We had to read this twice, too. Here’s the deal — according to a study published in Social Currents from the Southern Sociological Society, job candidates who listed their religion on their resume are less likely to receive an email from an employer. We have to wonder why candidates are listing their religion on a resume in the first place? If we’ve done one public service announcement of the day, it’s to keep your religion off your CV. And political affiliation, too. And if the yoga photo is any proof, we couldn’t even decide what religion to include visually without offending someone else so we went with something neutral: The religion of yoga. Read more

As you know, oh faithful reader, we cover a variety of topics on MJD ranging from salary negotiations to dealing with an unruly boss to office etiquette. As such, we need to touch upon a not-so-pleasant topic today: the communal refrigerator.

According to “Ask Annette” on Salary.com, “The office refrigerator often becomes a free-for-all, a frontier, the domain of pioneers who will stop at nothing to stake their claim on the precious tundra inside.”

So, yes while some aspects of the communal frig can focus on keeping your coveted food and snacks for yourself as no one swipes them, another topic centers around food that grows stale. (Dare we say moldy? Ick.) Read more

Now that we’ve gotten your attention, we have to say that yes, in a new CareerBuilder survey one in seven respondents graded their bosses with a D or an F.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however since 63 percent of workers gave their boss an A or B. One-quarter of respondents gave their boss an average mark.

Grades were in sync with bosses’ communication and management styles. That is, workers who frequently interacted with their bosses ended up rating their performance higher than people who didn’t interact with their supervisor. Read more

As a follow up to our post a few days ago about Take Your Dog to Work Day, Dogswell got into the act by unleashing 20 dogs and puppies into their office.

The original disguise was centered around a fake news crew to interview the team…little did the team know a celebration was about to occur.

Check out the clip below!

If you’re a recent college grad, according to a new survey by “Every Day Connect,” resources provided by Fairfield Inn & Suites to mentor the next generation of business travelers, more than 77 percent of employed adults said they’re willing to help college graduates find work.

To that point, 49 percent of the 1,000 polled employed adults mentioned they have a mentor in their profession.

They do appreciate a decent thank-you in the form of a phone call (91 percent of respondents indicated this was an appropriate method to express gratitude.) Snail mail or e-mails were also considered appropriate. Read more

Have you ever felt the itch to leave your current job, one that you are relatively comfortable with, in order to pursue greener pastures?

You’re not alone. One reader addresses this with The New York Post to dive into the issue. He or she writes, “After five years I feel like I’ve hit a wall and that it’s time for a new challenge. Is it crazy to take a risk moving to a different company when things are going so well here?”

You know what we think is crazy, along with the columnist Greg Giangrande, HR executive in the media industry? Staying in a job where you feel stunted especially when there are other options. Read more

Yes, this annual event really exists. And hey, it’s today!

In fact, it was spawned by Pet Sitters International in 1999 to show how dogs can be great companions and to encourage their adoptions from local shelters, rescue groups and humane societies.

Well, what if you’re not pooch friendly and your colleagues have brought in their pets or what if you have allergies? There are a few ways to make the most out of today and other days if your office is pet friendly all year-long. Read more

Want to rock out your career to the next level? Or maybe you’re just starting on the interview scene. Well, according to this video there are a few essential tips to keep in mind to conducting stellar interviews.

On a summer Friday, we figured it’s time to keep things light in the spirit of these comedic videos, “Foul Territory,” launched by the YES Network and hosted by the Yankees’ first baseman, Mark Teixeira.

On the mock talk show, Tex quizzes Yankees announcer on YES and former New York Times reporter Jack Curry about being a good interviewer. Curry’s response: “Do as much research as possible. You never want to ask a yes/no question.”

Take a look at the clip:

I graduated from college more than a month ago, and in that time, I’ve watched more than half of my friends go on to land full-time positions in their field. I, however, am working two internships – one at Mediabistro and the other at Guideposts magazine – that have an expiration date at the end of August.

When you tell people after four years of hard work, dedication and thousands of your parents’ money that all you have to show for it is an internship — or worse yet, unemployment — they might give you that universal sympathetic look before saying, “Don’t worry, something will come along.”

In my case, though, I couldn’t be happier to have landed two internships in the field of journalism because I didn’t even major in it. About halfway through school, nearly finished with my BA in creative writing, I decided I really didn’t like it. I loved writing, but I had no time or dedication to think of plotlines or characters or read another thing by Nathaniel Hawthorne. So, I moved on to nonfiction. In news writing, the details, characters and motives are all there; all you need to do is put the facts into a cohesive whole. Another thing I love about the news is that you know what you write will be important to someone. Whether you’re covering the small-town high school prom or world conflicts, someone is interested in it, and that makes it important.

Since I changed my mind late in the game, I found myself close to graduating with only enough time to take the courses needed for a journalism minor and a few free electives to fill up with some multimedia classes. So I’m at Mediabistro and Guideposts to learn and grow. Read more

By big clients we mean clients with deep pockets. Budgets to spend and contract to sign. That’s why this post from Freelancers Union is so appropriate.

Of course, the first way to land big clients is to let them know you exist and to pitch them. The art, my friend, entails in the pitch itself.

1. Research. The clients you’re pursuing require more research, plain and simple. You know what though? They’re worth it. Per the piece, you should spend at least one hour reading through anything and everything about this company. Social media feeds are helpful so you can get a grasp on how the company views itself.

The piece points out: “If it’s a large corporation with multiple locations, try to find out if certain locations specialize in different services. Then find the department that aligns with what you do. Then do some private searching on LinkedIn to find out who works in that department. Recall your past gig experience: who was the person who hired and managed you? Look for someone with that job title.”

2. Explain what you do. Think bigger than what you currently do, too. You’re not just a project manager, says the piece. Instead, you’re the go-to person who makes the company’s problems disappear. Check that — the person’s problems to whom you’re pitching. Speak to the person your pitching and solve his or her problems.

3. Understand that they have a boss. The person you’re pitching indeed has a boss who’s likely putting pressure on them to make a hiring decision and to make it a good one. Plus, deadlines are looming. Give them all the information you can to make it easy for them to sign you on for the project.

4. Understand that they don’t want to train you. They need you to come in and roll up your sleeves to get right down to work. They assume you have the required skills and experience and need little to no training.

The piece advises, “Tell them you always spend the first few days listening and watching. Say something about how good you are at seeing the big picture, filling in where needed, and instead of trying to talk a lot about what you do, repeat back to them what they need.”