It must be summer: Employees are leaving on vacation, the company picnic has been set and, oh yeah – the interns have arrived.

Interns usually arrive full of eagerness and intelligence, but often lacking any real-world experience in how a business operates. The transition from the schoolroom to the workplace can be rough, and many stumble because they don’t know the basic rules of survival.

And more experienced workers often don’t share their hard-won truths, knowing that the interns will be gone in the last days of summer. They don’t want to put forth the energy needed to train such short-timers.

So how is an intern to survive – and make sure the time with a company has a payoff for everyone involved? The key is remembering the basics so that more time and energy can be devoted to making a professional impact.

Some hard and fast rules for interns:

- Dress correctly.

While some interns take their dressing cues from “Sex and the City” characters or believe jeans and T-shirt are the perfect ensemble for any occasion, that’s not a smart philosophy for the workplace. A good “uniform” for male or female interns is khaki or black pants, dress shoes and a blue dress shirt. All clothes must be ironed (front and back). Female interns should wear dresses or skirts if that is how their female colleagues dress, and male interns should wear ties for the same reason.

- Everyone has an agenda.

Whether it’s the old-timer who wants to teach interns that they know nothing, or the fellow intern who wants to sabotage his or her peers, the important thing is to not take office politics personally. This is all part of the learning experience, and interns should watch what they say at all times. They should avoid taking sides in any dispute, and they shouldn’t gossip. Nothing should be put in an e-mail, discussed on the phone or said at lunch that an intern would not be comfortable saying in front of the boss.

- Just say “yes.”

If asked to go to lunch with co-workers, attend a company function or tag along on a client visit, the intern should always accept. An internship is a short period, and it’s critical to make the most of any and all contacts. This is where networking truly takes place, and where an intern often will be evaluated for an ability to fit into a work environment or function.

- Best behavior 24/7.

Interns are judged on everything from how a fork is held to a handshake clasp to behavior in a meeting. Interns should never let down their guard, even at informal events. They should avoid drinking, or only have one drink at an event. Even on their own time, interns should be aware they might run into colleagues, clients or managers. (To join the discussion on internships, check out the blog at www.anitabruzzese.com).

- Ask questions.

Nothing bugs bosses or other employees more than having to clean up messes because an intern acted without checking to make sure something was being done correctly. When interns ask questions, it means they are showing respect for others. While interns should not ask for every little detail, they do want to have a clear understanding of common company practices.

- Welcome to the bottom of the food chain.

Even an employee with two weeks of experience has more clout than an intern. Interns may get chummy with younger workers or feel comfortable enough sharing a story about a wild party with co-workers, but that’s a mistake. At this point, everyone is an intern’s boss.

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Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them,” (www.45things.com). Write to her at: anita(AT)anitabruzzese.com or c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

When Stephen Hopson was a child, he would beg his mother to take him to a local airfield so he could watch planes take off. After watching them soar overhead, he would immediately run to his mother’s car and lay his ear against the hood and wait excitedly for what he says he knew would come: “The tremendous washing-machine-type vibration.”

As a self-described kid who was “scrawny, with yellow buckteeth and … a monstrous hearing aid box that was strapped around my chest with hearing aid cords that ran up to my ears,” Hopson had big dreams about one day becoming a pilot.

But as a deaf child, his dreams were supposed to be limited. Pilot a plane without being able to hear?

“I later discovered that deaf pilots had been flying since the 1940s, and I began flight training in 2000,” he says. “Many of the flight instructors were not aware that the FAA was allowing deaf pilots to navigate the skies. They couldn’t bring themselves to believe it.”

Hopson not only went on to become a private pilot, but a commercial pilot (with restrictions) and made history in 2006 by becoming the first deaf instrument-rated pilot in the world.

Hopson’s “go for it” attitude has been evident from the time he put his ear to the hood of his mother’s car to his high-flying career as a Wall Street bank executive many years later, where he earned great success and money – and one day happily walked away.

That may be hard to fathom, especially as so many Wall Street executives now find themselves being forced to walk away from lucrative and successful careers after the downturn in many companies. But Hopson not only left his job, he did it because he fell asleep on a beach.

Actually, he fell asleep on a beach and had what he describes as a “powerful thought thundering through my head.”

“The thought was: ‘You are destined to be an inspirational speaker and writer, not buying and selling stocks.’ Somehow, I knew it was true,” he says.

So, six months later, he walked away from Wall Street. His mother responded like most mothers in such a situation: “Do you have any money saved?”, while his colleagues let him know what an impact he had made on them with his achievements.

I was the only one in that office who couldn’t hear, yet I was outpacing some of them,” he says.

Hopson is now indeed a motivational speaker and life coach (www.sjhopson.com), but admits that starting over “from square one” was “scary and required a great deal of faith.”

“As a teen,” he recalls, “I’d drive the car down the middle of the highway somewhere in the country, pretending to be a pilot, taking off and landing. Got a couple of speeding tickets that way – it led to a better understanding of what is meant by ‘paying the price for your dreams!’”

Hopson’s new career is based upon the premise that he knows how to take adversity and turn it into success, and he believes that it is a message many people want to hear from just a regular guy faced with his share of obstacles.

“Years of scandals in the corporate world have soured audiences on pep talks from well-paid executives, but the skepticism softens when a speaker like myself who wears a hearing aid and speaks with a ‘distinctive voice’ walks onstage and talks about overcoming adversity,” he says. “The fact that I have never heard a sound in my life, and yet managed to build a successful career … brings tremendous credibility to the table. After people hear me speak, they cannot possibly go back to work making excuses for themselves.”

So, what advice does he have for others hoping to make changes in their lives or careers?

“Cut through the fog of fear by listening to your intuition and discover your true passions,” he says. “Trust that by following your passions, people, places, things and circumstances will appear almost magically to supply you with what you need.”

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them,” (www.45things.com). Write to her at: anitaanitabruzzese.com or c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

Business travel can be tough, whether it’s late or cancelled flights, the lousy food, doing laundry in a small hotel sink or the time away from hearth and home.

That’s why one employer felt that its employees deserved some extra considerations while traveling, and is offering its “road warriors” various perks to make their traveling experience less of a hassle. Included: laundry and dry-cleaning services, footing the bill for a family member or friend to join the employee on the road and airline club memberships.

Crowe Chizek and Co. LLC, a public accounting and consulting firm, added the benefits last year, and so far, the feedback has been positive, says Julie Wood, Crowe’s chief people officer.

“We don’t have hard data yet, but what we’re hearing is that it’s a benefit that people really like,” Wood says.

One of the road warriors is Brenda Buetow, who traveled at least 175 days last year as a Crowe forensic accountant. While she says she “loves to travel,” the benefits the company now offers for those who spend more than 30 percent of their time on the road makes life easier to balance.

For her, the benefit of greatest impact has been the company paying for a family member to join the employee on the road for a weekend, or to fly the employee back home for a weekend.

“The most difficult part of traveling has been balancing work and family, but being able to come home on weekends was important,” she says. “And I can tell you that I did not miss one of my son’s Saturday football games last year.”

Buetow says she already has taken advantage of Crowe’s payment for dry cleaning and laundry expenses while on the road, and reimbursement for a Blackberry. She says that she also uses the fitness club reimbursement, something that came in handy when her hotel didn’t have a facility and she was able to visit a local gym, knowing her employer would pick up the expense.

Another perk for people like Buetow: a team of employees at Crowe who help keep road warriors moving and productive. For example, the virtual assistants can help set up business appointments or ship employee business mail to their homes – or quickly step in to avert travel disaster.

“One time I was in California and it was 6 a.m. and the only flight was cancelled,” Buetow says. “I speed-dialed the Crowe travel team, and within 10 minutes I was rebooked on another flight. I never even got out of line.”

That support may become even more critical as the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that almost 30 percent of flights in the U.S. were late or cancelled in March, and the airline industry is facing safety problems and rising fuel costs. As a result of increasing travel complaints about security checkpoint delays, the Transportation Security Administration recently expanded its “Black Diamond” program that allows business travelers to move to lanes designated for them.

With 30 percent of Crowe’s 2,400 employees traveling, Wood says that they were well aware of the challenges.

“We knew from listening to our managers and our employees that traveling for business was hard,” Wood says. “We wanted to look at ways to reduce some of that hardship.”

Perhaps the best perk for Crowe’s traveling employees: monetary compensation based on overnight stays. Wood says that last year, the company paid out more than $1 million to employees who spent time on the road.

Of course, Crowe hopes that its travel program will not only retain its current road warriors, but attract top talent. “We do promote the program in our recruiting process,” Wood says. “We think it sends the message that we take (travel stress) seriously.”

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

For many people today, one of the greatest desires is to set up a business and work from home.

But here are a few words of advice: Be careful what you wish for.

As many of those who have toiled in the trenches from the comfort of their own home can attest, it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be. Sure, it can be great, but working from home can also mean: longer hours, less productivity, more stress and the conviction that you’re going bonkers.

The problem is the unrealistic expectations and just plain ignorance on the part of the person who wants to set up a real, working office from home. That’s where Jeffrey A. Landers comes in.

In a “been there, done that” frame of mind, Landers has written “The Home Office From Hell Cure,” (Enterprise Press, $21.95), which seeks to help all those poor, clueless people who really think they need nothing more than a computer, some files and a telephone to work from home successfully.

“People like the idea of working from home, of controlling their own destiny, of working in any attire they like – or the lack thereof,” Landers says. “But there are a lot of common problems and distractions. I’m here to let people know they’re not alone.”

For example, Landers (www.thehomeofficefromhellcure.com) says that one of the problems is having a place to meet with clients. The corner coffee shop, the local library, a nearby fast-food restaurant and hotel lobbies are bad ideas, he says, because it makes you look like someone struggling to get a business off the ground. Everything you do should tell a client that you’re high-end, successful and don’t count a table at Arby’s as your favorite meeting place.

To that end, Landers has some suggestions on how to make yourself appear a bit bigger than you might be, such as:

- A professional receptionist to answer your calls or set up personalized voice mail messages with your company name.

- Using a prestigious business address for business cards, letterhead and marketing materials.

- Getting a local telephone number with a desirable area code and then have your phone calls forwarded to wherever you’re really working – like your bedroom.

- Rent or reserve conference or meeting rooms when you need to gather a group or meet with clients.

- Have your company name listed in a building’s lobby, even though you don’t technically reside there. “People will think your (services are) cheaper if they see that you work from home,” he says.

- Setting up a network of virtual office space in various cities so it looks like you have a presence there.

- Don’t have mail or package deliveries made to your home. Have them forwarded from another address.

“There is a certain lack of respect for people who work from home,” Landers says. “The neighbors feel free to say ‘I’m expecting a package – can you pick it up for me?’ Or, they ask you to drive them to the airport. People often don’t think of those who work from home as having a real business, a real job.”

Further, Landers urges those who decide to work from home to avoid getting into the trap of doing it all. Instead, outsourcing some of the work will not only make you more efficient and productive, but allow you time for the creative juices that need to flow in order to make a home-based business successful.

For example, one of the best investments may be a virtual assistant. Not only are these assistants business owners themselves, they have a real understanding of the entrepreneurial mindset and what it takes to get a business off the ground, he says. Or, you may find that outsourcing public relations, bookkeeping, advertising or marketing is a smart move.

“Typically, these people work from home themselves,” Landers says. “The point is that it’s hard enough working from home without additional hurdles.”

Landers adds that there are many benefits from working from home, just as many people dream. Running your own show from the comfort of your living room to spending more time with your family to doing something you feel passionate about.

“Even though I was working, I was there with my family. If I wanted, I could take a break and go to lunch with my wife or go to the movies in the middle of the day,” he says. “Working from home is a way to control your own destiny.”

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Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them,” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

Cancer.
Just the word is scary for many people. No one wants to hear a doctor give such a diagnosis, but battling the disease is difficult enough without being unemployed at the same time.
And yet, with the number of downsizings and layoffs that have occurred recently, there are many individuals trying to get a job who either have the disease or have had it in the past. It’s often difficult for job candidates to figure out what they must tell a future employer about their health, especially because many businesses will try and ferret out a prospective employee’s medical condition before an offer is made.
The important thing for any job candidate to remember is there is no legal obligation to tell an employer if you have cancer now or in the past.
According to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, an employer may not ask:
• Whether a job candidate has cancer or has ever had cancer.
• Whether the individual is undergoing or has ever undergone treatments such a chemotherapy or radiation or taken cancer treatment drugs.
• Whether the person has had surgery or medical treatment or how much sick leave was taken in the past year.
However, under the law, an employer may ask job candidates about their ability to perform specific job tasks, such as lifting objects, and their ability to travel or to work rotating shifts.
Further, under the Americans With Disabilities Act, job candidates do need to tell potential employers if they need special accommodations because of their cancer, such as a flexible schedule in order to receive medical treatment.
So what should a job candidate reveal about his or her cancer? Some may choose to tell a hiring manager they have cancer in order to explain that treatments have caused hair loss or make them look tired or ill. Some may prefer to keep their condition private, especially if no special accommodations are needed or if they no longer have the disease.
It should be understood, however, that while the employers may ask follow-up questions if the job candidate asks for special accommodations, the hiring manager may not ask about issues such as a person’s prognosis or the treatment, the EEOC says.
Of course, all this sounds reasonable, but it can be much more difficult when you need a job and a hiring manager is being inquisitive about your health. He may simply ask you how you feel (especially if you’re looking ill), but you’re under no requirement to be specific.
“You look just like my mom when she underwent chemotherapy last year – is that what is going on with you?” he may ask.
While you may not want to say, “That’s an illegal question and I’m not going to answer it” for fear of alienating an interviewer, you do need to be prepared for hiring managers who might ask such questions.
In his book, “Acing the Interview,” Tony Beshara recommends that to avoid becoming confrontational, a job candidate can simply say, “How does the answer to that question have an impact on my performance of the job or my ability to get it?”
“I don’t recommend ‘winning the battle but losing the war’ over illegal questions,” Beshara says. “If you think it’s appropriate to set someone straight about illegal questions, feel free to do so. If the questions offend you, just don’t go to work there.”
The EEOC says that after an offer has been made and accepted, an employer “may ask questions about an applicant’s health and may require a medical examination as long as it treats all applicants for the same type of position in the same manner.” However, a job offer is not considered “real” the EEOC says, “until the employer has obtained and evaluated all readily available non-medical information.”
Finally, new hires need to be aware that an employer can take back a job offer if it is determined that the new employee cannot perform the required functions of a job, with or without reasonable accommodations, or because a direct safety threat is posed. Under the law, the EEOC says, the employer is supposed to “evaluate the applicant’s present ability to perform the job rather than make unfounded assumptions.”

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy … and How to Avoid Them,” (www.45things.com). Write to her at: anita@anitabruzzese.com or c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

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On the Web:
• American Cancer Society
• Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization
• Cancer Symptoms.org

Employees often blame everyone from their bosses to co-workers for having troubles at work, but they may be missing a primary source of career problems: mom.

According to a new book, our mothers may be the first love we experience, but depending on her behavior, she also can make us needy, anxious, angry and self-absorbed – all qualities that impact our success on the job.

In his book, “The Mother Factor: How Your Mother’s Emotional Legacy Impacts Your Life,” (Prometheus, $18.95) Stephan B. Poulter, Ph.D., says that mothers play such an important role in shaping our lives that they influence our relationships, partner selections, parenting style, emotional satisfaction and life achievements.

“At work, 80 percent of the time if you’re having problems it’s not the corporation or the boss or affirmative action, or anything else – the problem is in you,” Poulter says. “It happens when we don’t have the emotional legacy from our mothers that we need when we enter the workplace.” (To join the discussion of a mother’s impact, check out the blog at www.anitabruzzese.com).

For example, Poulter says he had one patient who could not take feedback at work and was in danger of being denied partnership for the fourth – and probably final – time.

“This man had a perfectionist mother, and he could not take feedback from anyone without becoming argumentative,” Poulter says. “But after we began looking at his reactions, he began learning how to listen and not overreact. He finally made partner, and they all remarked how much he had improved in the way he reacted to things.”

The perfectionist mother is just one of the five predominant types of mothering style. The others, according to Poulter’s book, are:

• The “unpredictable” mother. She is overcontrolling, fearful and anxious. Focuses on appearance over substance and creates a child who is often ashamed, never good enough, focused on external issues and ultimately, self-loathing. Poulter advises that to overcome these problems, you must first “consider your opinion the most valuable because this concept stops the agony of people-pleasing and worrying about other people’s opinions of you.”

• The “me-first” mother. Self-serving, approval-seeking, non-empathetic, critical and arrogant, she sees the child as an extension of herself. The child can feel dismissed, emotionally deprived, self-doubting and angry. As adults, these people must learn to understand that they are “good enough,” Poulter says.

• The “best-friend” mother. This is a style quite popular with today’s moms. This peer-styled relationship between mother and child lacks boundaries and leadership, creating an unbalanced emotional dependence. The child can feel abandoned, neglected, angry and “motherless.” As adults, these people must learn to let go of their anger. “If your mother could have done a better job of mothering you, she would have,” Poulter says. “You have to come up with what you emotionally desire and create that network of loving people.”

• The “complete” mother. Secure, insightful and nurturing, this mom understands her child’s needs and desires and how to guide them toward their own personal fulfillment and growth. The child is empowered, secure and prepared to become an adult.

Each of these styles, Poulter says, can affect our lives in ways we may not understand until we take a step back and assess where we are now.

So you may find that you are happy, balanced and emotionally secure in your personal and professional life. Or you may be a knot of anxiety, failing in relationships in your private life and in your career and battling to contain anger or addiction. Either way, your mother has played a profound role in how your life developed.

The point is not to “blame” mom for all our troubles but rather to appreciate her for the things she brought to our lives and learn to build our own legacy of happiness and fulfillment.

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy … and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

You’re juggling five different projects at work, and three of them are undergoing major revisions. The boss has just informed you that a new software system (the third in two years) will be installed in two weeks. You need to attend training classes, but you worry how you will schedule it because your mother’s health is declining and she needs more help at night. And, you just got word that your youngest child is failing math.

Welcome to the American dream. Many of us today face such stresses on a daily basis.

“There absolutely are more changes in our lives than ever before,” says Dr. Noelle Nelson, a California-based clinical psychologist and business consultant. “But the human race continually expands and we can learn to cope with it.”

For example, Nelson says that while those in the 1800s couldn’t begin to cope with driving a car, talking on the phone, eating a protein bar and tuning the radio at the same time, many Americans do it without thinking twice. She says that’s because the human brain has the ability to find ways of handling what is demanded of it, and today’s stresses eventually will be handled without a lot of fuss. But until our brains completely grasp what is needed, we’re likely to feel the stress, she says.

“The key for people now is prioritizing,” she says.

For example, if someone has a lot of tasks at work, the key is determining “which has the hottest fire under it and dealing with that first.”

Nelson advises spending only 30 minutes to an hour on that task, then moving on “to the next hottest item.”

Another key, Nelson says, is that instead of looking at any new change with resentment, view it from the perspective of “maybe.”

“Maybe the boss gave you that job because he believes you to be more capable than you think you are,” Nelson suggests. “Or, maybe the new software system will be better and save more time.”

At the same time, Nelson says that as many people struggle with trying to handle multiple changes, there are some strategies they can use to cope, such as:

- Make a list. “Part of feeling overwhelmed is that you keep thinking about the problem over and over,” she says. “Once you write it down, then you can begin to also write down solutions and who you can ask for help.”

- Be creative. When you’re thinking of ideas to help you cope with a change, don’t rule anything out. Maybe you can ask a colleague to take work from someone else, so that person can help you with your tasks that need immediate attention. You won’t know until you try. Or, maybe a neighbor can be asked to look in on your mother every evening to make sure things are OK. “Most of us have not been brought up to ask for help. We try to do it all. But you’ll be surprised that when you ask for help, you can sometimes get just what you need, or at least something that will relieve some of the pressure.”

- Take a deep breath. Anger is often the first reaction when we learn of a change. Instead, take a deep breath and ask: “What possible advantage or benefit could there be for me in this change?” Maybe the new software system will make you more marketable, or the training will expose you to other people in the company you’d like to meet.

- Know yourself. When you’re deciding how to cope with changes in your life, don’t be afraid to draw a line in the sand. Don’t let things interfere with what keeps you healthy, wealthy and well, Nelson says. It may be that you must get eight hours of sleep a night, or that you must spend an hour a day with your spouse. “They’re what you need to maintain yourself,” Nelson says. (For other coping strategies, join the blog discussion at www.anitabruzzese.com).

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

Sometimes employees leave an employer not because they can’t stand the boss or co-workers or their jobs, but because they just believe the grass is greener on the other side. They want a chance to see if they can earn more money or have better opportunities elsewhere, so they jump ship and work for another company.

But once they’ve left, they may begin to have second thoughts. They fondly recall their old place of employment, and begin thinking how much they’d like to return.

And that’s just what many employers hope will happen.

That’s because as the marketplace becomes more globally competitive for skilled workers, companies find that it makes perfect sense to rehire former workers, says Michael Jalbert, president of Management Recruiters International Inc. in Philadelphia.

No longer is it seen as disloyal for an employee to go to another company for career opportunities, and employers are welcoming back former workers with open arms.

“A lot of companies have had good people go out and try something new,” Jalbert says. “Employers know that these employees have improved their skill sets and learned a lot about the competition. They’re even more valuable.”

At the same time, these boomerang employees – those who return to work for former employers – find there are also great advantages to rejoining a previous organization.

“Not only do they get to come back to a company that they know, but they come back at better pay and a better position than when they left,” Jalbert says. “It’s better than if they had stayed put in the first place.”

Further, many former employees find that employment really is sweeter the second time around, and end up staying even longer when they return, Jalbert says.

“People that have gone out to another employer have seen the cold, hard light of day and have a greater appreciation of their former company,” he says. “They come back to a much greater level of responsibility and pay, and to a company and people they know. They can hit the ground running, and that’s great for everyone.”

If you want to return to an employer, Jalbert says it’s important that your name doesn’t send shudders through the human resources department. In other words, it’s hard to return if you were a jerk at your exit interview and criticized everything and everyone. It is, he says, important that you remain positive during an exit interview. By setting a friendly tone and making sure the employer knows you’ve appreciated the opportunities that you were given, you leave the door open.

“A positive handoff leads to a nice landing later,” he says.

Other strategies if you want to boomerang include:

- Keep in touch. Read company newsletters and use e-mails with former co-workers and bosses to keep up on company news. Many new employees find that after about three months on a new job, they’ve made a mistake. Staying in contact will enable you to explore the chances of returning more easily. “When you really think you want to return, talk to a former boss or the senior human resources person,” Jalbert says. “A lot of these companies have got more jobs than qualified people, so they’ll probably be glad to hear from you.”

- Do your homework. To make sure you don’t return to a bad situation that may be a far cry from what you fondly remember, Jalbert suggests talking to people who are currently employed, or who have left, and quizzing them about the company atmosphere.

- Be honest with yourself. Review the reasons why you left. If the same bully boss is there and you will have to report to him again, you may regret returning. Or, if the culture of the company bugged you and has not changed, you need to decide if you can live with it a second time.

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

James E. Lukaszewski helps companies handle some of the most difficult, touchy management situations and has seen what it’s really like to be part of the executive suite trenches. So, he has this observation to pass onto anyone who wants to become part of that inner circle and become a trusted advisor to anyone in power: “Welcome to the line of fire.”

Those aren’t exactly reassuring words for anyone hoping to boost their career profile and power by being a strategic player to an organization’s head honcho, but Lukaszewski says taking on that role is not for the faint of heart.

“Being a ‘lady in waiting’ is a difficult and scary position to be in,” he says. “If you’re afraid, find another job.”

Still, many people covet having a role where the boss listens to them, where the boss heeds their advice and they make a real impact on the decision-making process. If that’s the case, Lukaszewski has some advice that he also offers in his new book, “Why Should the Boss Listen to You? The Seven Disciplines of the Trusted Strategic Advisor” (Jossey-Bass, $24.95).

For example, if you want to become the valued No. 2 to the boss (No. 1), you need to:

1. Be able to give advice on the spot. If you need time to take notes, think about a boss’s question and come up with possible solutions, you won’t be considered a valuable adviser. “These CEOs want their time used extraordinarily smartly,” Lukaszewski says. “They’re not going to wait around on you to come back later with an answer.”

2. Tell the boss something he or she doesn’t already know. “These bosses are pretty much up on all the positions and what everyone is doing,” he says. “They don’t want to hear that from you – they’re looking for what you can tell them to do next. These leaders often make it up a little every day as they go along, because there’s no one who can tell them where to go next. If you can help them do that, it’s greatly valued.”

3. Give an ingredient of the solution. “Always make three recommendations,” he says. “Option one is to do nothing, option two is to do something and option three is to do something more. Providing multiple options is what will keep you at the table and avoids the high-risk strategy of making a single recommendation, which can be torpedoed by a single question.”

He adds that when you get a chance to present a strategy to the boss, try to make it in about three minutes. Specifically, when you’re called on by the boss to offer strategic advice, you should include: a description of the issue (60 words); a description of what the situation means and its implications (60 words); the task to be accomplished (60 words); the options available (150 words); a recommendation (60 words); and the intended consequences (60 words).

Lukaszewski says that while most people say that want to be “at the table,” the truth is that “you are the table.”

“If you are one of the trusted individuals, you bring the table with you,” he says. “When you are in the room, the table is full. You take the brief time you are given with these important people and you make it valuable.”

One of the key issues a person may have to deal with if he or she becomes a trusted adviser to a top boss is the number of people who want to “get you to use your influence with the boss – the influence they don’t have,” Lukaszewski says.

“They want to know what the boss says, what he knows,” he says. “But you’re going to have to be honest with these people and tell them that you only know a particular area, and they’re going to have to find someone else to help them. You’re going to have to suggest that they make an appointment to speak to the boss themselves. It’s difficult, but it’s all about managing the politics of the situation.”

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Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

As a professional recruiter, Tony Beshara has personally arranged more than 100,000 face-to-face job interviews, and there’s one thing he knows for sure: You can have qualifications a mile long, but if you’re not liked by the people doing the interviewing and hiring, you can forget being offered a job.

“Whether you are liked or not accounts for about 40 percent of the hiring decision,” he says.

What about whether you can do the job or not? “About 20 percent,” Beshara says. “That’s just the first hurdle.”

Beshara explains in his new book, “Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job,” (Amacom, $16.95) that hiring people is just like buying something. “People do it for emotional reasons and justify the rest,” he says.

That’s why it’s so critical that job seekers practice and prepare for interviews so that they come across not only as capable of doing the job, but more important, as someone that would fit in, that others would like.

Still, Beshara explains that companies often will try to find out if they like you in “very odd ways.” For example, the questions by hiring managers or others may get under your skin personally, and you may even feel a little angry or resentful at the probing. Still, it’s part of the interviewing game, and those who prepare ahead of time for such a grilling will come across as relaxed and friendly, instead of insulted and unprepared.

Beshara offers these sample questions from interviewers trying to determine whether you will “fit in” and some good ways to answer:

-”What are your three greatest strengths? Your three greatest weaknesses?”

While it’s easy to come up with strengths, it can be tricky to talk about weaknesses without appearing, well, weak. Some ways to do that are talking about how you can be impatient with yourself because you often expect the same passion and commitment from others that you have for what you do. Never talk about weaknesses such as procrastination, always being late, talking too much, etc.

-”What do you like and dislike about your present boss?”

The interviewer doesn’t really care about your current boss, but is interested whether you will make the fatal mistake of badmouthing him or her. “I really like him as a person and have learned a lot from him,” is enough of an answer.

-”What are one or two things your present or previous co-workers dislike about you?”

Beshara says job candidates get this question more than they might like to believe. This is a question, he says, where it is much more important how you respond than what you say. A good response: “Well, nobody has ever told me outright anything about myself that they said they disliked. I sometimes get the feeling that my work ethic and the striving for perfection irritate some people. But I’m not aware of anything that people have actually said they disliked.”

-”I’m sure that there were some policies in your previous companies that you didn’t agree with…how did you handle those?”

Beshara says this is one of the questions interviewers use to try and gauge how you respected previous bosses and to see if you will badmouth a company. The thinking goes that if you disrespected one employer, you will disrespect another. You can admit that while there may have been some policies and procedures that were not clearly understood, it was apparent that those policies were for the good of the company and its employees.

-”Describe a situation where you personally or professionally failed.”

Bashera says that job candidates should “watch out for this trap.” He advises using a “safe” story such as not making the high school basketball team or not getting a promotion you felt you deserved. Always remember to follow it up with how you learned from the situation, and don’t ever blame another person for the failure. Never talk about personal issues such as divorces, bad childhoods or bankruptcies.

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Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them,” (www.45things.com). Write to her at: anita@anitabruzzese.com or c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

When you’re the new person at work, not only are you just trying to figure out how to use the phone system and learn everyone’s name, but you’re under pressure to make yourself as valuable as possible from the first day.

Part of that pressure comes from your new employer. In this global, 24/7 business world, companies demand that every employee pull his or her weight consistently every day, sometimes with little or no training. At the same time, as the newbie, you put pressure on yourself because you know in this tough job market – where downsizings and layoffs seem to be a common occurrence – you could be vulnerable if you don’t impress the boss right away.

What are some ways to make yourself valuable right from the beginning? You should:

- Network. One of the best ways to make your presence immediately seen as a positive is to get to know everyone in your department right away, and also throughout a company. Of course, this can be difficult for even the most outgoing personality. Chatting it up with people who are busy without becoming an annoyance – while also trying to learn all you can about your new job – can be daunting. Still, by networking with others right away, you become a part of the team and learn what you can do to become an integral part of the organization. That not only helps your company, but your career.

- Know the rules. Make sure you check in right away with human resources, or whoever handles the pay and benefits information. Don’t pester your co-workers with questions about how to make payroll deductions or bug the boss about getting forms for dental benefits. Often, an office manager is a good person to check with about items such as how to file expense reports or how to get a parking pass or office supplies. The point is to show that you’re ready to take responsibility for yourself immediately and not expect others to lead you by the hand. Get an employee handbook, if available, and read it.

- Write it down. Carry a notebook with you so that when a co-worker or boss shares information, you can make a note of it. What may seem unimportant to you the first day may become critical information after you’ve been on the job for a while. Also, others are made to feel respected and valued when you write down what they say, and that’s always a plus when establishing new relationships.

- Hang out. Pay attention to where co-workers gather before or after work, and during lunch or break times. Join in. This will be a time to gather useful information about the company and the key personalities. Try to understand how you can help others with issues of concern. Listen and ask questions, such as how your job interacts with others, or what aspects of your job are key in helping make projects successful.

- Look for the important players. While the person who boasts about accomplishments or brags about a close relationship with the boss may seem like a key person to get to know, the real power players are those who bring in the business and who are an important part of decision-making. If you’re not sure who the power players are, find the person that everyone looks at when a decision is made in a meeting. This is the employee you want to network with immediately and find out how your work can become attached in some way to that job.

- Reach out. Check your company’s newsletter, internal message system or bulletin boards to find ways to volunteer for events or committees that will expose you to others within the company. Strong ties within an organization are critical to advancement, and being supportive of company initiatives are viewed favorably by bosses.

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy … and How to Avoid Them,” (www.45things.com). Write to her at: anita@anitabruzzese.com or c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

Whether or not there is a recession officially declared by economic pundits, the truth is that many workers today believe that we’re in such tough economic times that they fear for the stability of their jobs. With that mentality, it’s no wonder that many have dived into a career foxhole, hoping the worst of the damage will go over them as they hunker down and just try to survive.

But that may not be the smartest strategy in the long run, says a former street performer.

A street performer? What exactly, you may wonder, does a street performer know about career success?

Carr Hagerman, also known as the “Rat Catcher” in his performance days, now spends much of his time advising employers and employees at his Top Performer Academy on how the ability to “step out and connect with an audience” is an important tool in being not only happier at work today, but also more successful in the long run. (To join the discussion on career success, check out the blog at www.anitabruzzese.com).

“The thing about top street performers – the ones who are successful for long periods of time – is that they are strikingly original,” Hagerman says. “And they have only learned this through working in front of other people.”

In other words, it is not the tricks they have in their pockets or up their sleeves that make people want to watch them perform, it is their ability to make that personal connection that ensures they will be compensated at the end of the performance, he says.

“Street performers live by what happens at the hat (holding the money) at the end of the day,” Hagerman says. “Those who give really good performances also have an emotional profitability. It’s beyond the paycheck.”

That’s why Hagerman says that in these often scary economic times, workers should climb out of the foxhole and connect as much as possible with others in the workplace. So while the mentality may be to hunker down in a cubicle or be glued to a computer screen, Hagerman says it’s more critical than ever that we reach out to co-workers and bosses.

When times are tough, he emphasizes, we all need a human connection more than ever, a lesson he saw brought home after 9/11.

“We got more phone calls after that because people really needed to find ways to connect to other people, they wanted those face-to-face interactions,” he says. “It’s the same way now. People are scared and what they really need is to be closer than ever.”

Hagerman says that a slowdown in business should actually be considered a golden opportunity to work on career strategies that will serve an employee well in the long run.

“You know that you can’t change the market right now,” he says. “But the one thing you do have control over is the way you approach the hat. You’re looking beyond the compensation to the way you connect with other people, just like a street performer would do,”

While acknowledging that not everyone has the gumption to be a street performer, Hagerman does stress that each person has a “natural energy” outside the bounds of a job performance.

“Our natural energy is the profitability that is uniquely our own,” he says. “It’s what we put into a performance that makes it our own. It’s that good feeling that we’re making a difference. It’s natural. It’s what you have inside that makes you, you.”

Hagerman cautions, however, that just like street performers, relying on a pocketful of tricks will only get you so far.

“You’ve got to make an investment of yourself,” he says. “It’s what you genuinely give to the relationship that will determine your success. All the gags in the world won’t help if you don’t reach out to people.”

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy … and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

As uncertainties with the economy grow, more employees are taking active measures to keep their jobs, from putting in long hours to volunteering for various projects at work, in order to stay on the boss’s good side.

At the same time, more workers are turning to career or personal branding as a way to become more proactive in their own career development.

“Career branding is more popular than ever because we have more channels to convey our value and expertise to others, such as blogs and social networks,” says Dan Schwabel, a popular personal branding blogger and expert.

The idea of personal or career branding originally was popularized by Tom Peters a decade ago, based on the idea that branding yourself and what you do as unique is what will ensure your success. Peters called the strategy “Me, Inc.”

Some people believed this was a strategy only used by those in management or by entrepreneurs.

But with the explosive growth of personal and professional networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, employees at every level of an organization are jumping onto the bandwagon of developing their brand to attract peers and employers.

“You always have to view career branding as part of your personal life cycle. The sooner you embrace your brand, the easier it will be to craft a development plan and ride the waves to success,” Schwabel says. “For entry-level employees, branding will help them distinguish themselves amongst their peers and position themselves for a management role.”

He says that managers find personal and career branding an “essential leadership skill.” The reason: “If your subordinates trust you, respect you and enjoy your presence, not only are you more favorable for an executive position, but (you are) more productive.”

Schwabel points out that for anyone in today’s difficult job environment, it’s “imperative” to join social or professional web sites because recruiters often use it as a tool to find top talent, while allowing workers to “keep a handle on every move your network makes.”

“Today, personal branding online is a competitive advantage and in the future it may just be a qualifier,” he says. “If you don’t build your brand online, through either a blog, participation in social networks, or your own website, not only can people not find you, but you will have no way to portray your value and creativity.”

At the same time, he says that any job recruiter is likely to search for your online presence, and that means you want to make sure that your brand stands up to such scrutiny.

“A resume and cover letter isn’t enough anymore and if you’re not willing to go the extra mile, the competition will – and you will be caught in the recruitment cycle for much longer than you would anticipate,” Schwabel says.

To establish a personal or career brand, Schwabel says that first you must go through some self discovery. The biggest mistake, he says, is to create a blog or website without having a clear picture of who you are and what you’re passionate about. He says without that clear direction, “the probability that you will lose interest, your hard work and your audience increases substantially.”

With that in mind, here are some things to consider about your personal or career brand:

- What’s special about you? Consider your personal and professional accomplishments and talents and how those relate to current market conditions. Making yourself relevant to what employers are seeking is critical, because you show that you’ll bring value to anyone who employs you.

- Find your voice. Write for professional newsletters or magazines, offer to be a speaker at a conference. You also can post comments to websites that address your industry or interests and become known for offering insightful, useful comments. These experiences will help you develop a direction for your own website and blog.

- Add value. Always develop professional relationships by looking for ways to make it beneficial for the other person. By posting relevant comments on a website or blog, by offering to write for a newsletter or by sharing information or contacts with someone else, you ensure the relationship you are building is of value.

- Don’t be a stranger. One of the best ways to develop a strong brand is to maintain solid relationships with your contacts, and to continue to offer quality posts on your blog or website. Being available to offer information or answer questions helps distinguish your brand as reliable, and helps protect and preserve “Me, Inc.”

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

While we’d all like to believe that in the workplace we’re judged by our skills and abilities, the truth is that the same thing that often influences all areas of our lives – our physical appearance – also is often one of the most important factors in determining our career success.

Specifically, if we’re thought to be good looking, we’re more likely to get the job we desire, be paid more money, have a higher-level position and boost our company’s bottom line, says Gordon L. Patzer, the founding director of the Appearance Research Institute, who has been studying the influence of physical appearance for decades.

“The truth is, looks present people with an unlevel playing field, and as discomforting as this is, people do judge and react to others based on their physical appearance – even if they do deny it,” Patzer says.

Still, Patzer points out that “we’re not defenseless” to such judgments in the workplace but that it pays to be aware of such attitudes.

“It’s not going to go away,” he says, “but we can take action.”

Patzer says such actions can include everything from cosmetic surgery to simply getting a new haircut or dressing differently. The choice is up to the individual and what he or she feels comfortable doing. (Join the blog discussion on looks and career success at www.anitabruzzese.com).

“Don’t do nothing,” he says. “You can take small steps, and you can change how you see yourself and how others see you.”

Patzer bases his opinion on years of research and has put his findings and recommendations in a new book, “Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined” (Amacom, $23). He says that looks determine career success, such as:

- If you’re “exceptionally” good-looking, you have a better chance of getting hired for just about any job when you’re up against someone “average” looking with the same qualifications. Scientific research shows this “hiring the handsome” is standard practice even among seasoned hiring pros.

- Workers who are more attractive earn 7.5 percent to 15 percent more than average-looking peers.

- Taller men (over 5 feet 9 inches) are seen as more effective, get higher performance ratings, more promotions and earn more money.

- Companies with better-looking managers are more productive and earn more, showing that even though the physically attractive managers were more costly because of their higher salaries, they paid for their wages with better earnings for the employer.

At the same time, Patzer says that employees should not become “overly focused” on their looks to determine their career success, since other factors can come into play. And employees should understand there are various ways to boost the perception that they are better looking. For example, he says that those with a good education are “perceived” to be better looking, while self-confidence and positive body language also can boost the perception that a person is attractive.

“There are so many avenues open to you,” Patzer says. “Just making sure you follow proper hygiene can make people more receptive to you, and then your own confidence goes up.”

But despite all the positives associated with being seen as attractive on the job, there is one downside. Research shows that beauty can work against women seeking a job that is seen as having “masculine” qualities such as strength, endurance and calm under pressure, Patzer says. So, when a female applies for a job such as tow truck operator or security guard, she is often perceived as less capable than a man.

This bias even extends to the corporate level.

“Attractive females who reach high-level management are more likely to have their success attributed to luck,” Patzer says. “If a woman is unattractive enough, however, her success in business is viewed as the result of ability.”

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy … and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.

No matter how secure you may believe your job to be these days, the economic news lately has been worrisome enough that even the most career-confident person is a little nervous.

Is there a way to recession-proof your job? Experts can’t say there’s a surefire way to keep your job safe, but they do suggest ways to ensure you’re doing everything you can to hang onto the job you have – or be successful in getting a better one.

Rob McGovern, CEO of Jobfox, says he remains optimistic that most employers will hang on to key workers “because they would rather take a hit (budget-wise), than go through recruiting again.”

Still, McGovern says it’s important for all workers to promote their key skills at work and make sure that they stay on the cutting edge of their industry in order to avoid job loss.

“Today, the obsolescence of skills is accelerating,” he says. “The pace is much faster, and that puts the burden on people to develop their skills faster.”

For example, he says that marketers who understand how to market on the Web are in high demand. Those who can’t, risk being seen as expendable, he says.

“As soon as a skill becomes generic, that’s when you see jobs go overseas,” McGovern says. “You’ve got to make sure you’re exposed to new concepts and new things within the job itself.”

Echoing that advice is Shawn Graham, a career adviser at the University of North Carolina and author of “Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job” (JistWorks, $12.95). He says that many of this year’s graduates may find it tough to land their dream job on the first try.

“Maybe you want to be in marketing in a certain industry, but that’s going to be the hardest one to land, so you go on to Plan B, which is to land a marketing job in another industry. But you should always have a Plan C, which is maybe getting an internship, or fall back on something else that you’re good at,” Graham says. “The key is to develop a multi-tiered search.”

Graham also advises young professionals to avoid “shopping offers around” in this uncertain economy. “Don’t try and leverage one offer against another,” he warns. “You’ve got to be realistic with the hiccups in the economy going on right now.”

McGovern’s Jobfox (www.jobfox.com) is promoting the idea of “career branding,” which follows the premise of online social networking sites such as Facebook. With Jobfox, however, the emphasis is helping people showcase their unique skills to interested employers. Instead of posting jobs, the site promotes a person’s talents, whether they are looking for work or not.

That idea of personal branding is gaining popularity as more people seek to have an up-to-date professional network that they can call on for different reasons, whether it’s partnering on a project, promoting a business or seeking a job. It’s that attitude – of actively staying connected to promote an individual career – which many experts believe will impact how jobs are filled, no matter the health of the economy.

“Because it’s more competitive than normal, it’s more important than ever to develop your individual message,” Graham says. “Every little thing is magnified in this market – both good and bad.”

Graham further advises that employees take these steps to make sure they are seen as critical workers, and not easily targeted for a layoff:

- Do the heavy lifting. When things get tough, jump in and get the job done. Help solve problems, looking for new or innovative ways to contribute to the bottom line.

- Build relationships. Attend industry or professional events and network with others. Reach out to colleagues in different departments and develop relationships so that if your department or job is under threat, you still may be able to move somewhere within your company.

- Build skills. Take on additional duties that will provide some new insight or training, or even consider taking some classes to make sure you stay on the cutting edge of your profession.

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Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy…and How to Avoid Them” (www.45things.com). Write to her c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.