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Just about anyone who’s ever worked in a cubicle would agree that they’re often depressing, with their neutral color faux walls, confined space, and the general feeling of isolation that they engender. Let’s face it — being boxed in for eight hours a day isn’t exactly appealing.

Still, there are ways to make even the blandest, smallest cubicle more appealing while maintaining a professional work environment.

When decorating a desk or an office space, the first thing that usually comes to mind is pictures: family photos, portraits of your pets, snapshots of friends. But there are other ways to make good use of pictures in your cubicle space. For one, they can add much-needed color to the workspace. One of the downsides of cubicles is that they are, by nature, bland. A great way to bring color to all that neutral is by using landscape or nature photos — seascapes, autumn foliage compositions, snow scenes, flowers, birds and butterflies — to wallpaper your cubicle.

In the age of digital photos, it’s easier than ever. Take your favorite digital photos, blow them up to fill an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper and then print them out. You don’t have to buy expensive photo paper. Plain old printer paper will do. And forget the frames. Hang the pictures directly on your cubicle wall with silver (or multi-colored) pushpins. The photos are neat enough for the office and colorful enough to liven up your cubicle. Plus, if you pick photos that you find particularly relaxing, it’s a great way to de-stress your work life. You can also change them as often as you’d like, which is a great way to perk yourself up when you’re feeling particularly blah at the office.

Another great idea to perk up your cubicle is to decorate for the holidays. If your office allows, get together with your coworkers and, in December, string Christmas lights between cubicles. Buy yourself a tiny fake Christmas tree (or an electric menorah) for the top of your monitor. At Halloween, bring in some colorful gourds or a pumpkin. Extend the change of decorations to include the four seasons. Bring in pretty spring flowers in April or strawberry corn in the autumn. Changing for the seasons is another great office pick-me-up.

There are many other little things you can do to dress up your workspace. Treat yourself to a colorful pencil holder or paperclip holder, or if you have children, let them create something for you. Buy a decorative box of tissues. Print out your favorite quotes or poetry and pin them up on the cubicle wall. Treat yourself to a great wall calendar. Check novelty catalogs for knickknacks that sit on top of computer monitors and special picture frames that are meant to hook directly over the top of a cubicle partition.

Of course, you’ll need to remember to always keep things professional — no calendars with girls in bikinis or quotes with off-color text. Always keep it neat, too. This is your workspace and should ultimately be presentable and reflect a professional attitude. And bear in mind that many companies have strict rules that govern what can and can’t be on your desk or hanging from the walls of your cubicle. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask the company’s human resources department.

Ultimately, have a little fun with your cubicle and don’t be afraid to express your personality or a little bit of individuality. Your cubicle doesn’t have to be dreary and dull. This is your workspace and should be a pleasant place to spend your 9 to 5.

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Over the last couple decades Employers and Human Resource specialists have devised a set of informal guidelines to help look beyond the basic information offered by a job candidate in a job interview. The guidelines are a general list of attributes that Employers seek in a person they may hire. Employers know that job seekers with those basic character traits will very likely do well as an employee. So, as a job candidate, if you adjust your job resume and job interviewing skills to accommodate the requirements reviewed here, you may improve your odds of getting hired into the job you prefer.

Human Resources Consultant Robert Cameron, of Florida, reports that Employers verify an average of one-third of (hiring) decisions turn out right; one-third are minimally effective and one-third are outright failures. The problem that generates those figures is the differences between what a candidate says they can do in an interview and on their resume, and what they can actually perform in a real-time employment environment. So, to bridge that gap, Employers, over time, created an informal list of Top Job Candidate Characteristics. Then compared that list to their list of Top Employee Characteristics. Surprisingly, the lists didnt exactly match. So Employers learned that by hiring a person who professes in a job interview and on their resume to have certain applicable skills, and that same person also matches the entries on the Top Job Candidate Characteristics list, those individuals, if hired, perform better and stay with a company longer.

Immediately below are the characteristics of a top job candidate. Compare those attributes to your own job search, and to the top employee characteristics in the next paragraph. Employers expect that each of the following elements become observable with every serious job candidate. If they dont see those attributes demonstrated in your behavior, your chances of getting hired are slim. But, if you plan and prepare yourself to reflect the following attributes as you go through your job interview process, you will improve your chances of getting the job offer. In this case, actions do speak louder than words. Prepare yourself for the following:

Good Job Rsum clearly outlining applicable skills & achievments
Good Job Skills appropriate to the job
Arrives on time for interview somewhat ahead of time even better
Well prepared for interview practice makes perfect
Good communicator know what you want to say
Enthusiastic about job and career and why
Great first impression you only get one chance
Assertive jobseeker eager but pleasant
Interested in company and have researched same
Good follow up

Conversely, the top employee characteristics go directly to the heart of being a good employee, as opposed to being a good job interviewee. By expressing these attributes in practical ways as you go through your job interview process, you will supercharge your ability to impress an employer. Dont just say the words. Perform the actions. Offer examples from your work experiences that illustrate your ability to conform to these following attributes:

Highly motivated to work hard
Competent and can prove it
Do More than required and can prove it
Do not make excuses give example
Anticipate problems
Solve problems
Take initiative
Learn quickly
Committed
Focused
Consistent
Poised and confident
Strong team player

While the job candidate characteristics reviewed here may seem somewhat generic or common, dont assume they are not vitally important elements of the hiring decision. They are. Plan your job interview well. Leave little to chance. Organize your job search efforts. Find examples from your history that illustrates the attributes discussed here. Present your credentials and experiences to match the lists and you will improve your ability to get hired well.

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

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Do you love your job? Is your boss the greatest to work for? Yet, you’re miserable at work? Don’t let a Toxic employee ruin your workplace! Below are helpful tips to turn this situation around quickly and effectively.

Spotting a Toxic Employee: What makes a Toxic employee so deceptive to spot is that this employee seemingly is charming and pleasant to co-workers. Here is the key - Does this person suffer from low self-esteem? Does the boss sometimes pass her over for special projects and give them to you or someone else on the team? Beware…this Toxic employee will eventually rear his/her ugly head.

There is also the Toxic employee that will wreak havoc simply to get attention for themselves. Hence, another symptom of low self-esteem.

Handling the Toxic Employee: The key issue is resolved. You have spotted the Toxic employee. But how to handle their shenanigans? Follow the Oprah workplace commandment: Thou shall not gossip at work or say anything that they would feel uncomfortable about if it were plastered on a billboard, crediting you for the statement. That’s a mouthful for sure, but it is a surefire way to keep yourself out of trouble with the problem employee.

Next time you have a project, try asking their opinion. Compliment their work if it warrants it. It seems that the quickest way to stop the negative behavior is to kill it with kindness. I’m sure there will be times when you are tempted to vent to other co-workers or your boss. But, try this approach first.

What to do if the Toxic Employee Doesn’t Respond: Ask the Toxic employee to lunch or dinner after work. Be honest with them and let them know that you have noticed that they seem troubled at work. Ask how you can help. The employee will either be honest or say everything is hunky dory. At least you tried.

If the Toxic Employee Begins Attacking you: You may want to speak to your boss regarding this issue. Let him/her know the steps you’ve taken to resolve the issue and let them handle it. If they choose to do nothing, continue to do a great job for your boss and don’t allow the employee to rule the workplace. That is difficult to do because these types of issues can get pretty ugly. However, if they aren’t getting attention, they eventually stop the undesired behavior. If they continue on, speak to Human Resources for ideas on how to handle.

Most of the time, Toxic Employees will stop their negative behavior once they stop getting the attention they crave.

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Discrimination in employment is prohibited by a series of federal laws. These laws are the following:

* Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (commonly referred to as Title VII);
* Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA);
* The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended (ADEA);
* The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA);
* The Civil Rights Act of 1991 (often referred to as CRA of 1991); and
* Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The ADA prohibits employers from discriminating in employment on the basis of disability, in the public sector and in the private sector, but excludes the federal government.

The ADEA prohibits employers from discriminating against persons 40 years of age and older.

The EPA prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of gender in how they pay for substantially similar work under similar conditions.

The CRA of 1991 provides for monetary damages (including punitive damages) in cases of intentional (willful) discrimination and clarifies provisions about disparate impact actions.

The Rehabilitation Act, Section 501, prohibits discrimination in employment against federal employees with disabilities.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the main federal statutes prohibiting discrimination in employment. The headquarters of the EEOC are located in Washington, D.C., and there are regional offices and local field offices throughout the country. Check telephone information under Federal Government listings for a contact phone number, if you think you may have been subjected to employment discrimination.

Blogging to assist others who have experienced or are experiencing discrimination and to share with you some valuable experience.
See Discrimination and Wrongful Termination.

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