Inter-Act,
th
13
Edition
Ch 14: Workplace
1
Adults Spend 50% of Their Waking
Hours at Work
Work
All other
activities
2
Locating Jobs
Job openings
◦ Campus career center
◦ Online job posting sites
 Networking
◦ Uncover the hidden job market.
◦ Reach out to people you know and tell them you
are in the job market.
◦ Network at community events.

3
The Cover Letter
(should be tailored to each job posting)
Short — no longer than four paragraphs
 Express your interest in a position.
 Include how you learned of the opening.
 Tell why you are interested in the company.
 Highlight skills and experiences.
 Ask directly for an interview.

4
Professional Résumé

Contact
information
name, address,
telephone number,
e-mail
Career objective
Education
Employment
history
 Military
background



Relevant
professional
affiliations
 Community
service
 Personal
information
 Special skills
 References

5
Cover Letters and Résumés
List information clearly.
 Use a consistent format, including margins,
indention, spacing, etc.
 Proofread so that they are error-free.
 Use good-quality paper (or, if you are
sending via e-mail, use a simple, clear
format).

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Applying Electronically

Third-party résumé services are
becoming increasingly popular.
E-résumés should use plain text and limited
formatting.
E-résumés should contain a list of key words.

Online portfolios may include:
 Résumé
 Examples of your work: video clips, photos
 Links to your work
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Preparing for the Interview
1. Do your homework.
2. Based on your research, prepare a list of
questions.
3. Rehearse the interview.
4. Dress appropriately and conservatively.
5. Plan to arrive early.
6. Bring materials.
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The Interview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Listen actively.
Think before responding.
Provide specific examples that
highlight your qualifications.
Be enthusiastic.
Ask questions.
Avoid discussing salary and benefits.
Thank interviewer.
9
After the Interview
1.
2.
3.
Send a thank-you note.
Self-assess your performance.
Contact the interviewer for feedback.
10
Communicating with Supervisors
and Subordinates
Managers should:
Employees should:
Communicate
expectations
 Provide useful feedback


Do more than is
expected of them
 Develop the
relationship to the point
of mutual trust
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Communicating with a Manager
Identify how you can help your manager.
 Volunteer for specific assignments.
 Clarify assignments.
 Ask for feedback.
 Adapt to your manager’s communication
preferences.
 Develop a mentoring relationship.

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Work Relationships
Informational
Collegial
•Talk about
•Work friends
work topics
•Talk about families
and work
•Do not share
personal, private
information
Special
•“Best friends”
•Meet socially
outside of work
•Share personal,
private information
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Communicating in Co-worker
Relationships

Co-worker relationships
◦ Develop mutual trust
◦ Use interpersonal skills: listening, collaboration,
empathizing, and supporting

Work teams
◦ Formal group established with a clear purpose and
appropriate structure
◦ Members work together to achieve goals
◦ Can be short-lived or ongoing
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Characteristics of Effective Work
Teams
Clear group goal that all can embrace
 Clear member roles
 Feedback about performance
 Team members use their skills to help
 Commitment to the team and success
 Collaborative climate
 Standards of excellence
 Strong leadership

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Task Roles in Teams
Behaviors that help a group make a decision:
Information or
opinion giver
 Information or
opinion seeker
 Analyzer

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Maintenance Roles in Teams
Behaviors that improve
interaction in a group:
Gatekeeper
 Encourager
 Harmonizer

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Microsoft Photo
How can this group’s communication become
more effective?
18
Romance at Work
Organizational romance: sexual or
romantic involvement between people
who work for same organization
 Most organizations forbid romantic
relationships between supervisors and
subordinates.

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Communication Technologies for
Teamwork
Electronic newsletters
 E-calendars
 Blogs
 Podcasts
 E-surveys
 Wikis

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Digital Communication Etiquette at
Work
Match your purpose with the social media
device.
 Respond to ideas, not to people.
 Use social media to add value to a
conversation.
 Respond appropriately and efficiently.
 Give praise where appropriate.
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Social Media at Work

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
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Check company guidelines prohibiting social
networking sites on company computers.
Be careful what you “Tweet” to your followers.
Messages could get back to supervisors.
Consider using a professional networking site
such as LinkedIn.
Regularly “Google” your own name.
Think twice before posting questionable photos
or links.
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Boundary Spanning
 Boundary spanning: communicating with
people outside your organization in a mutually
beneficial relationship

Customers and clients: people, groups, or
organizations that use your organization’s goods
or services

Vendors: people, groups, or organizations that
supply your organization with necessary raw
materials or other goods and services
23
Communicating in a Diverse
Workplace
Culture-Based Work Styles
Results-oriented – values results of work over
building relationships at work
 Relationship-oriented – prioritizes building
relationships at work over the results of work
 Sequential task completion – prefers to break larger
tasks down into separate parts and complete one
part at a time, in order
 Holistic task completion – prefers to work on an
entire task at once

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Feminine Linguistic Style
Masculine Linguistic Style
Rapport talk
 Meets face needs of others
 Uses indirect language
when giving orders to
employee
 Acknowledges mistakes
directly
 Uses pronouns “we, our,
ours”


Report talk
 One-upping
 Assertive statements
 Direct language when giving
orders
 Indirect language when
acknowledging a mistake
 Uses pronouns “I, he, she,
they”
Gender Differences
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Gendered Conversation Rituals
Apologies
Feedback
Women
Men
see apologies as comfort
see apologies as “onedown”
praise, then constructive
criticism
direct criticism without
praise
expect compliment in return
may not recognize
returning a compliment
as important
arguments considered breach
of relationship
argue vigorously as a
ritual, no damage done
to relationships
to appear self-effacing, not
seek opportunity for
networking with top
managers and brag
about accomplishments
Compliments
Argument
Relationship with
manager
likely to brag
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Generational Diversity

Intergenerational differences
◦
◦
◦
◦
Views of authority
Approaches to rules
Work vs. leisure
Technological competence
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The Dark Side
Workplace aggression: any counterproductive behavior
at work intended to hurt someone else
 Verbal aggression: sending verbal messages intended
to hurt someone
 Behavioral aggression: nonverbal acts intended to
hurt someone
 Physical aggression: nonverbal acts of violence
against another person with the intent to do bodily
harm
 Bullying: habitual use of aggression and the repeated use
of aggression against one target individual

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The Dark Side
Sexual harassment
◦ Unwanted verbal or physical sexual behavior that
interferes with work
◦ Violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964
 To cope with sexual harassment:
◦ Tell person the conduct is unwelcome.
◦ Keep private, written notes.
◦ After informal methods fail, file formal complaint
with employer.

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