Career Goal

by Tamar Snyder, ClassesUSA.com

Worried about the effect of the recession on your career prospects? Don't be. Even in an economic downturn, one sector is staying strong -- health care.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Current Employment Statistics, health care employment continued to grow in the first few months of 2008. During the past 12 months, the health care sector overall has grown by 363,000 jobs, making it the largest industry in the United States, accounting for 13.5 million jobs.

Better yet, the health care sector will generate 3 million new jobs by 2016, more than any other industry -- thanks, in part, to aging baby boomers and increased numbers of retirees. Plus, most positions will require less than four years of college education. Here's a look at the four accessible health care jobs -- and the education or training necessary to break into this growing field.

Registered Nurse

Registered nurses are in high demand. If you're nurturing, detail oriented, and capable of staying calm in stressful situations, a career in nursing may prove a good fit. By 2010, 1.7 million nurses will be needed, but only 635,000 will be available. Demand is highest for nurses in emergency room, operating room, intensive care, pediatrics and labor and delivery room. Median salary in 2006 was $57,280. To become a nurse, enroll in a nursing program, which range from bachelor's, associate degrees, and diplomas.

Health Information Technicians

Were you the designated "note taker" in class? If you're super organized and meticulous to boot, a career in health information technology may suit you. Health information technologists maintain the medical records for patients -- including observations of their general health, medical history and symptoms, X-rays, diagnoses, surgery and treatments. Don't especially like working with people? This is one of the few careers in the health field where you can hunker down in your office, during day, evening, or night shifts. Computer skills are essential in analyzing data. Health information technicians typically earn around $29,290, according to latest BLS figures, and have an associate degree from a community or junior college. Many employers prefer to hire technicians who have become Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT).

Dental Hygienists

Dental hygienists earn an average of $64,740 and enjoy a relatively "clean" job fostering good oral hygiene by scraping teeth, applying fluoride or sealants, and sometime taking and developing X-rays. Perks often include flexible hours; more than half of all dental hygienists work part time. Many dental hygienists arrange their schedule so they only work two to three days a week. As for educational requirements, you'll need an associate degree or certificate from an accredited dental hygiene school and a state license.

Health Service Managers

Health service managers, also known as health care administrators, manage the business end of specific clinical departments or entire health care facilities. They can be in charge of millions of dollars worth of equipment and hundreds of employees. They must be good managers with an understanding of finance and accounting. The job generally requires some travel and overtime, and pays a median salary of $73,340, according to the BLS. While a master's degree in health services administration, public health, or business administration is standard, a bachelor's degree can land you an entry-level job at smaller facilities.

To influence a possible boss, let them know that you targeted their business and not just the job opening. If you know which part of the job marketplace interests you, you should also be aware of the major players. Being hired by someone that has a large sway in the industry is a terrific way to show that you are an excellent hire, should you ultimately have to look some where else for the next big step of your career goal. It can also be stimulating to work within an organization that is setting the courses in the trade that interests you.

The optimum way to profile businesses is to check out their websites. Find out which projects they have worked on and what their company tast is like before you get an appointment or write a cover letter. Always give a good reason why you obviously find the firm to be a good match for you, and what you seek to add to them. A good employer has been more than enough people applying, so you want to be able to stand out from the group.

By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

Most workers don't realize that what they say has as much impact on their professional images as what they wear, Lopeke says. People who say too much, about themselves or others, can be seen as incompetent, unproductive and unworthy of professional development.

To avoid your next case of verbal diarrhea, here are 13 things to never share or discuss with your co-workers.

1. Salary information
What you earn is between you and Human Resources, Solovic says. Disclosure indicates you aren't capable of keeping a confidence.

2. Medical history
"Nobody really cares about your aches and pains, your latest operation, your infertility woes or the contents of your medicine cabinet," Lopeke says. To your employer, your constant medical issues make you seem like an expensive, high-risk employee.

3. Gossip
Whomever you're gossiping with will undoubtedly tell others what you said, Solovic says. Plus, if a co-worker is gossiping with you, most likely he or she will gossip about you.

4. Work complaints
Constant complaints about your workload, stress levels or the company will quickly make you the kind of person who never gets invited to lunch, Solovic warns. If you don't agree with company policies and procedures, address it through official channels or move on.

5. Cost of purchases
The spirit of keeping up with the Joneses is alive and well in the workplace, Lopeke says, but you don't want others speculating on the lifestyle you're living -or if you're living beyond your salary bracket.

6. Intimate details
Don't share intimate details about your personal life. Co-workers can and will use the information against you, Solovic says.

7. Politics or religion
"People have strong, passionate views on both topics," Solovic says. You may alienate a co-worker or be viewed negatively in a way that could impact your career.

8. Lifestyle changes
Breakups, divorces and baby-making plans should be shared only if there is a need to know, Lopeke says. Otherwise, others will speak for your capabilities, desires and limitations on availability, whether there is any truth to their assumptions or not.

9. Blogs or social networking profile
What you say in a social networking community or in your personal blog may be even more damaging than what you say in person, Solovic warns. "Comments online can be seen by multiple eyes. An outburst of anger when you are having a bad day %u2026 can blow up in your face."

10. Negative views of colleagues
If you don't agree with a co-worker's lifestyle, wardrobe or professional abilities, confront that person privately or keep it to yourself, Lopeke says. The workplace is not the venue for controversy.

11. Hangovers and wild weekends
It's perfectly fine to have fun during the weekend, but don't talk about your wild adventures on Monday, Solovic advises. That information can make you look unprofessional and unreliable.

12. Personal problems and relationships - in and out of the office
"Failed marriages and volatile romances spell instability to an employer," Lopeke says. Office romances lead to gossip and broken hearts, so it's best to steer clear. "The safest way to play is to follow the rule, 'Never get your honey where you get your money.'"

13. Off-color or racially charged comments
You can assume your co-worker wouldn't be offended or would think something is funny, but you might be wrong, Solovic says. Never take that risk. Furthermore, even if you know for certain your colleague wouldn't mind your comment, don't talk about it at work. Others can easily overhear.

Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Copyright 2007 CareerBuilder.com All rights reserved.

You put your best foot forward during your job interview. You wear a pressed suit and arrive 20 minutes early. Once you've been working at a place for a while, though, you get a little more comfortable. Maybe you scrounge through the hamper to find a shirt that's not too wrinkled and you slide into your chair just as the clock strikes eight.

Did it ever occur to you that employers might also be hiding their true colors during an interview? The dream job with the friendly boss who has an open-door policy might turn into a nightmare as soon as you sign the offer letter.

Here are six true-life signs that you shouldn't stick around at your new job.

1. You ask your new boss for supplies and she hands you a No. 2 pencil and legal pad - and nothing else.
Not every company has the budget to give you an expense account, a BlackBerry and a cutting-edge laptop, but you should be equipped with the tools necessary to perform your job. A company experiencing financial troubles might be so stingy with supplies that you spend more time worrying about the company books than working.

2. You were shown to a cubicle your first day of work, given a company manual and haven't spoken to anyone since.
Any good employer trains new hires during their first few days on the job. Although you might have years of experience, each company has its own procedures and expectations that you won't magically know without some instruction. From the first day, your new employer should make it clear that you have a network of support ready to help you and answer any questions.

3. You get the same reaction every time you tell someone about your new job and employer: Raised eyebrows and "Really? %u2026 Good luck with that."
You know better than to believe gossip, but sometimes a company's reputation speaks too loudly to ignore. If friends, colleagues and people in the industry consistently give negative feedback about the company, there's probably a legitimate reason. At the start of your job search, research which companies have the best reputations and which have the worst.

4. After two weeks on the job, you are already halfway to becoming the employee with the most seniority.
One of the reasons the country's top companies have employees who have been around for years is that people will stay where they're appreciated and treated well, and they'll leave when they're not. "I joined a firm in St. Louis and learned that the company had seven other employees come and go in the past year," says Sarah, a public relations executive. "What's worse is that it was only a five-person operation. That should have been the first sign that the company was not a great place to work."

5. You answer the phone while the company's secretary is away from her desk and find that the voice at the other end is a collection agency calling for the third time that week.
While this sounds unbelievable, this actually happened to one worker, who said other employees at the company were eventually instructed to not answer the phones. "It became a joke with all of us," she says. "We used to run out and cash our checks as soon as we got paid and were always afraid that they were going to bounce!" If you see any signs that your company is in real financial or legal trouble, don't wait for layoffs; get your résumé back out on the market.

6. You notice that every day for the last week, at least one person has run crying from your boss's office.
Not every boss is the kind of person you want to be best friends with, but you should show each other respect. If you can't have a conversation with your boss without being yelled at, don't feel obligated to stick around. A good company uses open communication, not fear and intimidation, to get results.

It may take a few days, weeks or even months to realize the new job isn't right for you. The key is to recognize the signs and leave when you can. If you have a bad gut feeling the first morning you report for work, listen to it. Better to move on than to find yourself still waiting for conditions to improve five years from now.

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

#1 Raleigh-Cary, N.C.
#2 Phoenix-Mesa- Scottsdale, Ariz.
#3 Jacksonville, Fla.
#4 Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla.
#5 Washington, D.C.
#6 Salt Lake City, Utah
#7 Honolulu, Hawaii (tie)
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#9 Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla.
#10 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.

A career progression plan is so much more than just trying to figure out how to go about starting an occupation. It actually reveals to you the extent of labor that is involved to get there and to stay there, allowing you to decide if you are ready to walk your new path.

There are many schools, colleges and universities that will give you classes to teach you how to make a career development plan for enrolled students. Many of them include a day, or a weekend class available to the community for low fees or some even free. Some of the sections at job fairs present you much needed free information information on trade development and how you can plan for it.

Did you hear the one about the woman who couldn't go to work because her chickens' feet were frozen to the driveway? It's not a joke - it's an actual excuse given to a boss.

Gone are the days when an employee called in sick and coughed a little to make the story believable. Today, workers give a variety of excuses when they stay home from the office. And they're doing it a lot.

Almost one-third of employees admitted to calling in sick to work last year even though they weren't ill, according to CareerBuilder.com's annual survey. Fortunately for them, 75 percent of employers believe their employees are sick when they say they are.

But some bosses aren't falling for it.
Thirty-five percent of employers checked up on their supposedly sick employees. The majority (67 percent) of those suspicious bosses demanded a note from the doctor. A determined 14 percent actually drove by the employee's home.

So what should you tell your boss if you need a rest but there's not a holiday in sight?

Honesty is the best policy, says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.com. "If you're a strong employee and you're truthful about the time you need off, your employer is likely to give it to you." But if you get caught in a lie, you risk your reputation and possibly even your job.

Luckily, many employers are beginning to understand that an employee doesn't have to be suffering from the flu to need a day off. Mental health days, which allow employees to stay home from work to escape the stress and chaos of the office, are gaining acceptance in the workplace. Sixty-nine percent of surveyed employers consider mental health days acceptable uses of sick leave.

"Employers are placing a greater emphasis on work/life balance, offering more opportunities for employees to recharge and return to the office more productive," Haefner says.

So the next time you call in sick - whether you have the flu or a desire to stay in your pajamas until noon - you can decide if you want to tell the truth or a little white lie. If you choose the latter, here are some of the most unusual excuses bosses revealed.

1. At her sister's wedding, an employee chipped her tooth on a mint julep, bent over to spit it out, hit her head on a keg and was knocked unconscious.

2. While at a circus, a tiger urinated on the employee's ear, causing an ear infection.

3. An employee's dog wasn't feeling well, so the employee tasted the dog's food and then got sick.

4. "Someone put LSD in my salad."

5. An employee's roommate locked all his clothes in a shed for spite.

6. "Stuck on an island - canoe floated away."

7. An employee was upset because his favorite "American Idol" contestant was voted off.

8. "I didn't think I had to come in if I had time in my vacation bank. I thought I could take it whenever I wanted."

9. An employee said he wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest up for the company's holiday party that night.

10. A groundhog bit the employee's car tire, causing it to go flat.

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Unlike the last recession, today's unemployment hot spots are all over the map.
The five states with the highest unemployment rates -- Michigan, Rhode Island, South Carolina, California and Oregon -- all have something in common, though: a heightened exposure to the root causes of this downward spiral.

The collapse of housing. The implosion of the auto industry. The meltdown of financial services. The exodus of manufacturing.

All states are feeling the pain, but the worst are getting hammered on multiple fronts:

-- The rotten housing market has punished California lenders and builders, taken an ax to Oregon's timber industry and soured the prospects for construction workers in Rhode Island, where buyers from neighboring states helped drive up home prices.

-- The steady decline of the manufacturing sector has punished Rhode Island and South Carolina, where laid-off factory workers lack the training and job opportunities in an increasingly high-tech economy.

-- The auto industry's pain is Michigan's above all. But it is also being felt in states like South Carolina, where German automaker BMW has cut 500 temporary workers, and in California, where many of dealerships have shut down.

"What makes this a different recession," said Rebecca Blank, an economist at the Brookings Institution, "is that it is so widespread."

During the 2001 recession, which was largely tied to the dot-com collapse, the West had a disproportionate amount of the jobless burden: Oregon, Washington, Alaska and California had the highest unemployment rates. (Mississippi and Washington, D.C. were tied with California.)

There is one region of the country that has largely avoided the country's real estate and manufacturing woes, and as a result has been spared the worst of the recession's pain.

A contiguous cluster of rural states -- Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Utah -- had the lowest unemployment rates in November, ranging from 3.2 percent to 3.7 percent. The Labor Department on Friday said the national jobless rate in December was 7.2 percent.

Historically high prices for energy and grains have been a boon to their economies, although recent declines in commodity prices are beginning to bite, economists said.

For the majority of the country, the air has come out of a decade-long housing bubble, with home prices falling an average of 20 percent in the past year and almost one in ten mortgages either overdue or in foreclosure. A wide swath of industries is feeling the pain, including real estate agents, bankers, builders, lumber companies and furniture makers.

The real estate bust is at the heart of mounting job losses in California, which has seen its unemployment rate reach 8.4 percent, the third-highest in the nation. In the year ending in November, 71 percent of the nonfarm jobs lost in California were housing-related.

Many of the nation's leading mortgage lenders -- Countrywide Financial, New Century Financial, IndyMac Bancorp, and Fremont General Corp. -- were based in California and have since been bought by larger banks or gone bankrupt.

The recently unemployed in California include Filemon Galvan, 41, of Buena Park, Calif., who was laid off from his job as a carpenter for a housing subcontractor in August.

"It's been a long time since we had a nice family outing," Galvan said in Spanish.

As the country's leading lumber producer, Oregon has also taken a direct hit from housing, with sawmills producing sharply less than a year ago. The slump has cost Oregon about 1,000 logging jobs in the past two years and more than 7,000 jobs in wood manufacturing, which includes plywood mills and the production of door and window frames, said David Cooke, an economist in Oregon's employment department.

Not even tiny Rhode Island, which has the nation's second-highest unemployment rate at 9.3 percent, has been exempt from the housing bust.

The slide has cost Rhode Island more than 3,000 construction jobs in the past year, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

Due to a combination of high energy prices, a strong dollar and competition from overseas, manufacturers have been manhandled for most of this decade -- and ground zero for the loss of factory jobs is Michigan. Its crumbling auto industry explains a large part of the state's nation-leading unemployment rate of 9.6 percent. Around the state, and across the country, the state's automakers have had to close plants and showrooms, cut back workers' hours and reduce wages as consumers' appetite for new cars dwindles along with their job security.

But the manufacturing slowdown has gone far beyond the industrial Midwest. South Carolina's jobless rate has reached 8.4 percent, the third-highest, as it struggles to replace lost textile and apparel manufacturing jobs with the type of high-tech industries that North Carolina has been able to attract.

And Rhode Island, not generally known as a manufacturing hub, has suffered. The industrial conglomerate Textron Inc., which is based in Providence and makes Cessna jets and Bell helicopters, laid off 2,200 of its 43,000 workers last year.

Most of the state's manufacturers are small, however, and have had a tough time weathering the credit crunch.

Lincoln, R.I. resident Larry Miller believed he would retire from the auto parts manufacturer where he first got a job as a newly married 26-year-old. That was two factory closings ago, the most recent being a plant owned by KIK Custom Products, which also had employed his wife.

"The word loyalty is gone," said Miller, shaking his head while sitting at his kitchen table. He found a new job in Massachusetts, but his wife is still looking.

Like South Carolina, the state hasn't yet made a successful transformation from manufacturing to newer-economy industries such as biotech or computing.

"I would summarize Rhode Island's economy as information age, hold the information," said Leonard Lardaro, an economist at the University of Rhode Island.

Rugaber reported from Washington, D.C., and Henry from Lincoln, R.I. Associated Press Writers Jacob Adelman in Los Angeles, Meg Kinnard in Charleston, S.C., Janna Elphinstone in New York, and Mary Hudetz in Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.

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Let's admit it: We all need to feel special sometimes. Well, if you're a firefighter, scientist or teacher, you should. After all, a new Harris poll indicates that plenty of Americans already think you are.

U.S. adults, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive, see firefighters, scientists and teachers as the most prestigious occupations while bankers, actors and real estate agents are the least prestigious occupations. The 2007 "Most Prestigious Occupations" poll measured the public perceptions of 23 professions.

Participants were asked to rank these professions as having "very great prestige," "considerable prestige," "some prestige," or "hardly any prestige at all." They could also opt not to rank them or say they weren't sure.

Sixty-one percent of adults consider firefighters to have "very great prestige," making this occupation the most prestigious on the list. Five other occupations were ranked as having "very great prestige" by over 50 percent of the adults surveyed: Scientists and teachers are considered very prestigious by 54 percent of adults, followed by doctors and military officers, who earn the prestige of 52 percent of Americans, and nurses, whom half of all adults consider very prestigious.

Among the least prestigious occupations are real estate brokers, actors and bankers. Only 5 percent of survey participants ranked real estate brokers as very prestigious; 9 percent gave actors this label, followed by 10 percent for bankers. Accountants, entertainers, stockbrokers, union leaders, journalists, business executives and athletes all also ranked low on the list: Less than 20 percent of adults consider any of the aforementioned occupations to have "very great prestige."

Consequently, five occupations are perceived to have "hardly any prestige at all" by at least a quarter of adults: stockbrokers (25 percent), union leaders (30 percent), entertainers (31 percent), real estate brokers (34 percent) and actors (38 percent).

Harris Interactive started conducting its "Most Prestigious Careers" survey in 1977 and included only 11 professions. The most significant change since the survey's inception is that, with the exception of teachers and clergy, the perceived prestige of every one of the original 11 occupations has actually decreased over the years. The most drastic drop occurred among scientists, lawyers and athletes, whose prestige dropped by 12 points, 14 points and 10 points, respectively. Clergy members are considered prestigious by one percentage point more of the population than they were 30 years ago, while teachers' perceived prestige increased by 25 percent.

Understandably, the year-to-year changes are less drastic. Scientists' perceived prestige hasn't changed in the last year, and despite a significant jump from 1977, teachers' perceived prestige has increased by only two percentage points. Bankers and athletes showed the most drastic drop in prestige: Both are down seven points from last year. The profession that saw the biggest increase in prestige from 2006 was that of farmers, who rose five points.

While the survey measures the degree to which certain occupations are considered prestigious, it offers no indication as to why people consider certain occupations more prestigious than others. For more information and to see the complete results of the survey, visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

We're bombarded with images of today's celebs, but did you ever wonder what they were doing before their faces were splashed across the tabloids, television and Internet?

Whether just trying to pay the bills or taking that first step on the ladder of success, these celebrities all had modest starts - a far cry from the uber-celebrity, paparazzi bait they are today. Here are some of the jobs your favorite celebrities held long before superstardom.

George Clooney
Today's hunkiest of movie heartthrobs held a smattering of odd jobs to get to where he is today. In his native Kentucky, Clooney sold men's suits and shoes and worked in department store stockrooms. He also cut tobacco, earning $3 an hour. Upon arriving in L.A., he did odd jobs for his aunt, singer-actress Rosemary Clooney, worked construction and cleaned a theater to pay for acting lessons.

Katie Couric
CBS' perky evening anchor landed her first job as a desk assistant at ABC, where she worked for veteran news anchor Sam Donaldson.

Simon Cowell
After quitting school at the age of 16, Cowell held a series of odd jobs before landing a job in the mail room at EMI Records. "I understood instinctively that this wasn't something where you were going to get handouts. This was a job where you could fail or succeed based on your own instincts, your tenacity," Cowell said on CNN. "So I would just drive everybody crazy from the minute I was delivering mail because I would walk into everyone's offices and tell them they should give me a better job."

Ellen Degeneres
"I actually liked my first job. I was driving cars out of a car wash, you know, once the car comes out, you get in and you wipe it. That was exciting to me to drive the nice cars and wipe down the [dashboard] with Emerald," Degeneres said on Larry King Live. "The worst job I ever had -- and I lasted a half a day -- was I worked in a glove factory in Atlanta, Texas. It was horrible. I was checking for too many fingers or a hole or something and gloves would just go by ... Everything I did that was a nine-to-five job I hated ... I worked in a law firm. I was a court runner. I just hated being in an office."

Nina Garcia
Week-to-week, this regular judge and critic on television hit "Project Runway" helps decide which fashion designers are in and which are out. The Colombia native started her career in the public relations department of Perry Ellis and its then-designer Marc Jacobs. She moved on to Mirabella magazine and worked her way up the ranks until she became fashion director of Elle magazine, which is still her day job.

Faith Hill
Way before she was Mrs. Tim McGraw, selling more than 30 million records and earning countless awards, Faith Hill was trying to make it big in Nashville. Hill sold T-shirts at the renowned country music event Fan Fair, worked as a receptionist at a music-publishing company, and packaged fan merchandise for country legend Reba McEntire.

John Krasinski
Before he was making us wish he worked in our office, John Krasinski was a script intern on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Oprah Winfrey
The media mogul and philanthropist began her broadcasting career while still in high school. Winfrey was an announcer at WVOL radio in Nashville.

Emeril Lagasse
Lagasse's roots in the culinary arts started way before he coined the terms "Bam!" and "Kick it up a notch!" As a teenager, he recognized his hunger for cooking at a local Portuguese bakery in Fall River, Mass.

Ralph Lauren
He's this year's No. 13 on the Vanity Fair 100 list but the founder of Polo Ralph Lauren started his preppy empire with a stint in retail sales. Lauren's first foray into apparel was working as a salesclerk at Brooks Brothers.

Jay Leno
Upon arriving in Los Angeles after graduation, the late-night funnyman wrote for the TV show "Good Times" and performed a warm-up act for singers Johnny Mathis and Tom Jones.

George Lopez
Before he played a guy working in an aircraft-parts factory, he was the guy working in an aircraft-parts factory. While trying to launch his comedy career, Lopez worked at two Van Nuys, Calif., aircraft-parts plants. "I was an expediter. That was the politically acceptable term for 'gofer,' " Lopez told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Vince Vaughn
If Vaughn ever decides to change careers, he could probably be pretty successful going back to his first job. Before he was a "Swinger" or "Wedding Crasher," the actor who's known for his quick-and-slick talking performances, worked as a telemarketer in Waukegan, Ill.

Denzel Washington
Washington's mother helped him get his very first job at a local barbershop called Modernistic when he was just 11 years old. "I learned about business %u2026 Just about the value of a dollar," Washington said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." "I was brushing collars. I think my base salary was $11. And I could turn that into 50 if I was good."

#1: Where were you born?
This question might seem like small talk as you get to know a person, but it could also be used to gather information illegally about the candidate's national origin. Although it may seem more relevant, you should also avoid asking, "Are you a U.S. citizen?" You can ask whether a candidate is authorized to work in the United States, but avoid asking about citizenship.

#2: What is your native language?
Again, the problem is that this question could be used to determine national origin. You can ask whether the person knows a language if it is required for the job. For example, if job responsibilities include supporting Spanish-speaking customers, it's fair to ask whether the candidate speaks Spanish.

#3: Are you married?
Here's another question that would seem innocent in most settings, but definitely not in a job interview. Because you can't discriminate on the basis of marital status, this question is off limits.

#4: Do you have children?
This might sound like small talk, too - an innocent question in most settings - but not in a job interview. It's covered by a general prohibition about discrimination over parental status.

#5: Do you plan to get pregnant?
In the past, employers sometimes asked this question to weed out women who might take a maternity leave. It has always been rude coming from a casual acquaintance, and now it's illegal as well.

#6: How old are you?
Some companies used to avoid hiring older workers for a variety of reasons, ranging from a fear of higher healthcare costs and absences to a social bias in favor of youth. But age discrimination is clearly illegal, and you should avoid this question. Don't try to get the information by asking when the person graduated from college, either.

#7: Do you observe Yom Kippur?
You can't discriminate on the basis of religion, so this question is illegal, as would be asking about Good Friday, Ramadan, or the Solstice. If you're concerned about the candidate's availability, you could ask whether he or she can work on holidays and weekends, but not about the observance of particular religious holidays.

#8: Do you have a disability or chronic illness?
This information is not supposed to be used as a factor in hiring, so the questions are illegal. If the job will require some specific physical tasks, such as installing cables in walls and ceilings, you may ask whether the person could perform those tasks with reasonable accommodation.

#9: Are you in the National Guard?
Although some managers may find it disruptive when employees leave for duty, it's illegal to discriminate against someone because he or she belongs to the National Guard or a reserve unit.

#10: Do you smoke or use alcohol?
In general, you can't discriminate on the basis of the use of a legal product when the employee is not on the premises and not on the job.

Tip: To avoid asking the wrong questions, develop an interview form and use a copy of it for each candidate. It will document that you asked each interviewee the same questions. Failing to do so may establish a pattern that could seem discriminatory. For example, if you ask only women about their willingness to travel, thinking that the responsibilities of childcare would make them balk at business trips, you could establish a pattern of discrimination.

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by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs

The latest directory of job titles from Occupational Information Network (O*Net) features a variety of new entries that many people have never heard before.

Some of these jobs -- at least the duties -- have been around in some form for a while. What's new is a "professional pathway" for these careers, according to employment expert and author Laurence Shatkin. "O*Net officially recognizes job titles once there is a critical mass of workers in those jobs and a clear road map for attaining the positions," he says.

Green Energy

There are many new green-collar job titles on O*Net, which is developed for the U.S. Department of Labor. The number of new green jobs is not surprising, given the federal government's active role in building a green economy.

Even before the federal stimulus dollars kicked in, wind energy was big and growing. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reports that the wind industry grew by 45 percent in 2007 alone. Civil engineers who work on various aspects of the wind farm now have their own job category: wind farm engineers. These engineers work on performance of turbines and the overall performance of the wind farm and also oversee aspects of construction and mechanical development. They usually have a B.S. in engineering with a focus in construction or civil or structural engineering. Some technical colleges now offer degrees in wind farm engineering. AWEA pegs the average salary at $80,000.

Solar thermal technicians design, develop, install, and maintain solar thermal systems used to heat water and produce energy. Renewable energy plants, companies that install solar panels for domestic use, construction companies, consulting firms, and hotel chains use these technicians. A degree (2- or 4-year) in mechanical engineering or electronics is helpful, but some apprenticeship programs exist as well.

Salaries vary widely and will increase if demand continues to outstrip supply. Solar thermal technicians can expect to start at around $40,000 a year or $20 an hour, according to Red Rocks Community College in Colorado. The upper salary limit is a moving target, as the job category is emerging so quickly.

Health Care

Nursing informatics is a nursing specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. Informatics nurse specialists are registered nurses trained in graduate level informatics. Salaries start at $60,000 but can more than double after a few years' experience.

"Most often they are liaisons between clinicians and information and computer science people. These jobs are growing because information technology is now becoming a major tool in health-care settings," says Stacey Prince of the American Nurses Association.

Anesthesiologist assistants work under the direction of a licensed and qualified anesthesiologist in hospitals. They perform preoperative tasks, support therapy, recovery room care, and intensive care support. They do well money-wise: around $90,000 to start and more than double that with 10 years of experience, according to the American Medical Association. A master's degree in nursing and certification by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants are required.

Business and Management

The roles of IT professionals continue to splinter and become more specialized as new technologies dominate businesses. Business continuity planners are responsible for developing plans to recover from cyber attacks, terrorism, or natural disasters. They also may be responsible for scaling IT as a company grows (from regional to national, for example), duties that used to be handled by information systems managers. A bachelor's degree in business, management, or disaster management is the minimum requirement. The median salary for disaster recovery managers, who have a similar job description, is $100,000, according to salary.com.

America's interest in getting healthy has led to a growing business specialization of spa managers, who are employed by resorts, health clubs, and other facilities offering sports and wellness activities. The median income for spa managers in the U.S. is $56,000. A college degree is not mandatory, but a high school diploma or GED and at least five years experience in the managing a related area are usually required.

Education

Distance learning, which provides instruction to students who are not on-site, is booming. O*Net now recognizes distance learning coordinators, who prepare and run online courses at colleges, trade schools and secondary schools. A master's degree instructional design, curriculum design, curriculum development is usually required, as is a strong understanding of Web-based technologies.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't yet recognize distance learning coordinators as a job category, but an analysis of job openings shows a range from the upper $30s to the low $60s for a coordinator with at least two years' experience.

Entertainment and Media

Video game designers have been around for a while, but as the $9 billion interactive entertainment industry matures, new specialties are emerging, such as user experience designer, which focuses solely on improving the user interaction. Designers can also move up to be creative directors as well. A college degree is still not mandatory everywhere, however, strong skills in computer programming, computer engineering, software development, computer animation, graphic design, and computer graphics -- or all of them -- are helpful.

Big employers like Microsoft and Electronic Arts snag a large chunk of new designers, but smaller companies are starting to offer competitive wages and career tracks as well. Designers earn $50,000 and $80,000 annually, and the highest reported salary was $200,000, according to the International Game Developers Association.

Social media is a specialty field of public relations that uses the growing social networking technologies, including RSS, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. A few years ago, social media duties were performed by marketing managers or communications directors. Now there is a social media career track.

An entry-level company blogger can earn less than $20 per hour (and many blogging jobs are part-time). A director of social media, the top of the social media chain, can pull in $70,000 or more. In the middle, a social media manager, can expect to earn around $50,000. A bachelor's degree is usually required, and job seekers should possess strong writing abilities and a keen understanding of online marketing, public relations, and new media.

1. Business operations specialists have job duties that vary depending on the industry. Typically, these folks oversee all business aspects of the company.
Salary growth rate: 7.4 percent
Salary: $38,648*

2. Survey researchers create and perform surveys for clients, collecting information used for various reasons.
Salary growth rate: 6.5 percent
Salary: $31,734

3. Industrial-organizational psychologists apply psychology principles to improve productivity and quality of work life in the workplace.
Salary growth rate: 6.4 percent
Salary: $106,844

4. Protective service managers monitor security staff protecting individuals; homes; and business, commercial and industrial organizations. They investigate crimes against clients and create plans to protect clients from theft, sabotage, violence or other situations that endanger the client's well-being.
Salary growth rate: 6.4 percent
Salary: $75,848

5. Agents and business managers represent and promote clients to prospective employers and handle contract negotiations and other business matters.
Salary growth rate: 5.8 percent
Salary: $113,771

6. Agricultural inspectors make sure agricultural workers abide by laws and regulations surrounding the health, quality and safety of agricultural commodities.
Salary growth rate: 5.6 percent
Salary: $37,001

7. Music directors and composers lead musical groups and create original music.
Salary growth rate: 5.6 percent
Salary: $51,910

8. Film and video editors edit soundtracks, film and video for the movies, and cable and broadcast television.
Salary growth rate: 5.4 percent
Salary: $62,958

9. Aircraft assemblers put together and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles or missiles.
Salary growth rate: 5.3 percent
Salary: $49,824

10. Protective service workers guard individuals and industrial or commercial property against harm, fire, theft, vandalism and illegal entry.
Salary growth rate: 5.3 percent
Salary: $25,727

11. Semiconductor processors are production workers who manufacture semiconductors into different-size disks.
Salary growth rate: 5.3 percent
Salary: $35,799

12. Public relations managers supervise public relations specialists, often specializing in specific industries, and create campaigns for targeted audiences.
Salary growth rate: 5.2 percent
Salary: $91,396

13. Geological and petroleum technicians measure and record physical and geologic conditions in oil or gas wells.
Salary growth rate: 7.4 percent
Salary: $53,004

14. Lodging managers oversee all aspects of hotel operations, like establishing room rates and making sure all standards are met within the hotel.
Salary growth rate: 5.1 percent
Salary: $39,517

15. Anthropologists study the origin, cultural development and behavior of humans, while archaeologists recover artifacts to gather information about humans.
Salary growth rate: 4.9 percent
Salary: $66,861

16. Derrick operators assemble equipment and control pumps to circulate mud through drill holes.
Salary growth rate: 4.8 percent
Salary: $42,363

17. Purchasing managers buy goods and services, like raw materials for manufacturing or office supplies, for companies/organizations.
Salary growth rate: 4.7 percent
Salary: $79,606

18. Set and exhibit designers design special exhibits and movie, television and theater sets.
Salary growth rate: 4.6 percent
Salary: $49,190

19. Biochemists study the chemical composition of living things and the chemical combinations and reactions involved in metabolism, reproduction, growth and heredity.
Salary growth rate: 4.5 percent
Salary: $87,408

20. Law clerks assist lawyers or judges by researching or preparing legal documents.
Salary growth rate: 4.4 percent
Salary: $42,754

*Salary is total national average compensation, including bonus and benefits.

Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Last Updated: Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 3:02 PM