Dear Liz, When I took my job a year ago, my boss made me sign a piece of paper that said I would stay in the job for two years. If I don’t do it, there goes my reference from this job. I’ve only been in the job for a year but I’m ready to… read more

Do you look forward to going to work every day, or dread it? Do you lie awake in bed at night, worrying about the next work day? If so, consider this list a little wake up call that we often forget to make when we get caught up in busy careers until we are really… read more

I’m sure you’ve heard this oft-spoken mantra before: Your former employer is only allowed to divulge your employment dates and the title you held with the organization. If you’re confident that your former employers will always adhere to this policy, you might want to think again. Reference-checking firm Allison & Taylor has found that approximately… read more

You’re feeling pretty confident after your last interview. You nailed all the key questions, got across the important points, and left a great impression. You go home, treat yourself to a glass of wine, sit back, relax, and that’s when it hits you: you forgot to write an interview follow up note! Fret not –… read more

I never expected to be in this situation, but I have a dilemma at work. Last year I was pushing my manager Angela to promote me to a new position that she was trying to create. I wasn’t competing with anyone for the job. It’s the job I was doing already. I was running our… read more

We are programmed to win whenever there is something to win. We’ve been taught to set goals and achieve them. When you’re job-hunting, the instinct to win the prize can take over. You can expend a lot of energy trying to get a job, and then realize once you’ve got the job that it’s not… read more

Dear Liz, I’m in a quandary. There are so many aspects of my job I don’t like, it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. At this point I keep doing my job just to have a salary. I don’t get paid enough, and the working conditions are beyond stressful. There aren’t enough… read more

So, you’ve decided what you want to do, dreamt as big as you can, talked to as many people who would listen and planned the steps you think you need to take. There it lies before you in black and white, the goal of your new career, the steps you need to take, the way… read more

Need help fashioning a to-do list on how to negotiate salary with a current or future employer? Give the following salary negotiating tips a try. Do your homework. This includes researching the current market value for the position and carrying that knowledge with you into the talks. Creating a Pay Scale Salary Profile and keeping… read more

At some point in time most working professionals will be faced with a new career opportunity outside of their current employer’s offerings.  Most of the folks I know have some sort of fantasy involving a job opening that pays a higher salary, contains added career growth potential, and/or generally sets them in a direction that… read more