Last week we profiled CDL drivers, one of the six most in-demand jobs in the U.S., according to information from CareerBuilder’s database. Today we’re highlighting another in-demand job — computer numerically controlled machinists. CNC machinists program machines through a computer in order to cut and shape metal parts.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNC machinists typically work in machine shops and toolrooms and on factory floors. While they usually have a regular work schedule, overtime is common. According to CareerBuilder’s Supply & Demand Portal, the average national salary is $48,000, and the top cities hiring for these positions are Houston, Minneapolis and Cleveland.

Watch the video below for more details on this position:

And if you’d rather see it as a snazzy infographic, we have that too:

Check out all the CNC machinist positions we have on CareerBuilder.com today!

Here is an example of what a threaded conversation looks like, care of the WordPress blog:

In the previous format, all comments were posted one after the other, with no indent, so that you weren’t always sure what a reader was replying to. Now, to reply to a specific comment, you  just hit the reply button next to it and enter your message. It will appear nested beneath the original comment.

If you want to leave a general comment not directed at a specific commenter, then you can simply enter your text in the reply box at the bottom of the page as always.

So now that commenting on posts (whether you love them or hate them) is easier, get to it! Use that Reply button. We love to hear from you.

Instead, I thought I would start off your week with some interesting articles I found on my TweetDeck this morning. Stay tuned tomorrow for a post about how to know when it’s time to quit your job.

• 100 Best Companies to Work for (via @CBforEmployers)
• Top 10 Job-Search Personal Branding Mistakes (via @interviewcoach)
• Five tips for turning temp work into full-time employment (via @heatherhuhman)
• Working Twice as Hard for Half the Money (via @CareerBuilderPR)
• New Year is Time to Fine-Tune Your Job-Hunting Strategies (via@BriteTab)
• Your 5 Step Recipe for a Memorable Job Search Message (via @kristid)

Happy Monday!

“After a challenging year, some organizations are cutting back on the holiday perks that they may have offered in previous years,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder. “Even though holiday bonuses, gifts and parties may be trimmed back this season, employers are doing what they can to reward their workers and get their staffs in the holiday spirit.”

Here’s what employers are saying when it comes to giving this quarter:

Bonuses: About 29 percent of employers plan to give their employees holiday bonuses this year. Of those employers, 16 percent are planning to give the same amount as in previous years, while 11 percent plan to give less. Twelve percent of employers say they will not be issuing holiday bonuses.

Gifts: Twenty-six percent of employers plan to give holiday gifts, with 15 percent planning to spend the same amount for workers as in previous years. Eight percent plan to spend less, while another 8 percent say they are not planning to give holidays gifts in 2009.

Parties: About 49 percent of employers are planning to throw a holiday party for employees this year. Of that group, 30 percent plan to throw the same party as in previous years, while 18 percent are planning something on a smaller scale. One-in-ten (11 percent) employers don’t plan to have a holiday party in 2009.

Are you going through holiday cutbacks at your office? Here are a few tips from Haefner on how to make it through:

• Be realistic in your holiday budgeting: If you’re anticipating a bonus this season, be sure to budget accordingly so that you can handle your financial obligations if your bonus is lower than in years past or is eliminated.
• Volunteer as a group: While companies may not have the budgets to throw a holiday party this year, employees can suggest charity work as an alternative.  Volunteering with your team or company still allows you to be out of the office in a social setting while giving back to your local community and maintaining your holiday spirit.
• Don’t be a scrooge: Even if your company holiday party is cancelled, it doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate the season with co-workers. Office potlucks or casual get togethers are a great way to have a low-key celebration in the office with your colleagues.

Background: Conley is the CEO and founder of Joie de Vivre, a company that operates a collection of boutique hotels in California. He started the business 22 years ago when he was just out of college. Today, it’s a $230 million company with more than 3,000 employees and 38 properties.

In a recent article on BNet.com, Conley discusses how his PR agency recently set up a Facebook page for him, along with a fan page, to promote his new book.

“I accepted pretty much anyone who “friended” me, including plenty of employees, and gradually I began posting the usual Facebook fodder — links to articles, quick takes on books, emotional missives. My profile picture — a business-casual blazer-and-collared-shirt look — was uploaded by my PR team as well,” Conley said.

While meeting with his “cultural ambassadors” — employees who represent each hotel — to create a social media policy for the company, an issue was brought to his attention: His employees were uncomfortable with some of Conley’s Facebook photos.

The controversy: You see, Conley recently attended Burning Man, a weeklong anything-goes festival. Upon his return, he posted six photos on his Facebook page, two of which show him shirtless. In one photo, Conley dons a tutu; in the other, a sarong. In addition to posting these to his page, he also changed his profile picture from a professional shot to one of said shirtless pictures. (See below).

Of choosing this picture, he says:

“I’m just not a blazer kind of guy. I consider myself a rebel. My first book —The Rebel Rules: Daring to Be Yourself in Business — preaches the value of authenticity in business, of being true to yourself. So a few pictures on my Facebook page that show me having a good time? I honestly didn’t give it a second thought.”

His employees, however, did give it a second thought. At the meeting to discuss the company’s social media policy, Conley was told that his young staff members didn’t like seeing their CEO in a tutu. He was also told that staffers were concerned about some of his Twitter updates, in which he expressed anguish over the demise of an eight-year relationship.  Essentially, employees felt that Conley was setting a double standard by creating a social media policy at the company for everyone except him.

Conley doesn’t feel he is violating any policy; he stands by the fact that he is simply being true to himself. Plus, he attests that the social media policy is mainly to protect the guests of his hotels. If a celebrity is staying at one of his hotels as a guest, for example, his staff members aren’t allowed to Tweet about it. When it comes to posting pictures or Tweeting, Conley says it’s case by case, but for the most part, as long as an employee isn’t posting pictures of himself stealing something while wearing the company uniform, it’s considered the employee’s private life.

So, what do you guys think? Should CEOs be held to a different standard than their employees? Should they have the freedom to post whatever photos they want? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

When it comes to embarrassing situations at work, people handle them in different ways, depending on what the embarrassment is and who it’s happening to.

For example, would I tell the company VP that she’s having a really bad hair day? Doubtful. But would I pull my co-workers aside and tell them to look at the VP’s hair for a good laugh? Probably.

Whether or not this makes me a mean person is up for debate. In any case, CareerBuilder decided to dig deeper into this topic and ask more than 4,400 workers if they would point out something embarrassing to their colleagues, and if so,  would they say something to their peers, or to co-workers on a lower or higher level?

Here are some of the key findings. Click here to read the full release.

• You have food in your teeth or on your face
  a. Same level co-worker – 66 percent
  b. Lower level co-worker – 60 percent
  c. Higher level co-worker – 49 percent

• Your zipper is undone
  a. Same level co-worker – 67 percent
  b. Lower level co-worker – 62 percent
  c. Higher level co-worker – 50 percent

• You need a breath mint
  a. Same level co-worker – 33 percent
  b. Lower level co-worker – 29 percent
  c. Higher level co-worker – 14 percent

What would you tell your co-workers?