Being Able to Name Your Own Salary Might Sound Good, But It's Harder to Do Than You Think Picture yourself in the final stages of your job interview. Everything so far has gone fantastic. You've passed the screening of HR in the first round, met your future manager and totally connected, and have spoken with several other team members. The job is a great match for both your skills and your personality. The executive across the desk from you is thrilled, saying you're their ideal candidate, and is ready to make you an offer. The only thing left to talk about is salary. The mere thought of the c... view article details

Salary Benchmarking Is a Vital Tool When Hiring Employees Salary benchmarking, also called compensation benchmarking, is the process by which internal job descriptions are matched to external jobs with similar responsibilities to identify the market rate for each position. When creating a new position complete with job responsibilities and a corresponding salary, it is important for those working in human resources to perform these market assessments and salary comparisons efficiently and accurately. Many factors such as geographic location, company size, and education level factor into th... view article details

How Will Expiring Tax Cuts Affect You? It has been just a few blessed weeks since April 15, when we all emerged from stacks of 1099s and W-2s and declared ourselves ready to forget about taxes for another year. Not so fast. The tax cuts put in place during the previous administration are heading for expiration at the end of this year if Congress doesn't act. Almost everyone agrees that at least some of the cuts should be extended, but the right and the left have profound disagreements about how to proceed. So what does this mean for you? While you should always rely on a tax professio... view article details

There’s a single, crucial skill that will prove incredibly valuable throughout your career. It’s not learning how to code, being a great public speaker, knowing how to dig into financials, or being blessed with the ability to sell anything to anyone. The key skill you need to have is the ability to adapt to change.Programming languages change, new accounting rules come out each year, and whom you speak and sell to fluctuates over time. But if you’re able to continually adapt to a new environment, you set yourself up for success throughout your career.The same goes for negotiating your salary. ... view article details

Are You Showing Your Best Side Online? Pop quiz: What's the scariest thing you can do?A. Handle a barrel filled with angry rattlesnakes.B. Make hairpin turns in a tractor-trailer around a twisty mountain pass.C. Give an online video presentation.If you answered C, this story is for you. (I can't help with snakes or big rigs). Whether it’s your video debut on YouTube, a job interview on Skype, a meeting on WebEx, or a class online, how can you look and sound engaging while being authentic?Online presentations take many forms: sitting or standing; one person presenting to one, two, or a... view article details

From a young age, many horse-enthusiasts dream of incorporating their love of horses into a viable career. Elizabeth Oellers Latham is turning the phrase 'do what you love and love what you do' into reality.Latham runs her own farm in central New Hampshire called Cadbury Woods, where she teaches riding lessons and trains horses in the tradition of dressage. Dressage aims to use the horse's natural abilities and athletic development to become more light, supple and attentive to the rider in all gaits and movements, working from the most subtle cues from the rider. The word dressage derives from... view article details

What is the PSR? The PSR is our Personal Salary Report. You probably know about and have used our free Salary Wizard, but the PSR is an enhanced compensation analysis that costs a little bit of money, but gives you much more of an edge when it comes to negotiating salary.So why should you buy the PSR when you can get free information in the Salary Wizard? Glad you asked, because here's our step-by-step guide to understanding the PSR.For Starters... The very first thing you'll do is enter your job title, state, and city. This is important because the region in which you live h... view article details

Any way you measure it, a college degree is the best investment of your life. In today's dollars, a bachelor's degree is worth more than $2.1 million over 40 years. 'Having that post-secondary diploma can make such a difference in lifetime earnings,' said Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policy Foundation President Ed Potter.During a recession, obtaining a college degree becomes even more crucial. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, all seven of the job categories that are predicted to grow faster than average during the next decade require a college diploma. These careers, which inclu... view article details

Valentine's Day at Work: Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue -- Keep Both of Them to Yourself on Feb. 14 Valentine's Day is a Double-Edged Sword Valentine's Day. Perhaps no other holiday evokes stronger feelings from both the lovesick and those entirely sick of love. Sure the celebration of holidays at the office can be fun. After all, you're still sporting that certificate for "Best Costume" at Halloween. But if management wanted you to make a big deal about Valentine's Day at work, they'd have handed out a list of names and asked you to decorate a card box for your desk just like in the fourth... view article details

Dear Annette,What is the best way for a new employee to remember the other employees' names? I will be starting a new job in a few weeks as the payroll manager so, of course, I have to get names down very quickly. I sometimes have a problem remembering names. Help! Guess WhoDear Guess Who,It's the sheer volume of people waiting inside the theater, not lack of confidence in the film, that makes a movie star's stomach flutter on the way to her premier.And so it is with a new job. You arrive, walk into the office, and notice that every coworker you meet has a nickname, first name, last name; some... view article details