Financial Center Breaking News

Start the Clock: A Billable Rate Reality Check
Q I have held my current position for a year, and I have realized over the past several months that it is not a good fit for me. Basically, my job requires that I keep track of every minute of my day to properly bill our clients. My billable rate is four times what I make an hour, and I often question whether my work is worth what clients pay for it. For these reasons, I find it very hard to sit down and, with a clear conscience, record my hours, so I procrastinate. They have spoken to me numerous times for falling behind in my time entry, and I suspect I will receive a written warning this week.
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Want a Raise and More Vacation Time? Meet Your Employer Halfway.
Q I am approaching my one-year review, at which time I am entitled to ask for a salary adjustment. I believe my job performance has been good, and I could ask for (and probably get) a reasonable raise. However, I would rather ask for more vacation days. I had been at my previous job long enough to earn three weeks per year; new employees at my current company get the standard two weeks, and they don't carry over year to year. I wish I had thought to make it a negotiating point when I took the job. Am I too late, or is it reasonable to ask for more leave instead of a raise? How would you recommend I ask?
Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Online Job Searches: As Many Dead Ends as Fast Lanes
Acouple of weeks ago, I asked you to share which Web sites had become indispensable in your job searches -- and which ones were driving you crazy.
Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Borrowing from Online Dating Sites to Match Job Seekers With Employers
Whether you're working your network via e-mail or scanning online classifieds every morning over coffee, chances are the Internet plays some role in your job search these days.

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Coping With a Workplace Where the Glass Is Always Half Empty
Complaining about work might seem natural, but it can also be a huge time waster, dragging down the productivity and well-being of the chronic complainers, as well as everyone around them.
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

When the Reality of the Salary Dashes Hopes for the Dream Position
Q I have been at my private-sector job for four years. Finally, after months of applying, I got an interview in late March at a well-known nonprofit organization. This is my dream place to work. I was offered the position, but the pay cut was too steep, and I don't exactly rake it in now. When the interviewer called in April to offer the job, she prefaced it with, "I know we're going to lose you, but this is what the position is budgeted for," in an apologetic way. I know nonprofit groups aren't known for pay, and I would have taken a small pay cut, but this was too big a decrease. She encouraged me to keep checking the Web site and said she would keep my résumé should other positions open up because I was her top choice. She also said, "I hope you keep checking with us, I think you'd fit in very well here."
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Accounting for Family Time in Your Professional Timeline
Q How do you explain a gap in your career on a résumé? As a young professor, I sidelined my career for a few years to have a family. I gave up a tenure-track position at which I was very successful. After seven years, I took an adjunct professor position, and after two more years, I applied for another tenure-track position at the same university and was hired. I have had a successful career, and it is years later, but the gap in my career still haunts me and potentially impedes my advancement to full professor. In academia, reviewers of your résumé take into account when you received your degree and how much you have published since then. I need a professional and succinct way to explain the gap on my résumé so it will not be held against me.
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT