We've always said that you should do what you love—so much that if you wouldn't do your job for free, you should quit. When that isn't an option, though, writer Patty Azzarello recommends a slight change in philosophy.

While we don't necessarily agree with her that "doing what you love" is bad advice, we do understand that it isn't always ideal—especially in a bad economy. Maybe your ideal job market is oversaturated, or maybe it just doesn't pay enough for the lifestyle you want. In those situations, it helps to look at your job as a means to do what you love.

Consider thinking about your work/life strategy like this:

• Do what you love for free.
• Work for money.
• Change how you do your job to feel less tortured about it-and maybe even feel pretty good about it.
• Spend the money you make on doing the things you love when you're not at work.

End of insight: Please read it again.

Azzarello uses her own life as an example: she was stuck in a technology job that paid well, but that she hated doing. Instead of griping through her hatred of technology, she reassessed her job to focus on things she was good at—she used her hatred of technology to make the product better for similarly-minded people. That way, while she may not be doing something she loved, she was at least doing something she liked, and could spend more time and money on the things she did love. Hit the link below to read more, and for our own insight on the subject, check out our top 10 tips for improving your work life.

"Do What You Love" Is Bad Advice | Free Money Finance

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The cover letter is a mainstay of job applications and job sites, but all too often they're discarded unread while the hiring manager or HR rep's attention goes to the meat of the application: the resume. The blog Wise Man Say has a revolutionary suggestion: ditch it altogether and put that energy towards customizing your resume, making connections, or building a portfolio of your actual work you can invite a potential employer to see.

There is a caveat here—if the job application specifically calls for a cover letter, you should obviously include one, and we have some tips on how to write a good cover letter. If you're applying to a position via email, or directly to the hiring manager or company's HR department, your email or other message with your resume attached serves the purpose, and attaching a separate cover letter is just one more attachment in the recipient's inbox—one that Wise Man Say says will never get opened.

Speaking as someone who's been on both sides of this table, I can say that when I got candidates through an HR system full of resumes, the cover letters were usually stripped by the resume system, and when I got direct applications from people I knew, their resume was the important part of their message. What do you think? Do you think the cover letter is dead and gone, or does it still have a place? Sound off in the comments below.

When to Write a Cover Letter (Hint: Never) | Wise Man Say

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We've discussed how dangerous burnout can be and what you can do about it in the past, but if you need a simple refresher, this infographic from the folks at The Simple Dollar does a great job of distilling the basics into an easy to read visual.

Normally infographics have an awful tendency to let meaningful information get lost in pretty pictures, but this one does a great job (although it's a little tough to read) of outlining some common symptoms of burnout, like depression, insomnia, and frequent illness. It leaves off resentment, but that could be a cause and not so much a symptom.

Either way, once you've recognized the signs of depression, the infographic does have some concrete suggestions for you, namely making sure you get enough sleep each night, working out and making it a habit, and remembering to take your breaks and vacations. That last tip is one we can't overstate enough; breaks and vacations are critical, and they give you a chance to recharge, cool off, and slowly recover from the building fatigue and resentment that comes with any job, even if you love what you do.

How do you keep burnout at bay? Is it all about taking vacations at the right time, or do you have another technique that's served you well? Let's hear it in the comments below.

6 Simple Ways to Avoid Burnout | The Simple Dollar

It's an unfortunate fact of life at most companies that the people who labor in silence, far from the eyes of their boss, are often the ones passed over for promotions and merit raises, even if they put a lot of time and effort into their jobs. If you really want your paycheck to match your drive and the amount of work you do, you need to focus on the most visible projects—the ones that everyone sees—and you need to be happy doing it. Appearances count for a lot, and you don't have to be jaded with your job to realize it.

Don't just take our word for it. Former recruiter and contractor Dominic Connor tells The Register that all too often people spend all of their energy working on things that no one will ever see and then wonder why their boss has no idea what they do or how hard they work at it. It's uncomfortable, and even I bristle at the notion that you have to play up hard work that should speak for itself to get the attention you deserve, but sometimes you have to or else someone else will snag the spotlight—someone unafraid of tooting their own horn.

Instead, Connor suggests you display "continuous visible productivity," or put plainly, work on the things that everyone sees. Make sure your boss knows you're working on priorities that are also his or her priorities. Be enthusiastic, say upbeat and positive things in meetings with colleagues, and make sure everyone knows you're happy to be there. As my former CIO used to say, a smile goes a long way, even if you're not feeling it—both toward improving your own mood and in the eyes of your colleagues.

He correctly notes that your paycheck is a careful balance on the part of your employer between how much they know you need to stay with the company and how little they can get away with paying you. If you're looking for a raise, you need to be able to sell yourself as offering something to your employer that they don't already have—or should be afraid they'll lose if you leave.

If all of this sounds like a contentious game, it should—Connor doesn't pull any punches, and says you're worth as much as you're paid—if you don't feel that's the case, the problem is that you haven't proven it yet. Most of his suggestions assume you're not working in a job you love, of course, where the pay is less important than the work, but if you're like many people who feel overworked and underpaid, his tips are worth a read. Do you play hardball when it's time for a raise, or does your employer offer them every year without fail? Let us know how you get bigger bucks in the comments below.

You're Crap and Paid Too Much for the Little Work You Actually Do: A Recruiter's Guide on How to Get Mo' Money | The Register

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