Epidemic Outbreak – Will I Lose My Job or Get a Decrease in Salary? Over the past decade, the economy has continued to develop, and employment growth has been strong. The unemployment rate in the United States was close to a record-breaking low before the outbreak of the pneumonia. The Washington Post conducted an interview with more than 20 businesses and their workers, in which many Americans express how they have lost their jobs this week due to the new coronavirus pandemic. The pneumonia is hitting the U.S economy and bringing many industries to a standstill, wh... view article details

Do you have high aspirations to teach as a professor at college? Professors perform a number of duties including producing scholarly articles, conducting research, and teaching courses to college or university-level students. Moreover, a good professor also loves interacting with people, has excellent verbal and communication skills, and is organized enough to create an engaging course curriculum and syllabus. Even though many professorial roles have the same underlying requirements, not all of these positions are paid the same. Many professorial salaries vary by subject matter (department) a... view article details

Those with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree tend to enjoy a higher pay scale than those who hold “just” a bachelor’s degree. But the pay increase within a specific role may not be as much as you think. And the cost may not be worth the gain. Find out if MBA degree holders truly do earn more, or whether there may be other factors at play. Contributing Factors Toward Greater Earnings from an MBA While college should be all about self-discovery, following your passion, and learning, it is so much more. This is especially true when pursuing graduate degrees that students hope will ... view article details

Where do you get your salary data? Why isn't the Salary Wizard dispensing 'accurate' numbers? Should pilots who keep secrets about flying their client's mistresses around get bigger raises?These are just some of the questions you asked us. And we brought in the big guns to get you all the answers.While most of you are already familiar with Aaron and Wendy---the hosts of Salary Talk---this week we bring in Patrick and Mike, two other Salary.com employees, to get all of your questions answered. While Wendy gives a great primer/refresher on properly using the Salary Wizard, Patrick talks about th... view article details

Are Young Workers "Lost?" A recent piece in the New York Times by Todd G. Buchholz and Victoria Buchholz calls 20-somethings the 'go-nowhere generation' based on their statistical reluctance to relocate for work. They note, 'The likelihood of 20-somethings moving to another state has dropped well over 40 percent since the 1980s, according to calculations based on Census Bureau data…According to the Pew Research Center, the proportion of young adults living at home nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008, before the Great Recession hit.'Whether or not you believe Millennials are sedentary... view article details

Dear Annette,Everything in my tiny cubicle is beige. Day after day I arrive at my desk and think, 'Well, there go all my ideas.' All this beige is making me blue. Annette, how can I bring my workspace to life?Dingy in DaytonDear Dingy,Three words: accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Nothing stimulates creativity like nice things. You clearly need to give your cubicle a makeover.Besides, everything talks. Every book and every accessory communicates something about your motivation, attitude, and of course, personal style. Why Blah when you can Blossom?Give your office space the same loving to... view article details

Q:  I am working on my associate degree with a double major in purchasing/business management. I have been a co-op student with the same company in the procurement department for a year and a half, and have just finished my co-op requirement. I really enjoy working in this field. I have a background in accounts payable, personnel, and office administration.The company doesn't have a position available for another buyer, only the co-op position. I keep hoping they will create one just for me, but that is unlikely. My purchasing manager is allowing me to stay as long as he is allowed to keep me.... view article details

Quick -- what's your most important business skill? Give up? It's your personality. And until you understand what personality type you are and how you can successfully mesh with others, you'll never truly reach your maximum potential.That's the message from Kate Ward, author of 'Personality Style at Work: The Secret to Working with (Almost) Anyone,' who uses a personality style model that categorizes people into distinct categories based on qualities such as assertiveness and expressiveness. As this week's guest on Salary Talk, Kate explains the different personality styles to Wendy and Aaron,... view article details

Your performance standards establish the link between the company's objectives and your job description. Your manager will translate corporate objectives into acceptable performance standards for your position given the tasks in the job description. The job description identifies measurable tasks, and the performance standards establish the acceptable levels for each of those tasks.For example, if the job description for a loan officer at a bank says, 'Identifies and assists prospective clients in the loan application process,' the loan officer's performance standards for this task would relat... view article details

Dear Annette,How do I know whether I'm the one with bad breath? And if it's me, what can I do about it?Minty in MontanaDear Minty,On the Internet no one knows what you smell like, although my dog Dickie is eagerly awaiting the day he can introduce the line of downloadable fragrances he's been working on ever since the lawn started to thaw. But if your business is in the realm of Atoms, rather than Bits, it's reasonable to want to present yourself in the best light and the freshest air.How Sexy is the Sexiest Man Alive if he turns heads in the other direction when he opens his mouth to speak? H... view article details