Despite all the headlines of economic woe, the fact is some companies are enjoying explosive growth during the pandemic. In other instances, employees have gone above and beyond the call of duty to keep operations running smoothly. If you are thinking about asking for a raise but uneasy about doing so during the pandemic, this article offers some helpful pointers.

Burning Glass Technologies' analysis of millions of job listings suggests post-pandemic hiring will focus on people skilled in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and other areas, says CEO Matt Sigelman. "When employers start hiring back up, they won't necessarily hire the workers they let go," Sigelman says.

During a major crisis, many professionals decide to take action and fix the aspects of their careers that don't work, writes career coach Kathy Caprino. One key strategy is to network with people with higher influence than you to build an influential support community.

Onboarding can feel overwhelming for new workers and the pandemic -- with remote work and an uncertain climate -- has only intensified that experience, Kate DiChristopher-Yuen writes. DiChristopher-Yuen asserts that employers can alleviate this stress with a thoughtful onboarding plan that includes giving welcome gifts for a new hire's remote office, holding a virtual happy hour with the team and sharing the company's philosophy around work-life balance.

Companies have tried remote work for over a decade, but many end up bringing employees back into the office, including Best Buy, Aetna, Bank of America, AT&T and Yahoo. "It's good P.R., and very romantic, and very unrealistic. We'll be back in the office as soon as there's a vaccine," said Richard Laermer, who in the past let employees work remotely at his RLM Public Relations.

Employers may not use coronavirus testing as a condition of allowing employees to come back to their jobs, according to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling. However, job applicants may be screened for symptoms after a conditional job offer is made, as long as such screenings are conducted for all applicants for the job type.

A new suite of interactive maps makes it easier for you to explore Zealandia, a huge underwater mass discovered under New Zealand back in the 1990s. The "continent," which is known as Te Riu-a-Māui in the indigenous Māori language, measures 2 million square miles.