The competition is fierce in today's job market, and standing out in the crowd is more important -- and challenging -- than ever before.How do you know you're giving employers exactly what they are looking for? This article explores 12 human resources hot buttons.Hot Button 1: Results Today's employers are less concerned with your past experience and responsibilities. Instead, they want to know what you've actually accomplished. Use plenty of words in your resume and interview that end in the letter 'd' -- 'developed,' 'initiated,' 'led,' 'increased.'Hot Butto... view article details

 Ways to Decrease Involuntary Turnover EMPLOYER MYTH #1: Employees are browsing but not actively looking around for new jobs. FACT: Over 60% of employees are actively looking to leave their employer within the next three months. Additionally, the intensity of employees' job search is grossly underestimated by many employers. Many employers understand that their employees may be looking - especially in the beginning of the New Year. However, employers greatly underestimate the specific actions employees have taken and their timeline for leaving. Employees are twice as active in their searc... view article details

Has America's Relationship with Work Shifted? America is a country that has long prided itself on sweat, determination and hard work. We love stories about people putting in the hours, working harder than everyone else, and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps to enjoy financial success. Historically that’s been true, but is it still the case?This country has changed dramatically over the years, but we wanted to find out if Americans still value work the way they used to. So we sent out our “Working Study” survey, and nearly 3,000 of you answered. Do we live to work as our grandp... 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

Solutions to Disclosing Your Past Salary During a Job Interview If revealing your current salary is the most common mistake job seekers make when negotiating salary, then the dreaded "Salary History" box on job applications is public enemy #1. Here at Salary.com, I don’t think we can give you enough case studies showing you examples of different ways you might handle this situation. Here’s one that came up with a recent client. "Cheryl" is 25 years old, working in her second job at a major corporation, and got an interview for a really great job. As with many cases, with her interview pending ... view article details

Millennials: Why Are They Still Borrowing Money from Their Parents? By Tory Waldron They’re lazy, they’re entitled, they still live at home – leeching off their parents. Who are they? Millennials, of course. Well, that’s the perception anyway: a generation of “Peter Pans,” destined to never grow up, or move out. Are all millennials idle do-nothings, expecting trophies for just showing up? Or, could this simply be a matter of bad press and a lack of bigger picture thinking? Let’s explore what makes this tribe of 20 and 30-somethings tick (and perhaps put some of these stereotypes to rest). ... view article details

Before You Relocate, Pick the Strategy That Makes Sense for You On a cold January day many years ago, Eric was visiting his parents and sat down for a nice Sunday night dinner. He had an announcement. After living his entire life on the east coast, he declared that he wanted to find a new job in a different part of the country. By the end of the summer, he wanted to live in one of his target cities: Seattle, San Francisco, or Austin. His parents, who had always been supportive, listened intently. His mom chimed in, “That sounds exciting. When you get a job offer, make sure you negotiate for... view article details

Putting Interests Like "Alligator Wrestling" Helps You Stand Out & Land Job Interviews Standing Out is Key Like many hiring managers across the country, several years back I was faced with a common scenario: A stack of resumes a mile high for a single job opening (in this case, an entry-level QA technician). First of all, the stats you hear are true -- you really do only have a few seconds to make an impression with your resume. As I quickly scanned the resume of an applicant named Joe, things were looking good. He had held jobs that were relevant to the position, he had a strong educationa... view article details

Survey Reveals Top Employee Time Wasters at Work A Facebook status update here, a Tweet there and finding that perfect dinner recipe on Pinterest. These days, most jobs require a computer, and workplace distractions are plentiful. But how much time do employees waste visiting personal websites that aren't work-related? And on a more philosophical note, what should we consider to be time wasters at work? We surveyed more than 3,200 people from February to March 2012 to find out the biggest time wasters at work. In this era of constant connectivity, we are slaves to our laptops, smartphones, and... view article details

Engagement is King Whether your audience is a roomful of caffeinated convention-goers or a lone gatekeeper to potential employment, your first task is engagement. Those initial seconds will either open a pathway or lay the first bricks of a wall — and unfortunately, it's easy to unwittingly build barriers.So how can you better forge connection with your audience instead?As a reformed speech class dropout who grew into public speaking and radio/TV interviews, I'm prime proof that engagement skills can be learned and improved upon. Presentations and interviews represent high-pressure co... view article details