Women who fail to negotiate their salaries at the start of their careers could leave up to $2 million on the table.This week's Salary Talk guest is Linda Babcock, author of 'Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation--and Positive Strategies for Change.' Linda talks to Aaron and Wendy about her considerable expertise as a college professor and researcher, regarding why women don't negotiate salary, what makes them anxious and how they can improve their skills.Linda's book supports our earlier article based on a 2,000-person survey that found women are more apprehensive than men reg... view article details

Dear Annette,How many times must I greet my colleagues in the hall each day? I run out of clever things to say.Overgreeter AnonymousDear Overgreeter,Any veteran of book signings, anyone of royal blood, in fact anyone who has ever been a guest of honor, knows exactly how you feel. The stress. the nagging strain of having to be On, all the time.Despite the challenges of maintaining a deep arsenal of wit, light banter handled judiciously can enhance your reputation and make you more memorable. I'm continually astonished at how frequently I am quoted. I don't even remember saying half the things t... view article details

Employee Reward Ideas: Small Acts of Recognition and Appreciation Can Go a Long Way Incentivize Employees with Appreciation Gifts Do you ever wonder how to reward employees? Some bosses feel a paycheck is the only reward an employee needs. But employees want to feel that their hard work is appreciated, whether they are paid minimum wage or a six-figure salary. Wondering about employee reward ideas? Get creative and experiment with a few new employee recognition ideas - you’ll be amazed by how productive your staff suddenly becomes. 10. Gift CardsGift cards are a classic. Nobody ever tur... view article details

What is the answer to the question – “How Much Am I Worth?” Find out the salary you deserve. Salary is a Sticky Issue "So, what are you looking to be paid?" It's always a sticking point during an interview. When a hiring manager asks you what your salary requirements are, it can be difficult to answer. Ask for too much, and you could end up pricing yourself right out of the job. Venture too little and you might be seen as less than confident in your capabilities (and also not get the salary you deserve). To get this right, you need to be proactive and take intelligent steps toward making sure ... view article details

Here Are the Most Popular Job Title Searches on Salary.com for July 2015 What are the Most Popular Jobs on Salary.com? Wondering which jobs people are searching the most? Well, wonder no more, because we've got your answers. With more than 4,000 job titles in our database, people from all over the country come to Salary.com and use our tools to find out how much jobs are paying. So, what are the most popular jobs, according to Salary.com? We combed through our data for the month of July and came up with the top 10 most-queried searches. And we'll be back on a monthly basis to update the resu... view article details

You Only Get One Chance to Make a Good First Impression Finding a great job can be a challenge. But once you land that dream job, you need to realize the real challenge is still looming in the distance.Sure, take a moment to pat yourself on the back and celebrate getting hired. Good for you! But if you want to lay the groundwork for short- and long-term job success, you can’t relax and become complacent.It’s possible to get your future co-workers to take notice of you before you even start your new job. You can confirm why you were chosen for your position without stepping foot in the... view article details

It's Rough Out There Truth is almost always stranger than fiction, and we found a bunch of eye-opening tidbits that might surprise you.Do you have any idea how many employees die while on the job every year? How much sleep employees get? Or how many people date their coworkers? We scoured the Internet to find you answers to these burning questions, and so much more. So enjoy everything you didn’t know about the world of work.7. Few People Love What They Do They say if you love what you do you never work a day in your life. But apparently, falling in love isn’t easy.According ... view article details

Don't Sink Your Own Ship Once you land a job interview, you may feel the hard work is done. You might even allow your enthusiasm to melt your inhibitions during the meeting. Don’t let your excitement rob you of a chance for the job you’ve been waiting for. Arm yourself with these key interview strategies that include practicing restraint as well as excellent preparation.Here are some things to avoid doing during job interviews.7. Talking Salary Too Early Why is it bad?: Simply put, this question shifts the focus to what you want for yourself as opposed to the value you will p... view article details

Dear Annette,Do you have any holiday gift ideas for the office?SantaDear Santa,This is my favorite time of year, as thinking of gift ideas for others always reminds me of me. One December years ago I received an ostrich from a client after helping him survey his New Zealand ranch. I had to get rid of him after Dickie became allergic. The ostrich stayed for five years.Narrowing down the wish list is always so difficult. A year or two ago, the Mednikow catalog had a $575,000 diamond ring on its front cover, complete with a little cutout so you can try the ring on for size. Difficult to duplicate... view article details

"What Can We Do to Help?" Q: 'Hi Heather,My co-worker 'Brenda' has a husband who was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months ago. It seemed like he was doing better for a while, but over this past month, Brenda has missed a lot of work and it sounds like her husband isn't doing very well (He had to quit working himself, and Brenda called his condition 'incurable').Most of the office made donations in his honor to a cancer fund last Christmas, but I feel like we should be doing more now. I'm not exactly sure what's appropriate however. I don't want to make Brenda sad or make her think ... view article details