Take a look at this interesting article from MSNBC detailing 10 Hot Jobs for 2007. What I find particularly intriguing about this list is that blogging is listed as part of the 10th hot job. As the “blogosphere” continues to explode with new blogs everyday, it seems like everybody is trying to get in on this craze. This is definitely understandable, as it the biggest cost to starting and maintaining a blog is your time.

It’s that time of year again, when all of those eager, wide-eyed college students storm offices across the globe. I’ve dubbed it the “Intern Rush”. Being new to an office setting, they really don’t know what to expect coming in. With this in mind, try to treat them as a regular new employee.

What does this mean? For one, they shouldn’t have to list on their resume that they fetched your coffee all summer. They’ve come to learn, try to teach them something. If all they do is meaningless tasks, they won’t get anything out of it and next year you could be facing a drought of interns. Also, try to be nice to them. It’s ok to rib them a bit, like you would do with any of your other co-workers, but be mindful of how far you go. They are probably pretty nervous, and it’s easy for someone in that state to take something said in jest the wrong way.

To sum up: Help them to get something out of their internship, and you will get a lot of value out of them.

Are you considering quitting your job? Would you know if you are even ready to quit? This is a very important decision to make, and should not be taken lightly. However, you would be surprised how many people rush into this decision and then almost immediately regret it afterwards.

With this in mind, I’ve come up with the following three questions that you should ask yourself BEFORE you quit your job.

• Do you DREAD going to work every day? - Let’s clarify this: There is a big difference between “Dread” and “Not feeling like it”. The second option is what most of us feel on an occasional basis. Maybe we’re tired, hung-over, or what have you. However, dreading going to work is a whole new ball game. Every day, you hate going to work. It might even make you feel a little bit sick to your stomach. Sometimes, you call off sick because you just can’t stand going to work that day. This is dread. If you’re feeling like this, then that’s a good sign you might want to get a new job.

• Does your attention constantly wander at work? - Most people cruise the internet every once and awhile at work, just to take a small break from whatever they’re working on. However, in this case, you are constantly doing something, anything, besides working. You know you have deadlines, but you just don’t care (more on this in the next question). Excessively long lunch breaks, wandering around the office constantly, cruising the internet all the time, these are all symptoms that you might not be satisfied with your current job.

• Do you care about what you produce? - This is another big one. If your work comes out great, good for you. If not, no big loss. That’s how this kind of attitude works. Basically, if you don’t care about the outcome of your assignments, then you probably need a new job OR a new role on your current job (big “OR” here). The “OR” here is important because this might just signal that you need a new project or task to work on. Before you take the drastic step of quitting, you should investigate whether or not there is something else you could be doing in your current job that would be more satisfying.

The thing to keep in mind here is that you don’t necessarily have to answer “Yes” to all three of these questions to show that you’re ready to quit your job. Maybe only one of these apply, maybe only two. Conversely, just because you answer “Yes” to one or all three of these questions, it also doesn’t mean that you have to quit your job. Keep in mind that only you can end up making this decision, these questions are meant to act as more of a guide to help you make it rather than making it for you.

Are you in the market for a new job? Are you still employed? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you should check out this new article on looking for a new job while still being employed before you start your search.

Quitting your job might be one of the trickiest situations that you can encounter. However, even trickier than quitting your job occurs right before you quit your job: Looking for a new job. When it comes down to it, you could quit your job before getting a new one if you have to. In my experience, it’s much more preferable to have something lined up before you quit your job. The question then becomes, how do you go about doing this?

Here are three things you should do in order to look for a new job while still being employed AND not burning any bridges along the way:

• Tell your boss - Does this sound crazy? Actually, it’s exactly the opposite. This is probably the best thing that you can do before you start looking for a new job. More than likely, if a new employer is interested in you, they are going to call your references. If you are even on decent terms with your current job, then you have someone there as a reference on your resume. Even if it’s not your boss, if they get a call then your boss is going to find out about it. This is not the way you want to keep on good terms with your current job. Schedule a meeting and tell your boss that you are planning on looking for a new job. Make sure you have the reasons that you are leaving ready beforehand to discuss with them. They will appreciate that you are giving them a heads-up as to your imminent departure, and coming from you is the best way they can hear about it.

• Don’t look at work - This is another biggie. You should avoid looking for a new job while at work at all costs. Looking for a new job at work (basically not doing any work for your current job) will certainly rub people the wrong way. This is a surefire method for getting a bad reference from your current employer. If you absolutely have to, such as you need to call someone from a possible new employer, do it on your lunch break and/or in private. Also, you should minimize the time at work that you are using to do this (taking two hours out of your work day is not suggested).

• Keep working hard - I’ve seen this happen a lot. Once someone starts looking for a new job, they quickly lose all interest in working hard in their current position. Again, this can mean nothing but bad things for you. You need to keep working hard regardless of the fact that you plan on leaving. Not only will your boss appreciate this, but your co-workers as well. You never know who you will work with or for in the future, so it’s best to not anger anybody by slacking off at the last moment.

One of the most important rules of business is this: Don’t burn any bridges on your way out. This may not always be possible, but you should do your best to make it happen. As I stated above, you never know who you will be working with or for five years from now. One of the people you work with now could be the person who decides whether or not you get hired in the future.