The Unemployed Now Have a Union- And It's Catching On

Are you unemployed or underemployed? If so, there is a new union organization that is being formed to help people who have lost their jobs ban together to make changes and find adequate employment. The Union of the Unemployed, or Ucubed was started as a community service project by the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers ( IAM ). According to their website, Ucubed mission is-

It brings people together – the unemployed and underemployed alike – to build a community of Jobs Activists who will create local networks, support one another and help get America back to work.

The idea is that if everyone who is unemployed joins together, they can affect national change. Congress may be able to ignore jobless individuals, but it is much more difficult to ignore a group that is advocating change. By lobbying for issues like job creation, more reasonable COBRA benefits, unemployment insurance and increased food stamp benefits, the group can better have their voice heard.

How the union works is that when someone joins, they are given a list of other members in their zip code. 6 people in a zip code or area form a Ucube. 9 Ucubes for a neighborhood. Just 3 neighborhood Ucubes form a group of 162 people with a voice that is harder to ignore. On both the Ucube level and neighborhood level, the groups are self managed and elect their own leadership. According to their site-

Jobs Activists, organized by their zip codes, advocate for sound public policy, emailing public officials to alert them about policies that directly impact the jobless. And to help ease the burden of being unemployed, they receive steep discounts and rebate dollars when shopping the Machinists Mall.

Job Activists come from all walks of life, all corners of this country and all sectors of our economy. This Grave Recession has harmed us all – salary and hourly, manufacturing and construction, finance and service, union and non-union, college educated and high school dropouts, inner city and suburban residents. And only by working together can we end this economic turmoil.

The idea is unique, and has already received the support of the AFL-CIO and many of the prominent Unions. If fact, most worker's unions have begun encouraging their members who have lost their jobs to join Ucubed. It is vital for organized labor to show solidarity to those who haven't been able to earn a paycheck. The truth is that both the organized workers and the unemployed are working for the same team. Worker's rights benefit both groups. And when the economy recovers, and new jobs are created, the unions want the new workforce to have a good feeling about organized labor.

Even for people who do not want to join a union, the website and the group provide support and encouragement to unemployed people. The website attracts over 19,000 viewers a month and offers a place where people can share their unemployment stories and give each other advice and emotional support. It is an innovative idea and one worth watching.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.

Image and Your Career

We all no doubt have heard the term “dress for success” – however, just how important is image when it comes to your career anyways? Well, as it turns out, the image you project has quite a bit to do with your overall career success. After all, you do have to look the part and project the correct attitude if you wish to be hired for a certain position and/ or you want to be promoted to a position with more responsibility.

In fact, besides what you have to say, how you dress yourself, your posture, your body language and other factors are determining factors in a job interview. Thus, the overall package is extremely important when it comes to whether employers will hire to promote you.
What can you do then to project a more polished and professional image?

Be respectful of others. In other words then, you should always be on time, be reliable, and accept responsibility for actions.

Maintain proper eye contact. As non-verbal communication skills are so vital, it is really important that you maintain the proper level of eye contact. Do remember that if you maintain too little eye contact, people may regard you to be untrustworthy. However, if you do maintain too much eye contact, people may think that you are staring – and that is not a good thing of course.

Be mindful of your habits. If you have a habit of twirling your ring when you are nervous or tapping your foot repeatedly, people may perceive you to be impatient or nervous – and thus, these habits will definitely hinder your professional image.

Ensure that you clothes actually fit you. Better still, you should consider wearing a tailored jacket. Along similar lines, you should make sure that your clothes are wrinkle-free and your shoes are polished.

Besides these specific tips, you should also make sure that:

* You do not wear fragrance or you only wear a minimal amount of fragrance.

* You wear a minimal amount of jewelry.

* Clean fingernails and use hand cream for dryness

* You hair is neatly cut and well-groomed at all times.

* Your hands and nails are always in presentable condition.

* Your teeth are brushed and your breath is “odor-free”.

There you go! You are now well on your way to projecting a professional image – and enhancing your career prospects in the process.

Larisa Redins is a full time writer and editor with degrees in both Arts and Biological Science. She writes about career issues and other topics for a variety of international websites, magazines, and businesses.

RNs Must Keep Up with Education, Certifications to be Employable

by Alex A. Kecskes

The sagging economy is touching all sectors, including the once invulnerable health care industry. Hospitals nationwide are simply not hiring right now. Some even began furloughing employees as early as 2009. But this cloud does have a silver lining.



Aging baby boomers will soon trigger an enormous demand on our health care system. The temporary downside is that most private insurers as well as the government have cut reimbursements to hospitals. Many are even operating in the red. But there are certain things you can do to make yourself more employable.



For one, if you're considering a career as an LPN (licensed Practical Nurse), you should upgrade your training and certification to RN (registered nurse). While LPNs are a vital part of the health care system, many hospitals are currently seeking Center of Excellence status or Magnet status and they need RNs to achieve these rankings. It's important to note that nurses wishing to rise into management must be RNs. In fact, many hospitals simply no longer use LPNs.



Today's RNs are better educated and often pursue continuing education programs to advance their careers. Those who sit still will be left behind to join the ranks of the unemployed. Much like doctors, RNs must constantly keep up with the latest technologies and certifications.



See NurseCEU.com for a directory of online Continuing Education (CE) courses for RNs, LVNs, LPNs, Nurse Practitioners, and critical care nurses. See also Nurse.com for independent self-study continuing nursing education courses online and in print, including audio podcasts. They offer instant CE certificates upon course completion.



For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsiteblog.com/



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

The Laid-Off Life: Craigslisztomania

"People everywhere have the same needs and values. They need a place to live and a job. Beyond that, they may need to sell stuff or get a mate." – Craigslist founder Craig Newmark

I’ve been writing this column for four months now, and I have yet to really touch on a job hunting tool that often gets overlooked by the Laid-Off Life population. I’ve extolled the virtues of social job hunting on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and aggregation sites like CareerBuilder, Monster, and of course PhillyJobs.com. But one source I’ve been neglect to discuss is the often maligned, often misunderstood Craigslist.


Since I was involuntarily introduced to the Laid-Off Life last year, I have made my ends meet while job searching by taking on several freelance clients, both short-term as-needed and ongoing. And the two places I have found my leads were through real-life connections and social network relationships, and from Craigslist. It's an amazing undertaking of an organization for what it is: a bare-bones online classified marketplace run by a mere 30 employees in San Francisco. If you can learn to navigate through the ads for engineless Camaros, M4F sensual massages, and rants about obnoxious Starbucks baristas, there’s some pretty good opportunities to be had among the Times New Roman hyperlinks and complete lack of graphic design.

One of the great things about Craigslist is the hyperlocalization. Seven hundred cities and regions worldwide now have dedicated Craigslist sections, including 16 in Pennsylvania, five in New Jersey, and a page for all of Delaware, and 32 different categories of job listings from accounting to writing. Ok, granted a pretty hefty percentage of job listings are not of the sort that you would call legitimate, but just like anything else on the web, use your Internet savvy and interpret the language to find the promising results.

Recruiting agencies, staffing companies, and temp agencies love to post on Craigslist. Who wouldn’t? It’s only $25 per listing for 30 days to post ($25 in Philly and similar cities, free in smaller cities). The advantage of replying to an agency ad through Craigslist – as opposed to through CareerBuilder – is that you are often replying directly through standard email to the post, or at least via Craigslist’s blind email addresses. You can present yourself as you wish, format an email as you wish, and attach documents you wish.

You’ll also find more small companies on Craigslist (even smaller than Craigslist itself) than you would uncover elsewhere. When you’re an organization with a zero HR budget, what better and cheaper way to find personnel than that? And another gold mine on Craigslist is jobs in your field at companies that are not. Through Craigslist I found a law office looking for marketing help. You can find a sales job at a research company, you can find an accounting job at a non-profit, you can find a construction gig at a travel agency. Sometimes, businesses just don’t know where to advertise. Craigslist has become that place.

Oh, and Craigslist is notorious for random jobs that are interesting, unique, and uncategorizable (yes, it’s a word because I say it is). When people are looking to fill a strange ("Need someone to write my obituary") or unusual ("Looking for body double to date my wife while I go bowling") position, this is your one-stop-shop. But as bizarre as some may be, there are diamonds in the rough. Occasionally celebrities anonymously post for personal assistant positions with very vague and secretive postings, looking for their diamond in the rough. And there have been times when big companies want to fill a key and exclusive position, or something savvy like Corporate Tweeter or Social Network Liaison, with obscure, enigmatic Craigslist ads that give nothing away. Oh, and want to be an extra for a television show, movie, or indie film shooting in your area? When you’ve become a big star, don’t forget us little people.

Of course everything listed isn’t on the up-and-up. A huge chunk of jobs on Craigslist are for work-at-home envelope stuffing jobs or just-barely-not pyramid scheme cold-calling positions. I can’t say how many of those are legit and how many are scams, but caveat emptor. If you really think you can make $40,000 just by sitting at home three days a week for a 'small' upfront fee, no one’s stopping you.

Also, Craigslist is the best place to find jobs posted by individual people, not companies. If you’re starting out with your own business, or you’re a business of one, or you’re just looking for someone to do work for you, Craigslist and the Penny Saver are pretty much your only options. But what great opportunities lie within! Start-up realtor looking for marketing help? Freelance website architect looking for someone to design a page? Opening a local consignment shop and need a good accountant? These are the jobs that you have to dig to find, but can be exactly what you’re looking for.

And if you’re looking for some great freelance work, opportunities abound on Craigslist. You just gotta search through the muck and the listings from Examiner.com to find them.

Like any other site on the Internettes, Craigslist is what you make of it. It’s a great resource if used correctly, and with a dose of caution and a dash of common sense. It can be a wealth of information, but some days, the dearth of relevant listings can make you feel like there are no jobs in the world for you. But, hey, as long as you keep using the same rules of applying for jobs as always – tailor your résumé to the job, tailor your cover letter to the recipient, and research the company posting the gig – there's nothing different sending your job search journey down Craigslist Boulevard.

So, if that doesn’t work, does anyone know if eBay lets you bid on jobs?



Michael Hochman
LaidOffLife@yahoo.com ◙ Laid-Off Life on Twitter ◙ Laid-Off Life on Facebook

Michael is a Copywriter, Creative Marketer, and Broadcasting Professional still in search of full-time employment after 14 months of full-time job hunting, thanks to an "involuntary career sabbatical". A Philly native and Syracuse graduate, Michael will gladly accept any job offer you may have for him. Any. Really. Please give me a job??

---

"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." - Drew Carey

Job Interviews When You Are On the Autism Spectrum

Having a disability can make finding a job more difficult, and it is even truer when your disability isn't readily apparent. For those that have been diagnosed with Asperger's, a condition that is on the Autism Spectrum, interviews can be especially tricky. When someone is dealing with Asperger's, they often have difficulty making eye contact, interpreting facial expressions and other non-verbal communication, turn taking in conversation, interpreting implied meanings and other social impairments. The struggle is that people with Asperger's are often extremely bright, creative and have a special knack for thinking outside the box. However, the poor social skills coupled with the tendency to not deal well with anxiety can often sabotage the job search and interview. There are some tips that can help you have a successful interview.

• Apply only for jobs that you think you will be successful at- For most people with Asperger's, sales, retail and other jobs where social skills are crucial might not be the best choices. Try to focus on jobs that are in your career path but that don't require a great deal of interaction. Graphic Design and Computer Programming are both fields where your skills would be a benefit.

• Take a deep breath- Dealing with the anxiety is tough, and the fear of becoming over anxious can make it even worse. So, slow down, take a deep breath, relax. The worst thing that can happen is that they won't hire you.

• Be prepared with your resume- Make sure that you resume is up to date. Bring a copy with you to the interview, even if you already sent a copy. A good tip is to put you printed copy in a portfolio folder so that you can be sure that it doesn't get lost or messed up in transit.

• Smile at your interviewer and shake their hand (if they offer it first)- Interviewers like the handshake and want to feel that you are pleasant and eager for the job. Don't feel that you need to chat much at this point, but be sure to answer any question asked during the greeting.

• Make eye contact- This can often be the hardest part. If eye contact is something that is hard for you to do automatically, try looking at the interviewer's forehead or their mouth. Most of the time, a neurotypical person can't tell the difference.

• Keep your answers short and to the point- It is a good idea to practice answers for some of the most common interview questions. By writing out your answers and practicing them with a friend, it will be easier to recall what you wanted to say even when you are nervous and feel like you are “on the spot.” Keep your answers short to avoid talking too much or straying off topic.

• Sell your skills- People with Asperger's are some of the most creative abstract thinkers on the planet, so use this to your advantage. If you are worried that you won't get hired because of your social skills, try putting together a portfolio of some of your best work. Even if the interviewer is iffy about you based on the interview, they will still hire you if they are impressed with your work.

• Think about starting your own business- Many entrepreneurs are on the Autism Spectrum and internet companies also have the benefit of using email and messaging services to communicate with clients, which tends to level the field as far as social interaction issues go.

Many people who are on the Autism Spectrum, feel like they have a personality that employers don't like and they feel like trying to behave like a neurotypical person during the interview is the same as trying to not be themselves, so even if they get the job, as soon as they let their real self shine through, they will lose the job. And this may be true, in certain cases, but there are many jobs that don't require working as a team or being in a position of leadership. There are work from home jobs, internet based offices and other jobs that are actively searching for people who don't mind being left alone to work, who are smart and pay attention to details obsessively. So try not to get discouraged, assess your skill set and think outside of the box to figure out the best interview strategy for you.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.

Telehealth Networks Bringing Advanced HealthCare to Remote and Underserved Areas

by Alex A. Kecskes

A consortium of statewide healthcare and technology agencies recently launched the California Telehealth Network (CTN), the largest of its kind in the U.S. The new network is designed to provide both the traditional and advanced IT infrastructure required for the anticipated growth in telemedicine.



Sorely needed, CTN will bring specialized health and medical care to underserved rural and urban communities via broadband networks. Telehealth improves the quality of healthcare and helps reduce the cost of follow-up care by 40 percent. The telehealth network will connect more than 800 California healthcare facilities to a statewide medical-grade network of healthcare and emergency services.



Among the most advanced in the medical field, CTN is a peer-to-peer network, allowing providers to instantly share X-rays and other diagnostic tests and view treatments and procedures from distant emergency rooms or surgical centers in real time. Telehealth and new information technologies have been united to overcome healthcare shortfalls by bridging geographic distances, redistributing medical expertise, and creating exciting new venues for medical education and information distribution.



The CTN is being managed and led by the University of California on behalf of the Governor's office, with guidance from an advisory board consisting of experts from state government, rural healthcare, telemedicine and technology.



Serving the CTN network and others like it across the U.S. will be a whole new generation of telemedicine professionals. Specialists trained not only in traditional medical care but also in networking and computer technology. One example of people working in this field would be Telehealth Nurses.



For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsiteblog.com/



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

Facebook

Do any of you remember the commercials for the drug campaigns where you would see an egg being fried and the caption would be something like “this is your brain on drugs?” Well that is kind of how I feel when I hear or read all of the sob stories about people losing their jobs over comments made on Facebook! Duh! How many times does the public need to be told – Facebook is on the Internet and there is NO expectation of privacy? Sure, you can set your privacy setting so that only friends can view your pages but, do your friends have their privacy settings set? And what about their friends and friends of friends – this could go on forever!

One of the segments on the CBS Early Show last week was about a teacher who lost her job over Facebook. Dr. June Talvitie-Siple who was a $92,000 a year supervisor of the math and science programs at a high school in MA, wrote things on her Facebook page demeaning the students at the school calling them germ bags as well as arrogant and snobby. So, just like the commercial – “this is your brain on drugs” – how many times do people need to be told that there is NO expectation of privacy on the Internet?

If you are a job seeker, please be careful what you post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any of the other social networks. It may sound silly but employers have really wised up to this. They will look for you on these social networking sites and see what you are posting. They feel that it gives them a good indication as to your character. As the article indicates, “if your opinions are on the Internet anywhere in any form they are never safe”.

Dr. Siple never expected her comments to be seen by the district or any of her superiors. The comment about students being “germ bags” was a joke and taken completely out of context. According to Dr. Siple, she had set her privacy settings but, when Facebook made changes to its privacy settings earlier this year, it reset her settings to the default. She never even thought about checking them because she had already set them. As she said – “you have to really be paying attention on Facebook”!

Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends but the rule of thumb – never post anything negative about a company, a colleague or anyone else associated with your current job or even a future job. Facebook is definitely here to stay – at least for the immediate future. So, be careful what you write so that you don’t end up like Dr. Siple!

By: Nancy Anderson, Staff Writer

Is Your Credit Ruining Your Job Chances?

Finding a job these days is getting harder and harder, and now many people are having to face another hurdle. Their credit report. In a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management, at least 60% of employers polled conduct a credit check as part of an employee screening program. In 2006, the number was 45%. Employers claim that reviewing a candidates credit report can give them insight into the maturity and responsibility level. They believe that applicants who have bad credit are more likely to commit fraud against the company or be irresponsible in their job.

I can understand checking a credit report when hiring financial advisers, bank tellers and others in the financial industry. I wouldn't want someone giving me financial advice when they are unable to live within their means, but for most jobs, this is overly intrusive. With a record 10% of people unemployed, using the fact that they can't pay their bills against them just doesn't seem fair. In a recent article, MSNBC profiled a woman who was working for a company as a temporary worker. Due to her outstanding job performance, she was offered a full time permanent position with the company. As part of the screening process, her credit was checked. Since she had been underemployed, with no health insurance, she had some large unpaid medical bills on her credit report. Not only was she denied the job, but she was fired from the temporary job. According to Debra Banks, the fired employee-

“I understand a background check, but I can’t see how your credit relates to your work. I had more than proved my worthiness as an employee. I didn’t steal anything. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Currently, the law allows credit reports to be obtained for hiring purposes only after obtaining consent from the applicant. Employers are allowed to withhold employment based on credit scores, requiring that the applicant is informed about the negative decision based in part on the credit report in writing and that they are offered a free copy of their credit report. Being given a free copy of your report doesn't help when you are unemployed and can't get a job because you have unpaid bills.

It isn't fair, and lawmakers in at least 16 states agree. They are trying to pass legislation to prevent employers from using credit scores to discriminate against job applicants, except in situation where employees are in charge of large sums of money. They claim that this is an unfair hiring practice and serves to discriminate against poor people and minorities. Inc. Magazine recently ran a piece about this practice.

In most states, employers can check job applicants and current employees’ histories for overdue payments on mortgages, credit cards, loans, rent and more. Credit checks are viewed as part of a hiring strategy to prevent putting at-risk or untrustworthy applicants into positions where they could do harm to the company.

But opponents call the practice discriminatory and unnecessary.

Wisconsin State Rep. Kim Hixton proposed legislation banning discriminatory credit checks for jobs not substantially related to an individual’s credit history. He tells Inc.com that while he can see relevance of personal finances to the hiring of an investment banker, for a truck driver, librarian or gym employee, it’s irrelevant, and should be illegal.

It is expected that the Federal Employment Commission will release new guidelines on using credit scores to screen applicants, and unless the employer can prove a need to use the information for screening purposes it will become against the law. For many of us who are out of work, with bills being left unpaid, it can't come soon enough.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.

What's In A Name? Would A Rose Smell Just as Sweet?

Earlier this week, Newsweek covered a story about a Canadian woman who needed a job desperately. Being a single mom with two children to feed and unable to find a job, she decided to start an internet company. Her first attempts were met with little success. According to her “I was having a hard time landing jobs. I was being turned down for gigs I should’ve gotten.” One day, she landed on a new idea. She changed her name to James Chartrand and designed a very manly looking website for her new compay “Men With Pens”, a copywriting and web design business.

Immediately, her business doubled. On James Chartrand's blog, she says:

“Taking a man's name opened up a new world. It helped me earn double and triple the income of my true name, with the same work and service. No hassles. Higher acceptance. And gratifying respect for my talents and round-the-clock work ethic. Business opportunities fell into my lap. People asked for my advice, and they thanked me for it, too. Did I quit promoting my own name? Hell yeah.”

Under the new name, she was able to earn enough money to move from her small apartment into a home she recently purchased. In spite of her success, she decided to come out publicly as a woman only because a business acquaintance of hers became angry at her and threatened to go public. In spite of the publicity surrounding her outing herself, her business doesn't seem to be suffering.

So it makes me wonder, was her sudden success because she was portraying herself as man? Looking at sites like BlogHer, Frisky, mommybloggers and other female oriented blogs and sites, it would be a hard sell to make a case that the internet culture is sexist. I would tend to think that the larger picture is that when she created the pen name, she was creating a product. Because it wasn't personal, she was able to take the pen name and make him into a brand. The website design, the copywriting and the blog all work to support the image and the brand she chose. When you create your own personal brand and use all of your resources to promote your message and vision, people are more responsive. Perhaps by using a different name, a different persona, she was able to step outside of herself and follow her vision without feeling like every failure is her failure. On her copywriting blog, James asked:

If you had the chance to be someone else, would you do it? Would you take on a role that makes opportunity possible, makes life easier, and makes your dreams become reality? More importantly… who would you be?

The question is deeper than it seems. We all can become who we want. It isn't necessary to change genders or even change names. By deciding ahead of time who we are and what our vision is, we can create our own personal brand and publish our message. Connecting to job opportunities with social networking and making sure that everything we post supports our message, we too can find our own success.

Read More:

http://jezebel.com/5426143/taking-a-mans-name-opened-up-a-new-world-why-a-blogger-hid-her-gender

http://www.copyblogger.com/james-chartrand-underpants/

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-blogger-with-a-male-byline-outs-herself-as-a-female/%20/

http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2009/12/15/does-gender-matter-on-the-web-james-chartrand-thinks-so.html

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.

Free Healthcare Apps for Your iPhone

by Alex A. Kecskes

If you carry an iPhone, there are well over 1,500 medical apps you can tap into to boost your efficiency as a healthcare professional. Here's a short list of some popular apps that are free as of this writing:



Medscape -- Offers constantly updated drug reference tools, medical news per a specific specialty and mobile CME, physician and pharmacy directories. This app saves health care professionals time when faced with making decisions at the hospital bed or ER.



Epocrates Rx -- Designed for healthcare professionals, this continuously updated drug database lets doctors, nurses, and other professionals pull up medical information--like drug interactions.



ReachMD CME -- Ideal for physicians on the go who want to earn Continuing Medical Education credits, but don't have the time. They can now download the program and take the corresponding CME test from their iPhone.



ICD-9 LITE –This app simplifies medical diagnosis coding by disease classification. Old, typed-in search techniques are replaced by a more convenient "drilldown" format.



Skyscape Medical Resources --This four-part app keeps users up to date on the latest medical information. It includes RxDrugs, which provides access to dosing info for both brand name and generic drugs. Another feature outlines clinical medical information--both disease and symptom related. There's also MedAlert, which provides various drug updates, trial results and journal summaries.



MedCalc -- This medical calculator gives physicians easy access to complicated medical formulas. Favorite equations can be customized and frequently used equations can be saved.



The art and science of medicine is clearly going mobile. I recently wrote about a system that connects physicians in major U.S. hospitals with patients in remote 3rd world countries—by way of totally mobile telemedicine technology. Check out AET Systems for more information on this exciting new breakthrough.



For more information on health careers, visit www.healthcarejobsiteblog.com



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.





Article Update: And, don't forget to check out the HealthcareJobSite.com Mobile App to stay connected to all healthcare job postings! Click here to view and download the healthcare job app!

The Laid-Off Life: Stocking Up on Buckets

"I will prepare, and some day my chance will come." – President Abraham Lincoln

I was recently told that my columns have had a bit of a negative tone lately. Ok then, on my to-do list this week is be more positive.


As I’ve mentioned before, living the Laid-Off Life kinda sucks. But there is always good in the rough. The time you have to yourself while job hunting can be a blessing in a thinly-veiled disguise. Job hunting, while a full-time job, does not have to be an every day activity. Look at the opportunities it can afford. Projects around the house can be accomplished; clean out that closet, put in the new flooring, plant your herb garden. Spend time with your kids (if you have chosen to procreate); spend a day with them at Great Adventure, go to the park and watch them play while you access the WiFi, take them to visit grandma. Sharpen your skills by getting a job at a call center like Michael Scott or write a column for a national job-hunting website. Burned out? Spend a day at the pool. Don’t have a pool? I’m sure your employed neighbors wouldn’t mind a visitor while they’re at their spiffy job.

And don’t forget about vacations. Yes, you have no job to vacation from. I don’t see that as an obstacle. Looking for a job is hard. Don’t let anyone try to tell you you have it easy because you don’t have to get up every day, fight traffic on the Schuylkill or the Blue Route, and sit behind a desk under management’s thumb for 9 hours a day. It’s hard physically, and it’s hard emotionally. So, when you’ve had it up to here and your eyes can’t focus anymore, don’t be afraid to cash in your job-searching PTO and get out of Dodge for a few days. Don’t feel guilty about it. If you need: go. Clear up your schedule, make sure you’ve followed up on any pending applications or interviews, let your professional network know you’ll be unavailable, and give yourself a change of scenery. No one should give you a hard time, and if they do, well pffft to them because you’re on vacation and they’re not. And we was fined fifty dollars and had to pick up the garbage, but that’s not what I came to tell you about. I came to talk about timing.


There is a truth in life with enough clout that we have a pretty common saying about it: 'when it rains, it pours'. And that little ditty comes from the most reliable source of these things: advertising. That was Morton Salt’s motto, dating back to 1911, created to illustrate the point that Morton Salt was free-flowing, even in rainy weather (that was a problem? 1911 people are funny.). But whatever the station in life, this reality often comes to pass. And same goes for job hunting. When all seems down, life (and the job market) seems to like to give you a swift kick to the solar plexus. But conversely, and you can ask anyone that’s been on the job hunt for a while, opportunities and interviews come in bunches. When it rains, it pours. Make it rain, job market.

I am not sure why this happens, but ask around: it does. Recently, within the same week, I got cold-called for a copy of my résumé, contacted by an agency about a job, had an interview scheduled off of a non-job-board application, had a phone interview, and acquired a new freelance project. I’ve been so busy with current job opportunities, I’ve barely had time to, you know, look for more jobs. Doesn’t mean I’ll get one of these jobs (but I’m hopeful), but it does kind of put a little momentum at your back, like a good kick to the solar plexus. Life can be very opportune when it wishes to be, and often knows when to pick you up when you need it.


As I’ve pointed out time-and-time-again, the biggest key to keeping up your energy, your impetus along the job search superhighway is to just remember that you are not alone. Last month (July 2010), employment declined by another 131,000 persons, with the unemployment rate remaining at 9½ percent. The number of 'long-term unemployed' folks (those jobless for over half a year) remained at 6.6 million. Persons employed "part-time for economic reasons (or involuntary part-time workers)" is a staggering 8.5 million, with an additional 2.6 million 'marginally attached' workers and 1.2 million 'discouraged workers'. For an economy supposedly in miniscule recovery, those aren’t positive statistics. If you are unemployed like me, or part-time, marginally attached, or 'discouraged' (wow, I love that official term), you are still one of 27 million that are in the same sputtering boat. So don’t be down on yourself; chances are that a lot of the problem doesn’t lie within you. It’s the economy, stupid. So take solace in the fact that you’re trying your best (aren’t you?) and you’re in a very large fraternity.

So, take the little victories. Every call back, every interview, every lead, every cold call puts you a little closer, and the storm’s a-brewin’. Keep doing what you're doing and keep looking up, and if I haven’t stressed enough lately, keep on your social network; work your friends and former colleagues because they are the number-one source for leads and recommendations these days. And when you can, step back and take a breath, whether that means take a vacation or take a trip to Rita’s. Whatever keeps you sane(r). And during the times when things seem bleak, and no one is returning your phone calls, and interviews aren’t coming, and it feels like your résumés are floating out in the nothingness of cyberspace, and you’re reading about Tony Hayward is getting $17 million in severance for destroying the Gulf, just know that with effort and attitude on your part, the good, warm rains will come falling again. And when it rains, it pours.

So you better pass the Morton Salt. I hear it’s free-flowing.



Michael Hochman
LaidOffLife@yahoo.com ◙ Laid-Off Life on Twitter ◙ Laid-Off Life on Facebook

Michael is a Copywriter, Creative Marketer, and Broadcasting Professional still in search of full-time employment after 14 months of full-time job hunting, thanks to an "involuntary career sabbatical". A Philly native and Syracuse graduate, Michael will gladly accept any job offer you may have for him. Any. Really. Please give me a job??

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"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." - Drew Carey

Is your resume too corporate?

Here we go again – more resume information and suggestions. People do get tired of hearing it. But the amazing thing is that job seekers still are not listening! I have the privilege of being able to view many resumes on my job and it is amazing to see some of pathetic resumes on job seeker’s accounts.

So, this time I thought I would talk a bit more about the content of a resume. You know the in-between part that everyone hates to write. I have mentioned before that you should not use the word “responsible”. I know – I had it on my resume, also because it’s a common easy-to use word. However, when a recruiter or hiring company sees that word, your thirty seconds are up!
Responsible is not the only word that you should limit or totally delete from your resume. How about cross-functional? What does it even mean? Cross-functional wasn’t even listed in www.dictionary.com. Well, obviously, it means across functions as in across groups in different departments. So, instead of saying cross-functional, take a second to describe what you actually did.

What about problem-solver? There’s a good one. Well, what problem did you solve? What was the outcome? Say it in your resume instead of just indicating that you are a great problem-solver.

Your resume is a snapshot of you. When you write your resume, write it in everyday language. Actually, write it as you would describe yourself in an interview. After all, that’s what a resume is for – to get you in the door to that interview stage. So, please – take a look at your resume. Does it reflect you? Or is it mainly “corporate speak” – what you think they want to hear? Be yourself in your resume and let it do the speaking for you and the rest will follow!

By: Nancy Anderson, Staff Writer

Social Networking Sites for Nurses

by Alex A. Kecskes

Advancing your nursing career these days takes a bit of work and a lot of social media savvy. And we're not talking about just making a few entries on Facebook or even LinkedIn. Fortunately for health care professionals, there are a number of targeted social media sites that can really give your nursing career a healthy boost.



For starters, there's AllNurses.com. One of the really active nursing networks around, this site has as large number of threads and readers (my last visit showed 5,325 visitors online). The well-organized site is easy to navigate and covers everything from medical breakthroughs to career help.



There's also Nurse.com - Nursing Forum, which features nursing-related news, forum discussions, and over 12,000 job postings. Here you'll find ample networking opportunities to interact with thousands of other nurses of all levels and specialties. Once you join the Nurse.com forum, you'll have ready access to a variety of post topics. You'll also be able to communicate privately with other members, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Forum topics cover everything from student nursing to continuing education to events. Plus, news and topics local to your geographic area.



Finally, there's MedXCentral. Open to all medical professionals, the site lets you connect with others via a Facebook page and provides updates directly to your Facebook account. The good thing about MedXCentral is that it's subdivided into many groups within a medical specialty, so you can talk shop with someone with virtually identical career interests. And yes, MedXCentral works in conjunction with Twitter and YouTube, letting you engage in various levels of career networking with a social slant.



For more information on health careers, visit www.healthcarejobsiteblog.com



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

Want that Dream Job? Know Yourself First

Looking to find a fulfilling career? Before you can do that, it is vital that you know exactly who you are and what you have to offer a potential employer.

One way to determine what you have to offer organizations is to think of yourself as your own personal brand. As you may already know, a good “brand” stands out because they have a certain well-defined identity. In fact, branding combines both tangible and intangible characteristics to create both a unique image and experience. One great example is Starbucks – regardless of whether or not you frequent this establishment, you know exactly what this brand stands for and what it delivers. In turn then, the Starbucks brand helps you as a consumer to know whether or not you will frequent the establishment based on what you know about the establishment and on your personal preferences.

That said, there are also cases where a great brand may exist, but the company is not focussed and/or the company’s marketing efforts are inadequate. When this situation occurs, the sales of that particular brand suffer and even stall.

Similar to organizations that cannot market themselves effectively, people may also have a lot to offer potential employers, but since they cannot promote themselves in an effective manner, they can remain underemployed or unemployed.

As a direct result then, in order to promote yourself effectively, you must:

Know what your particular strengths are – as studies often show that the majority of people cannot adequately pinpoint their specific strengths, just knowing these strengths and communicating this knowledge to a potential employer will definitely give you a career “edge” over other individuals.

Market yourself on a consistent basis - as you may know, most people only market themselves when they need a job. However, as most successful brands consistently market themselves on a consistent basis to remain in the public eye, you too should market yourself regularly. One great way to promote yourself is on the social networking site LinkedIn. Additionally, if you do not have a personal website, now is a great time to build one that showcases your talents.

Become an expert in your field – One great way to become a sought-after expert in your field is to write career-related articles and get them published in the media. Another great way to be perceived as an expert is to create a blog that you contribute to on a regular basis. Further, if you enjoy public speaking, you should also consider hosting workshops, giving presentations, and speaking at industry conferences.

All in all then, by using these tips, you should be well on your way to creating an effective personal brand and finding your dream job in the process.

Larisa Redins is a full time writer and editor with degrees in both Arts and Biological Science. She writes about career issues and other topics for a variety of international websites, magazines, and businesses.

PA Falls Into The Pay Gap

With the passage of the Fair Pay Act last year, there has been a good deal of discussion about pay disparity between men and women and the impact of the economic recession on unmarried women. The New York Times estimates that the pay gap between men and women is 19%, which is a record low for our country. Looking closer, however, it seems that the gap between men and unmarried women is much, much higher. In a report by the Center for American Progress,

Unmarried women fare worse than married women and all men in wages, earning on average 56 cents to the dollar of married mens' average earnings.

In some states, however, this gap extends even further. The Institute for Women's Policy Reseach, recently conducted a study that spotlighted Pennsylvania. Their goal was to measure the effects of a woman's marital status on income in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and Pennsylvania as a whole. Their results were surprising.

According to their study, unemployment in Pennsylvania has jumped from 4.5% to 8.4%. But the unemployment rate for single mothers has nearly doubled, exceeding 11%. This is more than twice the rate for married men, who are stereotypically the breadwinners for their families. Some of this job disparity can be explained by the difficulty in finding affordable, flexible childcare. Most childcare centers are open between 6am to 6pm and it can be a challenge to find a job that has consistent working hours between these times. Especially in this competitive job market, more and more employers are expecting their workers to work mandatory overtime, nights and weekends. Hiring a babysitter to cover these times when childcare centers are closed can be very expensive and often cost more than the job's salary.

If this wasn't a large enough hurdle to overcome, recent testimony before the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee suggests new evidence that mothers and other caregivers may have been disproportionately targeted during job cuts. Most single moms will tell you that it is often the case that when a child is sick and can't attend school or day care there isn't anyone else share the responsibility. Employers frown on workers who miss days and often fire them first when the company needs to reduce the workforce.

All families who depend on a woman's earnings are losing out, but families that depend solely on a woman's paycheck are being pushed into poverty. Women often have to make hard decision when in comes to supporting their families, including putting off necessary doctors appointments and dental care in order to pay bills, and many women routinely go hungry some days of the week because they can't afford enough groceries to feed themselves and their children. And this hardship is likely to increase as federal assistance gets cut and unemployment benefits run out. According to the Food Research and Action center, the number of families in Pennsylvania who are facing severe food insecurity has increased 44%. The state has reported a 31% increase in food stamp recipients, with two thirds being women.

It seems that women, especially single women, are facing hard challenges in this economy. It is more important than ever that when our government discusses ways to create new jobs and stimulate economic growth, they don't forget about women. Women are a vital part of our communities. They are small business owners, home owners and mothers. And when single mothers experience poverty, their children experience it as well. When looking at ways to help stimulate the job market, legislators need to look at ways to make childcare more affordable and flexible and promote family friendly work practices.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.

Geriatric Nurses…Boon for Baby Boomers

by Alex A. Kecskes

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 36 million Americans are over age 65. What's more, 63 percent of newly licensed nurses say seniors comprise the bulk of their daily workload. This translates into a surging need for geriatric nurses in hospitals, medical centers and senior care facilities, not to mention research, administration, consulting and education. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth is expected to increase 25 percent in nursing care facilities, where many geriatric nurses work.



Geriatric nurses care for the elderly in many ways. They develop and implement treatment plans for chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, respiratory disorders and many other conditions. These specialized nurses also support and counsel families of elderly patients who suffer from acute and chronic conditions. Geriatric nurses work with the elderly to improve their quality of life as they deal with age-related disabilities. They assist movement impaired patients with daily activities and ensure that patients see their doctor and take their medications properly and on time.



The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy (GNLA) will kick off its 2010-11 program designed to build geriatric nurse leadership in health care settings. Nurses participating in the program will gain valuable leadership skills that will positively influence geriatric health outcomes. GNLA participants are paired with mentors and will work for the next 18 months through an intense and comprehensive leadership curriculum. Activities include face-to-face meetings, online discussion forums and regular, structured communication between and among fellows, mentors and expert faculty leaders around the country. For more information, visit http://www.nursingsociety.org/default.aspx



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

The Laid-Off Life: My Baby She Wrote Me a Cover Letter

"The speaker who hops to the platform, skips the introduction, and jumps to the conclusion is roundly applauded." – Unknown

Dear Sir or Madam: My name is Michael, and I really really wanna work for you. I’m good, and you’re good, so let’s be good together. So, when do I start? Résumé attached. Love, Michael.


I have been hearing a lot of chatter lately in the Laid-Off Life world about cover letters, or 'CL's. (Seriously people, do we have to have abbreviations and acronyms for everything?) It seems a lot of people in the world of human resources are starting to disseminate the idea that cover letters are now passé, like 4:3 televisions and skinny ties. 4PhillyJobs’ posted an article on Twitter recently by Perry Newman, who is a "nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, and certified recruiter", who stated in his article 'Cover Letters: To Send or Not to Send, This is the Question':

[Recruiters] do not have the time or inclination to read or receive a cover letter. To them it is another piece of useless clutter on their desk or inbox. The odds of reading your cover letter and sending it up the line are slim. [My] opinion is if a cover letter is not specifically required, it can do more harm than good.

Wow. That really goes against everything we were taught in job-finding school (which apparently I went to in the 1800s). Doesn’t it seem rude to just shove a résumé in a hiring manager’s face without introduction? Now, in Mr. Newman’s defense (and I love his popcorn), he was giving both sides of a pro-and-con argument, but he is not the first one I’ve seen sounding the death knell of the cover letter. I can understand the uselessness of a cover letter in the world in which we now live where recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals rarely read job submissions and applications thanks to the proliferation of HR keyword software. How many cover letters are read by a human now? 25% 10%? Less? Ok, so here’s the dilemma: cover letters are irrelevant, but you need to keyword-blanket your cover letter? Seems as if you need a cover letter that sounds something like: Dear Sir or Madam: Hard-working, HTML knowledge, team player, five-years’ experience, leadership qualities. Thank you, Michael. If that gets you the job, I just need to give up and go stock shelves at Costco.


The old rules used to say a good cover letter needs to highlight your best qualities, summarize your experience, and explain why Buy’N’Large Company can’t live without you. They should be specific to the company and position you’re applying to. And they should be limited to one page. I guess, even as a writer looking for a job as a writer, my cover letter may have been too long? Too specific? Too good? I’ll tell you, my cover letters are killer. But that’s not what an HR person, or a keyword extractor program is looking for.

There are of course, many many pitfalls to cover letter writing. Just like your résumé, you’re dead-in-the-water if your CL is a boilerplate form letter. Jessica Holbrook, a fellow Beyond.com/PhillyJobs.com contributor and résumé expert explained it well, saying:

I was amazed—or should I say appalled—at the blanket responses we received from job seekers. Potential candidates sent us cover letters describing experience they possessed that was completely irrelevant to our opening; it was the same as someone having a degree in veterinary medicine but seeking employment as an IT director. Did these job seekers really think that going on and on for paragraphs about irrelevant experience was going to make me want to read their resume—or even more so—interview them?

Exactly. And that’s the problem: a cover letter can do much more damage than help you if you’re not doing it right. "[Job seekers] are sending out countless job applications as quickly as humanly possible," she continues, "probably exasperated by the sheer volume of applications they feel pressured to submit." Which is problem number two. I don’t want to think about the number of jobs I’ve applied to since I’ve been looking. The number would scare you and send you running under the covers. But the game remains the same: no matter how many résumés you’re sending out, and no matter how many résumés a company is receiving, it comes down to the company wanting to feel as if you are interested in them more than anyone else. You found their company, their job opening, and it’s the one place in the world you wish to work. Therefore, your cover letter has to be tailored to that company, and as importantly, that person. The job listing you found doesn’t have a recruiter’s name attached? You better find it. Can’t find it? You’re not trying hard enough.

Go to the company’s website and look for names in the 'about us' and 'contact' sections. Find the hiring manager, a relevant department head, and/or the human resources manager, and his-or-her email address. Not there? Go find the company on LinkedIn, and find the applicable person’s name. Go to Google, and search "Lindsay Fünke" and "@BluthCompany.com" (or whatever the domain). I bet dirhams-to-donuts that something relevant shows up. Those tricky managers can run, but they cannot hide from a search engine expert like you.

Can’t find an email address? Find any email from the company online so you know the naming convention. And take your best shot. Found gbluth@bluthcompany.com? Good guess that your target will be lfunke@bluthcompany.com. Send your email to this person. Direct your cover letter to this person. Address your cover letter to this person. And if you feel comfortable doing do (and a lot of people aren't), just call the company and ask the receptionist for names and email addresses (if you can get a human on the phone, and even if you do, they may not give out that kind of information). And don’t forget, your résumé needs to be molded to your recipient too to underscore how you fit them.

What about those blind listings that don’t even tell you what company it’s listed for? If you find nothing after Google’ing the keywords (ha!) in the posting, you won’t have a choice but to generalize your cover letter. But fret none: the odds are that if they’re that hard to find, chances are that a) they know you can’t find it, and b) no human will be looking at it anyway.

So, back to the point about cover letter vs. no cover letter. I think most experts would agree that a cover letter is still germane, but it’s not a rehash of your résumé, a place to oversell yourself, nor an autobiography. So, as always, content is key. Make it short. Make it applicable to the job and company you’re sending to. Make sure you have a good mix of keywords lifted directly from the job posting. Don’t rehash your résumé. Explain anything you find it necessary to. Follow any directions (like if they want you to confirm the number of years’ experience you have or what your salary history is). And keep. It. Brief.

So think of your cover letter more like an introduction to your résumé, and to you, and less like a prose version of your résumé. Save that for your interview. And if you’re a writer like me, or any kind of creative type, or anyone applying for a job where communication skills are vital, or where image is important, or, well, anyone, that cover letter better look good (and, do I even need to say, free of spelling and grammar errors) because that’s your first impression you won’t be getting back. As Mr. Newman summarizes, "Just explain what job you are applying for, that the résumé will show why you are a good fit, and offer to include contact information and availability for an interview."

Which is all well-and-good if anyone bothers to read it.



Michael Hochman
LaidOffLife@yahoo.com ◙ Laid-Off Life on Twitter ◙ Laid-Off Life on Facebook

Michael is a Copywriter, Creative Marketer, and Broadcasting Professional still in search of full-time employment after 14 months of full-time job hunting, thanks to an "involuntary career sabbatical". A Philly native and Syracuse graduate, Michael will gladly accept any job offer you may have for him. Any. Really. Please give me a job??

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"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." - Drew Carey