Gaining the support of your boss doesn't have to mean kissing up or engaging in meaningless tasks, writes Jesse Wood, CEO of eFileCabinet. Work smarter by eliminating wasteful processes and avoid blame-shifting when things don't go as planned.

In those first few minutes chatting with people, try to offer genuine pleasure in meeting them while asking open-ended questions as a way to engage and learn from them, writes Harvey Deutschendorf. When parting ways, use their name in your goodbye and memorize a few key details to use when you next meet.

LinkedIn's "Search Appearances" feature allows users to see how many people are finding them via LinkedIn searches, which can help them optimize their accounts, writes Julie Inouye. In addition, users can monitor their All-Star status to see what aspects of their profile still need to be improved.

Google's strict confidentiality agreements may discourage workers from talking to federal investigators about possible employment law violations, according to Janet Herold, a Labor Department regional solicitor. She made the comments in the wake of a judge's order compelling Google to turn over employee contact and salary information as part of an investigation into alleged wage inequality.

Productive employees tend to leave jobs when they feel they don't have the opportunity to grow or aren't appreciated for the work that they do, writes Joel Garfinkle. Other reasons that employees may leave include a lack of company transparency about the future or clashes with co-workers.

Children participating in SocialStar Creator Camp in Los Angeles learn about personal branding, online safety and other necessary skills related to social media stardom.