You’re probably in a fantasy football league. If your league is really competitive, you’ve probably spent a lot of time researching the best players for your team by buying magazines, studying depth charts, analyzing position rankings, or soliciting advice from experts on Twitter.If all this is true, you’ve probably heard of Dave Richard.As the Senior Fantasy Writer for CBSSports.com, Dave has a job most sports fans and stat-obsessed fantasy football geeks envy---he gets paid to watch professional football and then discuss it. Dave is paid to pick out the best players in the NFL and estimate h... view article details

More women than ever are entering the workforce. The number of women earning college degrees has now passed that of men. We are seeing an increase in the number of female executives at major corporations. So why do women still earn just 77 cents to a man's dollar? It's a good question, and one that Evelyn Murphy has spent most of her life trying to answer and solve. Murphy has a distinguished political career, including the distinction of being elected the first female lieutenant governor in the history of Massachusetts in 1986. She currently serves as the president of The WAGE (Women Are Gett... view article details

Most people think of games as fun entertainment. But searching for a job and getting hired is a game too, and it's one that many people have been playing for far too long in these tough economic times. And one of the big problems is many of the people playing don't know the rules.So says Skip Freeman, author of Headhunter Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed...Forever, who is this week's Salary Talk guest. As a professional headhunter himself and president of an executive search firm, Freeman tells Aaron and Wendy the stunning truth: that many people don't know what they'r... view article details

How do I discuss returning to full-time after an absence? Q: After leaving my company to handle family matters for about 10 months, I was called in to discuss a more flexible, seasonal schedule. I returned to work part-time, with no benefits, and on an hourly basis, working three days a week in the slow season (seven months of the year) and six days during the busy season (the remaining five months). Now, my employer would like me to work 32 hours weekly with full-time benefits. Should I also ask for an hourly raise? Or, do I work 'day rate' as some in my company do? Or, do I go back to salary... view article details

Dear Annette,Someone keeps stealing my lunch from the office kitchen. I think I know who it is, but I'm not sure I want to confront the person. What should I do? Lunchless in Lincoln Dear Lunchless,Your plight reminds me of a balmy spring day several years ago when my dog Dickie and I did an on-site etiquette seminar on an oil rig in the Caspian Sea. As I demonstrated to the energy-efficient crew how to convert the simplest white paper bag into an elegant dining surface, a rare bird-of-prey swooped down and made off with one of Dickie's grilled sardines. I was so startled I nearly dropped the ... view article details

So you have an idiot boss. Now what?Dr. John Hoover is the author of 'How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive Without Killing Your Boss,' and this week he talks to Aaron and Wendy about what to do if---like so many of us have at one point or another---you work for an idiot. But while some people might read the title and assume this one big kvetching session about bad bosses, they're wrong.Hoover knows about Idiot Bosses because---well, he used to be one. That's why he's well-qualified to offer up tips such as NEVER badmouth the boss. Think about it: would you rather be known as the employee... view article details

Dear Annette,My boss talks to other employees about employees. Is this an accepted practice? He claims to be quite educated in new management styles. However, I do not feel as though I should know that he is thinking about firing his secretary, also known as my coworker. Sincerely, Rather Not KnowDear Rather Not Know,Perhaps like me you recall the era when information was the currency of fabulousness. How much energy and time used to go into hiding and discovering secrets? How many Saturday and Sunday mornings has my dog Dickie spent sniffing around the back doors of my little Beverly Hills ne... view article details

The annual salary review season is upon us and employers are struggling to manage salary increases against a backdrop of continuous economic turmoil. We decided to take a look at what employees can expect for merit increases in 2009 as ever worsening economic developments come to light and threats of layoffs continue to be reported. According to a survey of online readers conducted by Business & Legal Reports (BLR) in late October, an increasing number of employers are considering making changes to their current pay budget plans for 2009. Approximately 39.9% of organizations responding to the... view article details

Question:Pretty far into the process I’ve been asked my salary expectations. I said in the $160’s, and expecting $180k - $200k. Now they’ve adjusted the job title at a lower rate, “Tax Director” instead of “Director of Tax and Treasuries” likely with less responsibilities and less money. What should I do when the CFO asks my salary range?Answer:The key principle here is value first, price second. Until you’re clear about how much value you’ll be producing for the company, it’s hard to figure out compensation. If the title started as one thing one day and then changed, they may actually be limi... view article details

Q: I joined my current company (Pre-IPO) right out of school as a junior QA engineer testing our product. Over the last three years, I have moved from that position to one with key responsibilities while the company has gone from 30 people to 50. Although I have been given the responsibilities of a software project lead reporting to the CTO and supervising the work of the others, there has been no official change in my title. I have been given raises quite frequently, but am still getting paid less than those I supervise. This is mainly due to my low starting salary as I have been given approx... view article details