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

Don't Freak Out After Discovering a Coworker Brings Home a Bigger Paycheck Maintain the Proper Perspective For the most part, you and your colleagues get along fairly well. As a team, you’re pretty much in sync, with each member pulling his or her weight. That is, with the exception of one team member, who does the least amount of work possible. Ironically, you discovered the same colleague also makes the same amount of money as you. It's understandable to get upset, but if you truly want to fix the situation there's a right and wrong way to go about it. Here’s what to do when your colleag... view article details

Job description Psychologists and counselors study the human mind and behavior. Generally, they also make a living trying to help people understand and overcome their troublesome emotions and behaviors. Psychologists apply their knowledge in many different areas, including health, management, education, law, and sports. Psychologists and counselors must have strong communication skills and be able to quickly assess emotionally charged situations. They must be able to learn new methods and skills on an ongoing basis. They also need to be interested in people and the functioning of the human mi... view article details

You've picked an agency - now you have to apply for a spot on the team. It's not as easy as just walking in unemployed and being handed a job (or, placement in temp jargon). The people at the agency have to decide whether they want you to represent their company.Make an appointment at the agency and prepare yourself accordingly. 'Be professional and dress as if it's a 'real' interview,' said Jacqueline Johnson, who has more than 10 years of experience temping in Washington, DC, Boston, Mass., Nashville, Tenn., and Northridge, Calif.Bring a resume with a detailed work history and contact inform... view article details

Comedian John Ramsey has a humorous bit where he complains, “I’m tired of being treated as a second class citizen because I believe in unicorns. I don’t understand why unicorns are so magical, it’s just a horse with a horn. A seahorse exists and that’s 50% fish, 50% horse! I’m just talking about something that is 99% horse, 1% cooler horse.”In the working world (often at startups), there is some debate about whether unicorn employees exist and how much time you should spend looking for them when hiring. A unicorn employee has been described as an “A Player,” a natural leader that is highly ski... view article details

How does a night owl who cannot shift her hours to “normal” navigate the work world? In the first story in this series, Peter Mansbach, Ph.D., president of the Circadian Sleep Disorders Network, shared the basics about a type of circadian rhythm disorder called delayed sleep phase syndrome (also DSPS, or delayed sleep), which half a million Americans suffer.Unlike most night owls, who prefer to go to bed late, delayed sleep sufferers are hard-wired to do so—in fact, they’re responding to a physiological need. Unless they meet that need, they feel exhausted all the time, and conforming to “regu... view article details

Although the electronic age has made it much easier to learn at a distance, the roots of today's distance learning courses are more than 100 years old. Some date distance learning back to 1889, when it was used as a way to provide learning opportunities for teachers who were unable to attend Montreal's McGill University during the cold winter months to study for their degree.Of course, technology has cranked distance learning up to new levels of complexity never dreamed of by chilly McGill students. While originally entirely paper-based, distance learning evolved to include radio broadcasts, s... view article details

While conducting my full time job search during a down economy immediately after graduating from college, I took a part time job working at a Staples office supply store to earn some extra spending money. It was there that my older co-worker Steve gave me some interesting career advice.As we closed down for the night on a Wednesday, we talked about our weekend plans. I told him that I was a little bummed out that my friends were all getting together on Friday night, but that I had to work, and then I was working again all day Sunday and wouldn’t get to watch football. Meanwhile, he said that h... view article details

The Beam family has preserved their reputation as dedicated and accomplished distillery owners, bourbon crafters, and businessmen for more than 200 years. Jim Beam’s quality bourbon has been in production since the 18th century and prevailed through prohibition. Seven generations later, the Beam company continues to evolve with the help of their determined employees. If you ask Marvin Stone, maintenance supervisor at the Booker Noe plant in Kentucky, he will tell you that Beam’s supportive environment is an essential piece to the companies success. “I have never worked anywhere before where th... view article details

Be an Ant, Not a Grasshopper*  Most people know they should invest for the future, but at least half would like to do better. In a Salary.com poll about investments in the company retirement plan, 44 percent of respondents said they contribute, but could do better; 13 percent know they should invest, but have other priorities; and 41 percent said they contribute the maximum. Just 3 percent reported not having a retirement plan. If you're gainfully employed and reasonably satisfied with your career, there are few good excuses for not taking advantage of this benefit. If you've got access to a c... view article details