Rich or Poor, Offer Letters Are Still Necessary If you’ve worked at any level in the corporate world, you’ve probably received an offer letter of employment. As a teenager, your first job offer – babysitting, mowing lawns, washing dishes, waiting tables – was probably pretty informal. Ah, but that first official offer letter.Sure, things might have gone great on your interview. You’re 99% sure they’re going to give you the job. Hopefully you negotiated a nice salary increase. You can’t wait to tell your parents and friends. And HR even verbally said you got the position. But it wasn’t... view article details

Comedian John Ramsey has a humorous bit where he complains, “I’m tired of being treated as a second class citizen because I believe in unicorns. I don’t understand why unicorns are so magical, it’s just a horse with a horn. A seahorse exists and that’s 50% fish, 50% horse! I’m just talking about something that is 99% horse, 1% cooler horse.”In the working world (often at startups), there is some debate about whether unicorn employees exist and how much time you should spend looking for them when hiring. A unicorn employee has been described as an “A Player,” a natural leader that is highly ski... view article details

Gambling isn’t just for Las Vegas and Atlantic City anymore and that means the jobs aren’t confined to those two casino giants anymore either.You might say the casino industry is spreading the wealth.According to a 2013 study by the American Gaming Association, there are 39 states with some type of casino gambling whether its commercial casinos or Indian gaming. And there are other states, like New Hampshire, looking to deal themselves in.In 2012, the year covered by the AGA report, 332,075 people were employed in commercial casinos across the country accounting for $13.2 billion in wages. In ... view article details

Q: Dear Heather,I am an African-American female who is working for a company who only seems to want to mentor and promote Caucasian people (especially Caucasian females). After putting in maximum effort for this company and even recreating their company newsletter they previously let fall to the ground, they continued to promote one white person after the other, some with high qualifications and others with only previous fast food experience.All of us African-Americans slowly deflated and realized this company did not want anyone with my ethnic background in leadership. We watched while one Af... view article details

While conducting my full time job search during a down economy immediately after graduating from college, I took a part time job working at a Staples office supply store to earn some extra spending money. It was there that my older co-worker Steve gave me some interesting career advice.As we closed down for the night on a Wednesday, we talked about our weekend plans. I told him that I was a little bummed out that my friends were all getting together on Friday night, but that I had to work, and then I was working again all day Sunday and wouldn’t get to watch football. Meanwhile, he said that h... view article details

Seeing that Father’s Day is right around the corner, I’d like to get a few things off my chest regarding dads.Fatherhood is a hot topic lately, because – ironically enough -- mothers are making big news. With visionaries the likes of Sheryl Sandberg encouraging women to “Lean In,” women are winning the day across the board. Hanna Rosin’s 2010 piece “The End of Men” in The Atlantic painted a damning picture for modern-day men, citing the fact that women outnumber men in the workforce, are earning college degrees at a faster pace than men, and cast men as an antiquated gender that has failed to ... view article details

Is Love in the Office Air? Whether it's Jim and Pam on The Office or a real life saga such as former President Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky, America has a certain fondness (or at least a mild obsession with) the notion of an office romance. And seeing how Cupid is reaching into his quiver as Valentine's Day quickly approaches, we thought it'd be a good idea to ask you -- our readers -- about workplace flings.More than 2,600 of you responded to our survey and opened up your hearts to share your views regarding office dalliances that can't be contained by cubicle ... view article details

The ongoing political debate about the so-called 'war on women' took an unexpected turn this week when a comment by Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen ignited anger among those who feel she was denigrating the work of stay-at-home mothers.Rosen made the statement in question on Wednesday night, during an appearance on CNN. Asked if there was anything wrong with Republicans reaching out to women on economic matters, Rosen replied that there was not. She then went on to say that presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney 'doesn't connect on that issue.'She took issue with Romney citing t... view article details

Managing meetings effectively is a core skill every manager should develop. Although there's no mystery to what makes a meeting productive, it can take practice and attention to detail to become an effective leader of meetings. It all starts with knowing when to call a meeting, and why.Is It a Meeting?How do you know it's time to call a meeting? What type of meeting is it? What's the purpose of the meeting? Here are some typical situations when a meeting may be called for:You're Managing a ProjectProjects tend to require meetings at various stages: at the beginning, as the project plan is comi... 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