I’m what everyone calls a “good soldier” in the office, and now my boss is asking me to take a more leading role. I’m worried my colleagues won’t see and respect me in an authority position. Can you change the perception others have about you in the office?
First of all, congratulations, soldier! It’s true that sometimes people get stereotyped based on the role they’ve been playing — it can be hard for others to see you differently at first. But don’t let your own insecurities about that get in your way. There are some superficial things you can do to help change your image, such as a new wardrobe and new ’do. But more important is to make sure others see the merits in the additional responsibility and that you’re up to the task. Walk with confidence. Talk with confidence. Develop a presence — a gravitas — with humility. You’ll be fine — just build on the strengths that got you noticed in the first place.
I’m a student desperate to break into media and happy to take a non-paying internship for the experience, which is more valuable to me than the money. But employers are saying the only way they can hire me is if I can get college credit — which my school doesn’t offer. Help!
And right there — in a nutshell — is what makes some of these laws, well, nuts. Employers look for experience when hiring college grads. Students want to gain experience. Colleges are supposed to help prepare students for life after college — which means entering the work force for all but those who want to be career students. Colleges make it very hard to receive credit for work experience. The economy makes it hard for employers to pay for as many interns as they’d like to offer that experience to. And the laws make it very hard for employers to offer non-paying experience to college students. But many college students would trade receiving a minimum-wage paycheck for a foot-in-the-door experience faster than they can thumb-text their besties. Target your favorite companies and tell them why you want to gain experience. You may be surprised at the responses, and it may lead to something — even a paying gig.