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Managing Your Career

Style Q&A;

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Q: I'm a vegan and don't wear leather. What should I do as far as shoes for a corporate job interview?

A: In addition to pleather (synthetic leather), an assortment of footwear can now be found made from natural and sustainable products such as hemp and bamboo. Here are a few resources: www.mooshoes.com, www.zappos.com/vegan, www.shoes.com/vegetarian, and www.shoeocean.com. Just keep the general professional dress code in mind. Men should look for a traditional oxford dress shoe (lace-up or slip-on), and women should opt for a closed-toe pump in a neutral color, with a heel no higher than three inches. Most important, shoes should be clean and well-maintained with no scuff marks or visible signs of wear and tear.
—Kelly Machbitz, owner, Totalfashionmakeover.com, Clearwater, Fla.

 

Interactive Case Study

An Employee Assistance Program Ups Productivity

Issue: Cigna's In-House Compassion

The Employee Assistance Program reduces worries and increases productivity for Cigna workers stricken by survivor guilt and other troubles

Analysis: Cigna Is Getting It Right

Organizations are wise to engage their workers and help them tackle survivor guilt and other woes

Comment: What Would You Do?

"I strongly support anything a business does to address the human side of business effectiveness. If the culture of the organization is to be supportive and head off personal and interpersonal problems before they have a business impact, EAPs are excellent resources."

—Sheryl Spanier, leadership consultant and executive coach, New York

Reader Poll

Has survivor guilt (the despair one feels when co-workers lose their jobs) affected your work performance?

IN YOUR FACE: APPLE VS. MICROSOFT

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Reader Paul Whelan Writes:

"Apple's design is like fresh fruit or fish. It is wonderful at the time, but goes off very quickly."


Sponsored by Tres Generaciones Tequila

 

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Top Stories

Eight Job Interview Gaffes for the Record Book

"Unforgettable" isn't always a good thing for a job seeker, according to careers columnist and former HR executive Liz Ryan

How to Quit Your Job

The 84% of U.S. workers who plan to get new jobs in 2011 should take care to exit their current employers gracefully

Turn Yourself into an Office Diplomat

Small gestures of courtesy and respect toward your reports can catapult your career upward

Top 10 Careers for 2011

Thinking about a career change in 2011? Remember that some fields are expected to grow while others will shrink over the next decade. Here's a look at 2011 picks for the top careers

Managing Employees in Their Twenties

Young workers want affirmation even more than they desire higher salaries, says Harvard blogger Michael Fertik. Here's how to motivate them

Personal Damage Control

So you've made a huge mistake on the job, and everybody knows. We feel your pain. We want to help

New Business Books

A List of Tomes About Jobs, Careers, Management, and Leadership
(updated every week)

Headhunter Hint

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Write a Can-Do Résumé

A good résumé advertises not what you've done but what you can do for your future employer.
—Tara McKernan, DHR International

 

New Careers Books

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New Business Books

A list of tomes about jobs, careers, management, and leadership—updated weekly

 

Harvard Business Review

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People Problems Masquerading as Business Problems

Before faulting your own managerial skills, consider that much workplace dysfunction stems from employees' problems at home

 

Debate Room

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Macs Merit Their Higher Price Tags

Apple's software and user-friendly features justify their higher price compared with PCs. Pro or con?

 

The Drucker Difference: Rick Wartzman

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Churchill and Drucker: Perfect Together

Whether iconic British Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew it or not, he followed Peter Drucker's eight rules for being an effective executive

 

Headhunter Confidential: Joe McCool

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Talent Management Gains Momentum

A new study reveals that companies, concerned about competition for leaders, expect to spend more on talent management this year

 

Marshall & Friends: Marshall Goldsmith

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Self-Help Can't Get You Mojo

If you want to acquire a sense of meaning and happiness, enlist a friend to assist you on a regular basis. All it takes is one phone call a day

 

Coaches Corner: The Handel Group

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Job Hunting Advice: Follow Through

Coach Lauren Zander tells Paul Nawrocki to keep reaching out to potential contacts and employers and to start visualizing himself in a new job

 

Featured Blog

If pay and career trajectories for women really are not all they're cracked up to be, then maybe forking over $300 grand for a top-tier MBA just isn't worth it.

Louis Lavelle, Getting In

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