Sometimes It's a Good Thing NOT to Negotiate Salary There Are Times to Play It Safe A common misconception about negotiation is that it is all about winning -- always asking for more money at every opportunity, always getting the largest possible salary, always getting the highest possible job title. While devising intricate strategies, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent, and determining a plan of attack can make the process of negotiation seem very much like going to war, the reality is that it is a series of battles throughout your working life. As the general in char... view article details

These Careers Are Worth the Price of College Admission Is College Still Worth the Money? Maybe. As the cost of education continues to skyrocket and job prospects remain less than robust in a tough economy, the answer to the question, "What are you majoring in?" seems more important than ever. There’s no getting around it. Education is expensive. A four-year degree at a public university costs, on average, $37,343, while an education at a private school will set you back $121,930. While statistics show that a college degree will undoubtedly open doors and increase your earning potential, you... view article details

These "Worthless College Degrees" Might Make You Happy, But Fail the Tuition ROI Test College: Is it Worth It? What's more expensive than going to college? Until recently, the answer was easy: not going to college. Numerous studies over the years have shown that individuals with college degrees significantly out-earn those with high school degrees by $1 million or more over the course of a lifetime. But as the cost of education increases faster than inflation, people are beginning to question how they spend their education dollars. As student loans hit the $1.5 trillion mark and more and mo... view article details

Careers That Don't Require You to Commute Farther Than Your Living Room Yahoo! Makes Waves by Banning Work-from-Home Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, caused quite a stir this week when she told her employees they would no longer be allowed to work at home. And in doing so, both sides of the always contentious debate have sprung into action either supporting Mayer's decision or lambasting it. Mayer and Yahoo! have said their policy is not a referendum on the wisdom of working at home, but simply what's best for the company. They feel nothing truly replaces face-time and person-to-person interac... view article details

Solutions to Disclosing Your Past Salary During a Job Interview If revealing your current salary is the most common mistake job seekers make when negotiating salary, then the dreaded "Salary History" box on job applications is public enemy #1. Here at Salary.com, I don’t think we can give you enough case studies showing you examples of different ways you might handle this situation. Here’s one that came up with a recent client. "Cheryl" is 25 years old, working in her second job at a major corporation, and got an interview for a really great job. As with many cases, with her interview pending ... view article details

There has never been a better time to plan your career path. In today’s war for talent, there are more job vacancies than unemployed individuals to fill them. Career growth will certainly evolve in the future. A report by Dell Technologies estimates that 85% of the jobs today’s learners will be doing in 2030 haven't even been invented yet – good luck future Marty McFly! So whether your plan for career growth in the new year is to enter the workforce for the first time, move into a more senior role, or make a lateral move, you should start strategizing now. But with so many possibilities, how d... view article details

How to Counter A Job Offer To Get A Higher Pay In the world of salary negotiation, there’s an important word that comes up quite often: Leverage. By definition, it means using a situation or advantage to obtain a desired result, in our case, negotiating a higher salary. When you’re looking to gain leverage, it often comes as a result of having other options. Someone who already has a steady income in a job has more options than someone who has been out of work for 6 months with bills piling up If you have in-demand skills, such as a mobile software development, you’re going to have mor... view article details

Figure Out Which of Your Employees Are Causing a Problem Interested in good employee morale, team chemistry, and improved retention. Then you'd better realize your employees don't have to be best friends, but they do have to at least get along for productivity's sake. Quality coworkers can be the reason some people stay at a job, while horrible colleagues can make every day in the office a living hell from which they'll almost certainly want to escape. If you’ve spent any time managing employees, you’ve no doubt experienced a cornucopia of annoying workers. But have you ever wondered which one... view article details

Is Your Boss Actually Terrible? Everyone thinks they have a terrible boss, but how do you know if it's actually true.Do you like your job and company but dread your boss? Are you constantly taking the fall for your boss because of decisions you didn't even make? Do all of your coworkers agree with you regarding your assessment of your supervisor? Or could it be YOU who is the problem, not your boss?It's important to determine because most people don't quit jobs, they quit bosses. So if you can pinpoint your boss as the cause of the majority of your distress -- especially during the jo... view article details

There are times when negotiating your salary can be a multi-layered and complicated process. I’ve seen jobseekers juggling three or more offers, playing companies off of each other, stalling for time, and getting counter-offers to counter-offers like a circus performer spinning plates. Other deals can get complex quickly when you start to weigh the choice between a sure-thing salary, potential bonuses, and long-shot/high-upside stock options. And then there are the situations that have nearly everything in play: compensation, bonuses, equity, job title, relocation costs, vacation time, start d... view article details