"The bread is just delicious," she said. "The gluten-free products out there take some getting used to. They are dry and not very tasty, but this is moist, tasty and a bit sweet. It's the closest to real bread."

Woodman and Shettel's story of entrepreneurial success should resonate in Michigan, where many are dealing with unemployment. Both were laid off from office jobs and were forced to start new careers from scratch.

Through family connections, they discovered the owner of the Breadsmith franchise in West Bloomfield was looking to sell and purchased the business last summer.The Wisconsin-based chain has eight franchises in Michigan and is looking to open a ninth in Grand Rapids.

"Our mission was to find something that could provide economic stability to our two households," Woodman said.

READ: Laid-off workers build new careers in baking

12:43 AM 0 comments

It's a routine that Mr. Nayer wouldn't give up for the world, even when he ends up sitting next to a smelly person or a blathering cellphoner. "I lose myself in that commute," says Mr. Nayer. "I don't mind if it's 50 minutes, which is the norm, or four hours. I become more serene on that bus."

The trip lets him shed the tensions and responsibilities of both home and work, including his "wonderful but needy" greyhound, Fleetwood Macabee, and his loving but occasionally demanding wife. "I'm married to three or four personalities," he says, chuckling, "and you never know which one is going to greet me at the door."

Long reviled as a hazard of the modern world, commuting has become for some a joyous asylum from the stressful rigors of the day. Occupying a netherworld between the home and office, it's governed by neither realm. That gives practitioners time to engage in learning (Mr. Nayer reads as many as three books a week), spiritual enlightenment or fantasy.

"That everybody dreads their commute and it's hell on wheels is not necessarily supported" by the data, confirms Alan Pisarski, who's currently writing the third book in his series "Commuting in America." In fact, he says, "there's an immense section of the public who are driving over hill and dale and smiling at the sunset and birds."

READ: Why Some People Cherish Their Difficult Commutes

12:39 AM 0 comments

EVEN THOUGH SOME IT jobs will continue to move overseas by 2010, the United States will still have a sizable population of IT professionals doing high-level work on strategy, implementation and design. By the year 2010, Intel CIO Doug Busch envisions himself managing an IT staff that's all over the map, literally. Not only will his employees be working in places ranging from Rio Rancho, N.M., to Parsippany, N.J., in the United States, they'll also reside in Beijing, Leixlip, Haifa, Penang and a host of other locations Busch has never even been to. Each spot will specialize in a particular area of expertise for the company's IT department—call centers in Manila, business analysis at company headquarters in Santa Clara, application development in Mumbai. And a full roster of career opportunities—from entry level to senior leadership—will exist at each and every location.

"Talent will rise to the top, wherever it is," Busch predicts.

Busch's scenario may sound a bit like corporate IT's version of "It's a Small World." But the CIO of the world's leading computer chip maker already oversees IT workers in 27 countries around the globe. And most CIOs (to differing degrees) are headed in that direction.

The part of the picture that strays furthest from Disneyland is what this means for American IT staff. Even without offshore outsourcing, U.S. IT staffing levels were never going to return to their prerecession highs. The automation of tasks, increased productivity and a reluctance to return to the unfettered IT budgets of yore pretty much guarantee that the demand for American IT professionals is destined to decline. But, incendiary conjectures to the contrary, the entire population of IT workers in this country will not be replaced by counterparts in emerging economies.

Doug Busch, CIO of Intel, suggests that U.S. IT executives look beyond the possible short-term savings from offshore outsourcing to the long-term impact on the nation's ability to remain innovative. Instead, even as 2010 will see a further movement of some IT activities—application development, legacy maintenance, call center operations—overseas (Forrester Research estimates that the cumulative number of IT jobs heading abroad will grow from 27,171 in 2000 to 472,632 in 2015), U.S.-based companies will keep work here that requires close contact with the business: strategy development, business process improvement and the actual application of IT to the business.

The net result: There will still be a future in IT for smart young Americans. But the higher-level IT positions that remain stateside will require new skills. Today's CIOs would be wise to encourage broader business education in U.S. IT degree programs. And increased government and corporate support of IT R&D will be critical to retaining America's position as the world's IT leader.

read: Future of Jobs and Innovation - 2010

1:45 PM 0 comments

Conflict within families and in business is hardly a revelation, but two recent studies from Australia reveal the significant impact of changes in the nature of work and the composition of family structures, including technological advances, the 24-hour “global village”, the move away from manufacturing towards a service economy and changes in workforce demographics including working mothers and increased mobility for adult children. Professor Kosmas Smyrnios is foundation director of the Family Business Research Unit at Monash University, and co-author of the two research projects: The Australian Family Business Study and Work-Family Conflict and Emotional Well-Being.

Professor Smyrnios says the interface between work, family and psychological well-being is not well understood and that business owners, their spouses and their adult children have significantly different needs and values and place different emphasis on the key characteristics required to run the business successfully.

“In this environment the quality of family support is essential, in order to temper the effects of work-to-household issues,” says Smyrnios. His studies show families that communicate well, are able to problem-solve and have sound interpersonal relationships are less affected by the stresses of managing home life and business life, in particular the need to switch between multiple roles such as parent and boss. The individual’s sense of well-being is also key to their ability to mediate the demands of an inter-related business and family life.

“It’s hardly surprising that conflict arises,” says occupational psychologist Lesley Morris, “given that most people have someone in their family that they don’t like or don’t get along with, and family rows can survive many generations.” Businesses develop working teams based on skills rather than personality or temperament. Add to the mix any unresolved family problems and you have endless potential for ‘creative differences’ that can affect future family relationships and the business.

“Conflict comes from mismanaged or misunderstood expectations,” says Morris. “Traditionally, parents expected to pass the business on to their kids and the kids expected to join the business. But today with improved transportation, communications and technology, our youngsters have an unprecedented range of career choices – and the family business may not hold any appeal.”

READ: The Business of Family - Article

12:56 AM 0 comments

Stocks surged Thursday, with blue chips posting the sharpest gains as investors focused on the positive news in the latest economic reports: a drop in unemployment claims, a rise in exports and a narrower U.S. trade deficit in December.

After an earnings season that produced better-than-expected results for most companies, investors have been looking for a reason to buy, and the day's economic news offered some incentive, analysts said. Weekly jobless claims fell to their lowest level in four years, while the Commerce Department announced a decline in the trade deficit in December; the two reports combined to produce a positive feeling in the stock market, analysts said.

"We started the day with very upbeat numbers ... and I think momentum has taken over," said Hugh Johnson, chairman and chief investment officer of Johnson Illington Advisors. "It doesn't take much to get the ball rolling, and once you do, you start to have a lot of investors, particularly active investors like hedge funds, jump on board."

Check out: Wall Street: Stocks rise as investors digest deficit data, eye lofty oil

12:17 AM 0 comments

Do you enjoy one-on-one networking, however, the thought of walking into room full of people you don't know horrifies you? You're not alone. Yes, even a social butterfly, President of the Social Committee in High School and avid networker knows how you feel. Here are some of my tricks. And they have all worked!

A great way to network at a conference is to volunteer at the registration desk. Why? You get to say hello to everyone who registers in your line and everyone who registers gets to see you behind the registration table. At the event, you'll feel more comfortable talking with people because you've "met" them already. And if those aren't enough benefits, people will "recognize you" from the registration desk, and be more likely to come talk with you.

Once you join a new group, ask the Chairperson what volunteer opportunities are available. Take on a small or large task, based on what you like to do and/or do something that may quietly help you market your business.

READ: 10 Ways To Develop Confidence In New Situations

12:42 AM 0 comments

The basic idea is simple: you just keep a file of good stuff you do. When you figure out some trick new process that saves hours per week, you make a note about (don't forget to datestamp it) and drop it in the yay-me file. When you finish a project on time and under budget, you make a note that points to supplementary project files and you drop it in the yay-me file. Since it's only your eyes on the yay-me file, you can feel free to drop in even the most trivial bits good cheer. Did you cover Eleanor's phone while she went to lunch? Goes right in the yay-me file.

The reason for the yay-me file is two-fold. First, when you feel like you need to patch your personal suck you can crack open the yay-me file for a blast of good vibes from the past. The yay-me file reminds you that you aren't always lame and that you make good decisions and you do good work. And gosh darnit, people like you!

READ: Yay-me! file

12:34 AM 0 comments

Dr. Steven Reiss, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University and author of Who am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate our Actions and Define our Personalities, has found that happiness and life-satisfaction stem not from experiencing pleasure and avoiding pain, but from a sense that our lives have meaning and fulfill a larger purpose. He calls this "value-based happiness" and says we experience it when we satisfy our intrinsic desires.

Take the quiz here: Finding Happiness at Work - Career Advice Article

1:03 AM 0 comments

Rachel Mosteller blames her firing from a newspaper on her Sarcastic Journalist blog.

"Okay two people in the newsroom just got it. FOR DOING THEIR JOB."

This post, like all entries in Mosteller's online diary, did not name her company or the writer. It did not name co-workers or bosses. It did not say where the company was based. But apparently, Mosteller's supervisors and co-workers at the Durham (N.C.) Herald-Sun were well aware of her Web log.

The day after that posting, she was fired.

Bill Stagg, managing editor of the Herald-Sun, said he could not comment on a personnel matter. But Mosteller, 25, said the blog was one of the reasons she was given for losing her job, and she is still in shock. "Considering I treated the blog as a smoke break, I didn't think of it as a problem."

READ:Free Expression Can Be Costly When Bloggers Bad-Mouth Jobs (washingtonpost.com)

12:54 AM 0 comments

The shirt is the canvas and the suit is the frame. Change the frame on a picture and no one notices, change the picture in a frame and you can change the look of an entire room. That's why it's important for your tie to enhance your look, not detract from it.

READ: How to Tie a Tie for an Interview

1:30 PM 0 comments

Although the tenure of male chief executives is shortening amid intense post-Enron scrutiny by corporate boards and shareholders, it isn't that short. The average chief executive of the world's largest publicly traded companies holds his job for 8.2 years, while women stay 4.8 years, according to a study by Booz Allen Hamilton. The consultant cautioned, however, that there are so few women chief executives that it is hard to draw conclusions.

''A CEO who is a woman is a classic example of a woman who is succeeding extremely well in a male-dominated field. She's not supposed to be up there," said Rosalind Barnett of Brandeis University's Women's Studies Research Center and coauthor of ''Same Difference: How Gender Myths Are Hurting Our Relationships, Our Children, and Our Jobs."

CHECK OUT: Getting to top is hard but staying isn't easy

12:53 PM 0 comments

In today's ever-changing economy, Americans are moving from job to job -- and career to career -- as never before. And it's not just about money: Many are choosing new jobs that might give them a better life. In a series of reports for Morning Edition, NPR's Ketzel Levine talks with those taking the leap.

Check out a VERY nice series of stories on NPR called Life Changes.

11:24 AM 0 comments

The further you advance in your business career, the more pitches, proposals, and recommendations you'll serve to your bosses for acceptance or rejection. And unless you're prematurely content with the status quo and/or uncommonly risk-averse, it's enevitable: From time to time, you'll stake some brownie points on a winner-take-all plan, a strategic direction, or a bid for a key job.

Sometimes, you'll prevail. Other times, you won't -- whereupon you'll face one of your most emotionally trying career experiences. At such times, it's normal to feel like a fool. Your failure is exposed for all to see. And you can't help wondering what that means for you, long-term. It's an awful sensation.

You'll probably be angry with those who shot you down and jealous of whoever trumped you. You'll vow to short the company's stock and go work for its nearest competitor, or at least think bad thoughts about the organization forever. Perhaps you'll feel so terrible that you'll consider quitting on the spot.

Well, don't do any of this, at least not abruptly and in a huff. You'll be amazed at how quickly these feelings pass. Your career isn't over, probably not even stalled. Faster than you imagine, you can again become a Golden Boy or Gal -- if you display maturity and poise. In fact, your ability to play (and truly be) a gracious loser will speak volumes about your suitability as a future team member and leader.

Here are some ideas for getting back on track quickly:

READ: You Lost -- Now What?

11:35 AM 0 comments

As the debate over Social Security mounts, I find myself thinking of my grandmother. Or more specifically, her friend who lived across the street. When both women were well into their 70s, the friend would complain that she didn't have enough money. Her Social Security check didn't cover her monthly expenses.

My grandmother argued that her friend should have planned better. These two women, both long gone, polarized the debate that raged even then about Social Security. One believed the government owed her nothing, the other believed it owed her everything.

The truth probably lay somewhere in between, somewhere in the middle of Main Street. READ MORE HERE: Depend on discipline, hard work

7:08 AM 0 comments

"People become librarians because they know too much. Their knowledge extends beyond mere categories. They cannot be confined to disciplines. Librarians are all-knowing and all-seeing. They bring order to chaos. They bring wisdom and culture to the masses. They preserve every aspect of human knowledge. Librarians rule."

Taken from the manifesto: Why you should fall to your knees and worship a librarian

1:33 PM 0 comments

People perceived as the most likely to succeed might also be the most likely to crumble under pressure.

A new study finds that individuals with high working-memory capacity, which normally allows them to excel, crack under pressure and do worse on simple exams than when allowed to work with no constraints. Those with less capacity score low, too, but they tend not to be affected by pressure.

"The pressure causes verbal worries, like ‘Oh no, I can’t screw up,’" said Sian Beilock, assistant professor of psychology at Miami University of Ohio. "These thoughts reside in the working memory." And that takes up space that would otherwise be pondering the task at hand.

"When they begin to worry, then they’re in trouble," Beilock told LiveScience. "People with lower working-memory capacities are not using that capacity to begin with, so they’re not affected by pressure."

Feel better about yourself now? For more info, read: Smart People Choke Under Pressure

1:32 PM 0 comments

“Stress levels are at an all-time high, work hours are at an all-time high and employer tolerance is high,” said Mark Oldman, a Vault founder. “With so much of our lives based in the office, there’s a certain inevitability of amorous situations developing at the watercooler and beyond.”

Demographic changes to the workforce also have a big effect. About 46 percent of today’s workforce is female, compared to 31 percent a half century ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the number of single people in the workforce has increased 18.3 percent in the past 10 years, according to a 2005 analysis of unpublished Bureau of Labor Statistics data by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

In addition, people are focusing on their careers and getting married later in life. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age at which people first get married is 25.3 years for women and 27.1 for men, up about four years in the past three decades for both groups.

E-mail has made office flirtation convenient and seemingly private. Add to that frequent business trips with colleagues, after-work drinks, and the connections made by sharing interests, frustrations and successes, and the workplace becomes ripe for romance.

“Nowadays, people don’t go out and connect with organizations and communities like they used to,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of the outplacement firm. “They’re alone in front of their TVs and computers until they return to work. The workplace has become the prime meeting ground.”

READ: Once taboo, office couples are more commonplace

8:00 AM 0 comments

OFFICE ROMANCE is a series of 15 heartbreaking nanolength animations aimed at anyone who's loved and lost and lost and lost and lost some more.

Funny stuff!

7:30 AM 0 comments

Click here for the survey results.

7:26 AM 0 comments

We all know what it sounds like - the squeals and gushes when a freshly engaged colleague holds out her left hand and flashes that sparkling ring. Soon enough that's followed by talk - not necessarily incessant, though some might think so - of dates, dresses, catering halls, photographers and those renegade relatives who may or may not get invited.

Well, multiply that by seven (OK five, if you leave out the men) and that's what's been going on this past year at the Jackson Heights office of British Airways' marketing department. Yes, of a staff of 28, four got married last year within a one-month period - two actually on the same day. And three are planning weddings this year.

Click here for more details...

7:19 AM 0 comments

Answering the interviewer's questions can be trickier than you may think. To see how you'd perform, select the correct answer, then review the explanation and tips that follow to better prepare yourself for your next interview.

1. QUESTION: What is your greatest weakness?
A) I'm a perfectionist.
B) I'm not mechanically inclined, so if the copier breaks down don't call on me.
C) I'm a workaholic.

Click here for the best answer...

11:57 AM 0 comments

READ: Ego Makes Entrepreneurs?

11:48 AM 0 comments

Sure, most of the participants have done very well financially by their weekly work, but a TV series is as close as most actors get to having a real job, at least since they worked real jobs as struggling actors.

In Hollywood at a CBS press tour party to promote a Feb. 22 "One Day at a Time" reunion special, former series star Bonnie Franklin said, "We were so really ready to be through with 'One Day at a Time.' We'd asked to be through with it, which is exactly what's happening with 'Raymond.' I think the audience would keep it on the air. They would've kept us on the air, too, but it was time for us -- it -- to be over."

And, when it is, "You miss the family that you had," she continued. "To some degree, you're back to what you were as a journeyman actor, where you didn't know what your next job is going to be.

READ: Life in the circus

7:36 AM 0 comments

The fastest-growing job markets may be where you least expect them.

Florida created jobs at a faster rate than any other part of the United States in 2003, according to a report by the Milken Institute published on Tuesday.

The nonprofit research firm ranked the top 200 cities for job creation last year, and found that half of the top 10 were in Florida.

READ: Sunshine State has best U.S. job markets: report

9:07 AM 1 comments

Krispy Kreme last week replaced former CEO Scott Livengood with Cooper, who is chairman of Kroll Zolfo Cooper LLC and most recently oversaw the dismantling of scandal-ridden Enron Corp.

The company also said in a regulatory filing it will pay Steven Panagos, its new president and chief operating officer, at the hourly rate of $695. Panagos is the head of Kroll Zolfo's restructuring practice.

Krispy Kreme will also reimburse Kroll Zolfo for "reasonable out-of-pocket expenses" and is in the process of negotiating a "success fee" with the firm.

READ: Krispy Kreme to Pay New CEO $760/Hour

8:53 AM 0 comments

But you may encounter an unanticipated problem: It's harder than ever to conceal a job hunt from colleagues and supervisors. Casual dress codes make your nice interview suit more conspicuous. Many employers are using monitoring software to track their employees' Web surfing, e-mails and instant messages. In addition, open-plan office layouts can complicate your efforts to conduct job-search phone calls discreetly.

Don't worry. There are still plenty of ways to keep your hunt off your boss's radar screen. And the proliferation of alternate workplace arrangements -- including companies' more relaxed attitudes toward telecommuting -- can actually help your covert job search.

Even if you work from home only part-time, you can take advantage of the extra privacy. Kamela Pancroft, a 40-year-old human-resources executive in Castle Rock, Colo., tried to schedule job interviews during the two days a week that she worked from home last year. After several months of searching, she got a new job in October as an HR vice president for a mortgage banker. Her old boss didn't have a clue that she had been looking.

READ: Keeping Your Job Hunt Secret Is Harder Now -- But Here's How to Do It

9:00 AM 0 comments

Executives have been asked to spend up to 2 million yen ($19,290), division chiefs 500,000 yen and other employees 200,000 yen on Sanyo products, which include televisions, refrigerators, mobile phones and insurance.

READ: Sanyo asks workers to buy goods to ease loss

8:35 AM 0 comments

Large corporations use referral programs to encourage employees to submit names of people they know for open positions. This screening process makes sense, since like attracts like -- talented employees often have talented friends. And companies are willing to pay $500, $1,000 – and more – to employees who refer new hires.

So it pays to start making friends at big companies you want to work for.

"I knew one motivated employee at a high-tech firm who made $500 for every hire he referred. So he actively searched for great candidates. He helped get three people hired while I was recruiting for that company in 2001," says Lloyd.

Takeaway Lesson:

The best way to learn about employee referral programs is to strike up a relationship with someone at your target company -- and ask. A simple email will do. Then, keep in touch. Your contact may end up walking your resume into a hiring manager’s office. You get hired and your "advocate" gets a cash award – win-win!

Discover more job hunting tricks at: Find a job today

6:47 AM 0 comments

Rounding this out with a flourish were the remarks of Harvard University's president, Lawrence H. Summers, who wondered whether women lag behind men in mathematics and science because they were born that way.

Of all these demoralizing tidbits, the one getting the most attention is the suggestion by Dr. Summers that one cannot ignore the role of genetics when women fail to rise through the ranks. That remark certainly rankled me, but something else he reportedly said - largely ignored in the resulting firestorm - troubled me more.

Though there is no exact transcript of the off-the-record meeting in question, Mr. Summers is reported to have said there were fewer women on the math and science faculty at the country's most elite institutions because those jobs simply entail more time and energy than women with children were willing to give. Work less, get less - doesn't sound all that explosive, does it? And that is the problem.

READ: LIFE'S WORK; Envisioning a Career Path With Pit Stops

11:14 PM 0 comments

Abbott Laboratories
AIG
Coca-Cola
Dow Chemical
GlaxoSmithKline
Hardee's
Merck
and more...

6:20 PM 0 comments

Let's say your boss finds out you lied and sends you packing. You need a job, so you start searching for the next one. You learned your lesson and vow never to lie again. You redo your resume. Oh wait. What about the job from which you just got fired? Should you list it? Isn't leaving it off lying? So again, you're faced with the question, should you lie on your resume? Leave off the job, and you may be faced with the problem of explaining what you were doing during the time you were working for your former employer. That could be a significant amount of time depending on how long they bought your lie.

So, you decide to include the job on your resume.

You get called in for an interview. During the course of the interview, the prospective employer asks you why you left your previous job. Uh-oh. Here you go again. Should you tell the truth and give up any hope of getting hired? Should you lie... again?

You decide to lie again. You say you left the job because you realized it wasn't right for you. You leave hoping they won't check your references. Or that your previous employer won't say anything. However, when the prospective employer calls your previous employer, he finds out you were fired and that you lied to get the job. End of job. End of story.

I HIGHLY recommend that you check out this "Lying on Your Resume."

10:07 AM 0 comments

The event marks the launch of the sixth annual Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW) February 13th-19th to promote the value of technology in Black communities and its importance in the educational and career preparation of Black youth.

Click here for more information

10:15 PM 0 comments