While today was originally designed to help us remember the sacrifices of brave heroes who fought for our freedoms, Memorial Day has evolved into an event built around backyard parties with family and friends.

And my family was no different. I grew up in a household where a three-day weekend was cherished as if it were a winning lottery ticket. That glorious extra day off told us there was a holiday to be acknowledged, and that meant gathering people together to share a meal.

But as much as they encouraged us to partake of the festivities of the long weekend, the real symbolism of Memorial Day wasn’t lost on them. In fact, my mother and father were both veterans.

It’s the day before your interview, and your mind starts racing. What is the company going to be like? What types of people will you meet? Will you fit in?

Stay calm, dear interviewee. To ease your pre-interview jitters—and to give yourself a leg up—throw on your Angela Lansbury hat and do some spying on the company.

We’re all (well) aware of the gender gap in business, and the dearth of women serving as executives and on boards at the world’s largest companies.

Acing the interview isn’t just about having the perfect canned speeches. Yes, you need to show off your experience, talents, and personality—but before answering each question, you also have to figure out what the interviewer is actually asking you.

I walked into the office to do my kindest “wai” by folding my hands together and gracefully bowing my head. In the Thai countryside, wai-ing all your colleagues is a way to show respect. Initially, I bowed my head so much, I almost got whiplash; having no idea whom to show honor to, I did it to everyone. Only later did I learn that this is done only to senior colleagues and those older than you.

When you’re an expat working abroad, you quickly come to terms with the fact that office culture in the U.S doesn’t always translate over to your new host country. I’ve spent time as a Fulbright scholar researching in Chiang Mai and later working a fast-paced job in Bangkok. While I’m now back in the States, I still carry with me some powerful career lessons from my time in Thailand that can lead to success anywhere. Here’s what I learned.

When I was in business school, all of my classmates dreamed of working as investment bankers, consultants, accountants, and brand managers for the biggest names in finance and marketing.

And I had to ask—is it some sort of insider secret that a lot of the awesome jobs out there actually aren’t behind the walls of a bank or international consultancy?

When I came across Jenna Goudreau’s recentForbes article, “Why We Need to Take 20-Somethings Seriously,” I expected to read a rebuttal of the negative stereotypes often tossed around to describe Gen Y.

That’s not what I got. Instead, I found myself reading a lecture aimed at 20-somethings themselves. While Goodreau admits that my generation has graduated college with mounds of student loan debt into one of the worst economies in decades, she also blames us for the fact thathalf of us are unemployed or underemployed. Stop being an indecisive wannabe rebel, she seems to be saying. Stop working at Starbucks, stop pushing back your career, and go get yourself a real job.

Many managers place firing at the top of their list of their most difficult responsibilities. While personally, I think lay-offs and telling someone they have an odor problem rank higher, it is true that terminating an employee will never be easy (regardless of how much they may deserve it).

That said, when it does come time to part ways with an employee, I’ve come to rely on a few key steps to make the process a little less intimidating. If you’re faced with letting someone on your team go, read on for what you need to know.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is tonight, and we’re all looking forward to it.

The annual event is a chance for president and press to come together and loosen their ties with the help of some of the funniest comedians around.

Work, like life, is bound to have its ups and downs. Whether it’s a new manager who thinks hovering behind your chair is productive, a round of lay-offs that wipes out half your work friends, or yet another spate of cost-cutting austerity measures—the atmosphere in your office can sometimes quickly go from manageable to miserable.