All Your career Articles

Q: Dear Debt Adviser, I have been unemployed since July 2009 and am running out of savings, with no job prospects on the horizon. Does it make sense to withdraw funds from my 401(k) plan to pay off my credits cards, totaling $18,000, and enough to pay my mortgage -- $2,000 per month -- through December? I don't want to risk foreclosure on my home. I'm 55 years old. I know there's a stiff Read more...

How do you get hired after you've been fired? Opinions vary, even among top career coaches, when it comes to dealing with that elephant in the interview room. On the one hand, given today's economy and an increasingly mobile work force, a layoff or termination no longer carries the stigma it once did. "The good news is, they're more public now," says Jamaica Eilbes, IT Read more...

Age Discrimination for Job Seekers Over the Age of 50 Recognized by 79% Media Contact: Emily Buenting, ThirdAge Inc. (617) 285-4052 emilyb@thirdage.com August 24, 2009 (New York, NY) ThirdAge.com, the leading website for boomers and aging midlifers, today released online survey findings that reveal a high degree of concern around job market Read more...

With nearly one out of every 10 workers currently unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers across the country are updating their skills. Luckily you don't have to go into debt to retool your career. From company-funded retraining programs to adult-targeted financial aid awards to federally funded work force development centers, several free education options are available Read more...

Hunting for a job is tough work. Why add to the pain by reconnecting with the company that pink-slipped you or strongly suggested a "voluntary" retirement? If you set lingering bitterness aside, your old company may someday extend a sweet offer: Do you want to come back? Most employers are open to rehiring workers, say human resource professionals. In fact, recruiters routinely Read more...

Searching for jobs you can do from home used to be a matter of scanning the Sunday classifieds for offers to get rich quick by stuffing envelopes. Now, exposure to at-home employment opportunities has exploded, and a wide range of job ads are just a mouse click away. But so are the scams. Two years ago, when The Rat Race Rebellion began tracking at-home jobs, there were 30 scams for Read more...

Each day, nearly 3 million American workers head to work at temporary jobs. They range from clerks to construction workers, attorneys to medical aides, engineers to accountants. Once the realm of people who preferred part-time, flexible work schedules or newbies needing a foot in the door, agency-placed temporary jobs are a growing haven for laid-off professionals and those in skilled trades. Read more...

You got a pink slip. Your head reels from the shock and there's a knot of fear in the pit of your stomach. Figuring out the answer to the question, "Now, what?" seems like the hardest job you've ever faced. Take a deep breath. You can take steps to ensure your financial survival during this period. 1. Get to the unemployment office fast Ideally, before you left you received a Read more...

  At a time of rising unemployment, when many downsized companies are continuing to layoff more workers, the job market is pretty challenging especially for those who are past 40. So if you are lucky enough to be employed, but not feeling fulfilled, here are some ways to help create more joy and productivity in your current job. To start, answer the following six questions to Read more...

Two in three Americans know someone who has lost their job in the past year, according to Bankrate's most recent survey. That's not entirely shocking, considering the unemployment rate is approaching double digits. And that's just the tip of the unemployment iceberg. The true rate is higher if you count the number of people out of work who have given up looking for a job, which the Read more...

Attorney Steven Fahlgren hoped to receive a flood of qualified applications when he posted a job opening on Monster.com for paralegal help at his Hilliard, Fla., law firm. However, he wasn't expecting a school of "phish" to swim in on the deluge. Phish are those piranhalike e-mail probes that prey on the feckless. "Shortly after I signed up, I got a bunch of e-mails Read more...

For most workers, maintaining employed status is a priority -- if, that is, they want to continue decadently enjoying a roof over their heads and free-flowing electricity. Unfortunately, there's no inoculation that will permanently render one immune against the threat of downsizing. Short of owning the company, there's really nothing that guarantees continued employment, save for maybe digging Read more...

You got a pink slip. Your head reels from the shock and there's a knot of fear in the pit of your stomach. Figuring out the answer to the question, "Now, what?" seems like the hardest job you've ever faced. Take a deep breath. You can take steps to ensure your financial survival during this period. 1. Get to the unemployment office fast Ideally, before you left you received a Read more...

Imagine that a hiring manager offers you a job. Do you lunge at the opportunity? Before signing an acceptance letter, take time to finesse a sweet compensation package from your prospective employer. The problem for many job seekers, though, is they would rather go to the dentist than talk about salary and benefits. They may be afraid that if they ask too many questions, they won't Read more...

Unlike unicorns or the lost city of Atlantis, good bosses aren't a myth; they actually do exist. But look out for the bad ones because there are some doozies.We asked Bankrate readers to tell us about their worst bosses, and apparently quite a few maniacs are out there managing people. From office tyrants to undermining micromanagers, bosses can find an infinite number of ways to make life hell Read more...

As more and more people face job loss and fear of the future, those affected can go through physical, emotional, and spiritual upheaval. Often the feeling of confusion, pain, and loss of control can trigger earlier traumatic experiences. Many of us, particularly men, tend to keep our feelings inside and try to handle things ourselves, but we often need outside support if we are going to Read more...

See also: career, job loss, ptsd, trauma

As ThirdAgers plan for retirement, many of us are looking for more than a condo on a golf course. The new generation of retirees may look forward to leaving the daily rat race, but that doesn't mean they want to stop working. Many simply want the chance to trade in their jobs--the ones they pursued for practical purposes, like paying the mortgage and putting the kids through college--for a Read more...

See also: baby boomers, career, hobbies, mentor, talents

Social networking Web sites abound. The question the online networker faces is not only which ones to join, but how best to take advantage of the opportunities they present. Back in the days before the Internet, people would get together for a book club, alumni gathering or a group with a common interest or connection. Social networking Web sites provide an online way to find others with similar Read more...

The economy is shedding jobs faster than a black lab sheds hair. At last count, some 12.5 million Americans were out of work. For many frustrated job seekers, getting a resume in front of decision-makers seems daunting as responses from potential employers become rare, and job offers rarer still. Although you can blame the economy for why it's taking so long to bag a job, your resume Read more...

True story. A group of young workers was staying in an upscale hotel in the business district of a major city for a week of corporate training. On their first evening together, they all enjoyed a night on the town. Later, when they returned, one of them, in a drunken stupor, made a fatal mistake -- a real career killer.She set off the fire alarm. It seemed like a good idea at the time.Hundreds of Read more...