Career

While the word has unsavory connotations and many businesspeople might gasp in horror at what they perceive as renegade behavior, the facts are that hacking works. It makes a job easier and employees are more productive. It also keeps you competitive and it can be fun

In today’s tenuous job environment, with mass layoffs an almost daily news item, it behooves employees to become familiar with state laws and doctrines that directly affect their job security. Two such doctrines, employment at will, which favors employers, and right to work, which favors employees, are cases in point.

An unemployed worker’s solution to finding a full-time position could begin with a temporary job. A temporary position gives the company a chance to get to know you. The manager will see your work ethic and team-player abilities. If a full-time position opens, management would most likely put you at the top of the candidate list.

Employees often are at a loss about what to do about questionable management behavior or outright corruption at the companies they work for. Here’s some advice for two situations that were brought to my attention.

You are ready to step back into the job market after staying home with the children, but you don’t know where to start. Don’t worry: being nervous is completely normal.

The year of 2010 looks to be a little brighter, at least when it comes to the job market. Employers are starting to consider hiring strategies that could protect the future growth of their companies, according to CareerBuilder’s 2010 Job Forecast, which questioned more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals.

I worked as a medical biller for six years. Without warning, I was let go and told my accounts would be taken over by a team leader. When I started the job, I signed an agreement stating that I would not go to work for any of the company’s clients. The agreement never was updated or renewed in any way.