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Building the (workplace) ties that bind

Consultant Pontish Yeramyan on how you can make your workers more productive by opening up a little and letting them see the real you.

Interview by Beth Kowitt, writer-reporter

Creating connections with employees might sound a little too mushy for most bosses. But don't dismiss the idea just yet. Bonding with your workers doesn't just mean a healthier office environment, it also leads to better results, says Pontish Yeramyan, founder and CEO MORE

Are your best references wrecking your job prospects?

If you want to be a boss, rather than painting you as someone who plays well with others, your references would help you more by saying that you excel at speaking assertively, influencing others, and initiating new projects.

Let's say you've asked a former colleague or boss you know is a fan of yours for a letter of recommendation. This person describes you with words like "kind," "helpful," "tactful," or "agreeable."

And MORE

Biz school grads: Overeducated and underfunded?

An estimated 20% of business school grads are not making payments on their student loans, according to government data. And biz school grads are the best among the lot. Are we fast becoming a nation of over-educated debtors?

By Anne VanderMey, reporter

For the average American, higher education in recent years has become increasingly unaffordable. Now, with the economy in the tank, student loan default rates on the rise and the cost MORE

A new way to shape the people you'll be hiring in 2014 (or sooner)

When Ashkon Jafari was in college (starting at age 16), "I had no one to turn to for advice and felt lost," he says.

Then he snagged an internship where he lucked into meeting a boss he now describes as "an outstanding mentor," who helped him choose the right courses and find his first real job.

The experience proved so valuable that it inspired StudentMentor.org, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit Jafari launched last MORE

Wharton's interview question leak raises ethical issues

Several MBA admissions consultants recently gained access to Wharton's updated interview questions, a stark reminder that the business schools admissions process is not a level playing field.

By John A. Byrne, contributor

Several prominent MBA admissions consultants, with access to inside information on the web, are coaching their clients for forthcoming applicant interviews with the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, Poets&Quants has learned.

What makes the practice especially noteworthy is that MORE

How to be a better global manager

Success in foreign markets demands that you understand differences between cultures, Fortune's Anne Fisher writes in her July 9 column. Have you ever had to get over a cultural hurdle with a boss or coworker? How did you do it? In your experience, are cultural issues becoming more prevalent in the workplace even for managers and employees who never leave the U.S.?

Trading a white collar for blue

Many cubicle dwellers are finding new life in skilled trades, writes Fortune's Anne Fisher in her June 19 Ask Annie column. If you're thinking of changing careers, would you consider learning a skilled trade? Why or why not? If you're currently working in a field that required technical training instead of college, what do you like (and dislike) about it? Hiring managers, what job skills are most difficult to find MORE

Keep the job-search blues at bay

The number of "discouraged workers" -- those who have not actively looked for work in the past four weeks, primarily because they believe no jobs are available for them -- shot up 70% between the first quarter of 2008 and 2009, writes Fortune's Anne Fisher in her June 4 Ask Annie column.

Have you or a loved one endured a long, discouraging job hunt? What have you found to keep MORE

Don't let ID thieves hijack your job hunt

As if looking for work weren't tough enough in this economy, here's one more thing to keep in mind: Every three seconds, someone's identity is stolen, writes Fortune's Anne Fisher in her May 18 Ask Annie column. And ID thieves often prey on job hunters, she writes.

Have you ever applied for a job that turned out to be a scam? Has anyone ever attempted to use information you revealed MORE

When e-mail comes back to haunt you

"Employees are often genuinely shocked when a casual e-mail comes back to haunt them, especially as evidence in a lawsuit," says Andrea Bernard, a partner in employment law and litigation at Warner Norcross & Judd in Grand Rapids, Mich. To avoid problems, it's helpful for companies to have a written e-mail policy, writes Anne Fisher in her May 8 Ask Annie column. Does your company have a formal, written e-mail MORE