Just over a month ago, we elected a new national leader. Many were happy with the results, while some were disappointed; but I think we can all agree on being thankful that, after two years of campaigning, the process is finally over.

Prior to the election, people were both enamored and critical over certain qualities the two unique presidential candidates showed. We won’t ask who you voted for here, but we would like to know what qualities attract you to a particular leader. Is it someone who is daring or diplomatic? Brilliant or wise? Authoritative or relational?

With apologies to the Obamas and McCains of the world, and even ex-TV Presidents Jed Bartlet and David Palmer, we’ve taken six non-political, fictional characters and examined the qualities that made them effective leaders.

Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek

Dashing and daring, Kirk takes on bold initiatives fearlessly. A little over-emotional at times, his rash decision making doesn’t always turn out well (especially if you wear a red shirt), but he ultimately knows how to lead others effectively through his mistakes. He’s intelligent but not an intellectual, has a good sense of humor, and connects to his crew-all admirable leadership qualities. Good with a phaser, the ladies and leveraging the strengths of others to motivate them beyond their usual capacity (especially those warp engines), he’s also a hand-to-hand combat expert, especially when battling space lizards (all important skills when exploring strange, new worlds).
 

Captain John H. Miller, Saving Private Ryan

This “every man” leader commands respect based on his actions, not his words. Though Captain Miller bestows wisdom when needed, it’s his “human” element that attracts his followers and allows them to connect with him.

His consistent fairness in judgment and good decision-making skills-especially under duress-illustrate his natural leadership abilities. He is also exceptionally brave and committed to pursuing his vision regardless of circumstances or consequences. He also has a knack for developing interesting acronyms.
 

Cobra Commander, G.I. Joe

Sure, he hides behind a mask, is a monomaniacal megalomaniac, and listening to his scratchy, high-pitched voice is akin to a nail on the chalkboard, but he is a brilliant strategist with great administrative skills. He also casts a clear vision (world domination) to followers, and always commands respect by his authoritative demeanor and refusal to give up no matter how many times opponents get in the way of achieving his goals.

C.C. (as close friends call him) also provides flexibility in the workplace, illustrated by his casual Friday cotton hood instead of the shielded helmet he wears most days.
 

Miranda Bailey, Grey’s Anatomy

Her subordinates often refer to her as “The Nazi” because of her harsh and blunt demeanor, but there’s much more to Bailey than running a tight ship. The Seattle Grace chief resident is always there for her team when they need help, and she never shifts blame, taking responsibility for her actions and those beneath her.

She usually keeps her emotions in check, does what’s right regardless of the situation, and constantly builds on her leadership abilities. Bailey also shows great agility in adapting to whatever comes her way in the ER, and has a heart for service, evidenced by her opening of a free health clinic.
 

Mufasa, The Lion King

It’d be weird to follow a lion-an animated talking one at that. But the King of the Pride Lands combined many of the best leadership qualities: great strength, wisdom, bravery, a sense of humor, and a willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect those he is leading. Mufasa also knows how to effectively have difficult conversations, whether it’s with a mutinous, outcast brother or a trouble-making son.

He also recognized the importance of building future leaders beneath him so they would be prepared to one day replace him and ensure the preservation of that circle of life thing. And with that powerful voice, who wouldn’t want to line up behind him?
 

Princess Leia Organa, Star Wars

The feisty Rebel Alliance leader fights for what’s right and is a stabilizing force during uncertain times in the galaxy. Often outspoken, Leia shows extreme loyalty, and is always the last to leave in the face of danger. A believer in “diplomacy first,” she’s not afraid to pick up a blaster and pull the trigger if all else fails. She’s also a keen motivator, whether it’s a speech or peck on the cheek (like she did to her  <shudder> brother), to inspire others toward getting the job done. The princess also displays great decision-making skills-whether it’s woman’s intuition or the Force, nobody knows, but it increases her leadership abilities even more. 

To summarize: Some people are natural-born leaders, but for the most part, the skills of a leader are developed over time through training, experience and the investments of other leaders in their lives. The best leaders never stop learning how to lead better and know that if their organizations or teams are going to continue being successful, they must groom and develop other leaders beneath them.

Related posts:

1. A good boss is … Our friends over at The Hiring Site recently asked recruiters...
2. How to prove you’re needed If you’ve read our posts before, you know we encourage...
3. Ask The Work Buzz! I’ve got a degree in education, but no job Courtney writes to us with a concern I’m sure many...

It can make you wish things were as easy as they were in childhood, when communication was simple and where you were more open to new ideas and new people. Countless self-help books suggest the same thing: that personal and professional success can come to those who are willing to let themselves be more open.

“Open” might mean being more vulnerable, or even being the fool from time to time, but it also means that you embrace the humor of the situation and just let it be.

I’ve been reading a very intriguing and unique book by Peter Weddle, Recognizing Richard Rabbit. Weddle’s book tries to get a message to us via these two channels: on the left side pages, there’s text asking us questions about our lives (and careers) in language that we’re accustomed to.

On the right-hand pages, there’s an animal-filled fable that takes us back to childhood days and recasts these questions in simpler, more colorful terms. It’s a fascinating way to approach ideas – like giving up what you “should” do for what you really WANT to do – that can be tricky or uncomfortable to think about in traditional terms.

Related posts:

1. Build your network, win cool prizes Here at CareerBuilder, we strive to connect job seekers...
2. Ask The Work Buzz! More on age Here’s a question from Peter: I am starting a job...
3. Ask The Work Buzz How long should a résumé be? Mark submitted a two-pronged question. We’ll answer the first part...

Of course, it can also be a chance to watch uncomfortably as you co-worker fights with his or her spouse, gets too tipsy and too touchy-feely, or starts disrobing on the dance floor!

With that in mind, here’s some news and common sense ideas about how to avoid the possible pitfalls of a holiday bash.

DIALING DOWN THE JINGLE: For many companies, the economic slowdown has required a change in focus. Companies have either scaled down their celebrations or, in many cases, canceled them altogether.

Although this can put fear and uncertainty into the heart of any worker, it doesn’t necessarily mean trouble at the workplace. Many companies who have decided to cancel their seasonal gatherings are doing so out of a desire to be financially conservative and to better spend that money on company resources – and on retaining employees.

If your company isn’t holding its party this year, encourage smaller gatherings to celebrate your team, department or business unit. Instead of spending money on presents, decorations or entertainment, your team can gather together and volunteer for a nonprofit organization that needs help. You can also conduct a food drive to help the increasing number of people who are affected by the economy and are turning to food pantries.

HOLIDAY PARTY ETIQUETTE: One consistent water cooler topic at this time of year is gossip about the party. No matter how prepared the team is or how professional the workforce is at your company, chances are that co-workers + social gathering + alcohol = a hot mess that everyone talks about the next day.

Our friend J.T. O’Donnell is a career expert and author, and has shared these tips with us about holiday party pitfalls and how to avoid them. So here’s the top 10 offenses to avoid at this year’s company holiday bash:

Assuming you aren’t required to go. Unless you’ve got an unbelievably good reason, you need to attend. Not attending speaks volumes about your attitude toward the company.  

“If you can’t appreciate what the company is doing to celebrate the holidays and its efforts to make you feel like a part of their family, then you send a clear message that you don’t put much stock in the employee-employer relationship,” O’Donnell says. If you absolutely can’t go, let management know in advance and give specific reasons why not.

Dressing inappropriately. Don’t dress as if you were going to a club or trolling for dates, O’Donnell says. Even if you’re hittin’ the town later, you still need to dress properly for the party.  

“Maybe you’re known for being very stylish in your private life, but when it comes to a work function, it’s better to blend in as opposed to making a statement that might get misinterpreted,” she says. If you show up and realize you aren’t dressed appropriately, try to make light of it. Better to acknowledge it’s not acceptable than pretend that it is.

Attending on an empty stomach. Holiday events typically involve drinks and appetizers before the meal. But, appetizers often don’t make it all the way through the crowd, O’Donnell says. It’s better to get some food in your stomach prior to the event so your first drink doesn’t go straight to your head.

Pitching ideas to upper-management. Some folks view the company party as a way to schmooze the higher-ups or tell them their grand plans to save the company.  ”Keep the talk to lighter subjects,” advises O’Donnell. “There’s nothing worse than a brown-nosing badger to ruin a manager’s evening.”

Getting drunk! Only 70 percent of companies are serving alcohol at their holiday parties this year, a 15 percent drop from last year, according to a recent survey. There’s a reason for this, people! Bottom line: Don’t drink excessively at the holiday party. You’ll end up saying or doing something you’ll regret.

Hooking up! Co-workers secretly harboring feelings for each other often think it’s OK to act on those feeling at the holiday event, O’Donnell says. Not so. ”It’s important to act like you do at work. You’re not paid to get cozy on the job, and the holiday party is an extension of your job,” she says. Keep your distance until after the event when you can have some privacy.

Bringing a ‘crazy’ date. If your spouse or date is known as the ‘life of the party,’ there’s a chance he or she will make the night unforgettable – and not in a good way, O’Donnell says.

Don’t give employers any reason to wonder if you aren’t as you appear on the job. If your date starts to make a scene, cut the night short.

Being a ‘Scrooge.’ Don’t be a Debbie Downer and walk around with a scowl on your face, O’Donnell says. If you aren’t excited to be there, keep your thoughts to yourself.

“These events are meant to give employees an opportunity to connect on a personal level so they can relate to one another at work,” she says. “You don’t have to overdo it, but you have to at least do it.” Check your negativity at the door, put on a smile and socialize.

Not using your best table manners. It seems obvious but for many, manners go out the door after business hours – especially with a drink in hand, O’Donnell says. No swearing, chew with your mouth closed and remember to say “please,” “thank you” and “excuse me.”

“Dirty dancing” or executing “athletic displays.” “Even though krumping, bumping and grinding are all the rage, these moves have no place on the corporate dance floor,” O’Donnell advises. “Moreover, back flips, splits, jumps and spins can only lead to disaster.” Keep moves clean and in control.

Even if folks are begging for you to dance, O’Donnell says, keep in mind that everyone loves to watch someone else embarrass themselves.

Related posts:

1. Which co-worker would you meet under the mistletoe? We recently wrote a post about holiday party pitfalls. Today,...
2. WANTED: Second job for the holidays I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely getting the...
3. 10 Companies Hiring for the Holidays Yesterday, Kate gave you the latest outlook out seasonal hiring...

I just read an article by Gail MarksJarvis in the Chicago Tribune that discusses how the economic downtown will have its most negative impact on single women.

Some of the facts in the article:

• 26 percent of households are headed by women. Those women tend to save and accumulate less wealth than other households. The annual household income for women who never married or are divorced or separated was $22,592 - about half of the level of all households.
• Women living on their own had a median net worth of just $32,850, according to the Federal Reserve’s most recent Survey of Consumer Finances. (Net worth is the value of what people own after covering all their debts, and the higher a person’s net worth, the more options they face without stress.)

Related posts:

1. Monday’s good reads roundup First Monday of August, and job seeker news is busting...
2. News Flash: Women ARE as ambitious as men at work A new study released today about attitudes in the U.S....
3. Who’s Germier in the Office: Men or Women? Can’t figure out what to buy your wife, girlfriend, sister...

And then those same job seekers send it off without a cover letter – which in some cases means they may as well have never sent it at all.

Cover letters are still important. They may not be needed for every expression of interest, but it’s still part of the package in most cases. Here are six musts for your next cover letter.

Cover the basics.
Your letter should be brief, easy to read, and always include your full name, address and phone number in case your cover letter becomes separated from your resume. Don’t forget to proofread to avoid spelling errors and typos. Make sure the job title and employer name are correct, too.

Target it.
Avoid using “Dear Hiring Manager” and find out the name of the company’s human resources contact or recruiter. You can find this information by logging on to the company’s Web site or calling the main phone number and asking a receptionist for the name and title of their corporate recruiter. Once you have a contact name, experts recommend using the person’s formal title such as “Mr.,” “Ms.” or “Mrs.”

Be detailed.
State which job you are applying for in the very first paragraph and make sure to include other specific details such as a job ID number (if one was provided) and where you heard about the opening. The reason for this detail is simple: Many recruiters are responsible for multiple openings within their companies and must be able to determine which job your application is targeting. And if you were referred to the company by an employee, be sure to mention this in your letter as many companies have employee referral programs.

Have personality.
One of the objectives of a good cover letter is to make a personal connection with the reader. Gone are the days when you could simply change the name of the company in your salutation, attach it to your resume and fire it off to the employer. Recruiters see right through these types of letters and recognize them for what they are – a lazy person’s attempt to find a job.

Do some legwork.
A winning cover letter will require some research into the company’s history and recent accomplishments. It should show the reader that you have some knowledge of their company and that you made an informed decision when you decided to apply for a job at their company.

Show your worth.
When writing your letter, keep the requirements of the job in mind and address them specifically.  Remember, it’s not what the company can do for you; it’s what you can do for the company that counts.

Get the interview.
Go ahead and tell the hiring manager you want that interview. Express that your cover letter and resume are just the tip of the iceberg and you look forward to a face-to-face conversation.

Related posts:

1. Maximizing your cover letter’s power Like peanut butter and jelly or bacon and eggs, résumés...
2. Ask the Work Buzz – Questions Answered Maya asks: “I understand that it is best to address...
3. Don’t you wish your résumé could write itself? This week, I’ve been updating my résumé (for grad school...

As users, we don’t see the inner workings of those programs, but they can have a significant impact on the user experience. A purchase of a book or a music media item at Amazon.com might yield a recommendation to check out similar books and CDs.

A more complex version of the same idea is the Internet radio station Pandora. The site takes notice of the songs that users like, and starts channeling similar music to that user.

We’ve been hearing a lot about “new” advances in ways to recommend the best jobs for job seekers, but CareerBuilder.com has been at the cutting edge of this technology and has had a Recommendation Engine in place for its customers for years.

When you start an account and upload your resume, our site uses the keywords in your resume to make recommendations to you. Of course, you can always set up searches and alerts on specific terms that define the job you’re looking for. But the Recommendation Engine gives you a far more comprehensive list of possible jobs. 

The Recommendation Engine is unique, and we were early adopters of this technology. But our site is similar to others in one way: The more information it has, and the more you use the site, the better the Engine will work for you.  

An amazing, keyword-filled resume will garner a lot of great recommendations from us – and one of those might be your next job.

Related posts:

1. How to find better, more relevant jobs We hear from job seekers all the time about the...
2. Four Resources to Help You Write a Killer Résumé A few weeks ago, we told you that on average,...
3. Airline Relieves Laid-Off Workers JetBlue Airways scored major points with me today. While some...

The analysts and economists at Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank have released their annual list where they discuss the costs of all of the gifts that are mentioned in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” carol. 

You can take a look at the details of the costs of each item and the press release about the list here. But beyond the fun, the list is an interesting window into what’s happening in the economy and the job market.

• The cost of paying the performers, for example (drummers drumming) went up a few percentage points – about the same increase seen in cost-of-living wage adjustments.
• Rebekah McCahan, an assistant vice president and investment strategist for PNC, noted an interesting trend: “What’s really surprising is that our index follows overall Consumer Price Index trends. To think that the cost of a partridge in a pear tree would mirror what’s going on at Target, for example, is pretty interesting.”

*A side note: the bank is a previous employer of mine. I worked in PNC’s operations department several years ago.

Related posts:

1. Wednesday’s good reads roundup An eclipse, a health-care plan, Michael Jackson’s doctor…these are the...
2. Jobs that pay $20 an hour Pay is often the motivating factor to finding a job....
3. Missing open enrollment can cost you If you’re fortunate enough to have a job that offers...

Then I remembered that today was Cyber Monday. (Yes, it took me a minute to put it together. My second cup of coffee hadn’t kicked in yet!)

You may remember that we talked about Cyber Monday last week, including the results of a recent CareerBuilder.com survey that discussed how we use the Internet at work.

If you’re clicking while you work, be sure to use your time wisely!

Related posts:

1. Cyber Monday: Clicking away at work Cyber Monday always follows Black Friday on the calendar… What...
2. Monday’s good reads roundup The Monday of a holiday week. It’s always a beast...
3. Work’s not as perky as it used to be Pardon the titular pun, but I couldn’t resist. A couple...

There are several theories as to how the day after Thanksgiving came to be called “Black Friday”. Some trace the origin of the term to the idea that retailers would be in the “black” (profitable) based on the sales of the day. Others think it’s a bit of black humor from retail workers who are overwhelmed with work on that day.

If you’re still thinking about a seasonal job, there may still be some available in your area. And WorkInRetail.com always has opportunities to build your career in retail.

Related posts:

1. WANTED: Second job for the holidays I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely getting the...
2. 10 Companies Hiring for the Holidays Yesterday, Kate gave you the latest outlook out seasonal hiring...
3. Black and White: The New Power Couple? Black and white are classy colors in any situation, but...

If you’re experiencing turkey overload, take a few minutes to think about that new job search you’re thinking of launching.

Here’s a “starter kit” of some of our most helpful articles.

STARTING YOUR SEARCH:

• Cover Letter Do’s and Don’ts
• Resume Tips
• Who’s Hiring?

JOB INTERVIEW TIPS AND RESOURCES:

• Interview Checklist
• What NOT to Wear
• Answers to Challenging Questions
• 10 Ways to Blow the Interview

GETTING (and keeping) THE JOB:

• Factors to Consider When Accepting a Job Offer
• Asking the Right Questions When You’re New on the Job
• 10 Things You Should Never Do at Work 

BE A JOB SEARCH ROCK STAR!

Make sure you check out The Work Buzz every day for the latest updates, news and survey results.

You can bookmark this page, subscribe to our RSS feed, find us on Facebook or get updates on Twitter!

Related posts:

1. Ask The Work Buzz! Salary history From Kathy: Hey, Work Buzz! Boring question, but necessary answer....
2. Ask The Work Buzz! Tricky interview question From Violet: During an interview, I’ve been asked “Do you...
3. Ask The Work Buzz! Finding a reputable employer A reader submitted this question to The Work Buzz, and...