Which statement best describes how you make a decision?The best decisions are the result of thorough research, where several alternatives are considered, and the pros and cons of each are weighed carefully before reaching a fact-based decision.The best decisions are the result of input from a group—two heads are better than one, and three heads are better than two.The best decisions are the ones I make unilaterally. Just kidding—sort of.The best decisions are the result of brainstorming possibilities and choosing the one that everyone is most excited about.If you are familiar with personality ... view article details

Dear Annette,I am a cubicle dweller, as are most of my coworkers. Even though we try to keep our voices down, we can't help overhearing one another's personal calls. Should we just pretend we don't? What if it's about a subject, such as a medical problem, where one of us could offer help and information? Hear and NowDear Hear and Now,You've hit on one of the ways in which reality is far more convenient than television. On a television show, an inquisitive half-sibling, soon-to-be-ex-spouse, or henchperson has to listen at the keyhole of a thick wooden door or tap a telephone in order to hear t... view article details

Q:  What should I do when a prospective employer asks for salary requirements or salary history in the resume or cover letter?A:  Defer and delay. Never be the first to say a number.Employers will go to great lengths to try to get candidates to disclose their salary requirements first. As the buyer of a service - your time - they are trying to bring down the price they will pay by talking about numbers prematurely and by getting you to give up information first. This puts them at a significant advantage in the subsequent negotiation.Every employer with a job opening has a budgeted range for th... view article details

No One Knows Blue Collar Jobs Better than Mike Rowe At one point or another, you've probably seen someone performing a "dirty" job and said to yourself "You couldn't pay me enough to do that." But Mike Rowe, host of TV's Dirty Jobs, gets paid to do exactly that. And, in an interview with Salary.com last week, said he thinks more people should follow suit. Rowe says America is in the midst of a skilled labor shortage, as hundreds of thousands of available blue collar jobs go unfilled because workers lack the necessary training. But even more upsetting, Rowe said, is the attitude of many Amer... view article details

Don't Freak Out! We've Got Your Office Gift-Giving Strategy Covered With Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the rearview mirror it's time for some minor motivating panic regarding your office gift giving. Smiling at that thought? Tapping your toe to the holiday music? You're obviously ahead of the curve (and slightly obnoxious with the gloating. Keep it down over there). But if you've been procrastinating and the little holiday alarm just went off, it will behoove you to spend the next few minutes reading this article. We're here to help guide you through the minefield of... view article details

Forty years ago, economists predicted that the U.S. workforce was heading into a crisis of leisure - that people would soon have so much free time they wouldn't know what to do with it. As the impact of technology made more and more human labor redundant, it was widely assumed that a four-hour workday, or a three-day week, or even a six-month year would eventually be the norm. Those forecasts couldn't have been more wrong. The amount of time Americans spend at work has increased relentlessly over the last two or three decades. Harvard economist Juliet B. Schor, in her book The Overworked Ameri... view article details

It's mom appreciation time Of course there's no putting a value on the myriad responsibilities in a mom's day. Between all the listening, teaching, cleaning, cooking, driving, fixing, loving and lecturing she does on any given day, every mom is absolutely priceless.That said, it is nice to know one's worth, and we're not talking in messy kisses, macaroni necklaces, dandelion bouquets or Popsicle stick frames. We're talking in cold, hard cash.You might be surprised at what moms would be making if they received a paycheck every week.For all you do, this survey's for you At Sala... view article details

What is a Severance Package? You've just been notified of your last day of employment. Your supervisor hands you a severance agreement and release, and your mind is flooded with questions about your severance package. If you are an employee at will, your employer can terminate you at any time, without notice and with or without severance. After the shock, here are nine things you should consider when reviewing a severance package agreement and managing the transition from one company to your next opportunity. 1. Last Paycheck vs. Severance Package For most people, the first questions that c... view article details

Here Are Some Things Your Boss Never Needs to Know About You or Your Life Keep Personal Info Personal Discrimination in the workplace is illegal. It's also despicable and certainly not anything we condone. In an ideal world, the details of our personal lives wouldn't matter nearly as much as our performance and productivity on the job. But the cold, hard truth is employers may still make decisions based upon details of an employee's life. From judging workers based on Facebook photos to thinking twice about promoting someone with kids or a chronic illness when another employee is free of ... view article details

Stop Focusing on Your Weaknesses & Play to Your Strengths in Job Interviews When I help prepare people for interviews, they inevitably ask how to respond to the "What is your greatest weakness?" question. It's important to be able to identify and discuss something you are actively improving regarding your qualifications (as long as it is not a major requirement of the job and the weakness would disqualify you). But what about the times job seekers are asked about identifying their greatest strength or best accomplishment? All too often, people on job interviews are ill-prepared to talk abo... view article details