Q: I have researched all over about what kind of compensation you should get for being on call, but have found nothing. Right now I get paid for three extra hours each week for being on call Monday through Sunday from 7pm to 5am. When I get called in, I am guaranteed a minimum of two hours' pay. When I was employed at another company I was on call for a week and I got paid two hours on the hour after my regular work day (16 hours), and that was for seven days. When I got called in I got paid for four hours automatically.This seems like a big difference. I would like some information to present... view article details

Q: I was offered a 'promotion' from receptionist/office clerk to administrative assistant/office manager of a new venture in a different office. I inadvertently found out that the person they hired to replace me as receptionist/office clerk started at the same wage as I am currently making. I might add that this move/promotion was a lateral move in that no additional pay or bonuses were involved, even though the position requires much more of me as well as a little further commute to the office and full responsibility for starting up and stocking the new office space. What, if anything, should... view article details

Q. I have accepted a job at a salary that is far less than I was making earlier as a contractor for the same company. I talked to the human resources department, and they are not ready to increase the salary yet. I was thinking of talking to the manager on the first day of work regarding the salary. What do you advise?A. It is never a good practice to accept a position, then ask for an increase in your salary the first week on the job. The best time to negotiate a competitive salary is before you accept your job, when both you and the employer are trying to establish a relationship. You accept... view article details

Q. I was hired four years ago as a desktop technician for a Fortune 500 company. Since then I have skyrocketed up in the company, and I have been getting spot bonuses (of $1,200) and salary increases of about 9 percent a year.However, since I was hired as a desktop tech and was given a competitive salary for that field, I've since become a major software/Web developer for the company. For the past two years I have been doing client/server development, but for the salary of a highly paid desktop tech, which is much lower.My manager just walked into my office and told me I was now classified as ... view article details

Q. I started with my present company in Raleigh, NC, in February as an HR assistant on a temp-to-hire basis at a salary of $25,000. In March, the company hired me full-time and increased my salary to $28,000.At the time I came on board, our HR director resigned. We were without an HR director for about two months. Then the benefits generalist turned in her resignation. I took the initiative to learn her job in less than two weeks.At my performance review, the new HR director complimented me on taking the initiative to learn the benefits generalist's job and on how quickly I caught on. She then... view article details

If you're on the job hunt, your first goal is to land an interview. But what you say in the hot seat can impact whether you land the job -- or even a second interview. This article explores the right and wrong ways to answer eight common interview questions. What is your dream job? Wrong answer: "I want to be CEO of Apple Computers." Stay away from naming specific jobs. If you say the job you're interviewing for is your dream job, you'll come off as disingenuous. If you name a job other than the one you're interviewing for, you may give the impression you won't be happy in the position i... view article details

I'm an involved dad and a dad blogger. So are a lot of my friends. That means we constantly seek to promote active and involved fatherhood, talk openly about parenting issues in general, regularly change diapers, cook dinners, do laundry, and we NEVER babysit our kids -- because dads are parents, not babysitters. And when we're not doing that, we're battling against deeply ingrained gender stereotypes and false representations that regularly paint women as natural born caretakers and men as uninvolved morons.This Father's Day, we've got a bone to pick with people.If you're not aware, Salary.co... view article details

Careers on the Way Out 'My job is the WORST!'How many times have you or your friends said that? Usually it's uttered in a moment of frustration or annoyance when everything seems to be going wrong at work. But for the employees who work in the fields included on this list, it very well might be the truth.The website CareerCast.com recently published it's list of the Worst Jobs of 2013. They analyzed several hundred jobs and categorized them by four 'core criteria' with which almost every job deals -- environment, income, outlook, and stress. Using data from the US Census and the Burea... view article details

It's Not Easy, But You Can Make Big Bucks in the Mortgage Industry Each year, the news offers conflicting reports about the economy. It’s bad. It’s picking up. It’s crashing over the fiscal cliff. It’s enough to make one’s head spin! But for qualified sales people seeking new opportunities in 2013, prospects are looking up. The mortgage industry is recovering from the downturn and companies are looking to recruit top candidates as loan officers. But how do you get your foot in the door? Tim Padavic knows a thing or two about getting hired in the mortgage industry. He’s the VP of Business De... view article details

 It's not your parents' workplace anymore - nor their dress code. Gone are the stuffy three-piece suits and conservative skirt sets of times past, replaced with a canvas of khaki on which a world of individuality is expressed, as if to say, 'Trust me: I'm casual.' In some corporations and industries, it's Casual Friday every day of the week. Yet even with today's relaxed standards, it's still not a good idea to show up for work in torn shorts and a baggy tee shirt. Especially if you deal directly with customers, the way you express yourself to the world is far more important than the true you ... view article details