The COVID-19 pandemic altered the workplace paradigm in ways that many employers and employees never envisioned. Experts say the key to succeeding in the "next normal" workplace environment entails myriad adjustments, such as evaluating career aspirations and priorities or realigning the boundaries between transparency and professionalism.

Write concisely by outlining your document first, keeping in mind the format of the communication and the information your audience needs and then ruthlessly editing out extraneous or redundant words and ideas, writes Allison Carter. "Writing concisely helps sharpen your own thinking and makes reading easier for your audience," Carter writes.

Initial jobless claims dropped from a revised level of 231,000 to a seasonally adjusted 229,000 last week, according to the Labor Department. The 2019 pre-pandemic weekly average was 218,000.

A new concept is under discussion in education circles called "The Big Blur." The idea is to blur the lines between the last two years of high school and the first two years of college and align them more closely with workforce needs.

PwC emphasizes the importance of taking vacations and last year started offering bonuses to employees who take 40 consecutive hours of paid time off, says Kim Jones, PwC's talent strategy and people experience leader. "We work in such a demanding environment that if you're not intentional about planning your PTO in detail, the next thing you know, it's been four or five or six months and you haven't taken a day off," Jones says.

The actor embarked on a yearlong search a few years back for millions of dollars' worth of Crusades-era gold that was supposedly buried on his estate in France -- and even had the property surveyed and purchased radar equipment. But, there was no treasure to be had. It turns out Pitt was scammed by a man who made the story up in an effort to get the Oscar winner to invest in a radar company. I guess the thrill of the hunt is alluring even to Hollywood A-listers.