When I first starting dreaming about working from home full time, visions of a clean house, on-demand gourmet lunches, and selling my car clouded most of my reasoning. So, my first draft of my request looked something like this:

Me want home work. Now me want work in no pants. Yes.

I ran this request by a few friends and fortunately they got me back on track. Because while the benefits of going virtual are obvious, how to get your boss to see those benefits can often be less-obvious.

But the truth is, this move does have to benefit your company or boss in some way for them to agree to let you work remotely. So before you ask for a meeting with your superior, sit down and compose a request by answering the following questions:

1. First and most importantly, will working from home actually help you do your job?

Unless you’ve done something to personally insult yours, bosses make decisions based on job performance and productivity.

If your job description involves the physical supervision of employees in their cubes or work spaces, you probably need to consider a career change rather than going virtual. If, however, your position requires a high level of creativity and focus and you spend most of your day alone, bring that up.

Working in a loud, booming office environment can make it hard to concentrate, and sometimes even to get things done. Emphasize that working virtually will allow you more control over your environment and allow you to focus on providing high quality work. What’s not to like about that?

2. Does your company’s communication structure support going virtual?

Our company happens to already include several virtual folks. Our meetings are held on Skype or on GoTo Meeting conference calls, and most of us spend the day with our eyes glued on the Microsoft Outlook home screen. (P.S. Microsoft, if you’re reading, maybe give me some more color options? Kthx.)

This is an ideal situation for going virtual, but perhaps it is not your situation. If you can be patient, take the long-term guerilla approach by slowly suggesting best practices and different technologies that can build toward a more virtual business structure six to 12 months down the line.

3. Do you have comfortable and relaxed communication habits with your supervisors and teammates?

Maybe you use Skype and are well-liked on your team… but could you shoot a text to the girl who does graphics or pick up the phone and call your editor without extreme awkwardness?

The state of your current team interaction can either be a hindrance (Uhh…why are you calling me?) or a blessing (Hey girl, what up?). Strong relationships that will encourage cooperation and teamwork regardless of where you work is what makes a team shine, virtual or not.

If this does not describe your current situation, put your time and effort into building those kinds of relationships rather than crafting the perfect thesis on working virtually. Because without this vital piece, your transition probably won’t be smooth anyhow.

4. Have you proven yourself to be a resourceful, passionate and dedicated employee?

Here’s a wake up call: if you’re new to the company (six months or less), you’re wasting your breath with this request and possibly harming your reputation.

Working virtually is about trust. If your boss, HR or the CEO doesn’t trust you without hesitation to work the hours you say you have worked (and even sometimes, honestly, if your boss/HR/CEO doesn’t like you), virtual will never happen for you.

Work on being likeable and give it time.

5. Do you have a dedicated professional working space at home?

Make sure you let your boss know how you’re going to do your work. Speak up about your reliable internet, scanner, printer and dedicated phone line. If you have a full-on home office, all the better.

The goal here is to give your employer the picture of an idyllic, calm and controlled workspace that just happens to be in your house instead of in a cube.

6. Finally, don’t make demands.

You’re asking a big, fat favor. You’re asking for a gift, for trust and for someone to help you make your life easier. The last thing your proposal needs is a tone of entitlement.

Give your boss every reason to say yes by suggesting it as a suggestion. Offer your reasoning, ask for permission, and ask for it to happen on a trial basis.

Try a closing line like this on your written request:

If I could garner permission to try this schedule on a trial basis with room for feedback and flexibility to attend important meetings and events at the office, I feel that this opportunity would allow me to reach my best potential at this company.

A little groveling with a lot of logic and reasoning will pass on the perfect tone.

Good luck!

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the backburner (if you count lolcats and Words with Friends). She manages and writes for the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

If you’re social-media-savvy, you’re staring in the face of opportunity; so many brands, both big and small, need help growing their online community.

But even if you know you want to use your social media skills to make money, it’s not always clear where to start.

Since launching my ebook How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business, I’ve talked with lots of young professionals who want to make this move, whether to earn money on the side of their day job or as a stepping stone to working for themselves full time. Those who are held up often feel stymied by the same issues.

So let’s talk about those popular obstacles and how to overcome them:

Obstacle #1: Deciding which services to provide

Social media consultants run the gamut, from coaching clients to creating strategies to actually implementing those strategies. Others run classes or webinars, and others sell products that help clients help themselves. Which type of services do you want to provide? Where on this spectrum do you fit in?

A big part of this is deciding who to target. Saying you’ll “work with anyone who needs it” may keep you from closing any doors, but also deprives you of finding a niche — and that’s usually where the money’s at.

If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one. Target clients by topic — travel, for example, or finance — based off your skills and interests. Or target by type of client, looking to work with non-profits, for example, or individual writers.

Once you’ve got this down, create a page on your blog about your services (here’s an example). Even if you don’t include prices on your site, being clear about what you offer will go a long way.

Obstacle #2: Figuring out what to charge

This is another piece that varies drastically, which is why it can be difficult to pinpoint how to approach it. How much you charge depends on your experience, what you’re offering and what the client can afford. Recent college graduates charge anywhere from $20-$100/hour.

For your first paying client or two, try to find a happy medium between how much you think they can afford and how much you’d like to make. Lean toward affordability at first if landing that client is essential to getting your business off the ground; you can always ask for more with your next client. In fact, transitioning to higher paid clients over time should be one of your long-term goals.

Also consider how many hours you’ll work for the client. If you’re working on an hourly basis, you can charge a fairly high rate for those few hours. If the client is retaining you month after month to implement their social media strategy, your hourly rate can be lower because you’re guaranteed a good number of hours. This second type of client — the recurring monthly client — is the best kind in my mind, because you know you’ll have that paycheck month after month.

Obstacle #3: Getting clients

Landing your first client could be the most difficult part of starting your own business — or, if serendipity is on your side, it could be the easiest.

The key here is to always be on the lookout for opportunities. Who within your network, or perhaps within one or two degrees of separation, could benefit from your skills? Which organizations that you’re involved with have a not-so-impressive online presence? Which businesses would reach their target demographic by making better use of online tools?

Pitch one of those brands, letting them know how you can help them reach their goals. But don’t expect to fill your pockets with cash from your first client. Instead, consider working for that client for free to gain experience, a recommendation and possibly referrals that will help you down the line. Once you’ve done a fabulous job for that client, it will be easier to land more.

If you’re past the point of working for free — and you should only work for free if it’s benefiting you significantly by, for example, helping you build your resume — the client search can be more challenging. In addition to going after possible clients, focus on helping them find you. Use your own online presence to market yourself, showcasing your value in this field so opportunities come to you. One of the best ways to do this is through a blog.

This is what I like to call “making your own luck.” The more value you provide online, the more people you connect with, the more you build your online community — the more likely that community will think of you when an opportunity arises that fits your skill set. If you continue to build that network and make it easy to find you, you’ll rarely be in the position where you have to look for clients.

What other challenges are keeping your from launching a social media business?

Alexis Grant, managing editor of Brazen Life and author of ebook How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business, is offering a free Brazen webinar on making money off your social media skills. Sign up to join us!

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It’s graduation season, when colleges nationwide deliver one final flying roundhouse kick to the face of heavily indebted students by making them shell out $80 for one-time-use robes and hats.

Downer? Yes. Now let me add to it: for nearly everyone I know, leaving college was uncomfortable, often profoundly so. This is a time of change, after all, and change is tough.

And while today’s underemployed graduates may hear a lot of spiels about Spreading Wings and Traveling, there is always room for more practical advice.

So here are a few other thoughts on how to navigate an economic mess of a post-college working world:

1. Being nice to (or just ignoring) the 1 percent will keep you sane

No, not the 1 percent of people who earn like 542 percent of the nation’s earnings, as we keep hearing on the news. I’m talking about the slim minority of grads who immediately move into solid, fulfilling careers.

These rare specimens don’t just land on their feet after college. They dismount with a double-twisting handspring and quadruple somersault, then stick that landing and throw up their hands and throw back their heads while the crowd waves mini American flags.

Good for them.

You’re leaving this relatively egalitarian college world, where everyone lives in the same dorms and dining halls and classrooms, being graded on the same curves. But in the real world, some of these people will immediately be successful and Good at Life. Others will not.

I beg you, put on your blinders. If you are still one of those competitive people who compare themselves to everyone, stop.

Because when you see on Facebook that that pretentious guy with the dreads and hot pink Crocs who was in your anthro seminar has released a book of poetry at 22, it will make you crazy.

And that’s not the worst of it; seeing your best friends immediately settle in at their dream jobs while you desperately search could make you even crazier. So before your competitive self lets bitterness gnaw all of her friendships to death, take a deep breath and give your BFFs a hug, because they are lovely people. Then get back to your own life.

2. Money CAN buy happiness

My first big post-college choice was to either tutor underprivileged high schoolers with a service corps or to take the only other job I could find, as a “legal assistant” (read: deceased-debt collector), where I would call people and say something like:

“I am sorry for your loss. I am also sorry that Aunt Geraldine died with $8,600 on her Home Depot Mastercard. So how’s her estate looking?”

The choice really was (a) food stamps, a perpetual scramble for babysitting gigs and still not making rent, or (b) hating work but getting by, with enough to spare for the occasional 24-rack of Diet Coke.

I chose (b).

For some people, (a) would have been fine. But as miserable as I was being a “legal assistant,” I would have also felt miserable, PLUS helpless and alone, living on dry ramen shards and begging my parents for cash.

The point: doing meaningful work may be good for your soul, but you can only do so much meaningful work (something like 20 minutes’ worth, I’m guessing) if you aren’t eating. You’re not selling out by looking for a first job that actually pays, rather than working for pocket change or even for free. And if you simply insist on feeling like you’re selling out anyway, volunteer in your free time.

2.5. Independence is an accomplishment

This is a corollary to No. 2. Let’s say you aren’t rocking the world’s socks off yet, but you are pulling through as a cashier/dogwalker/debt collector.

Go celebrate.

Did you just pay the deposit on your first lease? Did you make your first student loan payment? Yes? Go buy yourself a beer. You are becoming independent. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t particularly enjoy earning that money.

Maybe the broader point here – and really, tattoo this on your forehead so you can see it every time you look in the mirror for forever – is this: You are not your job.

Repeat after me: You are not your job.

Good. Never forget it.

3. Careers are not Katherine Heigl movies

If they were, we would all be losing money.

No, seriously. People often talk about careers the way romantic comedies talk about love: like someone sees a calculator across a crowded room and out of the blue is filled with a sense of beauty and wonderment and the knowledge that she is destined to be a CPA.

Some people feel “called” to careers. For the rest of us, it’s a work in progress, consisting of some variation on the following steps:

1) Doing Job X for a while.

2) Leaving Job X for whatever reason.

3) Seeing Job Y and saying, “Ooh! I can do that.”

4) Doing Job Y for a while.

…and repeating the process as often as necessary.

Now go get started on that.

And though you may not believe me, let me assure you: it will all be fine. And when that fine-ness happens, do a handspring and wave a mini American flag for yourself.

Danielle Kurtzleben (@titonka) lives in Washington, D.C., where she works as a journalist. She has nothing against Katherine Heigl.

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During my teenage years, I was painfully shy, and I thought networking was a practice used only by the elite and powerful, a group I definitely did not feel part of.

What I learned was the opposite. Networking is for anyone and everyone. If you’re generous, reliable and willing to put in the effort needed to build relationships, you can be great at networking. This is true no matter where you’re from and no matter what your personality is.

Here are the 5 biggest myths about networking:

Myth #1: Networking is annoying to other people

How would you feel if someone sent you an email, told you she admired you, and asked for some of your advice on how she could be like you in the future? Would you get angry? Would you be annoyed?

Of course not. Here’s the truth: when done correctly and genuinely, networking is actually flattering to other people. This does not mean that everyone will welcome your requests to connect, but most people (especially successful people) love to share their success secrets and connect with other like-minded people.

Do your homework before meeting with anyone so that you can ask specific questions about their work, their goals, or their dreams for the future. You’ll immediately stand out from the “annoying” networker who just wants to talk about himself.

Myth #2: Networking is cheating

By networking with people in the sports marketing industry as a student in college, I landed a private interview with the Team President for the NBA’s Washington Wizards right before graduation. The team hired me for a full-time position one week later.

Yet when I interviewed for a full-time job with the franchise, they didn’t say, “Hmmm…You were recommended to us by one of our former senior executives? Well, in that case, there is no need to interview you. You’re hired!”

Instead, their thought process was, “You know one of our former senior executives, huh? In that case, we’ll take a look at your resume and give you a chance to come in for an interview to prove why we should hire you.”

Networking is not nepotism. You need to add value to other people and organizations or networking will get you nowhere. There is nothing unethical about engaging in networking to advance your career.

Myth #3: Networking is all about who you know

It drives me absolutely crazy when people say this because it cheapens the importance of presenting yourself the right way and building genuine relationships.

Here’s the truth: Networking is all about who likes you and who respects you. There is a HUGE difference between knowing someone (or having someone “know” you) and having someone like you and respect you.

Before working with you or referring you to someone else, a successful person is consciously or subconsciously asking himself, “Do I like and respect this person enough to put my reputation on the line by working with her or by introducing her to someone I trust?

If the answer is “no,” networking will get you nowhere. However, if the answer is “yes,” a young professional can usually get almost anyone to open his rolodex.

Myth #4: You should attend as many networking events as possible

All networking events are not created equal. Just like quantity of contacts is not as important as quality of contacts, quantity of networking events is not as important as quality of events.

In other words, going to one highly targeted networking event makes a lot more sense than going to 10 generic networking events. There is always value in meeting new people, but many networking events are actually a waste of time.

The best networking events are usually not called “networking events.” “Networking events” are usually just full of salespeople and desperate job-seekers. Instead, the best “networking events” are industry conferences or other events that successful, like-minded people in a specific niche or field will be attending for their own professional development.

Myth #5: Networking is only for extroverts

Your success with networking depends on your strategy, not your personality. In fact, being shy can actually be a networking advantage.

As someone who’s slightly introverted, I always go out of my way in networking situations to get other people to talk about themselves. Initially, I did this because I was uncomfortable being the center of attention.

However, I noticed something interesting. By focusing more on other people (instead of talking mainly about yourself), people end up liking you more and being more receptive to future collaborations.

Pete Leibman is the Founder of Dream Job Academy and the Author of I Got My Dream Job and So Can You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Ideal Career After College. His work has been featured on Fox, CBS, and CNN.

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It’s Friday (as if anyone needed a reminder about that…) and that means it’s time for #BrazenStuff, our awesome roundup of links and more from across the web! Check these out:

1. Advocacy groups compete to lead the young and jobless

2. Wall Street Journal columnist to class of 2012: tone down your egos, shape up your minds (h/t Brazen reader Adam Tannenbaum)

3. Aspiring PhD? Some advice for you from two unusual graduating PhDs

4. The 6 types of motivation

5. How to achieve full-time success with part-time hours (we know this is a challenge for many of you!)

6. Why you need to embrace your inner crazy

7. Seth Godin’s 21 tips for making money online

8. Check out these nifty hacks from our friends at Lifehacker:

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The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). Founded by Scott Gerber, the YEC is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment and underemployment and provides its members with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a business’s development and growth.

W3Schools Work Well!

“I think W3Schools is a great place to start because they have free, easy-to-follow tutorials that are quite comprehensive. I often used these tutorials in my Computer Science course in University because they were easier to follow than the textbook. They also offer $95 certificate programs in the most popular web topics.”

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

This week’s pick:

Events Manager for Solar Non-Profit

GRID Alternatives is an entrepreneurial, high-growth non-profit organization that provides renewable energy and energy efficiency services to low-income families. They’re looking for an Events Manager to help with their growing Solarthon events. 

Solarthons are unique solar block parties and fundraisers where GRID Alternatives installs several solar electric systems in one day with teams of corporate sponsors, individual fundraisers, local job trainees, and the homeowners themselves. The right Events Manager candidate will be high energy, highly organized and have some fundraising and nonprofit experience.

As GRID Alternative continues to grow, the Events Manager will have the opportunity to develop other fundraising events. Three to four years of nonprofit event planning is preferred, as well as strong communication skills. If you’re interested in this full time position based in Oakland, CA, apply here!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Some say the resume is dying.

I say it’s not. For most jobs, you still have to present an impressive resume and cover letter to land an interview.

But the resume – and other details of the job hunt – certainly are changing. Resumes are morphing into a combination of digital identity and the traditional summary of work experience and skills. And perhaps what has changed the most is how your work history affects your job hunt.

No more climbing the corporate ladder

Traditionally, the quality career path has been defined by a history of increasingly important jobs that have led to a management role, in or around one industry.

Yet the job market that has spun off from the new economy has changed the definition of a successful career. It’s now common for young professionals to change jobs frequently, and not always because the new job offers a clear advance in the ranks. Millennials change jobs because they are recruited by a fascinating startup or have sought out a new company that has perceived potential.

The transition might even include a drop in salary, which traditionally has been treated as a black mark on your resume. No longer! Now hiring managers know that reduced salary is likely a calculated bet on the new employer or the experience and learning opportunities that the company is expected to provide.

Career track rerouted

Years ago, a work history with one employer was the gold standard for a potential new hire. Today, a work history that lays out what in your eyes was progress is a substitute for the one-stop career.

That means if you have moved from working as an affiliate rep, through two or three companies to become a marketing manager, that history can easily be defined as professional growth. And if your last employer folded, that’s not necessarily a black mark either given the history of startups over the last twenty years.

It’s all about energy

If you can sketch a work history that illustrates proactive, energetic, aggressive steps, then you’ve reached what for many employers is the tipping point. Any HR professional will tell you that they’re looking for an innovative, dynamic person to fill the empty slot, that a mere functionary won’t do.

Whether those credentials will bear up once you’re installed in your shiny new job is another matter, but the point is that you got there by showing a pattern of personal initiative, seeking opportunities with multiple firms. That oh-so-important selling point, however, requires a resume and cover letter to accompany your LinkedIn profile.

Revisiting the one-page resume rule

Defining a series of jobs and explaining the purpose for moving on takes more than a few disconnected phrases, which is about all you can fit on a one-page resume. Let’s assume for a minute that the one-page rule is applied to an online resume; that page is going to be as long as you want it to be, correct? Then it’s just a matter of writing concise sentences that provide a thorough explanation of your travelogue.

There’s no reason you can’t treat a paper resume the same way. Your goal is to get in the door for an interview, and an additional page isn’t going to cost you that opportunity. Instead, it could help you provide a more well-defined perspective on your professional history.

Bob Hartzell writes about education, business and budgets, as well as changes in collegiate goals, with focus on the new bachelors and online masters degrees. He lives in Maine, a beautiful part of New England – but you’d best bring your job with you.

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Over at The Next Web, Nancy Messieh describes Jeanne’s campaign:

Each pin introduces a point about Jeanne, detailing her skills, education, experience, achievements, and even her Klout score. Pinterest isn’t the only online tool she’s used to put together her ‘social media’ resume. Items which require more explanation lead to a post on her Tumblr blog.

No word from Pinterest so far, but Jeanne’s campaign has already caught the eye of Francisco Guerrero, founder of the Pinterest analytics site Pintics. “Based on this she totally should at least get a call from Pinterest,” he says, adding that he’d bring her on as Vice President of Marketing at Pintics if things with Pinterest don’t work out.

Yet more proof that social campaigns aimed at attracting attention from employers do work. Guess we’ll have to add this to the list of ways you can use Pinterest to wow your dream employer!

In true social style, Jeanne is sharing the results of her campaign on Tumblr if you want to follow along.

What do you think of Jeanne’s campaign?

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So you’ve got a seriously handy career skill if you love the limelight or the rush of making speeches in front of hundreds or even thousands of people.

Ready to put your public speaking prowess to work? Check out these crowd-pleasing careers.

1. Spokesperson 

You’ll get plenty of time in front of cameras and crowds as a spokesperson or press secretary. Whether you’re working for a politician, an organization or a celebrity, you make sure public announcements are delivered in the most appropriate fashion possible.

Your goal? Maximize positive coverage.

Average salary: $31,000 – $95,000

2. Professor

Enjoy the privilege of public speaking on a daily basis as a college professor.

However, beware that this might be one of the tougher gigs on the list. Not only do you write and produce most of your own material, you work for a tricky audience: your words must engage even the sleepiest college freshman.

Average salary: $30,000 – $129,000

3. Speech Writer

True, as a speech writer you don’t actually give the speeches yourself. But you must know the subtle science of how to rouse an audience, build a speech that can motivate hundreds, and tack on that perfect finishing line.

Without ever getting near a podium, you’re still the expert on the ultimate version of crowd control.

Average salary: $31,000 – $95,000

4. News Anchor

You deliver the news to hundreds, thousands or even millions of viewers. In this center-stage job, you’re responsible for accurate, appropriate and concise delivery on every broadcast.

Plus, you’re expected to keep your cool—and sometimes even improvise—when reporting on breaking news. No pressure, right?

Average salary: $28,000 – $146,000

5. Politician

From your first campaign speech to your last address on legislation, your job as a politician is full of connecting with crowds. In fact, public speaking is an essential skill in this role: a good speech can make or break a political career.

What’s more, your turns of persuasive phrase can be vital for bringing about the change you want to see in the world.

Average salary: Highly varied

6. Religious Leader

As a pastor, priest, minister or any other religious leader, a major part of your work is to inspire those around you through spoken words. During a service, you give rousing speeches, offer inspirational ideas, and read out religious texts for all to hear.

This means you’ve got a lot of responsibility: People come from miles around to hear you speak and grow their spiritual understanding, so you’ve got to be on your game 24/7.

Average salary: $24,000 – $77,000

7. Motivational Speaker

Motivational speaker takes the cake as the ultimate crowd-pleasing career. Using your voice, energy and charisma, you get up on stage to inspire people to change their lives—whether by finding love, finishing their novel or simply transforming their outlook.

In this role, you are the master of working a group so that each and every person feels like you’re speaking directly to them.

Average salary: $23,000 – $86,000 

All salary data comes from the US Department of Labor.

Are you a crowd pleaser? What public speaking roles would you add to the list?

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site that helps people discover a career they’ll love and build strong, successful futures. Join the conversation @InsideJobs!

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

When you graduate college, you’re inundated with cookie-cutter advice like, “Follow your DREAMS!” and “Believe in yourself!!!!”

Let’s get real, guys: this advice means nothing once you step out into the real world. 

So let’s dig into some advice that’s actually useful. Today I present to you: The top three things that I wish someone had told me when I graduated college.

(You’re welcome!)

1. It’s OK not to know what’s next

When I graduated college in 2006, I had no clue what I wanted to do next.

The result? Constant anxiety.

I wish someone had told me that it’s OK — in fact, it’s more than OK — not to know the answers.

I wish someone had told me that I wasn’t gonna die if I didn’t have it all figured out, that it often takes time and experience to live your way into the answers, and that despite feeling the world is gonna end, it won’t. Confusion or no confusion, you will continue breathing and you’re gonna be just fine.

What’s more, I wish someone had told me that not knowing in no way dooms you to failure. In fact, some of the most happy, successful people I know started out without knowing where they’d end up.

If you feel like you have to have your whole career planned out, think again. Not only is this expectation unrealistic for most of us, but it’s often ineffective as well. Consider your current confusion a prerequisite to a clarity that can only come with trust and with time.

It’s OK not to know. Embrace it.

2. You have the rest of your life to be serious

If you want to jump straight into a serious career, then by all means go for it.

But if travel or adventure or soul searching are whispering in your ear, don’t feel pressured to jump into “real life” right away. You’re still young. You’re still free. You’ve got THE REST OF YOUR LIFE to go to work. You’ve got THE REST OF YOUR LIFE to be serious.

If you want to take a chance, take it now. Lose everything before you feel like you have everything to lose. Do it before it’s too late, before you’re old and wrinkly and looking back on your life with regrets.

The year after I graduated college, I took off to Australia for three months and allowed myself to wander and to explore and to experience life. When I came back home, I secured a desk job in corporate accounting, and I was able to do this without feeling a sense of regret about the risks I’d failed to take.

Your degree isn’t going anywhere. Work isn’t going anywhere. You have years and years and YEARS ahead of you. Don’t feel pressured to rush into a “real person job” — instead, try considering that living may be your real job. And living doesn’t have to be so serious.

Which leads me into my third point…

3. There are no “shoulds”

The horrible affliction of shoulditis is running rampant in today’s society.

“I should have it all figured out,” we tell ourselves over and over again in our heads.

“I should get a good job and do what’s expected of me.”

“Should should should, blah blah blah.”

THIS IS BS!

Allow me to let you in on a little secret of life: You WILL NOT DIE if you drop the “shoulds.”

I repeat: YOU WILL NOT DIE IF YOU DROP THE “SHOULDS!”

At the age of 28, I just quit my corporate job to travel around the country, to live my passions and live more simply, and to slow down. And LOOK, I’m still alive! What’s more, I’m happier than ever.

There are no “shoulds,” guys. Listen to your heart and don’t ever let other peoples’ expectations dictate how you should or shouldn’t live your life.

If you want to go travel the world, do it.

If you want to teach English in Thailand, do it!

If you want to go bartend on a tropical island for awhile, who am I to stop you?

If you want to go straight into real life and get a “real job,” that’s fine too — just make sure you’re doing it because it’s what you want, not because it’s what you think other people expect of you.

In the end, you’re the only one who has to live your life. Others may have their thoughts or expectations, and that’s fine — they get to live their life how they want to do it, but only you can know what’s right for you.

Therese Schwenkler is passionate about bringing more and better direction to today’s generation. Feeling lost & confused after graduation? Stuck in the “shoulds?” Visit Therese’s blog, The Unlost, for the cure.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Tax time may be over for 2011, but if you’re a brand new freelancer starting out, your tax time begins now.  So here are some basics you should know when it comes to your new relationship with Uncle Sam. Bear in mind these are general tips meant to educate freelancers just starting out; whether you’ve gone full-time with employees or your freelancing is just a side hustle for now, you should consult a CPA for professional advice and guidance in all cases.

Freelance Taxes 101

Get yourself a good CPA. I never thought I’d be fancy enough to warrant needing an accountant. And I know it seems like a big expense when you’re just starting out. But I’m so grateful a self-employed friend convinced me to visit her CPA.  I had no idea what I was in store for, and knowing I now have someone knowledgeable looking out for my interests is a huge relief for me in this new territory.

Oh, and did I mention that any accountant’s fees you incur in connection with your freelancing can be deductible as “professional expenses?” So there’s really no reason not to get a CPA.

If you make $600+ from any one client, you need to report it. Each client this applies to should provide you with a 1099-MISC form at the end of the year listing how much they’ve paid you, which you then include with your tax return.

If you net $400+ for the year, you have to pay self-employment tax in addition to income tax. This was a particularly nasty surprise for me. If you work for yourself or as a 1099 contractor, you are essentially double-taxed as both an employer and an employee. (I know; way to encourage entrepreneurship, USA!) In my case, that means a solid one-third of every dollar you bring in will go right back to the government.

So, in the wise words of my CPA, “Don’t take that big project you just got paid for and go on vacation with it.” Start setting aside your tax percentage now—ideally in a separate savings account you won’t be tempted to touch—or else you may be unpleasantly surprised when tax time comes.

You now have to pay quarterly. The good news is that if this is your first year of freelancing, and last year you had no freelance income to report, you don’t need to worry about quarterly payments just yet. (Remember, you only have to report if you’ve made more than $600 for any client. So if you started freelancing mid-2011 and only managed to earn $300 for the year, that doesn’t count as reportable income. Your first freelancing year technically starts now in 2012.)

If this is your first year, you can wait till the end of the tax year to file, at which point you can also get a better idea of what your estimated quarterly payments will be next year. After year one, if you expect to owe the government $1,000+ (after deductions), you will be required to make estimated quarterly tax payments.

These will be due on January 15^th, April 15^th, June 15^th, and September 15^th. You don’t have to worry too much about the precision of your estimate; if you estimate too high or too low for any quarter, you can fill out a form to recalculate what you’ll owe the next quarter.

Track your business expenses. The major rules for writing off “home office” and other business expenses (although you’ll want to clear specifics with your CPA) include:

• For a room to be considered a home office, it must be used it solely for business-related activities. (In other words, if you what you have is a home office/kids’ playroom/den, get rid of those slashes.)

• You can deduct things like computers, ink and other office supplies, phone plans, mileage spent driving to a client’s office—anything you need to pay for in order to keep your business running. (Within reason, of course. Getting too deduction-happy can raise red flags you don’t want raised. As always, defer to your CPA’s advice.)

• If you have a dedicated home office, you can also deduct a portion of household expenses like mortgage interest, rent, utilities, and insurance based on what percentage of the square footage of your home is made up by your office.

Solid recordkeeping is so worth your time. Keep a separate insert in your filing cabinet for any potentially deductible expenses so you’re not scrambling at the end of each quarter to track down receipts.

For household expenses like utilities for which you’ll be deducting only a percentage, it’s a good idea to start a running spreadsheet to keep track of what you’re spending over the course of the year. Each month when you pay your heat, electricity and other bills, enter the amounts on the spreadsheet so that come tax time, everything is all there for you to calculate your percentages. It’s a few extra minutes each payday to save you a ton of hassle later on.

Are you just starting out as a freelancer? Tell us about it!

Kelly Gurnett, a.k.a. “Cordelia,” runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do.  You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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We all have bad days at work, a boss who just doesn’t get it or the general dread that comes when you feel disconnected from your job’s menial tasks. When you’ve reached your breaking point, the typical reaction is to polish your resume and start your job search without considering whether you’ve truly done all you can do to enjoy your current job.

You’ve already put in significant time and effort with this company – so have you already taken advantage of all their benefits and training opportunities, one that will propel you ahead of your competition when it’s time to leave?

And not to harp on your resume, but are you prepared to defend to a hiring manager why you only stayed with this company for a year? Or what about the great story you could create for yourself about how you tackled the difficult situation you’re in now and made it work?

Don’t fall into the-grass-is-greener trap. Be sure to exhaust every opportunity to balance your frustrations at your current role before looking for a new one.

Need to get pumped up? Here are four ways to learn to like your current job again:

1. Take stock

Inventory all the skills you have the potential to learn in this position and how you could apply them to future jobs. Having broad knowledge of a skill is helpful when breaking in to a new role, but being considered a subject matter expert with an expanded skill set will set you apart in the candidate pool.

Set a goal for each skill on your inventory list and commit to reaching those goals before moving on. When you focus on growing your expertise in specific areas, you’ll be able to seek out more relevant experience and obtain applicable skills more quickly, which mean you’ll head on to your next opportunity that much sooner.

2. Downshift

Being an overachiever sometimes works to your advantage, but being an overachiever all of the time can lead to burnout. Instead, adjust your engagement levels to better match those around you and your current workload. It’s easy to get caught up in the stress by working late and constantly checking your email, but you can continue to be a successful employee without doing these things 100 percent of the time.

Think of driving a manual transmission car and downshifting from fifth to third gear. The car continues to drive at a high level of performance, just not as fast. Apply this same principle to your approach to your day – don’t answer every email the moment it comes in; turn your email notification light off when you leave work for the day; leave on-time; and stop scrambling altogether.

Try it for a week and see what happens. You’ll likely experience some anxiety about not working as hard, but most people will not even notice a difference as long as you continue to get your work done, and you’ll have less to regret at the end of the day.

3. Set break reminders

Taking breaks is easily forgotten when you’re focused and busy at work, so schedule them!

Set a pop-up calendar reminder every few hours to take a 15-minute break – get up from your cube, walk around or surf the web. This study shows that when employees take breaks, they’re not only more productive overall, but also happier.

In addition to taking mini-breaks, leave your desk for lunch and, if possible, go outside. Giving yourself extended time outside of your cube environment in the middle of the day will break up the monotony of the 9-to-5 and help you feel refreshed and more energized.

4. Find value and meaning

Connect with what you’re already doing. You are adding value and meaning through your work, to someone each and every day.

If this isn’t readily apparent, dig deeper. How are your actions helping a coworker or impacting a customer? Don’t think big; instead, think small. You have a thousand opportunities each and every day to pitch in and help others at work. So remember how your actions are already creating positive results and seek out new ways to find meaning in what you do.

Reconnecting with your current role will help you gain even more experience without having to jump into a new situation. And getting pumped about your job will not only make your workday not suck, it will also help you feel good about other aspects of your life, too.

Melissa Anzman is a career coach, blogger and former Human Resources insider who helps people fall in love with their jobs again. Melissa’s based in Atlanta and blogs at Loosen Your White Collar.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Have you ever looked back on your degree and thought, “What the hell did I learn that’s actually helped me in the real world?”

With graduation day approaching, it’s time to share an important lesson: though most of us loved college, almost everything that’s truly useful we’ve had to learn the “hard way” — through experience, rather than in the classroom.

I wish I had someone holding my hand the first time I rented an apartment. And I still want someone to sit down and explain how the eff investments work and whether I’m old enough to start thinking about them.

Is this our school’s responsibility? Should those degrees we spend tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars on should maybe focus less on forcing freshman to take sex ed and Bio 101 and instead provide us with courses on how to do our taxes?

Here’s a sample course catalogue that would make our first few years in the real world less about trial and error. Man, how I wish this school existed:

1. Flatting 101: Roommates, Renters and Reason

This course examines the cultural contexts that shape the development of roommate relationships. Emphasis is placed on the steps involved in signing a lease, paying bonds, taking care of rental property, property insurance and tenancy agreements.

After successfully completely this course, you should be able to (1) find the perfect roommate through Craigslist based on your personality and previous flatting situations, (2) set up a house bank account and easily share expenses, (3) pay and receive your bond back in a timely manner and (4) not get screwed over in a rental agreement by a landlord.

The purpose of this course is to help you understand the key elements expected of every housemate. No previous knowledge or skill is required other than an interest (born out of need or desire) in living with other people.

2. Introduction to Credit

Explore the evolution of credit cards, credit score and loans as both theory and practice. The purpose is to provide context for all students in critically thinking about when it’s appropriate to borrow. Students will leave with a strong foundation in understanding the basic credit card structure in simple terms.

Students will be tested on the best way to research their annual percentage rate, the pros and cons of minimum monthly payments and understanding credit line. If time allows, students will also be introduced to credit scores – understanding yours and how to improve it.

3. Investing in the 21st Century

This course covers popular investment schemes including 401k, stock options and basic savings accounts.

Students will learn how to choose the best bank and how to determine what percentage of salary goes into savings. You’ll take away an understanding of basic investment terms such as equity, mutual funds and interest.

By the end of this course, all students will be prepared for the road to financial security and smart investments – so they don’t look like idiots when in normal conversation with adults about such topics.

4. Taxes in Today’s Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach

This hands-on course concentrates on the basics of doing your taxes, mistakes to avoid and stress-relief tactics to implement during tax season.

The objective of this course is to give students enough knowledge to do their own taxes – from filling out forms, organizing receipts, filing deductibles and the ins and outs of hiring an accountant.

Students will be able to (1) fill out a W-2 in ten minutes or less, (2) take advantage of tax credits, (3) increase your deductions and (4) avoid committing suicide during the month of April.

5. The Gen Y Career Revolution: Alternatives to the 9-to-5 Post-Graduation

This course aims to introduce students to the options available to them post-graduation that don’t involve traditional corporate employment. This course will provide you with an understanding of options such as volunteering, travel, freelancing and entrepreneurship, with clear explanations of how these options are just as important and relevant to world economy and society as a traditional job.

After finishing this course, students will have developed a broad knowledge of the various professions and disciplines, as well as tools to help them research, plan and develop for their path post-graduation.

Have a course you would have loved to take to prep you for the real world? We’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments!

Marian Schembari is a blogger, traveler and all-around social media thug. She’s based in Auckland, New Zealand, hails from Connecticut and blogs at marianlibrarian.com.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

I am sorry.  Let me do that again.

People often make a mistake in thinking that writing long-winded sentences with big words makes them appear smart.

Actually, let me try this one more time.

You don’t need to write a lot or use big words to sound smart.

Now, that’s better.

Too often, people write sentences like the one at the top when they should choose version #3.  The main culprit, in my view, is the loathsome college essay.  Only in college are we forced to write a paper a certain length.  We develop strategies that balloon our paragraphs so we can fill out eight, 10 or 12 pages and pick up our gold stars on the way out.

In the real world, most people don’t enjoy reading cover letters, resumes and presentations.  It’s extra work and burdensome.  Worst of all, trying to write beyond our skill level screams ‘I’m in over my head.’

When you write with brevity, you make your points quickly and shrewdly.  You don’t waste words and, in doing so, you don’t waste a person’s time.  An employer or hiring manager, for instance, then sees you as sharp and courteous.

The secret to brevity (and, in turn, clarity) is something we are rarely taught growing up and may appear anathema to a professor of English lit:

Write like you are talking to a friend.

I don’t mean write in Internet jargon or shorthand.  Whenever I am stuck on a sentence, I step back from the computer screen and ask myself, ‘OK, what am I trying to say here?’  Rather than come up with the most eloquent way to make my point, I write it out in plain English as if talking to a buddy.  And once I have my conversational sentence, then I go and attack it with a red pen.

Let’s use the examples from the top.

The before:

There is a common misconception when it comes to writing that is professional in nature that a person must write in a verbose manner to come across as intelligent.

The after:

You don’t need to write a lot or use big words to sound smart.

First things first, I switched the voice from passive to active (from ‘there is’ to ‘you’).  Always locate your subject and lead with it.  Active voice feels confident; passive does not.

To write the shorter sentence (version 3), I literally sat up from my computer and asked, ‘What am I trying to say?’  I stopped trying to be clever with it, and the words found their way onto the page.

I also have a habit of being very critical with the number of words I use in each sentence.  Once I write something, I go back and decide if each and every word I just wrote deserves to be there.  Say to yourself: if I remove this word, would the sentence still make sense?  If I removed this sentence, would the paragraph make sense?  And the ultimate: do I really need this paragraph?

Speed is key.  When people read your cover letters and resume, you need to be very respectful of their time.  Don’t write five huge paragraphs that go on and on.  Be tough on yourself and really give them just what they need to know. You are better off making one or two main points (or telling one great story) rather than trying to jam your entire life into an employer’s brain.

And when you finish editing your work, go back and edit again.  After that, go back and edit some more.  A boss may never tell you he/she loved your cover letter or resume, but ones that are tightly written and well-composed will leave an impression.

Most of all, you will stand out.  College did not prepare us very well for the process of job applications.  But those who take it upon themselves to learn to harness the power of brevity will have an edge every time.

Danny Rubin is a national news consultant for media research firm Frank N Magid Associates. He is a former television news reporter, lives in Washington, D.C. and tweets as @dannyhrubin.

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This week’s pick:

Gallery Manager for Franklin Street Works

This week’s job is perfect for the energetic and organized type with an interest or background in art. The Franklin Street Works in Stamford, Conn., is looking for a gallery manager who can handle everything from helping install gallery exhibits to managing a social media presence. 

This full time job’s salary range is $25,000-$35,000 with medical benefits included. The right candidate will possess a range of skills, including writing, problem solving and creative thinking. Familiarity with Word, Excel, Photoshop, iMovie and Adobe Illustrator are a plus.

If you’re interested in today’s art trends and you’re organized and motivated, make sure you apply!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Not only do parents often provide new graduates with financial help, they often lend a (heavy) hand with their child’s job search, too, according to the Adecco Group’s 2012 Graduation Survey. Their telephone calls to more than 500 recent college graduates aged 22-26 found that more than half rely on their parents to pay at least some of their living expenses. The most popular covered expenses include cell phone bill payments (32 percent), food (21 percent), internet (20 percent) and health insurance (20 percent).

When it comes to the job search, nearly a third of those graduates reported their parents are somehow involved in their search, even if they’re not depending on the ‘rents for financial support. One in 10 said they’re tapping their parents’ personal networks to help them find job opportunities.

And get this: males are more inclined to get the extra help. Fourteen percent of young men reported their parents help them find job listings, compared to 9 percent of women. More guys also received help from mom and dad as far as resume and cover letter preparation: 11 percent versus 4 percent of young women.

What do you think? When you’re a new grad, what’s a healthy level of dependence on the ‘rents?

Ana Gonzalez Ribeiro, MBA is a writer based in NYC. She’s published her articles in various publications and writes about personal finance, education and work.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Contrary to popular belief, the world’s tallest man does not greet you at the door when you arrive at Guinness World Records’ offices. And, no, the world’s oldest person doesn’t work the copy machine dispensing nuggets of age-old wisdom, nor does the woman with the world’s longest fingernails hang out in the break room offering back scratches.

But working for GWR – while it might not include the daily circus-like atmosphere most imagine – is certainly unique, and it definitely takes a special type to make it in this line of work.

One of the most common questions I get as Head of U.S. Records Management Team is, “How did you start working for Guinness World Records?”

Well, once you break 10 records of your own, they hire you to start working on the inside.

That, of course, is completely untrue.

I, for one, would never have guessed I’d be in my current position coming out of college. Graduating from Syracuse in 2007, I took my broadcast journalism degree and headed south to embark on a two-year journey in minor league baseball and college sports broadcasting, with some dabbling in freelance newspaper reporting on the side.

But turns out that all the experiences I had calling play-by-play of a 16-inning baseball game or interviewing student athletes live on the air after a tough loss prepared me exceptionally – if unexpectedly – for a job overseeing our U.S. team of record verifiers.

(And when your organization deals with everyone from a bachelor in Thailand who wants to run the fastest 100m in flippers to a family in Topeka that can’t believe their dog doesn’t have the longest tongue in the world, you draw on a lot of different professional experience.)

Thanks to my education and background in TV and video, I have no problem getting on camera and in front of large crowds. This helps when I have to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to judge a record for “most balloons burst simultaneously by arrows;” or when I have to give a speech in front of a festival crowd of a few thousand who have come for their free sample from the “largest serving of roast pork” (6,821.54 lbs., by the way).

My history in newspaper reporting and editing blessed me with a clinically worrisome attention to detail, which comes in handy when you judge an attempt like the “fastest text message” being completed suspiciously quickly – to find out upon further examination that two words were omitted from the required text.

And people always wonder how we could possibly have the heart to break the news to someone that their record needs to be rejected. Well, after spending enough time talking to the point guard who missed the game-winning shot or the shortstop whose error cost his team a spot in the playoffs, you get seasoned enough to know how best to break it to someone that their “tallest stack of shoes in one minute” has to be discounted on a technicality.

Some career paths come pretty well-defined. Doctors, lawyers, accountants – they all basically come with a checklist of how to get from step 1 to your goal, like a reality version of the board game “Life.”

Other careers, like mine at Guinness World Records… not so much.

What I’ve learned is that personality has a lot to do with it. Everyone has their own marketable skills coming out of college or their first couple jobs. The important thing is having the wherewithal to adapt what you’re good at to an environment where you can flourish.

Just like Batman uses the same utility belt to fight all his different crimes, any person’s core skill set can translate to any industry, provided they’re adaptable, amenable, and open-minded.

So while I couldn’t have known it at the time, all those school lectures in Communications 101 and all those long hours prepping for radio broadcasts turned out to prepare me pretty well for what I do now.

Except for meeting Snooki during a record attempt on New Year’s Eve. Nothing can prepare you for that.

As Head of U.S. Records Management for Guinness World Records, Mike Janela has traveled to 10 countries and 19 states to adjudicate more than 60 record attempts. Show him your talent at www.guinnessworldrecords.com, www.facebook.com/guinnessworldrecords, or on Twitter @GWRnews.

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But it’s never too early to start learning about money — and the earlier you start, the longer you’ll benefit.

Tax time may have just passed, but that means you have plenty of time to get on the bandwagon before next year’s deadline. So follow these four tax tips to help your money grow, and years down the road, you’ll be glad you did.

1. Don’t let the IRS become your forced savings plan; get your withholding right from the start.

There’s nothing redeeming about a huge tax refund because it means you’ve lost the opportunity to let that money earn interest. Better you target your withholding to a reasonable number that leaves a bit of wiggle room, take the extra money and save it somewhere else.

The more allowances you claim on Form W-4, the less your employer will withhold. Having kids, or owning a home and having itemized deductions from mortgage interest and property tax, can lead to more allowances (less tax withheld). Being married with two incomes, or also doing freelance work alongside your regular job, often means fewer allowances (more tax withheld).

If you’re able to free up some cash every month by adjusting your withholding, consider automatically depositing that directly from your checking account into an investment account with a mutual fund company or brokerage firm.

2. Maxing out your 401(k) is easy, but may not be best.

Consider that future gains on all those 401(k) deposits will be fully taxable when you retire. They’ll be taxed at “ordinary income” tax rates when you cash out, as opposed to the capital gains rates that apply to gains on investments sold in a taxable account.

The difference between those two rates, under some scenarios, can be big enough to eat away at the 401(k)’s tax advantage. It’s especially possible if you use tax-efficient investments like stock index funds and ETFs — and 2012′s low rates on capital gains and dividends get extended through your investing years.

Put away as much as you can to get your employer match but consider alternatives, like the one below, with the excess.

3. Prepay your taxes—kind of—with a Roth IRA.

Yup, managing your 401k contribution and setting up a Roth IRA means you’ll pay more taxes now. But realistically, you’ll probably be in a lower tax bracket now than when you’re in your 60s and 70s, right? If so, a Roth might be a smart choice.

4. Get a tax break for investment in equipment that is required for you to do your job.

Probably no other generation of workers is as focused on work-life balance, and that invariably leads to more telecommuting. If you’re self-employed, file your receipts and keep tax break in mind when selecting equipment. It might be more advantageous to buy that better laptop or desktop with the knowledge that some of that money will come off your tax return.

Tax planning can be a bit counter-intuitive, but sometimes the way to get more money in the bank is to pay more now, rather than later.

What tax planning questions can we help you with?

Bob is the Founder and President of Barry Capital Management, a fee-only Wealth Management firm located in Hackettstown, New Jersey.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Let me guess, you think headphones help you focus on your work and make you less likely to get distracted, right?

Listening to tunes at work might be a good way to zero in on the task at hand, but it removes you from “informal office life,” harms your ability to learn on the job and reduces the opportunity to make important connections, according to the writer Anne Kreamer, who was the worldwide creative director for Nickelodean in the ’90s.

She points to the account of one young professional who said when co-workers want to talk, they’ll send a deliberate signal. “I’ve never missed something urgent, usually just part of a conversation that was going on in the office,” the young worker said.

And that’s where Kreamer has a problem. In a Harvard Business Review blog post, she writes:

Precisely. It’s just that kind of loss of daily osmotic information exchange and collaborative bonding that ought to concern 21st century employees and employers. It’s about information exchange, resource exchange, idea generation and on and on. If an employee is glued to her desk with headphones on, immersed in music and G-chatting with her best buddy, she is missing the opportunity to create relationships with people on the job who might be launching a project for which she’d be perfect, or who’s kicking around the idea to launch a new firm that needs precisely her talents. It’s a huge and real loss in terms of career development.

Organizations also lose out on the opportunity to tap into fresh ideas, she writes:

Because actionable cultural knowledge is now so diffuse, to remain competitive companies need all employees to bring fresh thinking into the workplace. Imagine an employee who happened, say, to be the roommate of someone launching a startup in 2010, and missed out on overhearing a colleague ask if “anyone knows anything about this new app that colorizes photographs so they look old-fashioned” — extreme, yes, but even short of missing out on an early partnership with Instagram, every company must be configured to into tap a workforce’s collective informal knowledge base as much as possible.

So what’s a modern employee to do — especially if you’re in an open plan office and your neighbor is munching on chips while you’re crashing on a report for your boss?

Kreamer says “employees and organizations should be helped to understand what’s being lost in the process of mindless, unplanned mass capitulation to the machines.” That means creating company cultures that “encourage physical interaction” through intimate lunches or group activities like an Oscar pool. And yep, it probably means taking off your headphones — at least some of the time.

Do you agree? Are you missing out by listening to your headphones?

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Well hold your horses there, boss, because picking out a credit card for your business is a little trickier than ordering a new case of ink for the office printer. While there are plenty of credit cards on the market designed to help startups grow and prosper, there are just as many business credit cards dedicated to squeezing unwitting entrepreneurs for every dime they’ve got.

As a finance journalist, I’ve spent years pointing out how hidden fees and misleading contract stipulations attached to these insidious pieces of plastic can turn a profitable company into a poisonous one in a matter of months. But as a professional freelancer, I also know how important it is to find financing to cover your overhead when you’re trying to get your business off the ground.

So if you’re about to apply for your first business line of credit, you should make sure to get one that will nurse your fledgling business rather than kill, cook and devour it.

To help speed up your search, here are five business credit cards that are just perfect for newly minted entrepreneurs:

1. The Chase Ink Cash

With no annual fee and a $250 signing bonus, the Ink Cash by Chase would be an awesome credit card for anyone. But when you factor in the 5 percent cash-back rate on office supplies and telecom/cable services and the 2 percent cash-back rate on gas and lodging, you’ve got a very useful financial tool on your hands.

Even if you don’t really need a business credit card, those rewards rates are worth it – especially when you consider that the card doesn’t cost anything to own.

2. The SimplyCash Business from American Express

The SimplyCash by American Express is another great no-fee credit card for small businesses. Like the Ink, it offers cash back on the purchases you’ll most often make as a business owner: 5 percent cash back on wireless services and office supplies, 3 percent back on gas and 1 percent on everything else.

Additionally, you get a 3-10 percent discount on purchases you make with affiliates of AmEx’s OPEN Program, which includes Hertz, FedEx and OfficeMax.

3. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Though the Chase Sapphire Preferred isn’t explicitly a business credit card, it offers travel benefits that dedicated business cards just can’t compete with. You get 50,000 bonus miles – or two free flights – when you spend $3,000 during your first three months of ownership. Then you’ll get 10 points per mile for purchases you make through Chase’s online mall and one point per mile for everything else.

While the card charges a $95 annual fee, the fact that you’ll be able to use your bonus miles to fly on any airline makes the investment more than worthwhile.

4. Capital One Spark Cash for Business

If you’re going to be doling out multiple cards to your employees, then you really need to check out Capitol One’s business cards. For instance, the Capital One Spark Cash for Business lets you earn $100 in bonus cash and gives you 2 percent on all purchases made with the card.

Most importantly, it gives you an additional $50 bonus for every supplemental employee account you open. It even waives the $60 annual fee for the first year that you keep an account open.

5. True Earnings Business Card from Costco and American Express

The only thing better than a business credit card is a business credit card that also counts as a membership pass to Costco.

In addition to the dual functionality, the True Earnings Business Card also gives you 4 percent cash back on gasoline, 2 percent back on restaurants and travel, and 1 percent back on everything else. Those are some serious savings for such a little piece of plastic.

Not every business card is created equally, but you’ll be putting your company in good hands with these cards. Featuring excellent rewards programs, low fees and good APRs, they give fresh-faced entrepreneurs the leg up you need for startup success.

Ben DeMeter is a professional freelancer, a featured finance writer at Business Insider and the proud owner of a bulldog named Google. He also blogs about the best small business credit cards and where to get them at Credit Card Assist.

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You know low company morale when you see it.

Your co-workers sit by themselves in small cubicles with headsets on, only speaking up to complain about going nowhere in their jobs. The only interactions you have are during holiday parties, water-cooler soap opera updates or when workers send gossip about other employees in emails. Even if the company is doing well, no one really wants to be there, and at 5 p.m., there’s a drag race to get out of the parking lot.

You don’t need a business major or hold an MBA in project management to recognize when there’s a lack in focus or motivation. From top to bottom, employee morale is dictated by interest – or lack of it – by managers in the efforts of their charges. Many workers will confess that they feel unappreciated, underutilized and, worst of all, unheard. And worker who believes others at the company block all their efforts to be creative or productive is just a symptom of an endemic problem at the workplace.

So here are three solid, positive ways to remedy morale issues:

1. Change the culture

When you change the culture of the company into one that fosters as much praise and support as it does suggestions for improvement, morale takes a turn for the better.

Lea Hartog of HR World recommends starting an employee recognition program. That means setting goals and benchmarks that help employees track progress, look forward to completing projects, and feel appreciated when they get a hearty thanks from their manager. Adding a wall plaque with the names of monthly employees who hit or exceed their goals lets workers know they’re a recognized and a valued member of the team.

2. Manage with ethics and compassion

Holding employees to company standards is one thing. Offering employee training, in-house support and actually listening to your staff breaks the invisible wall between leadership and workers.

Encourage team play where colleagues collaborate on meeting goals, each bringing their own talents to the table. Never criticize a worker’s performance in front of their colleagues. And wherever possible, create a clearly articulated path to success for each worker.

3. Make clear communication priority one

Check in with each employee regularly. A worker sitting alone angrily in a cube, loathing the email they just received from another staffer, is brutal on morale. Getting the two in the same physical location to work on their real or imagined differences can get things moving.

According to SparkMinute.com, direct, respectful communication can do more for morale than a quarterly bonus.

Establish and keep the lines of communication between you and your employees open. Routine team meetings and morale-boosting company lectures can be deadly, keeping workers from completing their daily goals. Instead, have consistent face-to-face meetings with workers where only one employee is called away from their desk and can schedule around it.

Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics at Warwick Business School, told The Observer that “human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity.” Happy employers are tend to be more productive at work and work harder toward their goals.

When push comes to shove, employees love perks like free food and coffee, casual Fridays, chair massages, happy hours and staff picnics. But what really makes a worker loyal is the satisfaction they receive from knowing they’re appreciated, and the opportunity to express and develop their talents.

Woodrow Aames has written articles and profiles for Yahoo, Microsoft Network, Microsoft Encarta, and other websites and print magazines around the world. He holds an MFA degree, has taught English abroad, and is currently researching computer schools in Florida to further his curiosity in web design and graphics.

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No, sadly, it’s not how to fend off too many adoring fans or maintain those eight-pack abs. Instead, the question that consumes both young careerists and many actors is whether to let yourself get typecast.

Just like Efron and Diesel need to decide whether to accept the “teen idol” or “man of action” label and run with it, or insist on proving the breadth of their skills with (sometimes painful) forays into serious drama or comedy, those of us on our way up the career ladder have to decide whether it benefits us more to be known as a generalist or a niche expert.

Ezra Zuckerman, a professor at MIT Sloan, examined the career trajectories of actors (and clearly made himself a popular dinner party companion, at least temporarily), revealing that those who typecast themselves (PDF) early in their careers tended to earn more, work for longer and become more famous.

And guess what? The quicker actors specialized, the sooner and more they worked.

Non-Actors Take Heed

This isn’t just crucial info for your actor friends, according to a recent HBR blog post by entrepreneur Daniel Gulati, it’s also key information for young professionals looking for advice on how to guide their careers. Being a generalist, according to both Gulati and common sense, has advantages, including the one that keeps even marginally gifted actors trying to stretch their talents: it’s more interesting than doing the same thing over and over again. Plus, in a volatile economy, the ability to be agile and shift focus sounds appealing, while landing a niche gig looks harder than casting your job-hunting net wide.

“There is a permanent new dynamism and volatility in the job market, and the cost of experimentation has fallen dramatically,” Gulati writes. But he also believes many professionals take their aversion to specialization too far. “An oft-overlooked part of this strategy is the requirement to amplify your passions and double down when you see early signs of success,” he writes. “Instead, unfortunately, I often see the people who’ve created the most options for themselves continuing to select the one that keeps the most options open. Over the long term, that is a career strategy with diminishing returns.”

It may sound like a snore or a dead-end at the start of your career, but specialization will help you earn more and stand out from other job applicants in a truly tough job market.

Guidelines to Getting Typecast

So if specializing is as lucrative for professionals as it is for actors, when do you move to narrow your focus? “For those who are truly unsure of their career passions, it makes sense to stay general. However, this isn’t an excuse to stop hunting for a specialty,” writes Gulati. He suggests that the time to specialize is when you find something you can imagine doing with great focus for a long time. Don’t force it or you’ll regret it, but don’t give up the hunt prematurely, either.

How specialized should you go? Gulati notes that this may be more a matter of chance opportunities than something you can pilot exactly. Feel your way to the correct level of specialization, he writes: “Retaining some degree of intellectual breadth is important, as is a level of future career flexibility. In practice, though, this is more a function of opportunities that come your way, rather than a predetermined strategy. Be alert: If your role lacks challenges or if you’re disengaging with the content, you’re probably being dragged too deep.”

Have you been fighting being typecast when you should be embracing it?

London-based Jessica Stillman blogs about generational issues and trends in the workforce for Inc.com and GigaOM.

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As graduation season approaches and college seniors everywhere trade jeans and t-shirts for caps and gowns, the pressure to find a job is on. It’s not a good feeling; believe me, I’ve been there.

My senior year job search was two years ago, but I felt that same anxiety when I began training for the Broad Street Run, a 10-mile race down Philadelphia’s iconic Broad Street in January. The task felt completely daunting.

Yet when you’re training for a long-distance race – whether it’s a 10-miler or a marathon – all the time, effort, sweat and tears eventually lead to successs. And that applies to the search for your dream job, too.

After training for the past four months (and completing my own marathon job search), I came up with six lessons that apply to finding a job out of college:

1. Have a plan

Just like you wouldn’t wake up one day and decide to run 10 miles, it would be foolish to begin a job search or go on an interview without doing the proper research and prep-work. By now, you should likely have your resume in order and a portfolio of your work ready to go for your next interview opportunity – so you’re prepared when it arises.

Consider creating an Excel spreadsheet or Google Doc to keep track of the status of job applications, contacts and interviews.

2. Be flexible and adapt quickly when that plan inevitably changes

Contrary to point number one, this is life, and it doesn’t always go our way. Imagine my Type-A horror when I woke up one Sunday morning, ready for my long run of the week, only to find it pouring outside. My neat, perfect Excel sheet, mapping out the next 12 weeks of training was seemingly ruined.

But I took a deep breath, and adapted. During the job search, too, attitude is everything, and the ability to roll with the punches will serve you well.

3. Embrace the highs and lows

Understand that there will be good days and there will be (very) bad days. Despite sticking to a rigorous training schedule, not every run is perfect; in fact, some feel downright impossible.

During the job search, there will be moments when you feel like you’re on Cloud 9, and there will be moments of disappointment and loss. Embrace both those feelings; the highs will get you through the lows, and the lows will teach you more about yourself and what you want in a job to get you to that next high.

4. Find support

You know that “network” everyone is always talking about finding and nurturing? Now is the time to lean on them. In terms of the job search, your network (both in real life and online) can help you perfect your resume, introduce you to others in your field, offer advice and sometimes even help you land a job.

Your network can also give you the motivation and inspiration you need to keep moving forward – literally. My running network on the website DailyMile keeps me accountable and constantly pushes me to keep reaching my goals.

5. Celebrate mini-wins

While the feeling of achieving a goal is certainly sweet, it’s also important to recognize mini-wins along the way. Throughout my training, every new personal distance record I achieved felt like a reason to celebrate; five miles, six miles, seven miles! Of course, they weren’t the full 10 miles I’m striving for, but each run was a step in the right direction.

While you’re job searching, pat yourself on the back for those mini-wins. Whether it’s hearing back from a potential employer or being invited back for a second interview, every step of the journey deserves its own recognition.

6. Relish in accomplishment – and then create an even bigger goal

Once you cross that finish line or receive that job offer, it’s rightfully your time to celebrate. After all, you did just accomplish the unthinkable!

But then it’s time to set your sights on something bigger, professionally or personally. For me, that something bigger is the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November.

What’s your “something bigger?”

Jessica Lawlor is a public relations professional and freelance writer in the Philadelphia area. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Happy Friday folks!! Here’s hoping you had a productive, fun week and that the weekend ahead can only be more awesome!

We’ve got lots of great reads for you this week.

Take a look:

1. Want to save the world? Get an MBA

2. MIT students create video lectures for fellow students

3. Nine ways 20-somethings screw up their lives

4. Why your career is stalled

5. The 10 most important questions to ask yourself before an interview

6. How to do a better job of achieving your goals

7. Waiting on an answer after a job interview? How to followup

8. Job hopping does NOT hurt your chances of getting hired, study says

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

This week’s pick: 

Editor for Apple

Love your Apple products and have a major knack for editing and proofreading? This job is great for professional editors who want to be a part of a team that provides editing and proofreading services for print and interactive marketing communications for Apple.

Editors collaborate with a team to ensure the clarity and accuracy of Apple communications. To be a good fit, you’ll need some solid experience under your belt: a four-year degree plus 6-7 years editorial experience, or an advanced degree and 4-5 years experience. You’ll be an even better candidate if you previously worked with a design firm, ad agency, communications department or publication.

If you’re familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style and the conventions of American English style and usage, and you have an eye for detail, be sure to apply!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com

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It’s not even big news anymore when someone does something “crazy” to get a job. Whether it’s a Google or Facebook advertisement, a shoe in a box, or a resume in Trafalgar Square, job seekers are getting more and more aggressive about standing out.

Personally – and as someone who has taken these measures – I love it. The economy blows and the “traditional” resume isn’t so much of a necessity anymore, especially for less traditional job seekers. So when I came across Loft Resumes, I was immediately smitten.

According to their website, Loft helps job seekers stand out in a sea of sameness with stylish resumes. Think unique typography, bold colors and graphics. They say, “Show [employers] that you’re the type of person willing to invest in the most important document you’ll ever create. That just as your resume isn’t status quo, neither are you. And that’s precisely why they need you.” (Someone hired a great copywriter.)

But I was also immediately skeptical. At least $99 for resume design? I thought about how my dear friend and resume writer extraordinaire, Jenny Foss, critiqued my resume last year and gave me some crucial feedback.

I had spiffed it up with some visuals, my logo, etc., and she told me point blank to tone it down. Not because it wasn’t pretty, but because many companies use applicant tracking systems, and if you use a lot of graphical elements in your resume, it might not pass through the system.

So I sent Jenny the link to Loft and asked her opinion. “These resumes would be great for someone in a creative/design-centric field who plans to send the resume directly to the inbox of a hiring manager or contact,” she replied. “Not so much a good idea for an online application, which will more than likely route the resume through an ATS.”

That’s when I emailed Loft co-founder Dodd Caldwell. He told me that about 70 percent of jobs are found through personal networking, while 30 percent are found through career boards. “We fit well with those 70 percent,” he said. “Great visual design can be a positive add-on for the right folks.”

And then, responding to my question about applicant tracking systems, he said, “Our advice for folks who are submitting to places where resume parsing software may be used is that they have a text version of their resume on hand as well and then use the Loft Resume for interviews and emails.”

The takeaway? Hiring a resume writer or paying for a gorgeous design depends on the kind of job you’re looking for. If you’re eager to work for a small, creative startup, they’re sure to respect an out-of-the-box approach. But if your dream is to work for a big corporate, you might offer a resume in a more traditional style.

Now, I’ve been in the desperately-looking-for-work boat, and each and every time I’ve gotten my foot in the door has been through growing a pair and standing out. I’ve never applied to a company who used ATS, though. I hand-delivered (hand-emailed?) all my resumes and almost every single interviewer commented on how much they liked my style.

So there is a place for gorgeously designed resumes that show you’re different, while also really awesomely displaying your credentials.

Of course, job seekers are also notoriously broke. But I’m strongly of the mindset that you have to spend money to make money. And when it comes to getting the perfect job, it’s hugely important to shell out a bit of dough for a resume that shows you in the best possible light (just like an interview outfit that makes you feel stunning).

Have you ever invested in a service or product to help your job search? Did it pay off?

Marian Schembari is a blogger, traveler and all-around social media thug. She’s based in Auckland, New Zealand, hails from Connecticut and blogs at marianlibrarian.com.

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Fox Business reports that most 20-something professionals say they WOULD date a colleague, according to a study from employee benefits provider Workplace Options. Older workers, however, generally say it’s a bad idea.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

What’s the difference between the office and a singles bar? Well, nothing for some millennials.

According to a study by employee benefits provider Workplace Options, 84% of employees aged 18 to 29 say they would date a co-worker, and 71% say they think workplace romance is a positive thing that improves performance and morale. Their older colleagues disagree, as only 29% of those aged 46 to 65 say they’d consider dating someone they worked with, and 90% say it could do more harm than good.

Interested? Check out the entire story.

What do you think about office dating? Does your company have a no-dating rule? Would you ever act on that co-worker crush?

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But as someone in the midst of a job hunt, I’ve discovered that many of my favorite Disney classics have lessons that can be applied in the professional world, too.

Here are a few of my favorite career lessons inspired by Disney movies:

1. Speak up — from A Bug’s Life

Flik was often ignored by the rest of the ants in his community. They thought he was unfocused and disruptive, when in reality he was the most innovative.

If you have an idea that you know is gold, don’t shy away during meetings. Raise your hand, get noticed, and put your idea out there. Every community of ants needs a Flik, and every company needs a problem solver.

2. Be curious — from Alice in Wonderland

Alice might have dozed off while her sister was trying to help her study, but Wonderland was too intriguing to ignore. Don’t feel the need to stay trapped where you are, doing what you’re doing. If you’ve always wondered what it might be like to quit your job and become a freelance photographer, there’s only one way you’ll get to experience what that feels like!

3. Be true to your heart — from Mulan

Always go with your gut. While I don’t recommend cross-dressing for work like Mulan had to, if there’s a warrior inside of you, don’t be afraid to let him or her out.

All along the journey, make sure you are doing what you think is right. This has an equal meaning for workplace ethics, too. Bring honor to your family (and company) and stand up for what you believe in.

4. Train hard — from Hercules

Sure, now Hercules is a hero with more muscles than the juice-head at your local gym. But remember the beginning of the movie when he was a scrawny little boy? He had to put in a lot of time and work to get from A to B.

You might not have a satyr voiced by Danny DeVito giving you motivational quips the whole way, but practice makes perfect. (Even athletic practice can make you a more valuable employee.)

5. Know your place — from The Lion King

Running away from your troubles won’t get you anywhere. (Ok, you may make some amusing friends along the way, but that’s beside the point.)

If you have a responsibility, own up to it. If you’ve taken on a big project, make sure you come through. And the same can be said for the opposite: don’t jump at the chance to take on a huge task if you aren’t ready.

6. Don’t take credit for work you didn’t do — from Ratatouille

Sometimes it’s all too easy to accept praise, even if you aren’t deserving of it. Give credit where credit is due. If you take the spotlight for work you didn’t do, at some point the rug will be pulled out from under you, and you’ll look like the rat. Alfredo was naive to think nobody would discover that Remy was really the master chef, but you’ll be smarter than that, right?

7. Hard work pays off — from The Princess and the Frog

Tiana is synonymous with dedication. She was a “slasher” before the word even existed, working two jobs to save up for her dream of opening her own restaurant. Despite the prejudice and stress in her life, she always kept her eyes on the prize. And I don’t want to spoil the movie, but Tiana’s Place is open for business!

Take a cue from her; stay focused on what you want to achieve, and make sure you’re taking steps towards accomplishing whatever that is. Set goals for yourself, like earning a promotion in 2012, and do what you can to make it a reality.

Got any Disney lessons to add?

Adam Britten is a Master of Digital Marketing Student at Hult International Business School in London. Read more about him at AdamBritten.com or chat with him on Twitter @AdamBritten.

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Yet the truth is this: Regardless of your idea, owning your own business takes hard work, determination, sacrifice and a very clear understanding of not just your business, but also of your personality as well.

Here are a few points to consider before deciding to become an entrepreneur:

1. Don’t quit your day job… yet

Whether you’re currently a student, work part-time or are gainfully employed, the next great idea usually doesn’t need 40+ hours per week to get off the ground. Create a strict schedule for how much time you really need. You may not make a dollar from your new business for a while, so keep whatever job is currently paying you.

And don’t ask your spouse or significant to quit like I did, or you will end up living in your parents’ mobile home… like we did.

2. Estimate your annual revenue and divide in half

Some businesses never get off the ground, while others grow at such an amazing pace that annual estimates become immediately obsolete. However, you must be realistic about the time it will take for your efforts to really kick in.

Calculate how much you think you can make, then divide it in half and plan your expenses around that number instead. I started a business that facilitated recreational sports leagues in a community of 600,000 after getting the idea from a sports club in Chicago, home to more than two million people. The two markets were vastly different, so my estimates on participation and growth were way off: I ordered 2,000 jerseys for our first season and only 75 people signed up! For an entire year, I didn’t know if I was running a sports business or a T-shirt business.

3. Make free your favorite word

New businesses must keep expenses as low as possible, and it doesn’t get any lower than free! Brainstorm creative ways to grow and operate your business at little to no cost. Trade services with other businesses in any industry; for example, if you know graphic design but don’t have a clue about databases, consider swapping your design skills for free database setup.

Before spending money on marketing, take advantage of free methods to spread word about your new business. I used free listing services like Craigslist to advertise leagues and events, post job openings to find umpires and referees, and trade services with local screen printers and advertisers to keep our start-up costs extremely low.

4. Know your business well, but know yourself better

You and your business will practically be one entity for a while, so realize your morals and values when making decisions and building relationships. Don’t bash competitors or make business deals you don’t feel right about. Be the boss that you always wish you had, that you foresee others working for.

You must know who you are and how you’ll react to challenges and situations; stick with your core values and ensure your business is in line with them as well. Most importantly, make sure you love what you’re doing, since you’ll probably be working twice as hard for half as much money in the beginning.

5. Take a break, take a walk, take a shower

Entrepreneurship is exciting, but don’t let it consume you. To keep moving in the right direction with fresh ideas and new approaches to challenges, take breaks often.

It may be as easy as taking a walk; I happen to get my best business ideas in the shower.  Though my wife gets nervous whenever I emerge from the shower and say “I have an idea,” I find that I think more clearly when not thinking about business. Make time for breaks away from your new business so you can come back with a fresh perspective.

If you’re finally ready to start your own business, I encourage you to create a schedule, reduce your expectations, find things for free and figure out who you really are… then, go take a shower.

Steven Staley is the owner and founder of SoCo Sports, a sport and social club located in Sarasota, Florida.  He is also the creator, founder, and owner of Playbook Community, a free mobile application that connects athletes and sports organizers across the globe.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC leads #FixYoungAmerica, a solutions-based movement that aims to end youth unemployment and put young Americans back to work.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

The 21st-century workplace is a brave new world—new technology, new ways to connect and do business, and new demands on workers. To stay competitive—and employable—you’ll need to anticipate and embrace these changes.

So here are five predictions for business and careers in 2012, and some tips for making these forecasts work for you:

1. Continuous employment: multiple jobs and employers

Forget about spending a lifetime at the same firm and retiring with a gold watch. Younger Baby Boomers, born just when single-employer careers and pensions were beginning to wane, reported holding 11 jobs on average between the ages of 18 to 44, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.

Technology’s accelerating this multiple-job trend, easing the move to virtual organizations as people can more easily work remotely or as freelancers. In the near term, until the economy improves, businesses can be expected to postpone hiring decisions in favor of retaining contractors.

The savvy response: Keep your eye on the big picture—your long-range goals for your work life and career—even as you aim to excel in your current position. The multiple-job trend means you don’t have to settle for a dead end.

Some workers are riding this trend by working several jobs at once, what Nancy Shenker, founder and CEO of the ON Switch, calls being a “patchwork professional.” This can provide you with an employment safety net, along with opportunities to expand your skills, networks and income.

Fuel your journey with a commitment to lifelong learning (see Tip No. 4). Stay flexible, and view each job as a stepping-stone on your career path. If you concentrate on doing your best, you will undoubtedly discover opportunities for learning and professional growth.

2. Tiny but mighty: small businesses and self-employment will drive job creation

During recessions, business startups boom and small businesses create the most jobs. Many workers laid off during this recession are choosing self-employment. Keep an eye on healthcare and social services (where the BLS projects 26 percent of all new jobs will be created through 2018) and information technology for employment growth and competitive salaries.

As the number of solo workers grows, so will their need for business services, such as tech support aimed at small and medium-sized business.

The savvy response: Today’s business climate may be perfect to launch your own business-to-business company. Cash in on skills you already have—marketing, IT, accounting—to serve small businesses and startups.

Not ready to go it alone just yet? Join a business-networking group to test the waters. Check out local chapters of SCORE, a group dedicated to educating and mentoring entrepreneurs and small business owners, for advice and training.

3. Women rising: how working women will impact the marketplace

Women will continue to lead in the workplace and on college campuses. Women-owned companies are growing in number at twice the rate of all U.S. firms, create or maintain 23 million jobs, and contribute nearly $3 trillion to the economy. And women are earning more higher degrees than men.

Women-owned businesses are good places to work, too, as studies show that companies with women at the helm tend to be more financially successful than comparable male-led companies.

The savvy response: Take a look at women-owned businesses for employment and expansion opportunities. Of course, many women still work the “second shift,” taking the lead in home and family responsibilities. But businesses that cater to working women or dual-career families can be growth opportunities: specialized childcare, elder care, personal shopping, or food/meal services.

4.Education matters: lifelong learning will be vital to career success

In the global, technologically connected economy, employers can find skilled workers almost anywhere. To compete and stay employable, workers must be lifelong learners who continue to develop higher-order thinking skills and demonstrate that they can adopt new technology.

The savvy response: Take charge of your career’s trajectory. Inventory your skill set regularly, and seek education and training to fill any gaps.

Take a look at how your work skills align with those that will be needed in the future. Remember, the complex problems in today’s workplace require teamwork and collaboration. The ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines, or “transdisciplinarity,” will be increasingly valuable, so cultivate your curiosity and openness to new learning opportunities.

Develop the tools you’ll need to broaden your scope for employability or for offering new products and services. And join professional or business associations to keep up-to-date in your field.

5. Showing up for work: face time will become a precious commodity

Mobile and wireless technology now allow work environments to be set up practically anywhere, and people no longer need to commute to a physical location for meetings or to do business. In fact, according to a recent poll, more than one in six people in 22 countries report they telecommute regularly.

Instead, virtual collaboration will grow and become more sophisticated. In the current fast-paced work environment, expect face-to-face meetings to be deliberately brief, tightly focused, and rare.

The savvy response: The global marketplace works both ways: savvy workers can now sell their skills and expertise worldwide and work from anywhere. Master your mobile communication technology to market yourself or your business. Develop a talent for developing trust and authority in the online environments where more meetings and projects will be based in the future.

If you can become the go-to person in your office when it comes to reaching company goals with technology, you’ll find new opportunities calling for these in-demand skills will come your way… at your current job or beyond.

Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti is Vice President and Managing Director of Apollo Research Institute and a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Media X program. Learn more about her latest book, Society 3.0, or visit Apollo Research Institute.

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As a small business owner, I learned what mistakes to avoid through trial and error. Over time, I turned my fledgling small business into a prosperous side business idea that has helped me create some great passive income.

Avoid these common mistakes made by new entrepreneurs to ensure the success of your business:

1. Starting a business in a new field

Trying to launch a business in an industry or area where you don’t have any prior experience can quickly lead to failure. Before you make the leap into starting a business, make sure you focus on your talents, passion and experience to pinpoint the right business for you. Combine your enthusiasm, experience and knowledge with a solid, organized business plan if you really want to succeed.

In my case, I took advantage of my previous retail experience in computers and my love of small electronics to launch a re-selling business online.

2. Trying to start your business on your own

Although this concept can work well in the beginning, trying to go it alone will only hamper your efforts to grow and expand your business. Initially it makes sense to cut costs by working alone, but soon enough you’ll need to make intelligent, calculated decisions about working with like-minded individuals to help your business grow.

Trying to track financial details slowed me down, so I brought on an accountant. Next, I hired a marketing consultant, who assisted me with advertising and expanding my business. In an ideal situation, you’d find the right business partner who complements your skill set and takes on additional responsibilities.

3. Not adapting to changing business conditions

I started off with a fairly detailed business plan. But I soon realized that if I stuck to that plan completely and didn’t make adjustments as the industry and the market changed, my business would fail.

Learn to adapt as you grow your business. Don’t be afraid to change your target market or scrap unsatisfactory marketing initiatives. Recognize the fluidity of your small business, focus on what positively and negatively affects your business plan, and adjust your growth model accordingly.

One of the best ways to help yourself succeed is by focusing on positive cash flow. To consistently achieve this goal, you must adapt to new market conditions, including the presence of new competitors in your industry.

4. Being deathly afraid of making mistakes

You engage in a great deal of risk when you launch a small business, and most of it involves your personal finances. However, you can’t be afraid to make mistakes, even if they cost you money.

Instead, learn to quickly identify errors in judgment, determine why they occurred, and make immediate adjustments so they don’t happen again. Learning from your mistakes and moving forward after you make them can make you more resilient over the long-term.

Lastly, not only can it help with increasing revenues, but you can also save on expenses by being more daring. For example, some of the best cost cutting ideas for small businesses involve taking a risk or changing the status quo for how your company operates.

5. Avoiding risk

Continue to take risks as your business evolves. As one of my businesses grew, I wrote a personal finance book and self-published it for $2,000. The initial sales of the book were soft, and for many months, it appeared that I spent the money in vain.

But over time, the book became profitable and I made that money back ten times over. If you encounter an idea to expand your business that feels “risky,” research the pros and cons of the concept. If the idea still seems viable after your analysis, go for it!

6. Quitting if you run out of cash

No successful entrepreneur ever let money stand in the way of achieving business goals. If you have a great business idea, a passion for the concept, and you’re willing to work hard, you can always find ways to fund your business proposition. Cut costs in your everyday life to free up capital, apply for an SBA loan, approach angel investors, or even utilize some of the best small business credit cards.

If you can’t find funding, you don’t have to give up on the business idea altogether. Timing also plays a role in business success. It might make sense to start more slowly, and to put off aggressive expansion efforts and attempts to find additional funding until your business begins to show a steady profit.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve got the entrepreneurial spirit, harness it! Starting a business could help you generate income, and it might even lead to quitting your day job.

Someone once said, “you’ll never get rich working for someone else.” But you also won’t become successful if you don’t take some risks, ask for help, and adapt to an ever-changing business climate.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made while launching your small business?

David Bakke is a small business owner and contributor for the personal finance website, Money Crashers, where he shares tips for money management, entrepreneurship, and retirement savings.

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But it doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom. You may feel like you’re drowning in debt, but believe it or not, you can still enjoy life as a young professional.

Here’s a simple guide to saving a few dollars, so you can make new friends without breaking the bank. Remember, those pesky student loans don’t have to be an anchor!

1. Give couponing a chance. Really. Coupons are all the rage, which means you can now participate without feeling like you’re 21 on your way to 65.

If you haven’t seen the TLC show “Extreme Couponing,” check it out for a few pointers. Scan through your local newspaper for deals, too.

While it definitely takes time and dedication, once you’ve got the hang of it you could save some significant dough each month. You might even turn couponing into a small gathering with friends to make it more enjoyable.

2. Get rid of your cable TV. The average cable bill costs between $50 and $100 each month. Even if you’re splitting the bill with a roommate or spouse, it still adds to your monthly bills – and that can be a real drain on the paycheck.

Companies like Hulu, Netflix and now YouTube make streaming TV and movies cheap and easy. After all, most of the major networks post TV shows in its entirety shortly after their broadcast.

3. Brown bag your lunch. Going out for lunch everyday can easily cost $10 to $20 – or more. If you brown bag it, you could save an average of $200 a month, and that can easily go towards your student loan payment.

Plus, making your own lunch tends to be healthier.

4. Motivate yourself with a rewards programs. Whether you frequent a coffee shop, clothing store or grocery store, ask the customer service reps about their rewards programs. Usually they are free to sign up and can offer some sweet deals even if it’s just a small discount towards your next purchase.

For example, if you like chocolate – and who doesn’t?! – sign up for the Godiva rewards program and receive a free chocolate every month!

5. Ditch the car. If it’s feasible, sell your car. It might sound outrageous and radical, but if you live in a city or close to reliable public transportation, you’ll save on high gas prices, monthly insurance and yearly maintenance costs.

This could be a dramatic change but one well worth it in the long run. And this shift, too, could help you live a healthier lifestyle.

6. Find bargains at your local library. Often times your local library will offer a variety of free programs and events that are worth checking out – you might even run into some new friends who share your interests.

Or you can find the latest best-selling novel and enjoy it for free, a perk may of us forget about once we’ve left college. You may have to wait a few weeks for the book, but that’s well worth a savings of $15 or so.

7. Volunteer. Sometimes the best ways to attend an event or festival is to volunteer – and it usually means you get in for free.

Check out local non-profits or businesses in your area to see what programs they host. This is also a good way to give back to your community and help someone in need.

8. Try upscale resale shopping. There is nothing to be embarrassed about if you shop at consignment stores. In fact, it’s become quite trendy.

Thrift stores are the cheapest places to buy clothes, but sometimes they can be limited in their selection. Try substituting just a portion of your retail shopping for thrift shopping and see how much you save. Or look for a local high-end consignment store and you might be surprised at the bargains.

9. Ask for company reimbursements. If you belong to a gym or professional career-related organization outside of your employment, check in with your human resources department to see whether they’ll reimburse for a membership fee.

And if you use a mobile phone for work, ask whether your company will pay part of your bill.

10. Grow your own food. This may not be for everyone, but if you have the space, it could be worthwhile – and even fun – to consider growing your own food. Not only will it reduce your grocery expenses, but the nutritional value and taste is better than store-bought produce.

If you enjoy being outside, gardening might also be a relaxing way to spend your weekend.

11. Take a coupon vacation. Just because your student loans are weighing you down doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and go on vacation now and again. Living Social, Groupon, Google Offers, TravelZoo and many other companies have made vacationing, taking classes and dining out into relatively affordable and fun experiences.

If you aren’t already signed up for these couponing websites, it’s free and worth a few extra emails in your inbox. Who doesn’t want to go kayaking or enjoy a delicious meal for half the price? If you don’t want to sift through those daily emails, check out Yipit , which does the dirty work for you.

Jennifer DePaul is a tax reporter for The Bond Buyer. She is based in Washington, D.C. and hails from New Hampshire.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

Her win makes her “the second-youngest winner of a Pulitzer in the award’s history,” according to The Sports Xchange/Chicago Tribune. Not bad for a 2008 Penn State grad.

When the prizes were announced on Monday, Sara — who has worked at the Patriot-News since January 2011 — was standing in the newspaper’s Harrisburg, Pa., office in her pink socks, according to Matthew DeLuca of The Daily Beast. DeLuca reports:

The 24-year-old crime reporter, who beat the nation’s sports journalists to the scoop of the year, the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal, had become one of the youngest-ever recipients of a Pulitzer Prize. It was the first ever for the 157-year-old Patriot-News.

The honor was the result of countless 60-hour weeks of the kind of shoe-leather journalism that has many admirers but few practitioners. The enterprising Ganim, who keeps a police scanner on her bedside table, will be called a wunderkind, tenacious, the first of a new generation of newshounds with grit and gumption.

So what does a “wunderkind” reporter sound like? Watch this video of Sara explaining her work on the Sandusky story:

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This week’s pick: 

Videographer for Pei Wei Asian Diner

Calling all videographers with a love for travel! This week we’re bringing you a gig that’ll take you to Asia for 10 days with Pei Wei Asian Diner as they explore the marketplaces, local restaurants and signature cuisine of Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

Your responsibility? Document the experience with footage that will be used in the company’s future marketing campaigns.

Pei Wei Asian Diner is owned and operated by P.F. Chang’s. The right videographer for this gig will earn $5,000 for traveling Asia (travel costs covered), video camera in hand. The company says they’re looking for applicants with a distinctive shooting style, an insatiable curiosity for travel, food and cultural discovery, and the ability to tell a compelling story through video.

To be eligible, you must be able to edit short clips daily to upload across Pei Wei’s social media channels. The application process is open from April 9-29, so if you’re interested, don’t wait to apply!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com

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Here are 10 ways to simplify that will leave you with a smile on your face at work:

1. Make home your safe space

At work, you may have pressing deadlines to meet, you may feel you have to rush and multi-task to get things done, or you may feel that slowing down is not an option. This doesn’t mean you have to operate at the same speed at home. Give yourself a break when you’re off the clock and focus on your wellness.

The contrast in pace between your home life and work life will do you a lot of good, allowing you to fully appreciate and enjoy both more, as well as energizing your work life.

2. Shrink your problems

Is your house too big? Move to a smaller one. Big car? Trade it in for a smaller one. In other words, remove the things – especially the BIG things – you don’t need from your life.

In other words, occupy only the space you need and many of your problems and expenses will become much smaller.

By having fewer things, you will use, care for and appreciate the things you have that much more. Here are some extreme examples of minimalism that may inspire you: The 100 Thing Challenge and Living with 72 Things.

3. Be mindful of the green

You can take “living green” as far as you want. Buy Less. Use Less. Waste Less. Eat organic local produce.

If you’re really serious about this aspect of simplifying, check out the No Impact Project’s one-week challenge that will help you to reduce your carbon footprint.

4. Make more time for the people you (really) care about

Are you so busy focusing on your career that you tend to neglect the people you care about?

You’re not the only one. Most of us lead busy lives, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in all of the things we have to do. Yet when we simplify life, we have more time for the people who really matter.

Which is better: a modest life of freedom spending time with your loved ones, or a rich life of excess but at the price of neglecting those relationships that really count? Your answer will make this decision easy.

5. Appreciate the little things

Stop for a moment and take a look around. You are well on your way to a happy life when you find appreciation in simple things.

Enjoy the things that are right in front of you every day. Enjoy experiencing life. Enjoy sharing, learning, giving and receiving. Enjoy nature. Go for long walks. Breathe fresh air.

Again, the balance between being able to do this, then being able to shift gears when you need to in the workplace, can be really powerful – so powerful that it will ultimately lead you to more success in both your personal and business life.

6. Eat healthy – even when you don’t want to

Eat simple, nutritious food. Eat slowly and enjoy every mouthful. Exercise moderately and often. Drink plenty of water and live in the moment. BY focusing on these simple principles, you will be much healthier, both mentally and physically.

It’s nearly impossible to improve your health without having a healthier mind, becoming more alert, seeing an increase in your energy, and ultimately finding that you are more enthusiastic about the challenges ahead.

7. Make reducing stress a priority

Not all stress is bad, but a surplus can be detrimental to everything from your personal life to your work life. Busy people with a lot on their mind often get stressed when they surpass a limit. And too often, we think of “being stressed” as something we can’t control.

Try to identify your limits and take control of your time and your life by taking small steps when dealing with big challenges. Remove the word failure from your vocabulary. Replace it with experience and you will shift your view of stress.

8. Save money by not buying things you don’t really need

Live within your means, and keep those means modest. This will enable you to enjoy life more by giving you more resources (not just money but also time and energy) to invest in the things that really matter. You are effortlessly being more efficient.

And here’s another perk: being more efficient about how you view and spend money will increase the relative success of your career.

9. Make new connections

If you really commit to simplifying your life, you are going to make new connections. Believe it or not, by slowing down, you will meet more people – because you will notice more people – and you will have more time for them.

Not only will you connect with new people, you’ll also connect with new thoughts and with your surroundings. Being open to these connections could lead to career advancement you hadn’t expected before.

10. Let life become easier

Be true to yourself and take only what you need. Give what you can. Don’t hold on to things. Make time for the experiences and people that are really important to you and let go of anything that really isn’t. In time, you’ll find your biggest difficulties will fade away. Life will literally become less cluttered, and in turn, easier.

The result will be amazing – and your life, both personal and business will benefit tremendously. This concept is both simple and practical, and it’s up to you how far you take it.

You can find Alan Chatfield at Life’s Too Good, a blog about helping you gain more out of life and enjoy it to its fullest.

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That’s why we’re gathering together the best of the Brazen techie community – so you can recruit the developers and programmers you need to take your company to the next level.

On May 2, more than 600 — yes, 600 — recent college graduates and internship-seeking undergraduates who specialize in computer science, engineering, IT and other tech fields will embark upon our Tech Connect event. We’re calling it Tech Connect East because our talent will hail from schools from Atlanta to Boston, including powerhouse technology schools like Georgi Tech, Virginia Tech, RIT and more.

Whether you represent a nimble start-up or a high-rise Fortune 500 company, you won’t want to miss this event.

And the earlier you sign up, the more bang you’ll get for your buck. So check out the registration details! We’ll see you there.

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More importantly, are they relevant to you?

Whether you’re the creative type, a corporate employee or have a side business, barter and trade might be more helpful – and more accessible – than you think. Below you’ll find some examples of people who are using bartering in smart ways, so you can figure out how this strategy might fit into your life, too.

The starving artist

In the movies, being an artist in a quaint New York loft may seem romantic – but in the real world, people have bills to pay. And, even scarier, they get sick.

On January 23, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center announced a new program called the Lincoln Art Exchange. The service allows for qualified artists (musicians, singers, actors, painters – you name it) to receive credit for each hour they donate by way of performance for hospital-related events or creative programs for sick patients. Each hour of “art time” translates to $40 of medical credit that can be used for anything from routine doctor visits to surgical procedures.

In a recent Huffington Post article, Renata Marinaro of the Eastern Region for the Actors’ Fund said, on average, artists make about $24,000 a year. “They can’t afford that kind of money and they need to get their health care and this is an excellent way for them to get that health care and contribute to the community.”

Artists in the New York City area who think the program sounds like, ahem, a fair trade, can find instructions on how to apply by visiting the Lincoln Art Exchange website.

When currency isn’t green

Looking good on a budget can be tricky. Enter Casey Kaufmann, a successful stylist and makeup artist who, just last year, launched the fashion blog Strawberry Freckleface. She writes about entertainment and fashion and shares photos of her personal style, letting readers know where she finds unique items.

What started out as a hobby for Kaufman has turned into a full-fledged business. The only difference?

The currency is clothing.

“I started asking my favorite smaller businesses if they would like to do any sort of collaborating with me for added advertisement and traffic for their growing stores, and some agreed to it,” Kaufman said.

Now, Kaufman receives a regular influx of clothing and accessories from designers and shops that offer products exemplifying her personal style – and it doesn’t cost her a thing. The designers reach a new audience without advertising fees, and she can fuel her blog with the latest trends at no cost. “I like supporting smaller Etsy designers and artists because I feel as though I can really help them out,” says Kaufman. “If I love what they make, I love to give them the spotlight that they deserve. We both benefit.”

While these types of trade paint a lovely picture for ailing artisans, companies with salaried employees and comprehensive healthcare plans probably won’t find this kind of trade helpful. And when budgets get tight and Mr. CEO has to cut the open bar at the holiday party or cut Mr. Entry Level Marketing Guy’s job, does he have any options?

Fortune five-and-dime

For this Georgia-based organization, the name says it all: The Barter Company.

TBC’s business model is simple. “TBC provides you with an alternate distribution network by using barter dollars instead of cash to handle your transactions,” the website reads. “You can charge retail value for goods and services in barter dollars instead of selling them for reduced cash rates or having them go unsold.”

For a (completely fictional) example, let’s say Mr. Local Brewer has a tight budget of his own but desperately needs advertising to bring in new customers. Mr. Local Brewer offers Mr. CEO a few kegs for the holiday party and Mr. Entry Level Marketing Guy keeps his job…and designs a pretty killer ad campaign that forces Mr. Local Brewer to change his name to “Sir Worldwide Intoxicant Architect.”

It doesn’t stop there. TBC also operates in a “pay it forward” system. Perhaps you manage a small biz that needs something from Company X – but Company X needs a service that only Company 99 provides… no problem. Someday, Company 99 may need something that’s equally difficult to find. By keeping things in a loop, you get what you need, while others find what they need.

The best part: great networking opportunities while the money stays in the business.

But what if you need services and don’t have anything but yourself to offer? Not to worry – you, and your time, are a valuable asset.

If I could save time in a bank

The Athens Times Exchange (ATX) operates similarly to The Barter Company – but with a different currency.

When someone contributes an hour of his or her time to provide a service, that hour goes into a “time bank.” While no interest is earned on this investment, the value never depreciates.

If Stella the statistics wiz tutors John for an hour, she’s got an hour. That way, when Stella breaks her leg, Ben the housekeeper can come by to do the laundry – and someday, when he needs his own break, he’ll have an hour to spend – literally and figuratively – doing or not doing – whatever he wants.

Sometimes our personal and professional lives can blend together. As much as we try to keep them apart, life is fluid. Whether you are launching a start-up and want to cut corners at home, or own a successful company and want to keep it that way – thinking outside the box can really help.

It all adds up

Craigslist has a reputation for being the place to find a missed love-connection or check out apartments for rent, but the site also has a special section where savvy-savers can advertise what they need and what they can give. Personally, I once traded three cases of Diet Coke to have a door handle fixed on my 1996 Grand Prix.

Couch surfing is also a popular trend, where residents allow travelers to crash on their couch rather than paying for an expensive hotel room. Some secondhand clothing stores, like The Black Market in Lincoln, Neb., offer store credit when customers bring in unwanted, gently used clothing.

While the pockets and pools where barter and trade are active seem small, there might be more than you think. You may even be bartering already. Whether you give your friend a ride to the airport because she fed your cat while you were on vacation, or you make your parents’ dinner because they let you live at home – trade is everywhere.

When was the last time your bartered? How can you use bartering for your own career or business growth? Let us know in the comments section.

Lacey Mason is a digital editor for wtop.com in Washington, D.C. and a former NPR intern. Visit her online portfolio or follow her on Twitter.

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At a time when companies are struggling to recruit certain talent, established companies and start-ups alike know they have to dangle perks to lure recruits into the fold. And since free food and drink, stock options and yoga classes are no longer special, sometimes that means offering outrageous incentives.

In the 90s, I worked for a Silicon Valley start-up that offered refrigerators stocked with food and drink, Ping-Pong tables, a weekly cruise, happy hours, dry cleaning service, razor scooters for zipping around the building, casual dress and flex-time schedules.

Today, that’s barely the bottom-line offering for tech or financial sector employers. According to Forbes and CNN, many companies offer employees discounted or free massages and yoga, and perks like concierge service are no longer reserved for executives. Start-ups appear to have the most original perks, Mashable reports.

Sound too good to be true? You, too, could command these goodies if your skills are in demand.

To give you a sense of what’s out there, I scoured the web for articles about perks and aggregated them for your convenience:

Transportation

• Timberland, the outdoor outfitter company, offers workers a $3,000 subsidy as a down-payment on a hybrid automobile.
• Texas-based Container Store rewards employees for safe driving, giving out $5,000 for ten years of flawless driving.
• San Francisco start-up Qwiki allows commuting employees to expense train tickets. The company will buy you a bike or cover your gas expenses.
• If you work for S.C. Johnson, the company will change the oil in your car.
• Abercrombie and Fitch offers its employees electric scooters for jetting around the corporate campus.

Dining

• Google offers employees breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for free at any of the 16 gourmet cafes on its campus.
• Biotech giant Amgen, Inc. cooks up health-conscious meals for employee children dropped off at the company daycare. Employees also enjoy 16 paid holidays a year.
• Microsoft employees can eat in one of the 14 restaurants and pubs located in a company mall replete with stores and banks.
• Silicon Valley start-up Asana provides workers with two organic home-cooked meals for vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters.

Child-birth and childcare

• American Century Investments offers coverage for employee adoption expenses and fertility treatments up to $10,000 per year.
• Amgen offers on-campus Lamaze and breastfeeding classes and lactation rooms for mothers.
• Google reimburses moms $500 for takeout meals during the first three months after the child is born.
• Eli Lilly allows pregnant workers to take a paid month off before the baby’s due date.
• Deloitte allows workers to check up on their kids in daycare via webcams.

Exercise/health

• Cliff Bar treats workers to a 40-foot bouldering wall, fitness center, dance studio, two massage rooms and a staff of certified trainers and nutritionists.
• Pixar Animation Studios employees run on indoors or outdoors paths, train in the gym or swim in the outdoor pool.

Assorted great perks

• S.C. Johnson gives retired employees lifetime memberships in its fitness center.
• Outfitter Patogonia grants two weeks of full-paid leave to employees who want to volunteer for any green non-profit organization.
• Steel processor Worthington Industries offers workers subsidized onsite haircuts for $4.
• Jam maker J.M. Smucker grants employees a 100 percent college tuition reimbursement, with no ceiling.
• Genentech sends ergonomics specialists to examine your work desk and gear to ensure you’re comfortable.

Perks especially for carvers

Snowboarders rejoice! If all your company offers is ten minutes to hustle down to the sandwich truck, you won’t believe what Burton Original Snowboard Company of Vermont offers its workers:

• Free season ski pass
• Company skate park
• Company closures when it snows two feet or more (so workers may go boarding)
• Dog-friendly office
• Company rides and ski trips.

If you could have any of these perks, which one would you choose?

Woodrow Aames has written articles and profiles for Yahoo, Microsoft Network & Encarta, as well as tech savvy pieces for various computer schools. He holds an MFA degree and has taught English abroad.

Correction on 4/17/12: An earlier version of this post misrepresented American Century Investments’ coverage for employee adoption expenses.

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Many friends, former coworkers, clients and colleagues of mine have careers in China that have allowed them to take on levels of responsibility that they would have only been able to dream of in the United States or Europe. This includes a 21-year-old managing conferences for one of Asia’s most prestigious universities, a 23-year-old project manager for digital media marketing, and a 25-year-old who’s spearheading nationwide research projects about electric vehicles.

If you’re looking for a challenge and are able to rise to the occasion, a career in China might be perfect for you.

Interested? Here are three things you should know about landing a job in China:

1. You don’t have to be fluent in Chinese to get a great offer

Of course, fluency in Mandarin will expose you to significantly more opportunities. But if a job-hunter can be creative and develop his or her personal edge and unique value proposition to a prospective manager, not speaking the language isn’t a deal-breaker.

I know this because I’ve done it twice myself – landed jobs in China without speaking the language – and helped others do the same.

You do not have to be fluent because you can build or develop in yourself a unique edge that will help you get a leg up on your competition. For example, despite not being fluent in Mandarin, a client of mine was able to clinch a position with a boutique Public Relations firm in Beijing because he was familiar with Chinese social media platforms like Sina Weibo.

Similarly, many colleagues and clients of mine with backgrounds in engineering, law, and finance were able to secure interviews and offers for themselves due to their specialized skill sets and experience.

2. You are no longer special just because you’re a foreigner

There was a time, perhaps a decade or two ago, when expats could expect fat packages and kickbacks simply because they weren’t Chinese.

Those days are over. Today, millions of Chinese grads are fighting tool and nail for the same positions as you. Many of those candidates have equal or superior academic qualifications – and they speak both English and native-level Mandarin. A large portion of those grads also have no problem maintaining a lifestyle you’d likely consider unpalatable; it’s nearly impossible for foreigners to compete with them strictly on a cost-to-hire basis.

Furthermore, scores of expat professionals arrive in China every day with advanced degrees, fluency in Mandarin and highly impressive work experience. They’ve probably been in China longer than you, have larger local networks and have amassed a stronger and more valuable skill set specific to the China market. The specific skill sets they have will vary widely depending on the industry in which they currently operate and their positions within their companies. However, the fact that they have obtained this experience in China specifically will be a massive advantage for them when competing in the same pool as you.

Fortunately, with proper preparation, strategic networking and consistent use of unorthodox and highly effective strategies, you can edge out most of these people. Despite their qualifications, the vast majority of them have mediocre strategies for the job search.

3. Bad job-hunting advice is everywhere

The previous generation of China expat professionals had different advantages and challenges in the 1990s and previous decade than we do today. The need for their skill sets was more pronounced and there was significantly less competition, both domestic and foreign, for their positions. Simultaneously, they were unable to utilize the internet, mobile technology, and all the other platforms we currently take for granted in our job searches today.

Our generation today faces starkly different challenges in the job hunt, yet we also have very different tools at our disposal– like social media – to stand out from the crowd.

High-level management professionals are often out of touch – and may give you bad job-search advice – because China and its needs are changing so fast that what worked three months ago may already be obsolete.

Whoever’s giving you advice has probably not experienced being a Gen-Y expat job seeker specifically in the year 2012 – much less this particular month, in your particular industry, with your unique goals in your life and career. So before taking to heart career-hunting advice, ask yourself this:

“Has this person been in the exact situation I am in now?”

The answer is probably no – which means you can take some of their advice, but leave what doesn’t seem to apply.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Michael Park is an entrepreneur who has studied and worked in the United States, France, China, Korea and Thailand.

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You’ve probably heard of Evernote – the note-taking app — and its rather cultish following. What you probably didn’t know though, is the hundreds of little-known uses that can really help make shaping your career that much easier.

Here are eight ways to use Evernote to inspire your work, create a rock solid network and manage projects with ease:

1. Take notes… for everything

I used to be a pen and paper kind of girl, but most of us type faster than we talk. Since no one likes having heaps of documents lying around, Evernote is the best way to take notes at meetings, catch-ups with bosses or even when you’re on the train in the morning or en-route to a meeting.

Tag them with the appropriate project or client you’re working on and thank me later.

2. Pen and paper notes

Still love using a notebook? Me too. I have a purple pen and like to draw flowers in the margins during Important Business Dealings.

But raise your hand if you hate flipping through page after page trying to find something you know you wrote about last month. With Evernote, take photos of each page and save it to a dedicated notebook. Evernote can actually search image text, so next time you want to find Project Cobra in your old notes, you can easily search through it without actually flipping anything.

3. Passwords

If you use a computer – and who doesn’t these days? – you probably have an absurd amount of passwords.

Evernote is a great way to save logins for various websites, YouTube channels, social media accounts, etc. They’re easily searchable so I know I’ve saved heaps of time not hunting down passwords whenever I log in and out of something.

4. Project management

If you have a premium account with Evernote, you can share notes with coworkers. It’s been good to have a checkbox list I share with the team so we can all see what has and hasn’t been done.

And another perk: it’s way easier to use than other project management software out there.

5. Inspiration

What inspires you? Blog post ideas? Website designs? Innovative advertisements?

Use Evernote to jot down things you love to motivate you at work. It might even spark some ideas for that project you’re supposed to be working on.

6. Business contacts

Rather than losing business cards in your pursue or wallet, take photos as you receive them. Leave yourself a note about where you met this person, what they look like and any interesting information about the meeting.

This is an awesome way to bring back memories of your conversation so you can meaningfully connect with these new contacts later, when you’re ready to wow them with a unique and personalized LinkedIn invite.

(Oh, and Evernote is on their shit and created Evernote Hello, which makes this process much easier.)

7. Resources

Use Evernote to write down the best printer, stationary store, sushi restaurant or phone repair place near your office. That way you’ll never forget where you went last time and loved AND your coworkers will love you when they ask for advice.

8. Receipts

Take photos of receipts or any expenses you need to share with your boss. When you hand over the receipt, you now have an easy way of tracking everything – and it’s less time-consuming than a scanner.

Do you use Evernote? How’s it going for you? Any new ideas to add to our list?

Marian Schembari is a blogger, traveler and all-around social media thug. She’s based in Auckland, New Zealand, hails from Connecticut and blogs at marianlibrarian.com.

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Congrats! But be warned a boatload of research says your fluency with all things digital comes at a cost – you’re pretty lousy at face to face.

That’s what a recent post on the HBR blogs by government executive John K. Mullen says, anyway. In it, Mullen warns Millennials that “the internet may have partially rewired your brain in such a way that when you meet people face to face, you’re less capable of figuring out what they’re thinking” because you’re less skilled at picking up verbal and body language clues.

Want to see the original studies? Just follow Mullen’s links:

Research suggests that excessive, long-term exposure to electronic environments is reconfiguring young people’s neural networks and possibly diminishing their ability to develop empathy, interpersonal relations, and nonverbal communication skills. One study indicates that because there’s only so much time in the day, face-to-face interaction time drops by nearly 30 minutes for every hour a person spends on a computer. With more time devoted to computers and less to in-person interactions, young people may be understimulating and underdeveloping the neural pathways necessary for honing social skills. Another study shows that after long periods of time on the internet, digital natives display poor eye contact and a reluctance to interact socially.

Could this possibly be true? Author Stever Robbins has previously complained about the same phenomenon to me in an interview, saying “there are an awful lot of people under the age of 25 who spend an inordinate amount of time communicating via text and email, and they do it even when they should be working. Get that under control.”

Robbins cited a young person he worked with who was reluctant to speak in person and constantly wanted to text instead, which Robbins felt stunted their relationship and made him less likely to help advance this young colleague’s career.

That offers a clue to what might be going on here. Gen Yers shake their heads in disbelief when we’re told we lack empathy because most of us don’t experience our friends and peers as lacking understanding or being frustrating to communicate with. But remember, even if these studies don’t pan out under close examination, and even if your brain is not all that different from your parents’, you still have to interact with older, less digitally immersed generations at work.

Like Robbins and his young colleague, this can cause a clash of expectations and styles (and maybe even hold back your career). Your brain is just probably fine, but that doesn’t mean you won’t annoy your middle-aged boss if you try to use the same communication style with him that you do with your friends.

But fret not, both Mullen and Robbins offer tips to help you blend in. Mullen’s emphasis is on learning what older generations expect in terms of face-to-face meetings like interviews. He suggests:

• Your interviewer may be specifically looking for evidence that you’re willing to make eye contact. Engage the interviewer — show a lively interest. This may not come easily.
• Make clear that you understand the importance of face-to-face meetings and that you’re willing to sit down with people. If an interviewer or a questionnaire asks how you’d contact someone in a potentially fraught situation, don’t assume that email is the correct answer.

Robbins, meanwhile, prescribes a more radical intervention:

Develop empathy, especially if the thought scares you. Commit to spending two weeks without using your cell phone. And without texting and tweeting. Do all of your communications by planning in advance and by meeting up with people and doing face-to-face interactions. If you can’t do that for two weeks to a month, seriously fix that, because it is simply the case that the way human beings are wired, the way relationships get formed is face to face. Relationships do not get formed textually. Very shallow relationships do, but the people you’re going to depend on for big breaks are going to be people you have relationships with and not necessarily the people you tweet with all the time.

Do you think young people need to train themselves to match the communication expectations of older professionals?

London-based Jessica Stillman blogs about generational issues and trends in the workforce for Inc.com and GigaOM.

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Here’s our super interesting link list for you this week:

1. Want to be a food writer? Read this advice

2. How to get your boss to really like you

3. Employers say they’ll hire 10 percent more entry-level employees this year than they did last year

4. Is your job killing you?

5. Now that the economy is picking up, can you expect a payout at work?

6. Five things new grads should do before starting a job search

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

The club that hosts the tournament, Augusta National, only allows men as members — no women. But now a woman is CEO of IBM, one of the club’s three big sponsors. So would Augusta National enter the 21st century bend its rules and invite IBM’s Virginia Rometty?

Apparently not.

Rometty wore a pink jacket to the tournament, not the green one that’s custom for club members.

Most everyone who should have the guts to take a stand on this issue — both the Augusta National Chairman and IBM — have remained mum to save face. Thankfully, other voices in the blogosphere have filled that void, saying what’s begging to be said: that it’s time for a change.

What do YOU think? How does this play into the career landscape for women?

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During an interview, one guy dished all the terrible dirt about his former boss, only to find out he was sitting across from his ex-boss’ spouse. There’s the woman who was so nervous her mind went blank and she uttered a total of 10 words throughout the whole interview. Then, of course, there’s the guy who ordered spaghetti, along with a few beers, and made a mess – of both himself and the table.

These issues seem easy to avoid because they’re obvious. But what about the less overt ways you can screw up the interviewing process? It’s the sort of stuff you won’t read in any of the career books and guides.

Here are five things you should do to prepare for your next job interview:

1. Recognize that your interviewer may be gauging your reactions

I intentionally left interviewees in the lobby for 20 minutes to see how they’d react. Did they read? Were they respectful to the receptionist? Did they talk to her about her job and use that opportunity to learn about the company?

After I’d spoken to the interviewees, I’d ask the receptionist what she thought – and her opinions weighed heavily in my decision because it formed a very authentic look at that candidate.

Sir Richard Branson dressed up as a chauffeur and drove candidates around town to see how they treated him; for some, it didn’t go well. Another person I know left candidates in a room with a television playing static. Did they turn off the T.V.? Did they simply turn down the volume? If the candidates left the T.V. on, he deemed them too passive. If they turned the T.V. off, he determined they were take-charge people who were comfortable making decisions they’d need to justify. How will they see you?

2. Exude confidence

This is a basic rule, but it cannot be said enough. Go into interviews believing you’re a highly-sought product. Not only will it help convince your interviewer that you’re a viable candidate, it will give you peace of mind. Be very careful with this, as this can easily come off as arrogance (believe me, I know). To calm your nerves, have a talk with yourself where you say, “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can help this company in a significant way.” If you get there and don’t act like you invented the job you’re applying for, things should go well.

3. Track your speech

The interviewer should talk more than you do – he or she needs to tell you about the company, the position, and what they’re searching for. If you find yourself talking too much, start asking questions. You’ll find out what you need to know in order to make a good decision, should you get that hoped-for offer. And nothing says “I’m intelligent” more than asking good questions.

4. Research the person interviewing you

Take the time to look your interviewer up online. Figure out how you can connect: build a relationship on a shared interest, or focus on making a good impression by showing that you took the time to learn about him or her and the company. But don’t ask about your interviewer’s children by name. That’s creepy.

5. For crying out loud, spend time thinking about good questions to ask

I don’t mean generic things like “Why is this position open?” Get creative and go for the “nobody has ever asked me that before” response. Some good questions are:

• Would you join this company if you could do it all over again?
• How many friends have you recruited to work for this company?
• Does this company deserve to be on the “best companies to work for” list?

These types of questions will do three things: 1) get them thinking, 2) lend insight into what they say vs. what they do, and 3) separate you from the rest of the candidates asking textbook questions.

You don’t want to be an awful interview story that becomes part of company lore. Being confident in your abilities and assertive in making decisions will make it that much easier for an interviewer to make a decision about you. Stand out so you can break through the clutter of other applicants and give them a good taste of who you really are, not someone you’re trying to be. If you do that and they don’t select you, then it wasn’t a good fit to begin with; therefore, it’s a win for both sides.

Mark Quinn is a Segment VP of Marketing with Leggett & Platt and has more than two decades of experience. Quinn writes a bedding industry and marketing blog called Q’s Views.

Correction 4/13/12: An earlier version of this post misspelled Sir Richard Branson’s name.

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This week’s pick:

Alumni Communications Manager at Brown University 

This week we’re bringing you a job straight from an Ivy League school in one of New England’s best cities — Providence. As the Alumni Communications Manager, you’d be responsible for managing the creation and production of communications that drive alumni engagement with Brown and with the alumni community.

Strong writing, editing and social media skills would make you a good fit, especially if you’re on top of the ever-changing trends in the communications and social media fields. You’ll need 3-5 years of experience or an equivalent education/experience combo to land this position.

Other skills that would make you a strong candidate: marketing know-how, experience with preparing and sending HTML e-mail messages using broadcast email software, and proficiency using Adobe’s suite of web development tools. And if you know a thing or two about web metrics and analytics, be sure to mention it!

If you think this job with Brown University is right for you, make the effort to apply!

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com

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With the economy starting to turn a corner, and hiring in some industries and regions picking up, you might be contemplating making the jump to a new job. But any career move comes with risks you need to be aware of before you make a change.

Here are some common mistakes young professionals make when switching jobs – and how you can avoid them:

1. Chasing the money

Sure, money’s an important factor, but it’s not the only factor.

A friend of mine in Portland, OR, a marketing manager, jumped at a new job opportunity a few years ago because it gave him more than a 50 percent raise.

“The money was great – while it lasted,” he said. But a year and a half later, the company he moved to was acquired and he found himself out of a job. “In retrospect, I should have seen it coming,” he said. “They were setting themselves up to be acquired. But I was blinded by the dollar signs.”

If he had it to do over again, he would have spent more time asking questions about the company’s plans for future growth and where they were headed.

2. Buying too quickly into a brand

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to work for a big brand name. Just make sure you do your homework and move for the right reasons.

Some people seek out work with well-known brands because they think it will look great on their resumes. But once they start working there, they sometimes discover the public image of the company doesn’t translate into a quality employee experience.

It’s a good practice to talk with people who work at any company you’re thinking about going to work for – even if it’s a big name. You need to think about whether the company culture is a good fit for you, not just whether you’d like to have a big brand name on your resume.

3. Moving up just to move up

Twice in my career, I’ve made the mistake of going after a promotion just because it was a step up. I didn’t really think through how these moves fit with my career goals, and in both cases I was miserable in the role.

What those experiences taught me is that without having a clear vision for your life and career, you won’t have much to guide you in those decisions.

Get clear on what you want your life and work to look like first. Then start looking for the next thing in your career. And have the strength to pass on anything that doesn’t fit your vision.

4. Burning bridges

If you’ve toiled away through the recession at a job you don’t like, it might be tempting to quit in dramatic fashion. Tell off your domineering boss. Let all the people you didn’t get along with know what you really think of them.

Despite what movies and TV might have led you to believe, this will not make you seem heroic to your (now former) colleagues. In most cases, it will just make everyone feel awkward – including you.

Early in my career I watched as one co-worker who had just been hired by a competitor told off our boss and then stormed out of the office. About a year later, he changed jobs again. This time, he was working for a supplier who wanted our business. He had to tell his new boss about what had happened and ask to be taken off the account team.

Needless to say, that revelation didn’t score him any points with his new employer. You never know who you’ll have to work with down the line, which is why you never want to burn any bridges.

The key to all of these tips is being strategic. Before you hop to a new job, get clear on what you want in your life and your career. Then, if you pursue an opportunity that looks like a fit, do your homework on the company to make sure it’s headed in the right direction and the culture is a good fit for you. And if you do end up taking a new job, please, for everyone’s sake, give your two weeks notice and leave in good standing.

Dylan Alford is publisher of RecentGradsOnly.com. To sign up for a seven-part email series with the best career advice from RecentGradsOnly.com, click here.

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Since social media has become such a major part of daily and business life, demand is high for web-wise people with great analytic and communication skills. But what exactly are your career options?

Here’s a snapshot of the seven most common jobs in this evolving industry:

1. Social Media Strategist

You’re in charge of the whole game—planning what strategic moves to make next, deciding on which platforms to grow communities, and giving your stamp of approval to the content your team shares online.

A knack for leadership and communication are key, but it’s your innovative thinking that will set you apart. The rest of the internet is competing for your clients’ eyes—how will you make your company stand out?

Average salary: $23,000 – $86,000

2. Content Curator

Rohit Bahargava, author of Manifesto for the Content Curator, summed up this position best: “Someone whose job it is not to create more content, but to make sense of all the content that others are creating.”

It’s your role to scour the web and bring back viral videos, articles, infographics and images to feed your company’s social platforms. Some products will be created in-house, but no matter where it comes from, you look for content that’s contagious.

Average salary: $23,000 – $86,000

3. Social Media Analyst

If you write a great blog post, and nobody reads it, is it still a great blog post? You track the numbers and establish metrics to determine which social media campaigns are flopping or flying high. Your quantitative brain sees the big picture as you advise your team on their next move—all based on the numbers.

Average salary: $33,000 – $96,000

4. Online Reputation Manager

While not strictly a social media position, online reputation managers work with social streams on a daily basis. It’s your task to make sure undesirable online info about your client is removed or pushed as far down the Google results page as possible.

As such, you focus on filling social platforms with positive reviews, answers, and posts to drown out any negative stuff.

Average salary: $31,000 – $85,000

5. Community Manager

Good content is great, but a strong online community of fans, followers and friends is essential. As your company’s resident social butterfly, you develop campaigns or spaces to grow and nurture these virtual connections.

Average salary: $23,000 – $86,000

6. Social Media Customer Service Rep

Almost 62 percent of consumers have used social media for customer service issues. Which means the role of a customer service rep has gone over to the social side!

You might tweet instructions to a confused client, or help pro-actively resolve an issue someone has posted on Facebook. No matter which platform, it’s your job to keep consumers happy.

Average salary: $20,000 – $49,000

7. Social Media Consultant

Working as an outside consultant, you help organizations get their social media efforts up and running.

While you may offer specific advice or develop strategic actions plans, you also work to get everyone in a company on the same social media page. That can range from convincing out-of-step executives of the need for new media, to simply teaching a team the basic dos and don’ts of tweeting.

Average salary: $23,000 – $86,000 (all salary data from the US Department of Labor)

In this growing industry, what other new and emerging social media jobs should we add to this list?

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a site designed to help you discover and pursue a career you’ll love. Join the conversation @InsideJobs.

Trying to land a job in social media? Whether you’re just starting out, or aiming high, you can learn some inside secrets from a senior social media recruiter at Ogilvy and Mather and Brazen’s experienced marketing executives in this free one-hour video.

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Your goal, after all, is to implement the company’s vision on the front-lines of the battle. If you’re going to be, as one famous manager once quipped, “The Decider,” people will resent you, no doubt. But you also have to do your job, and we all know that sometimes means doing things your subordinates don’t like.

So let us help you out. Here are 13 ways of knowing whether you’re a sucky manager:

1. People are afraid of you. In some workplaces, managers are feared even by employees who don’t know them — because their reputations precede them. If this is you, there’s a high probability that you suck: no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

2. You micro-manage. Good managers manage, bad managers micro-manage. If you’re not able to persuade or convince people of a vision and instead regularly have to crack a whip to achieve results, either the team is rotten to the core or you have failed to properly motivate (these ideas are not necessarily mutually-exclusive).

True discipline, as the saying goes, must come through liberty. If you fear your team doesn’t function without you looking over their shoulder, the problem may not be them: maybe it’s you.

3. Stress controls you; you don’t control stress. There is some truth to the saying that there are no stressful situations, only stressful reactions to situations. Nevertheless, it’s normal for all of us to react somehow to stress and for our emotions to manifest themselves.

The difference between a good manager and a bad manager, however, is that a bad manager sends signals that the stressful circumstances are controlling him or her and not the inverse. This isn’t to say that a good manager need exude the emotional output of a Scandinavian Fisherman; instead, good managers maintain control and don’t allow stress to dictate their behavior. Bad managers do the opposite.

4. You create real and perceived distance between yourself and your team. Humans detest hierarchies and those at the bottom resent being reminded of their place within them. The best managers sit with their teams in a symbolic gesture of solidarity and their behavior demonstrates genuine solidarity. The worst managers sit in solitary offices, usually with doors closed, and behave accordingly.

5. You’re unavailable. A celebrated CEO once told me, “A good manager does his work at home. (S)he should never bring his/her work to the office.” What he was getting at was that good managers are available to their reports at a moment’s notice. If you’re unavailable and inaccessible to your reports then you suck, regardless of how much you are appreciated by your superiors.

6. You don’t know your reports. A good proxy question to ask yourself about a report is, “if he/she could have any job in the world, what would it be?” Knowing this answer means you understand the person’s passions, dreams, and ambitions. If you can’t answer that, in England they’d call you a “hoover.”

7. You have no investment your reports’ futures. Even if your report isn’t working out and you have to remove him/her from the position, your primary concern should be for the person’s well being.  If someone is unhappy, it’s usually bad for the team and bad for the individual; letting the individual go is likely in his or her best interest.

If you find yourself simply wishing someone off your team because they’re an obstacle to achieve your goals, you should probably question whether or not what the problem is a result of a skill-set mismatch, personality conflict or proper motivation. Only two of those three are solve-able.

8. You manage down more than you manage up. Front-line managers often have the unfortunate task of mediating the tension between senior management’s wishes and the demands of the front-line employees. Senior level managers operate on the assumption that they know better because they have access to more information. Front-line employees often feel they know better because they deal with the products and clients on a regular basis and receive feedback in real-time.

Average managers simply take what’s passed down to them and implement at all cost. Good managers collect data, build arguments and attempt to influence the decision makers. In addition, good managers find clever means by which to represent their team’s interests as the best interests of the senior managers. If you find yourself as a facilitator of one-way communication, it may be that you’re not stepping up to the challenge.

9. You don’t deliver tough messages. One way to avoid sucking is to try to be loved, but being loved is not the same as being respected. Good managers deliver tough messages — but they do so within the context of a relationship built on trust.

Without trust, tough messages are in the worst case misinterpreted as open hostility and in the best case, simply ignored. When delivered with trust, tough messages have a higher likelihood of hitting the mark.

10. You throw others under the bus. If you’re a manager, the buck must stop with you. Whether you’re explaining why your sales team didn’t hit its targets, or you’re justifying a decision by upper-management to change an incentive plan, the best managers accept responsibility for what happens on their watch.

In the short term, it may bring relief to blame people or circumstances for your short-comings,  but in the long run, avoiding responsibility will hurt your credibility on both ends of the totem poll. If the idea of accepting responsibility terrifies you, remember that how you react to a crisis is often more telling than the fact that the crisis occurred. Reacting to mishaps is the good manager’s chance to shine.

11. You don’t read about management. Your MBA is not a black-belt, and your education is never finished. Good management is an art where a teacher never stops being a student. No matter how long you’ve been in the game, your skill set still needs to be constantly refined and your assumptions need to be questioned.

12. You don’t seek feedback. And you fail to create a culture where giving that feedback to you is acceptable, even encouraged. A senior Google executive once said, “Feedback is a gift: sometimes it is a gift we’re fortunate to give, and other times it’s a gift we’re fortunate to receive.”

You don’t have to accept all feedback at face value, but if you haven’t been made to feel uncomfortable through introspection lately, you may be a Hootie and The Blowfish Album away from being pure suckage.

13. You eschew vulnerability. Managers send signals about how willing they are to connect, and they are most open when they allow themselves to be vulnerable. Vulnerability, it should be noted, does not equate self-doubt or a lack of confidence. Instead, vulnerability is exposing the most basic elements of the human condition.

If you’re not allowing yourself to be vulnerable, then you’re preventing the formation of connections with those who work closest to you. Bad managers abhor vulnerability for fear of appearing weak, while good managers use vulnerability as a tool to build trust and meaningful relationships.

Managing a sales team is not the same as managing a boiler room; good management is necessarily context dependent. Nevertheless, one final truism is that bad managers (enforcers) have reports who work for them, while good managers (enablers) work for their reports.

The question now becomes what type of manager are you?

Matthew Carpenter-Arévalo works for an international organization in Geneva, Switzerland. He blogs at carpenterarevalo.com.

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.

The Wall Street Journal reports on a study that shows you can put a dollar figure on happiness.

The bull’s eye? $75,000 a year.

That’s for everyday happiness though, not overall, year-over-year satisfaction (which continues to increase with your income, according to the study).

Details from the piece (or you can read it in full):

As people earn more money, their day-to-day happiness rises. Until you hit $75,000. After that, it is just more stuff, with no gain in happiness.

That doesn’t mean wealthy and ultrawealthy are equally happy. More money does boost people’s life assessment, all the way up the income ladder. People who earned $160,000 a year, for instance, reported more overall satisfaction than people earning $120,000, and so on.

“Giving people more income beyond 75K is not going to do much for their daily mood … but it is going to make them feel they have a better life,” Mr. Deaton told the Associated Press.

So what do you think? What’s YOUR perfect salary for happiness?

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Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, we offer edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work -- this isn't your parents' career-advice blog. Be Brazen.