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"On just about every reality TV show, from "The Bachelor" to "Jersey Shore" to "The Real Housewives" (pick a city -- any city), we hear the same thing: "I don't like drama." But disdain for drama isn't limited to our favorite reality stars. It's also apparent in the workplace. Bing: Don't get burned by office politics"

"Do you feel like your job choice out of college is the most important decision you will ever make, and that blowing it will tank your career? Relax and get used to it. It is just the first of many job choices you will be making throughout your career."

Those working in metro areas scattered along the East and West coasts - San Jose, New York, Seattle - tended to get paid better last year than their middle-America counterparts, according to the Labor Department's report comparing occupational pay in 77 metro areas, released Wednesday. Employees in the heartland and in certain southern metro areas, such as Lincoln, Neb., and Tallahassee, Fla., earned the least.

The unemployed need not apply. That is the message being broadcast by many of the nation's employers, making it even more difficult for 14 million jobless Americans to get back to work.

Everyone is afraid of something. Spiders, heights, angry bees. But while spiders and bees can make a picnic challenging, they usually don't get in the way of doing a job. Unfortunately, my fear is public speaking.

Most weekday mornings David Herbert, 44, is out the door by 4:15 a.m., hoping to get a jump on the 74-mile slog from his home southwest of Olympia, Wash. to downtown Seattle. Rather than fight traffic the entire way, the information technology manager drives 45 miles to Tacoma, boards the 5:35 a.m. train for the one-hour ride to King Street Station then takes a bus for the final 20 minutes of his commute to the office.

Managers concede that favoritism plays a big role in deciding who gets promoted, however few will admit to playing favorites.

Job candidates get good at smiling into the webcam as interviews via video become increasingly common.

In this economy, you need to take advantage of every available resource to propel your career. Finding a mentor-and preferably a network of mentors-is an easy and smart way to get started. And, it won't set you back financially the way hiring a career coach would. Here's how.

Even before the financial crisis, many baby boomers hadn't saved enough for retirement. Then stocks plummeted. In 1998, the average 50-year-old who had been working for at least 10 years had a 401(k) balance of $85,000, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Factor in the recent market drop, and more than a decade later, that worker's 401(k) has grown to just $93,000. In short, we keep getting older, but our 401(k) balances, they stay the same.

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It was 4 p.m. on a recent Friday-a time of the week when I usually relax and leave the rest of my to-do list to finish over the weekend. But as this recent weekend approached, I kept pushing myself, heart pumping, to get to the bottom of my list of planned tasks for the week.

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When unemployment is high, job-seekers may need to go where the jobs are, "to make ends meet, to get on with their lives," says John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

I am not your typical "geek" CIO. I have 35 years in banking, including 12-plus years from the business side as well as 20-plus years from the technology and operations side. I have asked about a promotion to COO, but I never really get an answer. I have no mentors and feel very isolated.

Most people in the job market today would consider themselves lucky to get a single offer. Receiving multiple offers sounds like a dream, but for some, this scenario is very real. They are the candidates everyone wants.

MyPlan.com helps students and professionals plan more fulfilling lives by making well-informed decisions about their education and careers. Whether you're deciding on what college to go to, choosing a major, planning ahead for your first career, or thinking about making a career change, MyPlan.com can help you explore options and bring clarity and insight into figuring out what's right for you. 100% independent and unbiased, MyPlan.com gives you the truth about colleges, careers and majors. Our research and data is the most comprehensive you'll find anywhere on the subject. And, with dozens of easy-to-use tools, we've made getting to that information convenient, simple and fun.

Though a career fair is an excellent opportunity to explore different employment prospects, the sheer number of recruiters and competing job seekers attending the event can make it hard for you to get noticed. Also note that you should set reasonable expectations for yourself when attending a career fair; no employer is going to make you an offer on the spot, so your goal is simply to forge an initial connection with a wide variety of companies.

Job seekers, beware the telephone. For years, the phone interview was a preliminary step that allowed an employer to give a candidate the once-over and schedule an in-person interview. But these days, many recruiters are using the phone interview to pose the kinds of in-depth questions previously reserved for finalists. What's more, job hunters say the bar for getting to the next level has been raised much higher, catching many of them off-guard.

Q. You're a recent college graduate getting ready for the working world. Can your college wardrobe make the transition with you?