Career Development

Was it a mirage? Not just our formerly fat 401(k)s but also the whole idea of a comfortable work life followed by an evergreen retirement, replete with health coverage, perks aplenty and - oh, yes - pension checks as far as the eye could see.

Age discrimination in the workplace has long been a concern for the 55-and-older set. In this downturn, however, younger workers may have as much to fear as their more-mature colleagues.

Get accurate, real-time salary reports based on your job title, location, education, skills and experience.

The Employment Projections Program develops information about the labor market for the Nation as a whole for 10 years in the future.

What are Diigo Educator Accounts? These are special premium accounts provided specifically to K-12 & higher-ed educators. Once your Diigo Educator application is approved, your account will be upgraded to have these additional features:

ALAN KENNEDY, 54, had never used social networking sites until he was laid off from his job as an engineer last November. Then he did what many job seekers are now advised to do: he set up profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn.

TwitterJobSearch.com - the world's first job search engine to harness the power of Twitter. Search the hottest, most recent best paid jobs in the entire Twitterverse.

When the oldest members of Generation Y (born roughly 1978 to 1993) began graduating from college several years ago, a collective groan was heard in offices throughout Corporate America. People said many Gen Y-ers, also called Millennials, had an excess sense of entitlement and were arrogant and lazy. They wanted to do work on their terms and it seemed they wanted feedback on that work every five minutes. But then the economy tanked. Now, millions of Gen Y-ers are reinventing themselves to show how much, and how quickly, they can add value to their organizations. The Millennials I've met recently are aware of the changes taking place in the work world, and they perceive themselves -- and their jobs -- as vulnerable. Bruce Tulgan, author of "Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y," says he has seen the same thing.

It wasn't too long ago that women began taking sledgehammers to the glass ceilings of corporate America. In the years that followed, women were allowed into the privileged society of male executives, and as they marched up the ladder and commanded high salaries, everyone cheered. Even so, some powerful women wondered what they had gotten into.

The latest employment report gave more discouraging news to laid-off workers and new college graduates, as the jobless rate rose last month to 8.9%. But despite the gloom, economists say the pain isn't evenly spread throughout the nation and in some industries, jobs were added.

By 2019, Generation X - that relatively small cohort born from 1965 to 1978 - will have spent nearly two decades bumping up against a gray ceiling of boomers in senior decision-making jobs. But that will end. Janet Reid, managing partner at Global Lead, a consulting firm that advises companies like PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble, says, "In 2019, Gen X will finally be in charge. And they will make some big changes."

Julie M. Heup, an unemployed structural engineer from Slinger, Wis., recently attended a networking event where she handed a local employer two business cards: her own and that of her husband, Mark. Mr. Heup, a jobless supply-chain manager, often returns the favor. The two 40-year-olds never anticipated simultaneous layoffs. "I figured the likelihood of it happening at the same time was slim to none," says Mr. Heup, who lost his job three months after his wife did in November. That's why "we are supporting each other," he says.

Everybody looking for a job has a resume. Great. You are now equal with everyone else in the world. Some resumes are better than others and it's important that yours clearly outlines the value that a company can expect to find in you. And one that excites an HR or hiring manager about the fit and promise your background suggests.

Typically, the length of a job hunt is a factor of what you do and the demand for it, says Tony Beshara, a Dallas-based job-search consultant and author of "The Job-Search Solution" (2006). Economic conditions may play a role, too. For instance, the current turmoil in banking and financial services means that someone in that industry probably will take longer to find a new job than a candidate in another field, says Nella Barkley, president and co-founder of Crystal-Barkley Corp., a career-coaching company in New York.

Tricked you! Sorry about that. You probably looked at this article because you'd like to know what the 'Magic Bullet' for a job search is. "What's the one thing I can do to guarantee a new job quickly?!?" That's what most job seekers want to know! Unfortunately… there is no 'Magic Bullet'. There is no one thing that works every time. There isn't a list of 5 things done together that work every time. The fact is: you have to do dozens of things… ALL the time!!!

When Frank Lloyd Wright unveiled the Johnson Wax Building in 1939, it showcased a new way of looking at work. One room, covering half an acre (0.2 hectare), was filled with women, lined up in rows, typing. Work didn't necessarily mean loud, dirty factories, but it still involved sitting in orderly rows, doing orderly work for a finicky boss.

With unemployment at a 23-year high, job seekers need to expand the ways in which they search, say career and workplace experts. These days setting up and maintaining an online presence is often critical to finding work. But for an accomplished professional, it might seem daunting to build up a social-networking presence from scratch. Here's how to do it:

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

IN an environment of rapidly rising unemployment, scores of managers and executives have had doctor-as-patient, "aha" moments, as they find themselves among the millions of American workers looking for new jobs.

ALAN KENNEDY, 54, had never used social networking sites until he was laid off from his job as an engineer last November. Then he did what many job seekers are now advised to do: he set up profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn.