Q. I am a temporary employee for a large firm. Before I interviewed for the job, the agency representative asked me what salary I wanted. The hourly wage I quoted was too low and does not reflect my years of experience. Later I was told that neither the agency nor the employer was able to find anyone to perform this job (the person I replaced is on a job-related disability leave). This is a professional position. The basic salary is below the Salary Wizard median. In addition, several other people at this department will be taking extended absences. What is the appropriate avenue for requestin... view article details

Q. I have a weird suspicion that I am not being paid the salary my company offered me last April. My company offered me $40,000 a year, but when I do the math based on my paychecks, the amounts don't add up to $40,000, but more like $36,000. I am paid every second Thursday and before taxes, my paycheck is $1,538.46 (the same every week). Is there a calculation I can use to see if this actually adds up to $40,000 after one year?A. Your company is not withholding funds.There are a number of ways companies can pay annual salaries to their employees. Some companies pay once a month, which means em... view article details

Salary.com estimates that at least one employee in ten has viewed compensation information on the Internet within the last year. That number is expected to grow, as salary sites have become a routine component of both the job search and the career management process. In response to questions from HR professionals about what to do when an employee knocks on the door with a salary printout in hand, Salary.com has prepared this advice for and from employers on responding to online data.There probably is no way for employers to prevent employees from using salary sites, and no advantage to doing s... view article details

Anthony Hankinson is not only reaching for the stars, he’s making sure you’re safe when you’re flying among them.Hankinson, a 31-year-old husband and father, is a manufacturing engineering planner at The Boeing Company in North Charleston, S.C. As a member of the Electrical Corrective Actions team, Hankinson takes care of electrical issues that might arise in Boeing’s popular 787 Dreamliner airplane. But even though Hankinson now works at the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners with 170,000 employees in 70 countries, it took some old-fashioned elb... view article details

Careers That Don't Require You to Commute Farther Than Your Living Room Yahoo! Makes Waves by Banning Work-from-Home Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, caused quite a stir this week when she told her employees they would no longer be allowed to work at home. And in doing so, both sides of the always contentious debate have sprung into action either supporting Mayer's decision or lambasting it. Mayer and Yahoo! have said their policy is not a referendum on the wisdom of working at home, but simply what's best for the company. They feel nothing truly replaces face-time and person-to-person interac... view article details

Folks, you might be wondering what your fellow job-seekers and compensation enthusiasts have searched the most on our Salary Wizard. Here is the top ten - with salary range and average as well as job descriptions. 1. Physical Therapist Salary range: $77,510-$91,296 Average: $84,141 What you’ll do: Evaluate and treat patients suffering from a physical disability due to injury, disease, or surgery. This person establishes treatment plans and treats patients using a variety of methods, including exercises, stretching maneuvers, hands-on therapy, and equipment to ease patients' pain and help th... view article details

Q:  I am working on my associate degree with a double major in purchasing/business management. I have been a co-op student with the same company in the procurement department for a year and a half, and have just finished my co-op requirement. I really enjoy working in this field. I have a background in accounts payable, personnel, and office administration.The company doesn't have a position available for another buyer, only the co-op position. I keep hoping they will create one just for me, but that is unlikely. My purchasing manager is allowing me to stay as long as he is allowed to keep me.... view article details

You're sitting in a conference room or office, face-to-face with the person you most want to impress - your prospective boss - and he or she is asking you, 'What is your biggest weakness?' How do you answer a question like that?The good news is, it's a job interview, not a confessional. No one expects you to demonize yourself in hopes of appearing forthright. After all, you are selling yourself and you want the interviewer to buy, not pass.You could try stalling - think hard for a minute or two and answer something to the effect of, 'I can't really think of any aspect of my personality that ha... view article details

How to Handle Giving an Employee a Poor Performance Review Having a positive employee review is easy. You applaud your employee’s accomplishments, discuss plans for the future, and (hopefully) give them a handsome raise. Sadly, the same does not apply when you have to give a poor performance review to an employee whose efforts have been iffy at best. Here’s how to handle a negative employee review so that both you and your employee both feel positive and motivated at the end of it. 1. Most likely, your employee already knows his work has not been up to par. But there is a chance that yo... view article details

The California budget crisis has been a headline fixture for a while, but now that higher education students and faculty are beginning to feel the heat of the latest budget cuts, education has jumped to the front of the news. Because of the cuts in the higher education system, many are acting out through protests to show their anger, while others are wondering what their next option could be. The New York Times reports that in the past two years, California has made over $30 billion in budget cuts, one of the largest cuts has been higher education. The California state schools have seen $2.8 ... view article details