In college, I worked as a waitress at a popular Italian restaurant in Boston. The owners were reputed mobsters and did nothing to discredit the rumor. Basically, they treated us like dogs and told us not to complain about it because we were making big tips. The tips were indeed good, so I hung in [...]

Even if you’re not an accountant, knowing how to prepare and maintain budgets will add value to your resume. Taking time now to know the ABCs of budgets should make you more marketable in the future. Budgeting is an important tool used by management to control a company’s cash flows. According to investment banker Andy [...]

You’ve just started a new job–maybe not a dream job, but you’re optimistic. The company has great perks and lots of promise. One thing is certain: You want to move onward and upward. How do you go from being the new kid on the block to the new manager on the project? Consider another scenario: [...]

What a day. You went into work excited about your forthcoming promotion and raise. To your surprise, a co-worker received the title you were sure the boss had reserved for you. When you approached your manager about the unexpected disappointment, you were told that your work habits for the past year were not up to [...]

Think carefully before accepting a buyout offer. During the past two decades, prominent U.S. companies offered early retirement buyouts to reduce senior staff and avert negative effects of corporate layoffs. Buyouts are a humane approach to staff cuts during economic downturns or internal/external changes, including mergers, plant closings and business practice revisions. Buyouts are mutually [...]

It’s that time of year again: annual reviews. But for some reason, your boss seems unable to make the time for yours. It wouldn’t be so bad if she were just a few weeks late, but last year it took months before you were able to pin her down for the performance review. You swore [...]

Type “resume” into any search engine, and the results are overwhelming: books, tips, samples, and software packages. And there are also “resume writers” listed. These are usually recruiters or career counselors, specially trained in the language and format of resumes. Choosing a good resume writer from the list requires your best judgment. There is no [...]

Do you know what it’s like to set up a search agent, then get back hundreds of job listings you don’t really want? Employers do, too. They get thousands of e-resumes for any one job, and somebody has to screen them all. If your resume could just get through this screening process, your chances of [...]

Resume Red Flags The resume has sprouted a new pair of wings. Since the dawn of digital documents, companies are accessing resumes at record volumes and speeds. Because of this, the task of screening resumes is not getting any easier. Recruiters and hiring managers need to find the good ones, fast, while maintaining high standards [...]

Having a career plan in place can make the difference between wanting the career of your dreams and actually getting it. “If you don’t design a plan, you are very likely to end up in a job you don’t like,” says Louise Garver, founder of Career Direction, a Connecticut-based career planning service. “To get where [...]