Tag Archive for 'Interview'

Do You Learn More from Bad Bosses Than Good Ones?

Published on August 13, 2010 in Quotes. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

There is a really interesting interview with Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz over at Fast Company today. In it, she admits to having been a bad manager in the past and talks about some of the mistakes she’s made and what she learned from them. Here are a couple of choice quotes:

  • “I think managing is a real job, something you should always work at and try to be better. I’m constantly questioning how people react to what I’m saying, if I should change something or if I should approach something differently. You have to take it as a craft.”
  • “The first thing I did was just set up 45 min sessions with as many people as I could and just listened. I said, “Okay, what do you think needs to be changed here? What’s good? What’s bad? What would you do if you were sitting in my seat?” And then I’d always ask, “Who else should I talk to?” If you sit quiet long enough, you find out what people really think. I filled a whole notebook up in those first few weeks, just gently asking and listening.”
  • “I didn’t have my first child until I was 40. I actually learned about motherhood from management. When you bring your first baby home you don’t know even how to pick it up. Jeez, is this thing going to break? I remember in the middle of the night right before I was going home from the hospital, I asked the nurse, ‘Would you give me a demo on how to change a diaper?’ She said, ‘What’s a demo?’”
  • “I tell people all the time that you learn so much more from a bad boss than from a good boss. When things are going well, you don’t think that much or analyze why this person is a good manager. When you work for a bad boss, you say, “I am never going to treat people the way I was just treated. I’m never going to throw a hissy fit.” I’m sure a lot of my managers say, “I’m never going to swear.” That’s fine. That’s how you form yourself.”

As for the last quote, it’s the one I spent the most time thinking about. To be honest, I did learn a lot from having terrible bosses. And it wasn’t only examples of how I didn’t want to behave. My first assistant job was the best lesson I ever got in flexibility and how to think on my feet. When you work for someone who is super inconsistent and changes his mind every five seconds, you’ll have to be able to come up with solutions really quickly. I also learned how to stand up for myself. Even though I’m by nature a pretty nonconfrontational person, being accused of shit I didn’t do (seriously, the guy once accused me of having changed all the fonts on his computer) made me learn when it was important to defend myself. That is a skill that has come in handy not only at work but in my personal life.

That said, I’ve learned a lot from good bosses. When I was the assistant to the editor in chief of a website, he taught me a lot about reporting. I wouldn’t have learned that from a boss who was standoffish or preferred I only do admin work for him. He was compassionate, understanding, and cared about my life outside of work, and those are all things I aim for now that I’m a manager myself. Ultimately, the important thing is to view every workplace situation – good, bad, neutral, boring, or whatever – as a learning opportunity. I haven’t only learned from bosses. I had a coworker who taught me how to craft professional work emails that didn’t sound like they were written by a corporate robot. There was a client whose constant diva fits reminded me to only get into arguments about stuff that was really important instead of becoming a constant overstresser who got ignored. It’s all there for the taking, if you choose to take it. And learning from a good boss has the added benefit of making you not hate your life in the process.

Inside An Audition for ‘The Apprentice’

Published on May 3, 2010 in Interview. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

Ever wondered how they pick the people who end up on reality shows? Phil Wallace, a recent USC business school graduate, independent sports consultant,  and founder of AwardsPicks.com (also, full disclosure: he’s my cousin), made it through several audition rounds for the next season of The Apprentice. After doing several celebrity seasons, the show is returning to its regular-people format next year and will focus on people who have been affected by the recession. Phil sat down with STA and talked about his experience auditioning for the show.

  • I heard about the show from a couple of people, and someone contacted me about auditioning. The Apprentice is totally my guilty pleasure TV – I watch the regular and celebrity editions, and I always thought I could do really well on the show. I spoke to a casting agent on the phone for ten or fifteen minutes – she asked about my work history and my salary history. She told me that I could either do a home video or an in-person interview next, so I decided to do the in-person tryout. It was at a hotel in L.A. near Universal. She told me she would put me on a VIP list so I wouldn’t have to stand in line. She also said that I was trying too hard to impress her and to remember it’s a recession-themed show, so you need a downtrodden story.
  • LA was the fifth city they did auditions in. One of the other cities was Detroit, so I am pretty sure they wanted a laid-off autoworker. They also did New York, Atlanta, and Las Vegas.
  • The application was pretty short, just one page. It asked for work and salary history, and a proudest accomplishment. There was also a part where they asked you to tell something embarrassing about yourself. It also asked why you thought you would make a good Apprentice.
  • I got there at 7:30 AM, and auditions were supposed to start at nine. The line was down the street. I’d guess there were 400-500 people there. There were people who had camped out overnight or arrived early in the morning. Because I was on the list they moved me to the front of the line. I was with some people who arrived at 5 AM.  There were a bunch of people in the VIP group from Pink Slip Mixers – they’re a networking group for people who just got laid off. Most of the people in my group were from Pink Slip Mixers.
  • I was in a room with six other people. They had us fill out our applications in advance, so you handed the application to a casting agent, who then put you in a boardroom-type setting. The agent’s name was Gina. She sat on the other side of table from us, and asked, “Why are we in a recession?” Everyone started talking over each other. No one was moderating. It was a mess. Because our group was all from the VIP group, people who really wanted to be on the show, it was insane. Everyone recognized they needed to speak up and everyone realized they needed to shine, so it was bound to be just a giant shouting match.
  • It was six of us guys and one woman. She has her own online talk show, and was able to take control of the room a couple of times. There were moments where one person talked and everyone listened and some where we [informally] split into smaller groups of three or four and just talked with the people near us. We naturally retreated a little bit and talked to people who were sitting close by, since we were all talking over each other. One guy decided to be “the questioner,” so he just started to ask questions. It actually really helped, because we were disorganized. The casting agent ignored us and read our applications the whole time.
  • Most of the people were middle-aged. One guy was in his 30s and had been a franchisee for a fast-food chain and said he just got a job at McDonald’s. I don’t know if he meant managing another franchise or flipping burgers. He and I went back and forth a bit because he wanted to blame the recession on Bill Clinton and I wanted to blame it on Goldman Sachs.
  • This went on for about 20 minutes. Then Gina stopped us and asked some people who they would fire and some who they would hire. The Clinton guy said he would fire me. She asked why, and he said “I didn’t like his points.” She asked which points, and he finally admitted he couldn’t remember. When it was my turn, I said I wouldn’t fire the other guy just because we disagreed politically. I was sort of trying to defend myself in case the casting agent actually thought there was legitimacy to the other guy wanting to fire me. I said I would fire a guy who was also named Phil because there couldn’t be two Phils on the show. In seriousness, though, I said that he was the guy who had a lot of experience – probably the most experience, he had been a VP of Operations somewhere – but didn’t speak up that much.
  • Gina wrote some numbers on our applications and said she’d call within the week if we were chosen for an individual interview. I never got a call, so that was the end of that.

the sta interview: ellen gordon reeves

Published on May 20, 2009 in Interview and Survival Guide. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Career advisor Ellen Gordon Reeves is the author of Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course to Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job. The book is a helpful, funny, and not-at-all-condescending guide for people just out of college who are looking for their first grownup job. The questions in the book came from actual recent grads who consulted Reeves for help. If you want to ask her a question not covered in this interview, you can email her at caniwearmynosering@gmail.com. PLUS, we have four copies of her book to give away, so check back tomorrow for more info.

What do you think today’s college grads and people entering the workforce are the most afraid of? What do you think are their best assets?

I don’t know if they’re more afraid that they won’t get a job, or that because of the economy, that they’ll have to take a job they don’t want or stay in one they don’t like for longer than they’d like. I find that most young people are afraid of their lack of experience. But you’ve got to focus on what you do know and the skills and experience you do have, not what you don’t have. I want today’s grads to feel valuable, not vulnerable. We don’t expect you to have decades of professional experience; you can’t have that at your age, and we know that – that’s why we can hire you inexpensively. Don’t tell your mother I said this, but you’re cheap! Your assets? Recent grads are perceived as creative, tech savvy, flexible, adaptable, willing to work hard, energetic and full of stamina, and stereotypically bound by fewer family commitments than older employees with spouses and children. So if you can convince an employer that you’re smart and articulate, ready to take initiative but also to defer to authority, and that you can not only be a great assistant but do some of the thinking and work left in the void created by more senior people who have been laid off, you’re golden.

Are there certain universal questions/concerns that everyone has when they start their first job? Or do these things change with time and the economy?

When you start a new job any time, you’re understandably nervous because it’s new and you’ve got to adapt to and/or create a whole new routine. You want to please people and do a good job, but you feel infantilized because you don’t know anyone and don’t know how to do anything and are totally reliant on others at the beginning. You don’t know where the bathrooms are or how to use the Xerox machine. You don’t know how to order supplies or how to lock up if you’re the last one in the office. This can do a number on your self-confidence but don’t let it. Then there’s the high school cafeteria lunch dilemma. You don’t want to eat alone but you don’t know anyone and everyone is pairing up as if Noah’s Ark had just docked in front of the building. Wait and watch.

This year, younger people are worried that they are competing with older people in a tight job market. The threat of the guillotine hangs in the air. That’s why it’s so important to present yourself as professionally and with as much maturity as possible. In this economy, the pressure is on to be really good at what you do, to make yourself as indispensable as possible so you don’t get canned if there’s another round of layoffs.

If you could only give someone one piece of advice from your book, what would it be?

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the sta interview: jen perkins

Published on May 18, 2009 in Former Assistants Done Good and Interns. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Jen Perkins is the founder of one of my favorite jewelry stores, the Naughty Secretary Club. Turns out the name isn’t a coincidence – Perkins was a secretary when she started working on jewelry in her free time. Eventually, the side job became a full time one, and she hasn’t looked back since. We talked about how assistants with creative dreams can make them happen and pay rent in the meantime.

How long were you an assistant, and what kind of work did you do?

I was an administrative assistant for close to 3 years at a telecom company in Austin. I didn’t do much of any work, hence why I was naughty. I had the occasional phone to answer or fax to send but for the most part I made jewelry at my desk, worked on my website and made copies of my husband’s band fliers when no one was looking.

What’s your worst assistant horror story?

While I was an assistant I had two bosses and most of the time not one at all. The first one was very stern and serious and the second, who I am still close friends with, was very laid back and fun. Once when the first boss was sneaking out of the office I jokingly said to her “where do you think you are going” and apparently she was going somewhere she shouldn’t and I had busted her because she tore me a new A-hole when she returned. Needless to say I toned the sarcasm down after that because apparently she could not take a joke.

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the sta interview: liz funk

Published on April 30, 2009 in Interview. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Liz Funk is the author of Supergirls Speak Out: Inside the Secret Crisis of Overachieving Girls. Her book deals with the pressures many women and girls face to be ‘perfect’ at everything, often to their own personal detriment. She very kindly agreed to answer some questions from me about how this concept applies to the workplace.

STA: Do you think that, despite many laws and other concentrated efforts for gender equality, women are treated differently in the workplace?
LF: Absolutely. At each and every level, there are different standards and expectations for women. The most frequently echoed frustration that I heard from young women working on the job search and starting in their career track is not knowing what to do with their femininity, and trying to strike a balance between being cute and pretty and being competent. There is also a tendency to view women supervisors as mother figures, and we hold women in the office to a certain standard of niceness, and there’s a real trickle-down effect that compels many women at work to sugar-coat things.

STA: What particular goals, pressures, and ideas do women bring into the office?
LF: I personally feel that femininity is a great tool. As a whole, women are very intuitive and they’re natural negotiators. Powerful women aren’t always bulls the way powerful men frequently are, and I think women are better at meeting people where they’re at and finding common ground. Also, something that I’ve overwhelmingly noticed is that girls are much better at impressing others in workplace and having career common-sense, and I think they’re much less overentitled than guys (which is something that is scarcely brought-up in this “Gen Y overentitlement” media brouhaha).

STA: Where do you think this notion of “women must be perfect” come from?

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the sta interview: alexandra levit

Published on June 17, 2008 in Interview. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Alexandra Levit is the author of “How’d You Score That Gig?,” a career advice book aimed at young people. In the book, she has you take a personality test that assesses where your strengths and passions lie (are you The Nurturer? The Investigator? The Adventurer?) and then gives helpful, concrete advice about potential ‘dream’ career paths and how to pursue them. She spoke with STA about following your dreams, why people get stuck in jobs they hate, and how to cope with unsupportive parents.

STA: When I took your personality test, I was a tie between two different ‘types.’ Which one should I go with?

AL: All of us have many different facets to our work personalities, so it’s not unusual that you would score highly in two passion profiles. I too, am a mixture of creator and networker, which suits the two arms of my career – author and marketing executive. The self-assessment quiz at the beginning of the book is really just meant to open your eyes to a variety of career possibilities that you might not have considered otherwise.

STA: Why is it that so many people compromise their dreams and end up in a job they don’t care about?

AL: People stay in unsatisfying jobs because they feel safe and because they’re afraid of making a bad decision. It’s the easier path, even if it compromises your happiness in the long run.

STA: What are some of the difficulties that come with switching industries mid-career? How can you resolve those difficulties?

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the sta interview: hillary stamm and peter nowalk

Published on June 5, 2008 in Interview. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Hillary and Peter are the authors of the just-released The Hollywood Assistants’ Handbook, a fun and useful guide to everything you ever needed to know about surviving in the entertainment industry. They both spent time as stressed-out assistants, managed to succeed, and are now imparting their wisdom on to you. They sat down with STA to talk about crazy bosses, crazy celebrities, and advice that any assistant–Hollywood or otherwise–can use. (We have some copies of the book to give away next week, so stay tuned.)

STA: Can you both tell me a little about your career paths and how you wound up as Hollywood assistants? What were your longterm ambitions?

H&P: We both moved out here after college with “champagne and caviar dreams” — you know, that super glam Hollywood lifestyle you always drool over in Vanity Fair.  The reality was a lot of couch-hopping and job-groveling at first.  We both knew we wanted to work in entertainment and that the only way to start out was as an assistant.  So we worked in mailrooms, at production companies, and finally on a studio lot which is where we actually met each other.  It didn’t take too long for us to bond (misery loves company, especially when there’s 14 hour work days and tequila involved).  We both soon realized writing was our calling so we both put all our focus into that…when we weren’t making double non-fat lattes or xeroxing action movies of course.  Experimenting early on is a huge part of navigating your way through Hollywood, one that we recommend for anyone just starting out.  Just make sure you have fun along the way.

STA: Why do Hollywood assistants need their own handbook? What is it about being a Hollywood assistant that is different and unique?

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the sta interview: alexander kjerulf

Published on February 4, 2008 in Interview. 0 Comments Tags: .

Alexander Kjerulf runs the website Positive Sharing and is the author of Happy Hour is 9 to 5: Learn How to Love Your Job, Create a Great Business, and Kick Butt at Work. He also has the best job title ever: Chief Happiness Officer. He kindly agreed to sit down and share some of his infinite wisdom with us.

STA: How does one get a job as a “Chief Happiness Officer”? What did you do before that?
AK: This is the kind of job you have to make for yourself. I used to be an IT entrepreneur and the co-founder of a very happy IT company here in Copenhagen.

In 2003 I sold the company, and decided to focus exclusively on making people happy at work. I now do presentations and workshops all over the world, teaching employees how to get a happy work life and managers and executives how to create great workplaces.

STA: What would you say is the #1 reason why workers are unhappy?
AK: Bad management. All studies confirm this. One study showed that 75% of employees who leave a job do so at least in part because of their manager.

Management has improved vastly in the last 20 years or so, but too many companies still promote the wrong people and still let bad management continue unopposed.

STA: I think I’d be happy if I quit my job. But since I can’t do that, what should I do in the meantime?
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the sta interview: anita bruzzese

Published on August 22, 2007 in Interview and Survival Guide. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Anita Bruzzese, author of 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy, knows her office spaces. While working at Gannett Newspapers, she was one of the first people ever to write a workplace-advice column. Throughout the years, her experiences and interactions with workers have made her an expert about all things cubicle-related. She sat down with STA for an interview and agreed to impart some of her wisdom on us.

[FYI, you can read Anita's reciprocal interview with Lilit here.]

STA: Our website primarily deals with bad bosses. However, we occasionally admit that assistants are not always perfect themselves. What are some of the worst mistakes you’ve heard of assistants making?

AB: I think probably the worst mistakes involve lying. Once you lie, and the boss finds out about it (and they almost always find out), then he or she will feel you can never be trusted again. And, let’s face it, the boss doesn’t want someone around who cannot be trusted — there’s too much critical business information and too much competition these days to not believe you can trust someone close to you, such as an assistant.

STA: What inspired you to write your book, and what did you hope to accomplish?

AB: I’m a journalist, and I believe information is power. I have been writing the column for 15 years, and I often hear of the same mistakes being made over and over. So, I thought: Why not put all the rules in one place, explain WHY the boss cares about them and then provide the information people need to have more successful careers, happier lives and lose weight (OK, so maybe not that). You know the book about why a guy just isn’t that into you? Well, I thought: I’ll write a book about why the BOSS just isn’t that into you.

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the assistants meet the interns

Published on August 6, 2007 in Interns and Interview. 0 Comments Tags: , .

As you may have noticed, Save the Assistants has some new working-for-free friends over at Intern Memo. Last week, they interviewed us, so now we turn the tables and find out exactly what makes someone qualified to run an intern website. Meet Intern Ted, in his own words.

When my brother suggested we write the Intern Memo, I hesitated at first. I mean, what did I know about internships? What could I offer oogled-eyed college students? So what if I did one summer at Bear Stearns and another at a small money management firm in New York? From a professional standpoint, the lessons learned were not immediately clear. I didn’t know much about careers, I knew very little about landing jobs outside of the financial industry, and my behavior during both summers was incredibly inappropriate. So what in the world was my brother talking about!?

Well, I thought and thought, and suddenly the memories came back. I remembered that time my boss caught me sleeping under my desk. I remembered when he asked me what I was doing, I pointed to him and said “what are you doing?” and we laughed it off! I remembered that time I learned morse code over a few afternoons and tried to relay messages through the lights on the 6th floor of Metrotech. I remembered that everyone in my Money Management Firm called me “Intern Ted” after the second week of work. I remembered the time the Bear Stearns janitor (also named Teddy) presented me with his work shirt and insisted I wear it every dress-down Friday. I remembered the time I sent a farewell address to every Bear Stearns employee and got a standing ovation on my floor as I cleaned out my desk. Basically, I remembered that from a human perspective, I was the greatest intern probably in history.

I mean, hell, I am Intern Ted. In-tern Ted. Author of Intern Memo.