The One Thing That Will Improve Your Résumé

You want to focus on the words most likely to be used by either a HR administrator, hiring manager or recruiter. They search résumés by keywords. The greater number of relevant keywords you can include, the higher relevancy score your résumé will be given.

Don't shy away from asking for a raise

"See if you can get your manager to say a number first, because that will become the minimum. If you said the exact same number, it would have become the maximum."

Career resolutions, good and bad

The same thinking applies to making career resolutions. While it's good to set goals, not all career resolutions are created equal. Some will help you get what you want, while others will leave you frustrated, complacent or not where you thought you'd be in your career.

The person holding you back at work is ... you

If you feel stuck or trapped, it could be because you're over- or undershooting your target. When you set goals that are not realistic, it's easy to become discouraged and give up. On the flip side, setting goals that are too easily achieved can leave you with the sense that there's nothing left to do.

How to create a career path

"A career plan -- whether it's 5 to 10 years down the road -- helps you take a long, thoughtful view of your working life. You'll be able to look at things in terms of what's best vs. what's speediest, what's meaningful vs. what's easy," Garfinkle says.

What you can learn from not getting the job

Getting rejected is devastating and unnerving, and it's easy to obsess over what went wrong. Was the interview bad? Was the position filled internally? Instead of wallowing in self-doubt, take the opportunity to conduct an honest assessment. Don't be afraid to follow up and ask why you weren't the right fit. If you don't ask, you'll never know.

Quiz: Do you know when to rephrase your résumé?

Sometimes a résumé was once good, but now it's stale. Sometimes it was never that good to begin with. Either way, how do you know if it's time to rephrase your résumé?

Career lessons from the recession

look for opportunities to pay it forward. Let members of your network know of job leads you uncover and express your willingness to serve as a referral. Helping others will keep your network strong and increase the likelihood that your contacts will offer assistance the next time you're in need

8 important tips for Skype interviews

Just because your laptop has a built-in video camera and microphone doesn't mean the quality is up to par. Instead, test out the video and audio capabilities on your computer and decide whether you need to buy a headset with a microphone or an attachable video camera. Before the interview, some companies may send their own video devices to applicants.