Last night I was on “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” on CNBC. I was there to discuss how to save your job during a down economy. I had a number of tips prepared, but due to limited time, I was only able to give 2.

As someone who has had to hire employees and locate tenants, I have held dozens of interviews and done my fair share of credit checks. My conclusion is that they just don't define character the way chat room fodder and social networking sites do. The latter provides a real world look into someone's character when they believe that no one else is watching.

Recently I’ve been bumping into more and more people who’ve either left Google to come to Microsoft or got offers from both companies and picked Microsoft over Google. I believe this is part of a larger trend especially since I’ve seen lots of people who left the company for “greener pastures” return in the past year (at least 8 people I know personally have rejoined) . However in this blog post I’ll stick to talking about people who’ve chosen Microsoft over Google.

This week I want to set out some definitions of imposter syndrome and some useful steps for dealing with it. If you feel you are holding yourself back, or if you work with someone who displays this behaviour, read on.

In this clip, Carol Bartz points out that young workers needn't be afraid of a lateral career move. Ambition often focuses only on upward motion, whereas well-rounded experience in a number of departments - sales, marketing, or customer service, just to name a few - gives a career a solid foundation. Ladders are unstable, Bartz says, but pyramids have depth, safety, and strength.