COBRA  The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA) is a federal law that protects your right to continued health insurance. COBRA gives former employees, retirees, spouses and dependent children, who were covered by a group health plan on the day before a qualifying event, the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates. One overwhelming drawback to COBRA is the cost. If you and/or your family members qualify for COBRA, you will pay 102% of the insurance premiums until coverage is terminated. Most companies pay a portion of health insurance premiums... view article details

Why are fully employed people job searching amidst a swell of negative job market news? Do employers know what Employees really want out of their jobs? Salary.com has conducted its 4th annual survey of employee job satisfaction to give insight into what really makes employees happy (and unhappy) in their jobs.Fear of Being Fired? You’re not alone. Most people are concerned about the current economy. Layoffs all around and those that have jobs wonder 'Am I next?' It may be a luxury to wonder compared to people struggling to pay their bills. But many employees are dealing with th... view article details

New London topped our list with salary ranges above the national average, a low cost of living, and a low unemployment rate. Are you living beyond your means? Is your paycheck not stretching far enough? Perhaps you're even having trouble finding a job. Maybe it's time to jump a plane to one of the cities at the top of Salary.com's 'Salary Value' index. We found the top (and bottom) US metros for building personal net worth (taking into account local salaries, cost of living, and unemployment relative to the national average). Median base pay was correlated across more than 2,500 different benc... view article details

Think Like a Journalist Think of how many news articles you read daily. Now think about recruiters who review hundreds of resumes day in and day out. What makes the difference between an article -- or a resume -- that may be eagerly devoured in its entirety, and another that merely receives a passing glance? What has to happen in that 3- to 10-second span to garner attention and keep the reader engaged?While the newspaper industry has fallen on hard times during the last few years, it behooves you to think like a journalist when crafting your resume. This mindset may enhance your chan... view article details

Do you hunker down with a bowl of popcorn to watch Forensic Files? Do you TiVo every episode of CSI, including the numerous spin-offs? Then, you might want to consider a career in criminal justice by enrolling in an online criminal justice program. While it used to be that those in the criminal justice system did not go to college, the rapidly evolving science and technology of crime solving, as well as the need to develop verbal skills, writing skills, management techniques and strategic planning ability have led more criminal justice organizations to seek people with degrees. Now, as the fie... view article details

Here Are Some Things Your Boss Never Needs to Know About You or Your Life Keep Personal Info Personal Discrimination in the workplace is illegal. It's also despicable and certainly not anything we condone. In an ideal world, the details of our personal lives wouldn't matter nearly as much as our performance and productivity on the job. But the cold, hard truth is employers may still make decisions based upon details of an employee's life. From judging workers based on Facebook photos to thinking twice about promoting someone with kids or a chronic illness when another employee is free of ... view article details

Once upon a time good employees updated their job skills and advanced to the next career level with the regularity of Mario questing for Princess Peach.But then technology proliferated, and the well-read encyclopedia salesman, savvy VCR repairman and worldly travel agent either faded away or morphed into updated versions of their former selves.Are you prepared for an evolving work environment or, worse, job extinction? Don't be the Cro Magnon who creates trendy CD artwork in an MP3 world.Check out these jobs on the brink and remember,clever and creative are transferable skills -- if you're ada... view article details

Your Values and What You Value Are Always Changing Christmastime is rife with financial responsibilities, so along with that new gym bag and must-have designer shoes, you’re probably thinking about looking for a new job, too. And a big, shiny paycheck to go with it!The biggest compensation boosts come when you leave an employer for greener pastures (there’s a reason they call 'em that). How much of a bump depends on your ability to negotiate, market demand for your skills, and flexibility. In other words, are you willing to relocate to make the really big dollars? (Why, yes…yes, I am.... view article details

Q:  My title is Senior Web Editor at a growing Internet company in New Jersey. With a nearly exact match in responsibilities as indicated for this position in your Salary Wizard, my total compensation falls short of the median by $25,000. I have presented this information to my bosses who assured me they cannot match the Salary Wizard figures and told me I can go elsewhere if I need more money. But my question is, where are these places that are paying $75,000 for my skills? Nobody who I have spoken to in the industry is being paid that well. Are these the companies that are now out of busines... view article details

Or maybe there’s an old boss that you really clicked with that you can reconnect with again. And if you’re really in-demand, companies will start coming after you.In your 30s you’re going to want to look at every part of the package:Make sure your salary is at the top of the rangeHealth benefits become more important, especially if you’re married with kidsPay attention to job title here… it can set you up for success down the lineBonuses can really spike your annual income and add to the bottom lineCLICK TO RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLEHow much are you worth?Personal Salary ReportSearch US Sa... view article details