6 Topics to Avoid Discussing At Work by Dawn Rosenberg McKay

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay, About.com

1. Religion

You shouldn't discuss your religious beliefs or your thoughts about other religious beliefs at work. Religion is a very personal issue and people are very sensitive about it. They don't want to hear that you disagree with their religious beliefs or that you believe your religion is the one in which everyone should believe.

2. Politics

This is another sensitive issue, particularly around election time. While you may feel very strongly about your political party or candidate, or have negative views about the opposition, you should not try to win your co-workers over to your point of view.

3. Your Romantic Life

Why shouldn't you talk about your romantic life? Simply because it's no one's business other than yours and your partner's. Other than that, it makes people uncomfortable. Taken to the extreme, it may even border on sexual harassment.

4. Problems With Your Spouse, Your Children, or Your Parents

When you discuss problems you are having with others, your co-workers and your boss may wonder if those problems are distracting you from doing your job. Talking about your problems with your family will reveal your weaknesses. You don't want to do this, especially if you are in a position of authority.

5. Your Career Aspirations

Talking about how you want to move on to something bigger and better will certainly, for good reason, make your boss and co-workers question your loyalty to your current job. If you are interested in moving up within your current organization, your actions will speak louder than words. Do your job exceptionally well, and of course, let your boss know you want to move up, but don't make it the topic of workplace conversations with anyone who will listen.

6. Your Health Problems

Don't dwell on your health problems at work. If you do, you will give your co-workers and boss reason to wonder if an illness will keep you from doing your job. Of course, serious health issues that will cause you to take time off, must be discussed with your employer. No one, however, needs specific details about your health.

Check Out What's Happening at VCCS This October

Click the image below to view our Events Calendar for October. Most of the workshops we offer are at no cost. Please call 705.328.0180 for more information or to register.

Have you been laid off?

SECOND CAREER COULD HELP

Watch the video below to see how VCCS and Second Career can turn the hard times of an uncertaint future into opportunity to make your dreams a reality!

Is Second Career for you? Call or visit us at VCCS Employment Services to learn about eligibilty requirments and to begin your application. Our Employment Counsellors will guide you through every step of the application. We're here to help!

Second Career Strategy is part of the governments three-year, $1.5 billion Skills to Jobs Action Plan announced in March 2008. The strategy provides financial assistance based on individual need to help people with some of the costs associated with aquiring training, including tuition and books.

Dealing With Your Digital Dirt

What is Digital Dirt?
Digital Dirt refers to unfavorable videos, photos and other content created by you and/or about you that is posted to the Internet. Not only can it make you look immature and unprofessional, it can doom your job search before it gets started. Your trail of digital dirt might also include unflattering information that someone else has written or posted about you on the Internet, usually on social networking sites. The most popular social networking sites for Canadians include Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, MSN, Blogs and Twitter.

It didn’t take long for the corporate world to discover online social networking sites. Not only do businesses now promote themselves and their products on these sites, they use these sites as a hiring tool. More than 44% of HR recruiters have eliminated a potential candidate from further consideration because of something negative they found online through a search engine.

There is nothing worse than having unflattering information about you posted on the Web. Unfortunately, once it’s out there you can’t just sit back and hope it goes away. With hiring managers checking out prospective employees on the web before deciding who to interview or hire, job seekers need to manage their online reputations or find their resumes on the ‘do-not-call’ pile. The first thing you need to do is Google your name right now. You can even set up a ‘Google alert’ with your name so you can track all the new dirt when it first hits the Web.

Job seekers should spend as much time managing their online reputation as they do their face-to-face relationships with people. Much of the digital dirt companies find about a candidate online is a ‘self-inflicted wound’. Thoughtless postings to your Facebook page, complete with pictures of your latest ‘adventures’ will be noticed by an employer. Be sure you maintain your public profile with your job search in mind.

Tips to Keep Your Online Profile Positive:

1) Clean up your digital dirt
2) Update your profile regularly
3) Monitor comments made by others
4) Join groups selectively

5) Use the highest security settings on each Social Site you use
6) Go private!

The Student Centre Open House was a Great Success!

VCCS Employment Services welcomed students into the centre as they began their summer job search.

Ali Sharpe coordinated the day which began with an Employer Presentation by Eva Costello, the General Manager of Boston Pizza Lindsay. Eva shared with students, the qualities she is seeking in candidates, as well as the types of advancement opportunities within the company.

Preceding the Employer Presentation, students were provided with tips for creating successful resumes during the Resume Workshop. To wrap up the day, students were also provided with hands on cash register training.

VCCS is happy to have provided these young job seekers with inside information from employers, and additional skills to assist with the marketability of their resume.

The VCCS Summer Student Centre delivers the Summer Jobs Service Program and is funded by Employment Ontario.

Be sure to check our events page often to take advantage of our next occasion.

Attention Students!

Congradulations on the competion of your year at school! What will the summer bring you?

If you are considering a summer job, think about the career potential in the field you direct your efforts toward. She did...

Not sure where to learn about career potential? Visit us at VCCS Employment Services! Our student center staff while be glad to help.

GO-getter 'Delighted' to land job

Published in The Toronto Star
Reporter: Trish Crawford

Jun 04, 200


Dawn Montgomery left no stone unturned in her successful search for a job.
She starts work for a Toronto property management company next Monday after one of the most innovative job searches going.


The Hamilton resident's three-month search included networking, combing the ads, sprucing up her online profile, putting flyers on car windows and, most famously, trying to see if using public transit could cough up some job offers.


Montgomery hopped on the Hamilton to Toronto GO train in May to hand out her business card to strangers and garnered some publicity in the process.
This ploy netted eight firm contacts that resulted in people taking her resumé or setting up interviews.


"I'm tapping into the hidden job market," Montgomery, a divorced mother of four grown children said at the time. The British immigrant, who has worked as a data analyst, leasing consultant in the auto industry and office manager, was looking far and wide for work saying, "I've survived a lot of change."


It was social networking that ultimately landed her a position as a property management administrator in a residential/commercial complex in the Sheppard and Bayview Aves. area.
While updating her contacts on LinkedIn, the online professional networking site, Montgomery reconnected with a former co-worker who is a graphic designer. They had lunch and he put her in touch with someone he knew was looking to hire. Six weeks later, she was called for an interview and got the job.


"I love Toronto and I am delighted to be working in the property management field again. I am so excited and genuinely pleased," says Montgomery, declining to give her salary.
"It's very important to connect with everyone out there. It's not the job so much but the people you are looking for. You have no idea what you will find."