When evaluating your compensation package, don’t forget to include all the “extras.” Does your company have an on-site fitness center or do they subsidize off-site gym memberships? Is there a subsidized employee cafeteria? Does the whole staff get taken to Hawaii every year for a sales meeting? Do you have an expense account? Will they pay for meals you eat while working overtime? Is there free dry cleaning? Will they pay for you to go back to school to take continuing education classes or to get another degree?

Added together, these items can take a chunk out of your take-home pay if you’re footing the bill yourself. To put a dollar value on them, simply figure out how much you’d have to pay for the same service(s) and add the total to your bottom line salary for comparison purposes.

These types of perks have other, non-monetary benefits as well. A company that brings in a yoga instructor twice a week or sponsors on-site cooking classes is obviously concerned about retaining their employees and keeping stress low and morale high.

– MsMoney.com

Imagine someone handing you a $20 bill at the top of every hour.  You’d be earning the same amount of money the average American does.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the national mean for hourly wages is $20.44.  But imagine earning more than the average.  Wouldn’t that be nice?  Who would refuse a bigger paycheck and more money in your bank account?

Here’s a list of jobs that pay at least $10 more than the national average – just to give you a ballpark estimate of how some people are earning their nice paychecks.

1. Post-secondary communications teachers teach courses on different types of communications (journalism and advertising, for example) at universities and colleges.

Hourly pay: $39.96

2. Post-secondary education and library science teachers teach education and library science courses at universities, colleges and other higher education institutions.
Hourly pay: $39.91

3. Purchasing managers make purchases on behalf of organizations in order to get needed supplies at the best rates.
Hourly pay: $39.80

4. Environmental engineers study environmental problems, such as air and water pollution, and design solutions that governments and the general population can put into practice.
Hourly pay: $39.72

5. Post-secondary chemistry teachers educate college and university students on chemistry and related subjects.
Hourly pay: $39.47

6. Animal scientists study the life cycle and related biological issues of farm animals.
Hourly pay: $39.02

7. Chemical engineers are involved in the production of chemicals and in trouble-shooting any problems that arise in their manufacturing.
Hourly pay: $38.88

8. Industrial production managers oversee the planning and production of manufactured goods.
Hourly pay: $38.60

9. Physician assistants work under a physician’s guidance to provide health-care services to patients.
Hourly pay: $37.84

10. Medical and health services managers oversee and manage the business needs of health care facilities or departments.
Hourly pay: $37.82

*Salary information based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You don’t understand. You updated your résumé, you’re applying to jobs every day, you’ve cleaned up your digital dirt and you network every day. Yet here you still are on the unemployment list. What is wrong with employers?

Unfortunately, many job seekers don’t stop to consider that the problem might not be employers but themselves.

It’s a hard concept that most job seekers have trouble wrapping their heads around, but applicants frequently (and inadvertently) display signs that tell an employer that they’re not the best fit for the job.

According to a 2009 CareerBuilder survey, 47 percent of employers said that finding qualified applicants is their biggest hiring challenge. When asked to identify the most valuable characteristics in new hires, employers cited multitasking, initiative and creative problem-solving.

Do you lack what employers want? Yes, there are fewer jobs and there is more competition, but are you doing everything you can? Here are 10 reasons why employers might have passed you by.

1. You lie
Any lies you tell in your job search, whether on your résumé or in an interview, will come back to haunt you. In a 2008 CareerBuilder survey, 49 percent of hiring managers reported they caught a candidate lying on his or her résumé; of those employers, 57 percent said they automatically dismissed the applicant. Everything you tell an employer can be discovered, so it behooves you to be honest from the get-go. If you’re concerned about something in your past, invention is not the answer. Use your cover letter to tell your story, focusing on your strengths and accomplishments and explaining any areas of concern if needed.

2. You have a potty mouth
It’s certainly tempting to tell anyone who will listen how big of a (insert expletive here) your current boss is, but a hiring manager for a new job is not that person. A 2009 CareerBuilder survey showed that 44 percent of employers said that talking negatively about current or previous employers was one of the most detrimental mistakes a candidate can make. Find a way to turn those negative things job into positives. If you can’t get along with your co-workers, for example, tell the prospective employer that you’re looking for a work environment where you feel like you’re part of a team and your current position doesn’t allow for that kind of atmosphere.

3. You don’t show long-term potential
Employers want people in their organization to work their way up, so it’s best to show that you want to and can grow with the company. If you were asked where you see yourself in five years and you gave an answer that wasn’t related to the position or company you’re interviewing with, kiss your chances goodbye. Ask questions like, “What type of career movement do you envision for the most successful candidate in this role?” It shows that you have envisioned your future at the company.

4. You have serious digital dirt
Social networking sites and online searches are the newest way that many employers are checking up on prospective hires. A 2009 CareerBuilder survey showed that 45 percent of employers use social networking sites to research candidates. Thirty-five percent of those employers found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate. Make sure to remove any photos, content or links that can work against you in an employer’s eyes.

5. You don’t know … well, anything
In two separate 2009 CareerBuilder surveys, 58 percent of employers said that coming to the interview with no knowledge of the company was a turnoff, and 49 percent said that not asking good questions cost candidates a job offer. Plain and simple, do your homework before an interview. Explore the company online, prepare answers to questions and have someone give you a mock interview. The more prepared you are, the more employers will take you seriously.

6. You acted bored, cocky or disinterested
A little enthusiasm never hurt anyone, especially when it comes to a potential new job. Forty-five percent of employers in a 2009 CareerBuilder survey said that the biggest mistake candidates made in the interview was appearing disinterested and 42 percent said appearing arrogant cost applicants the job. Every business wants to put their most enthusiastic people forward with important clients and customers, so acting the opposite will get you nowhere.

7. You were a little too personal
Seventeen percent of employers said that candidates who provided too much personal information in the interview essentially blew their chances at the job, according to a 2009 CareerBuilder survey. Not only does personal information offend some people, but anytime you talk about topics such as your hobbies, race, age or religion, you’re setting yourself up for bias. Though it’s illegal for employers to discriminate against applicants because of any of these factors, some will do so, regardless.

8. You were all dollars, no sense
As a general rule of thumb, you should never bring up salary before the employer does. Doing so is tacky and makes the employer think that you care about the money involved, not about helping the employer succeed. If the topic does arise, however, be honest about your salary history. Employers can verify your salary in a matter of minutes these days, so lying only makes you look bad.

9. You didn’t — or can’t — give examples
Hiring managers want people who can prove that they will increase the organization’s revenues, decrease its costs or help it succeed in some way. If all you give to an employer is a bunch of empty words about your accomplishments, you don’t demonstrate how you can help  the company. In fact, 35 percent of employers said that the most detrimental mistake candidates make is not providing specific examples in the interview. The more you can quantify your work, the better.

10. You don’t have enough experience
Managers don’t have as much time as they used to to train and mentor new employees. The more experience you have, the more likely you are to hit the ground running without a lot of hand-holding. The best way to show that you know what you’re doing is to give the employer concrete examples of your experience in a given job duty.

– CareerBuilder.com

There are signs the economy is healing.  The unemployment rate fell from 10.0 to 9.7 percent in January – indicating companies are hiring – although many conservatively.

According to seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, out of the largest 281 metros in the United States, 77 cities added jobs the July-October 2009 period.  Eleven metros saw no change in the number of employed persons; however, another 193 metros saw declines in jobs.

The best…

Of those 77 cities whose employment increased from July-October 2009, here are 19 that saw growth by 1 percent or more.

Merced, Calif.
No. of employed in July: 55,200
No. of employed in October: 56,700
Percent change: +2.7

Morgantown, W.Va.
No. of employed in July: 62,800
No. of employed in October: 64,300
Percent change: +2.4

Dubuque, Iowa
No. of employed in July: 53,200
No. of employed in October: 54,300
Percent change: +2.1

Wilmington, N.C.
No. of employed in July: 138,400
No. of employed in October: 141,300
Percent change: +2.1

Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, N.J.
No. of employed in July: 60,200
No. of employed in October: 61,400
Percent change: +2

Mansfield, Ohio
No. of employed in July: 53,800
No. of employed in October: 54,900
Percent change: +2

Fresno, Calif.
No. of employed in July: 289,900
No. of employed in October: 293,100
Percent change: +1.1

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif.
No. of employed in July: 167,700
No. of employed in October: 169,600
Percent change: +1.1

And the worst

There were also 193 metros that experienced declines in jobs from July-October 2009. Here are the 15 that had the greatest losses.

Greenville, N.C.
No. of employed in July: 76,400
No. of employed in October: 74,900
Percent change: -2

Columbus, Ga.-Ala.
No. of employed in July: 120,200
No. of employed in October: 117,700
Percent change: -2.1

Dalton, Ga.
No. of employed in July: 68,000
No. of employed in October: 66,600
Percent change: -2.1

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
No. of employed in July: 119,400
No. of employed in October: 116,800
Percent change: -2.2

Lafayette, Ind.
No. of employed in July: 96,700
No. of employed in October: 94,500
Percent change: -2.3

Bellingham, Wash.
No. of employed in July: 82,200
No. of employed in October: 80,300
Percent change: -2.3

Greeley, Colo.
No. of employed in July: 79,700
No. of employed in October: 77,800
Percent change: -2.4

Job scams have been on the internet for years, but their numbers have skyrocketed and victims increased during the economic downturn and high unemployment rate.

The number of scams recorded soared at the beginning of the financial meltdown in the fall of 208 – when the number of scams more than tripled from the year before.

So-called money mule schemes represent the majority of the scams.  By the end of 2009, Dutch risk management firm E-Secure-IT identified 626 money mule scams, an increase from the 406 detected in 2008.

In those ploys, victims often become unwitting accomplices to international crime by wiring money stolen mostly through computer exploits to scammers overseas. More than just losing their private information and their own assets, victims are often left facing criminal charges.  People are charged with fraud and theft even if they didn’t know what they were doing.   Authorities only know that you deposited a check and it looks like it was all you.

How scams work

Online job scams can come in the form of work-at-home schemes, false offers with the logo and product description of a legitimate employer slapped in the body of an e-mail, or fake company Web sites with professional graphics, stock images of smiling executives and even press releases and legal disclaimers.

Fake company Web sites can often be recognized because of their spotty grammar or disproportional compensations for easy tasks. But in some cases, scammers have taken the entire design of legitimate organizations, using Web domains with variations of the original company’s name.

In others, scammers will imitate a small or medium-size business with a solid reputation and an Internet trail that job seekers doing research can find to assuage any concerns.

Criminals “know people will do research and actually want them to find something,” said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum.

Educating the public

Researchers, law enforcers and advocates alike seem to agree that educating the public to recognize these scams is essential.

Some red flags to look out for are e-mail addresses from free e-mail providers like Gmail or Hotmail instead of a corporate domain contact, requests for up-front fees or scans of driver’s licenses and passports, or offers that do not match the job seeker’s skills.

Also, if a company tells you it’s 100 percent legal, it’s probably not.

Looking to  jump start your career or start a new one in 2010?  Here’s a list of the 50 best jobs in the U.S. based on five criteria — environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress — according to a newly released study.

Job                                                 Starting salary       Midlevel salary        Top level salary

1.  Actuary                                        $49,000                  $85,000                    $161,000

2.  Software Engineer                    $54,000                  $85,000                    $129,000

3.  Computer Systems Analyst     $45,000                  $76,000                    $118,000

4.  Biologist                                     $39,000                   $71,000                    $148,000

5.  Historian                                    $34,000                   $62,000                   $111,000

6.  Mathematician                          $54,000                   $95,000                   $141,000

7.  Paralegal Assistant                   $29,000                   $46,000                   $73,000

8.  Statistician                                 $40,000                   $73,000                   $117,000

9.  Accountant                                $37,000                    $59,000                   $102,000

10. Dental Hygienist                     $44,000                    $67,000                   $91,000

11.  Philosopher                             $33,000                     $60,000                  $105,000

12. Meteorologist                          $39,000                     $81,000                   $127,000

13. Technical Writer                    $37,000                      $62,000                  $97,000

14.  Bank Officer                          $54,000                      $88,000                  $171,000

15. Web Developer                      $48,000                      $60,000                  $91,000