Dear Annette,It's about the office refrigerator. What can I do?EwDear Ew,Thanks to the artistic and janitorial exertions of an army of excruciatingly fastidious People, my kitchen refrigerator is an illuminated heaven of champagne, caviar, and assorted nail colors, plus the occasional foil sculpture concealing a savory ort for my dog Dickie. Naturally, his water bowl must be chilled before use as well.Refrigerators were an excellent idea in their day, but really, do we still need them in this economy? These days, I wouldn't be caught dead eating groceries. Even when I entertain, the food is fr... view article details

Many of us live a large part of our lives online. So it's no wonder that your online presence can have a major influence on your career success.If your present or potential employer searched for you online, what would they find? Would those search results reveal a professional with many marketable skills? Or could the results do more harm than good for your career?Keep reading to learn the essential dos and don'ts for creating (or updating) your online presence.Do: Google your own name It's vital to know what potential employers and clients will find when they search for you.In a 2010... view article details

Q: I have an interview tomorrow with a prominent company and am very eager to please them. Can you give me some important pointers on interviewing?A: Jitters are a marvelous sensation, providing that refreshing sense of being alive in a big wide world. Your nerves are telling you that you would like to show this company You at Your Best. Isn’t it wonderful to feel that way about an opportunity?I’m sure you have prepared for the interview in the basic sense – printed fresh copies of your resume and slipped them into your classic portfolio, studied the company’s recent financial performance, spe... view article details

Dear Annette,I work in a small office. One of my coworkers doesn't shower very regularly, and we are unsure how to talk to him about it without hurting his feelings. He is a very funny, nice and bright person, but this is a problem.OdorlessDear Odorless,Every morning I review my Philosophy of Fragrance: that my personal scent is an opportunity to tell others who I am and what they can do for me. 'I am an unwashed person. Write for help' is probably not what your colleague had in mind. That's a pity, because aromas contribute so much to the formation of a personal brand. The beautiful memories ... view article details

Dear Annette,Please help! I am in a small office, and two coworkers, one a man and one a woman, curse all the time. I really don't like it, but I can't change my cubicle space because I work closely with these people. How can I get them to stop using such ugly language without antagonizing them? Same to you, buddy Dear Buddy,Language is a tool for inclusion in culture, and in some workplaces expressions such as 'Hey, hockey puck! How on top of that are you?' might easily replace 'Are you on track with your deadline?' Yet it's never a good idea to suggest that your crisis communications strateg... view article details

What do employees REALLY want most?It's a question Dr. Jack Wiley, executive director of the Kenexa High Performance Institute, has spent more than 25 years researching. And on today's episode of Salary Talk, Aaron and Wendy talk to Jack about his new book 'RESPECT: Delivering Results By Giving Employees What They Really Want,' which is being released October 11. Jack has spent more than two decades studying employee engagement surveys from more than 200,000 workers, with input from companies in more than two dozen countries. Whether it's an issue of fair pay, giving employees the recognition ... view article details

Dear Annette,Twentysomethings have taken over the office where I have been working since they were in elementary school. It seems that everyone has a navel ring except me. Can I stay hip without subjecting myself to the needle?Experienced but InexperiencedDear Experienced,Many employees over a certain age feel anxious about the correlation between computers in the cradle and rings in the navel. Alas, and yet hooray: the future belongs to the children, and to the people who were children only recently.What you need is a reverse mentor: someone to escort you proudly into the new economy with das... view article details

Don't Leave Money on the Table Just Because Times Are Tough In an economy that's less than robust, more companies than ever are cutting back -- not only on their workforce, but also on the compensation and benefits they offer. Whether you are applying for a new position, or you are just up for your annual review, you might feel lucky to just have a job. Before you settle, know that you can negotiate a salary in a tough economy. This article explores 12 dos and don'ts that will increase the odds you get what you deserve. Do your research Do research salaries for positions comparable to your... view article details

6 Important Notes for Writing a Thank You Email After an Interview As we all know, there are 3 general stages in a job-seeking process, including preparing for applying to the job, performing in person and over the phone interviews, and following up after an interview. In the first stage, we need to analyze the job requirements, collect relevant information on a website, like Salary.com, make an educated decision based on the information you gathered, and decide to apply the job. If you are lucky enough get an interview with recruiters, you need to be professional and flex y... view article details

6 Tips to Create a Perfect Resume in 2020 A resume is the first impression you have with recruiters when you apply for a job. Maybe you can impress interviewer during the face-to-face interview, but a resume is just as important as the way you present yourself. Creating a good resume can be challenging, especially when you don't know how to make your resume stand out. Failing to come up with good resume ideas to improve your resume quality will lead all the resumes you send out to a resume black hole. Fortunately, we have an outline on how to make a perfect resume with these... view article details