Think Ahead While there are no ways to guarantee that a negotiation will succeed, there’s one way that will pretty much ensure that a negotiation will fail, and that’s to go in without any kind of plan.Common errors include entering a negotiation without doing research of your value on the market, not role-playing the conversation in advance to make sure your selling points are on target (and preparing for pushback on those selling points), and the least effective technique: barging into your boss’ office randomly and deciding to demand a raise or promotion.I recently came across a ve... view article details

Awkward But Necessary It may be one of the hardest conversations you’ll have to have with your boss.Asking for a recommendation can certainly be stressful, awkward, and a bit unpleasant. After all, you never know what your boss’ reaction might be to the news that you’re essentially looking to leave the company. But if you’re in the market for a new job, you’ll inevitably need a referral from your current jefe.Here’s how to ask your boss for a recommendation.4. Be Realistic If you’ve been showing up to work day in and day out and being a model employee, asking for a recommenda... view article details

Rich or Poor, Offer Letters Are Still Necessary If you’ve worked at any level in the corporate world, you’ve probably received an offer letter of employment. As a teenager, your first job offer – babysitting, mowing lawns, washing dishes, waiting tables – was probably pretty informal. Ah, but that first official offer letter.Sure, things might have gone great on your interview. You’re 99% sure they’re going to give you the job. Hopefully you negotiated a nice salary increase. You can’t wait to tell your parents and friends. And HR even verbally said you got the position. But it wasn’t... view article details

Comedian John Ramsey has a humorous bit where he complains, “I’m tired of being treated as a second class citizen because I believe in unicorns. I don’t understand why unicorns are so magical, it’s just a horse with a horn. A seahorse exists and that’s 50% fish, 50% horse! I’m just talking about something that is 99% horse, 1% cooler horse.”In the working world (often at startups), there is some debate about whether unicorn employees exist and how much time you should spend looking for them when hiring. A unicorn employee has been described as an “A Player,” a natural leader that is highly ski... view article details

Gambling isn’t just for Las Vegas and Atlantic City anymore and that means the jobs aren’t confined to those two casino giants anymore either.You might say the casino industry is spreading the wealth.According to a 2013 study by the American Gaming Association, there are 39 states with some type of casino gambling whether its commercial casinos or Indian gaming. And there are other states, like New Hampshire, looking to deal themselves in.In 2012, the year covered by the AGA report, 332,075 people were employed in commercial casinos across the country accounting for $13.2 billion in wages. In ... view article details

Q: Dear Heather,I am an African-American female who is working for a company who only seems to want to mentor and promote Caucasian people (especially Caucasian females). After putting in maximum effort for this company and even recreating their company newsletter they previously let fall to the ground, they continued to promote one white person after the other, some with high qualifications and others with only previous fast food experience.All of us African-Americans slowly deflated and realized this company did not want anyone with my ethnic background in leadership. We watched while one Af... view article details

While conducting my full time job search during a down economy immediately after graduating from college, I took a part time job working at a Staples office supply store to earn some extra spending money. It was there that my older co-worker Steve gave me some interesting career advice.As we closed down for the night on a Wednesday, we talked about our weekend plans. I told him that I was a little bummed out that my friends were all getting together on Friday night, but that I had to work, and then I was working again all day Sunday and wouldn’t get to watch football. Meanwhile, he said that h... view article details

Seeing that Father’s Day is right around the corner, I’d like to get a few things off my chest regarding dads.Fatherhood is a hot topic lately, because – ironically enough -- mothers are making big news. With visionaries the likes of Sheryl Sandberg encouraging women to “Lean In,” women are winning the day across the board. Hanna Rosin’s 2010 piece “The End of Men” in The Atlantic painted a damning picture for modern-day men, citing the fact that women outnumber men in the workforce, are earning college degrees at a faster pace than men, and cast men as an antiquated gender that has failed to ... view article details

We all want to be heard, but a surprising number of people only half-listen. If you spend more time listening than talking, use your listening skills to your advantage in job interviews, negotiations, networking, business meetings, and when selling anything to anyone. If not, improve your listening skills.'I remember an interview I had for a job,' says Doug Fidoten, president of Dentsu America, a full-service advertising and marketing-communications company. He shares this in my book, Self-Promotion for Introverts®: 'I had already met with a number of other executives, and this was the last on... view article details

Is Love in the Office Air? Whether it's Jim and Pam on The Office or a real life saga such as former President Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky, America has a certain fondness (or at least a mild obsession with) the notion of an office romance. And seeing how Cupid is reaching into his quiver as Valentine's Day quickly approaches, we thought it'd be a good idea to ask you -- our readers -- about workplace flings.More than 2,600 of you responded to our survey and opened up your hearts to share your views regarding office dalliances that can't be contained by cubicle ... view article details