Global 2012: Burger King Employee Stands on Lettuce

CHICAGO - AUGUST 24: A sign hangs outside a Burger King restaurant on August 24, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. Burger King Holdings Inc., the No. 2 U.S. burger chain, reported its fourth-quarter net income fell nearly 17 percent following weak sales and increased costs for ingredients and packaging. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Ever feel like nothing is secret any more because of the Internet? You may be right. It took 4Chan users only 15 minutes to track down and bust the Cleveland-area Burger King employee who stood on top of two containers of shredded lettuce and then posted a picture of the gross act. 4Chan is a bulletin board-type website where members post images and comments.

"This is the lettuce you eat at Burger King," wrote the unnamed employee on the evening of July 16. Guess he thought that was funny. Other users weren't laughing: according to Hypervocal.com, Anonymous, the notorious vigilante hacking group, used GPS data embedded in the photo to locate the fast food restaurant's address and reportedly contacted the franchise and FoxNews8. "Whoever this is is getting fired," a morning shift manager named Andrea, told the Cleveland Scene.

Bryson W. Thornton, Director of Burger King's Global Communications, wrote in a statement to Yahoo! Shine:

"Burger King Corp. has recently been made aware of a photo that shows a BURGER KING® restaurant employee violating the company's stringent food handling procedures. Food safety is a top priority at all BURGER KING® restaurants and the company maintains a zero-tolerance policy against any violations such as the one in question. The restaurant where this photo was taken is independently-owned and operated by a BURGER KING® franchisee. The franchisee has taken swift action to investigate this matter and terminated the three employees involved in the incident."

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/burger-king-employee-stands-lettuce-busted-internet-163700384.html

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• Burger King Addresses Employee Lettuce Photo Posted Online (fox8.com)
• Lettuce-Defiling Burger King Employee Tracked Down by 4chan Users, Terminated [Great Justice] (gawker.com)
• Gross: This folks is why you should think twice before visiting Burger King again (bazaardaily.com)
• Burger King Employee Posts Photo Of Himself Stepping In Lettuce, Gets Busted (huffingtonpost.com)
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• 4chan Exacts Vengeance on Spiteful Fast Food Worker (escapistmagazine.com)
• Another Reason To Avoid Fast Food: Burger King Employee Stands In Lettuce, Posts Photo Online (thegloss.com)
• Feet-in-lettuce photo hits Internet, gets Burger King employees fired (riehlworldview.com)

Global 2011: Missing iPhone prototype

Image via CrunchBase
San Francisco police have assisted Apple in the search for a prototype of the latest iPhone that went astray in a bar in a repeat of an embarrassing loss that took place last year.

An Apple employee lost a yet-to-be-released iPhone 5 in a tequila bar in San Francisco's Mission District in July, technology news site CNET reported this week.

After the device was electronically tracked using GPS technology to a San Francisco house, four police officers and two Apple employees visited the home, the San Francisco police said in a statement distributed to news outlets.

"Apple employees called Mission police station directly, wanting assistance in tracking down a lost item," the press release said.

"The two Apple employees met with the resident and then went into the house to look for the lost item," it said. "The Apple employees did not find the lost item and left the house."

The statement did not identify the item being searched for but the title of the document carried a tantalizing hint: iPhone5.doc.

A resident of the home, Sergio Calderon, 22, told SF Weekly that he has visited the bar where the phone was reportedly lost but he did not have the device. He said the search of his house took place in July.

http://news.yahoo.com/police-help-apple-hunt-missing-iphone-prototype-013611061.html

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Global 2011: Lowe's staff save dozens

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More than 100 employees and customers at a home improvement store, crammed shoulder-to-shoulder seeking safety from one of the deadly storms that ripped through the South, screamed in near unison once the steel roof curled off overhead, the store's manager said Sunday.

They all made it out alive Saturday, thanks to quick action by Lowe's store manager Michael Hollowell and his employees, who carried out an emergency response plan they had learned. They herded everyone to the windowless rear area of the store, away from the direct hit out front.

"You could hear all the steel ripping. People screaming in fear for their lives," Hollowell told The Associated Press.

Hollowell and his employees deserve credit for moving customers to a safe zone in the store about 40 miles south of Raleigh, said Sanford police Capt. J.R. Weeks.

"It can't help but have saved lives," he said. Since most of the damage was in the front, getting them farther away likely prevented some people from harm.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110418/ap_on_re_us/us_severe_storms_hero_manager

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Global 2011: One-Page Resume

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Not only is the longer-than-a-page resume not the end of the world, but many recruiters and job-search advisors actually encourage job seekers to continue selling themselves after the page break. Paul Anderson , a Seattle-based career coach, says one-page resumes simply don't have enough content. "I completely advise against [the one-page resume] unless it's a college graduate or someone who's brand-new to the marketplace," he says.

This newfound affinity for page two is largely due to the job market's digital transition. Reading onto a second page now means scrolling down on a computer screen rather than actually turning a piece of paper. And job seekers have more than the human reader to consider; resumes are now at the mercy of computerized applicant-tracking systems. Those databases search not only for keywords, but for frequency of keywords, Anderson says, which means a resume that mentions coveted job responsibilities or skills four times is likely to outrank ones that includes that same keyword only once or twice. And to include keywords repeatedly, you need space--at least two pages, possibly three, he says.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Death-of-the-OnePage-usnews-367610885.html?x=0

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Global 2011: Dream Jobs: Six-Figure Salaries

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Seemingly every week, another publication or website comes out with its list of the "Best Jobs of the Year" or the "Hottest Careers," purporting to show the best fields to get into for job stability and earnings potential. The problem with many of these lists is that the jobs and careers on them often require years and years of training, offer an extremely small overall pool of jobs, or really don't pay all that well.

1. Online Marketing Director
2. Mobile Applications Developer
3. Global Supply Chain Manager
4. Financial Advisor
5. Financial Analyst, Gaming Industry

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/112224/dream-jobs-six-figure-salaries?mod=oneclick

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Global 2010: 11 Ways to Hurt Your Career

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While most career advice focuses on how to succeed, we can all learn valuable lessons by dissecting career failure as well. Workplace experts offer insights into some of the top ways workers undermine their own careers and jeopardize their career development.

1. Not Taking Your Education Seriously

2. Not Having a Plan

3. Lying

4. Sullying Your Reputation on Facebook or Twitter

5. Not Respecting Professional Boundaries

6. Gossiping, Slandering, and Excessively Criticizing

7. Carrying on an Inappropriate Relationship with Your Boss|

8. Not Controlling Your Alcohol Intake or Libido

9. Job-Hopping Just for the Money

10. Losing Touch with References

11. Leaving a Job on Bad Terms

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-11_ways_to_hurt_your_career-1466/fpusrsrc=today?WT.mc_n=hjEOI_YToday

Global 2010: Scoring Unlisted Jobs

Image by Adam Foster | Codefor via Flickr
Job boards are irresistible because they seemingly put everything within easy reach. Unfortunately, the majority of job hunters are competing for the same small pool of jobs and getting turned down.

More than 80% of job openings are actually unlisted, says Steven Rothberg, founder of job website CollegeRecruiter.com in Minneapolis. This can be a good opportunity for outside candidates with research and networking skills since most companies will try to promote from within or rely on employee referrals.

• Look for signs
• It's people, not paper
• Make it easy to find you

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111655/scoring-unlisted-jobs

Global 2010: Is It Time to Leave Your Job?

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It's the holiday season, when we start making lists of the gifts we want -- and of the pros and cons of the jobs we have. The end of one year and the start of a New Year is the time when just about everyone takes stock of where they are with their work, and whether they are where they expected to be.

So as you get ready to transition from your Christmas list to a wish list for your career, ask yourself these five questions about your company, your colleagues, and your personal game plan for what comes next.

1. Does my company stand for something -- anything -- special?

2. Am I excited to see my colleagues when I show up for work on Monday morning?

3. Do I have a voice at work -- does anyone who matters listen to what I say?

4. Am I learning as fast as the world is changing?

5. Am I making enough money?

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111648/is-it-time-to-leave-your-job?mod=career-worklife_balance

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Global 2010: Most Overused Job Buzzwords

While analyzing professional résumés is a little less sexy than analyzing romantic ones, LinkedIn is giving it a spin. The advice may prove to be more useful to you if you're seeking to land a job instead of a significant other.

LinkedIn has done a word analysis on the profiles of its 85 million users to come up with a list of the most overused words and expressions. Do you like to describe yourself as innovative and motivated? Then you may want to think about some synonyms to employ.

Top 10 overused buzzwords in LinkedIn Profiles in the USA — 2010:

1. Extensive experience

2. Innovative

3. Motivated

4. Results-oriented

5. Dynamic

6. Proven track record

7. Team player

8. Fast-paced

9. Problem solver

10. Entrepreneurial

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111599/linked-ins-resume-advice-the-top-ten-buzzwords-to-avoid

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Global 2010: High-Paying Careers With No Future

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It may come as no surprise that the job of newspaper reporter is going the way of the buggy whip maker — but the forces of modernity have placed some unexpected occupations on the endangered species list as well. Using statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011, we identified 10 of the most surprising job categories whose numbers are projected to shrink in the coming years, plus a few that will grow so slowly that you might as well be sending your resume to Irish banks.

Judge

Fashion Designer

Insurance Underwriter

Travel Agent

Newspaper Reporter

Broadcast Announcer

Plant Manager

Chemist

Economist

CEO

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111385/disappearing-jobs-high-paying-careers-with-no-future

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Global 2010: 8 Things Employers Aren't Allowed to Ask You

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The rough economy has made many people desperate for a job. In their eagerness for gainful employment, many people may overlook improper interview questions. Depending on how they are asked, questions about personal topics such as marital status, race and health are more than just poor manners - they are illegal under federal and some state and local laws. These types of questions can be used to discriminate against applicants, and it is your right not to answer them. Here are eight questions your employer cannot ask you.

1. How old are you?

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), protects individuals who are 40 or older from being discriminated against in the workplace in favor of younger employees. There is no federal protection in place to protect workers younger than 40 from age discrimination. To determine if you are legally eligible to perform a job, employers are allowed to ask if you are over the age of 18.

2. Are you married?

Questions about marital status are prohibited. Even a question as seemingly innocent as "Do you wish to be addressed as Mrs., Miss, or Ms.?" is not allowed.

3. Are you a U.S. citizen?

Citizenship and immigration status cannot be used against a potential employee during the hiring process according to The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Employers must wait until after a job offer had been extended to require a worker to complete the Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) Form and submit documentation that proves identity and employment authorization. It is lawful for an employer to ask an interviewee if they are authorized to work in the US.

4. Do you have any disabilities?

Employers cannot discount anyone from a job because of a physical or mental disability. In fact, the law requires that they accommodate disabilities unless they can prove it would cause significant difficulty or expense to do so. Employers also cannot ask you if you have had any past illnesses or operations.

5. Do you take drugs, smoke or drink?

Concerns about drug, alcohol or nicotine addictions are valid as they can impact an employee's quality of work and the rates of a company's health insurance coverage. They are allowed to ask if you have ever been disciplined for violating company policies about the use of alcohol and tobacco products. They can also ask directly if you use illegal drugs, but an employer can't inquire about your use of prescription medications.

6. What religion do you practice?

Inquires about religious beliefs are a sensitive issue. 

7. What is your race?

This protection is granted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Employers are permitted to ask an employee to reveal their race on a voluntary basis for affirmative action purposes.

8. Are you pregnant?

Employers might have concerns about an employee taking time off work for pregnancy leave or not having child care arrangements during work hours. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act states that an employer cannot refuse to hire a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy, because of a pregnancy-related condition, or because of the prejudices of co-workers, clients or customers.

It is, however, lawful for employers to ease their nerves about an employee's availability or commitment to a position by asking about long-term career goals or the ability for an employee to work overtime and travel.

The Bottom Line

It is important to know your rights as an employee. Unlawful questions are not acceptable on applications, during the interview process or in the workplace. Although improper questions by employers might be simple mistakes, they could also be intentional cases of discrimination that should be reported.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110601/8-things-employers-arent-allowed-to-ask-you

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