Holiday Movies Have Some Good Work Advice If you're like most Americans, you enjoy one, most, or all of the holiday classics that play around the clock during the holiday season. But I'll bet you didn't realize it's more than just entertainment.That's right, your favorite holiday classic movies also contain some timeless and accurate advice about work, furthering your career, and work/life balance as well. I mean c'mon, did you really think Rudolph was just pulling a sled? Did you think there was nothing more to Frosty than simply being a magic snowman? And don't be fooled by Clark W.... view article details

Everyone Thinks About Changing Careers Most people have thought about changing jobs. But what if you’re someone who has been doing a job for what seems like forever? Someone with a truly unique set of skills? Someone like -- Santa Claus.Even those of us with great jobs occasionally wonder if the grass is greener. So it stands to reason the big guy in red -- who has been doing the same gig for quite a while now -- might be a little bored with dashing, dancing and prancing across the globe every Christmas Eve. But even if he could find someone else to make the toys, drive the sleigh and... view article details

Going to work can be stressful enough on its own. But throw in the stock market's rollercoaster ride of late and you have a host of people ripping their hair out and getting closer and closer to the proverbial ledge. Whether you work on Wall Street or you're agonizingly watching the value of your investments ebb and flow with each shift in the market, there is no escaping the fact that this is a period of tremendous stress and uncertainty.Even if you're not on Wall Street and you don't have a portfolio to worry about, work stress affects nearly all of us. So how do we deal with it... view article details

 “The most wonderful time of the year” can seem like anything but when you're worried about family get-togethers, endless gift lists and shrinking budgets. And if you do not celebrate any holidays during this time, you can end up feeling like an outsider.To top it off, there's often no respite at the office, which can be fraught with potential faux pas and pitfalls during the holiday season. Aside from planning your annual vacation for this particular week, what's an employee to do to avoid feeling like a holiday humbug?Here's our gift to you -- a checklist for maneuvering through the murky mi... view article details

There are times when negotiating your salary can be a multi-layered and complicated process. I’ve seen jobseekers juggling three or more offers, playing companies off of each other, stalling for time, and getting counter-offers to counter-offers like a circus performer spinning plates. Other deals can get complex quickly when you start to weigh the choice between a sure-thing salary, potential bonuses, and long-shot/high-upside stock options. And then there are the situations that have nearly everything in play: compensation, bonuses, equity, job title, relocation costs, vacation time, start d... view article details

Many of us live a large part of our lives online. So it's no wonder that your online presence can have a major influence on your career success.If your present or potential employer searched for you online, what would they find? Would those search results reveal a professional with many marketable skills? Or could the results do more harm than good for your career?Keep reading to learn the essential dos and don'ts for creating (or updating) your online presence.Do: Google your own name It's vital to know what potential employers and clients will find when they search for you.In a 2010... view article details

Most people who find themselves surrounded by 40 tons of ice have likely endured an arctic expedition gone horribly wrong. But for ice sculptor Don Chapelle, that's the amount of ice he handles on a daily basis.Chapelle is the owner and sculptor behind Brilliant Ice Sculpture, New England's prime outlet for fine ice art. He tackles sculptures both large and small with expertise, passion and precision, which has led to his name being synonymous with the ice carving scene of Greater Boston and beyond.Though Chapelle has been sculpting for 33 years, it took some time for the craft to make him a p... view article details

It's the rare person who doesn't feel frazzled at work these days. The threat of layoffs seems to be churning around most offices, and employees who do survive the cut often end up doing the work of their colleagues who left.No matter what's going on around you at work, these tips will help you stay calm -- before, during and after the storm.A: Ask for help If you're the type of person who insists on taking on every little task, even when there is no room left in your schedule, you're headed for trouble. Don't be afraid to delegate or call in favors. B: Breathe Regularly pr... view article details

It's the First & Most Important Question of the Interview This is the first of a two-part series on successful interviewing techniques.When you sit down for a job interview at a new company, the first question from the hiring manager is rarely going to be, “Why don’t you start out by telling me a little bit about your salary.”In fact, anyone that’s been on a number of interviews knows that the opening question they’ll most likely be asked is, “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”However, just because the topic of salary might not come up until the very end of the first interview -- i... 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