Q: My facility just was closed. Approximately 80 hourly employees were eliminated, as well as 90 percent of the salaried workforce. I am one of the lucky 10 percent who are being offered postions at a different location. I currently live in a state that has a low cost of living and will most likely be asked to move to a state that has a much higher cost of living. Would it be out of place to ask for that increase in my salary?A: The first thing I would do is speak to my Human Resources Representative and find out what the company's compensation philosophy is. A company's compensation philosoph... view article details

Tips for Living within Your Means'It's not like I'm disorganized,' said Michelle E., a 28-year-old paralegal from Aurora, Colorado. 'My friends even joke about my CD collection being alphabetized. Yet my savings account is always empty and I never manage to pay down my credit cards,' she said.Cathy W. is 36, single, and facing a similar dilemma. 'I'm a freelancer in computer graphics based out of San Francisco. I think I make decent money, but there's never any left over. I don't see how I could ever afford my own home - certainly not in this town. I have no investments, never mind retirement ... view article details

Q. I relocated by choice. When I relocated, I couldn't keep the same position with my company. Now the company has offered me a position comparable to the one I left behind, but at the pay rate I was at before my position changed. What boundaries does my company have to adhere to, and should they calculate a cost-of-living increase? My immediate supervisor told me the cost of living was lower here than where I moved from. But after doing a little research I found that the cost of living is significantly higher where I am now.A. Since this was a voluntary move, the company is under no obligatio... view article details

We all know somebody who seems to have the most unusual job in the world. You know, the guy who calls himself a 'day-time talk-show critic' and gets paid for sitting on the couch all day eating cheesy puffs. What about those people who have unique jobs like roller-coaster designer, pet psychiatrist, or professional food-taster? Do your friends claim they have jobs that don't even exist? What about cushy jobs? We'd like to hear your feedback for our funny and unusual jobs series. Please write in here at salarytalk[at]salary.com. Your comments could be published! view article details

Sometimes part of the fun of landing a new job is that you get to live in a new city – perhaps even on the other side of the country. There are some important factors to consider, however, before deciding to uproot your life for a new gig in a foreign land. For example, moving oftentimes comes with a new cost of living. Your current salary may go further, but there is the chance your salary wouldn’t “stretch” quite as far depending on where your new stomping ground ends up being. We used Salary.com’s Cost-of-living Wizard to determine what it would mean for your financial health if you moved t... view article details

The 7 most affordable US Cities Want to move to a city where the cost of living is relatively low to start your first job? Still struggling with where to move and how to afford living on your own in a city in the United States? Find it exhausting to take all the factors—the price of food, price of apartment renting, price of cars, and the price of clothes—into consideration when you try to find the cheapest place to live? This article takes into account the cost of housing, food, transportation, healthcare, utilities, taxes, and childcare and provides a list of cities with t... view article details

Find Out Which Jobs Will Be In Demand By 2024 Which are the fastest growing careers? Everyone wants a little job security. But in these turbulent times filled with massive changes, how can any of us know if our careers are on solid ground? Luckily, the Bureau of Labor Statistics crunched some numbers and came out with employment projections to the year 2024. So, which are the most in demand jobs? The aging population of Baby Boomers put more than a few health care careers on this list, but check out other popular options amongst the fastest growing careers of the future. 11. Food Prep and Serv... view article details

Kendra wins Apprentice 3!!Another riveting season of 'The Apprentice' is over and has not disappointed with bigger boardrooms, louder candidates, and more innovative challenges. Reality TV buffs have long forgotten last season's winner and now turn their attention to the showdown between the Book Smarts and the Street Smarts. Along with the prestige of becoming president of one of The Donald's companies, this season's Apprentice will earn a hefty $250,000 yearly salary from Trump. But have you ever wondered what the apprentices are making at their day jobs? Perhaps it is more than what Trump i... view article details

Good news for this year’s crop of college graduates! Job Outlook 2008, an annual survey of college recruiters, reports that employers plan to hire 16 percent more new college graduates than they did last year. Reasons for this expanded recruitment effort include an increased demand for many employers’ products and services and a high number of current employees who are retiring or near retirement age. According to the Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Salary Survey says that the overall average starting salary offer to new college graduates, despite a less-than-robust eco... view article details

Be Careful with Your Brand Many job seekers attempt to use a functional format to emphasize specific skills or to cover up problems with the resume, such as job gaps, brief employment periods, or multiple jobs in a short time period. Or you may be trying to brand yourself, in modern terms, with the functional approach. Personal branding is a great idea, but be aware, the functional resume is not the way to create your brand. Even though branding is a popular marketing concept for corporations, the transition to personal branding isn’t always as easy to establish. Brainstorm for a minu... view article details