Author Archive

May Jobs Report Redux »

For the fifth consecutive month, employment grew by 431,000 in May — the largest single month gain in jobs since March 2000 — while the unemployment rate dropped to 9.7 percent. According to the BLS, temporary census hiring accounted for about 411,000 jobs and private-sector employment rose by a modest 41,000.  Manufacturing, temporary help services [...]

Is boxing or yoga better for your job woes? »

Recently, the staff here was challenged to take part in a fitness competition to encourage health and wellness among employees. It didn’t take long for people to choose teams and begin strategizing so they could claim the sweet reward of a body to rival those soccer players gracing this month’s cover of Vanity Fair —and a nice [...]

Summer job season not too hot »

Whenever I think of summer jobs, the first thing that comes to mind is “Meatballs” and those wacky CITs from Camp North Star. Sure they complained and wanted pity — the kids were brats; the food was hideous – but you know they were having fun. Alas, rarely is a job – summer or otherwise [...]

5 rules for asking better interview questions »

With the addition of 573,000 nonfarm payroll jobs since December, American workers are feeling more optimistic about their employment prospects. Those who had all but given up their job searches have started to re-enter the job market, which accounted for the rise in the unemployment rate in April despite the job growth. Fewer job openings for job seekers also mean [...]

April Job Numbers Redux »

This morning the BLS reported employment rose by 290,000 in April, surpassing economists’ predictions of 185,000. Since December, nonfarm payroll employment has expanded by 573,000, with 483,000 jobs added in the private sector. In an additional bit of good news, the BLS revised the numbers from February and March: February was revised from -14,000 to [...]

Best cities for 2010 grads »

College senior Kaitlin Ripple has always known the business world was competitive. Yet when she started Baldwin-Wallace College, located in a suburb outside of Cleveland, Ohio, she had no way of knowing how cutthroat it would be when she finally received her diploma. Now with graduation days away, Ripple is contemplating her next move. While she’d [...]

25 best-paying jobs for women »

When you look at Forbes magazine’s most recent list of highest-paid CEOs (chief executives of the 500 biggest companies in the United States), you won’t see a woman until No. 48: Irene B. Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods.  In a country where women make up 47 percent of the  work force, just 3 percent of [...]

The future’s 15 most wanted workers »

This spring there seems to have been an explosion of positive employment news that’s left skeptics wondering, “Is this news too good to be true?” and job seekers crying foul.  While we are not out of the woods yet, President Barack Obama was cautiously optimistic in a recent radio address. “Even as we have come [...]

Tax tips for freelancers »

On Wednesday, I wrote a post about everyone’s favorite time of year: tax season. Today, I bring you a guest blog about tax tips for freelancers. Joseph D’Agnese & Denise Kiernan, authors of “The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed,” tell freelancers that they can have a stress-free tax season (now and in the future). Really! Here’s how:  Top [...]

Tax time dilemmas for workers and job seekers »

Tax season can be, well, taxing to say the least, and this year it might be more so on many Americans who are unemployed, have seen their incomes shrink or are hoping for a sizable return to pay off bills. For cash-strapped workers, a tax return can be a much-needed income boost. According to a [...]