Roads Paved With Opportunity

I'm going to try out a new feature every Tuesday, which I'll call "Tidbit Tuesday" (catchy alliteration, huh). I welcome anyone sending me an item they think would be worth being included, and I'll put it before my editorial board for consideration (that would be me).


From BusinessWeek.com: "Jude Werra's semiannual barometer of executive résumé deception—his very own "Liars Index"—hit a five-year high, based on his review of résumés he received during the first half of 2007. He figures that about 16% of executive résumés contain false academic claims and/or material omissions relating to educational experience. That was up five percentage points from the levels he witnessed between July and December of last year."

From CareerJournal.com: It's OK to omit your Social Security number on a job application, or even supply a false one, since indentity theft is such a big problem these days. Just let the employer know that you'd prefer not to give the number unless you get the job, or that you're supplying a fake in order to protect your privacy.

Job of the week at Portolio.com is doorknob desinger Ryan Hale. A mid- to senior-level designer can expect to earn between $75,000 and $100,000, while a background in industrial design and an engineering degree is helpful. Also, having experience working with architects is a plus. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there were about 6,000 specialty design jobs in 2004. So the number of doorknob designers is significantly smaller than that.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Nobel Prize winner Mario R. Capecchi noted when he came to America as a child after he survived being homeless and alone as a child in during World War II while his mother was sent to a concentration camp: ''I literally was expecting the roads to be paved in gold -- and what I found actually was just opportunity.''
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Learning to Mind Your Own Business

The report was just sitting there, almost under your nose. OK, so it was on the boss’s desk and you were sitting a few feet away, but you have really good eyesight – and the ability to read upside down – so it wasn’t really your fault you read a co-worker’s recent performance evaluation, was it?

And it wasn’t really snooping when you were looking for a pencil in a colleague’s desk and came across her pay stub – your eyes just accidentally happened to focus on how much she makes a month.

But chances are if someone took a peek at your performance evaluation or looked at your paycheck without your permission, you would probably be a little angry or upset. While we all delight in having the lives of celebrities exposed in all their demented ways, it’s not nearly so enjoyable when our private information is exposed to those at work.

And here’s another consideration: Some companies have strict policies on what employees may or may not discuss, and blabbing that you know what someone else earns or revealing confidential details of a co-worker’s performance evaluation could cause the boss to take disciplinary action against you.

So, while it’s true that it makes the workplace more enjoyable when we’re all friendly with one another and perhaps share some personal information, the key is to remember that we all deserve dignity and privacy, and that should temper our actions. Some ways to do that include:

1. Locking your desk. This also includes your files during lunch or at the end of the day, or when you’re going to be away for a certain amount of time, such as in a meeting. Don’t keep personal information – such as your pay stubs or health information – at work. Take them home and file in a secure cabinet.
2. Using a paper shredder at work. Avoid putting confidential information into a recycling bin if it has not been shredded first. Personally shred your own information and don’t rely on someone else to do it.
3. Reading carefully. When receiving internal mail, always make sure your name is on the front before opening, even if it was hand-delivered to you. NEVER peek inside an envelope to someone else, and NEVER snoop in someone else's e-mail.
4. Standing firm. Unless you receive a supervisor’s permission, do not allow anyone to have access to information that you consider confidential.
5. Resist being too friendly. When attending a company function, ask your significant other not to reveal too many personal details about you. It’s one thing for your husband to tell them you love fishing – another to reveal that you’re about to default on your mortgage. At the same time, don’t try and corner the boss’s partner to try and find out the inside scoop on the manager. That’s unfair and unprofessional.