You're an adult. You know how to prioritize your time to do your job. So why should your company ration out vacation reluctantly and monitor when you spend it? Wouldn't it be nice to do away with vacation-day limits entirely, so you could leave work whenever you want for as long as you feel you need?
Each morning 26-year old Octavia Silva gets up, showers, puts on her business clothes, does her make up, and then starts her workday as an administrative assistant -- from a table in her living room.
The phrase "shoot yourself in the foot" didn't create itself. In fact, job seekers probably coined it.
It's 2011 and it's time to take control of your job search. This year, it's no longer up to companies to hire you, it's up to you to get hired. Forget about how the economy is doing. Reflect on last year if you must, but then forget about that, too.
If life were a movie and you had just been laid off, you would buy a one-way ticket to some serene location and spend weeks or even months relaxing. You would unwind and examine your personal goals and return when you want. You might spend your days eating, praying and loving.
For the first time in more than two years, the number of Americans filing for their first week of unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week -- a ray of hope in the one of the longest job droughts in U.S. history.
About 647,000 minimum wage workers will see their paychecks bump up slightly beginning next year, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Employment Law Project.
Millions of jobless Americans are no doubt cheering the tax cut deal that President Obama signed into law Friday.
Winter's chill is already being felt across much of the country and in Washington that brings back memories of last year's record snowfall and the five day near-government shutdown that came with it.
Chances are you probably know quite a few people who are smack in the middle of a job search, and if any of them are on your holiday gift list this year, you may want to pay a little extra attention to what you stuff their stockings with.
If the Obama administration extends the Bush tax cuts, is this a missed opportunity? CNN's Fareed Zakaria reports.
President Barack Obama should have negotiated a more fiscally responsible deal with Republicans on extending tax cuts, analyst Fareed Zakaria says.
As Sen. Bernard Sanders leads a charge to stall a tax cut compromise on Capitol Hill, back in Vermont, one woman is leading her own campaign for the long-term unemployed -- one letter at a time.
CNN's Doug Schantz has the story of a woman who's exhausted her max 99 weeks of jobless benefits.
President Barack Obama's senior adviser ruled out any major changes to the tax package negotiated with Republicans, saying Sunday that it is time to move forward on a compromise that includes elements distasteful to each side.
The Congressional Budget Office released its score Friday on the tax plan hammered out between Republicans and President Barack Obama, showing a $893 billion hit on the deficit over the next five years.
Jobless Americans everywhere are running out of federal unemployment benefits as Congress debates whether to extend the safety net as part of a Bush tax cut compromise.
While CNN readers debate the merits of the tax cut deal that President Obama brokered with Republicans, they took shots at president from both ends of the political spectrum.
President Barack Obama vigorously defended his agreement with Republicans to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts on Tuesday, arguing that it was a price that had to be paid to spare the middle class from crippling tax hikes.
President Obama discusses highlights of the tax deal reached with Republicans.
President Barack Obama on Monday announced a deal with Republican leaders that would extend Bush-era tax cuts for two years and unemployment benefits for 13 months while also lowering the payroll tax by two percentage points for a year.
Despite November's bleak unemployment report, some economists expect hiring to improve soon. Mary Snow reports.
Just as the economy started showing a few hopeful signs of improvement -- a brisk kick-off to holiday shopping, fewer people filing unemployment claims -- the Department of Labor reported Friday that a paltry 39,000 jobs were added in November and the unemployed rate rose to 9.8 percent. This news could not be worse for the economy and the 15 million unemployed Americans who desperately want to work.
Negative surprises are never welcome, yet there is a chance that the bleak November jobs report could be good for the economy. That is, if Washington wakes up to take urgent action.
Top senators from both parties indicated Sunday that a deal was likely soon on temporarily extending Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans, along with unemployment benefits that have expired.
The number of Americans filing for their first week of unemployment benefits ticked up again last week, after falling to the lowest level in two years the week before.
The Senate failed Tuesday to advance a bill that would have extended the deadline to file for federal unemployment insurance through next year.
A Democrat-sponsored bill to extend unemployment benefits through 2011 was introduced in the Senate Monday, but it is likely to face stiff opposition from Republicans.
Although the deadline to file for extended unemployment insurance is officially Nov. 30, many jobless have already filed their last claim for benefits.
Taking a non-traditional approach to a job search can be a good thing.
The lame-duck Congress returns on Monday to a daunting agenda of economic issues.
With many of them stifled by part-time pay and unpleasant airport pat downs, officers for the Transportation Security Administration are trying to unionize.
Unemployed workers of America Unite!
The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits rose by 2,000 in the latest week, pointing to continued weakness in the job market, the government reported Thursday.
Two million people will run out of unemployment benefits next month if Congress fails to act in the coming weeks.
The House failed Thursday to pass a bill that would have given the unemployed three more months to file for extended jobless benefits.
Dear Annie: I graduated from college last spring and, after taking a few months off to take care of some family business, I'm looking for my first "real" job. I've been lucky enough to get several interviews, and they've gone pretty well, but I have to say, I'm kind of mystified. While I was still in school, I read a bunch of books about how to prepare for a job interview, and one thing they all said was that interviewers would be well prepared and ask probing, detailed questions.
Unemployed Americans have collected $319 billion in jobless benefits over the past three years due to the federal government's unprecedented response to the Great Recession, according to a CNNMoney analysis of federal records.
Airport security screeners, boosted by a decision Friday by a top federal labor board, could soon be able to bargain collectively.
No matter what happens on Tuesday, Congress will return to Capitol Hill on Nov. 15 for a lame-duck session marked by a long roster of unfinished business.
A trailblazing Kenyan call center is trying to persuade international businesses to outsource to Nairobi, Kenya.
With more people than ever living in poverty, the government's unprecedented effort to strengthen the safety net for needy Americans is running out.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has a blunt message for labor union members: Get to the polls next week, because "as bad as things are, they can get a whole lot worse."
As bad as job losses were during the recession, we're about to find out that things were even worse.
An increasingly fierce debate is raging over the reason why unemployment is still so stubbornly high.
The number of job openings increased slightly in August, but there was no real improvement of the odds that unemployed workers will find a job, a government report showed Thursday.
Unemployed homeowners cannot count jobless benefits as income when applying for mortgage modifications if they have loans backed by Fannie Mae. That could greatly limit their ability to get a long-term reduction in their monthly payments.
You don't want just a nibble or an interview -- you want an actual job offer! Get your foot in the door and kick it wide open with these expert tips:
According to real estate experts, the biggest influence on a person purchasing a home is location, location, location. Without the perfect view or proximity to good schools, a great house can sit on the market for months.
Talking about how much you earn is kind of like talking about how much you weigh.
With unemployment at 9.6%, nailing that job interview is more important than ever.
Does allowing the jobless to get nearly two years of unemployment checks give them an incentive to not work?
Workers continue their strike in Johannesburg. Nima Elbagir reports.
The jobs picture still looks sour, but there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
Many studies over the past few years have shown that workplace friendships increase productivity, team morale and workers' overall job satisfaction; and since friends provide us with support, comic relief and a sense of belonging, it seems only natural that having friends at the office makes work more pleasant.
Dear Annie: I just read your column on job hunting with a flawed credit history ("Bad credit, no job?" July 2010). I have an even worse problem. About 14 years ago, when I was a junior in college, I made a totally idiotic error in judgment involving drugs. I was arrested and convicted and did some jail time. When I got out, I finished college -- I was a computer science major with a minor in engineering -- and an uncle of mine hired me as an IT guy in a company owned by my family.
Just in case you haven't heard it enough: It's tough to get a job these days. So tough, in fact, that it's not unlikely for a job seeker to spend six months or longer looking for a job before getting one.
Does your application secretly have the words "overqualified," "desperate" and "likely to be bored stiff within a month" written all over it? If you are aiming too low in your job search, chances are employers will read between the lines and notice -- and move on to someone else.
U.S. employers shed 131,000 jobs in July. If you are out there reading the classifieds and scanning job boards, you are certainly not alone, but those postings can be difficult to navigate.
"Rejections are not unlike breakups," says Marian Schembari of New York City. "I remember one time I was rejected from the perfect job and spent the day in bed like a love-struck teenager eating ice cream and watching movies. Maybe not the most productive way to spend my time, but it definitely made me feel better!"
If embattled BP chief executive Tony Hayward leaves the company, he is not likely to walk with a massive windfall, compensation experts said.
Millions of jobless Americans are getting their unemployment benefits back.
Graduates in the class of 2010 are making a little less money at new jobs than those who finished school last year, with the weak economy the prime culprit, according to a report released Thursday.
Since 1926 the Railway Labor Act has allowed airline and railroad employees to vote on whether to unionize. But for years there was a quirky detail that worked in management's favor: All abstentions were counted as "no" votes. That changed last fall, when the National Mediation Board, with two new members appointed by President Obama, proposed changing the rules to count only votes that were cast -- and make no assumptions about abstentions.
In a makeshift bedroom in her parents' house, Erinn Height applies for another job.
Dear Annie: I'm in an awkward situation that reminds me of Oscar Wilde's famous remark about the two tragedies in life. ("One is not getting what you want," he said, "and the other is getting it.")
Jobs may be coming back, but they aren't the same ones workers were used to.
Question 1. May I claim gas and Internet costs on income taxes for job seeking? -- F. Henderson
New technological tools are often hailed as breakthroughs that will revolutionize our daily lives. Think of the iPhone's arrival a few years ago. Many of these much-heralded items fizzle away with little notice. And then others sneak up on us.
Question: I'm a 40-year-old single woman who earns $75,000 a year and has $150,000 in savings and $60,000 in retirement accounts. I work for a small company, but am hoping to start my own business within the next five years. My questions: Am I saving enough now for retirement? And should I be doing anything differently once I become self-employed? -- M.Z., Auburn, California
"Hi Deb and Sara. I'm still OK at 2:40 pm. I don't know what is going on here and outside. We don't hear any attempts at drilling or rescue. The section is full of smoke and fumes so we can't escape. We are all still alive at this time."
Age discrimination. Ask any baby boomer who's been job hunting for several months and he'll likely tell you a personal horror story.
When Terase Salerno was laid off in January 2009, she wasn't too worried about landing a new job, even amid the deepening recession.
Heather Armstrong, the woman behind the popular blog Dooce, understands how important flexible working policies can be for employees and their families.
One of President Obama's Saturday recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board quickly triggered intense opposition from business groups and Republicans, who called the appointee a radical who represents a White House gift to labor unions.
President Barack Obama's second nominee to head the Transportation Security Administration side-stepped questions Wednesday about whether he supports unionizing the nation's 40,000 airport screeners, but acknowledged the president's support for unionization of screeners and said any such plan should be done in a way that would not hurt national security.
It's no secret that finding a job in this economy is difficult at best. Since the recession hit in 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor reports there are now more than 15 million unemployed Americans facing the loss of their homes, savings and sanity.
Fortune: Too shy to job hunt?updated: Tue Mar 23 2010 09:56:00
Dear Annie: I've been looking for a job for about three months. I started out contacting former colleagues and bosses to see if they knew of any openings that might be appropriate for me. But I've now come to the end of that list, and I realize I need to start getting in touch with acquaintances from professional groups, my college alumni association, and so on.
In any economic climate, job hunting is nobody's idea of fun. And with the growing number of folks hitting the bricks these days, it seems the task is getting even harder.
Job hunting can be expensive. The costs of hiring career coaches, printing hundreds of résumés at Kinko's and flying out for weekend job interviews can really add up, especially for someone who doesn't have an income.
CNNMoney: Job cuts slowupdated: Wed Mar 03 2010 09:23:00
The pace of U.S. job cuts continued to slow last month, according to two reports released Wednesday.
Filing nails or wearing flip flops? Stephanie Elam reports on some costly mistakes people make during a job interview.
When Jim Ball ran a traditional call center in Golden, Colo., in the late 1990s, employee turnover was rampant. Often, Ball was forced to hire just about anyone who walked in the door because few people were willing to commute to the call center and sit in a sterile cubicle for minimum wage.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Tuesday that Wall Street bonuses jumped 17% last year, to an estimated $20.3 billion, as profits in the financial services sector rebounded.
Most job seekers say they're willing to do whatever it takes to find work in this economy. But are they willing to move 3,000 miles away?
Ever applied to a job online only to have your résumé seemingly vanish into a void?
Every day, William Schmidt gives job seekers with a not-so-great job history, a gap on their résumé or even a criminal record, a second chance.
With 14.8 million people out of work, competition for new jobs is easing ever so slightly, according to a government report released Tuesday.
HLN Money Expert Clark Howard tells us a simple way to improve your chances of finding work.
You don't understand. You updated your résumé, you're applying to jobs every day, you've cleaned up your digital dirt and you network every day.
Uncertainly about the future prospects for jobs in America got even foggier Wednesday as two reports on job cuts revealed conflicting results.
Job fairs are notorious for long lines and lackluster results, but that doesn't mean they can't lead you to a job.
If you ask Adrian Miller where she works, her answer may depend on where she happens to be standing.
A new projector phone that helps you take the office anywhere.
With gas prices inching their way back up and traffic in most metropolitan areas bottlenecking along any rush-hour route, it's a wonder that the majority of the modern office workforce doesn't telecommute.
Thandi Zulu was single, pregnant and staying at a women's shelter in Houston, Texas, when she received a mysterious letter one day.
Working from home is the new casual Friday. It's one of those perks that many employers have incorporated into their policies, but it's still not the norm and most everyone wishes it were.
The good news is that you're more likely to get a raise next year. But the bad news is that the boost may not be as big as you'd like.
CNN's Richard Quest explains what will happen if British Airways workers go on strike.
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