Just like an interview, a job offer can tell you a great deal about a potential employer. An offer can reveal how serious the employer is about the offer, how valuable you are to the company, and most importantly, whether you should make the move.You'd be wise to think over an offer carefully and negotiate if necessary. Your goal is to make sure the compensation and benefits in your job offer exceed or at least meet your current status.Jobs are customarily offered over the telephone or in person. The employer should offer more than just, 'Congratulations, you've got the job.' He or she should ... view article details

At some point in the job application process, you might find yourself in a tight spot. What do you do when asked for a salary history? You may be gunning for a job with greater responsibilities than in your last one, or making a transition to an industry that pays better than the one you're in now. You may even be willing to take a paycut if you believe you've truly found your dream job. Either way, submitting salary history could compromise your position of advantage when it comes time to negotiate your pay. The relevant measure of worth is the fair market value of the open position, not what... view article details

Figuring Out What You Want to Do Figuring out what you want to do and what you are good at is something we’re asked to do from the time we are little, and people start asking: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Most of us may have answered that question with a job or a title. And we never stop wondering if we got it right. Careers As Incremental Goals? The other day, I had a great conversation with someone who is building an app that helps you manage your career. I asked him to tell me about it. His story is worth understanding. “Careers,” he said, “are a combination of short term, ... view article details

Job description Lawyers act as both advisors and advocates to their clients. They represent either the defense or prosecution side in criminal and civil trials. They are responsible for presenting evidence and arguments that best support their client. Lawyers advise their clients regarding a multitude of issues in both business and personal matters. Lawyers will usually specialize in a certain area of law, such as healthcare, probate, international, and environmental law, among others. Most lawyers work in private practices dealing with either criminal or civil law cases. The National Associa... view article details

Looking to negotiate your salary? Maybe you’ve received a job offer, or maybe you are simply looking to get a raise at your current company. Either way, salary negotiation can be a gut-wrenching process. Of course you want more money or more benefits, but will it affect the way your manager views you? Could the new company withdraw their offer in favor of a candidate looking for less? Many people are afraid of asking for more – particularly women, with a shocking 7% of women attempting to negotiate their first salary. And, for those that are unemployed, working in a toxic environment, or switc... view article details

They Didn't All Win Oscars, But These Work-Related Movies Hold a Special Place in Our Hearts And the Oscar Goes to... The nominees for this year's Academy Awards feature whimsy and fantasy, wartime adventures and family dramas. These movies may be praiseworthy, but they largely lack any perspective on the things that occupy most viewers' daily lives: impersonal cubicles, tedious commutes, the chances of promotion. We, therefore, have assembled an alternate list of deserving films that offers a peek into what it is to be a worker, striving for career advancement and negotiating all the hurdl... view article details

Descriptions of job titles appear in a variety of forms in the workplace. Recruitment ads, compensation surveys and other benchmarking tools, as well as corporate or departmental development plans all use some method of describing a job. The brief descriptions of highlighted positions that are seen in compensation surveys and other benchmarking tools are called job descriptors. These outline the major responsibilities associated with the position that can be applied universally. These are therefore sometimes standardized. While they may contain details like exemption status or job location, t... view article details

Get a Tan & a Raise If the winter of 2013-2014 felt like one of the worst on record in your town, it probably was. The amount of snow in Chicago and New York City was in the top 10 all time, while Minneapolis had 50 days with temperatures below zero (and not surprising, reported 225 cases of frostbite). And even if you tried to escape it, the number of canceled flights was the worst in two decades.In other words, bring on summer!However, just because you can finally exchange your snowsuit for your swimsuit, it doesn’t mean you should ignore your career for the next few months.Here are... 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 some... view article details

Is Love in the Office Air? Whether it's Jim and Pam on The Office or a real life saga such as former President Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky, America has a certain fondness (or at least a mild obsession with) the notion of an office romance. And seeing how Cupid is reaching into his quiver as Valentine's Day quickly approaches, we thought it'd be a good idea to ask you -- our readers -- about workplace flings.More than 2,600 of you responded to our survey and opened up your hearts to share your views regarding office dalliances that can't be contained by cubicle ... view article details