Spouse’s Personality Can Influence Career Success.

Your spouse’s personality can influence your career success.

Joshua Jackson a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, co-authored a paper with Brittany Solomon, a graduate student at Washington University. They looked at 4,544 heterosexual, married adults ranging in age from 19 to 89 years.  On-the-job performance was measured with surveys conducted each year to gauge job success. Participants supplied input on job satisfaction, salary increases and the likelihood of job advancement.

Results generated showed employees who scored highest on job success tended to have spouses with a high score for conscientiousness. The results were the same for both men and women.  A spouse’s conscientiousness had a larger impact on the other’s income when they did not work themselves.

One assertion is that this occurs as a side effect of a healthy and intimate relationship, where one partner does things to compliment the other, developing habits that positively penetrate the work environment. 

Differentiating Yourself Among the Crowd at Recruiting Events

For job searchers, it can be extremely difficult to differentiate yourself at a large event where literally hundreds of applicants are aggressively in pursuit of gaining the attention of a human resource professional or other representative from a firm. 

Don't be distraught. Remember the role of a recruiter is to represent and position the firm in the most favorable way and serve as an the in-person extension of those fancy, glossy brochures they sometimes hand out or re-emphasize information already on the website. At the end of the day, they are exhausted having to repeat this commercial.

Stand out, in a good way. So what's your goal? You want to obtain their contact information, gain as much inside information about a position without sounding clueless or intrusive, and make an impression so that they remember you when you contact them shortly thereafter.

But how does one stand out? Aside from a professional personal appearance, which is the baseline starting point, find your edge. Prepare before the event and aside from reading the company site, read recent articles about the company that generated interest in publications/online. You can bring up the news event to the recruiter if it is something neutral or favorable about the company, but certainly avoid anything negative or controversial. Better yet, think of a way to integrate this new information and tie it to how it impacts the company's strategy (or a select division where you have an interest). This will demonstrate a deeper level of interest of the company since you have given some independent thought outside of a news story, which many applicants might replicate. 

Another way to stand out? Recruiters will remember you better if you can arrive early. It shows you are interested and on top of your game. When there is a line of 10 applicants or networkers vying for their attention, your conversation may become easily forgotten. Arrive early, be succinct, and tell them you will follow up with them the next day.  

Convince Your Boss to Allow for Telecommuting

According to the Global Workplace Analytics and Telework Research Network, up to 30 million Americans telecommute one day per week.  

This is a telling sign - but of what? Is it employers competing to lure new talent or commuters pushing back to save on time, costs and gain a more balanced life? 

The jury is still out depending on the region, industry and type of company. Having said that, for those employees trying to convince the boss that this is a good option for both parties, consider the following: 

Demonstrate More Productivity. If you can prove the productivity in your tasks in a detailed manner, he/she will get the message and see how it translates to growth and profitability. 

Know your Worth. Have you received con

sistently good performance reviews? Having this track record and reputation with not only your boss, but team members would put you in a more favorable position for the request. 

Put Yourself in the Bosses Shoes. How much are is your personal presence and immediate accessibility required for urgent tasks? How will he/she be able to address this issue if other colleagues view this approval as favoritism? Work through these questions beforehand so you can help him/her address these potential issues. 

Stay Accessible and on Top of Deadlines. The beginning will be a transition for everyone. but it is critical to have a functional work space, a reliable phone and internet connection. By doing so, you will avoid the skepticism that this plan is workable. Meet all your deadlines, and continue to build a track record of reliable turnaround.  

Start with One Day. Ask for one day a week in the beginning to test the waters. Then, follow up by setting a date to review your performance as a telecommuter. Going forward, you can rely on positive performance reviews  throughout this stage to increase your at-home work schedule in the future.