Dear Annette,What is the best way for a new employee to remember the other employees' names? I will be starting a new job in a few weeks as the payroll manager so, of course, I have to get names down very quickly. I sometimes have a problem remembering names. Help! Guess WhoDear Guess Who,It's the sheer volume of people waiting inside the theater, not lack of confidence in the film, that makes a movie star's stomach flutter on the way to her premier.And so it is with a new job. You arrive, walk into the office, and notice that every coworker you meet has a nickname, first name, last name; some... view article details

Dear Annette,My boss talks to other employees about employees. Is this an accepted practice? He claims to be quite educated in new management styles. However, I do not feel as though I should know that he is thinking about firing his secretary, also known as my coworker. Sincerely, Rather Not KnowDear Rather Not Know,Perhaps like me you recall the era when information was the currency of fabulousness. How much energy and time used to go into hiding and discovering secrets? How many Saturday and Sunday mornings has my dog Dickie spent sniffing around the back doors of my little Beverly Hills ne... view article details

Folks, you might be wondering what your fellow job-seekers and compensation enthusiasts have searched the most on our Salary Wizard. Here is the top ten - with salary range and average as well as job descriptions. 1. Physical Therapist Salary range: $77,510-$91,296 Average: $84,141 What you’ll do: Evaluate and treat patients suffering from a physical disability due to injury, disease, or surgery. This person establishes treatment plans and treats patients using a variety of methods, including exercises, stretching maneuvers, hands-on therapy, and equipment to ease patients' pain and help th... view article details

Pace Yourself How can an introvert get into the zone more quickly when giving a talk? First, quick is a relative term. An introvert's quick could be an extrovert's slow. Not that we're sluggards and dullards---we just need to go at our own pace.Get Some Rest While an extrovert might blast out onstage after schmoozing all day, get a further charge from all the people in her audience, and then give a speech worthy of the Academy, that combination of activities could deplete an introvert, making him feel like ducking for cover. Remember: an extrovert's fuel can be an introvert's... view article details

'Now ever since I was young it's been my dream That I might drive a Zamboni machine I'd get the ice just as slick as could be And all the kids would look up to me.'- Gear Daddies, 'The Zamboni Song,' bonus track from Billy's Live BaitThose lyrics from the Gear Daddies' ode to the ZAMBONI ice resurfacing machine are fitting for Al Sobotka, keeper of the ice at Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings. Sobotka, a lifelong hockey fan, began working at the arena when he was in high school.'It was just a job I got when I was in high school, and I kept at it, working in the maintenance departm... view article details

Know What You Need to Succeed When a Firm Handshake Isn't Possible: 8 Skype Interview Tips Online Job Interviews More Common Than Ever Organizations interested in reaching a diverse applicant pool are finding it easier than ever to search well beyond their backyards for ideal employees. Thanks to technology, a growing number of companies are using virtual interview software and applications to screen the field of contenders without spending loads of time and money on travel. A virtual interview allows employers and candidates to "meet" and interact using video, instant messaging programs, an... view article details

Not Using Company Medical Benefits? Negotiate Other Perks Instead When it comes to the topic of negotiation, most people's main focus is on salary. As David Lee Roth reportedly once said, "Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it." However, an increasingly important factor in an overall compensation package is health benefits. According to a 2007 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, since 2001 premiums for family coverage have increased 78%, while wages have risen 19% and inflation has risen 17%. In 2010 the OECD ranked the US #1 in t... view article details

Improving Businesses All of us practice project management in our lives, whether we know it or not. We are all involved in planning and organizing our everyday tasks, career, and work responsibilities. In the business world, project management is a high level skill, and a demanding career choice. Project managers are key employees in every industry and all types of companies, all over the world. Project Management itself is rapidly becoming one of the most important processes within a company. The number of PMs has risen considerably as companies have begun to realize the valuable benefits the... view article details

Do you care about making a difference as much as you care about your career? "Green" jobs -- defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as jobs that produce goods or services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources, or jobs that use more environmentally friendly processes or fewer natural resources -- have outpaced jobs in other categories by almost 250 percent over the last decade, and growth doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The 12 in-demand jobs profiled in this article show how you can make some green -- while going green. Organic farmer As consumers bec... view article details

Are You Showing Your Best Side Online? Pop quiz: What's the scariest thing you can do?A. Handle a barrel filled with angry rattlesnakes.B. Make hairpin turns in a tractor-trailer around a twisty mountain pass.C. Give an online video presentation.If you answered C, this story is for you. (I can't help with snakes or big rigs). Whether it’s your video debut on YouTube, a job interview on Skype, a meeting on WebEx, or a class online, how can you look and sound engaging while being authentic?Online presentations take many forms: sitting or standing; one person presenting to one, two, or a... view article details