a political campaign provides phenomenal networking opportunities. As a political volunteer, you can meet and interact with a huge variety of people. Plus, simply observing politicians is a great way to see how networking happens. Politicians are masters of communication, mutual opportunity, compromise and — let’s be honest — schmoozing. You may not like the style of every politician, but you can use the opportunity of working on a political campaign to observe how deals get done, and how political operatives persuade people to vote for the candidates and issues they support.
I asked this question a while back as I was going back and thinking about the relationships that I saved and those I burned. I have to say that burning a bridge is sometimes just as useful as keeping one since without the burning a new one cannot be built…
Have you ever had to burn one bridge to build another?
I am a consultant Test Manager working on a contract basis.
Although in theory, most large IT shops involve Testing at an early stage in the SDLC, in practice Testing tends to be brought in at the last minute to test quality into the system (!?)
My job therefore is to come along late and tell everyone what they’ve done wrong - great way to make friends. Among my most successful jobs I count projects I stopped completely, a couple after more than $3 million in development. The damage to the companies concerned had the software been released whether to the bottom line or reputation would have cost more than the wasted development costs. These decisions certainly put a lot of noses out of joint.
In my job I necessarily burn bridges as part of doing my job ethically, but for every person who wouldn’t rehire or recommend me, I hope there are many more who appreciate the hard decisions I sometimes have to make.
Best Answers in: Organizational Development (1)… see more, Positioning (1), Enterprise Software (1), Software Development (1) see less
Unfortunately. I don’t like being put in a position where I have to.
In a technical world, its OK to fail. You are going to make mistakes. Everyone gets smarter as the team evolves.
In a political world, to Fail is a death knoll. You lose any and all credibility and power of negotiation, once you fail. Especially if you fess up. You may survive if you can stick the mistake on someone else.
I SUCK at politics. But I will not compromise my ethics. So, when I get in a position where I lack the moral flexibility to survive, I tend to look for a way out. Politics and Engineering do not mix. Once politics becomes prevalent, your team will become afraid to try new things or afraid to express new ideas.
The one lesson I’ve learned -> Once you’ve made the decision to move on -> NEVER EVER EVER SAY ANYTHING. Anything you say, you own. If you declare the problem, you own it. And all of the problems around what you own as well. It instantly becomes your fault and folks that were there seem to remember only selective things. After all, its EASY to pin something on someone whose no longer there because you can’t defend yourself if you don’t know. And others are not going to stick up for you because it puts them in the ownership seat.
So far, in a career of 30+ years and a consulting career of almost 15 years, I have not burned any bridges. As a consultant, I have always believed in the importance of leaving a happy client behind.
Sometimes this has been rather painful — I recall one situation early in my consulting practice that was particularly difficult (horrendous office politics) but I stuck with it and finished the job by re-engineering the process and eliminating my role! The manager was so appreciate that he then gave me a year-long second assignment. Then, after we had both moved on to other things, he brought me in at his new company, where I have (off and on) spent 5 years. In addition, I have leveraged experience from those assignments into several others!
If I had walked away from that assignment, burning my bridge with that particular manager, my consulting career would have been much less rewarding (in every sense!) over the past 10 years.
Finish the job if at all possible — and then (and ONLY then) move on…
Great question. To answer your question specifically, I would need a heck of a lot more information about you, the situation, the type of burning, etc.
However, in general, I would say that burning one bridge to build another is typically the result of your moving on from one person/company (a supplier, contractor, vendor, etc.) for another with more favorable terms (offering you more, cheaper, better, etc. services).
In my opinion, if you have a good relationship and history of good communication with the first (who’s bridge is about to be burned), you can explain the situation in such a way that they agree with your decision. Put the onus on them - to match the new bridge’s deal (cost, quality, reliability, etc.). If they can, good for them and good for you - no need to burn the bridge. If they can’t, you can explain to them that you hope they understand why you have to move on.
Doing this in a way that is honest, truthful and compassionate, rather than threatening them that you’ll walk if they don’t give in, makes it much harder for them to harbor resentment. Ideally, they’ll understand your predicament and hope you’ll come back when the situation is right.
Yes, ofcourse. This happens with sincere regularity in a hot market, where there is a lot of churn.
One simple thing each one of us could do is to keep our side of the bridge strong enough and to NOT to let the entire bridge collapse. One side of the bridge is sufficient, so that the other person at some point could always reconsider the option.
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (5)… see more, Career Development (1), Occupational Training (1), Ethics (1), Professional Networking (1), Foreign Investment (1), Personnel Policies (1), Staffing and Recruiting (1), Business Development (1), Public Relations (1), Writing and Editing (1), Corporate Governance (1), Manufacturing (1), Supply Chain Management (1), Engineering (1), Interface Design (1), Small Business (1) see less
I would be more likely to try to connect the bridges. I have had to burn my side of a bridge to fend off attacks. It’s sad when that happens because building bridges is a good part of what I do.
Best Answers in: Career Development (3)… see more, Change Management (3), Organizational Development (3), Biotech (3), Staffing and Recruiting (2), Internationalization and Localization (2), Mentoring (1), Ethics (1), Venture Capital and Private Equity (1), Charity and Non-Profit (1), Government Services (1), Direct Marketing (1), Business Development (1), Business Analytics (1), Futures Markets (1), Project Management (1) see less
Hi Gene,
When I was new in my profession I ended up calling on an intensely political lattice of unnamed group of people. One subgroup had a history with the rest. I separated myself to pursue business relationships with the majority who saw more patients that I could impact.
What I learned is that in an office, if they are truly anti-industry, then you should let them be-there’s probably more that meets the eye
I would have handled it differently knowing what I know now-being less naïve.
We are all professionally friendly now as bygones are bygones and everyone understands……..
In everyday life, I believe we all have to make trade-offs to align ourselves to support and be supported by those that share our values, which at the end of the day is all you’ve got. -scary if there isn’t any……
Cheers,
Sherri
Clarification added 6 months ago:
Gene, I felt obligated to communicate that it was revealed over time that there was a lot of jealousy towards the success of these individuals. Recognizing their leadership in their field, I have since referred both patients and physicians to their practice. As professionals, jealousy-in individual or lattice type is an interesting dynamic to ignore, manage, etc…
Once. Personally I tried my best to re-create it but it was only barely mended. With 20/20 hindsight I realize that it was a correct decision. I would say that you should seriously think if you are about to burn a bridge but then sometimes that is the right step to move forward. Stephanie Cadirci
Of course…I think this happens more often than not! In the event industry it really is a small world…almost borderline incestuous….everyone knows everyone and therefore everyone tends to be afraid of “burning bridges”…but recently I found that once you burn a bridge, if in fact it was a legitimate burning, others will come out of the woodwork and admit that they have burned the same bridges.
Everyone seems to “play nice” on the outside, but once it is known that you feel the same way about a company/person/etc as they do, you realize how many others out there feel the same way and burned those bridges long ago while wondering how you “played nice” for so long….
Burning bridges at times is part of doing business…some bridges are better off burnt than in tact, so as to make sure that you have no association or connection with them what-so-ever…
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (16)… see more, Customer Service (1), Regulation and Compliance (1), Education and Schools (1), Certification and Licenses (1), Job Search (1), Professional Networking (1), Treaties, Agreements and Organizations (1), Option Markets (1), Manufacturing (1), Distribution (1), Computers and Software (1) see less
I have recruited from a former client because my existing client asked that I do so. It was a very difficult decision where I avoided buring a bridge..Whenever possible, never burn a bridge..
Sometimes you stand on an edge, where you have to make a decision, which will result in a burnt bridge, but sometimes it is something you have to do to reach something you want to archive. I think the most important thing is that you can look into yourself afterward and know you made the right decisione, choice etc.
In a competitive and small market, you sometime end burning a bridge or two, but it is important you keep building other bridges ..
Best Answers in: Staffing and Recruiting (4)… see more, Personnel Policies (2), Small Business (2), Facilities Management (1), Job Search (1), Compensation and Benefits (1), Starting Up (1) see less
My goal has always been to build bridges and not waste time burning bridges but in the business climate that we all exist in sometimes due to politics it may be necessary to burn a bridge.
The only time that I burn a bridge is when trust has been broken. Integrity and accountability is lacking to a great degree. I do not waste my time on bridges where the other party lacks accountability and more importantly integrity. Life is to short to concentrate on bridge building with folks that focus just on themselves to the detriment of the others.
In my experience, burning bridges normally comes back to haunt although we all know it is impossible to ‘never” do it.
The only time I burn a bridge on purpose is if I feel the person has done something unethical personally or in business. Once someone has burned my trust I can never go back to them. The nagging doubt always remains and I find it draining to have to consider what I can and cannot say or do around a person…
In that one case, I will burn a bridge if only to build an new one to move on.
Best Answers in: Career Development (1)… see more, Staffing and Recruiting (1), Labor Relations (1), Computers and Software (1) see less
You never, ever know who’s going to show up on the other side of the table as manager, interviewer, client, whatever. The world seems so big when you’re burning the bridge and so small when you walk into a conference room and find the other end of that mess on the other side of the table.
The only time I’d deliberately burn a bridge is in the case of unethical behavior. Sometimes you’re force to separate yourself actively from actions or people. The rest of the time, I keep my mouth shut, smile, take everyone to lunch, and move on.
Burning Bridges? Depending on exactly how one might define it; this should almost never be necessary. Highly refined interpersonal, leadership, and management skills, together with simple old fashioned gentlemanly behavior, should negate the need to burn a well constructed bridge.
Certainly, there will be times in business, when one might need to assertively protect ones business interests; however, it should practically never be done in an aggressive, bridge burning manner.
Of the CEO’s and corporate board directors that I have known, added to the numerous executives that have written business books, it is my experience that most do not burn bridges.
Best Answers in: Ethics (11)… see more, Career Development (10), Using LinkedIn (7), Manufacturing (5), Education and Schools (4), Organizational Development (4), Mentoring (3), Economics (3), Government Policy (3), Business Development (3), Public Relations (3), Project Management (3), Commercial Real Estate (2), Facilities Management (2), Job Search (2), Professional Networking (2), Accounting (2), Government Services (2), Personnel Policies (2), Exporting/Importing (2), Internationalization and Localization (2), Offshoring and Outsourcing (2), Events Marketing (2), Business Analytics (2), Change Management (2), Equity Markets (2), Supply Chain Management (2), Product Design (2), Starting Up (2), Blogging (2), Wireless (2), Regulation and Compliance (1), Certification and Licenses (1), Professional Organizations (1), Corporate Debt (1), Charity and Non-Profit (1), Compensation and Benefits (1), Staffing and Recruiting (1), International Law (1), Treaties, Agreements and Organizations (1), Corporate Law (1), Advertising (1), Sales Techniques (1), Writing and Editing (1), Labor Relations (1), Planning (1), Bond Markets (1), Option Markets (1), Quality Management and Standards (1), Personal Investing (1), Engineering (1), Small Business (1), E-Commerce (1), Computers and Software (1) see less
Only on the very rare occasion. I typically enjoy building bridges and keeping them in tact.
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (50)… see more, Career Development (10), Staffing and Recruiting (10), Computers and Software (7), Ethics (6), Quality Management and Standards (5), Software Development (5), Web Development (5), Freelancing and Contracting (4), Job Search (4), Professional Networking (4), Accounting (4), Government Policy (4), Internet Marketing (4), Change Management (4), Organizational Development (4), Project Management (4), Enterprise Software (4), Business Development (3), Business Analytics (3), Supply Chain Management (3), Blogging (3), Databases (3), Business Travel (2), Education and Schools (2), Certification and Licenses (2), Personnel Policies (2), Internationalization and Localization (2), Contracts (2), Employment and Labor Law (2), Advertising (2), Public Relations (2), Inventory Management (2), Manufacturing (2), Personal Taxes (2), Biotech (2), E-Commerce (2), Computer Networking (2), Commercial Real Estate (1), Facilities Management (1), Regulation and Compliance (1), Mentoring (1), Professional Organizations (1), Corporate Taxes (1), Economics (1), Government Contracts (1), Government Services (1), International Law (1), Treaties, Agreements and Organizations (1), Criminal Law (1), Antitrust Law (1), Direct Marketing (1), Guerrilla Marketing (1), Corporate Governance (1), Labor Relations (1), Planning (1), Bond Markets (1), Hedge Funds (1), Market Research and Definition (1), Starting Up (1), Information Security (1), Information Storage (1), Telecommunications (1) see less
Hello Gene,
Very rarely, unless the fire has started from the other side and I have no control over it. Even then, I bring the water.
If you can be diplomatic - you could do both. But the genuineness of the bridges would be in question.
As long as you are genuine - what you will find is that building a bridge at the expense of burning one is the easiest thing to do. And building a genuine bridge without burning the old one would be the toughest. Apologies for getting philosophical on this one…:-)
Best Answers in: Professional Networking (1)… see more, Government Policy (1), Treaties, Agreements and Organizations (1), Business Development (1), Change Management (1), Organizational Development (1) see less
I don’t burn bridges I had build. Never. But sometime I abandon my bridges to move on. Even when I strongly disagree with some one or with the entire business I don’t like to stand up and to declare my disagreement loudly. I just don’t touch the subject when I know I have a different position then an other person. I don’t say I silently leave when someone does something wrong from my perspective. I try to find a common ground in soft manner, but if I see I cannot find right words and right action to fix a disagreement I just leave. My point is: some people learn from their own mistakes only, they don’t like to hear about other people experience and to leave them alone on their way to the fail is the only way to teach them.
