by Race in the Workplace special correspondent Erica Mauter

Racism Easily Partners With Business, Personal, and Social Issues in the Workplace - The Black Factor
“Racism may be the catalyst that provokes an incident at work, but other business, personal or social needs may combine with racism to increase the magnitude of the event—and the scope of illegality… [M]any employers try to knowingly morph racist behavior and actions into personal/social issues between workers. That is how many companies will attempt to dilute allegations of racism.”

The Pitfalls, and Potential, of Corporate Social Networks - Baseline Magazine
“[E]mployees may be reluctant to expend the time and effort in keeping up a blog or community profile when they would be prevented from accessing the information if they leave the company… [K]nowledge workers that understand the value of social networking may be loath to use corporate social technologies, particularly when Internet-based services provide the same benefits without the loss of what they perceive to be their personal intellectual property.” (via Work-related Blogs and News)

Writing effective job postings - One Louder
Eight tips from the folks at TheLadders.com. Equally as useful for job seekers as for recruiters.

8 New Weapons to Fight the Talent Wars in ‘08 - Employment Digest
Another list aimed at recruiters with implications for job seekers.

Keep Job Desperation Under Control - Anita Bruzzese’s 45 Things
“The key to putting a positive spin on either being fired or laid off is to tell an interviewer that you used the time to pursue additional education, or that you used it as family time to reassess your life and carefully plan your future. By expressing these actions as real acts of courage — that it’s often difficult to look ahead but you did it — then you give the interviewer an impression of strength.”

The Career Investment of a Professional Association - Career Hub
“Don’t be afraid to think creatively about joining an association. There are some exceptional niche associations that address specialty areas within professions. And if you’re considering making a career leap, think about taking a small step in that direction by joining an association for that particular career. Associations have member resources such as listserves, newsletters, and networks which are great ways to learn about the possibilities and challenges facing you as you think about that potential new career choice.”

Obama’s victory in Iowa sheds light on today’s workplace - Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk
[I]n Iowa City… the students sat victorious at the Obama camp with 70% of the votes, while the caucuses for Edwards and Clinton were shouting over to the Kucinich supporters to abandon camp and come to them. This is a metaphor for the workplace. The young people have, effectively, shifted the balance of power to themselves, and the older people squabble between each other, as if their power structures still matter… The Clinton campaign assumed women would vote for women. But young people did not make this election about gender, they made it about age. They want change. They want a chance to do things differently, within the established structures of power.”

A Reader’s Open Letter to the EEOC - The Black Factor
“Employment discrimination is offensive, it is insulting, it is meant to categorize, to separate, to exclude. Discrimination makes it too easy for others to take symbolisms, words, and/or beliefs and make them conform to the biases of those in positions of power to discriminate. It is designed to make us all uncomfortable with each other.”

Maternal Profiling . . . - Workplace Prof Blog
Richard Bales rounds up some references on “employment discrimination against a woman who has, is believed to have now, or is expected to have in the future, children.”

what to do when you make a mistake at work - Ask a Manager
“This formula works because when someone makes a mistake, what a boss needs to do is make sure that the person understands the seriousness of it and knows how to avoid it in the future. If you take the initiative to cover those things yourself, then your boss doesn’t need to do it herself (and having your boss impress upon you how serious a mistake was tends to be much less pleasant than saying it yourself).”

Recommended Reading is a weekly feature where we link to some of our favorite workplace-related blog posts and articles. If you would like to suggest a link to Erica, please email tips@raceintheworkplace.com