Stretch assignments jumpstart career advancement but aren't worth accepting if the project doesn't align with career goals, or you're not allowed to make key decisions, writes Jo Miller. You also have to consider if it will consume too much personal time and if you'll receive the necessary support.

Not conducting difficult conversations with managers harms productivity and often leads to departure, so Karen Gilchrist writes that you should take the first step to prove you possess this highly valued soft skill. Look at the problem from their perspective and role-play the conversation to boost your confidence.

Attending a networking event is less intimidating when you have goals, such as what you want to learn from others and vice versa, personal-branding strategist Samantha Nolan writes. Write down a biweekly plan for event attendance, and learn from others who have mastered pitch delivery.

One question raised by the recent college admission scandal is the pressure put on teens to determine their future by choosing a college and a major early in life. And what 17-year-old says they want to eventually work as a claims adjuster? So how about your college major -- is what you majored in related to the work you do now? Results will be in Friday's brief.

A group of US senators wrote to Transportation Security Administration chief David Pekoske to urge the agency to issue back pay soon to workers who have not been fully compensated for working during the US government shutdown. "Your first responsibility must be to identify all TSA employees who are owed back pay and to ensure they are all made whole by the next scheduled pay day -- the third since the end of the shutdown -- on March 8, 2019," wrote the senators.

Gaps in resumes are common, but explaining them to a prospective employer can feel awkward. Be straightforward about the situation, and emphasize any positive experience you had during time between jobs.

Applicant tracking systems read differently than humans, so if you had multiple job titles with an employer, include the employer with each listing or those roles may not get scored, says resume writer Virginia Franco. Reading your resume as a .txt file will let you know if an ATS will scan all of its information, says resume writer Ashley Watkins.

A flexible work schedule often harms work-life balance, rather than improving it, especially if people work from home, according to a German study. "Work flexibility helps make job and family more compatible, but it can simultaneously cement the classic role divisions between men and women, or even make them stronger," says study author Yvonne Lott of the Hans Boeckler Foundation.

The restaurant industry has had difficulties implementing a shorter work schedule, but some Shake Shack locations in Las Vegas have begun to test a four-day work week, according to the burger chain's CEO Randy Garutti. In a compressed labor market, Garutti cites the new practice as a possible recruitment tool for the company.