femalenetwork.com

Sure, you know the standard career counsel about showing up early and sucking up. But we scouted out the kind of off-beat get-ahead ideas you won’t find anywhere else. Check out these strange but smart success secrets, from feng shui-ing your way up the fast track to casting spells that will make you the boss’s MVP.

1. Make Notes.
“Handwritten notes are the single best way to set yourself apart from the crowd,” says Mary Mitchell, author of The First Five Minutes (John Wiley & Sons, 1998.) Write thank-yous (for time given as well as gifts), add brief personalized comments on some memos, and job congratulations to acknowledge your fearless leader’s accomplishments.

2. Go Green.
Wear green—the hue is reputed to help you concentrate—on superswamped days to focus your attention on what needs to be done, says Suzi Chiazzari, author of The Complete Book of Color (Element, 1998). Your levelheaded handling of hectic office situations may well land you first in line come promotion time.

3. Give Right Gaze.
You’ll win points if you look fascinated by what the woman in charge is saying. Whether it’s one-on-one or in a big meeting, lean forward a little, cock your head slightly to one side, and make eye contact for a few seconds at a time, says Harry E. Chambers, author of Getting Promoted (Perseus Books, 1999). Bonus tip: don’t let your eyes wander above her head or she’ll know you’re faking it.

4. Feng Shui Your Space.
Rearrange your office or your cube so that you can see your door, says Kirsten M. Lagatree, author of Feng Shui at Work (Villard, 1998). You’ll seem more powerful and send the subliminal message to your supervisors to throw bigger assignments your way.

5. Subscribe to Something Boring.
Yep, they can be mind-numbing, but trade journals are your monthly membership for getting ahead, says David Andrusia, author of The Perfect Pitch (Warner, 1997). They’re desperate material, so you get a byline by pounding out 250 words on something you know. You get your name in front of everyone big in the industry, and you’re a mover and shaker overnight.

6. Take the Wrong Route
Try a different path to the office at least once a week. “It gets your brain working in a fresh way before you even step into the office,” says Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., author of Jump Start Your Career (Three Rivers Press, 1997). Then spend the first few minutes at your desk letting your energized mind attack the projects that have been stalled at your in box for weeks.

7. Stop the “Silly Me”s.
Telling those “Omigod, I’m such an idiot tales” is amusing. But if you crack wise about being dumb often enough, people at the office will begin to believe you, so skip the story about how, you jammed the copier again or table-danced last Tuesday. “If you get a reputation for being a ditz, even outside of work, you will be treated differently around the office,” says Lona O’Connor, author of Top Ten Dumb Career Mistakes (VGM Career Horizons, 1998).

8. Put Your Hands Up.
When you’re leaving an important talk with the boss, put your hands where she can see them both at all times, says Dana May Casperson, author of Power Etiquette (Amacom, 1999). Nobody’s afraid you’re going to brandish a blade and shank your supervisor, but the gesture subconsciously shows that you have nothing to hide, making you look totally trustworthy.

9. Select a Smart Scent.
Find a light fruity or herbal fragrance that you like and wear it everyday, says Karyn Repinski, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Successful Dressing (Alpha, 1999). Studies show that these scents can up your memory, energy and concentration.

10. Focus on Four Words.
They’re “What do you need?” Whether you’re firing off a quick email or plotting a five month sales plan, says Valerie Wells, author of Naturally Powerful (Perigree, 1999), says the simple question proves that you really care about making a difference.

11. Get FAT.
Use the FAT system—file, act, or trash and lose a pound of papers according to the book Taming the Paper Tiger at Work (Kiplinger, 1999). Studies show that a big percentage of what is kept around is unnecessary so junk anything you’ll never need again ASAP. Then file them away or pass it on. Since you’ll never lose important papers in a desk mess, your boss can trust you with urgent projects.

12. Burn Your Candle.
Cast a spell to become the boss’s pet by burning a blue candle by your desk, says Zsuzsanna E. Budapest in her book The Goddess in the Office (Harper, San Francisco, 1993). Blue is the color of authority you you’ll play up your true talents.

13. Sit Smart.
Sneaky seating tip: You’ll be taken more seriously if you plant yourself directly across from a meeting’s leader, says Sam Deep, author of Close the Deal (Persens, 1999).

14. Don’t Make Friends.
The first person who gloms on to you your first day of work probably has an agenda, says Ronna Lichtenberg, author of Work Would Be Great If It Weren’t for the People (Hyperion, 1998). She may be a political pariah or next in line for a pink slip. So hang back and shut up. Don’t gossip about others in the office until you know exactly what games are going on around you.

15. Repeat Everything.
It sounds like an annoying sketch of Saturday Night Live, but Jerry Wisinks, author of Building a Partnership With Your Boss (Amacom, 1999), swears it works. Paraphrasing every key point in a “So what I understand is…” fashion lets the boss feel confident that you’re soaking up the meaning of her message.