Presenting the OfficeTricks.com team for your reading pleasure…

Aaron

Aaron is an IT headhunter with a strong sales background working for one of the largest recruitment firms in North America. He has a degree in Human Resource Management and is studying for his CHRP (Certified Human Resources Professional) designation. He interacts with countless professionals (and un-professionals) on a daily basis as they make some of the biggest decisions of their lives. As if that wasn’t enough, he works in an office full of people who love to talk and sits at a desk within earshot of the water cooler…and the office refrigerator…and the conference/lunch room. Bon appétit!

Christien

Christien currently runs his own social media consultancy and in his “spare” time navigates the path of an MBA.  His leadership experiences have been cultivated inside of sales organizations, where politics is part of controlling the game.  A viewpoint depends on where a person stands, and Christien has a deep interest in understanding those different angles.

Clara

Clara earned her real estate salesperson license three years ago, a move which gave her an easy escape route from working for corporate America. Now working in a small, family-owned company, she wonders whether it’s easier to deal with the quirks and irritations of family and friends or complete strangers. She has learned more than she could have imagined about the dynamics of working in a close-knit group and luckily, she’s willing to share.

Domenick

Domenick is an auditor/consultant and fully licensed Chartered Accountant. Despite graduate level degrees and a generally fulfilling career, he has managed to make more career mistakes in 5 years than should be humanly possible. Benefit from his mistakes. Learn from his life.

Fernando

Fernando is a Productivity Solutions Analyst. He is fully aware that his current job title epitomizes the murkiness of the information-technology domain and likes it because, frankly, no one knows what he actually does. A former high-school boy-band member and multinational-Telco call centre rep, Fernando has made his share of dubious decisions, both on and off the career path. Let him entice you with his gingerbread house full of tales and join him for a basket full of office politic goodies.

Frank

Frank currently works as a researcher at a leading international governance think tank. Bringing over 5 years of experience in the political, government and NGO realms and having worked with a wide range of personalities from non-profit frugality to government bureaucracy, he has experienced various perspectives of office management. “Even in a bureaucratic setting where your funding is assured and you have no external competition,” says Frank, “it’s still mostly the law of the jungle when it comes to internal office politics.”

Gia

“Indecision is my middle name!” says Gia. Spontaneously accepting an offer from a respected Fortune 50 organization, she proceeded to work for said company in 3 different cities and 4 different divisions in just 3 short years. Constantly seeking new challenges (read: hard-pressed to commit), she opted to leave the safe, structured haven of IT and enter the mixed and muddy waters of Marketing. The one piece of consistency in her life? Gia continues to maintain her love/hate relationship with office politics.

Ian

Ian is the founder of OfficeTricks.com. After working for a few years as a sales manager for a multinational retailer, he’s currently an SAP certified consultant for a top tier consulting firm. Although he’s supposed to be an “IT guy” now, he’s still much more interested in the way people interact and behave. Having made mistakes on both sides of the manager/employee fence, he’s happy to share his experiences. “Nobody likes office politics, but everyone should learn to play the game!” he says.

Jane

Jane is a consultant who exists somewhere in the ether between generations X and Y. She holds a degree from a large university that has nothing to do with what she does for a living, which often leads to professional angst. Politically more of a socialist, she often finds her own morals in conflict with the fact that she is working for “the man”. Having committed a few CLMs (Career Limiting Moves) in her time, she offers a unique perspective from someone who has both been there, and stepped in that.

Nick

Nick is a quasi-government employee working in a corporate strategy role for an international financial institution. His role is a constant interplay between his department (business development) and several other groups (underwriting, policy and government relations, etc.). Having worked for 3 different companies in his brief career ranging from private, public and now a government-owned company he has a wealth of knowledge surrounding different work environments. Not one to live carefully, a colleague and friend calls Nick a “CLM waiting to happen”. However, he has skillfully managed to skirt disaster every time!

Phil

“Working for financial institutions can be mundane, tedious and downright suicidal. Fortunately, I’m all about enjoying myself at all costs!” says Phil. From having offended his boss’ wife to charming his way into several Christmas parties he was not invited to, Phil’s mouth and antics certainly push the limits of proper office etiquette. “Nobody likes a jerk but then again, nice guys usually finish last. The secret to surviving office politics is balance.”