With the Labor Department reporting that the number of people receiving unemployment benefits is the highest it has been in seven years, is there such a thing as a “recession-proof” job? Probably not, but there are some careers that may survive the current economic crisis better than others. The key is to focus on work that continues even when most people do not have extra discretionary money to spend. So what are some in-demand jobs in a slow economy?Accountant Now more than ever, companies are paying attention to the bottom line. They need good “bean counters”, whether they are fres... view article details

The rules of performance reviews are changing. Not too long ago, management guru Peter Block said, 'The performance review is the company's opportunity to prove to you, once again, that they own you.' But as employees gain better access to information and assume more responsibility for managing their careers, the performance review is becoming another opportunity for you to demonstrate value to your company.The Purpose of a Performance ReviewPerformance reviews give employees and employers a chance to evaluate regularly whether they are happy with each other. The review is a meeting between yo... view article details

It's half an hour before an executive schmooze-fest at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Ken Morse is giving last-minute networking tips to a crowd of MBA students and invited guests. As managing director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Morse teaches aspiring business leaders the nuts and bolts of growing and sustaining a business. His lecture on networking is one of the highlights of the semester.Networking - or making professional contacts through friends, family, and other associates - is the most popular way to find a new job, according to a Salary.com poll. It is also an indispe... view article details

Lessons to be Learned from Don Draper & Company The fifth season of Mad Men came to an end on Sunday night, closing for a time everyone's favorite window into the working world of days gone by. While the expectations for workplace behavior have certainly changed since the 1960s, this season of Mad Men still offered up a few useful lessons for today's ambitious professional. And thus we present you with the Top 10 Workplace Do's and Don'ts, as gleaned from season five of Mad Men.1. Don't Make Lewd Comments About Coworkers In the season premiere, Megan performed a sexy song-and... view article details

'Should men and women be treated as equals?'Silly question right? Of course they should. This is 2012 when women make up nearly half the workforce and have become the primary or co-breadwinners in two-thirds of all American families, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Not to mention more women than men are earning college degrees and the number of female executives continues to rise.But it might surprise you to learn women only make 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. And it's been that way for quite some time.When the Equal Pay Act was passed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, ... view article details

Job hunting is a nerve-racking process. Scouring LinkedIn for opportunities, waiting by the phone for employers to call, and sending out countless résumés to people who may never read them is a huge pain.But as any HR professional will tell you, the best time to look for a job is when you already have one. When you’re happily employed, your negotiating power skyrockets and you're more likely to be wooed by hiring managers with higher compensation, better benefits, and stock options. That's where passive candidacy comes in.Passive candidates are people who aren’t actively looking for a job but ... view article details

We all have our guilty pleasures, and one that continually draws me in from my DVR is “House Hunters International” on HGTV. Each episode, viewers watch as the subject of the show gives up their life at home and travels thousands of miles to an international destination in order to buy or rent a new home or apartment. Those of us playing at home are sucked in through a game show angle, trying to predict which of the three choices will be the winner.This show makes me very angry for several reasons.They never seem to choose the “right” house.When the agent says it’s “a little over your budget.”... view article details

Find Out Which Cushy Jobs Pad Your Wallet & Which Are Tough and Underpaid "They Get Paid How Much?!?" How many times have you come home from a rough day at work and thought to yourself, "I don’t get paid enough to do this stuff!" On the other hand, how many times have you had a really great day at work and thought, "I get paid for this? Seriously?" Okay, maybe not as often as you'd like. But the fact is, there are some relatively cushy jobs that rake in the big bucks, while some difficult, dangerous jobs still seem to draw relatively low salaries. In this article, I’ll discuss eight overpa... view article details

Reason No. 1: Your Leadership Doesn’t Care Whenever people attend a cocktail party, invariably someone in the room will have an occupation that others will solicit for some (free) advice. Medical doctors are asked “Does this mole look cancerous to you?” Car mechanics are queried whether the “chunka-chunka” sound the engine makes means a new transmission is needed. And as an industrial/organizational psychologist, I get interrogated about “Why is my company such a lousy place to work? Why do I hate working there?” There can be any number of specific reasons why one’s work experience is l... view article details

Non-salary Job Interview Questions That No One Else is Asking Think Beyond Salary When you’re sitting in the hotseat of an interview, it’s natural to think about the immediate here and now: How do I answer all these questions, land this job, and negotiate the highest salary? Salary.com has plenty of resources to help you out. But at some point, the interviewer is going to finish grilling you, turn the tables, and ask, “So, do you have any questions?” Asking good questions is important for several reasons: It shows you’ve prepared for the interview and truly care about the position. It ... view article details