There is more to getting hired than just having a great resume. Sometimes it's the way you carry yourself or the way you give off confidence to an employer. Your attitude can be as important as what you've done with your career.

But how do you develop that "hire me" attitude? This piece over at CareerBuilder.com has some great tips.

For example, you should apply to companies that aren't necessarily seeking candidates at the moment. According to author John Smith, if you read the newspapers and read about new companies opening up then you can send them your resume. Your ambition can make you memorable and if they feel you match their needs they might just hire you.

One thing that could set you apart is by actually picking up the phone and calling potential new employers. These days so many people send resumes via e-mail that an actual live voice can make you stand out.

You can tailor your resume for the company for which you are applying. Don't assume your resume is the perfect fit for every situation. Also, construct your resume so that it is easy to read.

Smith has other suggestions as well, many of the culled from experts in hiring and managing employees. They include tips for writing cover letters, and how to conduct yourself during the interview. It's a lot to remember, but if you master just a couple of them you could find yourself hired for that job you really dream about.

When it comes to be rejected, it can be tough to deal with. Whether you are being rejected for a date or rejected for a job, the emotions and feelings can be very similar. So how do you recover from that job rejection when you are certain you've done everything right?

As this piece on Careerbuilder.com explains, the first thing to realize is that it is likely not a personal thing. Companies can potentially interview hundreds of candidates for an open position. At the same time, many companies are required to post and interview for an open position even if they have a candidate in mind. It may not be anything against you, just a matter of numbers.

Second, try to get some feedback on why you didn't get the job. This can be very difficult and many companies may not want to talk to you about it. If you try, however, you might learn something. Just be persistent and keep asking questions.

Third, if you build a network of friends who can support you during these difficult times, they can help you deal with the rejection. Just like when you are in a relationship that goes wrong, your friends and support people can be there to offer advice and get you past the negative feelings.

Rejection is never easy. However, if you try to learn from the times you don't get that job, it can help you land one further down the road. Whatever you do, try not to wallow in the rejection or let the negative feelings overwhelm your entire job search.

Do good-looking people earn more money than average and below average-looking people? You would like to think that it's just hard work and doing your job well that can help you move up the ladder. Sadly, as this article on CareerBuilder.com explains, your looks may have more to do with your job than you realize.

Take this example. A manager told a cosmetic dentist, "[he] wanted his assistant to get veneers, and was even willing to pay for the dental work - as long as the assistant asked for it. He said this was a woman who was really good at her job and he was moving up (within the organization), but he couldn't take her with him because her teeth were so bad. The assistant never came in for the dental work, and [the dentist] said he didn't know what became of her career."

The question is, are pretty people actually better workers? That remains to be seen and studies are being conducted. However, it has been proven that students will give professors with good looks higher marks than those more average or below. At the same time, some experts say that lack of talent will eventually show no matter how good-looking the person is and that will affect their job and their pay at some point.

The sad part is that companies can still discriminate against workers because of looks. Often it is done carefully and other reasons are used, but there really aren't laws on the books for the ugly or less attractive. So, if you want to get noticed, it may pay off to spend a little extra getting that makeover or buying the fancy new clothes.

As the year ends, a lot of workers are looking ahead toward 2009. Many of them are hoping for promotions, perhaps even counting on them. If you're one of those who have wanted to move up the ladder, only to see others move ahead, there may be some good reasons for it, as this piece from Careerbuilder.com points out.

First, consider the fact that you may be a "slacker" at least in the minds of your co-workers and managers. Do you arrive late for work? Do you call in sick a lot, especially when it gets you a three-day weekend? Do you miss a lot of deadlines? These do get noticed.

Second, you may just be doing "fine" but you may not be doing enough to impress. Yes, you get your work done and you get it done mostly on time, but you don't go that extra mile so many managers find impressive.

Third, and similar to the second one, you may not be visible enough. Do you bring out ideas to management during meetings? Do you participate in groups and programs around the office? To be noticed, you have to make yourself noticeable.

Fourth, you may just be a negative person. Do you spend most of your time complaining but little, if any, time providing solutions? Do you make a scene every time something goes wrong, even if it's the tiniest of things? This is not the type of person most companies want in charge.

There are many more suggestions throughout the article. You may find yourself and your method of working in any of them. If so, it may be time to reassess your behavior and start considering some changes.

You hear a lot of managers and companies talking about "building their brand." This means making the company into a kind of icon where the name of the company is associated with the product or service they produce. Think Apple or Google.

But as this article in the Chicago's Tribune points out, you can do much the same thing yourself and build your own "personal brand".

In the piece, author Kyra Kyles describes the job of an employee named Molli Megasko who works for a PR firm. Megasko carries a full load of clients, works late and is also the companies' "social chair" which also happens to be a position she created. She does all of this to stand out from the rest of her co-workers.

Of course, Megasko also warns that this much work can sometimes be viewed as "kissing up" to the upper management. This is a key toward working hard and making yourself a "brand." You need to learn to walk the fine line between making yourself noticed and invaluable and "kissing up."

According to Kyles, "professionals should focus on being 'boundary spanners, or employees who go outside of their departments and corporate comfort zones to bring people together and help the company."

So, stay visible and make yourself appear invaluable. Just be careful that you aren't also seen as a "suck up" or a "brown-noser." Somewhere in the middle will make your job more secure in an economy as fragile as this one.

If you and your boss just are not getting along, it may be that you two are just not compatible. In fact the same sort of terms we often use in connection with dating can also apply to the manager/employee relationship.

, Bridget Quigg and Lydia West from PayScale.com breakdown managers' personalities into four main types:

1. The Performer – an extrovert who thrives on attention and last-minute frantic preparation.
2. The Dreamer – this is the guy or girl who loves coming up with new ideas. At the same time he or she may not be able to put those dreams and ideas into practice.
3. The Cheerleader – whatever you do, this manager-type thinks it's brilliant.
4. The Super Achiever – the type of boss who wants more meetings, more work, more projects and more from everyone.

The article also breaks down the types of employees who would go best with each personality type. For example, for the Dreamer the best compatible employee would be "realists with vision. A boss whose head is in the clouds needs employees who will help them focus their energy on the best of their ideas and develop plans to make those dreams a reality."

So, keep this in mind the next time you feel like strangling your boss. You may just not have matching personalities. This may require a change on both your parts, either within the office by taking a new job or by changing your own expectations.

There is a very fine line to walk at work these days. You want to stand out from the crowd and make sure that your managers know how valuable you are. At the same time, no one likes someone who is a "brown-noser." If you want to avoid getting a bad repatriation among your co-workers, a quick scan of this article in the Chicago Tribune can tel you the sort of behavior to avoid.

• Are you the kind of worker who keeps getting promoted even though you don't have any marketable skills? If your only real talent is self-promotion, you may be a brown-noser.
• Do you fetch coffee for your bosses? When you do, do you make sure everyone around you knows about it?
• Do you take credit for the things people around you do?
• Do you fill up already long and tedious meetings with useless comments and questions?
• Do you gossip about your co-workers or spend a lot of time pointing out the failings of others to anyone who will listen?
• Are you the last person to leave the office even though you have no reason to be working that late? If the only reason you are there is so everyone can see you are the last one to leave, this may be a problem.

If any of these describe your daily working habits, you may not be the dedicated worker you think you are- and your colleagues may be sayig some pretty unflattering things about you behind your back. It may be time to change your ways.

Sometimes it seems like working with the people you spend eight hours every day with is killing you. Maybe your boss is making you angry or a co-worker is annoying you to the point of violence.

Now this isn't good. So if you're beginning to feel overwhelmed by the toxic personalities around you and need some help to deal with them, this is the book for you.

Working with You is Killing Me – Freeing Yourself from Emotional Traps at Work was published a couple of years back, but its strategies for "unhooking" youself from conflict at work are essentially timeless.

According to authors Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, employees need to learn how to "unhook." They discuss "unhooking" physically which means actually stepping away from a stressful situation for a while. Then there's "unhooking mentally" where an employee carries on an internal dialogue to "talk themselves down off the ledge."

At the same time, employees can "unhook verbally" which means expressing yourself via words to that co-worker who is annoying you so much. Of course, the authors say you need to take the "high road" when doing this so as not to get yourself into trouble. You can also "unhook using a business tool" which the authors define as "any standard procedure or written document used in a business setting." This can be job descriptions or rules for handling situations written in employee handbooks or anything documented.

By keeping these ideas in mind and learning to separate yourself from the situation, you may be able to find solutions to the things that are sapping the life out of you. Given the tough economic times, changing jobs may not be the answer you need, so learning other ways of dealing with the stress may be the best way to go.

Given the economic climate, are workers happy just to have a job? Or are they still as critical of their bosses as they have been in the past? If a recent survey by the company Randstad USA discussed in this article on CityNews is anything to go by, the answer is a resounding "yes."

The company polled 2,300 workers to find out what they thought of their supervisors, their current job, their economic situation and how it was affecting their work. According to their data, over half of the workers feel that their bosses are "incompetent."

In fact, it seems that the litany of blunders on Wall Street and beyond have increased the feeling that those at the top are just not up to the job. Moreover, many workers felt that as companies now turn toward trying to improve their bottom line that they "are feeling ignored or worse, fearing that the decisions being made at the top could threaten their livelihoods."

Only 43% said they felt their managers were open to new ideas and only 47% of the workers said they would even consider working overtime in order to impress their managers. Fewer than 30% of those questioned felt that their managers were doing an adequate job of motivating them to do their job well.

So, even though their jobs may be at risk, employees still feel that their managers are unable to manage them properly. The company who ran the survey even suggest that, as the economy worsens, these feelings may grow, rather than diminish.

If the tough economic times have given you cause to become angry and you feel justified in taking that anger out on your employees, I've dug out a great article for you from the very depths of Google that will help you reach the pinnacle of "bad boss-ness."

"The worst boss: Five ways to claim the title" has some great tips for all those wannabe jerks out there. The first, according to author John Grubbs, is to become the "punisher." Basically, whenever someone does anything wrong, seek out a way to humiliate them and punish them for it rather than talking with them and trying to improve things.

Second, and going hand-in-hand with being the "punisher" is to punish everyone in your department even when it's just a few people doing things wrong. This will save you time in having to actually search and find the people causing the problems.

Third, try to lose control. As Grubbs puts it, be a "poor leadership guru." When you are confronted with your lack of control and leadership, try using anger as your first weapon. Make sure you hide your expectations from your employees as well.

Fourth, try to intimidate your department when things go wrong and forget whatever instructions you may have given just that morning. Make yourself as unclear as possible to make sure your employees are frightened and unsure about their jobs.

Fifth, make sure you ignore the employees on your team who are performing poorly. This goes along with punishing everyone for the mistakes of the few. Make sure you reward the poor performers with bonuses and the choice assignments as well.

So, if the economy or life in general has you down, you can achieve success by channeling that negative energy into negative management. Or, you can try to avoid those things and maybe turn the entire path of your department around. The choice is yours.

These days, it seems that many business meetings take place over lunch. But mixing eating and working can be a risky affair that, at the very least, can destroy your diet.

Happily, this article from Men's Fitness Magazine is on hand to help you avoid indigestion and survive your next business eating session.

First, always grab breakfast. This will help you control your appetite come lunch time. You will eat less, rescue your diet, improve your health, and reduce the cost of the meal by ordering something smaller.

Second, check the restaurant menu online before you head out. Most meal mistakes happen when you feel rushed or are not prepared. Do a little "strategizing" and you can get through it.

Third, if you eat a salad you can add bulk to your stomach. This fills you up, but doesn't pile on calories. It can also help you not appear like a ravenous pig when eating your main course.

Fourth, avoid the "liquid calories." This is especially true when you are dealing with alcohol. Nothing adds fat and lowers inhibitions more than booze. If you want to maintain your health plus your mental acuity, try sticking with water.

The most important thing to remember is to keep the business lunch about what it is intended to be about – business. The focus should not be on what you are eating, or what anyone else is eating. By planning ahead, focusing on the situation at hand, you can eat smart and still get work done.

Why are so many employees disenchanted and disillusioned by their jobs? This article by Claris Fernandez on Bizcovering.com suggests that there are four main areas that cause friction between employees and their bosses.

1. Attitude problems. According to Fernandez, "The reasons for a person having an attitude problem are so deep-rooted and complex that you don't want to solve any problem that you encounter." Deal with attitude problems quickly and try to avoid them as much as possible.
2. Communication problems. Somewhere along the way to becoming a manager, it seems like most people lose their ability to speak. Management-speak is filled with strange phrases and euphemisms that most employees have no time for, don't understand and resent.
3. Disagreements. Most managers don't take the time to know the various personalities of the people who report to them. They take a one-attitude approach to everyone, and this doesn't always work with everyone and this leads to arguments. Nothing side-tracks a project like arguing.
4. The doers. These are the go-getters in any department or organization. These are the people who get things done. As a manager, you should identify these people as soon as possible.

Of course, the list of issues that employees complain about goes on a lot longer, but these are some key issues to keep in mind. If you keep these straight, maybe you can manage your people better, become productive, and have a few happy employees reporting to you.

Everyone has experienced or witnessed a meltdown at work. Sometimes the pressures of the job or the day can build and build until something snaps. Of course, if you aren't careful, such an event can lead to someone being fired – something this piece over at CNN.com could help you avoid.

Communication is the most important thing. Far too many companies don't communicate and this only builds pressure, creates paranoia and can lead to meltdowns. If you are feeling pressure, let someone know.

Keep an eye on your workload, because if you are trying to do too much, you are headed for a breakdown. Just because you are overwhelmed does not mean you can't do your job, just that you are human.

Don't forget to give yourself a break. Throughout the day, everyone needs to take a moment to step away from the desk and get away from the stress.

Finally, if you offer help to others, others are more likely to offer help back. If you see a co-worker nearing that point where a meltdown seems inevitable, extend a helping hand. The hand may come back your way on the day your meter is in the red.

Most meltdowns result in tears, or tantrums. If you don't learn to control them, it's possible for them to elevate into violence. So, take the time to control your own emotions, but learn the signs of a nearing meltdown in the people around you.

Taking a few early steps to head off a breakdown can save the office a lot of tension and potential violence.

When you decided it's time to look for a new job, you need to consider a lot of things. You need to think about the company, its financial situation, the work involved, the hours expected, the salary offered and the benefits package.

But perhaps most importantly, you should also find the right boss to work for. The Washington Post has some suggestions on that in their article A< href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/12/AR2006081200369.html">Finding the Right Boss.

The article offers several things to keep in mind during your next interview:

• Are you meeting with the right people? Do you meet with the person you will be reporting directly to? If not, consider this a warning sign.
• Is your boss wiling to discuss himself? You don't have to pepper your boss with questions, but setting him up to discuss how he got where he is can indicate his willingness to share information.
• Is there a positive "vibe" regarding the person who previously held the position? Or did that person quit in anger? The past may have an impact on your future.
• How's your future boss' career? Is he considered a "rising star?" Has he been promoted regularly?
• Watch for non-verbal tips and cues. Did your boss show up to the interview on time? When he or she spoke to you, did they look you in the eye?
• Follow your hunches. Your gut can really be a great barometer. Did you get a good feeling from your boss? Trust those instincts.

Remember, the job interview is as much a chance for you to interview your future supervisor as it is for them to interview you. Don't be afraid to ask questions, do some research and make the right decision.

And final tip from our columnist Bob Selden, whose piece How to select your new boss explores similar territory.

Before you even get to the interview, jot down what your selection criteria are for an effective boss. You should do this in much the same way as you would if you were a manager selecting a new employee.

In most offices, the general rule is that you work twice as hard as the guy sitting next to you. Well, what if you aren't wired that way? What if you just happen to get your work done and want to take a little time to stretch and relax? Hey, what if you just want a normal life?

This piece over at Careerbuilder.com, The Right Way to Slack Off at Work" has some great tips on how to do that without getting into trouble.

First, remember that e-mails can wait. Too many workers get lost in the e-mail maze, with each new e-mail distracting them from tasks at hand. Unless the message is marked as urgent, you can let it sit there for a while.

Second, if you say "no" to someone, you more than likely will not get fired. Be honest about not wanting to participate in a project or letting people know when you are overwhelmed.

Third, avoid "multitasking." These days, it is expected that an employee will be on the phone while typing and e-mail and running a report. This is not how it should be and doing work this way only adds to stress.

Fourth, take breaks and, fifth, don't eat lunch at your desk. Take time away from work so that you can give your batteries time to recharge.

Finally, schedule some "me" time. If you have a calendar, open it up and block out some time to get away from work and then turn off your cell phone and don't check your e-mail from wherever you decide to get away.

Being a "slacker" doesn't really have to be a bad thing. You can keep you sanity and health without getting into trouble for not doing your work. If you work smart, you can work sane and healthy.

If you want a rumor to spread faster than you've ever seen, you need only whisper it within an office. Sometimes it makes you wonder if you're still in high school.

The first thing you're likely to come up against at work that will remind you of school are the bullies. Yes, the same kind of people shoving others into lockers and stealing their lunch money, are now the same people you might be working beside. They will dismiss your ideas or berate you in a company meeting.

Second, you will need to learn how to dodge workplace gossip. Just like the gossip that spread from locker to locker, a farm of cubicles is the perfect "firetrap" for rumors.

Third, you will need to make friends just like you had to that first day in high school. However, as scary as this still is, forming relationships is key to keeping you sane in a crazy working environment.

Fourth, you may need to find a mentor. Just like that teacher who taught you as much about life as shop, finding someone who has been through the ringer at the company can help you learn from their mistakes.

Finally, and fifth, you may need to participate in extracurricular activities. In the work place this means taking the time to get out of your house and not taking work home with you every night can be very important just like sports was in high school.

Keeping these things in your mind as you enter the new office environment may actually provide a comfort for you. You survived it once, and you can do it again with a higher salary.

There is one relatively simple thing that every manager can do for employees but so few do, and that's give feedback. Normally the excuse is that they are too busy, but some studies suggest that they are just plain uncomfortable about doing so.

While their direct-reports want it, most bosses are too squeamish to sit down and discuss an employee's performance face-to-face. The importance of this is discussed in this excellent article over at CIO.com

According to author Esther Derby, "Feedback—when it's done well—can improve results and strengthen working relationships. When it helps people see their blind spots and understand the impact of their behavior, feedback can change the trajectory of a career."

Some managers claim that, in addition to being uncomfortable with the concept, that their attempts to give feedback often go astray. Derby states that managers report stories of "mysterious hints, vague announcements, arguments, blame and humiliation."

Derby's article goes into great length explaining the reasons why giving feedback is not only something employees want, but is crucial to a well-run department, company and office. She also explains exactly what feedback is, and that giving it needn't be so terrifying and time-consuming.

In short, one very simple way to improve the way your employees work for you, is to talk to them about the work they've already done.

Giving feedback is not just something to do when raise time comes, but something valuable throughout the year. Keep it in mind, and you may see improvements within your company sooner than you think.

There seems to be a never-ending list of complaints that employees have about their jobs. However, author Patrick Lencioni has written a book entitled "Three Signs of a Miserable Job" and he discusses what those signs are and what it all means in an interview posted at Nationwidespeakers.com.

According to Lencioni, he decided to write this book after witnessing his own father trudging off to a job he hated day-after-day-after-day. It was then that he realized that, although people spend most of their lives at their respective jobs, most of them are also miserable.

He adds that a miserable job is not just a "bad" job, as that is subjective, but a job that "drains [workers] of the energy, their enthusiasm and their self-esteem."

What are the signs? The first is anonymity which comes when an employee gets the feeling that their manager does not care about them and tries to ignore them. The second is irrelevance which comes when a worker can't see why his or her job is important to the company or where they belong in the scheme of things. Finally, there is "immeasurement" which, according to Lencioni, "is the inability of employees to assess for themselves their contribution or success."

Lencioni states that most managers these days just don't even attempt to take an interest in their employee's lives. By taking the time to do this, managers can do a lot to alleviate those three signs and feelings, and do a lot to help employees feel like sticking around for the long haul.

With the economy as bad as it is in the United States and despite a rising unemployment rate, there are still plenty of people who feel their boss is so bad they have to leave their current job.

According to the SearchCIO-Midmarket.com salary survey (noting like bit of brevity, eh fellas), fully 30% of CIOs and IT managers left their previous jobs because they were dissatisfied with their managers - a far higher proportion than left because of a merger or downsizing.

This goes against many industry experts who argued that the current downturn meant people would stay with their current job however poor their boss.

According to an executive recruiter interviewed for the article, "regardless of the economic period, people still demand job satisfaction." She also added that they are unwilling to settle for anything below their own standard for that satisfaction.

And why should they?

So, if you think that the downturn in the economy has given you license, as a manager, to be as mean or un-complimentary as possible to your employees, you might want to think again. Your behavior toward your people has a much bigger influence on their willingness to stay than whatever level the dollar may be at.

Take the time to keep your people happy, even when things are tough, and you may benefit more than you realize.

Enough fun, that is. Leave it to the folks in the UK to turn bringing humor into a delightful and interesting-looking website. The Fun at Work Company is loaded with all kinds of things a manager and employee can do to bring some funny into the working environment without also offending everyone.

So, if things are looking too serious at your office and you're dying to find a way to lighten it up, but maybe you are funny-bone deprived, this would be a great place to start.

There is an entire list of "Fun Stuff to Hire." These are things you can rent, for a day or so, and bring into your office to lightening things up. Want a pool table in that conference room for a pool tournament? You can rent it. How about some drums for people to pound out their frustrations? You can find that here too.

There is a section for big "wow" thing to bring into your office. How about a huge message projected onto the side of your office building? What about arranging for your employees to arrive at work and find barriers, a red carpet, the paparazzi, and fans to give them the true red carpet treatment?

If your group likes physical stuff, then there are events that can appeal to them here too. Rock climbing? It's there.

The site also contains a huge list of jokes and gags that you can play on co-workers and employees without offending them or embarrassing anyone too much. You can buy fun things to give your employees to show your sense of humor and try to liven things up around the work place. You can arrange themed events and getaways and, well, the list is endless.

So, don't think that you have to come up with the office humor and morale-building all alone. There are folks to help you. Check it out and then do what you can to bring a smile to your employee's faces. They'll thank you for it, and they'll work harder.