Blog Posts by AdminSecret.com

Along with paychecks, deadlines, and overtime, bosses are one of the things you just can't avoid in the workplace. But how to identify these strange characters and deal with them? Don't go it alone - it's a jungle out there. We show you how!

The Robot

Distinguishing characteristics: An empty desk, no family pictures.

What they do: All business, all the time: That's The Robot. We're not saying she's not human, but we've definitely got our doubts on the matter sometimes. The sworn enemy of fun, levity, and emotion, The Robot would rather you just get to work. At all times. While it can be nice to have someone driving you to do your best, it would be nice to feel a little bit of emotional connection from time to time, right?

How to make her love you: It may not sound like a lot of fun, but you'll probably have to conceal your own feelings and buckle down to The Robot's schedule. On the up side, she can teach you discipline and efficiency. Try making allies of your coworkers. Read More »from 13 types of bosses and how to make them love you

In my daily search for information on job interviews, resumes and cover letters, I tend to see the same advice: Don't make your resume more than one page, get prepared for the interview, and always send a cover letter. Always. But yesterday I came across someone that says something completely different. His basic philosophy is: "Cover letters? Don't bother." David Silverman of the Harvard Business blog argues that the typical cover letter falls into one of three categories: The recap, the form letter, and the "I'm crazy."

The recap is essentially just the resume, reformatted into a letter. Thanks, but I got your resume, so I don't need to read it again.

A form letter basically tells a company you made no effort researching them and have no idea what you're actually applying for. A cover letter should never start with "Dear Hiring Manager." That's just lazy.

The "I'm crazy" … well, more on that in a different article.

Here's a quote from the post: There are really only a few

Read More »from The Cover Letter: Don't Bother

They might be lurking in the cubicle next to you or lounging in a cushy corner office. They could be e-nagging you daily or haunting your dreams at night. That's right, the people you work with have the power to influence, annoy, inspire, and scare the living daylights out of you (work nightmares, anyone?). Since you're stuck with them 40 hours a week (at least!) you might as well understand them. We've come up with a field guide to the most common species of coworkers, no matter where you work. These types transcend every type of workplace - we guarantee you'll find a few you recognize. We've come up with a guide to the 25 varieties of coworkers you'll probably run into in any office and how to maintain your sanity around them in this crazy working world.

The Gossip

What they do:

Maybe there was some mistake in the hiring process, because The Gossip seems to be under the impression that their entire job description is "talking about other people." Unfortunately for you, The Read More »from The 25 most common species of coworkers

Until getting pregnant, I would have told you that women in general are much friendlier and more socially polite than men in the workplace. This is something I used to appreciate. No, I didn't do an official study on this, it's just something I've noticed. Women, in general, tend to pay more attention to the details, ask polite questions, and be complimentary. Men, in the work place environment, can be all business. After being pregnant, I've come to appreciate this all-business attitude.

If you're a career woman who's pregnant, I'd like to take this opportunity to charge with you something: educating women on how to talk to women who are pregnant. Is this necessary? Absolutely. Let me tell you all about it.

I'm 35 weeks pregnant. Technically, there are five more weeks until I'm due. I cannot bump into anyone (pun intended) without them commenting on the size of my belly. Do men make these comments? No. (As my husband says, men only look at pregnant women to figure out if

Read More »from 8 Things You Should Never Say to a Pregnant Co-Worker