Thinking of volunteering or seeking new employment?

Well, if you have a previous criminal record you may want to double check that record before your prospective employer does.

According to Pardon Applications of Canada, those Canadians who received an absolute or conditional discharge prior to July 24, 2021 may find they still have a criminal record attached to their name.

Been out of work for awhile now?

If you've got 10 years experience in your field, don't even think of starting off at the bottom again -- all you'll do is annoy the employer, says outspoken career coach John Heckers. You'd be much better off consulting or starting your own business than to apply for entry-level jobs.

When he sees someone with extensive experience applying for an intern job, Heckers admits he's not even going to interview them.

"I know that they’ll be gone in a heartbeat if something in their field comes along, and that they won’t stay and grow with my company," he says. "I also know they’re going to second guess me, not be coachable and generally be a pain in the neck."

Other things that turn him off: the smell of smoking, visible tatoos, piercings, and face stubble.

Grumpy, but at least he's honest.

Elisabeth Donati, author of The Ultimate Allowance, looks at kids these days -- and by kids she actually means anyone under 30 -- and wonders what exactly they're being taught at home and at school.

"Our children aren’t learning how to take care of themselves … emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually or financially," she maintains.

"They aren’t learning how to think through problems and solve them. And they aren’t learning how to think globally for the most part. Everything is geared toward solving problems individually when in reality, we solve problems best when we work on them together."

Donati decided to compile a list of what she would want kids to learn in her school, if she started one. Here’s a sample what she's come up with so far.

Money. People perceive, value and treat it differently.

But regardless of how you interact with it, money plays a major role in your life – in some cases, providing security, freedom and power and in others leaving you feeling inadequate and trapped.

It’s a question of training. Perhaps money was always taboo in your home. Or you received conflicting messages that you should feel guilty about money (“only the poor go to heaven”) and that money was unstable and scary (“you could wake up poor in the morning”).