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Career Q&A: Advice for your workplace conundrums

 
Published April 13, 2015

Q: I recently started a huge pro-bono passion project that is basically my dream job. It totally relates to my current work, but also adds new skills. I feel inclined to list this position on my resume and LinkedIn in the regular "Work Experience" section instead of in the "Volunteer Work" section, because why does it matter than I'm not getting paid? It's for a nonprofit cause I really care about, and it has already gotten a lot of recognition in the particular field it is in. Is it misleading/unfair/wrong to treat it as work experience instead of volunteer work?

A: You could list it under Professional Experience as that covers anything you are doing. If you list it under Work Experience, you can describe it and then put in parentheses (volunteer). I think it is best to be accurate on a resume or profile. The key point of listing it is to describe your experiences gained from working on it, not to highlight whether you did or did not get paid for it. That is why I like the idea of listing it under a category of Professional Experience (if you can do this).

Helping the boss will benefit the team

Q: My boss: intelligent, cares about our customers, has great ideas, has a lot of drive. Is fiscally responsible. Is also judgmental, naggy, wants things yesterday then changes her mind, quick to criticize and slow to praise. I'm older than she is and have more supervisory experience, so I try to be helpful, but frankly resent that I'm prevented from doing my work because I have to do administrative stuff that she doesn't get, or have to guide her through why treating people with empathy or compassion is a good business practice. How do I keep my career and sanity intact and do the "right thing" even when she's making me nuts?

A: Often in leadership, we find ourselves having to provide guidance to higher-level managers to assist them. Why do it? You do it if you believe in the higher mission of enabling the company to do better and the employees and customers to have better experiences. It can be frustrating to help higher-level managers (because shouldn't they know how to be great leaders we wonder), yet it is so important.

Really good leaders surround themselves with people who can help them accomplish the group's goals. You either help your leader so the mission of the group (employees, customers) gets met, or you don't and then you live through the bad leadership. Maybe you or someone else can also counsel or advise the leader to get some executive coaching to enhance their poorer skills.

Request an exit interview with HR

Q: I'm leaving from my federal job and a formal exit interview is not required. I plan to stop by and chat with a few supervisors on my last day. While there is a very low chance I would return to this job (main reason for leaving is a better commute), I don't want to burn any bridges. I'm having trouble figuring out what, if any, feedback to provide to my bosses. Any suggestions?

A: Great question. It is really valuable that you are willing to take the time to give them some feedback. I know many HR folks who really use this feedback to make improvements in the firm. I would suggest sharing your feedback with an HR manager more than an immediate boss. Unless, of course, you are particularly close to one of your supervisors and they ask for your thoughts. Then, you could share positive and constructive suggestions about things they might consider doing to enhance morale, productivity, etc. But, I would see whether they actually ask for any feedback. I would also take that opportunity to thank them for their leadership and provide comments about things they are doing well, too.

Talk to co-worker about her smoking

Q: A co-worker feels the need to light up about every hour, but only steps directly outside the door. Needless to say, the smoke drifts back into our small office. No one knows what reaction we may get if we try to speak to her about this. Any advice?

A: While you may be uncomfortable speaking to her about this, someone needs to do it. She may just not be aware that this causes problems for anyone. The smoke does not bother her, so she may not notice that it bothers others. I would just let her know that the smoke comes back in the office and ask if she can step further away. I would be direct rather than subtle about this since she needs to hear the message. She may be fine that you brought it up and may be happy to move further away. Sometimes you just have to ask.