Professional Edge With Sue Morem TimeScape Productions Inc.

Holiday weeks: good or bad time for job hunting? Sue Morem has some thoughts on how you can give yourself the gift of a job this holiday season. Sue is a regular guest now on Quick On The UpTake every Tuesday at 5:15pm CT. Call in with your questions at (952) 946-6205.

Sue talks with The UpTake's Mike McIntee about how to hunt for a job in a bad economy. Sue is a regular guest now on Quick On The UpTake every Tuesday at 5:15pm CT. Call in with your questions at (952) 946-6205.

Are you addicted to stress? It's an odd question, but many of don't realize how accustomed we've become to a face-paced overwhelming lifestyle. Sue talks with business and life balance coach Kate Larson about what to do when you feel you've been spread too thin.

The start of a new year is a good time to make resolutions. Sue gives us hers and talks about how to make them stick.

If your idea of a festive holiday party is one in which you drink heavily, cozy up to your boss and carry on intimate conversation, you might need to change your ideas. If you’re looking forward to a little dirty dancing or the chance of winning the title of best karaoke singer at the company party this year, you probably won’t. Go ahead and have a good time, but you might want to tone down your behavior a bit.

Whether you’re at the company picnic, the holiday party, a convention, or celebrating someone’s retirement or promotion during happy hour, you have the opportunity to either strengthen or weaken your relationship with others. Act as if your behavior is being observed every minute, because it is.

If you wonder if your attendance matters, it does. You might not be required to attend, but your absence will be noted. When you are a “no show,” you show you are “not interested.” This does not help you look like a committed team player or caring coworker.

If you can’t decide what to wear, decide to play it safe. If it isn’t a company picnic, don’t even consider wearing jeans, tank tops, or shorts. If it isn’t a costume party, don’t wear anything so shocking or unusual that your clothing is the topic of conversation. If it isn’t a black tie formal affair, don’t wear full-length, slinky, or sequined dresses or a tuxedo. And if it isn’t a swimming party (which most business events are not), don’t bare your midriff, your buttocks, or breasts.

If you’re planning on arriving “fashionably” late, make another plan. Late is late. There is nothing fashionable about it.

If alcohol is served, think before you drink. If you get “wasted,” you’ve wasted a valuable opportunity to demonstrate your self-control. You don’t have to apologize for not drinking, but you will have to apologize if you get drunk and do something foolish.

If you want to stand out and be noticed, get up and move around. You are at a social event; socialize. Don’t huddle in a bunch with your work buddies; get up and move around. People can’t see you, let alone notice you, when you’re sitting in the corner.

If you see people you do not know, get to know them. This is an ideal time for you to introduce yourself to those you don’t ordinarily see or get to talk to, including company executives.

If you’ve got a lot to gripe about, keep it to yourself. Celebrations are meant to be celebrated. Try to keep your conversations light and upbeat.

If you’re not sure if you should bring a guest, don’t. Just because you’re invited to bring a guest doesn’t mean you have to. You might feel more at ease if you don’t have someone else to look after or worry about.

If you think you are ready for love, think again. No matter how hot that guy or gal from accounting is, this isn’t the time or place for you to do something about it.

If you think you can slip away and no one will know you are gone, you are wrong. It’s just as easy to keep track of those who stay as it is to remember who left early or didn’t say good bye.

What works in college, doesn't always work in the business world. Sue looks at some of the most common mistakes graduates make when looking for a job.