In today’s information-rich world, there’s no excuse for not staying current with the goings-on in your field, whether it’s real estate, technology or Web marketing. But while every industry and industry niche is awash in news sites and publications, you can uncover even more information by adding industry blogs and user-generated news sites to your reading list. Despite the proliferation of ...

Is your critical feedback building up employees — or tearing them down? h4. The Idea in Brief That dreaded moment has come: You're delivering critical feedback to an employee. Despite your best efforts, the conversation is a disaster: tempers flare, the employee gets defensive, your relationship grows strained. What happened? Like most managers, you probably inadvertently sabotaged the meeting, preparing for ...

Welcome to middlescence. Like adolescence, it can be a time of frustration, confusion, and alienation. But it can also be a time of self-discovery, new direction, and fresh beginnings h4. The Idea in Brief Burned out. Bottlenecked. Bored. That's the current lot of many midcareer employees—those 35 to 54 years of age. Thirty percent of these middlescents work 50+ hours per ...

You’d think it would be easy. At lunchtime you get hungry, so you grab some food and go on with your workday. However, lunch at work is rarely that simple. What you eat, where you eat and whom you eat with are all things your coworkers are paying attention to. This doesn’t mean every lunch has to be a pressure-packed situation, ...

By Kristina Cowan Determined to increase your salary? Follow these tips from Reesa Staten, vice president of communications and director of research at recruiting firm Robert Half International and Anna Ivey, a Boston-based career and admissions counselor, to increase your salary this year: 1. Get comfortable negotiating salary raises."Women fall behind here, because they generally aren't as aggressive and fall farther ...

Branding yourself as a great boss (like any branding effort) requires first that you figure out who you are targeting. Low performers? High performers? Mediocre performers? Here’s what our research indicates: h4. Low performers are looking for a boss who… is weak, hands-off and tries to treat every employee the same; doesn’t keep track of who is doing what, where, why, ...

Okay, so you hate your job. You're sick and tired of clocking in day after day just to rot away in a cubicle. Your measly paycheck just isn’t worth the daily drudgery and never-ending grind. It’s called a job for a reason, but remember, it could always be worse — the grass isn't always greener on the other side. In fact, ...

HRPeople's job search capabilities offer a lot more value to those searching for HR jobs than might be noticed at a first glance. We can help you find exactly the jobs you are looking for - this article will help you get the most out of your search for HR jobs. Seven Secrets: Power Job Searching Awaits We can help you ...

Experience, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of career services for college students and young alumni, surveyed current college students and recent graduates to determine the impact student loans have on their career decisions. In its 2008 Student Loan Survey, completed earlier this month, Experience (http://www.experience.com) found that half (50 percent) of college students polled would be more likely to accept a ...

A reader writes: I've been working since I was in high school - retail gigs, etc were the norm for me until I went to junior college and started temping in offices. It grew a bit from there, as I learned all the new programs, and because I was a fast keyer, was cast in roles like accounting. Finally, in 2006, ...

When you’re young and the world is seemingly your oyster, going to a job fair sounds like a no-brainer. A bunch of companies looking to hire? and All in the same place? As long as you bring enough copies of your resume and pass them out to everyone, you’re certain to get a callback. Right? Not necessarily. Without the right approach, ...

How much are you worth in today's job market? Does your salary reflect the level of contribution you have been making to your employer? The answer may surprise you, as many employees are seriously underpaid. The amount of money you receive is, in great part, determined by negotiations between you and your employer. There's an old saying that goes something like ...

I read an article recently dealing with the pros/cons of employees giving notice.  It's an interesting read and you can check it out here. Giving notice should be a two-way street.  Employees should give notice to the company so a transition plan can be put into place.  Companies also have the opportunity to "give notice" to employees — for example, sometimes ...

Is your employment history the kind we used to call "checkered"? Well, you're not alone, or even in the minority. People bounce around between jobs, industries and locations like crazy these days -- but the result can be that your resume makes you look confused, finicky or otherwise undesirable. Here are five ways to smooth out your career storyline and help ...

When I worked in Corporate America, summertime meant a few things. Company picnics was one and manager outings was another. Both of them usually involved a discussion about serving alcoholic beverages. The decision to serve alcohol was based upon three things: 1. Whether or not we had the budget for it 2. Senior leaderships views on drinking 3. If someone had ...

A reader writes: I wondered if I could ask you a question about feedback after not being hired (a subject I know you have covered before); I am in a somewhat interesting position regarding this issue. A bit of background: I worked for nearly a decade in the entertainment industry, before deciding to completely change careers; I went back to school ...

Everyone wants as much money as an employer is willing to shell out. Yet when it comes to job interviewing, salary questions make most people squirm. One reason is that such questions pressure you to tip your hand during the negotiating game. Winning the salary you want requires some evasive action on your part. Choose your words carefully, and don't be ...

When it comes to your career, do you lie to yourself? The answer is most likely ‘yes.’ In an article I read by Sam Sommers, a professor of psychology at Tufts University, he explains how and why we like to kid ourselves. He explains: “People do this all the time. We bend the facts to fit our self-image, perpetuating a ...

Seth Godin's wrote a great post titled "Goodbye to the Office", challenging conventional thought about the traditional office environment. I can certainly see his point. It's one of the reasons I'm writing at Workshifting blog and am involved in social media. The development of the freelance economy along with the technology tools at our fingertips could make the traditional office obsolete. ...

by Joy Victory, special to PayScale.com It's normal to wonder how and why you get paid the salary you do. After all, most employers are not willing to share inside salary information and salary decision methods, without at least a little prodding. So how are wage increases determined in big companies? And how can you use that salary information to your ...