Don't Sink Your Own Ship Once you land a job interview, you may feel the hard work is done. You might even allow your enthusiasm to melt your inhibitions during the meeting. Don’t let your excitement rob you of a chance for the job you’ve been waiting for. Arm yourself with these key interview strategies that include practicing restraint as well as excellent preparation.Here are some things to avoid doing during job interviews.7. Talking Salary Too Early Why is it bad?: Simply put, this question shifts the focus to what you want for yourself as opposed to the value you will p... view article details

COBRA  The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA) is a federal law that protects your right to continued health insurance. COBRA gives former employees, retirees, spouses and dependent children, who were covered by a group health plan on the day before a qualifying event, the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates. One overwhelming drawback to COBRA is the cost. If you and/or your family members qualify for COBRA, you will pay 102% of the insurance premiums until coverage is terminated. Most companies pay a portion of health insurance premiums... view article details

Dear Annette,Do you have any holiday gift ideas for the office?SantaDear Santa,This is my favorite time of year, as thinking of gift ideas for others always reminds me of me. One December years ago I received an ostrich from a client after helping him survey his New Zealand ranch. I had to get rid of him after Dickie became allergic. The ostrich stayed for five years.Narrowing down the wish list is always so difficult. A year or two ago, the Mednikow catalog had a $575,000 diamond ring on its front cover, complete with a little cutout so you can try the ring on for size. Difficult to duplicate... view article details

Dear Heather:I read your 'Death in the Workplace' column and found it to be helpful. But the person who was sick/dying wasn't in the workplace. It was a spouse of a co-worker. Right? How do you deal with a death IN the workplace?Thanks, 'Rachel'-----------------------------------------------Dear Rachel,While job promotions, moves, and career changes can shift the balance of personalities and politics in an office place, death leaves a sudden and often unexpected vacuum. With a co-worker's ascent up the career ladder, there is at least the promise of 'lunch' and a continued connection on Linked... view article details

"What Can We Do to Help?" Q: 'Hi Heather,My co-worker 'Brenda' has a husband who was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months ago. It seemed like he was doing better for a while, but over this past month, Brenda has missed a lot of work and it sounds like her husband isn't doing very well (He had to quit working himself, and Brenda called his condition 'incurable').Most of the office made donations in his honor to a cancer fund last Christmas, but I feel like we should be doing more now. I'm not exactly sure what's appropriate however. I don't want to make Brenda sad or make her think ... view article details

When you think of introverts, vocal power may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, you have the potential to express yourself with your voice fully and authentically—regardless of whether your greatest source of energy is cocooning or mingling, and whether your voice is typically soft or loud.In this two-part interview (read part 2 here), I invited Barbara Rubin, a theater director as well as a dialect and vocal coach for stage and film, to tell how to get the most from your speaking voice. Rubin and I have collaborated over the years in different arenas, each of us wearing differen... view article details

Power, influence, status, recognition, ambition and reward -- as much as we might hate to admit it, the stuff that makes a fast-track career exciting and fun can be the very things that can also do it in. Set any negative connotations aside and face it -- office politics, and playing to win, can make all the difference. In this, the first in a two-part series, we'll examine how to position yourself for the game you'll have to play at some point, like it or not!1. Play with a purpose As with all things work related, you should ... view article details

Kendra wins Apprentice 3!!Another riveting season of 'The Apprentice' is over and has not disappointed with bigger boardrooms, louder candidates, and more innovative challenges. Reality TV buffs have long forgotten last season's winner and now turn their attention to the showdown between the Book Smarts and the Street Smarts. Along with the prestige of becoming president of one of The Donald's companies, this season's Apprentice will earn a hefty $250,000 yearly salary from Trump. But have you ever wondered what the apprentices are making at their day jobs? Perhaps it is more than what Trump i... view article details

'Now ever since I was young it's been my dream That I might drive a Zamboni machine I'd get the ice just as slick as could be And all the kids would look up to me.'- Gear Daddies, 'The Zamboni Song,' bonus track from Billy's Live BaitThose lyrics from the Gear Daddies' ode to the ZAMBONI ice resurfacing machine are fitting for Al Sobotka, keeper of the ice at Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings. Sobotka, a lifelong hockey fan, began working at the arena when he was in high school.'It was just a job I got when I was in high school, and I kept at it, working in the maintenance departm... view article details

Everyone has worked a summer job at some point. For some those jobs may be their true calling, but for many they are a place to gain some valuable skills and foster passion for their future careers.Read on to see the most popular summer jobs our readers held, and how the skills learned there can help in preparing for a future career. Babysitter Respondents who had this summer job 35.9% A babysitter must learn the fundamentals of relating to young children. Valuable skill for careers in: Child Care Young children get in a lot of scrapes. Successful babysitters learn to use basic fir... view article details