“What words come to mind when I say Gen Y?” Aaron Kesher asked the many attendees at 2011′s Society for Human Resources Management conference who were packed into the room. ”Entitled!” shouted one person. “Job hoppers,” chimed in another. Soon, many in the room (many of them non-Gen Yers, with some Gen Y members sprinkled in) were shouting things like “smart,” “résumé builders,” “technically savvy,” “stereotype,” “comfortable with change,” and “creative.”

Obviously, we all have specific words and phrases and ideas that match how we perceive Gen Y to think and behave in the workplace. Gen Y, made up of those born between 1980 and 2000, have their own notions of themselves, too. In Aaron Kesher’s, “Why Y? Plugging Into a Generational Powerhouse” session, Kesher encouraged all of us in the room to rethink our notions of what we think Gen Y is all about, to consider the strengths they bring to today’s dynamic workplace and to use this knowledge and understanding to more successfully recruit and retain Gen Y workers.

“Do not doubt that this generation will change the face of the American workplace as their parents did,” Kesher said. “In the next five to 10 years, the number of Gen Yers in the workforce will increase dramatically.”

As the number of Gen Y workers is only getting larger, it’s about time we as a collective workplace learn more about Gen Y so that we can understand them, appreciate their unique strengths, and more successfully integrate them with other generations in the workplace.

What is work from a Gen Y Perspective?

·         Work ethic: Job loyalty, for a long time, was shown by how long you stuck around and paid your dues — and older generations still think in line with this. Gen Y, on the other hand, says, “I show you love by how hard I work, not how long I stick around.”

·         Tech savvy: It’s not so much that Gen Yers are tech savvy, Kesher pointed out — they’re tech dependent. They’re the generation that’s come of age with the explosion of technology, so it’s natural that they would be comfortable with it.

·         Communication and teamwork: Gen Y is not necessarily entitled; they just feel comfortable asking for what they want. When it comes to communication, you can often count on Gen Yers to spread out the message fast and often. We need to realize, Kesher said, that throughout Gen Y’s public education, the majority of the work was done in groups, and that their role wasn’t usually as the leader of a group — instead, many were “equal” team members. Therefore, many Gen Y members function fairly well as a group and as “team players,” but some struggle in standing out as individual, assertive leaders.

·         Money: Employers, listen up: Gen Y is talking to each other about the money they are (or aren’t) making at your organization. They are comparing how competitive your salary is with your competitors — and they’re not afraid to share their findings. One audience member mentioned recently hearing Gen Yers discussing openly the job offers and bonuses they were getting — and she was shocked.  After all, discussing how much money you make is one of the last great American taboos — yet Gen Y seems more comfortable with discussing this sort of information.

·         Recognition: Gen Y is a generation of the “there are no losers — everyone’s a winner” mentality. “But they didn’t make that up (boomer parents),” Kesher pointed out, to a round of laughter. Gen Yers don’t care how it gets done –they just want to get it done. And they want to be told they did a good job once they do it; recognition is very important.

·         Diversity: “Why do only white people work here?” might be something a Gen Y worker thinks while viewing a company site or sitting in the lobby while waiting to be interviewed and noticing the lack of diverse employees. Gen Y doesn’t embrace diversity — they expect it — and if your company says you believe in diversity, but then a Gen Y worker shows up and all workers look the same — they will think you’re not living up to your diversity message. This generation has grown up with a greater awareness of and comfort with diversity of all kinds. From home lives, to school experiences, to messages absorbed from pop culture, they often don’t see what all the fuss is. This can manifest as difficulty in understanding why others struggle with issues around differences. A question of whether gay marriage should be legalized, for example, is a non-issue for many Gen Y individuals — and this shift ties into a larger cultural shift in general.

·         Work versus life: “I love my job, but I love my life more” — that’s something you may hear a lot of Gen Yers say. One of the critical issues that will need to be ironed out at work in the future, Kesher said, will revolve around workplace flexibility. We’re increasingly seeing workplace flexibility issues evolving in the workplace, and Gen Y workers in particular (though they’re not alone) want to know how they can maintain their relationship with work while still having the flexibility to live the life they envision. As mentioned above, Gen Y has no problem with work or with the idea of working hard — it’s just that their job will never be the whole of their identity. They were raised with the imperative to “follow your dreams!”, and their job and life may intersect in new ways than we’ve seen in past generations. “Gen Y,” Kesher stressed, “doesn’t want a job — they want a life that hopefully includes a job.”

·         Being green: This is the generation that’s leading the green movement — so give them the power to build, make changes, and become leaders in your organization’s (existing or non-existing) green movement.

Why worry about Gen Y?

Ensuring that the different generations working together under one roof actually work well together is a big concern for many employers. After all, if knowledge isn’t able to be sufficiently shared from generation to generation, older generations will eventually retire — taking with them decades of experience. In addition, workers who work well together are likely to be happier, more productive and better brand ambassadors for companies.

There’s hopeful news for soon-to-be graduates, too. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2012 survey, employers plan to hire 9.5 percent more graduates from the Class of 2012 than they hired from the Class of 2011. While many of those job openings will be triggered by attrition, it’s still a good sign that the number is increasing.

What this all means is that things are starting to look up, but there will still be bumps in the road ahead. Yet some industries are seeing growth — so much so that some can’t fill their positions fast enough.

If you’re a job seeker, consider exploring a career in one of these nine occupations, all of which are expected to grow in 2012.

1. Biomedical engineer
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, biomedical engineers apply knowledge of engineering, biology, and biomechanical principles to the design, development and evaluation of biological and health systems and products. This is one of the fastest-growing occupations, with an expected 72 percent increase in employment from 2008-2018.
Average salary: $82,421*

2. Computer software engineer
The computer systems design and related services industry has seen continued growth throughout the second half of 2011, according to the BLS. In addition, the NACE Job Outlook 2012 survey found computer sciences to be one of the top bachelor’s degrees in demand by employers.
Average salary: $97,581

3. Customer service representative
This occupation is expected to experience faster than average growth, one reason being the high turnover rate in the field. This is also a good industry to consider if you are fluent in multiple languages, as opportunities for bilingual representatives are fruitful.
Average salary: $29,314

4. Home health aide
Home health aides provide in-home care, a service that will continue to be important as the elderly population continues to grow. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the number of Americans 65 and older is projected to be 88.5 million by 2050, more than double its estimated 2010 population.
Average salary: $28,173

5. Management analyst
Management analyst is an occupation in the management and technical consulting services field, a field that grew by 3.8 percent from September to October 2011 and has seen steady growth throughout the second half of the year. According to the BLS, management analysts study and analyze business-related issues and recommend solutions.
Average salary: $72,197

6. Medical assistant
The BLS predicts that the medical assistant field will grow by 33.9 percent from 2008-2018. Medical assistants often work at physicians’ offices and perform administrative and clinical duties. Proper training and skills can be acquired by attending a one- to two-year program at a vocational school.
Average salary: $37,571

7. Network systems and data communications analyst
The BLS notes that this occupational category, with sizable employment growth projections through 2018, includes network architects and engineers, as well as Web administrators and developers. According to the Labor Department, the type of degree required depends on the position level.
Average salary: $48,316

8. Registered nurse
The registered nurse profession is the largest health-care occupation and is expected to grow by 22.2 percent from 2008-2018, according to the BLS. While RNs can be employed by physicians’ offices, most work in hospitals.
Average salary: $71,692

9. Retail salesperson
The record-busting Black Friday and Cyber Monday retail sales show that consumers are starting to feel a little more confident about the economy. In fact, the retail trade has overall trended up since June 2011, with a slight dip from July to August. Due to this occupation’s high turnover rate, employment opportunities are expected to be good.
Average salary: $25,557

*All salary estimates are from CBSalary.com and are the U.S. national average salary.

Debra Auerbach is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Moving in on two years of unemployment, Hadley is willing to try different tactics to see what might work. He has begun to leave off some of his education as well as the fact that he is a published author. “I don’t want to have to omit such things, but I feel as though I don’t even get considered if they are on my résumé,” he laments.

While only time will tell if this strategy works for him, plenty of other job seekers deliberate the same issue. Here, a few perspectives on leaving info off a résumé.

Crafting

Many experts will caution job seekers about even applying for positions for which they are overqualified because of decreased earning potential, boredom and a larger applicant pool (not to mention the bruised ego if one doesn’t land that “crummy” job). For applicants who still decide to give it a shot, “crafting” is often the route of choice.

A good application for any position should be created to match the employer’s needs as closely as possible. Thus, simple (yet truthful) changes can make you a better candidate.

Duncan Mathison, a career consultant and co-author of “Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough,” recalls a client who felt his master’s degree in psychology might be hindering his chances for a business sales job. “We dropped the degree and replaced it with an ‘Additional Professional Training’ statement that said, ‘More than 500 hours in professional training on topics such as buyer motivation, persuasion and organizational behavior.’ This allowed him to position the value of his psychology training for a sales position without listing the degree. It was truthful, and it worked.”

Similarly, terminology changes such as “manager” becoming “project team leader” may be a better match to a particular job ad. Some job seekers tone down executive-sounding titles, especially if inflated (such as opting for a managerial title rather than showcasing that you were vice president in a company with only five employees).

“I often tell my more experienced and older clients to omit their dates of graduation (if they graduated on schedule rather than mid-career),” says Roy Cohen, a career coach and author of “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide.” “This frees them up to leave off as many years of experience as necessary, so the application doesn’t feel burdened by the weight of their careers.”

Another option is creating a functional résumé instead of a chronological one. By sorting experiences into skill clusters, there becomes less of an emphasis on the length or extensiveness of past positions.

Beyond the résumé

Candidates are free to present themselves in the way they see most fit (outside of lying, of course). But what happens, say, if an employer asks about items like missing dates?

“First, that’s a good thing because the applicant was invited in for an interview with the company,” Cohen says. “He can always respond, ‘I left it off intentionally. I wanted the attention to be focused entirely on my relevant and very valuable experience. Let me tell you about what I’ve done … ‘”

Some job seekers, however, find it hard to sell themselves.

“I took my MBA off my résumé and tried to dumb myself down, but in the interviews, it got tricky,” says Tiffany Bradshaw of California. “They would ask about certain experience and if I had it, and I felt like I was telling stories/lies to try to cover up the items I had taken off.”

Likewise, employers may feel duped if the applicant who shows up is older than his résumé suggests or if the conversation feels disjointed.

“It’s dangerous to leave relevant experience off a résumé, especially in the legal field,” says Cheryl Heisler, president and founder of Lawternatives, a career-consulting firm for lawyers. “In much of the law, the devil is in the details. If you are perceived as loose or careless about those ‘unimportant little details,’ you can send the exact wrong message to a future employer. Better to ‘spin’ the parts of your background that might make you seem overqualified than to extract them.”

The decision

Like most career decisions, there isn’t an easy answer about what to keep or delete on a résumé. Perhaps reflecting on how to make the document appealing to a prospective employer while still painting a portrait you are comfortable with is key. For when a candidate feels confident about her presentation, it is bound to get noticed.

Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter.

But, just because 2011 is quickly winding down doesn’t mean your job search has to.

In fact, the next couple of months can actually be one of the best times to look for work. By October, most companies have regained speed after the summer lull, and many will be trying to make hiring decisions before the holiday vacation season begins in late November.

“Beginning the week of Thanksgiving, many companies’ hiring processes start coming to a slow grind, due in a large part to many people using the holidays as vacation time, adding extra days off to the holiday schedule,” says Dorothy Tannahill Moran, owner of Next Chapter, New Life, a career coaching firm. “For a job seeker … this means they need to be networking, conducting informational interviews and sending applications immediately so they can be focused on by the hiring company while a full staff is still available.”Looking for a job? It’s time to kick your search into high gear. To give you a jump start, here’s a list of 15 companies that are hiring new employees this month.

1. Addison Search

Industry: Recruiting

Sample job titles: Coder, customer service, escrow, credit analyst

Location: Texas, N.Y., Ill. , N.J., Mass.

2. Bethesda Lutheran Communities

Industry: Nonprofit/Healthcare

Sample job titles: Registered nurse, behavior support specialist, caregiver/ direct support professional, area director

Location: Calif., Colo., Ill., Ind., Kan., Mich., Mo., N.J., Ohio, Ore., Texas, Wash., Wis.

3. CapTech

Industry: Professional consulting

Sample job titles: Java developer, Java architect, SharePoint developer, and SharePoint architect

Location: Richmond, Va.; Charlotte, N.C.; Philadelphia

4. Carfax

Industry: Consumer services

Sample job titles: Marketing manager, business analyst / operations analyst, customer support specialist, field sales consultant, production support specialist, Java developer, senior web designer, project manager, national accounts manager

Location: Nationwide

5. Dollar General

Industry: Retail

Sample job titles: District managers, store managers, store manager candidates

Location: Nationwide

6. Family Home Health Services

Industry: Healthcare

Sample job titles: Business development manager, occupational therapist, physical therapist, nurse

Location: Fla., Mich., Ind., Mo., Ohio

7. Farmers Insurance

Industry: Insurance

Sample job titles: Insurance sales agent

Location: (cities or states): Ill., Ind., Minn., N.J., Ohio, Penn., Va., Wis.

8. John Knox Village

Industry: Health care

Sample job titles: Food service, CNA, LPN, RN, EMT

Location: Mo., Kan.

9. Men’s Wearhouse

Industry: Retail

Sample job titles: Sales consultant, sales manager

Location: Nationwide

10. Modern Woodmen of America

Industry: Insurance and banking

Sample job titles: Managing partner, financial representative

Location: Nationwide

11. PricewaterhouseCoopers

Industry: Professional services

Sample job titles: Accountant, auditor, tax accountant, consultant

Location: Nationwide

12. The Prudential Insurance Company of America
Industry: Financial services
Sample job titles: Financial professional associate (entry level and experienced)
Location: Nationwide

13. Titlemax

Industry: Consumer services

Sample job titles: Store manager, district manager, bilingual customer service representative, commercial construction field estimator, customer service representative, general manager trainee, store manager trainee, regional manager

Location: Nationwide

14. TMG Health

Industry: Business process outsourcing/professional services

Sample job titles: Analyst, senior market research; supervisor, operations compliance; supervisor, workforce management, analyst II, systems, account executive

Location: Dunmore, Penn.; King of Prussia, Penn.; Dallas; Little Rock, Ark.

15. Warner Chilcott

Industry: Pharmaceutical

Sample job titles: Pharmaceutical sales rep, women’s healthcare pharmaceutical rep, osteoporosis pharmaceutical sales rep

Location: Multiple states

Hey you. Yes, you writing the email to your co-worker in a cubicle two feet away from you.

Ever feel like no one talks to each other anymore? We are all guilty. Email is easier, it’s quicker, it helps us keep a paper trail, and well, it’s just what we’re used to in the modern workplace. Ever wonder what a regular workday was like before the advent of email? How did people manage, and what are the dangers of over-relying on this tool we often feel like we can’t live without?

Here are three professionals’ then-and-now email stories to help you appreciate the technology while also being cautious of it.

Productivity gains vs. efficiency losses

Bill Du Val, a lawyer at Slinde Nelson & Du Val Business Law in Portland, Ore., recalls a time when people actually picked up the phone, and, as a common courtesy, usually called a colleague or client’s assistant first.

“As a lawyer of 19 years, I can state without reservation that I am incapable of handling over seven dozen emails every single day,” says Du Val. “An associate can screen some emails for me, but the ultimate filter, unfortunately, still has to be me. In this regard email lessens my productivity.”

Email is characteristic of today’s get it done yesterday, go faster than fast, you’re never quite going fast enough pace. While it might encourage this lifestyle and work pace that is often nearly impossible to keep up with, it also helps us be more efficient.

“The difference between the 1990s and today is that things move more quickly, the primary advantage being the ability to attach documents,” says Du Val. “Here today, there today. Fax machines suck, have always sucked, and will always suck. But I see the Federal Express driver a whole lot less these days.”

What’s gained, what’s lost?

Dianna Booher, author of “E-writing: 21st Century Tools for Effective Communication” and CEO of Booher Consultants in Colleyville, Texas, explains the productivity gains and losses seen from the introduction of email.

Then, in our prior email-less world (gasp!), “Mornings consisted of riffling through your inbox of hand-scribbled notes from your colleagues and phone messages from callers interpreted by an assistant.” Can you imagine it?

“You responded by scribbling the responses and dropping them off in everyone else’s inbox,” Booher recalls. “You wrote lengthy letters to clients, dropped them in the U.S. mail, and waited 7-10 days for a response.”

All letters were official, on letterhead, so everything was written formally. “No mistakes. No sentence fragments.” At this pace, the quick decisions we are accustomed to today were more than hard to come by, she says.

Modern workers, especially those who have never lived in an email-less workplace, could not imagine functioning like this. Still, just as email has solved a lot of our problems, it has undoubtedly created some as well.

“Messages from clients and colleagues come by email, but they are sent and opened around the clock. You are on 24/7,” says Booher. “You write to clients as quickly, briefly, and often as informally as you do colleagues.”

Our emails are often too informal. Messages can become unclear, and decisions can be made too hastily. When email is over-used to replace face-to-face or even phone communication, “People feel anonymous, and grow hostile and rude,” cautions Booher. “People feel isolated and disconnected, and some cannot put their personality on a page. They lose that big plus of personal presence-so much a dynamic in persuasiveness.”

A life more complicated?

Lindy DeKoven, a television executive who began her career as a secretary in the technical services department at CBS Television City 20 years ago, recalls her first encounter with email.

“I actually remember quite vividly being on the phone with an agent at the William Morris Agency,” she says. “They had just gotten email. I had asked this agent a question. Because he didn’t know the answer, he emailed his associate the question. Within seconds, he had a response. I had no idea what email was, or what he was talking about. All I knew was that I wanted it.”

DeKoven also recalls when business was conducted over the phone and in person, when the word processor was considered an amazing tool of efficiency compared to the typewriter.

“At lunch or at the end of the day, we actually got in our cars and relaxed,” she recalls with nostalgia. “There wasn’t the constant interruption of emails, texts, and phone calls. We were able to breathe. To think. To relax.” Once she became an executive, email became a big, unavoidable part of life. “Then there was BlackBerrys and texting, and life had changed for good.”

Use it, don’t abuse it

So what are we getting at? It’s simple. While email can be a great time-saver and efficiency creator, it can also distance you from colleagues and clients. Now we are not suggesting you stop using email. Why, the world might very literally stop if you did that. Just get up and walk over to a co-worker once in a while, pick up the phone instead of sending that one-liner, and get to know people. We know, it’s quite a concept to grasp, but it can and will help you build better relationships at work, so give it a shot, won’t ya?

Sonia Acosta, Special to CareerBuilder

Copyright 2011 CareerBuilder.com.

In case you missed it, last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy created no jobs in August, and that the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1 percent.

At the same time, however, the BLS also reported that nearly 2.7 million jobs went unfilled in August, and, according to Manpower’s 2011 Talent Shortage Survey, 34 percent of employers report having difficulties filling open positions — a 3 percent increase over 2010.

So, to help close this employment gap and direct all of you job seekers out there toward the employers that need your services, we’ve put together a list of companies that are most in need of workers right now.

In total, these 14 companies have a combined total of nearly 10,000 job openings — and they need employees as badly as you need a job. (Note, while all of these companies have lots of job openings currently posted on CareerBuilder, not all of the openings are listed on our site. Visit the companies’ websites for more information about complete job listings).

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1. PNC

Number of jobs available: 1,000+

Types of jobs: Mortgage loan officer, bank branch manager, software engineer, part-time teller, relationship manager and financial advisor

2. AON

Number of jobs available: 1,390+

Types of jobs: Risk management, insurance brokerage services, benefits outsourcing, human capital consulting and actuarial

3. U-Haul

Number of jobs available: 1,575+

Types of jobs: General manager and trainees, shop manager, customer care representative, programmer, web designer, traffic control manager, storage team manager, structural engineer, production manager and transfer driver

4. Yellowbook

Number of jobs available: 1,000+

Types of jobs: New media specialist, client service representative, entry-level customer service, finance, it- engineering, developer, programmer, entry-level production and entry-level field distribution management

5. Comfort Keepers

Number of jobs available: 900+

Types of jobs: Caregiver, home health aide, LPN, personal care aide, registered nurse, community relations and marketing director

6. Motorola Solutions

Number of jobs available: 600+ globally

Types of jobs: Various IT and engineering roles: product manager, systems engineer, information security specialist and software engineer

7. Red Ventures

Number of jobs available: 1,000+

Types of jobs: Inside sales, web developer, online marketing, sales trainer, corporate recruiter, php developer, sales recruiter, human resources and copywriter

8. Bridgestone Retail Operations

Number of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Retail management trainee, retail sales (full-time and part-time), automotive technician (full-time and part-time) and automotive maintenance technician (full-time and part-time)

9. Earthlink

Number of jobs available: 300+

Types of jobs: Account executive, major account executive, national account executive, system sales, channel sales, sales engineer, field technician, NOC technician and branch manager

10. UniTek Global Services

Number of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Cable installer, satellite installer and wireless installation project manager and foreman

11. Certified Payment Processing

Number of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Outside sales

12. Pilot Flying J

Number of jobs available: 500+

Types of jobs: Retail and restaurant managers

13. Senior Helpers

Number of jobs available: 400+

Types of jobs: Certified nursing assistant, caregiver, scheduling coordinator, marketing manager, client services manager, community relations coordinator

14. Harbor Freight Tools

Number of jobs available: 500

Types of jobs: Field positions at all level within our stores, nationwide. Corporate positions in all functions: finance, legal, marketing, sourcing, category management, etc.

See a job you’re interested in? Give yourself the best chance at landing one of these jobs, by following these three tips from Joyce Gioia, workplace futurist, CEO of Employer of Choice International, Inc., and the author of five business books.

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder

Think fears might be holding back your career? Here are common worries that can have a negative impact your career and how to move past them:

Fear of failure

Failure can creep in at any moment and paralyze your success at work.

“We occasionally encounter job seekers who are so concerned about failing, they refuse to take on additional projects, challenges or new positions because they’re afraid they will make a mistake,” explains Jessica Hernandez, president of Great Résumés Fast.

To help build self-assurance, Hernandez suggests that candidates who are afraid of failure should “start out small, taking on new challenges and tasks that aren’t as intimidating and gradually build up their confidence to tackle larger projects as they come along.”

Fear of rejection

Whether you’re afraid to flunk a job interview or to ask for a promotion, being afraid to get “no” as an answer can keep you from even trying to move ahead. Job seekers can be especially sensitive to rejection.

“For job seekers, rejection means that they have failed in some way, regardless of whether the company was a good fit to begin with,” explains Anthony Morrison, vice president of employer solutions at Cachinko, a job referral firm for Facebook users. No matter where you are in your career, think of rejection as a learning experience that will ultimately improve your job search strategy, Morrison suggests.

Fear of change

Approaching your career with a don’t-fix-what’s-not-broken mentality can actually be a negative. While dealing with change can be difficult, being afraid of change can equal missed opportunities.

Fear of change “holds a candidate back because they’ll never step out and take the promotion or accept a better opportunity with another company,” Hernandez explains. “It can potentially reduce a person’s growth potential and their lifetime income by thousands if not, hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Fear of relocation

A side effect of our slow economy has been that job seekers have had to be more open in terms of where they will work — which can be scary for workers with families, or who have lived in one area all of their lives.

If you’re considering a job in another city or region of the country, don’t let fear stop you from a potential opportunity. You might wind up really enjoying your new location, or you may find that your employer is open to you telecommuting.

“Candidates looking for jobs should be open to doing interviews via Skype and the possibility of telecommuting, temporarily or permanently,” says Morgan Norman, founder of WorkSimple, a social goal management program. Don’t be afraid to look outside of your geographical area. If companies think a particular candidate is a good fit, it’s also possible to arrange a way to do some work remotely, he says.

Fear of taking on a leadership role

Hiding in a cubicle is easier than speaking in a boardroom and that’s one reason some may be afraid of moving into a management role. While increased job responsibility can sometimes be overwhelming, the positive outweighs the negative, says James Alexander, founder of Vizibility, a personal branding platform provider.

Not reaching for more opportunities can set you back in the long run.

“In order to progress professionally, it’s important to take on [tasks] that you may not always be comfortable with,” Alexander says.

Fear of losing work-life balance

To some employees, a bigger job title or starting at a different firm just means more time spent away from the home. But fearing that increased job responsibilities will disturb your work-life balance can set you back in the long run.

Instead of staying under the radar, think of the perks: better pay, higher role, etc. Taking a risk with a new position doesn’t need to mean you’ll be at work 24-7. You can always talk to your manager about ways to create more balance (working from home once a week, coming in early so you can leave a little early to pick up your kids from school) once you’ve started, but don’t discount the job or role just because fears creep up.

Changing industries

Switching industries can be another fear for job seekers who are used to working within one particular industry. Much of the time the fear is unfounded and it’s important to apply wherever your skills are needed.

“These job seekers should know that many skills are not only needed, but also transferable within different fields,” Alexander explains. “Do your research and try to connect with human resources professionals to gain a better understanding of the position. That way, you’ll have a better idea of where you can apply your skill set within the organization.”

Alina Dizik researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.

Worried that age might be a strike against you when applying for a job? Present yourself the right way and experts agree that you can turn that potential negative into one of your selling points.

“The key for older job seekers is to embrace rather than hide from what they have to offer future employers,” says Tamryn Hennessy, national director of career development for Rasmussen College. “A lifetime of a variety of employments, household and family obligations and volunteer accomplishments can be assembled into a résumé and interview that a younger job seeker simply cannot offer.”

So get set to put your experience to good use by doing these three things:

1. Concentrate on the job

If you spend your time demonstrating how you are the right candidate for the position, age need not even enter into the equation. “Never be defensive about your age or even focus on it at all,” states Martha Finney, a Santa Fe-based employee engagement and career management consultant and co-author of “Unlock the Hidden Job Market.” “Focus on who you are and how what you bring to the table would meet the company’s strategic objectives.”

Hennessy suggests highlighting your suitability right from the start by looking at the key action words from the job description (such as “analyze,” “design,” “inspect,” etc.) and matching them to your history. “Focus on your past experiences — including non-industry, volunteer and family obligations — where you have demonstrated accomplishments under these action word categories. Use the exact same action word and apply it to your experience, always being sure to offer quantifiable results.”

2. Have confidence in your past

Lavie Margolin, author of “Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers,” advises older job seekers to get in the mindset that age is a strength. “As opposed to a recent college graduate filled only with potential, the mature worker can demonstrate a track record of accomplishment throughout his career.”

Let your years of real-life experience shine by presenting evidence of qualities employers value. These may include:

The ability to meet deadlines

Loyalty to a company, industry or cause

Flexibility and adaptability

Problem-solving skills

A strong work ethic

Leadership

Teamwork

To generate ideas, look at past performance reviews. Not only will this help provide concrete examples, but select words of praise can be incorporated into your application or interview to add credibility (as in, “My direct supervisor at company X noted in my evaluation that my thorough research on our three main competitors was instrumental to selecting the launch date of our newest product.”).

3. Having equal confidence in your future

If worries over new methods or technologies are putting a dent in your confidence, take a class or two to get up to speed. Since one of the greatest fears about hiring older workers is that they are too set in their ways and unwilling to learn new things, this action also can show employers your enthusiasm for continual growth.

By law, age should not be a consideration for employment, yet many job seekers receive subtle (and not so subtle) clues that it may be an issue. If concerns about age do come up, try to tactfully redirect the conversation back to your abilities. Another tactic is to show that you are comfortable and happy with where you are. “Stress the great stage of life you are entering, one with fewer family distractions that will allow you to be the most reliable and dedicated employee possible,” Hennessy suggests. Also worth pointing out: “Younger workers may have less understanding of what they want to do exactly in their career,” Margolin notes. “An older worker has a better understanding of his interests and how they fit best into the market.”

Watch, too, that you aren’t blaming age when there is actually a different problem. “Don’t assume you’re increasing your chances of landing a job by applying for jobs that are beneath your experience level,” Finney notes. “Overqualified for the position’ isn’t always code for ‘too old.’ Hiring managers wisely want candidates who are appropriate for the job level, so if you’re experiencing a long string of application rejections, don’t lower your sights, raise them. Only go after jobs that appropriate for your skill sets and experiences.”

Finally, remember that employers want to hire likeable people who fit into company culture and can do their job. Treating interviewers as friendly equals and relating to them with relaxed confidence never goes out of style.

Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter.

By Paula Caligiuri, Ph.D., author of “Get a Life, Not a Job: Do What You Love and Let Your Talents Work for You”

Just as the riskiest financial investment strategy is to have all of your money in one place, the riskiest career management strategy is to have all of your income from one organization unless you are in a critical role and have skills that are difficult to find in the labor market.

To enjoy job security and professional fulfillment in this new employment reality, you should have a “portfolio career” that includes multiple and simultaneous income streams or “career acts.” Career acts can include an eBay business, part-time job, profitable hobby, nonexecutive board seat, franchise, authored book, affiliate links on your blog, weekend jazz trio, etc.

Here are 10 tips for managing career acts in a portfolio career:

Diversify
Start maximizing your talents to generate broad-based income streams. Some career acts can be slow and steady sources of income, while others can be higher-risk with higher potential reward. Professions such as nursing or teaching science are low-risk sources of guaranteed income, whereas starting a small business has a higher risk, with potential for a much higher reward.

Invest intelligently
To build income-generating career acts, you will need to invest in yourself, your business, your network and the like. You may need, for example, to return to school for a degree or training program, to invest in equipment or supplies, or to attend a conference or some other networking event. Manage the financial risk incurred by being realistic about your talents and abilities and making sure you have the tenacity and effectiveness to take full advantage of your investments.

Actively manage your portfolio
Your career acts will need different investments and have different trajectories for growth. Today’s careers are actively self-managed.

Invest prudently
Start protecting your time and your discretionary spending, as you may need both to start a new career act.

Maintain high ethical standards
Do not add career acts that would a reasonable supervisor wouldn’t consider or that would use company time or resources for your private gain. At the same time, remember that you did not take a vow of poverty when you became employed.

Sell high
Many people actively manage how they enter an organization but passively manage their exit, often waiting for a layoff, reorganization or something else to force their departure. If you work for an unsupportive supervisor, have no opportunities for growth or dislike what you are doing, start planning your exit while you still have an income stream.

Know your tolerance for risk
Entrepreneurship is not right for everyone. Find a mix of career acts that do not add anxiety to your life and that align with your talents.

Trust your hunches
Do not let anyone tell you that you lack focus or should get serious about one career. Careers today are moving further away from the traditional 40-hour-per-week employer to more self-directed opportunities for generating income.

Understand the data
Speak with multiple people who occupy any career act you would like to have. There are often different ways to achieve the same career goal. Some ways may take less time and less money but produce the same result.

Seek advice
Often people have a hard time understanding ways they can use their talents and abilities. Speak to trusted friends or advisers who know you well and want to see you succeed about what they see you doing. You will be surprised at how well others can spotlight your talents and give you ideas.

A well-managed portfolio career can provide greater income, personal fulfillment and professional security. What income-generating opportunity can you create for yourself that would use your talents and skills, in a way you would like to work? Make a plan and start growing your amazing portfolio career.

Paula Caligiuri, Ph.D. is the author of “Get a Life, Not a Job: Do What You Love and Let Your Talents Work for You” (FT Press, 2010). She is a work psychologist and Professor in the Human Resource Management Department at Rutgers University where she directs the Center for HR Strategy.

By Renee Martin, co-author “The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies for Success”

Few things can rattle your world more than the loss of a job. But faced with the resultant soul-searching, some recent pink-slip recipients are refusing to be casualties of the latest recession. Instead of quietly joining the ranks of the unemployed, they’re resolving to seize control over their career and become their own boss. They’re pursuing an entrepreneurial dream.

Is launching a business today a high-stakes risk? Of course. But it’s never been easy to build a successful business, in any era or in any economy.

The right business idea at the right time can overcome all manner of obstacles. An ordinary person today still has the potential to catapult a startup company into an industry leader. But reaching that goal requires tireless commitment and sound business strategies.

Here are 10 broad strategies that were used to build multimillion-dollar (in some cases, multibillion-dollar) businesses, taken from the entrepreneurs profiled in my book “The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies for Success.”

1. Go on a treasure hunt and find an underserved niche
Identify and then cater to the particular needs of a market niche that competitors have neglected or ignored. Develop a specialty in which your business clearly excels. Remember, even a huge multibillion-dollar corporation can’t offer everything to everyone. Many niches are too small for them to consider.

2. Spot a new trend and pounce
Look for emerging consumer needs and desires arising from a shift in cultural, economic or technological trends that signal new market opportunities. Act quickly. Don’t be tentative.

3. Just start!
Stop the excuses. The “perfect” time for a business launch will never present itself. Don’t give would-be competitors the opportunity to beat you to the punch. Get moving. Set short-term goals and deadlines that bring you closer to opening for business.

4. Buck the conventional wisdom
Ignore those who say, “It won’t work” or “It’s never been done that way.” Veer away from established formulas and ways of thinking. Look at so-called industry best practices with a hypercritical eye. Dissect them, slice and dice them, contemplate different “what if” scenarios.

5. Exploit your competitors’ weakness and make it your strength
Take a critical look at your competition from the perspective of a customer. Listen closely to the needs and complaints of prospective customers during sales calls. This will help identify competitor vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Find ways to eliminate such deficiencies in your own customer service and products, then go a step further and make sure you excel in those areas.

6. Hit ‘em where they ain’t
Set your sights on areas that your competitors have neglected or ignored. Learn to anticipate new areas where there might be a demand for your services and position your business to be there ahead of your competitors.

7. Save your bucks and get noticed without expensive advertising
Get your creative juices percolating to come up with ways to expose your brand to the masses. Don’t be shy, be bold. Chutzpah often works. Brainstorm with colleagues, friends and family. Have a little fun with this strategy.

8. Trust your gut
Develop and learn to use your intuitive powers. They are valuable business skills, particularly when you’re about to enter uncharted waters and everyone is telling you to play it safe. When the pressure is high and chaos threatens, keep your composure and rely on your gut-level instincts.

9. Never let adversity or failure defeat you
Don’t accept the limits others or circumstances place on you. The ranks of successful entrepreneurs are filled with men and women who refused to stop believing in themselves. As an entrepreneur, you’ll surely experience stressful moments that will test your faith. Just remember, the antidotes are persistence and resiliency. Believe in your business idea and in your own commitment to seeing your business succeed.

10. Never stop reinventing your company
Continually look for ways to introduce new products and services for existing customers and for newly identified market niches. Think of complacency as a genuine threat to your long-term bottom line. Never let your guard down.

Renee Martin is co-author of “The Risk Takers: 16 Women and Men Share Their Entrepreneurial Strategies for Success” (Vanguard Press). This article is adapted from information in the book. Please visit www.RiskTakersBook.com for more information.

If you’re thinking about entrepreneurship, you’ve probably heard that you should start your business before you quit your day job.

It’s good advice, but not always practical. Depending on how many hours you have to put in at work, you may have very little time left for your business. The catch is that if you want to be a full-time business owner, you have to build up your business so that you’ll still be able to pay your bills. It can be hard to give up the security of a regular paycheck to pursue your dream of being an entrepreneur.

How can you balance being an employee while you’re moonlighting?

For one thing, you might not want your boss to know that you have something else on the side. You don’t want to appear to be expendable or less dedicated. Keep your business under wraps as much as possible. That also means you shouldn’t conduct your business at work, no matter how tempted you may be to bring your side business to your workplace. And with computer use monitoring becoming more pervasive in the workplace, you probably won’t have much privacy if you’re using company equipment for personal use.

Moving from employee to entrepreneur

If your goal is to leave your job and run your business, here are some steps you should follow.

1. Pick a date for when you’d like to make the move into running your business full time. Be realistic when you look at the calendar. The date has to feel comfortable and be something that you think you can do.

2. Check your spending. How much money do you need for your business and for personal expenses? It may be tempting to continue to spend money because it’s regularly coming in, but once you’re no longer an employee, you won’t have that income.

3. Start paying down debt if you can. Set up a payment plan for your credit cards. Create a budget for business expenses as well.

4. Get ready to spend more time alone. If your business is home-based, you won’t have the office co-workers around. Start networking now so that you can have a support system before you leave your job.

5. Get a plan together for what you want to accomplish in your business. Whether you use a business plan or a mission statement, have a clear idea of what your business is about and why you’re doing it. It’s not enough to go into business because you don’t want to work for someone else. Know what you’re getting into before you leave your day job.

Keeping your side business on the side

For some people, having a side business is part of a long-term plan, not an interim step. If you aren’t looking to leave your regular job, it’s less about growing your business than maintaining it. Here are some ways to balance the moonlighting with the “daylighting.”

1. Set boundaries. Your clients may want more of your time, but your priority is your day job. Let them know what your business hours are and stick to them. If you end up working long nights, you won’t have the energy to accomplish what’s required on your job. You don’t want to put your steady paycheck into jeopardy because you’re not getting things done.

2. Be careful about how you use social media. In some cases, employers are checking up on what their employees are doing online. Depending on what type of business you have, promoting your side business on your social media profile may raise red flags. For instance, if what you do on the job is similar to what you’re doing in your business, you don’t want to appear to be in competition.

3. Extra money coming in from a side business can be a great supplement to your income. Resist the temptation to spend more because you’re making more money. Unless your business income is targeted for a specific purpose, you can end up spending it as fast as it comes in. Don’t put yourself in a position where the money is going out faster than it’s coming in — you may have to work harder at work and in your business to keep up the momentum.

Deborah A. Bailey is the author of “Think Like an Entrepreneur: Transforming Your Career and Taking Charge of Your Life” and a sought-after expert to discuss today’s most pressing workplace issues. Bailey helps clients to shift their thinking and connect with their personal power in order to move forward in their transition from employee to entrepreneur. www.dbaileycoach.com.

By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” is a term most people can relate to. When the manager is gone — be it on vacation or just away from her desk — some employees act like a teenager whose parents are out of town.

They sneak out early or come in late. They chitchat with co-workers more frequently, usually about nonwork-related things. They make personal phone calls, take extra-long lunches — heck, maybe they’ll even enjoy a cocktail with their meal.

Many employees do it — but why?

“The answer is simple: It’s a direct reflection of the boss’s leadership. When a workplace isn’t compelling to people — where employees lack the desire and ability to be accountable for their own success — misbehaving or slacking in the boss’s absence is merely a mask for boredom. It’s also important feedback for the boss: “Raise your game,” says Linda Galindo, a consultant specializing in individual and leadership accountability and the author of “The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success.”

We asked employees what they do when the boss isn’t looking. They had some very entertaining stories:

“At the time I was an assistant manager at Publix Supermarkets of Florida. Not content with the absolute misery of the hourly employees I was responsible for, I tried to inspire and entertain them. It worked; those under me had the highest productivity rate, got the best raises, were promoted faster and would do just about anything in the world for me because they knew I would do anything in my power for them. While this usually meant me working alongside them or personally training them for continuous quality improvements, it occasionally took on a slightly wilder side. Riding a motorcycle through the store aisles after closing, bowling for two-liter soda bottles with frozen turkeys, baseball in the stockroom, laser tag on the roof, contests to see who could catch the most shoplifters, hide and seek, a chess tournament, foot races, pizza parties, karate training, book club and a few hundred practical jokes.” - J.Olson*

“I’ve been building my life-coaching business for over a year while I’ve held down an executive assistant job from 9-6, Monday through Friday. The boss works across the street from the office that I’m at, and I spend the majority of my day (at least four hours, maybe more) building my coaching business — posting to my blog, tweeting, communicating with clients, writing newsletters, even doing sessions during my lunch break — you name it!. Thankfully it’s paid-off — I’m giving notice in about a month to coach full-time.” – M.W.

“When I worked at this pizza shop, myself and two fellow employees would try to make each other laugh by making faces behind the boss. For example, I would be running the oven and the boss would be right next to me, so if I laughed I was screwed. So my friend X would be at the cook line, about 2 feet behind my boss so I can see him and the boss couldn’t. And the facial expressions and motions he would make were hilarious. I must say I never [saw] him get caught.” — M.W.

“[My] story has more to do with a colleague who always has some very important thing to do at home/with the baby/his elderly mother-in-law, or has a sudden urgent need to deliver something to one of our member organizations that takes him out of the office for long stretches of time when the executive director is away. Recently, when the boss went on an extended holiday around Christmas/New Years, I and another colleague kept a spreadsheet of this slacker’s arrivals, lunch breaks and departures, and then averaged out the numbers. All told, he was in the office an average of 5.5 hours a day while the boss was away. And, given all the adorable postings I see on Facebook from him every night, I imagine there’s at least another hour in there taken up in Facebook upkeep and Web browsing.” — D.C.

“To be honest, before I became a boss and I worked for someone else, I did some of everything when the boss was a way. From surfing the Internet to making personal calls and paying bills [to] taking an extra hour at lunch [to] going home early to sleep. I’ve even made out with a woman or two at the office.” — J.D.

“I know what one of my employees was doing when I was out of the office or at meetings. She was on Facebook! A few vendors told me about it privately, so I set out to bust her in the act. I invited her to become my Facebook friend, and she took the bait. Then, I wrote her up and attached the summary of the days and times she was commenting on her Facebook page, which was during business hours, while I was away. I don’t particularly like writing up employees, but I loved this write up with the Facebook evidence attached!” — K.P.W

“When our bosses aren’t looking or even better when they walk away and leave their computers unlocked, someone sneaks in and sends a short e-mail to someone else in the office. These e-mails range from the quirky to the flirtatious to the potentially insulting, but they are always good for a laugh. At least as long as the boss still isn’t looking.” –T.D.

“I work in a small doctor’s office with only one doctor. My office manager is very cool and participates in our slacking. When the doc or his wife are not around and we don’t have any patients … we make fun of the doc and his wife. When we make fun of our bosses, we really make fun of them and create scenarios that we act out, we raise our voices to impersonate them, and when we laugh, we laugh really loud. We also order food during lunch and eat it in the waiting room where we have a TV, computers and Internet (something that is not allowed during work hours). We snoop on the doc’s computer. We always catch him on the Internet so we like to see what he does on the computer all the time. Needless to say, we found porn in his favorites! Also, his wife forgets to sign out of her e-mail (don’t ask me why) but everyone uses the computers so we saw in her e-mail a message that read ‘Thank you for signing up to lesbian porn.’” — Vanessa

“For the past two years I’ve been self-employed, but before I started my company I always enjoyed reading news articles on the Internet during the day. My project managers often frowned upon us surfing the Internet during the day, but I found a creative way around this. At the beginning of the day I’d find interesting articles online and copy and paste the text into a word document. The word document had the company logo in the header, so if somebody walked by my cube it would appear that I was reading an official work-related document rather than the top sports news of the day.” — S.M.

“I have a co-worker who is two completely different people when our boss is out of the office. When she is in, he makes sure to get to work before her and leave after her, even though he is just messing around on Skype and YouTube all day long. She took a one-week vacation in August, and he worked 9-5 every day (our hours are 8:00 to 6:30). Then, he put the icing on the cake in the week after Christmas. Most of our team was out of town, including our boss. Apparently he thought he was going to be the only one in the office, and didn’t even come in to work. He’d occasionally send out an email to make it seem like he was there. Finally, on the Wednesday after Christmas, he strolled in around 11:00 am. When he saw another team member was here, he turned beet red, and stammered how he thought she was out for the week. No one has said anything to our boss yet, but we are dying to.” –J.J.

“I placed an online order to American Apparel to restock my underwear supply. Instead of shipping them to my house, I had them shipped to the office — more reliable. When the package arrived, I couldn’t wait to see what the panties looked like ON. Literally, I couldn’t wait. I didn’t even take time to close my office door. I pulled out the first pair (light blue thong), lifted up my skirt, and pulled the panties over my leggings. They were cute! Unfortunately, just at that moment my boss arrived at my door — a 60-year-old man face to face with a 28-year-old female employee. It wasn’t good. Next time I’ll wait until he’s out of the office to try on my undies.” — K.H.

Courteous. Trusting. Good-natured. Cooperative. Tolerant.

These are the traits your mother told you — repeatedly — to embrace. “They’ll make people like you.” “You’ll always have friends.” “You’ll go far.”

Mom was wrong, at least as far as business success is concerned.

My colleagues and I studied the careers of more than 1,500 people over a 20-year period. Sorry, Mom, we found that being too nice won’t boost you up the corporate ladder.

Our findings didn’t just hint at it, either. The evidence was overwhelming: Being too nice can deter your career progress and muddle your effectiveness as a leader. The degree to which a person is trusting of others as well as likable (good-natured, cheerful, gentle) hurt his or her salary level and number of promotions.

How about nurturing, sympathetic and supportive? These qualities impede management potential. Agreeable? Research indicated it was negatively related to salary, occupational status, involvement in work and whether an individual stood out as a leader.

It’s not all bad news. Being affable relates to job and life satisfaction, and people with that quality tend to engage in less counterproductive behavior — vital in jobs requiring cooperation.

Why being nice hurts your career
So, why is it a problem for career success? One reason: People with this natural personality trait may be less likely to face confrontation or other difficulties at work.

I once worked with a hospital’s vice president for marketing, a truly likable person. Successful in her early career, she started having trouble when she reached the vice president level. She faced significantly more power struggles and conflicts in situations where she needed to be firm or take a stand. Many times for harmony, she deferred to others. Over time, more assertive executives ended up simply ignoring her, making decisions without her. Frustrated, she eventually left the hospital.

A leader must be able to perform in ways challenging for someone who is hard-wired for cooperation. “Let’s all get along” just doesn’t work in the workplace.

To be a successful manager, you have to manage controversial issues as well as provide constructive (and not always positive) feedback. You’ll have to make difficult decisions and help correct poor performance. Added to this, you’ll have to be able to deal effectively with conflict and take less popular stands when needed — challenging for those who want to be liked.

If you are that type of person, you may also be much less likely to stand up for yourself because you don’t want to rock the boat, or be less assertive in asking for raises, promotions and career opportunities. Thus, others may take advantage of you or you might not get recognized for your accomplishments.

It has been proved that when “nice” leaders fail to manage conflicts, make hard decisions or deal with problem subordinates or areas, they are often accused of not providing strong leadership, lacking courage or just frankly needing to be tougher.

Being mean is not the answer
Does this mean you have to be mean? Absolutely not. Going to the other extreme and being abrasive, or a toxic co-worker or leader, is equally damaging to your career, as well as to others in the organization. Let me repeat: The evidence is overwhelming that being abrasive, disrespectful, abusive and mean will also derail a career.

Overall, being trusting, cooperative, forgiving and tolerant are all good things. But it’s critical to recognize that any trait used in excess or inappropriately can become a weakness.

How do you change a personality trait? While traits generally drive a person’s behavior, they don’t necessarily dictate behavior. Your behaviors should be aligned with your work role and goals. Some of these behaviors may actually be counter to your natural predispositions, but most people want to help their organizations succeed.

Your next steps to success
First, you should determine what traits are preventing you from accomplishing goals or engaging in behaviors important to your job, or are creating negative perceptions of you as an employee and leader.

Next, be flexible in your personality and business styles. While the natural tendency of the vice president of marketing for the hospital was to be cooperative and flexible, she needed to speak up and take a firm stand on major decisions. However counter this was to her natural tendency, she needed to be versatile in her leadership style to handle new responsibilities.

Finding a balance
Can being too nice hurt your career? Yes. Can being too mean also kill your promotion chances? Yes.

I have facilitated many talent management reviews for major corporations. As individuals were reviewed by other senior executives, phrases such as “won’t make the hard decisions”; “doesn’t manage conflict”; “not sure he can lead us through the hard times”; “too much of a pushover”; “nice person but never gets anything done” ended up hurting individuals being considered for promotion.

Equally, phrases such as “gets results, but mows over people”; “can’t manage a team”; “smart but has an abrasive interpersonal style”; “creates conflict”; “adversarial and doesn’t solve problems in a productive fashion” ended up on the negative side of the review.

The keys are balance and versatility — to apply the most appropriate behaviors as necessary for organizational goals. At times, it may be counter to your natural personality and outside your comfort zone. Keep this in mind: Remain authentic to who you are, but take the most appropriate actions needed for your leadership situation.

Dr. Christine Riordan, Dean of the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, leads a global network of over 33,000 faculty, staff, students, and alumni in providing business education, grounded in ethics and dedicated to transforming lives. She has a national reputation as a leadership development and workplace diversity expert and consults regularly with corporations on strategic planning, leadership development activities, diversity management, and team performance.

Congratulations! Despite daily news stories of layoffs and companies folding, you have managed to hang on to your job.

So why don’t you exactly feel like celebrating?

While you may be grateful for employment, the fact is that corporate restructuring, budget cuts and a general air of uncertainty take a toll on all workers. What can you do if you are feeling underpaid, overworked, unrecognized or burned out?

Money matters
From waitresses expected to serve additional tables because of staff reductions to account executives putting in extra hours to land new clients, many employees are working longer and harder than ever before. Yet while demands on workers may be rising, their paychecks often are not.

Blame the employer? Joseph Grenny, co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High,” cautions against doing that.

“You are responsible for your income — not your employer,” Grenny states. He thinks that if you believe you are underpaid for the amount of work you do, you’ve got three options:

· Persuade your employer
“Evaluate your contributions to the company and determine if the value you add to the company warrants a raise. If you think a raise is merited, make sure to adequately prepare for the crucial conversation with your employer, and be prepared to share specific examples of how you have benefited the company.”

· Supplement your income
“If you do not think your company is in a position to give you a raise, consider supplementing your income with consulting in your area of expertise, a side business or another source of income.”

· Shop around
“If you feel that you are underpaid and under-appreciated, it might be time to start looking for a new job.”

Is “rocking the boat” dangerous in this economy? As Grenny sees it, “Employers these days realize that if today is a soft labor market, it will be tight again sometime in the future. Consequently, you can have more confidence than you might realize in approaching your boss. The key is to build mutual purpose — to let the employer know you care about the needs of the company while wanting to be fairly compensated yourself.”

Beyond a paycheck
Being happy in a job isn’t solely about pay. Employees want to know that their talents and efforts are recognized and appreciated by those around them.

Janet Flewelling, director of human resources operations for Administaff in Houston, Tex., notes that in many cases when an employee feels he is being overlooked by management it has nothing to do with length of tenure or even job performance. “During a tough economy, when many companies have experienced layoffs, tensions are high and it is often the case that management is consumed with other concerns such as reducing operating costs or retaining clients.”

Flewelling gives the following advice for workers looking to get noticed:

· Take a proactive stance
“Provide your supervisor with regular status updates of your work and candidly discuss projects and the milestones achieved before he or she requests the information. Taking the initiative to openly communicate with management will not only assist in keeping you top-of-mind, it demonstrates your drive to succeed, which is something no smart manager can overlook.”

· Focus on career development
“Successful companies know retaining employees who want to constantly learn and develop their skills are the best investment they can make and therefore these employees are rarely overlooked.”

· Support your company
“Employers look to employees to support leadership in an economic downturn. Employees should clearly communicate their support to management and let them know that they are ready and willing to pitch in and assist wherever necessary to help make management’s vision a reality.”

Getting out of the dumps
Irritability, headaches, stomach aches, fatigue and problems sleeping are some ways that job stress can manifest itself. When feeling burned out becomes the norm instead of the exception, it may be time for action.

Try a walk at lunch to clear your head. Skip hanging around the water cooler if office gossip is getting you down. Try a power nap after work instead of more coffee, and be sure you’re eating something other than junk food from the vending machine.

Finally, consider utilizing services of employee assistance programs, which are typically available through insurance providers at no additional cost to the employee. “Oftentimes, workers do not take advantage of these programs because they do not know they are available or they worry the information will be made accessible to the employer,” Flewelling states. “However, that is not the case. EAPs offer confidential counseling and referral services from trained professionals to help employees with problems at work or home, financial concerns, stress, depression and substance abuse, to name a few.”

Fifty-seven percent of U.S. workers don’t like their job enough to take it seriously, according to a 2008 study by Taleo Corp., a California company that provides talent management software. How can you do a great job if you don’t give your career 100 percent? Moreover, when you despise the day-to-day workplace grind, you’re not focused on how to better yourself. No wonder studies have shown that when you love your work, you’re more successful, even less stressed. That’s exactly why it’s so vital, before you invest time and money, to research your best career matches.

From 1,000 occupations, in addition to CEO, this evaluation by Dewey Color System recommends your top 75 careers. You’ll get answers, even if you’re clueless about the job market. Instead of asking questions like, “Do you want to be a writer, engineer or farmer?” and then essentially giving your own answer back to you, you will be directed toward the occupations you should find most enjoyable. Each listing also contains career investment facts.

The color preference methodology matches career-specific occupations to your personality. The system:

· Evaluated 750,000 CareerBuilder online users
· Asked users from 1,000 occupations if they enjoy their current career
· Choosing “strongly agree” placed them in a “career sample base”
· Evaluated all 1,000 samples by color preference in order to predict your best career.

Below find the framework of a “career business plan.” Use it to find a career that you will love.

1. Set a goal
· First-time job seeker: You need experience. Be concerned only with getting it. Discount higher salaries or even somewhat unpleasant duties. Investigate where you can best get on-the-job training. Visualizing opportunities ahead is energizing.
· Career experienced: Expand your list of available jobs and their descriptions. Based on your current experience, explore which recommended careers are best-suited to your career path. Look for a niche that’s not saturated with other applicants.
· Student: As you read about each career, answer the question, “What would you love to do?” Transfer your idea into both a long-term and a short-term plan. Then, choose a curriculum that will land that first job.

2. Create a success-driven mindset
It all starts with you. When you feel confident about your future, others respond with positive offers of opportunity and support. Here are ways to create a successful mindset:
· Say no to ego-driven goals: Avoid status-driven self-proclamations. View each career in the light of how much you would enjoy day-to-day tasks. If you choose a glamorous career, be aware that it’s very competitive.
· Link careers: Where do you want to be in five years? Ten years? Create a career growth plan. For example: secretary → executive administrative assistant → office manager. Success in the real world is a step-by-step process. Build your step-by-step résumé with enthusiasm and doors will open.
· View career choices as an investment: Don’t snub the low-wage occupations or take the highest-paying career choices. Instead look at the long-term training benefits. Where will it take you?
· Seek work that looks fun: Job enjoyment creates competency, and that translates into success and further opportunities. Ask yourself, “Would this career be fun?” Even if you’ve already worked at a particular job and it didn’t pan out at the time, it might still lead to a great career with another employer.

3. Make a plan
Imagine you are actually working in each listed occupation that’s of interest. Ask yourself, “Would this job be fun and easy to do or learn?” If so, it could be the best path for you.
· Select five short-term jobs: Be realistic. Which five occupations can you competitively interview for right now, based on your education and experience?
· Select five long-term careers: Think big. What five careers can you qualify for in five or 10 years? Don’t form an opinion until you have reviewed all of your options. Assign the highest rank to those job descriptions that are most appealing.
· Select only the high-growth occupations: Getting that perfect career is something of a gamble. Increase your odds of winning by selecting only the high-growth job descriptions.
· Get the facts: Read about each occupation that “appears” to be enjoyable. Then, be totally honest with yourself. Which day-to-day career lifestyle would really suit you best? One place to start is http://www.bls.gov/soc/.

4. Just do it
Get disciplined and don’t allow self-doubt to keep you from moving forward.
· It’s not personal: Don’t let false pride slow you down. Get your face or résumé in front of every friend or prospective career opportunity.
· Run the numbers: Get as many interviews and résumés sent as possible. Make it fun! Run up the numbers.
· Be proud of every “No“: Don’t fret over rejections; it will only diminish your self-confidence.

Dewey Sadka, author and inventor of The Dewey Color System’s Color Career Indicator 4.0, owned and operated one of the country’s largest staffing companies for more than 25 years.

Many workers have been tackling large workloads for months and slowly but surely losing their get-up-and-go. If routine assignments have taken on mammoth proportions, you may be suffering from burnout. Long work hours and seemingly relentless deadlines can lead to low morale and reduced productivity — not to mention decreased job satisfaction. Following are additional warning signs that you may be running on empty:

· You have trouble getting out of bed when you have to go to work.
· You frequently arrive to work late.
· You feel bad about your performance.
· You feel withdrawn.
· You watch the clock excessively.
· Work stress spills over into other areas of your life.
· You get into frequent disagreements with your manager or co-workers, which you didn’t in the past.
· You think you aren’t making progress, despite your best efforts.

If these symptoms sound familiar, it may be time to make some changes. Here are some strategies to help you renew your enthusiasm and get your career back on track:

1. Evaluate your role
If your company has experienced layoffs or has a hiring freeze in place, you might be shouldering more responsibility than in the past. Although taking on new assignments can be a good career move, doing so can lead to burnout if the scope of your responsibility has expanded beyond what you can reasonably manage. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t try to tough it out. Instead, meet with your supervisor and be honest about your situation. Work with him or her to reprioritize projects or look for ways to delegate some of your work.

2. Look at your schedule
The way you manage your time also can affect your ability to rebound from job exhaustion. If you are overbooked or expending too much energy on noncritical initiatives, you may be creating additional pressure at work. Try keeping a simple record of your activities for a week and divide the findings into categories such as “researching,” “reviewing proposals” and “responding to e-mails.” Are you devoting adequate time to the highest priorities?

3. Identify your stressors
Understanding the factors that contributed to your decline in motivation can help you move in a more positive direction. Think about what has contributed to your burnout: Is it the feeling that projects are out of your control? Have your own actions exacerbated the problem? For example, you may have set an overly ambitious time line for completing an assignment, creating unnecessary stress and obstacles to its success. Even small changes to your routine, such as seeking assistance from your manager when you have too many projects on your plate, can help brighten your outlook.

4. Ask for help
A common symptom of burnout is a feeling of isolation. You may think you’re the only one who can review a particular document because you understand the project best, but someone else might bring in a fresh perspective — not to mention relieve some of the burden. It’s OK to let others know that you’re facing difficulties and request their assistance. Keep in mind that you won’t be perceived as a complainer if you objectively outline the specific issues you’re trying to address and ask for guidance.

5. Take a break
Make sure to allow time to periodically recharge. Even if you’re working long hours, you can counteract stress and maximize your performance on the job by taking five- or 10-minute breaks throughout the day. Stand up and stretch or go for a short walk. Instead of eating lunch at your desk, try the break room or outside courtyard. When you’re able, try to use your vacation days, as well. Getting away from the office, even for a day or two, can give you a fresh perspective on your situation and allow you to return with new focus and energy.

A certain amount of stress is inherent in any job, but when the pressure gets out of hand, it’s important to act quickly. Burnout can hurt not only your overall job performance but also your personal life. By taking measures to reduce the amount of stress you’re facing, you can regain your motivation.

Robert Half International is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 360 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit http://www.roberthalf.com/. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/roberthalf.

If you turn on the TV, you’re probably going to see a character who has one of the following jobs: lawyer, doctor, criminal investigator or generic business professional who must wear a suit.

Not that we don’t love those jobs (and those shows), but the media in general seem to forget about the millions of workers who are in other fields. To give some coverage to other occupations, we decided to highlight 40 jobs that are in one of these industries: construction, maintenance, operations, production and material handling. These careers are typically considered blue-collar jobs and are some of the top-earning in each field.

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CBSalary.com, here are 40 top-paying blue-collar jobs and their mean annual salaries:

1. Aircraft mechanics: $54,506
2. Aircraft service technicians: $41,604
3. Boilermakers: $50,091
4. Brickmasons: $48,439
5. Carpet installers: $42,682
6. Chemical plant and system operators: $51,464
7. Construction and building inspectors: $51,815
8. Electricians: $55,188
9. Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation and equipment: $44,450
10. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment: $49,260
11. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse substation and relay: $60,700
12. Elevator installers and repairers: $66,642
13. First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers: $61,280
14. First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers and repairers: $59,160
15. First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators: $53,960
16. Gas plant operators: $64,608
17. Line installers and repairers: $54,300
18. Locomotive engineers: $70,116
19. Machinists: $49,626
20. Millwrights: $54,969
21. Mining machine operators: $45,570
22. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines: $44,300
23. Model maker, metal and plastic: $44,700
24. Nuclear power reactor operators: $73,510
25. Numerical tool and process control programmers: $46,360
26. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators and gaugers: $54,950
27. Power distributors and dispatchers: $58,401
28. Power plant operators: $74,061
29. Plumbers: $49,169
30. Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers: $52,650
31. Rail car repairers: $44,981
32. Railroad brake, signal and switch operators: $49,400
33. Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators: $44,870
34. Ship and boat captains and operators: $67,730
35. Ship engineers: $50,754
36. Stationary engineers and boiler operators: $50,098
37. Structural iron and steel workers: $47,170
38. Subway and streetcar operators: $55,318
39. Tool and die makers: $48,180
40. Transportation inspectors: $46,984

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.

With some companies beginning to emerge from the recession and pursue growth plans again, moving up the corporate ladder could be on your mind. Taking on a higher-level position — and, ideally, the corresponding bump in pay — could be especially appealing if you’ve assumed added responsibilities or put in longer hours during the downturn. What can you do to ensure you’re on the short list of candidates for a promotion? Here are some tips:

1. Talk to your manager.
Your supervisor has a large say in your chances of earning a promotion. Don’t assume he or she is aware of your desire to grow your career. Speak to your boss about your long-term plans. Your manager may know of opportunities within the department, or elsewhere in the company, and be able to help you evaluate and prepare for the opportunities. Your boss also has a more objective view of your professional strengths and weaknesses than you do and can provide an honest assessment of what steps you may need to take to assume a new role.

By involving your boss in your quest for a promotion, you can discuss with him or her any questions or challenges you face. For example, if you are an administrative assistant in the marketing department and are interested in a position as an account executive, your supervisor’s feedback could help you determine if such a transition would be right for you.

2. Upgrade your skills.
There’s a good chance you may lack some of the necessary skills or qualifications for a higher-level role. The supervisory position you’re eyeing, for instance, may require knowledge of budgeting procedures or recruiting techniques. In some cases, you may even have to earn a new certification, license or degree.

You also need to consider if you have the necessary soft skills. A promotion may require you to do less hands-on, technical work and instead manage people, oversee projects, help various groups reach consensus or negotiate with vendors. If you lack experience in these areas, work with your manager to identify the appropriate training opportunities. Also, volunteer for projects that allow you to build skills in essential areas.

3. Expand your network. Being connected at work has multiple benefits. Most obviously, you could learn of opportunities you might not have otherwise been aware of. You also may meet someone who can provide insight into the job or type of position you seek. A manager, for example, could outline the steps he took to move up from a staff-level role and warn you about any stumbling blocks he faced.

Perhaps most importantly, networking with others allows you to boost your visibility within the company, increasing the likelihood that someone considers you when a position becomes available.

4. Gauge your interest. The most crucial part of preparing for a promotion is determining if you truly want it. While it’s safe to assume that you want any additional compensation or perks the job offers, do you also want the additional responsibilities? After you’ve learned more about a role you’re interested in assuming, ask yourself if you can do everything the position requires. Take into account not only your skill set and qualifications but also your life outside of work. If you have young children, for example, will your work/life balance suffer? Will a higher-level position require you to play office politics? Are you comfortable transitioning from peer to manager if you take a supervisory role?

A promotion is a great way to advance your career, but remember that it isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. You’re unlikely to jump multiple rungs on the corporate ladder in a single move. So keep your eye on the position you want to assume eventually and focus on the steps, even if they seem small, that will allow you to get there.

Robert Half International is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 360 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit http://www.roberthalf.com/.

Everyone has a different idea of what’s a good or bad salary. Some people are happy just to make ends meet. Others won’t settle for less than six figures. A lot of factors go into what makes a salary seem reasonable.

Therefore you can’t really classify any single salary as high or low without bringing in your own bias. That said, sometimes salaries just don’t seem large enough. We put together a list of 10 jobs that have salaries we thought would be bigger. Don’t mistake these jobs for having salaries that are impossible to live on; instead, these are salaries that seem too low for the amount of work, time or risk they involve.

Here are 10 jobs we thought would pay more:

1. Court reporters transcribe arguments during trials, mediations and other legal proceedings.
What they earn: $48,968/year
Why it’s surprising: Legal matters are important, and having an accurate record of what occurs is vital to almost any proceeding. Court reporters have to be attentive, speedy and accurate. That’s not easy.

2. Dry cleaners get those stubborn stains out of our clothing when at-home scrubbing just won’t do. Plus, they press our work clothes and formal attire so we look presentable in public and not like we’re wearing wrinkled tissue paper.
What they earn: $22,641/year
Why it’s surprising: Have you seen how much laundry your average dry cleaner is dealing with? Not to mention the fact that most people take their garments at the last minute, so the turnaround is usually very quick.

3. Maids and housekeeping cleaners are responsible for cleaning up the messes we make at hotels and homes. They empty the trash, replace the linens and do other chores that make homes and workplaces livable.
What they earn: $23,922/year
Why it’s surprising: It’s common knowledge that maids and housekeepers don’t earn as much as other occupations, but we’d probably expect someone whose job involves so much labor to be paid more.

4. Middle school teachers instruct children in grades six through eight. They sometimes specialize in one course, but often teach several.
Salary: $50,963/year
Why it’s surprising: Have you spent any time with an adolescent or teenager lately? Could you handle being trapped in a room with dozens of them, much less trying to keep them focused so you can teach them? A Nobel Peace Prize should be included in their compensation. Not to mention the amount of education most teachers are required to have, and they are usually required to take development courses every few years.

5. Paramedics respond to emergencies and provide medical care on-site. They also transport patients to health-care facilities if necessary.
What they earn: $46,184/year
Why it’s surprising: Although putting a price on saving a life seems impossible, you would expect a paramedic’s salary to be a bit higher.

6. Police officers protect citizens from criminals and help enforce laws that keep us safe.
What they earn: $53,428/year
Why it’s surprising: Their lives are on the line and they never know what they’re getting into. It’s hard to imagine many jobs that deserve better pay.

7. Rehabilitation counselors work with patients to treat disabilities, which can range from social to physical ailments. They work closely with the patients’ other health-care specialists to ensure they’re making progress.
What they earn: $27,617/year
Why it’s surprising: Rehabilitation workers are dealing with important issues that affect patients’ lives in a significant way and often have irregular work hours.

8. Security guards keep watch over businesses, merchandise and buildings. They make sure no one steals items or breaks into closed offices.
What they earn: $33,195/year
Why it’s surprising: Security guards have to be on the lookout at all times, and may be standing for their shifts. Their jobs involve little relaxation.

9. Teacher assistants do just what their title says — they help teachers. They often help students with some basic tasks or grade papers and prepare materials so teachers can focus on more demanding issues.
What they earn: $24,448/year
Why it’s surprising: Although these are assistants and not teachers, and therefore their education and experience requirements are less demanding, they are still highly involved in educating students and not paid as competitively as expected.

10. Veterinary assistants help veterinarians with caring for a variety of animals, which includes helping with examinations and treatments.
What they earn: $32,584/year
Why it’s surprising: Animals aren’t the easiest patients to deal with. They’re finicky, often dangerous and definitely not something just anyone can handle.

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/abalderrama.

With the national unemployment rate in double digits, people lucky enough to be employed are focusing on how to keep their jobs. For some, that means spending longer hours at the office, volunteering for new assignments, or enrolling in continuing education programs to gain additional skills that can add value in their current position.

For others, this is a time of deep, personal reflection about their job choice and career path. Many people are re-evaluating their careers, and they are looking at how they can make a greater impact on the lives of others.

As the director of career services for Walden University, I have been privileged to hear the success stories of hundreds of working professionals who found ways to make a greater difference in their communities. Here are three important lessons they taught me:

1. Expand your current role
The answer to making work more rewarding may be right in front of you. Before switching jobs and companies, first look inside your organization for opportunities to make an impact. With many organizations short-staffed right now, it might be possible to gain experience in a new field and shift careers with your current employer.

One of our public health doctoral students did just that. Julie*, who works in public health for a federal agency, sought projects to lead, and she became involved in two research initiatives outside her usual job description.

She updated her résumé to reflect her newly acquired skills, experiences and education, proving to her supervisor that she was qualified for a higher-level position. As a result of her resourcefulness, Julie received a promotion and a raise.

2. Spearhead a new initiative
Sometimes finding more meaningful work comes from exploring novel ways to use what you already know to make a difference in a new arena.

Maria* was completing a practicum in nursing at a local college. In conversations with the college’s dean, she learned that the curriculum had not yet been developed for the college’s new community health nursing course.

Capitalizing on her 20 years of experience in home health care, Maria offered to develop a syllabus and lesson plan for the course, and she was given the opportunity to do so. Her initiative paid off — the associate dean offered her a faculty position as the community health nurse educator.

3. Share your expertise with colleagues
When I talk to students who are successful in their jobs and their lives, I learn that they often go the extra mile in their professional roles, especially in their interactions with others.

There are plenty of opportunities to make a difference for individuals within your organization. Newer staff members need more experienced advisers to help them navigate difficult work scenarios or simply to grab lunch with them once in awhile.

Co-workers in other departments may be looking to better understand the work you do — and these connections will help strengthen ties between individuals and work groups within your company.

Check with your human resources department to see if you can sign up for a mentoring program, or simply invite a junior employee to lunch. Sometimes there is no greater reward than helping someone else succeed.

Now is a vital time to find ways to make current jobs more fulfilling, while also building skills for future achievement.

*Last names have been withheld for privacy purposes.

Lisa Cook is the director of career services for Walden University, an online university with a curriculum tailored to meet the needs of working professionals who strive for greater social impact. For more information, go to www.WaldenU.edu.