The Trump Blog

Have you ever been fired?

No one likes to think about it but, unfortunately, with today’s economy and faltering job market, it certainly can be a strong possibility for anyone in any field.

I’m not sure why - I guess it’s because they always see me firing people on “The Apprentice” - but people often ask my advice about what they should do if they lose their job.

I say look at it as an opportunity. When you lose a job, it’s a great time to reevaluate your career and decide if you really were doing what you loved in the first place. If not, then it was time for a career change anyway.

I always tell people that you should spend your life working at a job that really motivates you, challenges you and makes you want to get out of bed every morning and look forward to going to work. If you didn’t feel that way about your old job, then your boss was doing you a favor by letting you go.

Finding a new job might take longer than you think but don’t compromise. Do all the usual things - network, research, and work on your resume. Sooner or later, you’ll find a job you love and you won’t care that someone once told you, “You’re fired!”

Nearly everybody gossips at work. I guess it’s human nature, but people just like to talk about each other, and rarely does it do anything but add negativity to the workplace.

Well, at least one employer in Chicago decided to do something about it by banning gossip at his firm. Each of the employees at Empower Public Relations not only agreed not to gossip, but they also agreed that when an employee says something negative behind a co-worker’s back, he or she will be required to repeat that gossip to the person’s face.

The policy gives the employees a chance to diffuse the rumors by setting the record straight. I imagine it also discourages people from gossiping in the first place when they know their words may come back to haunt them. Personally, I think it’s ironic that this is a public relations firm. It seems an unusual way to do PR.

I have to admit this policy is a little extreme but it’s a good idea to get rid of gossip at work any way you can. I’ve seen all sorts of surveys and reports, and gossip is nearly always one of the biggest complaints employees have about the workplace.

Gossip in the office is bad for productivity and bad for morale. Get rid of it and companies will make more money and people will be happier at work. All in all, it’s a perfect scenario...but I don’t think getting rid of gossip will ever happen.

Are men smarter than women? A huge new report says they’re not, but they certainly think they are. 

An analysis of 30 different studies shows that men and women are fairly equal in terms of overall IQ, but women tend to underplay their own intelligence while men overestimate theirs.

The studies show that on average, women underestimate their IQ scores by about five points while men overestimate their own IQs by at least that much. Because the studies were international, the results were the same whether the people were from the United States or Japan, Argentina or Zimbabwe.

But not only do men think that men are smarter, surprisingly even the women in these studies perceive men to be smarter. Both sexes believe their fathers are smarter than their mothers and, if there are children, both men and women think their sons are brighter than their daughters.

I have a hard time believing this research because I’ve met a lot of brilliant women who know they’re smart and they use it to their advantage. They don’t think for a minute that men are smarter than they are and that’s why they’re so successful.

Admit it. At some point it your life, you’ve lied. Maybe you tell white lies on a daily basis. Maybe you tell some all-out doozies. Whatever the case, don’t worry about it too much. You’re normal.

Experts say there are two kinds of lies - the lies that you tell to help yourself and the lies you tell to protect other people’s feelings, like when you tell someone they look good in that terrible pink-and-green tie.

Serious lies are most often told to protect relationships. That’s when people lie about cheating, for example. Obviously, they don’t want to get caught and they want to keep their marriages intact. Most white lies, however, are told to strangers.

Lying is not exactly extraordinary. During a recent study, people were asked to record every single lie they told in one week. The results showed that college students lied at least once to nearly 40 percent of the people they interacted with. The rest of the people lied to nearly one-third of the people. It’s amazing that lying is so second-nature to people.

So, I think it’s nice to say, “Don’t lie,” but it’s just not realistic. We do it to save other people’s feelings. We do it to protect ourselves. We do it to get what we want.

And sometimes it works.

 When it comes to the job outlook these days, it always seems like business forecasters are preaching doom and gloom.

But it appears as if things are looking good for employees and job hunters this summer and early this fall.

According to a new online job survey, the vast majority of American companies don’t expect to fire any of their employees. In fact, more than one-third of managers said they actually planned to do some hiring.

More than half even expect to give raises to their loyal employees later this year. They say that a tight labor market makes it difficult for them to find very qualified job candidates, so they want to keep the workers they have and want to make sure they stay happy.

Even more surprising, more than 40 percent of managers say they have job openings that they can’t fill.

There you have it. If you’re looking for a job, it looks like there are plenty of them out there. And if you have a job, breathe easy. At least for now.

We’ve all heard the saying “connect the dots.” I see it as having enough knowledge to be able to connect the dots in a reasonable and informed way.

In a conversation I was having a few years ago, one guy mentioned that the Trump name had become a famous brand around the world. Then he added, “What’s in a name?” and sort of laughed and then said to me, “In your case, a lot!”

I noticed that another man seemed out of the loop about the quip. So I said “That’s Shakespeare. ‘What’s in a name’ is a famous line from Shakespeare.” So he still looked perplexed and asked “From what?” And although I knew it was from Romeo and Juliet, I said, “Look it up. You might learn some interesting things along the way.”

I’m not proposing that you spend years studying Shakespeare, but a topical knowledge of certain things will greatly enhance your capabilities of dealing in the major leagues with people who are well educated in a variety of subjects. Don’t be left out! Take a few hours a week to review the classics in literature, or history, or something outside of your usual range of interests. Limiting yourself is not the best choice.

Many topics come up in the course of a business discussion or interview, and while we can’t know everything, we should know as much as we can.

With summer just around the corner, a lot of employees in a lot of businesses start dressing like it’s Casual Friday every day of the week. They utterly forget about professionalism and start dressing totally inappropriately for work.

In fact, Monster, an online job and recruiting site, conducted a poll about the biggest fashion faux pas in the office. Employers complained the most about employees who came in to work wearing tank tops and visible underwear. They also had a problem with employees who wear flip-flop sandals, Hawaiian print shirts, and shorts.

Of course...because none of that belongs in a professional environment. If you want people to take you seriously in the workplace, you have to dress the part.

When people come to me for a job interview, I expect them to look the part. If they’re not willing to wear a suit and tie, it’s probably not going to work. I’ve actually had people come to me in undershirts. They may be very talented but it’s impossible to get past that first impression.

Appearance really does matter. Whether you’re in the boardroom or a party or no matter what you’re doing, how you dress says a lot about your personality.

If you look successful, you’re going to be successful.