Career Center | What makes nurses want to stay put? The reasons might surprise you

By Allison Ellis / Special to NWjobs Long hours on your feet. Dealing with intense life-or-death situations. Combine that with recent changes in equipment, technology and an aging population, and the job of nursing -- one of the most vital

Career Center | Freelance union: going it alone, together

By Steven Greenhouse / New York Times News Service Soon after landing a job at a New York law firm nearly 20 years ago, Sara Horowitz was shocked to discover that it planned to treat her not as an employee

Career Center | Family and Medical Leave Act still helps some, but not all

By Cindy Krischer Goodman / The Miami Herald In the struggle to balance our family and work lives, one law has made a giant difference for 35 million American workers -- the Family and Medical Leave Act. In February, the

Career Center Blog | Tax advice for job seekers, no foolin'

Sometimes I think the cruelest April Fool's joke of all is when you look at the calendar and realize that it's already April 1 and you haven't started your taxes — and that it's no joke! Well, I guess

Career Center | Sick time: What employers can do about the flu

By Joyce E.A. Russell / Special to The Washington Post The flu season arrived earlier than usual this past fall, and it has been widely reported as one of the worst in a decade. According to the Centers for Disease

Career Center Blog | Can flexible work hours help your love life?

One of the most sought-after perks cited by job seekers is the ability to control their hours at work. Decent pay and quality health care are always high on the list, of course, but flexibility in their daily schedule is

Career Center | What's that new number on my W-2?

By Diane Stafford / The Kansas City Star Look closely at your new W-2 form this tax season. Notice Box 12 and a two-letter code, DD. If you work for an employer with 250 or more workers, information in that

Career Center Blog | Sometimes, money isn't the best motivator

It's that time of year again -- when managers go through the annual ritual of employee performance appraisals. During a strong economy, appraisals were also a time to recognize outstanding employee performance with fabulous benefits and perks, such as the

Career Center | 2012's workplace trends loom large for 2013

By Cindy Krischer Goodman / The Miami Herald As the country recovers from a recession, our workplaces are moving forward in new ways with new rules. Changes are afoot from how our offices look to who runs them and what

Career Center | For most workers, pay will increase slightly next year

By Len Boselovic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The average U.S. worker in the private sector can expect about a 3 percent salary increase in 2013, a little bit more than this year's increase, according to compensation consultants. How much of that

Career Center | Q&A: Whose side is HR department on?

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Q: Do you believe HR departments are there for the benefit of the workers or the employers? A: I've had to deal with human resources only once in my life (apparently some people didn't

Career Center Blog | How to choose between two job offers

A former client -- I'll call her "Catherine" -- approached me with an unusual career problem in this ongoing economic recession. She was stressed out and didn't know what to do because she had two job opportunities, but couldn't decide

Career Center | Vacation days: Use 'em so you don't lose 'em

By Cindy Krischer Goodman / The Miami Herald Inside Sephora, where nail polishes and perfumes abound, Dwight O’Neal holds out a makeup brush to dab his brand’s illuminizer on a young woman. In the next few weeks, O’Neal will travel

Career Center | How the gap between rich, poor affects us all

By Sarah Shemkus / Salary.com The typical American household had less income last year than the year before, and the gap between the richest and the poorest is growing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Adjusted for inflation, median household

Career Center | Q&A: Out of a work rut, into a financial one?

By Karla L. Miller / Special to The Washington Post Q: I work for a small company that I'm nearly positive won't exist in five years. Since I don't dig the "sinking ship" vibe, I've been trying to get out

Career Center | Tips for making good open-enrollment choices

By Claudia Buck / Sacramento Bee Like a sore tooth, choosing your health care plan can be a real pain. Confusing choices, funny-sounding acronyms and rising premiums are mind numbing. But one thing is clear: If you're fortunate enough to

Career Center Blog | No free soda, sauna or shuttle, but what perks are you missing?

So maybe you're sweating it out at a not-so-great-paying job, just trying to stay positive and make some solid career moves to take you ahead. But it seems like while you're counting pennies all you hear about from friends, or

Career Center Blog | Negotiation nuances: talking money after the offer

In last week's post, I shared some recommendations on how job candidates should respond to salary questions during interviews. This week, I'll discuss some strategies to use when a viable job offer is on the table. First, a few disclaimers:

Career Center | Q&A: Worker wants sick days off public calendar

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: Whenever someone takes sick leave, that information is publicly posted in our online calendar. Everyone in the company has access to this program. Even though I’m not sick very often, I

Job Calendar | Workshop: Complying with Seattle's new paid sick-time law

The City of Seattle's Office of Civil Rights is offering free workshops for Seattle employers to cover the city's new paid sick-time law, which goes into effect Sept. 1.

Job Calendar | Workshop: Complying with Seattle's new paid sick-time law

The City of Seattle's Office of Civil Rights is offering free workshops for Seattle employers to cover the city's new paid sick-time law, which goes into effect Sept. 1.

Career Center | Let's get on board with paid leave for new parents

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune We are living in the Golden Age of hypocrisy. There's an obesity epidemic, and we're baking hot dogs into pizza crusts. People spend tens of thousands of dollars on off-road vehicles that will never

Career Center | No simple solutions when unemployment benefits run out

BY Lora Shinn / Special to NWjobs When Rick Goral was laid off from an art director position, he didn’t expect to rely on unemployment insurance benefits for long. But after months of looking for work in a field with

Job Calendar | Family and Medical Leave Act webinar

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division will host a free webinar to help workers and employers understand the Family and Medical Leave Act. The department also has prepared a 16-page booklet, available online, that explains the FMLA

Career Center | Some companies give workers unlimited time off

By J.K. Wall / Indianapolis Business Journal As the 15 employees of the SmallBox Web marketing agency in Indianapolis gathered for their Christmas party last year, CEO Jeb Banner stood up and read a proclamation. "We now declare all SmallBox

Career Center | Got 15 minutes? Be a micro-volunteer

By Dee DePass / Minneapolis Star Tribune Dianna Hamilton has five children and works as a data analyst for UnitedHealth Group, so she doesn’t have much time to volunteer. Now she doesn’t need much. Last year, she was asked to

Career Center Blog | Job-offer negotiating leverage: signs to watch for

While employment conditions in other parts of the country still seem to be a mixed bag, I've been pleased to witness a surge of hiring in the Seattle market. In fact, I've run into numerous local professionals who have landed

Career Center | 401(k) statements must soon show fees, returns

By Tim Grant / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Workers enrolled in company 401(k) plans soon will be receiving a more detailed version of their quarterly account statements that will show exactly where their retirement dollars are going. New U.S. Department of Labor

Career Center | Google, Microsoft rated best places to intern

By Tiffany Hsu / Los Angeles Times Google Inc., with its free meals, high monthly pay and relaxed work environment, was rated by interns as the best place to work in a report released just ahead of the peak summer

Career Center | Then and now: Employment changes over the past 50 years

Compiled by Linda Hughes / Special to NWjobs In 1962, the year of the Seattle World’s Fair, Bill Gates was 6 and years away from transforming computing and our area’s employment options. Microsoft has changed the jobs landscape, but one

Career Center | Have you ever collected unemployment benefits?

Have you ever collected unemployment benefits?

Career Center | How much paid vacation do you get annually?

How much paid vacation do you get annually?

Career Center | Job changer worried about insurance gap

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune Q: I work at a small company and am looking for a new job. My company is too small to have COBRA, so I'm worried that when I switch to my next employer, I'll

Career Center Blog | Hey, boss, it's dark here: Bring on the Vitamin D

When I was a kid in grade school, a cart was wheeled from classroom to classroom every day. The cart carried two things deemed, by the powers that be, critically important for our developing bodies and minds: Milk and fluoride.

Career Center | Convincing your boss to let you work from home

By Laura Laemmle Frongillo / Salary.com In the past, some bosses considered “working from home” a euphemism for “doing errands” and only allowed it in the event of major plumbing or medical emergencies. Fortunately, progress in technology has made

Career Center Blog | Making milk on the clock? Know your rights

After reading recently about the federal judge's ruling against a Houston mother who says she was fired after asking for a place to pump breast milk, I felt momentarily glad for the situation I faced when I went back to

Career Center | Done right, rewards can motivate employees

By Joyce E. A. Russell / The Washington Post Have you ever seen the episode of "The Office" in which Dwight Schrute tries to motivate the staff by awarding "Schrute Bucks" (fake money with his picture on them) for good

Career Center Blog | Midwinter tax deduction reminders for job seekers

Groundhog Day is once again upon us, and you know what that means for the average worker: 6 to 10 more weeks of tax preparation, of course. (Unlike the choices of a certain Keystone State rodent, this is one prediction

Career Center Blog | Sweetening the deal with 'creative compensation'

One of my favorite scenes in the excellent AMC television drama "Mad Men," about the pressure-cooker life of ad executives in the early 1960s, comes from an episode called "The Suitcase." While working late, young copywriter Peggy Olson, the first

Career Center | Want a raise? Here's how to ask for one

By Joyce E.A. Russell Special to The Washington Post There have been some recent indications that 2012 might be a year in which raises and salary increases are actually possible. If so, it’s important that employees are prepared to

Career Center | Sick time: Use it, abuse it, or avoid it like the plague?

By Lora Shinn Special to NWjobs As a nurse in a Seattle-area hospital, Sacha Davis realizes how precious health can be. Davis is also a working parent of two young children, and as any parent can attest, kids are like

Career Center Blog | 2012 advice: Hold your ground on benefits

The Great Recession has been over, technically, for more than two years now, but everyone knows that it's "over" only in the minds of economists. In the real working world, where talented, qualified job seekers often take a year or

Career Center | Health plan choices make you dizzy? Here's what to consider

By Kristen GerencherMarketWatch Many employers have just dropped a bunch of health-care options in their workers’ laps. If you’re one of those workers, you may be tempted to automatically re-enroll in the same plan you have now — but that

Career Center | Perks at work: Unconventional benefits can attract and keep employees

By Karyn JohnsonSpecial to NWjobs Despite an economy where many employers are struggling to maintain traditional employee benefits, some Seattle-area companies are offering unique perks to keep their employees satisfied and productive. Happy hours, pet-friendly offices, ice-cream breaks and rooftop

Career Center Blog | Going to work sick: Sometimes you have no choice

On Monday, the Seattle City Council is expected to pass a bill requiring local businesses to grant their employees paid sick leave. [Flickr photo by ghindo] As the Seattle Times reported yesterday: Advocates say the law will enhance public

Career Center | Quitting without notice won’t affect retirement benefits

Q: You mentioned in your column that Washington State is an “at will” employment state, so my question is this: If I quit my job on the spot, will there be repercussions regarding my future retirement benefits from management, or

Career Center | Sharing salary history is standard practice

Q: Conventional wisdom seems to be that sharing your salary history with the recruiter -- as opposed to the prospective employer -- will not result in a lower offer. However, it then follows that once the recruiter has determined your

Career Center Blog | Gen Y to employers: Your on-the-job training programs stink!

Much has been written about how Generation Y -- the under-30 crowd in the workforce -- has had to adjust their attitude in today's crippled job market. As Associated Press reporter Cindy Krischer Goodman (no relation) wrote last fall,

Career Center Blog | Who's telecommuting and who isn't

Every time I write a blog post or article about telecommuting, the reader questions come pouring in: How can I find a telecommuting job? Do work-from-home jobs for entry-level workers exist? I like my job and could do some

Career Center Blog | Are workers becoming more comfortable with flexibility?

A new national survey says yes. According to survey sponsor Work+Life Fit, Inc., which helps companies create flexibility programs, today's full-time workers are less worried than they used to be that having a flexible work schedule will affect their paycheck

Career Center Blog | When crisis hits home, should your job take a backseat?

By now, you've probably seen the video of U2 performing "Beautiful Day" at Qwest Field last Saturday. From a video monitor above the stage, Space Shuttle Endeavor Commander Mark Kelly sends his love to wife Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords via

Career Center Blog | Summer vacations: Who's taking one and who's not

We've reached Memorial Day, which means it's time for my annual post about who's taking a vacation this summer and who's not. [Photo by Krystal International Vacation Club] A New CareerBuilder survey of 5,600 U.S. workers found that 24

Career Center | $90K to start: Tech talent war heats up salaries, ushers in cool perks

By Claire Cain Miller and Jenna Wortham New York Times News Service Eric Firestone began a new job at a Web startup in March, and he’s already thinking about what he might do next. But that’s just fine with his

Career Center Blog | Self-employed? How to get 'group of one' health insurance

Last fall, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) delivered the exciting news that freelancers, independent contractors, and sole proprietors in our state could now qualify for group health insurance plans by declaring themselves a "group of one."

Career Center Blog | Employee awards: Yea or nay?

With Hollywood's awards season officially in full swing, I thought it would be fun to discuss on-the-job awards for the rest of us working stiffs. Using Facebook and LinkedIn, I conducted an informal, unscientific poll on what rank-and-file employees and managers

Career Center Blog | Prediction: The biggest workplace stories for 2011

Although it was no 2009, this past year was another doozy for the U.S. workforce. So rather than reminisce about the many ways 2010 whooped the collective hide of the working public, let's look forward to the new year. Following are

People's Picks 2010 | Best benefits

Groundspeak The number one benefit of working at this small, 45-person company, according to its employees, is that they get paid to play their favorite game in the world: a high-tech, GPS-based treasure-hunting adventure game known as geocaching. And

Career Center Blog | Even more health care relief for the self-employed

The good news for the self-employed, temporarily employed, under-employed, and other workers who buy their own health insurance keeps on coming: [Flickr photo by shimelle] As I mentioned in a recent post, starting this week, freelancers and other "businesses

Career Center Blog | Health care relief for Washington state's self-employed

A recent news item from the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner made my week. According to the OIC, come October 1, freelancers, sole proprietors, independent contractors, and other self-employed folks will have an easier time finding and qualifying

Career Center Blog | ForbesWoman names Seattle ninth best U.S. city for working moms

For the second year in a row, ForbesWoman.com has culled, sorted, and ranked data on the largest U.S. metropolitan areas to produce its list of the 50 best cities for working mothers. [Image: U.S. Employment Service poster from 1940s] Seattle-Tacoma

Career Center Blog | Your summer vacation situation revisited

I'm starting to think that studies on our national attitude toward summer vacations are about as reliable as all those studies on the effects of wine on one's health. [Photo by Rodarte's]  One week we hear that a glass

Career Center Blog | Book event 6/26: How today's men juggle work and family

With Father's Day fresh in mind, the Elliott Bay Book Company hosts a 2 p.m. book reading today at its new Capitol Hill location with Donald Unger, author of Men Can: The Changing Image and Reality of Fatherhood in

Career Center Blog | Grab your leashes (or your allergy meds): It's Take Your Dog to Work Day

Last year, when I brought up the question of whether dogs should be allowed in the workplace or places of business, many of you left heated comments on the topic, both in support of and against four-legged office guests. "I've

Career Center Blog | No time for a physical? Get one on your coffee break

The postcard my physician sent in April reminding me it's time for my annual exam is burning hole in my kitchen table. I keep telling myself I'll schedule the appointment next week, but next week never comes. Either I'm