Being fired from a job can happen to anyone and can occur for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you had a personality conflict with your immediate supervisor and your supervisor prevailed. Or, the job description was completely different from the one given to you during the interview and it was absolutely the wrong fit.

Or, how about this: You really screwed up and deserved to be fired!

But who needs any of those things?

Ongoing relationships with former coworkers "are the cornerstones of networking," famed etiquette consultant Jodi R. R. Smith of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting told CareerBliss.

But there is a more subtle job interview killer out there: failure of the candidate to ask questions.

Some people, however, become possessed with the competitive spirit. They begin to view work as a zero-sum game and coworkers as obstacles to their advancement. At this point, when a coworker is willing to step on your head to reach his goals, competition becomes negative.

In an economy where employees often feel pressure to demonstrate value, work-related matters can dominate life.


Yet long hours and sacrificing personal time can backfire by leaving people feeling burned-out and resentful.


Strike a better balance with these six tips:

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After many years focused on the academic and practitioner aspects of managing one's work image effectively, I have not changed my mind about this: Effective management of your image generally helps to build careers and advance personal goals.

Speak and behave in a way that advances your image and you move ahead; fail to do so, and there can be career consequences.

When someone talks about being happy or unhappy in their job, most people think about the job itself - the work, the supervisors, the company, the pay. And so many times these days, people will tell you that they are unhappy because of too much work, abusive bosses or insecure jobs. What is unfortunate is that these are the parts of the job that are largely less controllable.

But there is another aspect of happiness at work more within your control: the interpersonal aspects of the job. I think of it as relational happiness. While it has little to do with your boss, your salary or the security of the job, the interpersonal part of the job makes these other aspects of the job more bearable, while bringing a kind of happiness in itself. But in this competitive environment, where everyone is worried about their job, we tend to focus far more on the work itself, and far less on people and relational happiness.

Fast forward several years. This terrible economy has resulted in downsizing and lots of folks are out of jobs for long periods at a time. If you have a gap in your employment, you're not alone. Of the 14 million unemployed, about a third of job seekers have been unemployed for more than a year, according to the Associated Press.

The many job hunters considering seasonal work this year may want to supplement an existing (and diminishing) income, while others seek to use it as a springboard toward permanent employment.

While criticism can be hard to hear, good criticism from above (or wherever it might come) helps you identify where you're doing well and focus on where you need to improve. In the long run, hearing and acting on constructive criticism may make you more secure in your job.

The two things aren't mutually exclusive. Both can occur at the same time. But if you are going to pursue one, we'd suggest going after respect.

Earning the respect of your coworkers and boss can be a difficult undertaking, but well worth it. Check out our tips for how to gain - and avoid losing - respect in the workplace.