THIS WORKER NEEDS TO LEARN TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF.

Byline: KEN LLOYD / On the Job

Q: I was standing with my manager when one of the company's vice presidents walked by. He addressed my manager by name, and then called me by the wrong name. I was too embarrassed to say anything, and I did not want to embarrass the vice president. I thought my manager should have said something, but he just stood there. What do you think? A.E.

A: If you want to name names in this matter, you are the one who made a mistake. When someone addresses you incorrectly, the responsibility for making the correction rests with one person, namely you. After all, would you have said something if you were standing alone and the vice president addressed you as someone else?

The only way that you could have embarrassed the vice president is if you made a major production out of his mistake. Had you taken such an approach, you would have actually embarrassed yourself. And, as irony would have it, now there is some embarrassment for you because this vice president, upon learning your real name, is going to wonder why you did not say so in the first place.

If he addresses you incorrectly in the future, the best approach is to use a friendly, polite and businesslike approach to tell him who you are. On a broader basis, you may want to ask yourself if you are doing an adequate job publicizing your achievements. If this vice president knows many of the employees by name, but not you, perhaps the real message is for you to think about making more of a name for yourself in the company.

Q: We interviewed an individual whom we thought was the ideal candidate. His skills were just what we were looking for, and the chemistry seemed great. Now that he has been on board for a few weeks, I think we made a big mistake. He is totally different from the friendly and easy-going person we interviewed. What happened here? T.G.

A: When you hire a hopeful applicant, only to see him turn into a hopeless employee, any number of problems could have occurred. In the first place, there is no perfect hiring system. Even if you are using the most sophisticated hiring techniques, all you will be doing is improving the probability of making a successful hire. Hiring errors are still going to occur.

This situation also signals that it may be worthwhile to review your hiring system. This can include updating the job description, making sure the interview process is structured and job-related, and using appropriate steps to take references. During the interview, it is not particularly difficult to determine if the applicant has the skills to get the job done, while it is a more complex matter to predict if he or she has the motivation, persistence and interpersonal skills to do so effectively. The best way to determine this is to develop a very clear picture of this person's work history.

At the same time, it will also be helpful to look at the level of support and guidance that new employees are receiving in your company. Is it possible that the applicant thought he was joining a friendly and easy-going company, but found something totally different?

Q: I work in a professional office, and I am dismayed over a policy change where the men no longer wear ties, and many of the women look like they are on their way to a gym. What is happening to professional attire? T.L.

A: If there is a trend, it is that people are focusing more on what they are doing and less on what they are wearing. There are still obvious limits to this trend, and the changes are not universal, but ``casualization'' is happening in many sectors.

In fact, it is a broader issue than mere attire. Many companies are being redesigned with flatter organization charts and fewer organizational levels. The idea is to establish a setting in which people at far more levels have direct contact and communication with each other.

Also related with this trend is the increase in open work areas with fewer private offices. This approach is designed to remove the barriers between the employees and take full advantage of the ideas, inputs and expertise that each brings to the job.

Your firm's wardrobe change is a sign of deeper changes that are occurring simultaneously. If this development is extremely distressing to you, it may also be a sign for you to think about making a change. It is up to you to determine if this should be a change in attitude and attire, or a change in employer.