Tag Archives: remarriage

Making Friends At Work—Helpful or Harmful?

I’ve done news stories on office romances and whether or not they’re a good idea, but today I heard an interesting discussion on the radio as to what role friendships should play in the workplace? The passionate responses were in response to the question: “Is it smarter to keep your personal and professional lives separate or to seek out friendships at your place of employment?” The listeners who were pro-work place friendships maintained that an office buddy could provide feedback on your performance or act as a sounding board. Of course, the other positive aspects of having work place pals … Continue reading →

How To Ask For A Raise… And Get It—Part 2

Picking up where we left off… in Part One of “How To Ask For A Raise… And Get It” we discussed tips on how to obtain the often elusive salary hike. Here now are a few more ways you can better your odds before going into your supervisor’s office: 1. Demonstrate Consistent Performance As I mentioned in my pervious blog, it’s a good idea to make note of your accomplishments and be prepared to share them to gain leverage–essentially you’re proving hard work is mutually beneficial to both you and your employer. It’s in the company’s best interests to keep … Continue reading →

How To Ask For A Raise… And Get It—Part 1

I always admired my fellow co-workers who had the guts to ask my boss for a raise. When they came out of our supervisor’s office with a big grin I would quiz them on their approach and beg them to tell me what it was that finally swayed our frugal boss to give in to their demands (ahem!)… I mean, requests. They gave me a few answers, some common sense, the others–ones I would have never thought of on my own: 1. Do Your Homework Never approach your boss unprepared to answer the inevitable question: “Why should I increase your … Continue reading →

A Warning To Potential Job Seekers

I have two cousins enrolled in nearby colleges, both are excellent students who hold down part time jobs in addition to carrying full academic loads. They also spend quite a bit of down time on the Internet–one has even contributed Spring Break photos to a MySpace page. Sounds innocent enough, but I don’t think it is a coincidence that recently both received school-wide warnings from their respective universities warning all students about what they post online, and how it could impact future job searches. I read the form letter the schools issued. It cited a new study that found employers … Continue reading →

What To Know Before Agreeing To Work At Wal-Mart

Who knew working at Wal-Mart could be so controversial? If you have visited online job boards recently you would see that most are brimming with comments about Wal-Mart’s newest employment rules. According to recent amendments made to Wal-Mart’s employee handbook, snowy weather is no longer an excuse for being late to work, though natural disasters such as hurricanes or blizzards still qualify as an excused absence. Additionally, according to the employee handbook, now, being 10 minutes or later for work three times you will earn a demerit, and if you accumulate too many demerits you could be terminated. The new … Continue reading →

Four Factors that Hamper Older Job Seekers

America’s work force is aging rapidly. Mature adults are not only the fastest growing demographic segment of the population, they are also the fastest growing consumer group buying computers and logging on. With today’s medical and technological advances, people are living longer after they retire than ever before, but are healthy enough to continue working. The demand for employment services by older workers is expected to increase steadily over the course of the next twenty years. Still, the senior job seeker has it tougher than others and the following four factors seem to be the primary culprits. 1. Despite better … Continue reading →

The Modern Woman And The Job Force

The women of today are at the same crossroads as many large companies in this modern world of ours. Businesses are being forced to change their wicked and not so wicked ways in order to survive powerful economic and societal shifts. The irony here is not so poetic, for American businesses competing with powerhouses all over the world are doing so by utilizing only half of their available talent pool: namely, the male half. No prejudice or malice intended here, for I appreciate men as much as any woman. Still, it is a crying shame and a naked truth that … Continue reading →

Some Strategies For Job Seekers Over Fifty

No matter how old anyone is, without a life plan or strategy, the path to success becomes as cluttered as one’s attic. Searching for a job can be very time-consuming and exhaustive, but it can be impossible if you don’t have a plan of action. Consider these following steps for your particular path along the way to success. First of all, get a clear picture of your financial status and face the truth, no matter how bad it may be. In the words of Dr. Phil, “you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.” This will help in determining the parameters … Continue reading →

The Job Search: How Long will It Take?

Do you remember when you were a little kid on a family trip and you were always asking, “Are we there yet?” Well, even if you never asked and you aren’t a little kid anymore, you will find yourself wondering about the answer to that question very often while searching for a job. For many people, severance pay lasts a year, and during this time as with the discovery of gold in Alaska in 1849, the rush is on! For anyone, the search for another position is rarely an easy transition. Unless one is the friend, cousin, niece, nephew or … Continue reading →

Online Job Networks: How Helpful Are They?

The Internet has invaded every aspect of our lives. For those of us who have lived long enough to remember when the world was without it, the advances are staggering to recall. Many job boards and web sites (more than 80,000 in fact) post available jobs every day (some several times per day). For the job seeker over 50 years of age, the Internet is even more of a boon than to those younger workers who comprise the bulk of the job seeker market, although all ages may benefit from these listings. Many of these online job networks have appeared … Continue reading →