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SUMMER JOB SEARCHING: When it comes to job searching this summer, let everyone else take a vacation. Many job-seekers wait until after Labor Day to shift their search into high gear, but the lazy days of summer are a prime time to get a jump on the competition.

Companies continue to hire during the summer months, and job recruiters rarely take more than a week or two off for vacation, according to Lauryn Franzoni, vice president of executive recruiting network ExecuNet.

"All of us tend to think, 'It's summer, I want to relax. And so everybody else must want to relax,"' she said.

First, consider your goals and evaluate the progress you've made over the first half of the year, Franzoni said. Then, start networking, preferably in the morning hours. People tend to arrive at the office earlier during the summer, both to beat the heat and to get out in time to enjoy the afternoon, she said.

Flexible summer schedules can also mean colleagues or clients will have more time to chat with you or conduct informational interviews, Franzoni said.

If you do land a job interview, trade in your dark, wool suit for something lighter, Franzoni said. You have enough to sweat about as it is.

EGOTISTICAL EXECS: If your boss' ego barely fits through the door of his cushy corner office, prepare yourself for a roller coaster ride. Companies led by narcissistic chief executives tend to change strategy more frequently and have more extreme performance fluctuations, according to new research by Penn State's Smeal College of Business.

Researchers gauged the level of narcissism of more than 100 CEOs of computer software and hardware companies, and found that CEOs with inflated self-views gravitate toward bolder, highly visible managerial choices.

Narcissism was measured by the prominence of the CEO's photograph in the company's annual report, the frequency of the CEO's name in company news releases, the CEO's use of pronouns like "I" or "mine" in interviews, and the CEO's pay compared to the second-highest executive.

The research found no relationship between executive self-love and how well a company performed, however. Self-centered CEOs generated more irregular outcomes, though not necessarily better or worse on average.

A CALM COMMUTE: Feeling stressed? Hop in your car and drive to work.

Commuting is widely accepted as an anxiety-inducing annoyance, a twice-daily test of our patience and tolerance for our fellow man. New research, however, suggests that for some people, commuting can calm the nerves.

Commuters were actually less physiologically stressed after their drive to work than before, according to research performed at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, where the average commute rivals that of any city in the nation.

Researchers measured cortisol, a hormone used to measure stress, in the saliva of 12 Agnes staff members. Saliva was collected before, immediately after and one hour following the commute.

While some commuters are more anxious and irritable after their drive, some enjoy the private time and use it to prepare for the workday ahead or unwind after a long day, the preliminary research suggests.

Who needs yoga when you can hit the freeway during rush hour?