The start of a new year is always a good time to set new career resolutions. No matter where you are in your career -- entry level, mid-career, or nearing retirement -- there are always new challenges to tackle and goals to meet.Make this year the year you shine at work and make some long awaited changes. Here are 15 resolution ideas to help make this the year you get ahead.Resolution 1: Conquer a fear Is there a pesky fear that's holding you back at work? Think about what that may be costing you. For example, if you're afraid of public speaking, it may be costing you opportunities to... view article details

Is This Scenario Familiar? Don stood by, riveted by the wreckage. 'It’s a burning platform, Jim.''We’ve gotta make hay, Don! Why weren’t we leveraged for this?'Grimly, the two office warriors surveyed the damage laid out in grids on a six-page spreadsheet. 'No warning, Jim. Last week we were talking foursomes and fourth quarter. At this juncture, he’s out-of-pocket for the long haul.'Excel-shocked, the two men stared down a bleak future in utter silence, until inspiration struck. 'Better bring Diane in for this. She can handle it.' Don shrugged, 'Sounds like a plan.'Jim smiled. 'Wanna... view article details

Dress to Get Noticed Even If You Don't Like the Spotlight Some people think it’s a waste of time to worry about their appearance. Yet we can’t really see ourselves -- and every day we’re subject to snap judgments just based on how we look.'When you meet someone for the first time, or walk into a house you are thinking of buying, or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions,' says Malcolm Gladwell in describing his bestseller Blink. What conclusions do people jump to when they set eyes on you? Let’s look at how you can ... view article details

Last week we reviewed 'The 7 Deadly Sins of the Workplace' and what behavior to avoid in the office. This week we are taking a more positive approach by reviewing 'The 7 Noble Virtues of the Workplace'Is it true that 'no good deed goes unpunished' or is there such a thing as good karma in the office? Do selfless deeds hurt your career or help it? This week we discuss 'The 7 Noble Virtues of the Workplace' and review the results of our recent survey on good behavior in the office.Prudence Knowing when to keep quiet about something Readers who believe they practice this virtue: 88.5% Yo... view article details

Which Coworkers are the Most Annoying? Coworkers. Good ones can be the reason you stay at a job, while horrible colleagues can make every day in the office a living hell from which you’d like nothing more than to escape.If you’ve spent a few years in the ranks of the working class, you’ve no doubt experienced a cornucopia of annoying coworkers. But have you ever wondered which ones are the worst of the bunch? We did, and so I drew on my own experiences and polled other Salary.com workers to come up with the nine most annoying types of coworkers on the planet.See if you recognize anyon... view article details

Q. I recently accepted a new role as a Web assessment client coordinator within an organization for whom I have been working for a year. My previous salary was $25,000. When asked about my desired compensation for this new role, I replied, "I don't know what the salary range is for this position," trying to get a feel for what I might expect. I was due for my one year performance review and was expecting a salary increase of at least 5 percent. My manager told me to go into this performance review with $27,000 in mind. This was lower than I was hoping for. I didn't really feel I had much barga... view article details

Q: Like many other companies, my employer has conducted layoffs this year. I was approached by my manager to increase my responsibilities to better define my workload to HR. I wanted more responsibilities anyway, but I wanted to be compensated for the added duties. Now that my job is on the line, should I just take the extra workload and be grateful that I have a job, or should I ask for an increase in pay?A: The whole point of a company laying off people is to have fewer people doing the same types of tasks. This in turn is supposed to reduce the company's overall expenses. When your boss ask... view article details

Q: I have been working as a human resources assistant for the last two and a half years. Although I had no human resources experience when I started, I have now learned almost every aspect of my job (at least according to my job description) and have acquired even more responsibilities. I have attended numerous HR seminars and have taken a few evening business courses on my own.I'm also the unofficial supervisor for a two-person department. Technically, my manager is the manager for this department, but because I am bilingual I have become responsible for hiring, firing, and daily management. ... view article details

 One of the most important steps in the cycle of excellence is the employee self-appraisal. Your manager may ask you to conduct a self-appraisal approximately one or two weeks before your performance review. It is worth taking the time to complete this exercise thoughtfully, because it will enable you to compare your impression of how well you did with your company's impression. The form may be identical to the one your manager uses, so it will give you a good indication of what will be talked about in your performance review and later filed with the human resources department. You will also n... view article details

Q: I just had my performance review about a week ago, and I was rewarded with a pay increase of 4.75 percent, which seems minimal at best. According to my calculations, this increase does not even cover the cost of living. Is it a common practice for large companies to "reward" employees with such a negligible raise? If not, how could I learn what the median raise is for companies in my area? A: Most companies have a merit budget that dictates the amount of money they give employees when it comes time to deliver annual merit increases. The average merit increase in 2000 hovered around 4 perce... view article details