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

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

Just Because You Were Offered the Job Doesn't Mean You Should Take It. The good news is you got the job. Which, in this still-reeling economy, is quite an accomplishment. But the bad news is you're worried you might be settling for a position that isn't the right fit for you. So where do you go from here? Look, the honest truth is there are times when you'll have to take any job offer you can get, even if you know it's a bad fit. Maybe your house is about to be foreclosed on, you can't make rent, or you have a family depending on you for income. We completely understand there will be times whe... view article details

Taking a business trip is often part of the job. You may even enjoy the trip, but that doesn’t make it a vacation. Business travel is considered work time. And when thinking about the business travel compensation and reimbursement you’re owed, you should understand what you’re entitled to. Responsibility for Reimbursing Business Travel Expenses When employers think about business travel compensation, they typically begin by putting reimbursement guidelines in place so employees know exactly what they can (and cannot) expense. Business travel expenses can fly out of control in a hurry, and empl... view article details

Survey Reveals Top Employee Time Wasters at Work A Facebook status update here, a Tweet there and finding that perfect dinner recipe on Pinterest. These days, most jobs require a computer, and workplace distractions are plentiful. But how much time do employees waste visiting personal websites that aren't work-related? And on a more philosophical note, what should we consider to be time wasters at work? We surveyed more than 3,200 people from February to March 2012 to find out the biggest time wasters at work. In this era of constant connectivity, we are slaves to our laptops, smartphones, and... view article details

Navigating the Social Media Minefield Spotting the mistakes of others is easy: The cringe-inducing Facebook status message. The ill-advised 'after hours' tweet. Using Foursquare to check-in at an establishment of questionable repute. While social media provides a multitude of opportunities, the flip side is indelicate revelations are always just a click away.We know, we know...YOU would never do that. But there are other social media blunders that are far less egregious you might be committing. And those mistakes could be holding back your job search or attempts at advancement.Navigat... view article details

The REAL Reasons You're Not Getting Hired On average, resumes are received 200 seconds after being submitted. Once a hiring manager lays eyes on it, he/she will spend anywhere from 5 to 7 seconds reading it before making a decision to pass it on or trash it. If you haven't been getting any callbacks, it's likely you're ending up in the trash. But why?Look, let's start by admitting the hiring process is an imperfect and sometimes unfair science. Companies could see hundreds of resumes for a single opening, and since time is of the essence hiring managers have no choice but to quickly w... view article details

In the mid 1990’s, people were talking about employment brands (EB). Mark Hornung, now the Director of Employment Branding at Teradata, was arguably the first. Throughout the 1990’s he helped very large organizations focus their recruiting efforts with professionalized messaging and audience targeting. In the past two decades, EB became a standard part of the Recruiting Department’s work. There is a direct relationship between the rise of review sites and the increased emphasis on EB. When Hornung began to evangelize the idea, the company could more or less control the message. Today, employe... view article details

Leadership Versus Management Do you know the difference between leadership and management? In Western economies, the lines between the two have become blurred. In her book, The Seven Keys of Charisma (1997), Joanna Kozubska says: “There are times when a leader needs good, systematic management skills and times when a manager must inspire people. We have to be able to do both.” This has significant implications for the way that leaders and managers should be developed. Originally, the difference between management and leadership arose based on the perception that management was about imple... view article details

The foundation laid now often sets the tone for what the future will hold. This philosophy possesses very significant meaning in education. Selecting a place of higher learning definitely helps chart the course for future career opportunities and success. It may not be that any of the schools are necessarily wrong—it’s really about uncovering that one school that is right for you. A few things to consider: Ask the online-accredited colleges to send brochures and information packets about their programs. Seeing the quality and depth of information sent will help determine the type of education... view article details