Max, the cat, found himself without a job when the local factory shut down. For 10 years he had been the Director of Rodent Detection. Having never been out of work he turned to books on the subject of executive job search. There he learned all about how you go about getting a job. He learned that to really impress employers you had to look and act like a wolf.

Max worked tirelessly on his wolf imitation and made a wolf costume. He was particularly proud of his wolf mask. He then set out on his first interview. When he entered the waiting room he became dejected. The room was filled with all kinds of animals dressed in the most amazing wolf outfits. What was even more depressing is that one of the candidates was a real wolf. “What an unfair advantage,” Max thought.

He ended up not getting the job and kept working on his wolf imitation, but to no avail. He finally became dejected enough to look for different advice. Another book told him in order to get hired, he should look and act like a beaver. It provided specific examples of how to answer questions so he could trick interviewers into believing he was a beaver.

Again Max practiced diligently and made a wonderful beaver suit. When he walked in the waiting room he was more confident. He had gone through this process before and was getting more comfortable all the time. This time he nailed it and he was hired. Max started his job as the Director of Dam Construction and soon realized it wasn’t for him. He couldn’t stand water and he was lousy at construction. The stress of going to work every day was horrible and it didn’t take long before the two sides parted ways.

After much soul searching, Max decided he was going to follow his instincts. He was a cat and a damn good one. He was going to look for positions that required the benefit of all his cattiness. Max really became motivated when he started to find roles that were right up his alley.

He set up an interview for one such job and when he walked into the waiting room he couldn’t hide his smile. There in the room were all kinds of animals dressed in hideous cat outfits. In one corner, a dog practiced his “purring.” Max laughed. Why hadn’t he trusted his instincts sooner? Why did he believe all those so-called experts telling him how to act when deep down he knew who he really was all along.

Then all his confidence came crashing down as a “super-cat” walked into the waiting room. The super-cat looked around and noticed Max was the only other real cat and sat down next to him. Max was so intimidated he could barely speak, but finally found the courage to ask this cat, “You are so perfect I assume you were blessed with good genes.” Where upon, the super cat answered, “Not at all, I had to work hard on bettering myself.”

Stunned to hear that, Max asked, “How did you know to work on it?” “Well” the super cat responded, “I realized a long time ago that I was never going to be a great dog or a good monkey. But I knew I could be one hell of a great cat. So I spent all my time looking at what was important to me and working on my shortcomings to become the best cat I could be.”

Max sat dejected next to the super cat and said, “What chance do I have to ever compete with a cat like you?” The super cat looked at Max with understanding, and said, “Do you know how far you’ve already come? Look around at all these silly animals dressed as cats - they still don’t get it. You’re on your way. As you develop your self-awareness there is nothing that can stop you from becoming the very best you can be. And with every step you take, you will become more and more accomplished; until you will be a super cat with little or no competition. You’ll see.”

Quitting doesn’t sound like an important part of managing one’s career, but the way you leave a job says more about you than how you start a job.

No matter what level in the organization you’re at, there is little difference in the approach that you should take when you are about to quit.  You should first inform your direct superior and do so in person. Taking an afternoon off is something you can email your boss about, but not resigning. It’s the right thing to inform them in person and present him/her with a written resignation letter. Typically you will also provide a letter of resignation to Human Resources and keep a final copy for yourself.

From there the process varies based on the impact your departure will have on your company. Typically the more senior your position the more caution must be taken to ensure the company and your staff don’t go through unnecessary turmoil. In other words, when and how the announcement is made public, should be coordinated with your boss and HR.  And otherwise, “who will know when” requires more careful deliberation than if you are in a less visible job with few or no staff.

How do you quit so you don’t burn bridges, even if you’re angry and unhappy?

Even though the temptation may be, oh, so, great, to walk in your boss’ office and connect your iPod to external speakers and crank the Johnny Paycheck classic “Take This Job and Shove It” as you do a little dance around your boss’ desk - contain yourself. In the end a resignation, especially from a bad job, should be an intellectual and not an emotional event.  It should reflect your professionalism and class, regardless of theirs. Not burning bridges should be a side benefit not a core reason for being professional. After all you are leaving them behind and what is sweeter than that. Rubbing it in is over the top and reflects poorly on you.  You should leave with the same class that you will enter the door of a new employer the following day.

In circumstances where you are leaving a job that has been good to you and where you are leaving with a heavy heart - adding a tinge of emotion is alright. Nothing would be odder than leaving a great job you loved as though you couldn’t care less.  Kind of like leaving a McDonald’s after a coke and fries.

Should you apologize?

Interestingly, companies that respect you and are sad you are going, but wishing you well. They don’t need or expect apologies. They are just happy you are doing what’s right for you and your family.

Companies more concerned about their own well being and less about yours - they likely do expect an apology. But knowing that, do they deserve one?

Generally, apologies are unnecessary unless you are creating an undue hardship. For instance, if you can’t give your company as much time as they need to replace you - then an apology might be in order. But reasons for making an apology should be common sense. So trust your own common sense.

Should you do it in writing or in person?

Both in writing and in person. As mentioned before, it’s not like you are asking for the afternoon off, this is a significant event and it typically deserves to be communicated in person. When you inform your boss you should present him or her with your letter of resignation. You should also keep a copy for yourself and third copy should be delivered to Human Resources.

What should you include in a resignation letter?

Any resignation letter should be short and sweet. It should be neither a diatribe nor a painful love letter.  Two or three short paragraphs informing the company of your resignation, the effective date of your resignation, and a brief statement of regret about your departure and your appreciation for the time you spent there.

If your departure is from a bad situation - you may want to replace the regret and appreciation section with a brief statement alluding to the reasons you are leaving, but don’t go through it all point by point - at this stage its “pointless”, unless there are legal reasons for doing so. 

What about the relationships you have at the office — how do you leave those?

Personal relationships and friendships carry on. Where you work should have no bearing on your friendship and admiration for others you’ve come to know at work.

When it comes to informing the various people at work, you may want to put people in various categories: superiors, personal friends, direct reports, extended staff.  Each one of these categories deserves to be informed in a proper way. But when and how you address your departure will depend on the individual categories.

• Superiors should be the first to know and should be told in person.
• Personal friends will be among the first to know and will be informed either in person and/or electronically and will be sworn to secrecy, depending on when they’ve heard about it.
• Peers will typically be informed after your superior. The timing and means of communication will depend on how closely you worked with them and your relationship with them. Those with whom you worked most closely likely deserve a call from you, while others can be informed via email.
• Direct reports typically deserve to be told in person and quite soon after your boss has been informed. They after all will be the most impacted by your departure and the arrival of a new boss.
• Extended staff deserve to hear about your departure as well. Of course in person would be best, but depending on the numbers we are talking about and their location that may not be possible. Instead they will typically be informed by your direct report who leads them or electronically through an internal memo.

All of us career minded people should think seriously about what we are posting online. We might be doing damage to our future job prospects because of the digital footprints we are creating today.  

Certain entries posted for fun on Twitter, Facebook, Utterli, and other social media applications can end up having unintended consequences.

Even though social media searches are not commonly conducted by hiring companies; as the medium grows that’s likely to change. And one serious concern is that the longer we use social media applications the bigger our digital footprint becomes. As our digital footprint grows, the greater the likelihood something unflattering will be found, especially given these rather unfettered days while we’re still learning to use this medium and posting things without much forethought.

When companies perform online searches on candidates, it’s generally not to find a reason not to hire a particular candidate, but rather to make certain there is nothing horrible out there. As long as companies are only seeking information that is openly available to the public it may be considered not just their right, but their responsibility since it might create a direct liability if a company didn’t find something deeply incriminating that was just a finger click away. I’ve been hearing from HR Directors that they are looking at HR software that among other things will access all publicly available social media sites and pull them up for the hiring representatives to review.

So what’s the potential problem here? Here are two examples:

In one case a company finds a picture online of a candidate smoking what appears to be pot and in another case a company finds a few severely off-color jokes that a candidate posted dealing with race and gender.

Such things can create serious roadblocks to being hired regardless of the candidates’ ability to perform the functions of a job. The company is asking for trouble if they hire such individuals because if there is ever a problem with drug use or the harassment of coworkers they could be liable. “You knew this about this person and you still hired them, thereby putting other employees at risk.” In some states it could constitute negligent hiring or negligent retention.

It’s about judgment

Most cases aren’t extreme. Companies find postings that are neither off-color nor illegal, merely sophomoric. Such things create questions about a person’s judgment – “what were they thinking posting this and must I be concerned about them using similar poor judgment if he/she worked for me”? Something that seems entertaining at the moment and in a particular context, but seen five years later or by an unintended audience, might be construed in a completely different way.

A similar irritant that is not directly social media related is when candidates use “goofy” private email addresses. Nothing gives more cause for pause than receiving a resume from an email address like “BigGoofyRuthie@XXXXXXX.com”. The initial image of such a candidate is not a positive one.

I typically advise companies to consider questionable things they find online about candidates as single “data points”. In other words, just an additional piece of information to take into account with all the other things they know and have learned about a candidate.  Only in circumstances where a known posting might create a direct liability to the company were someone hired and problems ensued, should a social media post play a more significant role in the hiring decision.

Liability or just poor judgment. Does it matter?

In the vast majority of cases social media postings are less about legality and ethics, and more about simple “judgment”.  We must all think about how things we post might be perceived when it’s not just a few of our friends joking around, but a potential employer wondering if we are someone they want to hire.

What you do today, can mean something different tomorrow

Regardless of initial intent or meaning- comments, pictures, and entries made today will be scrutinized through a different prism in the future than they are today. It’s likely they will be seen in a very different context than which they were originally made. With the growth of social media we are all vastly expanding the possibility of having to explain things in the future that we can’t even fathom will be a problem. But to that end, it all starts with the prudent and thoughtful use of social media.

Some key considerations

• Every time you post something in a social media application you basically lose control of it. Yes you may be able to delete it later, but you can’t delete what’s already been seen. Many posts can be copied and re-posted without your knowledge and attributed back to YOU.

• Security and privacy policies of social media providers create a false sense of security. There is always the potential for a breach and ultimately there is no guarantee what authorized friends will do with what you post.

• Have the forethought of hindsight and imagine how your posts might be construed if others were to see them now or in the future. Ask yourself would you be proud of them?

• Remember that everything communicates and often it’s not what is intended. Social media is different from real life in that when you share a joke with three people it’s among that small group. And while a social media posting might be aimed at a few friends if it’s accessible to all friends it’s like telling that same joke to everyone you know.
  

• A funny picture today, seen three years from now might look more ridiculous and embarrassing than funny. You are not only dealing with how different people see your entries today, but with the unknown effect of time and how things may appear different in the future.

• What you post online can last forever. Some things might get lost in the ether, but you will be surprised how many things pop up years later. Don’t assume that just because you have the control over what’s posted, that you have equal control getting it all back if you change your mind.

Some rules to live by:

1. Never post anything you would be embarrassed to have seen by your pastor, your children, or your parents.  
2. Keep work and private life as separate as possible. There are social media sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo for professional networking where you can keep things formal. But don’t just freely add professional contacts to Facebook, because you will often find one of two things happen:1) In consideration of those more professional contacts you end up not posting much and thus fail to use the social media application in the way it was meant to be used. Or 2) You freely post things but over time some of your professional contacts might judge you based on the tone of your posts. Complaints, worries, and criticisms over time can lead them to thinking you are negative. Funny and stupid things over time tend to make people feel you aren’t as serious or mature as you should be.
3. Define what is private and don’t cross that line. Social media applications stretch the limit of what is private. To that end, people need to define, if not re-define, what the line is between private and public. Semi-private is like being semi-pregnant. There is no semi-private. So while you might be willing to share more in Facebook than you might in real life, have a well-defined line where what’s “public” ends - and don’t cross it.  Your private life is private but social media makes it less so. The travails of a single mother raising four children for instance who posts about her day-to-day life can create unintended consequences. Instead of showing someone who is diligent, responsible, and qualified it can be used against her if it’s perceived that she is too tired and overburdened to be considered for a promotion that might require more time and energy. Though this would not be right for a company to do, if colleagues and superiors are Facebook friends it’s impossible not for the constant barrage of posts to affect them in some way. Potentially making them think they are doing her a favor by not promoting her.
4. Don’t change who you are. The point of being careful does not mean faking who you are online. Different situations require different behavior. You and three friends at a Lakers game will behave differently than you attending a funeral with your family. You are yourself in both situations, but the circumstance determines the “you” that you exhibit in that forum. When it comes to social media applications you have to show good judgment as to the behavior you exhibit in that forum.

FAB. U. LOUS. is the best way to describe The Trusted Advisor by David Maister, Charles Green & Robert Galford.  Though geared to consultants, this book is a must read for anyone who works with people.

Countless times I’ve been asked by mid-level, even senior-level executives, how they can be more effective in their jobs and how they might connect more powerfully with their superiors.  Well this book is a true gift.  It shows in  a very easy, logical way how to evolve into being a “trusted advisor” as opposed to a worker bee.  How to become someone key people seek out for advice and counsel.

Have you ever asked yourself:

1. How can I get access to my boss more often?
2. How can I persuade my boss to introduce me to other key executives?
3. How can I avoid being typecast as merely a specialist in my small area of functional responsibility?
4. What do I do about not being an expert in related fields?

The Trusted Advisor is your answer.  It will teach you what all great trusted advisors have in common; the dynamics of being trusted; how to ensure your advice is listened to; the principles of building strong relationships; the attitude you must have to be effective; the five stages of trust building; and many more things.

This book will show you how to develop the traits necessary to become a trusted advisor.  While this is essential to consultants, it’s just as important in any work environment where your long term success is in large part based on being trusted, counted on, and sought after by key players.

What I also like about this book is that it goes beyond teaching the skills of an effective advisor to sharpening other ancillary skills as well, such as how to help your superiors (clients) look at their issues in a fresh way or how to help your superiors (clients) clarify what they are really after.

The Trusted Advisor belongs in the library of anyone who wants to grow and be successful. In this world where it’s difficult to believe anything, “trust” has become the holy grail.  And this book can help lead you to being truly trusted.

Tip Number Five: Let your resume B-R-E-A-T-H-E.

Proper spacing and proper margins are essential to making your resume visually flow and easy to read. Too often people mistakenly believe they should make every effort to shorten their resume by having wall-to-wall text with little spacing and ultra small margins. The reality is that a longer resume that flows and is easy to read is far preferable to a short, tightly packed resume that is painful to read.

Tip Number Four: Add relevant data and facts throughout your resume to strengthen what you have to say.

Inserting a moderate number of relevant facts makes your resume more powerful. Facts that describe the size and scope of the companies you have worked for, the roles you have held, along with data that in some way measures the achievements you have made, all help provide insight, perspective and understanding. Without such facts it’s difficult to have a clear picture of who you are and what you have achieved.