Whether you're one of many workers in a row of cubicles or the CEO with the sweet corner digs, your office is the place where you are expected to create, inspire, come up with ideas and do your best work. But if you're spending more time in your office managing stress and frustration than you are doing your job, it could be time to inject a little feng shui into your day.Feng shui, an ancient art and science developed in China more than 3,000 years ago, focuses on creating a harmonious environment using the principles of natural energy flow. As Asian culture has become more popul... view article details

Power, influence, status, recognition, ambition and reward -- as much as we might hate to admit it, the stuff that makes a fast-track career exciting and fun can be the very things that can also do it in. Set any negative connotations aside and face it -- office politics, and playing to win, can make all the difference. In this, the first in a two-part series, we'll examine how to position yourself for the game you'll have to play at some point, like it or not!1. Play with a purpose As with all things work related, you should ... view article details

Dear Annette,One of my teammates is a slacker. I'm tired of carrying his weight. What can I say or do?AtlasDear Atlas,I'll never forget the time Dickie had to fire his pedicurist for inattention and neglect. We were being recognized on International Women's Day in the thrice-named, fictitious Eastern European country where I was born. As we processed down the aisle of the newly repatriated 11th-century cathedral where the ceremony took place, Dickie went 'clickie-clickie' all the way to the altar, paw-nails reverberating for seven seconds. It was as if Pravda's Cold War typing pool were taking... view article details

Part-time work offers employees the flexibility to stay at home with their children, care for relatives, go to school or have more time to themselves. These kinds of jobs are also a way to earn supplemental income throughout the year or on a temporary basis during the holidays. Whether you already have a job and you want to work part-time to supplement your income, or you just need extra money for the holidays, we have some suggestions for jobs that may suit your needs.Part-time Seasonal and Supplemental Jobs Before you start your search, consider the following: Use a... 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

This summer, Americans were paying, on average, $4.09 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline to fuel the vehicles they rely on to get to and from work everyday. This represents an increase of $1.14 over the same time last year.Salary.com™ set out to calculate just how much the escalating cost of commuting to work is eating into the average worker's take home pay. To accomplish this, we established some reasonable criteria.The average worker travels, round-trip, 29 miles each day. Vehicle fuel economy varies, but we will assume an average fuel efficiency rate of 18.8 miles per gallon. We will... view article details

Most job seekers understand the value and importance of a well-organized resume  but spend far less energy on crafting a strong cover letter. What they fail to realize is that resumes and cover letters go hand-in-hand.  Employers are very busy and receive hundreds of resumes leaving little time for individual review. Submitting a thoughtful and well-written cover letter can help you outshine your competition and get you one step closer to an interview. Don’t let the energy you’ve spent on developing the perfect resume go to waste by failing to deliver an effective cover letter.  Here we offer ... view article details

Most employees don't know how to negotiate. Many feel they are underpaid for the work they do, yet they wait until their yearly performance review to begin salary negotiations. Where and when do you begin? Now is the time to convince your boss.According to Lena Bottos, CCP, GRP, if you wait until it is time for your yearly performance review, you'll be too late. Bottos, who is Managing Director of Compensation at Salary.com, shared the following steps with us to help you start off on the right foot and make sure you are in position for a raise.1. Define Your Current Job The first step... view article details

Everyone has worked a summer job at some point. For some those jobs may be their true calling, but for many they are a place to gain some valuable skills and foster passion for their future careers.Read on to see the most popular summer jobs our readers held, and how the skills learned there can help in preparing for a future career. Babysitter Respondents who had this summer job 35.9% A babysitter must learn the fundamentals of relating to young children. Valuable skill for careers in: Child Care Young children get in a lot of scrapes. Successful babysitters learn to use basic fir... view article details

Sometimes life is all about timing. A missed flight connection can have a ripple effect, a stock market aberration can help (or hurt) your financial standing, and leaving a restaurant 10 minutes before your favorite sports team or band rolls in and buys everyone a round becomes a story of what might have been.Timing is a key factor in your job search as well. Of course, people are hired or fired every single day of the year, and companies hold reviews all the time: at the end of the calendar year, end of the fiscal year, the anniversary of your hire date, or handing out a promotion on the spot... view article details