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

Getting Respect from Bullies to Bosses Ever feel like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield -- that no matter what you do at work you just 'can’t get no respect?'From the bully in the cubicle next to you to a boss who seems oblivious to your accomplishments to the people reporting to you who are loathe to make any tough decisions themselves, your day at the office carries more baggage than the annual Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws. Yet every moment of the day when we are interacting with other human beings, there is an opportunity -- if not a pressing need -- to assert our influenc... view article details

Here's Everything Your Assistant Wants to Tell You But Can't Administrative assistants (aka executive assistants, or secretaries if you're stuck in the Mad Men days) are essential for any successful business to run properly. They epitomize the phrase 'in the trenches' because they're the ones getting their hands dirty by doing all the things that need to be done that no one else can do quickly and efficiently. All the creative planning and brainstorming is great, but it's the administrative professionals who turn pie-in-the-sky pipe dreams into reality.But because they're so reliable ... view article details

Separate Myth from Good Advice Fishermen have nothing on the world of jobseekers when it comes to tall tales and nebulous information passed on from person to person over the years.Everyone has a job-hunting strategy they swear by, along with a list of things people should never do while searching for a job. Some of it is good advice, other parts are well-intentioned but slightly misguided tidbits passed down from friends and relatives, and the rest is just downright wrong. Very, very wrong.But which well known myths should you avoid? We lay them out in this article, and then replace ... view article details

Don't Make It Any Harder on Yourself Is it any wonder job interviews are such fertile ground for disaster?Just think about it for a second. The hiring manager has to fill the position quickly and with the right person, and has to choose from a pool of candidates who are more than likely desperate to find employment and pay bills. Applicants have an hour or so to present themselves in the best possible light, and if you believe some experts it only takes a few seconds following a first impression for people to make their final judgments. Finally, throw in a hefty portion of self-doubt ... view article details

More Than 90% of All Communication is Nonverbal You've spent hours preparing for an important interview. You've carefully thought out your appearance and practiced answers to potential questions until you have them down cold. You look the part. You sound the part. But will your body language let you down?Check out pictures and videos of actual Salary.com staff members showing you what to do and what not to do when it comes to nonverbal communication.First Impressions Count You've spent hours preparing for an important interview. You've carefully thought out your appearance, a... view article details

Men and Women, Work and Life As we enter the time of year between Mother's Day and Father's Day, Americans also find themselves caught in the middle of shifting norms when it comes to gender, work, and life.Men still earn more money than women, but more women than men are graduating with college degrees. The last few years have seen vastly more men laid off from their jobs due to the economy, while more women than ever before are entering the workforce. On the homefront, stay-at-home parenting duties are no longer strictly relegated to women. The number of stay-at-home dads is rising ... view article details

Many employers will be conducting their annual “focal” reviews over the next few months, which in layman’s terms means the time in which you sit down with your boss and go over your achievements against goals. For most people, it is an uncomfortable conversation that produces as much anxiety as going to the dentist or asking for a raise.For the majority of companies, the annual review is the only formal conversation employees have with their boss about their performance and usually ends with an overview of an employee's new compensation package such as merit increase, bonus payout and stock gr... view article details

Minimize Your Stress Searching for a job is stressful. If the loss of a job continues into an extended time of unemployment, not only does it take a toll on your bank account, but also your self-esteem, confidence, and relationships.Like most people, over my lifetime I’ve experienced job loss for myself, close family members, friends, and colleagues. Based on my experience, I usually offer two pieces of advice, as well as a simple sentence to say at the end of an interview that can take away some of the stress of job searching.Don't Get Too Low Conducting a job search is like... view article details

A company's pay structure is the method of administering its pay philosophy. The two leading types of pay structures are the internal equity method, which uses a tightly constructed grid to ensure that each job is compensated according to the jobs above and below it in a hierarchy, and market pricing, where each job in an organization is tied to the prevailing market rate.A company needs job descriptions for all its positions so that people know where they fall within the organization. A pay structure helps answer questions about who's who, what each person's role is, and why people are compen... view article details