At Work - Column by Lindsey Novak

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New Graduate Wants To Take Chances at All the Wrong Times

Lindsey Novak

Q: I will be finishing my bachelor's degree this spring. I have lived all of my life in the city where I am attending school, and I would like to get a job in another city that I have wanted to move to. I only know a couple of people there, so I cannot count on using connections to find job openings or to get interviews. My financial situation will not allow me to move first and then start a job search. I would like to work for a small startup rather than a large or established company. How do I begin this process?

A: You have chosen to take on every risk factor possible in relocating and finding a new job. I always have advocated going with your heart when it comes to finding a job that will lead to your passion, but I do not need to point out that these are hard times for employment. Taking a few risks is one thing; throwing yourself into the center of the ocean surrounded by sharks is another. As a new graduate, you will not have work experience on your resume to prove you can succeed in the job. That poses a risk and an expense to an employer. Each new employee is an investment. You will have to learn how the company operates -- its values, priorities, inner systems, etc. That is no simple feat. You will have to develop relationships with the established employees, which means you must have good interpersonal skills. If you want a company that is a startup -- in which nothing is established -- you will have to excel in making independent decisions or following the orders of the person who is taking all the financial risk in creating the company. Either way, that is the recipe for stress.

Networking is important in good economic times; it is critical in tight, difficult job markets. Moving to a new city stirs up new problems, forcing you into a situation in which you will miss having an emotional support system. Friends cannot shoulder every problem that comes your way, but they sure can help.

Doing what excites you is important, but do not set yourself up for failure in the beginning of your career. The economy will improve, but for now, go with the flow of the job market, and find a job at which you will be needed and respected. That in itself will be an accomplishment as a new graduate.

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Charge of Gross Abuse of an Employee: Knee-Jerk Management Reaction

Q: I worked for a national restaurant chain and was fired for "gross abuse of an employee." We had a longtime server who was on methadone. She always had openly emotional highs and lows, with regular crying. One day, she was on her phone crying in front of a guest. I asked her to hang up and told her I would let her use the office phone. I put my arm around her to walk her to the office. Once there, she became highly emotional and said I was shoving her. I explained I was not shoving her, and then she calmed down and regained her composure.

A week later, I caught the bartender stealing on video. I called the director, who fired the bartender and "counseled" the manager for not being observant. It happened that the manager was a friend of the bartender's. The manager was angry with me, dragged up the incident with the server, and had me fired for gross abuse. Was I wrongfully fired?

A: Yes, you sure were. The vindictive, unprofessional manager should have been fired. Your action of protecting the restaurant's clients from an emotionally charged methadone patient should have been commended.

First, you are not a psychiatric counselor, so having to work with an ongoing methadone patient who regularly exhibits roller-coaster emotions should not be part of your job. Your company is jeopardizing the safety of its guests and employees.

Secondly, any manager who operates from a personal gain standpoint should be fired and replaced with one of the many unemployed people who gladly would give 100 percent of themselves to have a good job in this market. Get yourself an experienced employment lawyer, and visit your local office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. That restaurant chain needs an overhaul in its management training and hiring procedures.

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Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com. She answers all e-mails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate Inc.

This news arrived on: 11/19/2009

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