One of the most important goals of your performance review is to help you develop professionally. At the same time, the company will set goals for you to help it achieve its objectives. So at both an individual and corporate level, performance reviews are about future excellence as much as past accomplishment.If you help set your own goals, the chance of your meeting them will be higher. Think carefully about what you can realistically do to achieve your targets.Your action plan for professional development should provide answers to the following questions.What areas of your performance do you... view article details

Kendra wins Apprentice 3!!Another riveting season of 'The Apprentice' is over and has not disappointed with bigger boardrooms, louder candidates, and more innovative challenges. Reality TV buffs have long forgotten last season's winner and now turn their attention to the showdown between the Book Smarts and the Street Smarts. Along with the prestige of becoming president of one of The Donald's companies, this season's Apprentice will earn a hefty $250,000 yearly salary from Trump. But have you ever wondered what the apprentices are making at their day jobs? Perhaps it is more than what Trump i... view article details

Most job seekers understand the value and importance of a well-organized resume  but spend far less energy on crafting a strong cover letter. What they fail to realize is that resumes and cover letters go hand-in-hand.  Employers are very busy and receive hundreds of resumes leaving little time for individual review. Submitting a thoughtful and well-written cover letter can help you outshine your competition and get you one step closer to an interview. Don’t let the energy you’ve spent on developing the perfect resume go to waste by failing to deliver an effective cover letter.  Here we offer ... view article details

Q. I am the assistant to the president of a small consulting firm. Since I am at the top of my pay scale and receive excellent bonuses, what else can I negotiate that is not monetary, and how do I go about it?A. You pose a very interesting question, and you're in an admirable spot. What does one negotiate for when one is already paid well above market? Since you already know you won't be able to get any more money in base or incentive pay, you should decide what else you would really like. For instance, you might like to spend more time with your family, take a professional course, or attend a... view article details

We all have our guilty pleasures, and one that continually draws me in from my DVR is “House Hunters International” on HGTV. Each episode, viewers watch as the subject of the show gives up their life at home and travels thousands of miles to an international destination in order to buy or rent a new home or apartment. Those of us playing at home are sucked in through a game show angle, trying to predict which of the three choices will be the winner.This show makes me very angry for several reasons.They never seem to choose the “right” house.When the agent says it’s “a little over your budget.”... view article details

Performance reviews present an opportunity for employees to demonstrate their accomplishments and distinguish themselves and their value to the organization. It is important to maximize use of this critical tool, as it has significant impact on pay, professional development, and job security. Here are ten tips to make the annual performance review work best for you, while also making it easier on your boss to write you a terrific review: 10. Know Your Role During Performance Review If you are uncertain about any aspect of your job, seek clarification. A great place to start is a detailed list ... view article details

Performance reviews present an opportunity for employees to demonstrate their accomplishments and distinguish themselves and their value to the organization. It is important to maximize use of this critical tool, as it has significant impact on pay, professional development, and job security. Here are ten tips to make the annual performance review work best for you, while also making it easier on your boss to write you a terrific review: 10. Know Your Role During Performance Review If you are uncertain about any aspect of your job, seek clarification. A great place to start is a detailed list ... view article details

Thanksgiving: the season to be among loved ones, pilgirms, and a cornucopia or two. More importantly, this holiday provides a well-deserved respite for American workers across the country. But wait! While most employees have time off during the Thanksgiving holidays, unfortunately some employees are busier than ever.  Here are 5 job positions that work through this holiday, and their respective salaries. We've included the average salaries and ranges based on Salary.com data. 1) Retail Store Manager Average: $56,966 Salary Range: $49,819-$68,086 What you’ll do: Which poor unfortunate souls are... view article details

Salary.com's Annual Father's Day Survey Reveals Dad's Parenting PaycheckNo longer relegated to the role of babysitters, modern-day dads are putting in long hours performing various jobs on the homefront.Salary.com conducts an annual survey which determines how handsomely dads would be compensated if parenting came with a paycheck. Using a hybrid Job Valuation Tool and based on Certified Compensation Professional benchmarking principles that determine the value of jobs, salaries for 1,074 stay-at-home and working dads were created using the 10 most common 'dad jobs' including: day care center t... view article details

Don't Sink Your Own Ship It’s a small world, right? Getting a job is hard enough, so doing something to damage your reputation, or your karma, is probably not a good idea when you desperately want or need a new one. If you think the careless way you have managed your communications with a would-be employer or recruiter hasn’t hurt you, you are very wrong.Ask any recruiting professional or hiring manager whether they remember the candidates who have accepted, then declined, an offer over email or text. Or what about those “failure to show” people who blow off their first day at a new j... view article details