Awful Christmas sweaters have become a hit at social functions and even during in-season business casual days. My thoughts are if you are in a creative culture, advertising or the arts, it might work and be appreciated.

Men have been wearing patterned, fun socks so you will see many with holiday patterns. However, ladies wear with caution the patterned white stockings with candy canes or ornaments. This also goes for the sweater vests, jackets and ties with Santa Claus or snowmen on them.

It is fun to wear a touch of red for a jacket or sweater. A handmade piece of Christmas jewelry in a necklace or pin can also be sharp, especially if it is contemporary.

We hear and read all the time of how important it is to have a social media presence. Using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will help give you more exposure. However, in the August 25th Chicago Tribune business section, columnist Rex Huppke of “I just Work Here”, writes about venting on anonymous websites. I agree and suggest taking it another step for Facebook which many folks, especially potential employers, read.

Below are what we might want to avoid doing on Facebook. Do not:

• Post too much personal stuff – it gives the impression you have a tremendous amount of free time – while at the office

• Post too revealing a personal picture, low cut tops or for men, hairy chests in skinny swim trunks (These belong on private sites or in People magazine.)

• Constantly brag about your business achievements

• Offer condescending advice

• Make fun of someone or something – leave that to Vanity Fair.com or People magazine

• Post negative comments in general

Keep your remarks positive and you will create engagement while providing a human touch which is what we want.

In today’s busy and virtual world, conference calls have become a must versus face to face meetings. I just completed a call that went 60 minutes (originally scheduled for 30 minutes) mainly because the group was not prepared.

They had not fully read the material and the leader had not set an agenda. Each of the participants (4) had their own set of questions and they spoke over one another. Poor reception was also a factor. (Two of the participants were in a car.)

• Always let the participants know if you are going to be in a car driving (which is a real no-no).

• If possible, be the only person on the call in your office.

• Always say your name before you speak.

• Always, after you speak, confirm everyone has heard you.

• Always agree to disagree.

• Always thank everyone when the call is finished.

• Always let everyone know your time constraints.

True etiquette is making the other person comfortable and allowing them to showcase their best.

With everyone’s very busy schedule, I am often asked what are good sites to go on for on-line shopping. The best sites are the ones that offer free shipping and returns with no minimum purchases. Sites such as Nordstrom.com, Zappo.com and Amazon Prime (with membership) are a few of the sites that make purchases and returns hassle free.

You need to be cautious about discount sites because they have often have clauses about time limits for returns.

It is not recommended to purchase online for a designer or label where you are not familiar with the fit, color or style, especially the ones with limited return policies. Otherwise, online shopping is a blessing for those who work 24/7.

A great example is when I was at Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale on the first day. It was a madhouse in the shoe department. There was an hour wait to get help with a sales person. So, I took a look at boot I wanted. Then I went home, looked at the reviews and ordered. The boots came in within 2 days! The fit was perfect. On line shopping can take away your stress as it did mine in that instance.

A recent Facebook posting showed a woman having one foot up on the arm of the seat in front of her. Please! But maybe the women had a leg problem. I would have asked the flight attendant to move her to a row where there was an empty seat so she could put her foot up.

This brings me to men who take off their shoes and have a pronounced odor coming from their feet. I get it if is a long flight but ask for a pair of slippers or bring a pair with you.

Food smells are another problem. If you are going to bring food on the plane to eat choose items that do not have a strong odors. Be a good airline travel pal.

It can be difficult to purge when we hold on to clothing pieces because they may bring back good memories or we think they are in good condition and we will wear them again. My rule of thumb is that if you have not worn piece of clothing in the last three seasons, it may be time to say goodbye to it. The only exception is formal wear.

Pack your clothing items for the season and then review them the following year. If you have not worn a piece – get rid of it. I took my own advice, cleaned out my closets and gave way numerous pairs of pants, tops, sweaters, coats and handbags. Goodwill cried because many were on hangers and in great condition!

Now, instead of crowding my closets, the clothing and accessories are going to hopefully bring success to those who end up owning them. It was not easy to do and it took two people to help me. But in the end, it felt wonderful. I even created an itemized list with pictures so I can claim a deduction for them.

Recently I was involved in a project and the coordinator corresponded with me via e-mail. The e-mails were less than friendly. They were quite terse and in some cases a bit accusatory when answering my questions. For example, one comment was- why are you asking these questions – did you not read my last e-mail?

I was shocked when meeting her in person. She was a very nice person, very sincere and quite helpful. My point is that it may be a good idea to read your e-mails out loud before sending. Is the tone reflective of your intent? This is why US Today has said so many problems are caused by e-mail. Maybe had this person and I had a face to face meeting or even a phone conversation, I would not have developed a negative perception of her.

There are folks in this world who like to throw you off with the “gotcha” question or comment. It comes out of the blue and the purpose is to show power. The way to protect yourself is to ask questions to help you get grounded without sounding defensive.

A gotcha moment happened to me recently and I was totally unprepared. Now, I would begin the conversation by asking the question – can you clarify this for me? This would have not only have helped me stay grounded but it would have added balance to the discussion. Putting this tool in place creates a win for you as well as a strong show of confidence.

Networking is critical for both personal and professional growth. Following these steps will help you build stable and strong connections:

• Begin with friends and family. Connect with those that have connections to what you need for work either for a new position or a skill you want to acquire.

• Be crystal clear on what you want and don’t want. Being vague will leave you empty handed. Also, it’s very important to have a succinct pitch on who you are and where your strengths lie.

• Be a valuable resource. In both giving and receiving, deliver what you commit to.

• Be a consistent networker face to face as well as on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Have a strategy and apply it consistently. Face to face networking can be done at least once a week and make social media a daily habit.

You must have fun with it. Folks want to be with those who have a positive attitude and are sincere. Look the part so they want to be seen with you. Follow these guidelines to begin a strong network or refresh the one you currently have.

Today, it appears that a majority of folks in the work world are unhappy but do not know what would make them happy at their job. For my clients with this concern, I ask that they begin a log with five columns.

A column that:

– Lists an activity they do

– Indicates if they like it and why

– Indicates if they don’t like it and why

– Suggests what would make the activity they do not like turn into one they would like

– Totals the number of likes and dislikes

At the end of two weeks, they need to review the log. The purpose of this activity is to determine a direction of what would make work a good fit or to help decide if it may be time to move out of their current role.