• Unemployment for veterans declined last year
  The unemployment rate among veterans was 9.9% in 2012, compared with 12.1% in 2011, federal data show. The unemployment rate for the overall population was 7.8% at the end December. "We've got more miles to go. But it's clear we're marching in the right direction," said Tommy Sowers of the Department of Veterans Affairs. USA Today (1/6)      

• How NPR finds talent on a tight budget
  Social media has helped National Public Radio to win talent away from employers with bigger recruiting budgets, talent chief Lars Schmidt says. The Twitter handle "@nprjobs" is used to post job openings and information about what it's like to work at the organization, Schmidt says, noting that he devised the hashtag "#nprlife" to help employees share tidbits that reflect NPR's culture. The Washington Post (1/4)      

• Business experts break down the interview process
  The opening questions of a job interview should be designed to put the candidate at ease, especially if the rest of the process is expected to be grueling, business experts say. Make sure you're not reading a candidate's résumé for the first time as it is being discussed, and use the interview to sniff out any inconsistencies between how candidates portray themselves on paper and how they talk about their job experiences, they suggest. LiveMint.com/The Wall Street Journal (India) (1/6)      

• Ill. unions threaten lawsuit over proposed pension changes
  Illinois lawmakers have revealed a proposal to address a $96 billion pension shortfall by increasing costs for workers, raising the retirement age and placing a cap on pensionable salaries. Unions representing public workers said they will sue if the plan is approved. Reuters (1/6)      

• Analysts question revenue expectations from 401(k) rule change
  Some retirement experts say a 401(k)-related provision in the "fiscal cliff" deal is unlikely to generate the $12.2 billion over 10 years that policymakers have estimated. Under the provision, more workers can move their money from traditional 401(k) plans to Roth 401(k) plans. Some say that few workers will have reason to convert, and those who do are simply shifting their tax payments ahead by several years instead of bringing in new tax dollars. Reuters (1/3)      

• Other News

• Fla. counties consider mandatory sick-time policies
  Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (1/6)      

• Legislation could make it easier to manage mobile workers
  Legislation in Congress would restrict states from taxing employees for work outside that state as long it's less than 30 days per year. If the bills pass, it would make it easier for companies to deploy and manage mobile workforces. Business Finance (1/1)      

• Worker from hostage situation can get benefits, court rules
  A hospital worker in Ohio is entitled to workers' compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder that resulted from her being held hostage by a prison inmate in 2007, an Ohio appellate court has ruled. Business Insurance (tiered subscription model) (1/4)      

• Get personal to engage your team
  John Bossong writes that when his 17-year-old daughter picked up her first paycheck, she found that her boss had added a brief handwritten note welcoming her and encouraging her to give her all. That simple act showed the boss' commitment to achieving a "higher purpose" and keeping workers motivated and engaged, Bossong writes. "If you want a team that is unified and aligned, make leadership personal," he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (1/3)      

• Kansas group braces for the zombie apocalypse
  A group calling itself the Kansas Anti Zombie Militia is preparing for a zombie apocalypse by stocking up on metal baseball bats and sharing strategies for tackling undead hordes. Spokesman Alfredo Carbajal says the "zompoc" is a real threat, but adds that preparedness is worthwhile even if the dead don't rise up. "My thought is, if you are ready for zombies, you are ready for anything. ... The point is to keep yourself and your loved ones safe," he says. The Kansas City Star (Mo.) (1/3)      

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Workforce readers in the past week.

• 3 employee benefits affected by the "fiscal cliff" deal (Business Finance)

• 6 states now have social media password laws (United Press International)

• Some unusual laws take effect in U.S. (Yahoo)

• Illinois pension system faces massive funding shortfall (The Washington Times)

• HR departments must evolve or die (SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

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If money be not thy servant, it will be thy master. The covetous man cannot so properly be said to possess wealth, as that may be said to possess him." --Francis Bacon, British author and statesman