Is a Cover Letter with a Resume Necessary?

Believe it or not, sometimes a cover letter with your resume isn't necessary. But some of you should most definitely include one.

Do you need that letter? Find out here.

Leaving Work Early Today? Extra Buses & Trains for You!

New Jersey Transit is offering "early getaway" bus and rail service today for those of you leaving work early for the Thanksgiving holiday.

They will also be running extra trains on Thanksgiving Day to accommodate those attending Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

On Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, additional trains will operate to New York and enhanced bus service will be offered to shopping centers throughout New Jersey.

For more information, go to www.njtransit.com.

Confronting a Workplace Saboteur

"I work with someone who agrees with action items in meetings, but she consistently sabotages them later. What can I do?"

Sound familiar? Is someone you work with, and maybe depend on, constantly backpedaling? Is she consistently going above or around you?

Get some good advice here.

401K Matching Contribution Eliminated? READ THIS.

If your employer has announced that they're suspending their matching contribution to your 401K, you'd be wise to update your resume and get it circulating. Cuts to 401K matches are a huge red flag. Find out why here.

Pledge Yourself to Workplace Serenity

We can't control what's happening in the office -- layoffs, co-workers acting like jerks, bosses being unreasonable -- but we can control how we react. And that could make a world of difference

Read some words of wisdom from Deepak Chopra here.

At Work, Avoid the "Personal Implosion"

Work can make you feel so overwhelmed, so freaked out, that you feel like a building about to collapse in on itself.

Here's an article that reminds us of some common-sense ways to avoid getting to that miserable place.

Law Firms Laying Off Legal Secretaries

Buchanan Ingersoll, Duane Morris, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, Reed Smith, Blank Rome, Dechert.

Who's laying off secretaries? And is it because of the economy, or are they reporting other reasons?

Read about these firms now at Law.com.

Snap Out of It!: How to Wake Up at Work

You're at work, and you're exhausted. You've still got hours before you can go home and crawl back into bed. You need to wake up and get productive, and fast.

So scream. Pull your hair. Flirt. Annoy someone.

These tactics, and more, will snap you out of your fatigue. Read more!

Secretaries: No Such Thing as a Promotion?

What kind of career track is there for a secretary/administrative assistant? Is there really anywhere you can go from here?

This New York Times article adds to the discussion.

A Broken Parking Meter. What Should You Do?

You really need that parking spot -- but the parking meter is broken. What are you supposed to do?

Learn more.

Prices are Dropping -- Everywhere Except NYC

Plummeting energy costs triggered a big drop in consumer prices in the New York area last month - the biggest four-week decrease in 53 years.

But within New York City, the price of just about everything has gone up since last year.

What's going on?

Read more in the Daily News.

Tips for Cheap, Diplomatic Gift-Giving in the Office

A little goes a long way. We know a secretary who routinely gives a little something to everyone in the office who helps her throughout the year -- the maintenance guys, the crew in the copy center, the IT dudes who fix her computer every time it freezes. And they remember it. When she asks for something, they respond in a flash.

You can do the same, even when money's tight. Here are some tips for spreading cheer without emptying your bank account.

Subway Riders Urged to Speak Up on Cuts

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and four civic groups handed out leaflets to morning rush-hour subway riders on Wednesday, urging them to speak up about threatened subway maintenance and service cuts.

Read more in the Epoch Times.

A "Commuter Tax" for Non-New Yorkers?

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has once again raised the specter of trying to impose a so-called commuter tax on the wages of anyone who works in the Big Apple but doesn't reside there.

Here, Connecticut weighs in on that plan.

Avoid Drunken Disasters at Holiday Parties

When people drink at holiday parties, sometimes it can lead to disastrous actions everyone will regret later. (Use your imagination.)

Here's an article that will help you head off trouble before it becomes tragedy.

Winter Driving Safety Tips

We've seen flurries already in our area. This might be a good time to review some winter driving safety tips. Take it from the people who know upstate.

Changes to Family and Medical Leave Act

The U.S. Department of Labor released the final regulations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), clarifying employer and employee rights under the law. Find out what's new here.

Unwind After Work: Secretaries Get Help Relaxing

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

When you get home in the evening, it's important to leave the work day completely behind you. You'll be back in the office soon enough!

But maybe you're the type of person who gets so keyed up, there's hardly enough time in the evening to get unwound, before you have to wake up and do it all over again.

You need to invest in your personal relaxation! Here at Just A Sec, we asked our team of volunteer reviewers (all real New York secretaries, like you) to recommend three items that helped them chill out after work. (Sure, booze made the top of the list -- but that would've been too obvious.) Maybe you'll treat yourself to one or more of our secretaries' picks featured below. You deserve it!

Cuddle Up With The Slanket



"Oh my god, as soon as I put this thing on, I fall asleep right on the couch," Heather said. "It's the best thing ever!"

Heather is raving about the Slanket -- a big, cozy fleece blanket with sleeves. How many times have you put your feet up on the ottoman and draped a throw over your legs, only to feel left out in the cold (literally) from the waist up? You don't want to completely cover your arms -- you need them free to peel a clementine, surf the web, or hold the remote.

But the Slanket lets you curl up on the couch, get snuggly warm, and still keep your arms free. You slip your arms into the sleeves from the front and pull the Slanket up over your shoulders. It's stays loose but warm around your neck -- nothing tight or binding. The sleeves are big and loose, too. There are no fasteners, no buttons or snaps. The Slanket hangs comfortably loose over the rest of your body, yet it hangs securely enough on the body to let you get up, walk to the kitchen and back without the Slanket falling off.

And it's generously sized, too -- 60" x 95". So if you get annoyed by blankets and afghans that leave your feet out in the chill, you won't be disappointed by the Slanket. It covers you completely.

The Slanket is incredibly soft, made of 100% polyester microfibers. We put it through the washing machine and dryer twice and it held up beautifully, didn't shrink or develop ratty looking pills. It stayed like new.

The Slanket comes in a wide array of pretty colors and costs $44.95. It's nice for gift-giving too, and comes in a tidy plastic zipper pouch which can be used to store your Slanket. Buy yours at www.theslanket.com.


Soothing Neck Wrap by The Happy Company: The Spa in Your Living Room



It seems simple enough, and you may have seen similar products before -- but have you actually tried one? If not, get it right the first time and get a Soothing Neck Wrap from The Happy Company. They make the best wrap of its kind that we've ever tried.

What is it? Imagine a roughly C-shaped pillow covered in the most heavenly soft fabric you can imagine. It's worn around your neck, like a puffy collar. It's not as lightweight as a bed pillow might be; it's a bit firmer and weightier. And this is a good thing -- because when it rests on your neck and shoulders, it provides just enough pressure to soothe away built-up tensions, like a massage therapist applying gentle pressure.

And the Soothing Neck Wrap is deliciously WARM. The neck wrap pops into the microwave for ONE MINUTE. This is just enough time to warm up the flax seed/plush stuffing. This unique combination of internal ingredients holds and releases heat gently and gradually, melting away pain and tightness.

The Happy Company has also placed a removeable scent sachet inside its Soothing Neck Wrap, containing a subtle fragrant mix of chamomile, lavender and clove -- three scents known for their relaxing qualities. The microwave heat helps activate and release these scents. But if you'd prefer a scent-free experience, just zip open the wrap and remove the sachet.

The outer cover is machine washable and comes in three cozy colors. Best of all, this relaxation super-tool costs less than $20! Get your lovin' care at The Happy Company.


Happy's Head Trip: An Orgasm for Your Scalp



The Happy Company makes us happy again with it's handy Head Trip gadget. And ohhhh, what a gadget it is. The package it comes in says, "It's hard to believe something so simple can feel so good", and wow, nothing could be truer.

Although you can use the Head Trip on yourself, it feels better when you get someone else to use it on you -- so call in those favors from your kids or your partner. It's easy for them to use, and it's nearly impossible for them to get it wrong. Even your four-year-old can use the Head Trip on you in a way that will turn you into a puddle of melted butter.

It's the most unusual -- but most incredible -- head massager we've ever tried. It's got a wooden handle and a bunch of bendable copper "fingers" that you pull apart to form a vague helmet shape. Each finger has a small nob on the end. The Head Trip is lowered onto your head, cradling your cranium, its fingers tickling your scalp.

"I swear, this thing releases some kind of chemical in your body," Angela said after trying the Head Trip. "There's something about the way it touches your head that makes you shiver, in a good way, and then you just go limp. What are those brain chemicals they call the 'feel-good' chemicals? I don't remember, but I'm telling you, it releases those. Lots of them. And it makes you fall asleep."

The effect of the Head Trip is not easy to describe, but Angela did a pretty good job. We encourage you to just take a leap and try it. You won't be disappointed. And for well under $20, it costs just a little for so much pleasure. Happy's Head Trip folds up flat and comes with a handy storage pouch, too. Get one at The Happy Company and be amazed!

Flexible Spending Accounts: Age Limit for Day Care

If you're using your flexible spending dollars for child care and your child is older, you should know that these funds can only be used for care of a child age 13 or younger.

So, if your kid will be turning 14 within the next year, you'll want clarification on when he or she officially becomes ineligible -- it'll impact how much of those use-them-or-lose-them dollars you set aside. Get some help here.

MTA Riders: Facing Less Services, for Higher Fares?

Commuters may be paying more cash for fewer rides next year if the MTA can't climb out of its growing budget hole. Read more at the New York Post.

Reduce Stress During Tough Financial Times

MetLife offers up some tips for reducing personal stress during times of economic turbulence. It's a short read, and it's worth it. Check it out.

VIDEO: Crazy Contraption Made from Office Supplies

And you thought you were so clever when you made that paper clip necklace! Watch this.

Results of Big Metro-North Survey Are In.

Metro-North conducted a $2 million study in the origins and destinations of its riders. Learn the results here.

8 Ways to Lose Weight at the Office

Did you know that you're less likely to reach for a snack that's in the left-hand drawer of your desk, than goodies stashed to your right?

Healthy & Fit offers some unique tips for promoting weight loss while you're at work. Read more.

What if Your Health Insurer Won't Pay?

What if health insurance refuses to pay when you're sick or hurt? The smartest tactic might be to get a "medical billing advocate" in your corner. Paid medical billing advocates negotiate with healthcare providers and insurance companies to lower consumers' medical bills.

Learn more at U.S. News and World Report.

Fascinating E-mail Facts

Did you know that it takes an average of 64 seconds to recover your train of thought after interruption by e-mail? That means, people who check their e-mail every five minutes waste 8 1/2 hours a week figuring out what they were doing moments before.

Yep. And there's more where that came from.

Connecticut Commuters: Get Your Flu Shot

On Thursday at train stations along the Metro-North Railroad line from Greenwich to Stratford, commuters will be able to get a flu inoculation on their way home from work.

Get details here.

Rockland Bus Commuters: More Parking for You

Rockland County plans to lease 100 parking spaces at the Nanuet Mall to provide relief to bus commuters facing overcrowding at nearby lots.

When's it happening? Find out here.

Patron Saint of Secretaries: Pray Away that Workday from Hell.

Next time something at work has you frazzled, vexed or anxious, you could try praying to the patron saint of secretaries for relief. And if she's away from her desk (making copies, no doubt), no problem! Because secretaries have TWO patron saints! WAY, it's true!

Who are they? Find out here.

South Amboy-NYC Ferry to Return 2009

Commuter ferry service between South Amboy, New Jersey and Manhattan is likely to return during the summer of 2009. Learn more in the Sentinel.

5 Ways to Get an Energy Boost at Work

Need a pick-me-up? Here are five things you can do at work to give yourself the energy boost you need to keep going 'til 5:30.

Keep the Holiday Spirit at Work -- Even in a Crappy Economy

So you may already be thinking, this isn't going to be the merriest of holiday seasons at my job. In a disaster of an economy, companies are skipping the annual party and holding back bonuses. You might already be doing the math on how you're going to fill your family's stockings.

But be of better cheer, Scrooge! This article from U.S. News & World Report lists five at-work holiday downers, with solid tips on how you can overcome and get your jollies.

WIN! A Just a Sec "Package o' Perks"!

Here's an on-the-job perk: you could win a goody box filled with fine things to make your work day more pleasant -- from Just A Sec!

E-mail justasecnyc@yahoo.com. Type "Package o' Perks" into the subject line, and include the following info in your e-mail:

Your name
Mailing address
E-mail address
Age
Job Title (if you have one).

We will not share your information with any outside parties.

We must receive your e-mail no later than midnight EST on November 28, 2008. A random winner will be chosen and notified by e-mail shortly after the deadline.

Congratulations to Lisa P. from Staten Island, NY, winner of our October Package o' Perks!

Good luck!

What are you doing here? GO VOTE!

Looking for polling locations for NYC? Go here.

Do You Sit Next to a Drama Queen?

"I work closely with a young woman who is a complete drama queen. Every day, without fail, she has to tell me about some new issue in her life. She is constantly on the phone with her children or extended family. This is driving me crazy."

Sound familiar? Find out what advice this harried worker was given in the Sun-Sentinel; it might be useful to you, too.

Remember Your Vitamins, Feel Spunky!

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

The MedCenter System is a life-changer.



We all know how much better we function when we don't skip our supplements -- or for that matter, our Prozac.

Taken regularly, vitamins and other nutritional supplements can make us calmer and more alert, our nails less brittle, our PMS less dramatic -- we can even pee more easily. Ah, but the tricky word here is regularly. With all the things you have to do in the morning, who can remember to take all those pills? And some supplements work best when taken more than once in a day. Yeah, like you're gonna remember twice, or even three times a day.

Ohhhh, but you will.

This review marks a rare occasion at Just A Sec -- the honoring of a product with the Sec-Tacular Seal!



Regular readers of Just A Sec know that few products or services get the Sec-Tacular Seal designation -- only the ones that knock our socks off -- the absolute can't-misses and must-haves.

The MedCenter System is truly Sec-Tacular!

Here's how it works.

You organize your pills into their own daily pill box, which has the date marked on both ends. There are four individual compartments in each box, so you can store up to four separate doses in a single day.

Since the MedCenter System gives you 31 individual pill boxes, you can sort your pills for an entire month in advance. We loved this feature, because ordinary seven-day pill organizers force you to re-sort your pills every week -- what a drag!

Next, there's the talking alarm. Your organizer comes with a digital alarm clock which shows date, time, and day of the week. It can be programmed to remind you to take your pills up to four times a day.

For example, if you never want to forget to take your vitamins before work, you might program the talking alarm for 6:00 AM, when a cheerful voice will say, "Good morning! Please take your morning pills for the 15th," followed by a series of beeps. The alarm is loud enough to hear in another room, and there's an "extra loud" setting which can be heard from an entirely separate floor of the house.

The alarm will repeat itself several times, then become silent for several minutes before trying again. To let the alarm know you've taken your pills (in other words, to shut it up), press the "Alarm Acknowledged" button.

The happy pill lady will never let you forget to take those drugs or vitamins -- which adds up to a healthier lifestyle for you.

If you have a supplement that needs to be taken in the morning and evening, you might program a separate alarm to go off at 8:00 PM. (Remember, you can program up to four alarms per day.)

The talking alarm is portable, so you can take it with you to work to remind you to take an afternoon pill. Just lift the clock off the organizer base and pop it in your bag.

The main organizer base has a platform where you can set the current day's pill box. There's also a slot for each pill box for the month. One end of each pill box is red, the other green; this comes in handy in a number of ways. If you need to know when you're officially done with your pills for the day, you can flip the box over in the organizer so its red end is showing. Boxes showing green-end-up would still contain pills to take.

However, one of our volunteer testers used this color-coding feature differently. When filling the boxes for the month, she didn't always have all the pills she needed. She turned all the full boxes over to show green, indicating they were complete. A box showing red meant there were still some pills missing. This way, she knew visually when the "full days" were coming to an end and she needed to get to the vitamin store.

Two secretaries gave the MedCenter System a test drive. Both of these secretaries -- Laura and Barbara -- reported having trouble remembering to take supplements.

"This thing really kicked me in the butt," Laura said. "I took my vitamins more regularly than I ever did before. There's just no way to forget. Especially in the evening with my fish oil pills. Even at times when I was doing better with the vitamins, I could never remember to take those fish oil pills at night, too. I swear, I took them every single night with this thing. I heard the lady's voice out in the kitchen and I went out there and I took them! I've been so good!"

"I love this thing," Barbara told us. "I take medication too and not always, but once in a while I forget. I couldn't forget anything with (the MedCenter System)."

Barbara added, "I have an elderly mother and I'm going to get one of these for her. It's great for older people who have trouble remembering, especially when they have so many pills to take for this and that."

The MedCenter System can make a concrete, immediate difference in your health and wellbeing, and for that reason, it's well worth the $69.95 price tag. Get yours at MedCenter Systems.