The Truth About Temp Work
After an extended period of gloomy headlines about the employment market, it might be hard to imagine that there are bright spots on the jobs front. But there are, especially in temporary employment. In fact, the temporary help services sector has a

12 Hot Careers and How Much They Pay
Advances in technology, changes in consumer habits, an aging population, and the increase in offshore jobs, among other factors, result in a dynamic job market. Employment trends are constantly evolving, and jobs that are popular one day can quickly

Considering Commuting for a New Job? Follow These Tips.
According to the latest American Community Survey by the U.S. Census, Americans spend between 15 and 35 minutes commuting to work each day. In an ideal world, we would work closer to home, but, especially in this economy, many of us are willing to si

The Key to Happiness at Work
Here's a pop quiz for anyone who's miserable at work. Which action has the biggest chance of improving your happiness? (A) Getting a promotion, (B) seeing your professional nemesis move to the Mongolia office, (C) focusing on the positive aspects of

How to Win an Argument Without Words
Leadership often involves negotiating very tough deals, or handling strong objections, or getting a reluctant team to agree to some difficult course of action. To accomplish such things, we employ all the verbal means at our disposal. We argue, we re

How to Tell If a Layoff Is Coming
Almost all mature companies have shed employees at some point--and in most cases the pink slips don't come as a surprise. "Very often senior management will delay a decision to cut headcount, so unless there is a quick catastrophic event, layoffs hav

5 Tricks to Manage Your Manager
When the job market falters, many employees try to stay below the boss's radar for fear they might be next on the chopping block. However, it's far wiser to take the opposite approach. Now more than ever, it's important to be noticed (though for the

5 Ways to Recharge Without Taking a Vacation
Want a vacation, but just can't take one? Despite mounting evidence that vacations are essential to happy, healthy workers, some bosses still balk at the prospect of letting employees leave for a solid week or two--especially in this economic climate

8 Reasons You Need a Vacation
Are vacations for American workers going the way of the dinosaurs? Check out these alarming facts:The U.S. has the lowest number of vacation days--13--of all the countries in the 2009 Expedia.com International Vacation Deprivation Survey. By contrast

The 10 People You Need in Your Professional Network
It is important to know the two Q's as you build out your network: quality and quantity. But have you considered the importance of having a well-rounded network?In this job market, having a strong network is critical to your professional survival. Th

Salary Health: How to Find Out If You're Underpaid
Pay raises may have hit an all-time low last year, but now there's good news: salaries are expected to increase by an estimated 3 percent in 2010, according to a survey by Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting company. That should he

Are You Spending Your Job-Search Time Wisely?
Looking for a new job is rarely a short-term proposition, but sometimes the problem isn't the lack of jobs available--it's how you're allocating your time.According to a recent Climber. ...

Is Your Cover Letter Compelling?
Many advertised job openings still receive hundreds of applications. Although you're qualified for the job, your skills and resume may not be enough to get the hiring manager's attention. To come out ahead of the competition, spend some time perfecti

Why Your Resume Isn't Working
If you're like most job seekers, you're probably satisfied with a resume that does a good job of positioning you and presenting your skills and experience. Unfortunately, "good" isn't good enough anymore. Climber. ...

How Secure Is Your Job?
There are more than 15 million Americans looking for work, as the unemployment rate has surged to nearly 10 percent. There are six job seekers for every available job opening. Finding employment during these times can seem depressing, until you disco

5 Reasons You Didn't Get the Job
With the unemployment rate still at 9.5 percent in the United States, you may find yourself in the position of applying, interviewing, and still remaining jobless. You may have thought it was a sure thing; you may have left the office laughing and jo

7 Jobs to Skip College For
Ask most high school guidance counselors, and they'll tell you a college degree is your key to a well-paying job. But that's not always the case. While lawyers, doctors, and many other professionals still require degrees, Al Lee, director of quantita

Make Any Job Less Stressful
Stress is inevitable. But the debilitating strain of chronic work stress is not, even if you're in an inherently stressful profession. In fact, learning to manage your stress is likely to improve your career, according to career coach Julie Jansen, t

How Playing Video Games Can Boost Your Career
Elliot Noss, chief executive of domain-name provider Tucows, has spent the past five years training to become a better leader. How? By playing World of Warcraft for six to seven hours a week."You have these events [in World of Warcraft] that are very

How to Decode a Job Posting
During your job search you will review hundreds of job postings. Some will be very well written and provide quality information, while others will tell you little about the employer's needs. The majority of them have a similar format and characterist

Job Talkin': How a Vacation Could Save Your Job--and Your Life
Question: Is it even worth taking a summer vacation?Conceptually, vacation is a great idea. In fact, that idea keeps many of us going. Work can be tough and even unbearable, but there's nothing better than the notion of enjoying an entire week with n

Job Talkin': How to Take a Vacation from Work
Question: How do I make my vacation as painless as possible for myself and my company?As we approach August (the biggest vacation month of the year), employees and bosses alike are frantically preparing to take some much needed time off. There are cr

The Savvy Networker: 5 Ways to Upgrade a Not-So-Great Job Offer
The long winter of your job search may be coming to a close as employment stats inch back up. After weeks or months of praying for a job interview, you may find yourself in the strange position of having to decide whether to take a so-so job offer or

The Savvy Networker: How to Explain Getting Fired to Your Next Employer
If the job market is tough right now, it's even worse for people who've been laid off. And if the job hunt is grueling for our laid-off brothers and sisters, imagine what it's like for people who've been fired, or as employers often put it, "Terminat

The Savvy Networker: 5 Underhanded Ways Hiring Managers Say They're Not Interested
Managing a job search today is an adventure that requires the interpersonal skills of a White House chief of protocol. Behind every hint and signal from an employer, deeper messages lurk. Much of my time as a job-search advisor is spent answering peo

The Get-It-Done Guy: The Secret to Persuasion? Just Ask!
How do you make your point without arguing? How do you engage people in constructive dialog when feelings are running hot and disagreement is everywhere? You don't do it by making statements, and you certainly don't do it by issuing commands.========

The Savvy Networker: Sorry We Can't Interview You, You're Unemployed
Just when embattled job seekers think they've seen, heard, and survived the worst, here comes another blow: employers proclaiming that unemployed job seekers aren't eligible to apply for work in their companies. A couple of weeks or so ago, we saw s

The Savvy Networker: Why Your Job-Search Networking Isn't Working
Of all the frustrating pieces of job-search advice, the worst may be "Getting a job is all about networking."What is a job seeker supposed to do with that information? We can't exactly walk up to random people on the street and say, "Hey th

The Get-It-Done Guy: End Procrastination--Once and for All
Procrastination is the cosmic joke of modern life. We have the technology to achieve stuff that would have seemed like magic to people just a hundred years ago. But rather than using our amazing toys to get stuff done, we put things off, obsess about

The Savvy Networker: How to Answer the Trickiest Job-Interview Questions
Nearly everyone has been there. The job interview is sailing along, when all of a sudden, the interviewer asks you the question you've been hoping she wouldn't--for instance, "Why did you leave your last job?" You pause to reflect: Do I say that

The Get-It-Done Guy: Coping with Too Much to Do
Tony writes in: I am completely overwhelmed. How can I finish everything I have to do when it seems like there aren't enough hours in the day?Tony, I feel your pain. I never seem to get to the end of my to-do list, either. But the problem isn't my to

The Savvy Networker: 5 Reasons to Run from a Job Opportunity
The job market is daunting, and it's easy for job seekers to get sucked into the vortex of a recruiting process that could only lead to a bad job offer. Maybe the leadership is inept, unethical, or both. Maybe the working conditions are ghastly. Mayb

The Savvy Networker: 5 Discouraging Myths That Can Hurt Your Job Search
By now you know that keeping your emotional fuel tank full is the hardest part of a job search.Everywhere you go, invisible loudspeakers are blaring discouraging messages at you--messages like "It's really hard to find a job!" or "Tons of p

The Savvy Networker: Beware of Job-Search "Magic Bullets"
I heard from the mom of a new college grad this morning. "I'm so worried about my daughter's job search," she said. Given the state of the economy, who could blame her for that? "I got so desperate that I paid $5,000 to a service that blast

The Savvy Networker: 5 Job-Search Rules You Need to Ditch
You already know where following the conventional job-search wisdom gets you: on your couch, spending money you don't have on chocolate fountains from QVC. Things have changed! If you want to get back to work, forget these five past-their-prime job-s

The Savvy Networker: 5 Pointless Job-Search Tactics
In case the 2010 job-search experience doesn't already have enough in common with pushing a huge rock uphill, here's another jolt of bad news. Lots of conventional job-search activities are a complete waste of time--the job-hunt equivalent of trying

The Get-It-Done Guy: 6 Secrets to Being on Time
Whether it's a meeting at work, a job interview, or a date with someone you've had your eye on, being on time sends a powerful message of respect, maturity, and courtesy. Some of us, however, just can't seem to get places on time. And although it'

The Savvy Networker: Don't Fall for Job-Search Lies
Sure, the economy is bad, and the job market is nothing to write home about. But the hype is more negative than the reality. Conventional job-search wisdom tells us to lower our expectations, depress our salary requirements, grovel our way into a new

The Savvy Networker: 6 Shocking Job-Search Facts
If you've been job hunting for a while, it's likely that nothing can shock you. Still, these job-search realities may give you pause. The 2010 job market is different from what many of us are used to, and some job-hunt tactics that used to work well

The Savvy Networker: Job References Can Make or Break You
I talked to my friend Scott last week. He got laid off from his technology job in March. "The worst part is that my employer doesn't give out references," he said. "So I've got no one to vouch for the last twelve years of my career!"Sc

Negotiating Pay in a Recovering Economy
Congratulations! You've received a job offer during one of the worst recessions of our lifetime. Now there's just the sticky matter of pay. Although the economy is technically in recovery, employers are still very pessimistic about the overall out

No Raise? Aim for Perks
If your job performance has met or even exceeded expectations, you can expect a decent pay increase, just like last year, right? Maybe not. With signs of slowing job growth, employers may think twice about doling out generous bonuses -- or even handi

Salary Secrets Your Employer Doesn't Want You to Know
In down economic times, companies seem to have carte blanche to limit salaries and make low-ball offers. But that shouldn't be the case. Below are the top salary secrets your employer doesn't want you to know. With this information in hand, you'll be

Should You Keep Your Salary a Secret?
You share a lot with your coworkers over time: Projects. Lunches. Office space. Cocktails. Family photos. Birthday cake. But, even after many years of working together, should you share the details of your salary and compensation package?No, says com

4 Secrets to Maximizing Your Salary
Want to know the secret to maxing out your salary? Sometimes, it's as simple as picking the right industry or knowing which state pays the best. If you're not willing to settle with being average, here are four salary secrets you can take to the bank

'Mad Men': Are They Making Mad Money?
From naughty secretaries in tight, red dresses to sexist, chain-smoking account executives, the TV drama "Mad Men" has fans all aflutter about 1960s culture. Right down to single malt scotch during meetings, "Mad Men's" Sterling Cooper

5 Tips for Salary Negotiations in a Down Economy
Even in a down economy, you can negotiate your salary -- whether for a new job, a promotion, or a raise in your current position. The key to a successful negotiation is to be prepared -- and the more you know about yourself and your worth, the bette

Do You Dare Ask for a Raise in This Economy?
So, you think you deserve a little more money for your hard day's work? Maybe your role in a project caused a mini-celebration at a company that otherwise is sharing in the general gloom of the world economy. Forty percent of U.S. companies have anno

Will the Recession Deflate Your Income Forever?
As the recession lingers, many workers have seen their incomes decline or even vanish, forcing them and their families to make do with less. Most dread how the losses may affect their finances over the long term.Three groups are experiencing signific

Top 5 Salary Negotiation Mistakes
If you want to make adults squirm like kindergarteners, broach the subject of salary negotiation. Talking money makes most workers squeamish. And while they want such talks to succeed, they make plenty of blunders.So what's the best way to avoid stum

4 Types of Pay Cuts, and What You Can Do About Them
Recession. Slowdown. Correction. Whatever you want to call it, the economy is not quite as vibrant as it was in the past few years, and the effects of this are far-reaching, impacting almost every job sector. Layoffs abound as do hiring freezes, and

10 Great Cities for Salary Growth
We all want to know what's going to happen with the job market in 2009, especially where salaries are concerned. Is a raise in your future? It might just come down to where you live. Yet the most recent and complete numbers for salary growth in metro

2009 Raise Forecast: Cloudy
The economic crisis has workers concerned about their 401(k)s and their home values. Add to that another question mark: Will they get a raise in 2009?Surveys from earlier this year projected that companies would increase their salary budgets by betwe

Can President-Elect Obama Boost Your Salary?
President-elect Barack Obama has made history. He triumphed in a rough-and-tumble campaign to become the first African-American elected to the highest office in the land. Now big questions loom over what the future of his presidency will look like. M

How to Keep Your Salary Up in a Down Economy
As you watch America's fiscal health deteriorate, grimacing through news of layoffs and rising unemployment, you're probably concerned about your own financial survival. You're not wrong to worry. Recent surveys suggest employers may scale back pay r

5 Salary Secrets Your Company Won't Tell You
It's normal to wonder how and why you get paid the salary you do. After all, it's not a decision process most employers are willing to disclose, at least not without a little prodding. So what are the best-kept secrets when it comes to salary decisio

7 Tips for Negotiating Your Salary in a Troubled Economy
It's time for your annual review, which means talking with your boss about a possible raise, a conversation that's rarely easy. A skittish economy doesn't make it any easier, with companies scaling back on hiring and spending. But take heart, career

6 Alternatives to a Pay Increase
These days, as food and gas prices reach all-time highs, you're not alone in wanting to approach your boss about a raise. However, considering the current state of the economy, you're also not alone in wondering if this is really the best time to bri

Moonlighting: Pros and Cons of a Second Job
There was a time when moonlighting -- taking on work in addition to your full-time employment -- was for under-employed workers and the severely cash-strapped.Today, even working professionals can be cash-strapped, and people in all fields and income

Staying on Track to Get Your Bonus
Bonus time has come and gone, and yours wasn't as large as you were hoping (if you even got one). Where did you go wrong -- and what can you do now to make sure that next year you get a healthy bonus check?You first need to make sure you understand h