One option is to get a raise. Yes, you really can get a raise nowadays as long as one is warranted. To this end, Free Money Finance lists five steps you should take to demonstrate you deserve a raise as follows:

1. Determine the expectations for your position.
2. Work to overperform.
3. Document your success.
4. Show you're underpaid too.
5. Have a great attitude.

They note that while all five all of these steps will help you get a raise, the one vital criteria is overperforming. Even in tough economic times, those that do more than expected are strong candidates for raises either at their own companies or similar ones. On the other hand, if you're just meeting company expectations it's very hard to justify a raise even in fair economic conditions, and it's almost impossible to do so these days.

And even if your company can't (or won't) give you a raise due to "economic conditions", following these steps will certainly increase your job security and put you first in line when raises resume.

How to Demonstrate that You Deserve a Raise [Free Money Finance]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: Getty)

ID thieves using voter registration scams [Bankrate] "Identity thieves are capitalizing on the excitement of this presidential election by running phishing scams with a voter-registration twist."

6 Ways to Get your Toiletries for Cheap or Even Free! [Wise Bread] "If you don't mind getting a bit creative with your methods, you can pay much less (even nothing) for your bath and body treats, too!"

Seven important birthdays affecting retirement [Vanguard] "Sixty-five isn't the only important birthday when it comes to retirement."

Top 5 Things My Bad Jobs Taught Me [The Monster Blog] "Here are the top five lessons I've learned from jobs that were not a good fit."

How To Get a Better Salary After Years of Low Pay [The Wall Street Journal] "How can I be honest about my current salary but also command the salary I deserve at a new company?"

3 things you shouldn't charge [MSN Money] "Sometimes you can't avoid pulling out the plastic when you're strapped. But before you do so in these cases, consider your options for fending off financial disaster."

8 Ways to Manage Office Politics [Yahoo Hotjobs] "Practicing these eight tips will help you navigate your way through tricky political waters."

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: donbuciak)

What to do if your broker fails [CNN Money] "There is a system in place to protect your portfolio - at least a good chunk of it."

Party Peer Pressure, and Why You Shouldn't Succumb to It [New York Times] "It is not the amount of money spent that makes an event fun."

Lending to a friend? Look out [MSN Money] "A close buddy or a loved one asks you for money and swears he'll pay you back. Yeah, right. There are ways you can help, but first cover your own caboose."

Ten Ways to Protect Your Finances From the Crisis [The Wall Street Journal] "As the country's financial system teeters on the brink of disaster, you need a game plan to minimize the damage."

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: donbuciak)

Tips for Getting into a Top Business School [Yahoo Hotjobs] ""The chance of getting into a top business school is 10% to 15%. If you make good choices during the application process, you can up it to 80%."

12 ways your home can be a cash cow [MSN Money] "With home studios, room rentals, pet care and 9 other kinds of enterprises, you can make money from home while cutting your taxes."

12 money-management tips for college students [Bankrate] "Here are a dozen tips to help you manage your money so the last two months of the semester aren't spent munching stale potato chips in the dorm room or scanning the sidewalks for dropped change."

A Simple System To Keep Financial Records [The Digerati Life] "Tired of your old shoebox? Here's a simple system to keep financial records in order."

— FREE MONEY FINANCE
(Photo: darabidduckie)

7 reasons to review term life coverage [Bankrate] "There are several life events that may modify your need for term life insurance coverage."

Seven Tips for the Newly Unemployed [Wise Bread] "Here are some tips that could be helpful for those [facing unemployment]."

Four Habits of Financially Peaceful People [Yahoo Finance] "Some people who have found financial peace — and the habits they share."

4 Ways to Save on College Textbooks [Smart Money] "Here are some other ways students can save [on textbooks]."

— FREE MONEY FINANCE
(Photo: balotto)

But taking that line of thinking one step backwards, CNN Money suggests that your health is actually your most important financial asset. Why? Because if you're not in good health, your career is either worthless or likely very limited! So Money suggests six ways to protect your finances by protecting your health. Their list:

• Spot problems early - Make sure you get the tests recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• Pop your pills - Compared with treating disease, medication is an inexpensive lifesaver.
• Don't miss this drug - Aspirin can seriously reduce a man's chances of heart attack and a woman's chances of stroke.
• Floss - A recent study in the Journal of Periodontology found that patients ages 40 to 59 with severe gum disease had cumulative healthcare costs 21% higher than those who had healthy gums.
• Get more Z's - An insomniac's health-care costs can be $4,200 more than those of someone who sleeps well.
• Go for a walk - Just 30 minutes a day [of moderate exercise] can lower your risk of cancer, stroke, diabetes and a host of other ills.

Live a longer, happier life and contribute to your bottomline at the same time. Sounds like a great deal, doesn't it? Now, who's up for a quick walk around the block?

6 investments in your health [CNN Money]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE
(Illustration: Getty)

Buying a Refurbished Computer [Smart Money] "Here's how to make sure the refurbished computer you buy doesn't turn out to be a lemon."

Your Essential Emergency Kit [Kiplinger] "These nine steps will protect your family and finances against disaster, whether natural or personal."

Savings yardstick [MarketWatch] "How to tell if your 401(k) is living up to the best standards."

Ivy Leaguers' Big Edge: Starting Pay [Wall Street Journal] "Where people go to college can make a big difference in starting pay, and that difference is largely sustained into midcareer"

— FREE MONEY FINANCE
(Photo: balmes)

Jobless Rate Climbs to 5.7% as 51,000 Jobs Lost in July [NYT] (Photo: Getty)

Forbes' Top 10 Recession-Proof Jobs:

1. Sales Representative
2. Software Design and Development
3. Nursing
4. Accounting Executive
5. Accounting Staff
6. Networking and Systems Administration
7. Administrative Assistant
8. Business Analysis, Software Implementation
9. Business Analysis, Research
10. Finance Staff

Recession-Proof Jobs [Forbes]
(Photo: moxythecat )

1. Employer e-mails are rife with grammatical and spelling errors
2. E-mails purporting to be from job posting Web sites claiming there’s a problem with a job hunter’s account
3. An employer asks for extensive personal information such as social security or bank account numbers
4. An employer offers the opportunity to become rich without leaving home
5. An employer asks for money upfront
6. The salary and benefits offered seem too-good-to-be-true
7. The job requires the employee to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram

Most of these are common sense, yet, somehow, they still keep working on people desperate for work.

Look for Seven Red Flags when Searching for Jobs Online [BBB]

(Photo: Getty)

#1: Build it before you need it
#2: You must make a deposit before you have the right to withdraw
#3: Give more than you receive
#4: Be open and genuine
#5: Follow up and stay in touch
#6: The devil is in the details
#7: Your network doesn't end with your contact

Using these principles, the writer had two job offers within a week of being fired. Within two weeks he had settled on one of them — ending up with a promotion from a better company despite the hard economic times.

His take: developing a solid network offers wonderful job security.

What's your take?

Network Your Way to Job Security [Get Rich Slowly]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE

“Timing is everything in business,” says Lorenzo, author of Career Intensity: Business Strategy for Workplace Warriors and Entrepreneurs. If the company and industry are doing poorly, it may not be the best time to ask for more money. But if business is booming, especially if you’ve played a key role in the company’s success, make your move. Special opportunities can provide a natural springboard for a raise: after you’ve received an award, saved significant money for the firm, or agreed to take on additional responsibility. Finally, consider the corporate calendar; you may get better results if you ask while the next year’s budget is being developed.

One major point to make — the key to asking for a raise is noted in the first sentence: you must deserve it. Otherwise, all the asking/begging/pleading in the world will likely fall on deaf ears. Check the blog post for more steps to asking for a raise and details on each one.

How to Ask for a Raise [Free Money Finance]

(Photo: Getty)

8. "And another thing I hate..."
Rants are appropriate for your best friend or your blog, but not interviews. You don't want to come across as a whiner.

7. "As Lady Macbeth so eloquently put it..."
Such statements could make your answers seem scripted, and if your pretentious reference flies over the head of your interviewer, you've just scored -1.

6. "Are you an active member in your church?"
If you are trying to make small-talk, you should avoid topics that may be controversial.

5. "How long until I get a promotion?"
Even though you may be goal oriented, such a question may come off as if you feel entitled or special. Try a more tactful way to get this information.

4. "I'm going to need to take these days off."
If you say this too early in the interview process it may appear as though you are assuming you got the job.

3. "No, I don't have any questions for you."
This could indicate that you lack interest. Even if you have all the information you need, you should try to ask a few serious questions.

2. "I don't know anything about the company."
This might make your interviewer think you are too lazy to use Google.

1. "I hated my last boss."
There is a fine line between honest person and trash-talker. Be careful how strongly you criticize your last employer.

8 worst things to say in an interview [CNN]

Some of our favorite financial blogs have written articles justifying their departures from their normal jobs in favor of writing online. Although not everyone can blog (it's like, really hard), their advice is useful for those considering a different career, especially one that involves working from home. Trent at The Simple Dollar claims quitting his job has saved him $8,000 a year in gas, food, and daycare costs, among others.

Get Rich Slowly discusses the concept of "mini-retirements": a period of several months or a year living somewhere else, doing something else. Get Rich Slowly interviews Tim Ferriss, author of "The 4-Hour Workweek," for more information.

Going back to school during a period of economic downturn is a common suggestion, but if you want to make yourself more marketable without taking out more loans or spending money on classes, consider other ways of investing in yourself. Web Worker Daily advises readers to build their online persona; a strong online presence, created through a personal website or other means, "is one of the best ways to attract new job and business opportunities your way."

Unemployment is also a good opportunity to begin exploring and building alternative income streams—sources of income other than a paycheck from your job. Moolanomy lists over forty ideas and links to other lists for those looking to supplement, or replace, their employment income.

(Photo: Getty)

1. Gaming supervisors — $20.38/ hour*
Gaming supervisors watch over assigned areas in casinos and gaming facilities to make sure that all gaming stations are covered and gamblers are following the rules.

Annual salary: $42,390*
Growth through 2016: 23 percent
Industry: Personal care and services

2. Health educators — $21.81/hour
Health educators encourage people and communities to live healthy lifestyles by teaching them about healthy behaviors and how to prevent diseases.

Annual salary: $45,370
Growth through 2016: 26 percent
Industry: Community and social services

3. Subway and streetcar operators — $22.20/hour
Subway and streetcar operators control or drive trains, electric-powered streetcars, trolleys or light-rails that transport passengers through cities, suburbs and metropolitan areas.

Annual salary: $46,180
Growth through 2016: 12 percent
Industry: Transportation and materials moving

4. Respiratory therapists — $23.37/hour
Respiratory therapists practice under a physician's supervision to treat patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders.

Annual salary: $48,610
Growth through 2016: 23 percent
Industry: Health care practitioner and technicians

5. Curators — $24.03/hour
Curators manage museums, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, nature centers and historic sites. They direct collections storage and exhibitions, including negotiating and authorizing the purchase, sale, exchange or loan of collections.

Annual salary: $49,980
Growth through 2016: 23 percent
Industry: Education, training and library occupations

6. Cartographers and photogrammetrists — $25.29/hour
Cartographers and photogrammetrists analyze and map geographic data provided by surveys, satellite information and photographs.

Annual salary: $52,600
Growth through 2016: 20 percent
Industry: Architecture and engineering

7. Multimedia artists and animators — $27.90/hour
Multimedia artists and animators create special effects, animation or other visual images seen in movies, television programs and computer games.

Annual salary: $58,030
Growth through 2016: 26 percent
Industry: Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media

8. Arbitrators, mediators and reconcilers — $28.27/hour
Arbitrators, mediators and reconcilers decide or recommend resolutions, penalties and liabilities on claims regarding legal matters.

Annual salary: $58,790
Growth through 2016: 11 percent
Industry: Legal

9. Urban and regional planners - $28.33/hour
Urban and regional planners develop plans and programs for land use and physical facilities in towns, cities, counties and metropolitan areas.

Annual salary: $58,940
Growth through 2016: 15 percent
Industry: Life, physical and social sciences

10. Loan officers — $29.77/hour
Loan officers approve various types of credit loans and advise borrowers on financial status and methods of payments.

Annual salary: $61,930
Growth through 2016: 11 percent
Industry: Business and financial operations

*All wages and salaries are mean averages provided by the BLS

For even more $20 an hour jobs check out CNN Money's full article.

Ten jobs that pay $20 an hour [CNN Money]
(Photo: Getty)

The position requires installation and removal of "strategic and tactical data intercept equipment on a nation-wide basis to meet Comcast and Government lawful intercept needs." The intercept engineer also "performs diagnosis on data, voice, and video services to detect and respond to fraudulent activity such as theft of service and speed enhancement." Only Comcast would prosecute enhanced performance.

Comcast Is Hiring an Internet Snoop for the Feds [Wired]
Job Listing [BrassRing]
(Photo: Getty) (Thanks to Jeff!)

* A sabbatical is a one-time event. Mini-retirements are meant to recur throughout a lifetime.
* A vacation is short, and often involves a tourist lifestyle with little immersion in a new way of life. A mini-retirement is long (one to six months), and allows one to fully participate in his new environment.

The first question that pops up in most people's minds when considering such an issue is "how would I be able to afford it?" Ferriss actually claims that taking mini-retirements improves your finances:

"I think one assumption that [you're making] is that you spend and not save money on a mini-retirement. Let me offer a personal example. The personal stories in the book are mostly from experiences I had between 2004 and early 2006, traveling around the world for about 18 months. During the first twelve month period of time, I actually saved $32,000 when compared to sitting on my couch watching The Simpsons in my apartment in the Bay Area.

So if I saved $32,000 by taking a mini-retirement to Panama or to Argentina or to Thailand, and I do that once a year, that's an additional $32,000 that I can invest into a 401(k) or a Roth IRA or a profit-sharing plan...You end up at break-even, but had a mini-retirement to Thailand and you have an additional $32,000."

Lots to consider. Is the definition of retirement changing? If so, is it moving towards what Ferriss suggests or the (more likely) delay of traditional retirement due to rising healthcare costs? And what about the concept of taking more time off during your work years while you're young and can enjoy it? Sounds like a good idea, but can doing so be a break-even proposition financially or can you (almost unbelievably) actually earn/save more while taking mini-retirements? What's your take on the issues?

How to Take a Mini-Retirement: Tips and Tricks from Timothy Ferriss [Get Rich Slowly]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE

(Photo: saramarie)

Here's another idea to add to the list of how to make more money: start working the night shift. Yep, simply by changing work time from 8 am to 5 pm to evening hours, you can add a significant amount of money to your annual income:

"Most industries offer a financial premium for employees who work into the wee hours of the morning. Pharmacists, police officers and Postal Service mail sorters make up to 10% more overnight, according to Payscale.com. Some TV and radio news writers earn 15% more, and nannies can earn a 20% premium."

Other professions that earn more at night include nurses, truck drivers, bartenders, and waitresses.

And making more money isn't the only benefit of nocturnal work:

"There are other intangibles, such as greater autonomy, fewer meetings (all the higher-ups are sleeping) and the likelihood of getting promoted sooner, because there are fewer people to compete against."

Of course it takes a special person with a flexible family situation to work at night, so it's not for everyone. An alternative: supplement your income just a bit by volunteering to work when regular nighttime employees need time off.

Want more pay? Get a night job [MSN Money]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE

(Photo: morsteen)

• Love The Consumerist.
• Can commit 1-3 hours every other weekday, without fail.
• Enjoy asking strangers for followup information.
• Are adept at sniffing out the one good needle in a pile of haystacks.
• Are a Gmail master.
• Live for labeling.
• Rock Gmail macros.

We're also looking to rotate in a new comments moderator. An ideal candidate :

• Loves The Consumerist.
• Is already active in the comments section.
• Is slow to anger.
• Can facilitate group discussions.
• Is frequently online.
• If playing Dungeons & Dragons, character would be "Neutral Good"

Send 2-3 paragraphs on why you want the job to jobline@consumerist.com. No resumes or attachments, they will be deleted unread.

(Photo: Getty)

Taco Bell Training Illustration: Not Fit for Public Consumption [ANIMAL]

Now Trunk isn't saying that it's fair that better looking people are treated better, she's just recognizing the fact that they do get some breaks which helps them earn more.

So what if you're not as good-looking as you'd like to be? Or maybe you'd like to give your career a little boost? Trunk suggests that plastic surgery is not only a good option, but that eventually it will become a rather common practice — something many people will do to help out their careers:

We don't flinch when we hear that Cameron Diaz got a nose job or Brad Pitt had his ears pinned. It seems like a reasonable thing to do given their profession. And look at Chelsea Clinton. She did a few changes just as she hit the adult world as a consultant at McKinsey. She's not an idiot, and she certainly does not seem obsessed by her appearance. But she realized that she was not great looking, and the plastic surgery seems to have made some improvements.

And just ten years ago, I remember talking with my friends about how gross Botox is. But my friend Sharon, who is a hairstylist in Los Angeles, says that the majority of her clients—who range from normal housewives to corporate lawyers—have had some sort of Botox injection. She says it's so mainstream in Los Angeles that it's almost a statement if you don't have it.

So my prediction is that soon we will all capitulate to the undeniable evidence that we have more opportunity in life if we are better looking, and it's relatively easy to buy good looks. So we will. It will be something everyone does as they graduate from college, and not just the most rich and privileged kids. Plastic surgery will be for the go-getters and career-minded. Just you wait and see.

This week, things are are looking up. Hager, a Jersey City, N.J., resident, went on one interview for a fraud investigator job at a mortgage insurance company and another for a position underwriting employee dishonesty insurance. Executives at the latter told him they'd make a decision within 10 days.

He doesn't know what next week will bring.

"It's always flowed for me," said Hager, 29, who discovered his love of math and finance in high school in Proctorville, Ohio, about three hours southeast of Columbus. "I've always had a job and every time I changed jobs, it was for advancement. Now, it's like 'What do I do with myself because I can't wait for that next step.' "

Hager has joined nearly 125,000 others on Wall Street and at mortgage firms and other financial companies who received pink slips since the start of 2007. It seems that nearly every week another financial firm lets go of thousands of workers at all levels. With the market flooded, it's hard for the unemployed to land a job, experts said.

10 resumes a day, no takers [CNNMoney] (Thanks, Matthew!)

"We're having trouble finding the numbers that we need with the skills that are required to do these jobs," AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson told a business group in San Antonio, where the company's headquarters is located.

So far, only around 1,400 jobs have been returned to the United States of 5,000, a target it set in 2006, the company said, adding that it maintains the target.

Stephenson said he is especially distressed that in some U.S. communities and among certain groups, the high school dropout rate is as high as 50 percent.

"If I had a business that half the product we turned out was defective or you couldn't put into the marketplace, I would shut that business down," he said.

Gone are the days when AT&T and other U.S. companies had to hire locally, he said.

"We're able to do new product engineering in Bangalore as easily as we're able to do it in Austin, Texas," he said, referring to the Indian city where many international companies have "outsourced" technical and customer support workers.

"I know you don't like hearing that, but that's the way it is," he said.

AT&T CEO says hard to find skilled U.S. workers [Yahoo!] (Thanks, Cannon!)

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I got scammed. I fell for a slick sales pitch from Allen and Associates (A&A) [http://www.allenandassociates.com] a wholly owned subsidiary of Workstream Inc. I consider myself a savvy consumer. I know about all the info you can find online now, but I was taken in by their professional web site and their association with a large, reputable company like Workstream Inc.

In August of 2007, I received a phone call from Laurie Griffin, an Executive Career Consultant with A&A . She had "received" my resume and wanted to talk to me about their services. She gave me some background on A&A, they usually work with companies downsizing their workforce to help find new positions for professionals that are being downsized. They occasionally work with professionals as individuals, as in my case. They don't charge individuals the normal fee they charge corporations. They only charge for A&A's "out of pocket" expenses, because (she claimed) they wanted to use those individuals as business contacts for future placements. She stated they have business contacts in thousands of companies nationally because of their past placements. They offered to put my "information" in front of those contacts as part of their "targeted marketing campaign", again at a cost of only their "out of pocket" expenses. The total cost of this campaign would be $3100. There was a lot of talk about how those contacts were able to hire, even when there were no posted job openings. To sweeten the deal, they offered easy financing through GE Money Bank with no payments due for six month and a quick online application. They even offered to help negotiate a signing bonus with any new job offer to cover that expense. She also stated we would need to hurry, because companies usually didn't do any new hiring over the holidays, so we'd need to finish before October. Based on her sales pitch, I entered into a services contract with A&A.

A&A asked for me to complete some online forms and provide a current resume, so they could provide me with a new, professional resume. I was passed to a flunky, Conan Jackson, to get through the resume rewrite. Then I was asked to choose a primary city and secondary cities where I wanted to find work. Once I had chosen, I was given a list of all companies doing business in those cities and asked to pick 100 businesses in the primary and 100 from the secondaries. There was no information about what type of jobs were available in each company, just the general market they occupied. I came up with fewer than 100 for each, and the flunky told me "that is OK, they could just do a double mailing to make the total of 200"! This is when I started to doubt the quality of service I was receiving. A&A created a cover letter, which they call a "broadcast sheet" and mailed it to people in each of the companies I'd chosen.

I didn't get many responses from this mailing, but the few I did get indicated that A&A's definition of targeted was different than the dictionary definition. The first response was from a Finance Department manager who was wondering why he had received the cover letter from me. His department was staffed solely with CPA's and I was neither a CPA nor did I have any financial experience. Since both Ms. Griffin and Mr. Jackson had told me that A&A would pre-contact each of their contacts within these "targeted" companies to verify that they were still in a position to hire, I was a little baffled. The finance manager stated he hadn't been contacted by A&A prior to receiving my cover letter and he had no relationship with A&A. Another of my targeted letters went to the Dean of a local university, again I'm not an academic. I know the Dean did not get his job placement through A&A.

When I expressed my concerns about this failure on A&A's service to Ms. Griffin she blew it off and told me it would all "work out". That's when I received the materials on how they would get me inside these companies, past the HR gatekeepers. They provide training/consulting/whatever on cold call sales techniques, using your recently mailed "broadcast sheet" as a ruse to get these contacts on the phone and sell yourself. It turns out that is the bulk of what they are really selling.

When it became clear that they weren't really providing a "targeted marketing" campaign but a sales scam, I asked that they cease any further work on my behalf, bill me for their current out of pocket expenses and refund the balance of my payment. Ms. Griffin tried to prevent me from doing this. When I remained firm, I was passed off to Kari Slade, Director of Client Relations at A&A. Ms. Slade stated that I would be billed the full amount, despite not using many of the services included the contract (the hours of sales consulting) and not receiving the services promised by Ms. Griffin. No amount of reasoning with Ms. Slade could dent her insistence that I had no recourse but to pay in full. The lies by her salespeople were of no interest to her.

I tried disputing the charges with GE Money Bank, but they claimed they couldn't help. I tried your executive email carpet bomb at both A&A and Workstream, but got nowhere (at least one email ended up forwarded to Ms. Slade, who promptly emailed me that I was wasting my time, they wouldn't do anything for me). I was able to contact a Ms. Simpson in the HR department at Workstream when I was attempting to find the Workstream Corporate Ethics Officer. She listened to my story, seemed genuinely concerned that sales staff would be dishonest with clients and that the Director of Client Relations was not interested in actual clients. Days later she sent me a formal email with the A&A party line that I had signed a binding contract and had no recourse but to pay in full. My allegations of "fraudulent behavior" by their sales staff could not be substantiated and any further communication should be directed to Ms. Slade.

A quick google search on the terms "allen and associates" and "sucks" reveals several stories like mine, going back as far as 1995 (if only I had done that search first). So, they've been at this for a long time. But, I hope you put this up on your site and that it keeps anyone else from falling for this scam.

And Jeff, if they didn't honor the contract you signed, you may want to see whether you can take them to small claims court to get reimbursed for the unused amount.

RELATED
"Report: Allen And Associates" [Rip Off Reports]
"Career Marketing & Outplacement" [Metafilter]
"Subject: Allen & Associates" [All Experts]

Work harder. Act the way you did when you were gunning for a promotion, says Lantern's Mr. Morgan. "Companies are less likely to get rid of star performers."

Network now. Don't wait until you need help finding a job, says Debra Feldman, a job-search consultant in Greenwich, Conn. Make a special effort to reconnect in a meaningful way with past bosses, former colleagues, academic advisers and other potential advocates. Reaching out to them only in times of distress can be a turnoff, she says. Also, make sure to offer yourself as a resource to your contacts as well. The gesture will provide an incentive for them to reciprocate.

(Photo: Getty)

• You must pay an application fee.
• You must be certified, likely by the company.
• You have to buy a list. You're asked for lots of personal information.
• They contact you because of a resume you posted on a job Web site.
• You're guaranteed that you will get jobs.
• You're told you get to keep thousands of dollars in merchandise.
• You're promised that it will take only a few minutes a day.
• You are promised that you'll earn thousands in your spare time (or even a more modest $30 an hour).
• The company is based outside the U.S.
• You will have to handle lots of money.
• They're not in the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.

RELATED
Mystery Shopping Providers Association
(Photo: ninjapoodles, who is a regular Consumerist reader, so please don't call her kid a "creepy looking woman")

California was the hardest hit:

California, where dozens of mortgage lenders are based, was the state hit hardest by the downturn. Nearly 16,000 mortgage jobs were cut in California in 2007. California was home to one of the nation's largest subprime lenders, New Century Financial Corp., before it filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2007. New Century's closing led to 5,200 lost jobs.

Nearly 90,000 mortgage jobs eliminated [CNNMoney]
(AP Photo/Paul Salkuma)

Job growth areas

• Retailers Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney, and CVS Caremark, all positions. (Hey, we didn't say this would be a glamorous or inspiring list.)
• UPS, which "has needs for engineers, computer science and economics experts."
• Executives? — MarketWatch says as current executives reach retirement age, they may be vacating their positions. We doubt that somewhat.
• Bankruptcy lawyers
• Health care professionals, especially nurses, physical therapists and pharmacists
• "Opportunities also will abound in energy, both among the traditional oil, gas and nuclear power sector and in development of 'green' technology and alternative energy sources."
• "Professional business services—including compensation and benefits experts, accountants, lawyers and consultants."
• "Security fields ranging from guards to information technology."
• People who speak additional languages or have experience dealing with other cultures

• "Anyone associated with the home-bankers, lenders, construction companies and manufacturers."
• "Financial services, especially the big investment banks, have been especially hurt by the mortgage crisis because many held sub-prime mortgages as assets. The sub-prime woe trickles down to affect law firms, printers and other industries that rely on deal-making conducted at the major banks."
• The manufacturing sector, which tends to be efficient enough to meet higher export demands without adding employees
• "Automakers and related auto-parts suppliers and dealers"

"An application fee is a sure sign that your mystery shopping company is a fraud. What job would ask you to pay an application fee? The answer is none."

In general, you should beware of an "opportunity" requiring anything in the advance payments. And anything that looks too good to be true, like promising lots of money for very little work, is also highly suspect.

12 Signs of a Fraudulent Mystery Shopping Company [Bargainnering]
(Photo: Getty)

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  You rock Gmail and Gmail macros. You feel uncomfortable going to bed with an umemptied inbox. You will help sift out the best stories and tips from the tipline.
• RESEARCH JUNKIE
  You think scouring 100 page message board threads for gold nuggets is fun. An on-call position, this is perfect for people who are on instant-messenger all the time and love dropping everything to go look up stuff.

It turns out employers can actually legally refuse to hire you if they don't like the looks of your credit report.

According to a VISA survey released last week, 80% of Americans are unaware of this.

UPDATE: Maybe they're unaware because the VISA press release is wrong. Experian credit bureau spokeswoman Maxine Sweet told The Detroit News, "We do not score for employment reports...If you chose to do that, I think you would be breaking the law."

Some employers believe that one's credit score is a measure of a prospective employee's honesty and integrity. We wonder what the CEO of Enron's credit score was in October, 2001.

"Credit scores have become the de facto 'GPA' for all aspects of modern life..." said Jason Alderman, director of financial education for Visa USA— a frightening claim, and one that underscores the credit score's overreach beyond what it was designed to measure.

A credit scoreCredit history can indicate that you have your shit together, but does having a lower one really mean you won't be as good at your job?

Americans Unaware That Employers Can Legally Refuse to Hire Job Applicants with Low Credit Scores [VISA via Credit Slips]

Step 1: Assess your situation, review your strengths, and dig in your heels.
Step 2: Explore your options, set goals, and make plans to develop yourself to fit your new career path.
Step 3: Acquire new skills, like by returning to school and/or volunteering.
Step 4: Do something you enjoy.

If you're in an unrewarding, low-paying position, what's stopping you from taking action? Resolve not to become complacent about the situation. Start developing your strategy towards taking the next step in your career.

I Hate My Job — Now What? [Yahoo HotJobs]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE

• The word "taint" will bring out exactly the sort of juvenile responses you hope it will
• Family planning and childcare topics will launch passionate, lengthy, and sometimes offensive comment threads, while not generating a proportionate number of hits
• Everybody loves zombies (over 800 diggs!)
• Getty has some pretty funny stock photos
• People are really interested in loyalty card programs, local movie theaters, and how to save on groceries
• Nobody cares about the Consumer Product Safety Commission
• It's strange to write in first person plural all the time
• China has some quality control issues

My best wishes go out to everyone who reads Consumerist (even you lurkers who don't comment), and I hope you all find great ways to continue saving money while keeping big business on its collective toes.

(Photo: Shannon Clark)

Don't pay fees unless you like giving your money away. There are many financial institutions out there that offer fee-free banking, checking, and investing.

A balanced personal finance life is key. From saving for retirement to spending on lattes, making sure that your concentration and emphasis isn't so focused on one aspect that it causes other aspects to suffer. Saving 90% of your salary for retirement is just as dangerous as spending 90% of your salary today, balance is crucial.

Wake up and start paying attention! The first step to taking responsibility for your financial condition is to figure out what's going on with your money. Once you start tracking your income and spending whether using software designed to help you do so or just a pencil and paper, your choices, good or bad, will be presented too clearly to ignore.

Among the more bizarre gimmicks hiring managers say they've seen: a cut-up resume placed piece by piece inside a Russian stacking doll, a cover letter with an electronic key chain and a note saying, "The only noise you'll hear out of me are the ones generated by this letter," and a case in which a job candidate brought a Rubik's Cube to an interview to demonstrate her quick problem-solving skills.

Ms. Shapiro says a job hunter in a gorilla suit once dropped off his resume at her office at a construction company. Then, she recalls, he burst into a song describing why he would make a strong candidate. 'The receptionist said he couldn't come in, but he kept running around with balloons and calling my name,' she says. 'Everyone thought it was my birthday. The CEO came out. It wasn't cool.