It's great to have negotiating strategies and a plan beforehand. Preparation is key. But people---especially those new to negotiation---must be careful they don't cross that fine line between strategy and gimmickry.This week's question deals with what to do if you ever come up against a hiring manager who has experienced your strategies in the past. Should you stick with what works? Is using the same thing twice going to hurt your chances instead of help you? Our salary and negotiation expert, Jack Chapman, is here to help as always.QUESTION Dear Jack: The person who is currently in the job I ... view article details

Maybe you're in the process of interviewing for a new job and it's time to talk salary. Or perhaps you've been in your current position for years and you're finally going to ask for a raise. The only problem is, most people have no idea how to properly negotiate. How do you bring it up? What do you say? When is the right time to ask? People routinely scour the Internet and buy negotiating books to find these very answers.Well, your search is over.Career coach and author Jack Chapman, who wrote 'Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute,' is teaming up with Salary.com to offer a weekl... view article details

Employees versus independent contractors. Sometimes it's difficult to know what camp you fall into as a worker. But when you consider health benefits, compensation and tax purposes, knowing the differences between the two is an absolute necessity. But what exactly are the differences between employee status and being an independent contractor? Our salary expert, Jack Chapman, has your answers.Question: When am I considered an employee and when am I an independent contractor?Answer: You’re an independent contractor when you have services you sell to a company. The biggest difference concerns wh... view article details

at Is Dad's Job Worth?   Working Dad vs. Stay at Home Dad Salaries For 2006    Salary.com has revealed that dads would be taking home a pretty hefty paycheck if they were paid an annual salary for the many 'dad jobs' they do for their families. Salary.com consulted with Stay at Home and Working Dads, and used the survey results to rank the top 10 jobs that make up a dad's job description. The analysis showed that if paid, Working Dads would rake in a total of $71,160 in addition to their day job salary, while Stay at Home Dads would earn $125,340 annually. See below for the top 10 most common ... view article details

This week, Jack tackles a tough question many jobseekers encounter when going through the interview process. Namely, what should you do if you offer up your salary requirements too early in the process and end up on the outside looking in? Find out how to deal with this sticky situation in this week's mailbag question!QUESTION In my talks with HR, they indicated that I was the leading candidate for the job. They asked me my salary requirements and I gave them a mid-range number for the job. I also told them it was negotiable and that I was eager to discuss what the job entails. I could feel th... view article details

More than 70 percent of America’s workers are still living paycheck to paycheck according to a recent American Payroll Association poll. And current tough economic times have everyone wondering what they can do to stretch their paycheck a bit further. We’ve compiled a list of what we feel are ten of the best ideas to help stretch your paycheck. With a little extra effort, you can yield some big savings.1. Stop buying bottled water Americans spend a staggering amount on bottled water - $15 billion last year. Name brands in small bottles can cost more than $10 per gallon while tap wate... view article details

The Big Game Is Just Like Your Career It’s no secret Americans love NFL football, especially considering more than 100 million people will tune in for Super Bowl Sunday. But even if you hate football or just watch the big game for the commercials and the nachos, there’s something you can learn from the quarterbacks involved. Things that can be directly applied to your career.4. You Need to Take Charge One of the defining characteristics of a quarterback is leadership skills. Against all odds, at the end of the game, great quarterbacks take charge of a situation and make thing... 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

Find an Entry Level Jobs That Can Pad Your Wallet No one ever promised you were going to graduate from college and land yourself a job as CFO. But in today's job market, where competition is particularly keen, it seems as if even the mediocre jobs are few and far between. Before you relegate yourself to flipping burgers, check out the 12 jobs we've listed here. These jobs, while appropriate for recent college grads looking to enter the work place, have reasonable starting salaries and excellent growth potential. Graphic Designer Designs and creates graphics for advertisements, logos, packaging... view article details

Earning a higher education degree is a big investment. With all that money (and time) on the line, students may want to confirm that the entry level jobs they’re setting themselves up for tend to yield a good return on investment (ROI). Using Salary.com data, we found 10 jobs that have median level I salaries over $60,000. These jobs promise even bigger pay outs as employees climb the ranks. Read on to see if one of these jobs may be right for you to pursue: 1) Electrical Engineer I What you’ll earn to start: $68,171 What you’ll do: Assist with the design, development, and testing of electric... view article details