It might not be fair, but the way you look plays a part in how much you’re paid. Looks Do Matter Discriminating against people based on their physical appearance is wrong -- both morally, and in many cases, legally speaking. The way you look usually has no bearing on how you’ll perform in your job, and in a perfect world everyone would be judged solely on his/her merits. But the harsh reality is this isn't a perfect world, and discrimination -- whether intentional or inadvertent -- still plays a role in the workplace. And while it should never be condoned, job seekers and employees need to be ... view article details

Survey Reveals Top Employee Time Wasters at Work A Facebook status update here, a Tweet there and finding that perfect dinner recipe on Pinterest. These days, most jobs require a computer, and workplace distractions are plentiful. But how much time do employees waste visiting personal websites that aren't work-related? And on a more philosophical note, what should we consider to be time wasters at work? We surveyed more than 3,200 people from February to March 2012 to find out the biggest time wasters at work. In this era of constant connectivity, we are slaves to our laptops, smartphones, and... view article details

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things First of all, congratulations on the new job! Whether you were unemployed and searching for something new, or you took time off to raise kids or take care of loved ones, welcome back to the workforce.But at the same time, it's understandable that you're a little leery about transitioning back to the working world after a prolonged absence. Will people like me? What have I missed? Is the technology different? Can I really meet these new challenges in unfamiliar territory?Before you start your new chapter, take a minute to read about a few tips for ... view article details

Your Desk Speaks for You -- Even When You're Not There It speaks for you even when you're out of the office doing your thing to make the company wildly successful. Positive words? We hope. But it can also interrupt and speak out of turn, relaying completely unauthorized messages.Your desk. What does it say about you? Does it convey the message 'Respect the owner of this hallowed professional space?' or 'Attention: creativity in progress?' Or does it warn 'Caution: finding that file is going to take a while?'Your positive words & actions still speak loudest, but they'll have less impac... view article details

What a Waste Are you interrupting your job duties to read this? Or, more likely than not, are you taking a break between filling out last-minute March Madness brackets? We understand the considerable amount of irony involved in taking time out of your workday to read an article about wasting time at work, but our annual Wasting Time at Work survey results are out and they're pretty interesting. Ever wonder exactly how much time the average American worker spends on non work-related items while on the clock? Are they checking Facebook? Tweeting? Doing some online shopping? And more imp... view article details

Take Some Responsibility There's no two ways about it -- it's tough out there for jobseekers.No one is denying things are grim. Job openings have started to increase, but hiring still hasn't picked up enough for anyone's liking. Competition for good jobs remains absolutely fierce, with dozens, or even hundreds, of candidates all vying for a single opening. And far too many companies still rely on automated resume filtering software that values keywords over finding the best talent. So yes, it's tough.However, jobseekers need to shoulder their share of the blame as well.It's easy to si... view article details

There are many questions people prepare for during a job interview such as 'What kind of projects are you working on in your current job?' 'What measurable skills can you bring to this position?' and 'What is your greatest weakness?'So when you come across this next question, you might be inclined to brush it off:'What is my favorite baseball team?'Surprisingly, this question could end up being the most important one you answer. Let me explain.For five years, I was the online marketing director at Wired.com in New York City. As my responsibilities expanded, I got the chance to bring on an inte... view article details

Let’s get a few things straight from the start:My kids (ages 18, 16, 7) are the most important thing, along with my wife, in my life. I love them so much it hurtsI work damn hard to make a lot of moneyI really don't care what anyone else thinksIt has taken me decades to understand the importance of #3As 21st century fathers we are in a double bind. We are suppose to be providers, making tons of money, and yet at the same time be hands-on dads. If feminism was born out of the desire of women to leave home and be treated equally in the workplace, giving rise to the Super Woman phenomenon in whic... view article details

It's the First & Most Important Question of the Interview This is the first of a two-part series on successful interviewing techniques.When you sit down for a job interview at a new company, the first question from the hiring manager is rarely going to be, “Why don’t you start out by telling me a little bit about your salary.”In fact, anyone that’s been on a number of interviews knows that the opening question they’ll most likely be asked is, “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”However, just because the topic of salary might not come up until the very end of the first interview -- i... view article details

Working Hard or Hardly Working? A Facebook status update here, a Tweet there and maybe you find that perfect dinner recipe on Pinterest. In this day and age most jobs require a computer, most computers have the Internet and distractions to workers are plentiful. But how much time do employees waste on visiting personal websites that aren't work-related during the day? And on a more philosophical note, should that really be considered a 'waste' of time?We surveyed more than 3,200 people from February to March 2012 to find out.Blame It on the Internet As you can probably imagin... view article details