Executive Pay Limits: Introducing “Government Executive Pay”

Posted by Bridget Quigg

They’re happening. The oft spoke of, much debated, feared, and cheered executive pay limits are in motion. While they’ll most likely target only companies that received bailout funds, executive pay limits are still a significant shift in where government’s hands can go.

Get a Glamorous Job at QVC: Host Salaries and More

Posted by Bridget Quigg

Cooing at the sparkle of a diamond bracelet, answering questions about holiday flatware and pushing laptops designed for the whole family – are these job skills? Absolutely. Welcome to the wild, live world of a QVC TV host.

These bright-smiled folks seem to fascinate viewers. Could they have one of the most fun jobs around? It’s likely that plenty of people have watched QVC (I’m raising my hand. You can, too.) and thought, “Heck, I could do that. I wonder what it’s like and how much they make?” So, I decided to do some investigative reporting and look into QVC host salaries, job duties and what other jobs are available at QVC.

Jobs for English Majors: They Do Exist

Posted by Bridget Quigg

The butt of every cocktail party joke – the English major. “Oh, that’s nice that you read Shakespeare. But, how does that get you a job?”

Well, it turns out that wordsmithing just might be the ticket in to today’s job market. According to a survey of HR professionals by global outplacement agency Challenger, Gray and Christmas and quoted in a New York Times article, “Young Workers: U Nd 2 Improve Ur Writing Skills,” the number one skill missing amongst entry-level job applicants is “writing skills.” Huh, sounds like that business degree may not do the trick for getting started in a new career.

Women Snapping Up Government Salaries

Posted by Bridget Quigg

On Sept. 3, USA Today published an article on women’s soon-to-be majority in America’s workforce, “Women Gain in Historic Job Shift.” Rosie the Riveter may have her day.

Due to the significant job loss suffered by men in the manufacturing and construction industries over the last year, compared with the job security found in health-care and government where women dominate, women may soon be the steadier breadwinners for the first time in America’s history. The question is, how well are they faring, compared to men, in their health care and government salaries?

Your Salary and the Obama Equal Pay Bill

Posted by Bridget Quigg

Since January, many HR managers and company owners have been shaking in their boots. Why? They have some research to do about how they pay their employees.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, often referred to as the Obama equal pay bill, was signed into law this year. This law makes it easier for employees to sue their company if they discover that they have been paid a lower wage than other employees doing the same work because of their minority or protected status – e.g. race, gender, disability, etc.

Where to Find Work: Top 5 U.S. Cities for Job Openings

Posted by Bridget Quigg

If you’re looking for work, should you head north, south, east or west of where you are? Likely east.

Job site, Indeed.com, recently pulled together a list of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S. and how they compare for finding a job. They researched job listings in each of the towns and then compared them to each city's jobless statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for June of 2009. Each town was given a ratio of job listings per unemployed person and only two are positive – Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD. Washington offers six jobs for every one person looking and Baltimore has three.

As you move down the list you see tougher statistics, like six job seekers for every one job in St. Louis, MO, 10 for every one opening in Miami, FL, and, finally, 18 job hunters for every gig listed in Detroit.

In an effort to help the cause of getting folks employed, I thought we could see, according to PayScale data, which jobs are most common in the cities with the most openings.

Best Colleges for Earning the Big Bucks

Posted by Bridget Quigg

The cost of college is skyrocketing and graduates risk being saddled with more debt than ever. What’s a smart solution when even state schools aren’t cheap? Earn more after you graduate.

Last week PayScale debuted its 2009-10 College Salary Report, which lists best schools for starting and mid-career salaries by regions of the country, party reputation, educational focus and more. It also sorts out the most lucrative majors. Wondering if this information is important? Just check the news.

Job Security: Earn a TSA Screener’s Salary

Posted by Bridget Quigg

From the guy in the lobby at your work to the gal scanning luggage at the airport, security officers surround us – even more than we know. Beside the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) folks in bright blue shirts at the airport, there are thousands of plainclothes security folks, like air marshals, secret service agents and security technology specialists, working to keep us safe.

Besides being brave, hip to current events and knowledgeable about weapons, can you guess what the coolest thing is that these folks all have in common? They are employed! Yes, they have jobs in this down economy. And, they’re likely to hold onto their jobs if they work for the federal government.

Boost Your Pay: Create a Sample Compensation Package

Posted by Bridget Quigg

In the dog-eat-dog world of getting hired these days, you may feel like taking the next job offer that comes your way. And, perhaps, that’s a good idea. But, the moment you say “Yes” to a new gig, you’re in a powerful position to set your future earnings and benefits. And, since salary budgets have shrunk at most companies, benefits are a great way to make up for a smaller paycheck.

Would you like to work from home sometimes? How many vacation weeks do you want? How much do you value having a 401K?

A great way to prep for a salary and benefits negotiation is to create a sample compensation package that reflects your wishes. In fact, you can create more than one sample compensation package so that you can respond intelligently to any changes during the negotiation.

To Cap or Not to Cap: Obama Answers the Executive Compensation Question

Posted by Bridget Quigg

Back on February 12 of this year in a post titled, “Loopholes, Lawyers and Obama’s Executive Compensation Cap,” I wrote that President Obama was considering an executive compensation cap of $500,000, at least for financial institutions that received Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) money. I wondered what the actual effects of the cap would be, especially with the workarounds of clever Wall Street lawyers, and I couldn’t help but worry that a compensation cap might dampen efforts to rebuild these institutions.

Well, it turns out that all that worry wasn’t necessary because no cap is coming – at least not for now.