How to Keep a Low Profile & Stay Out of Office Gutter Politics Office Politics? Proceed with Caution We recently ran an article about why it's imperative for successful employees to engage in office politics. But as in the case everywhere, reasonable people will disagree. And that includes the writers at Salary.com. So here's the flip side of the office politics coin. Office politics occur in most workplaces. When employees spend hours per day together and vie for the same promotions and raises, competition is inevitable. Some people claim office politics are an essential part of the workpl... view article details

Reaping the Benefits Every morning Jay Fox wakes up at 4:30 to tend his 20-acre farm. Cleaning chicken coops, tilling fields, and hand-weeding three large gardens can't wait for the sunrise. There's no snooze button and hardly any sick or vacation days when it comes to working with nature. "It's all seasonal work. What you do on the farm depends on the season," said Fox. "You can be doing anything from spreading manure to weeding a garden to baling hay depending on the time of the year." Although Fox works long hours practically every day, he gets to enjoy the many perks of tilling the beautif... view article details

Creatures of the Deep Two hundred miles out to sea, Tonie Chute checks that she is tethered securely to her research vessel and then goes to the deck's edge to help guide an 800-pound sampling net into the water. The net's fine mesh traps the tiny plankton, samples of which Chute and other marine biologists will analyze in the National Marine Fisheries Service laboratory back on shore as they investigate the effects of global warming on fish populations. . . "I chose this work because I wanted to be outside and get really dirty, something I try to remember when I'm cold and frightened," said C... view article details

Ways to Gain Negotiating Leverage Even When the Salary is Fixed Is it fair for a company to offer a job with a non-negotiable salary? Sometimes life isn’t fair. This is especially true in the job market, where one person might quickly land their dream job and increase their salary by $10,000, while the next person might be unemployed for months, be forced to tap into their savings, before finally taking an unfulfilling job at a low salary. I recently came across the following question: “How fair is it for a company to offer a job with a non-negotiable salary? It is considered an entry-lev... view article details

Few things are as challenging as looking for work. Making smart decisions involves a host of variables that may be quite contradictory. Figuring out where you want to work next involves balancing location (where you work), occupation (what you do), compensation (what you make), and availability (what jobs are open). The earliest stages of the job hunt are a lot like a game of MadLibs™. For starters, fill in the following blanks in this simple CareerMadLib: I want to be a(n)  (name of occupation)   working in  (name of location)   making   (annual salary) . Think About What Means the Most to ... view article details

How to Brand Yourself in 14 Short Steps Wondering how to brand yourself? One of the best ways to articulate your skills, experience, knowledge, and overall worth in today's competitive job market is to create a personal brand that helps you stand out in the crowd. According to management expert and author Tom Peters, "We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer of a brand called You." This article explores 14 steps to branding yourself successfully. Step 1: Determine your unique value proposition Spend some time thinking ... view article details

As every job seeker knows, it's a jungle out there. So, when conventional approaches to your search leave you feeling defeated, it may be time to consider something unconventional. Here are 10 tips every 'guerilla job hunter' should consider if they want to win the battle.Don't let them get you down Don't fall into the 'send resume and salary expectations' trap and forgo engaging on your terms. Instead, send a (one-dollar) Starbucks gift card and suggest meeting for coffee at a nearby location. At that time bring your resume taped to a pound of fresh-ground coffee. Remember, one way o... view article details

Think Ahead While there are no ways to guarantee that a negotiation will succeed, there’s one way that will pretty much ensure that a negotiation will fail, and that’s to go in without any kind of plan.Common errors include entering a negotiation without doing research of your value on the market, not role-playing the conversation in advance to make sure your selling points are on target (and preparing for pushback on those selling points), and the least effective technique: barging into your boss’ office randomly and deciding to demand a raise or promotion.I recently came across a ve... view article details

You've Got Your Diploma, but Now What? As graduation approaches, many young job seekers are wondering how they can land an opportunity in this very challenging job market.Lindsey Pollak, a recognized expert on next-generation career trends, recently released a new edition of her terrific book, Getting from College to Career. Lindsey graciously agreed to answer some questions to help new professions get hired in a hurry. In this first of a two-part series, Lindsey shares advice about goal-setting and offers insights for the new grad who can’t decide what to do next.Don't Hesitate to Ge... view article details

Flexible Workplaces Becoming the Norm When looking for a job, you're likely focused on what type of position you'd like to land and probably not paying attention to hiring trends or hiring manager surveys. In fact, you may not even know that a relatively recent Flexpaths-LinkedIn Virtual Think Tanks study suggested 'flexible' workplaces would become inevitable by 2015 because employers recognize their targeted employees expect some flexibility when it comes to their jobs. Many Workers Will Sacrifice Money for Flexibility Are you one of the 42 percent of working adults who wou... view article details