Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

No matter how old you are, there is always a label attached to your age -- especially in the workplace.

Younger workers are often viewed as inexperienced, incompetent and sometimes even entitled. Middle-age workers can either seem restless in their careers or too comfortable. But perhaps baby boomers get the most grief, as they are often considered old-fashioned, inflexible and retirement-focused.

Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

Here's how every job seeker secretly hopes his or her search will go:

8:00 a.m. You see an ad for the job of your dreams: close to home, makes use of your skills, offers the right pay.

8:05 a.m. You apply for the job.

8:07 a.m. The hiring manager, out of breath, calls you. "We must have you. The CEO said to pay whatever you ask for -- we need you on our team ASAP!"

8:10 a.m. After you give your demands (a high salary and access to the company jet), you're faxed the job offer.

8:15 a.m. You head out the door to your first day of work.

In reality, the process takes a few weeks or months longer, and you probably won't get every single perk you want. Along the way, you don't hear back from the companies you think are perfect matches for you, and it takes weeks to get an interview after sending in your application.

Tiffany Miller, special to PayScale.com

As an aspiring fashion magazine editor, I'm not the kind of gal to call in sick. In fact, I probably qualify as a workaholic. It's the only way to get noticed at a fashion magazine, after all. The pay is dreadfully low, so you have to be passionate and work hard if you want to succeed in the biz and earn a hefty salary.

By RACHEL ZUPEK, CAREERBUILDER.COM WRITER Do you feel your contributions in the workplace are overlooked? Are you consistently swamped with work at the office, but still feel empty when the week ends? At the end of the day, are you ashamed of what you've accomplished and how you reached the end result?

By CAREERBUILDER.COM

"It's not a question of if you'll be fired, it's a question of when," Mackay says in his book 'We're Fir ed... and It's the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us' (Random House). If you're one of the unlucky majority, keep in mind Mackay's tips to keep your career -- and dignity -- in tact when the axe falls.