When is it age discrimination?

When can we ask applicants for their dates of birth? Many employers feel that asking for the Date of Birth for a Criminal check is a violation of EEOC. Can you help me justify my need to check employees out before hiring and screen their background which requires disclosure of Drivers License and Date of

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What are employee rights to benefits?

My employer states they do not have to pay benefits (holidays, sick leave etc.) because they consider me to be “part-time” even though I work 32 hours a week and have for two years. What is the definition of part-time vs. full-time? Is there such a thing as a regular, permanent part-time employee that is

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Get Dates at Work and Don’t Get Sued

Antioch College is in the news because of its new “ask first” policy designed to prevent sexual harassment and date rape. Under the policy, a student must ask first before initiating any intimate contact. For example, a young man should ask a young woman, “Can I kiss you?” before kissing. If she says yes or

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Interview Small Talk Makes a Big Impression

“Oh, I notice you went to Whittier College. So did I.” “You were at Disney for two years? I worked for Disney, too.” “Toastmasters? I’m in Toastmasters, too.” All of the above are opening gambits that I’ve used while interviewing candidates. They often were greeted with an “uh huh” while the interviewee waited for a

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A Free-Agent Outlook Can Hurt Your Career

In his book “Free Agent Nation” (Warner Books, 2001), Daniel H. Pink focused on the more than 30 million Americans who, for a variety of reasons, have abandoned traditional employment and the idea of a job that lasts a lifetime. The free-agency movement promotes the notion that — because the loyalty contract between employers and

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‘Why I Want to Be A Corporate Director’

Dear Human Resources Manager: Hi! I’m writing to apply for a position on your board of directors. While I have only modest knowledge of polymer-based hollow-rod extrusion, stenciling and vapor recovery — and no actual office experience per se — I am eager to be well-paid for little or no work.

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How to Take Control Of a Lopsided Life

“Dad, I’ll pay you a dollar if you baby-sit me for an hour.” Coming from his five-year-old daughter, this offer got the attention of a middle-aged oil-company executive. “All the money in her piggy bank for an hour of my time,” he says. “I realized I’d let my life get pretty far out of whack.”

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What I Learned From A Year of Free Agency

In 1998 I found myself, for the first time in my career, a “free agent,” meaning that I was not a “regular” employee anywhere; in fact, I was untethered to any organization and loosened upon the world. Fortunately, my spouse works, so I wasn’t desperate to accept just anything. I had his health insurance and

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The Language of Success, For Boom Times or Bust

Some people believe that the New York Stock Exchange’s Richard Grasso and the New York Times’s Howell Raines were forced out because they didn’t bother to update how they conduct themselves in these troubled times. Could it be that professional arrogance, denial and self-aggrandizement are bad for business? If you read the business news, you

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A Job-Hunter’s Guide To Executive Recruiters

Confusion about how recruiters operate has put many a career at a disadvantage. Executives in transition can’t afford to let faulty assumptions foul up their prospects. Knowing how the search industry operates will make you a better, more successful candidate. To help you get the facts straight, here’s a guide to working with recruiters based

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Dig Deeper to Uncover The Greatest Job Leads

It’s said that if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting the same results. This is too true for job hunters. How many times have you applied for a job through a career site and didn’t get it? Now ask yourself, “How many others applied for that same position?” It isn’t a small

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Executives’ Pay Faces New Tactics

Activist shareholders are trying new tactics to rein in executive pay at U.S. companies, with proposals they hope will appeal to a broader group of investors. The new strategies include simpler, less prescriptive holder resolutions that don’t dictate executives’ pay packages. Instead, the new proposals seek to more closely align executive pay with corporate performance,

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