Q. I have been running a small startup company for almost four years. Four of us are consulting to the company in various executive roles. I'm the founder and president, handling a wide range of duties, but mostly in business development. I have the skill set and experience of most directors of business development or higher positions. My role has also exposed me to areas in which business development professionals are not typically involved.In considering other employment opportunities, how do I know which executive level I qualify for given my diverse background? Will companies discount my s... view article details

The only way to truly get the life you want is by taking positive risks and planning a strategy for doing so.'Unlike negative risks, which are typically impulsive and emotionally driven, positive risks are calculated,' says Gail McMeekin, a nationally recognized creativity and HR career coach (www.creativesuccess.com). 'You must think them through, and anticipate what could happen,  before you jump.'Choosing to find a mentor to help accelerate your career is one way of taking a positive risk.  Develop “a road map” by first deciding if you want the mentor to be someone inside the company... view article details

There's no doubt that job seekers face more competition than ever these days. Throwing your resume into the pile can feel like throwing a penny into a fountain. With the sheer number of experienced, qualified candidates who are also competing for jobs, just making it to the interview phase can seem like an accomplishment.Always the bridesmaid? But what if you are one of those job seekers who consistently make it through several interview rounds, only to receive, in the end, a rejection letter wishing you well in your job search?Being a perpetual finalist can be inc... view article details

Stand Out in a Crowd Hiring managers see thousands upon thousands of resumes every year. That's why job seekers have to stand out in a crowd if they harboring any hope they'll be hired.When you're writing a resume, what you don't know can hurt you. John Kalusa is a nationally recognized writer who speaks about corporate sales, recruiting, and personal career management. With over 25 years of experience as a strategic recruiting, human resources, and sales and marketing management leader in start-ups and Fortune 250 companies, he's well qualified to comment on what the hiring manager w... view article details

With the start of the New Year, employers will be finalizing their salary budgets for 2009. Many survey vendors collected, compiled and analyzed data regarding merit increases for 2009 and reported that merit budgets for 2009 were on track to remain consistent with previous years' averaging at around the 3.5% mark. As more economic turmoil surfaced toward year end, some organizations took a new look at merit budget plans for 2009 as we discussed in the article Pay Increases in 2009 May Disappoint Workers in our December 30th newsletter. Most employers are being cautious, pre... view article details

Switching fields may seem taboo, but it's quite doable, especially now when labor markets are tight. Almost half of the 164 employers who responded to our MONEY/Salary.com survey say they regularly target mid-career changers when recruiting. One reason: Switchers are dedicated to their move, with 32 percent saying they'll spend 'as long as it takes' to get the necessary certification and schooling.What are they looking for? Pay and advancement, sure, but also fulfillment and a sense that they can control their career paths.Steve Mullins, 44, already has a good job: He's a telecommunications en... view article details

How to Counter A Job Offer To Get A Higher Pay In the world of salary negotiation, there’s an important word that comes up quite often: Leverage. By definition, it means using a situation or advantage to obtain a desired result, in our case, negotiating a higher salary. When you’re looking to gain leverage, it often comes as a result of having other options. Someone who already has a steady income in a job has more options than someone who has been out of work for 6 months with bills piling up If you have in-demand skills, such as a mobile software development, you’re going to have mor... view article details

Employers Should Embrace the Allure of Summer, Not Fight It While possibly more noticeable in four season cities, summer longings can defy geographical zones to the same extent that Congress generally seems to flout basic math. Although the era of school holidays ended long before the student loan payments ever did, nostalgia reigns when the weather warms in early June. There’s a mental countdown to the long-gone summer breaks of our youth. And come August, the realization that Fall is but a few weekends away can heighten awareness of missed and fleeting opportunities to enjoy valuable outdo... view article details

Guardian Angels of the Sand Next time you're out strolling the beach, stop and take a good look around. For up beyond the sand and surf, you - and everybody else out there - are being watched. Not by some sneaky Big Brother, but by the tan hardbody in the red trunks. From a small post tower, a lifeguard peers through binoculars, anticipating the inevitable. And no matter what dangerous predicament we get into, this guardian angel of the sand is there to fish us out. Life Guards in Los Angeles form a division of the County Fire Department, made up of highly trained men and women who protect t... view article details

Figuring Out What You Want to Do Figuring out what you want to do and what you are good at is something we’re asked to do from the time we are little, and people start asking: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Most of us may have answered that question with a job or a title. And we never stop wondering if we got it right. Careers As Incremental Goals? The other day, I had a great conversation with someone who is building an app that helps you manage your career. I asked him to tell me about it. His story is worth understanding. “Careers,” he said, “are a combination of short term, ... view article details