Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Wasting Others’ Time: Don’t Get a Prescription from Your Doctor

I’ve been spending a lot of time in doctors’ offices lately. No, I’m not sick – just 36 weeks pregnant. And having a doctor’s appointment at least once a week inevitably means that my productivity goes way down. This is because one waits longer for a doctor than for any other professional, and even if you only see the doctor for ten minutes, your experience in the office is often a 2+ hour affair.

I’d like to say that this is a statement about the sad condition of modern medicine, but the truth is, doctors’ offices have been this way for as long as I can remember – including the 80s, when health insurance companies paid for everything without questioning it and every man and woman with an MD made a cushy living.

I’m not sure why it’s acceptable for physicians to keep patients waiting as long as they do. If a client showed up to meet with me at a pre-scheduled time, and I showed her to a stack of magazines in the lobby and left her there for hours on end, I wouldn’t have a job. I am expected to respect others’ time and keep to my calendar.

The culture of medicine is such that no one in a doctor’s office – from the receptionist to the PA to the doctor himself – cares that you have a life too and are unable to take care of your responsibilities as long as you’re there instead of wherever else you’re supposed to be. And unfortunately, I’m starting to see this attitude spill into the business world. Senior executives in particular will routinely cancel meetings with subordinates at the last minute, or keep them hanging around the office for a five minute paperwork signoff while they chit chat on the phone or complete every other minor task that comes to mind. 

Let’s please try to remember that everyone wants to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible.  Think about how your actions may be wasting others’ time, and don’t allow your lack of planning to become their emergency. 

Razume: Resume Critique Meets Social Networking

I just received an e-mail from a reader about Razume, a new online community where users can anonymously post, rate and review resumes. The service provides a fast and easy way to collect valuable feedback from knowledgeable sources like recruiters, and it’s free for job seekers.  It’s discreet too: users are encouraged to hide contact information on resumes so that the boss won’t know you’re looking.

While I’m not crazy about the name (I thought Razume meant that other people will make fun of your resume, a la the Razzie Awards, but it actually means “they understand” in Serbian), Razume is a great option for those who have created their resume in a vacuum and want to test it out in the real world. I would caution you, though, against taking feedback too literally or seriously.  You don’t really know who’s on the other end of the feedback chain even if the person claims to be a recruiter or career coach.  In the world of Web 2.0, everyone has an opinion and doesn’t hesitate to share it, but even well-meaning Razume chums might have little credibility or knowledge when it comes to critiquing a resume in your particular field.

I still think that the best person to look at your completed resume and instruct you on how to refine it is someone who is currently working in a similar job, either as a colleague or a hiring manager.  If you can find that person on Razume or another social networking site, great.  But other networking vehicles like third-party associations and informational interviews can work as well. 

The Next Frontier of Exercise: Training Your Brain

My fellow Huffington Post columnist Alvaro Fernandez writes about the recent news emphasis on brain fitness and "brain training,” which reflects a growing interest in natural, non-drug-based interventions to keep our brains sharp. Fernandez says that this interest is very timely, given the aging population, increasing Alzheimer's rates, and soaring health care costs that place more emphasis than ever on prevention and changing lifestyle.

An increasing number of companies, such as Nintendo with the Brain Age and Brain Training games, are achieving significant commercial success in packaging brain exercise. Who’s buying them? Adults over 50 who want to protect their memory are among the pioneers, and the 78 million baby boomers are eager to try new approaches. K12 education is on board as well: certain brain fitness software packages have shown they can help kids who have dyslexia and related difficulties.

The products, to some extent, do work.  You can expect quantifiable short-term improvements in your cognitive skills after a number of weeks of systematic brain training.  But as for measurable long-term benefits, such as better overall brain health as we age, or lower incidence of Alzheimer's symptoms, it’s still too early to tell.

Fernandez predicts that we will see the brain training trend enter the work world in a number of ways. Perhaps companies will offer incentive programs to employees in order to attract and retain mature workers who want access to the best and the latest innovations to keep their minds sharp.  And more and better computer-based tools will be made available to all employees: just as we find a variety of machines in health clubs today, in the future we can expect different brain programs tailored to train specific cognitive skills that are relevant to particular jobs.

In the 21^st century, it appears that fitness is taking on a whole new meaning. Hopefully these brain training programs will prove more appealing than the elliptical!

Starting Your Own Gig: Entrepreneurism "at Work"

Leaving the business world to start one’s own gig is a hot topic these days. I read blog posts about it every day, and my friend Pam Slim just sold a new book about it. Over lunch a few weeks ago, I asked my good friend Keith Alperin if he’d be willing to tell WCW readers how he launched his new business, Helium Foot Software, and what he’s learned so far.  Here’s what he had to say:

“Before I open a can of introspection on you, first let me introduce you to Helium Foot Software. Our first product, MercuryMover, lets you move and resize windows on your Mac via your keyboard. MercuryMover perfectly embodies our mission of providing software to make your Mac more agile, more powerful and more fun.

My reasons to start Helium Foot are probably not very different from any other entrepreneur. When you get up and go to work every day, you want it to amount to something. As Helium Foot grows, its accomplishments are my accomplishments (and also its failures) and whatever edifice Helium Foot turns out to be, it will be one of my own building. I've worked for a few start ups (and who in the tech business hasn't) and I really longed to have the ownership over my work that really only comes from, well, ownership.

Another aspect of running your own show that really appealed to me was the terms under which you work. The terms are my own. For now that means working during all of my free time and late into the night, but my work fantasy is to be home every afternoon when my children come home from school and we'll all do our homework together around the dining room table. In this fantasy, I also have two fully decked out Mac Book Pros and my children both have ponies.

The most important thing that I've learned is that in order to have your business, you have to start. Period. I thought about striking out on my own for literally years before I actually did it. What I know now is that it takes a lot of time to build your own company. If I had started earlier, I'd be much closer to where I want to be.

I've really enjoyed having my own company. I've learned a ton and, as corny as it sounds, it's very gratifying to build your own enterprise. However, the brass ring is to be able to quit my day job and do this full time.  For now, I have a lot of growing to do.”

Thanks, Keith, and best of luck!

Want to Do Something Better? Ask.

When you get to a certain point in your career, the tendency is to think you’re supposed to be an expert in everything pertaining to your field. After all, you have years of experience under your belt, you keep up on new developments well enough, and you’re the one people are always asking for advice. 

Regardless of your occupation, if you aren’t continually learning and innovating, you risk becoming obsolete and irrelevant. The key, though, is not to insist on being some kind of superhuman who knows everything and can do everything without input or assistance.  Instead, your success depends on your ability to identify the people in your life who excel in a particular area – and tap them.

In my career as a career expert and author, I do this all the time. This year alone, I’ve asked my colleagues Penelope Trunk for book marketing tips, Lindsey Pollak for ideas on building a popular Facebook group, and Barbara Stanny for thoughts on how to do better on the lecture circuit.

Today, I’m asking YOU how Water Cooler Wisdom can be a better blog. WCW is now about twenty months old – a toddler!  Traffic is steady, but it hasn’t increased much in the last couple of months, and I’d like to see more people commenting. What would entice you to become more engaged with this blog?  Are there particular topics you’d like to see covered?  Would you be interested in reading posts from guest bloggers? So many of you are avid blog readers and also maintain flourishing blogs. Any and all suggestions are welcome.  Bring them on!

New Episode of 30/20 Vision: 20s Inspiration

A new episode of the 30/20 Vision Radio Show will air live on February 20, 2008 at BlogTalkRadio at 9PM ET.  As I reminder, I host this monthly radio show with my fellow authors Christine Hassler (20 Something Manifesto) and Lindsey Pollak (Getting from College to Career), and our goal is to provide "big sister" advice to men and women in their twenties. In this episode, we'll discuss Christine's new book, 20 Something Manifesto, and the inspirational stories we heard or experienced personally as we completed our own twenties journeys.  Hope some of you will listen live, but please feel free to check out the podcast afterwards and let us know what you think.

Dream Job Spotlight: Interview with Chris, Political Speechwriter

Given current events, I thought it would be appropriate for this dream job spotlight to focus on a political career.  Today, we’re talking with Chris, 29, a speechwriter who gets paid to put eloquent words in the mouths of our favorite candidates and is featured in my new book, How’d You Score That Gig?

Alex:  How do you feel about being a political speechwriter and why?

Chris: I really enjoy writing, and politics, and this is the ultimate combination of the two.  I spend my mornings combing through the major news papers, and watching TV, getting a sense of what is going in the world, and ensuring that I’m topical in my material.  I have a little trick I use that really helps me change my voice or tone for each client, to ensure that everything I write for them is unique.  I read comic books.  See, each comic book hero has his own secret identity, strengths and weaknesses.  They also have an arch enemy of some kind, and this creates some of the building blocks for great oratory.

Alex: How did you get your first paying job?

Chris: I got my first paying job by volunteering my services early on.  Whenever there’s an election, you reach out to the candidates, and offer your time and skills.  They’re always looking for able volunteers, and I honed my craft through lots of practice, for free.  The closer you work with a candidate, the better your collaborative product is, and the better you get.  Persistence was key.  I had to chase one client for a year, asking him over and over to give me a shot before they finally said yes.  Start at the bottom, and work your way up. 

Alex: What in your childhood, adolescence, or college experience prepared you for this career?

Chris: Early in my childhood, my father was a political and social commentary writer.  He always had things to say about the way the government was doing things.  He has a lot of passion for the arts, and for writing.  In grade school, I was an active public speaker, and then ran for student council in high school.  I fell in love with politics from there, and continued with it in college.  The love of writing came later, when I realized that I could help my clients articulate their thoughts in a way that would move people. 

Stay tuned next week for more from Chris!

Caution: Falling Ice

Chicago has already gotten hit with around eight snowstorms this year.  It has also been quite cold, and next to every building you walk past downtown, there is a yellow “Caution: Falling Ice” sign.

I understand the purpose of most signs like this.  After all, when you’re in a restaurant and they’ve just mopped the floor, it makes sense for them to warn you to watch your step so that you don’t slip on the water.  But what exactly am I supposed to do with this falling ice announcement?  I can’t stop the ice from falling off the building, and I have no choice but to walk down the sidewalk.  The notion of not being able to protect myself from imminent danger makes me nervous and irritable.

When you’re at work, don’t be like Chicken Little, who wailed to everyone who would listen that the sky was falling, or the sign that cautioned about falling ice.  If you’re going to report a worrisome situation, make sure that you come across as a problem-solver rather than a “Debbie Downer.”  For example, you might tell your boss that you think morale among your team is slipping, and then immediately suggest that you organize an evening out to show your appreciation for the hard work they’re doing.  You will quickly be seen as someone who identifies needs and solutions rather than a chronic complainer or doomsayer.

Book Review: 20 Something Manifesto

My 30/20 Vision radio show co-host, Christine Hassler, has just released a new book for twenty-somethings called 20 Something Manifesto: Quarterlifers Speak Out about Who They Are, What They Want, and How to Get It.

Christine began her post-college life as a high-powered Hollywood agent, and after a series of personal and professional setbacks, found her footing in a career in life coaching.  In the Manifesto, Christine shares her own journey as well as the journeys of dozens of twenty-somethings who have muddled through this rite of passage and lived to tell about it.  The book removes the expectation that you’re supposed to have it all together after college, and encourages the reader to revel in the uncertainty, the opportunities to explore, grow, and yes, even make big mistakes.

One thing I love about this book is that it’s not totally “rah rah” and feel good.  This is clearly a book for those of us who live in the real world, and Christine and her legion of storytellers tackle some tough subjects including toxic relationships, career failures, image crises, and crippling debt.  And of course, I’m a big fan of concrete exercises that help readers crystallize the advice provided and create a road map for their future. 

20 Something Manifesto inspires twenty-somethings, and even those of us a tad bit older, to assess where we are and take the steps to become the people we really want to be.  Reading it felt warm and intimate, like sitting around a living room fire with a few drinks and your closest friends.  It was also kind of like eating some really tasty strawberries.  You enjoy every minute, and yet it’s guilt-free because you know that you’re consuming something good for you. 

4 Tips for Surviving Relocation

When I graduated from college, I immediately moved from Chicago to New York to begin my career in a global PR agency.  I left behind my boyfriend of a year, Stew.  Newly Corporate has a helpful post on surviving a long distance relationship that’s a result of relocation.  Here are four of Brandon’s best tips:

• Make friends as soon as you can in your new city. Use networking tools like Meetup.com, company happy hours and service events to reach out to new people and make your transition easier. It’s all too easy to spend too much time on the phone or the internet.  Avoid the comfortable and push yourself!
• Be responsive. When you are invited to social events by work friends or personal contacts back home don’t just decline, respond!  Tell them where you are and what you’re up to, and engage them with questions about their lives.  It will keep you in touch and prevent the impression that you just fell of the map.
• Plan a mini-vacation-visit with your friends or significant other. Depending on where you have been relocated to, it can be an exciting place for the rest of your friends and family to visit. Plan out a weekend around an event in your area and send out an itinerary early to your friends so they can get cheap tickets.
• Pay attention to your finances. There can be additional financial worries associated with relocating abroad, if you prepare correctly you can avoid the added strain that financial problems can put on relationships.

I’m happy to report that ten years ago, I used many of these techniques, and as a result, I made some friends for life in New York City and Stew is now my husband!