By Carol Tice

Winter holiday work has often come with perks, from cheap software to clothing discounts. This year, with the economy tough, many employers are playing it coy about their perks and not advertising them in their job listings, says Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of the temp-job portal FlexJobs.

"I think employers are getting so many applicants for any job posting, they're not playing up their benefits as much as they typically would," she says.

But perks are still out there. Smart job-hunters will have to tease out information about perks in their job interviews to find out what extra goodies an employer may offer aside from a quick seasonal paycheck.

By Ed Orum

When the Mayans devised their calendar ending in 2012 more than 5,000 years ago, I bet they had no idea how much end-of-world fodder they were providing for centuries of civilizations to come.

With the date creeping closer and a big Hollywood blockbuster imagining exactly how it would all go down, it's only fair to help plan for the worst - by pondering which jobs would be essential should a small group of us survive the apocalypse.

Keep in mind - this is by no way scientific - I have no research, experience or knowledge to back up these claims. Just a hunch. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.

By Rachel Zupek, www.TheWorkBuzz.com, CareerBuilder's job seeker blog

In the past few weeks, we've talked a lot about seasonal hiring and we got a huge response to the blog where we posted 10 companies hiring for the holidays. Based on all of your comments, it sounds like a few of you are looking for some more options.

Ask and you shall receive, my friends.

Here are six more companies that are hiring seasonal workers.

By Carol Tice

If you're in the market for a new job, why not go the creative route?

There are plenty of jobs where creativity and fresh ideas can make you stand out – and many of them are still in demand despite the recession. The following list provides a mix of in-demand gigs and (hopefully) soon-to-bounce back options for you.

Here's a look at some of the best-paying jobs that require a creative mind:

By Diane Domeyer, executive director of Office Team

Most job-hunting aficionados can effortlessly recite their greatest strengths and weaknesses, succinctly describe their future career goals and present a compelling case when asked why they should be hired. Yet these types of sound bites, while helpful, may fall short when it comes to nailing down a job offer. Today's employers recognize that traditional interview questions such as, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" tend to yield rehearsed responses, so they're branching out into new territory. For candidates, this means preparing to answer new queries.

Following are three types of questions you might encounter and how best to respond to them: