Help New Employees Get Off to a Good StartWhen there’s no formal plan for helping new employees get started, those first few days can be mighty awkward. And no one wants mind-numbing orientation presentations. Naomi Karten provides some ideas you can implement to make new hires feel welcome, even before their first day at your workplace.
Get Rid of Your Annoying MannerismsWe all have mannerisms: things we say or do that are harmless but that might annoy others. These could be physical mannerisms such as cracking your knuckles, adjusting your glasses, or twisting your hair, or vocal mannerisms, such as "like," "um," or "uh." How can you avoid these silly affectations?
LinkedIn's Ten Years of Phenomenal GrowthLinkedIn reached the ten-year milestone this week, and it can boast a massive profit over the years as a sign that it's truly made it—even though some still deny its importance in the world. We take a look at how far the site has come and offer some help from those who've mastered its purpose.
What Happens When Projects Are Completed Ahead of Schedule?Are projects ever completed ahead of schedule? It turns out the answer is yes, and interestingly, just as with projects that fall behind, issues can arise with projects completed ahead of schedule. Naomi Karten writes about some of these problems and what to do if you finish a project early.
How to Leverage Social Networks for ReferralsSteve Vaughn explains how to leverage social networks for referrals. The development community is typically small and well connected, so your developers can be the best resource for finding and recruiting the highest quality programmers.
Do Software Testers Have Special Ethical Obligations?Some might argue that the same basic ethical rules apply in both professional and nonprofessional contexts—ethics is ethics. Other ethicists believe that all professionals, regardless of their practice, have special moral obligations. So, do software testers have special moral obligations?
Dealing with Jerks at WorkWhen someone bugs you, it’s tempting to characterize that person as a jerk. But is the person truly a jerk, or is it just some aspect of the person’s behavior that’s annoying? What, actually, makes someone a jerk? Naomi Karten defines a jerk's characteristics and tells you how to deal with them.
Become a Good Listener to Your TeammatesIf teammates or customers view you as a poor listener, it’s unlikely they’re going to tell you. Instead, they'll let their impression of you color their attitude toward you and their satisfaction with your work. But you can avoid that. Naomi Karten gives you advice on becoming a good listener.
