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

Q: I have researched all over about what kind of compensation you should get for being on call, but have found nothing. Right now I get paid for three extra hours each week for being on call Monday through Sunday from 7pm to 5am. When I get called in, I am guaranteed a minimum of two hours' pay. When I was employed at another company I was on call for a week and I got paid two hours on the hour after my regular work day (16 hours), and that was for seven days. When I got called in I got paid for four hours automatically.This seems like a big difference. I would like some information to present... view article details

Q: I was offered a 'promotion' from receptionist/office clerk to administrative assistant/office manager of a new venture in a different office. I inadvertently found out that the person they hired to replace me as receptionist/office clerk started at the same wage as I am currently making. I might add that this move/promotion was a lateral move in that no additional pay or bonuses were involved, even though the position requires much more of me as well as a little further commute to the office and full responsibility for starting up and stocking the new office space. What, if anything, should... view article details

Q. I have accepted a job at a salary that is far less than I was making earlier as a contractor for the same company. I talked to the human resources department, and they are not ready to increase the salary yet. I was thinking of talking to the manager on the first day of work regarding the salary. What do you advise?A. It is never a good practice to accept a position, then ask for an increase in your salary the first week on the job. The best time to negotiate a competitive salary is before you accept your job, when both you and the employer are trying to establish a relationship. You accept... view article details

Q. I started with my present company in Raleigh, NC, in February as an HR assistant on a temp-to-hire basis at a salary of $25,000. In March, the company hired me full-time and increased my salary to $28,000.At the time I came on board, our HR director resigned. We were without an HR director for about two months. Then the benefits generalist turned in her resignation. I took the initiative to learn her job in less than two weeks.At my performance review, the new HR director complimented me on taking the initiative to learn the benefits generalist's job and on how quickly I caught on. She then... view article details

Q. I have been running a small startup company for almost four years. Four of us are consulting to the company in various executive roles. I'm the founder and president, handling a wide range of duties, but mostly in business development. I have the skill set and experience of most directors of business development or higher positions. My role has also exposed me to areas in which business development professionals are not typically involved.In considering other employment opportunities, how do I know which executive level I qualify for given my diverse background? Will companies discount my s... view article details

Do you work in the retail industry? If you’re curious about various roles in the retail space and how much employees in these kind of roles earn on average, you’ve come to the right place. Using Salary.com data, we provided the average salaries of 10 jobs in the retail industry. We also provided job description summaries so you can determine if your skillset matches up: 1) Retail Cashier What you’ll earn, on average: $22,735 What you’ll do: Maintain cash register and rings sales in accordance with established procedures. This person also processes returns, refunds, and exchanges, and closes ... view article details

The only way to truly get the life you want is by taking positive risks and planning a strategy for doing so.'Unlike negative risks, which are typically impulsive and emotionally driven, positive risks are calculated,' says Gail McMeekin, a nationally recognized creativity and HR career coach (www.creativesuccess.com). 'You must think them through, and anticipate what could happen,  before you jump.'Choosing to find a mentor to help accelerate your career is one way of taking a positive risk.  Develop “a road map” by first deciding if you want the mentor to be someone inside the company... view article details

There's no doubt that job seekers face more competition than ever these days. Throwing your resume into the pile can feel like throwing a penny into a fountain. With the sheer number of experienced, qualified candidates who are also competing for jobs, just making it to the interview phase can seem like an accomplishment.Always the bridesmaid? But what if you are one of those job seekers who consistently make it through several interview rounds, only to receive, in the end, a rejection letter wishing you well in your job search?Being a perpetual finalist can be inc... view article details

Stand Out in a Crowd Hiring managers see thousands upon thousands of resumes every year. That's why job seekers have to stand out in a crowd if they harboring any hope they'll be hired.When you're writing a resume, what you don't know can hurt you. John Kalusa is a nationally recognized writer who speaks about corporate sales, recruiting, and personal career management. With over 25 years of experience as a strategic recruiting, human resources, and sales and marketing management leader in start-ups and Fortune 250 companies, he's well qualified to comment on what the hiring manager w... view article details