Should you go back to school

Should you go back to schoolAn article published earlier this month showed that mora than half of recent graduates from college did not receive a job offer prior to graduation, regardless of their undergraduate major. September 2010 data showed that the average length of unemployment was more than eight months. Scary statistics such as these have left many wondering if now is a good time to return to school. Here are some things to consider when making this decisionWhat do you want to be when you grow up?If you havent figured out the answer to this question yet, getting more education is not a good idea. Higher education costs have risen at a much faster rate than inflation over the last decade. The worst thing you could do is invest tens of thousands of dollars and years of your time into getting a degree, only to discover five years from now that youre no longer interested in the field you sacrificed so much to study.Is there job growth in the field that interests you?Once youve re ally determined what youd like to do with your career, you should look at the jobs that are available in your field. Having a local university program in your city may allow you to attend school without making major life changes, but it may also release you into a saturated job market once youve finished your degree. Its important to determine whether people are hiring in your desired field in the area in which youd like to liveor anywhere for that matter.How much will it cost?If youre considering graduate school, there are many programs out there that include substantial financial aid packages to help you obtain your degree. There are also many loan forgiveness programs designed to attract educated professionals to underserved areas. For example, a friend of mine just had $75,000 worth of vet school loans forgiven by the USDA, because she works in an area where there arent enough large animal vets. The military also offers great educational incentives, particularly for health care professionals. If youre looking to start or finish an undergraduate degree, taking your required classes at your local community college can lower your total costs substantially. Lastly, verfallen distance learning programs allow many professionals to continue working full- or part-time while they further their education.Will you make enough money to justify more debt?If youre independently wealthy, you have the luxury of obtaining as much education as youd like without worrying about the return on your investment. But for most of us, its crucial to take a hard look at whether more education is worth the expense. My friend is married to a CPA who decided to obtain a law degree in addition to his bachelors and masters degrees in accounting. The payment on his student loan debt is now higher than their house payment, and his salary went up only about $5,000/year.For a lot of people, returning to school does make good, solid sense. If adjusting back to the student lifestyle allows you to obtain a degree that will get you hired into a field that pays well, go for it. Just be sure to give this major decision the consideration that its due.

How to Handle the Dreaded Salary Interview Question

How to Handle the Dreaded Salary Interview Question How to Handle the Dreaded Salary Interview QuestionWhen it comes to salary negotiation, the ball is mora in your court than you may think.Weve all come to that moment during an bewerberinterview when the hiring manager asks the dreaded question So, what are your salary requirements?How you handle yourself during the minutes that follow may mean the difference between walking out with a job offer or walking out empty handed. Heres how to answer this common interview question.Find the middle groundNegotiating salary when an offer is not yet on the table may make you feel like youre walking a tightrope. Answer the salary question too high and you might price yourself out of an offer give a figure thats too low and you run the risk of appearing desperate. Like Goldilocks, the key is to find the middle ground.A good job search involves preliminary salary research it will be worth your effort to find out what typical salaries are being o ffered to others with similar credentials in comparable roles and industries. These sample salaries will help you determine the sweet spot that most employees will be willing to pay a new hire in your desired role.When opting to low-ball a salary, know full well that your perceived self-worth may come across in your answer. Before answering the salary interview question, be sure to think about how youll feel knowing that the company you might work for doesnt know your true worth. Youve worked hard to earn your qualifications, and now is the time to translate all of your knowledge and expertise into actual numbers. Its not easy, but it can be done.Do your homeworkWhen you browse through job postings online, you have no doubt experienced the frustration of not being able to spot any salary information whatsoever. Employers keep this information relatively secret, but you can access ballpark salary expectation figures from websites such as Payscale.com, Salary.com, and BLS.gov. The sal ary comparison features on some of these sites will provide you with a good head start. If youre seeking a position in healthcare, for example, you can browse job categories to get a sense of alternative job titles to research The salary for a Nurse Practitioner can be compared to salaries of similar subspecialties like NP-ER and NP-Specialty Care. While all three require a masters degree and certification, the in-depth training of the third title warrants a higher salary. Walking into an interview armed with recent salary data posted by federal statisticians will provide you with confidence to answer any interview question about salary expectations, and that confidence will extend to other parts of your conversation with the hiring manager.Salary research can enable you to effectively field sticky interview questions about your salary expectations. As you search on sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed, and other job aggregators, youll discover that most positions do not list a salary, b ut some employers may request a salary history from interested applicants. These businesses may be testing the waters by asking candidates up front for their salary histories this also helps them get an idea of applicants expectations, as well. Since the most significant determinant of future salary is past salary, this essential data gives employers ample insight when setting new ranges. Employers will typically pay a new employee somewhere in the range of 1015 percent mora than the persons last salary, which is why knowing what youve made over your past employment history is of such interest to them. They are trying to determine your monetary value so that they, too, can negotiate for the best person at the lowest price. However, this interview question just became illegal in a number of places in the U.S., so the salary-negotiation tactic is going out of style.RelatedDont Answer These Off-Limits Interview QuestionsBe a little calculatingLets go back to the interview question What are your salary requirements? Notice that the question does not ask how much would you like to make in the job position, but what you will require in order to accept. One way to look at this is to present a figure that is a calculation of gross salary plus benefits, not your net wages. Your net or take-home pay is considerably less and is not the figure you will want to share. Think in terms of total compensation salary plus medical, dental, life insurance, 401K or 403B accounts, tuition remission, and other benefits unique to your industry.Another highly-effective approach is to state your baseline salary expectation as a product of your highest monthly salary previously earned. So, while you may not have always been compensated at this high rate each and every month, you can take that intermittent increase and use it to substantiate a higher fhigkeit salary at this new employer.See the big pictureBecause so many employers propose benefits packages that are often promoted as sal ary equivalents, why not give yourself the leverage to do the same? When youre seeking a new job position, youre looking for the whole package. Employers, too, are seeking additional benefits from their prospective employees. While you may find an employer who tries to hire staff at the cheapest rates possible, many other employers are more realistic, realizing that offering the going rate will get them the most loyal employees in the long run.As unternehmensverbund down turnover rates is of primary concern to most employers, you can bet that loyalty is a priority for many companies. While employers do prefer to hold the cards when it comes to keeping salaries private, youll find that the most successful companies tend to offer the most equitable, competitive salaries to keep and hold their talents what they offer can serve as a benchmark for other companies.Find your focusIf you think you are unique in your distaste for salary negotiation while other candidates can run circles aro und you in their ability to advocate for a fair salary on their own behalf, nothing could be further from the truth. Knowing your worth, knowing what the market is paying, and knowing that the process of wage negotiation is a two-way street will hopefully embolden you when it comes to expressing your salary expectations.Like you, employers are doing their research, making sure that their offer will be within the norm for their particular industry and for the specific job position theyve been asked to fill. To break employers out of the baseline thinking pattern, your job will be to get them to focus on YOU the candidate who can deliver more than the next guy. Ironically, the best way to get them to focus on you is to focus your attention on them What are their issues, what are their goals, where do their problems lie, and what do they need to move ahead in their markets? Conveying that you have their interests in mind not just your own will go far in convincing them that you are that one-in-a-million candidate who is worth your weight in gold.Click on the following link for more advice on negotiating salary.Before you start talking numbers, your resume has to get you into the door. Will yours? Let TopResume critique your resume to tell you where you stand.Recommended ReadingYour Guide to Negotiating the Best Compensation Package5 Phrases You Should Never Use When Negotiating SalaryPowerful Ways to Improve Your Negotiation SkillsRelated Articles

Profit Sharing for Small Businesses - Spark Hire

Profit Sharing for Small Businesses - Spark HireProfit sharing seems like something that geschftliches miteinanderes on Forbes and Fortune and other lists might think about doing. That is, profit sharing seems like something that companies with a very large margin of profit might do. However, profit sharing can be very beneficial for small businesses as well. Profit sharing, often thought of as an employee benefit, can actually be a great employer benefit come tax time. And, of course, it keeps your worker bees happy as well.There are 2 main ways to structure profit sharing programs, for any size business. The first way is through bonus checksdispensed monthly or annually. Yearly bonus checks that depend on the profitability of a company are a form of profit sharing. Bonuses could also be dispensed monthly, as a kind of communal commission program.This kind of profit sharing makes one of the drawbacks of profit sharing more apparent. That is, equal sharing of profits can cause tensio n among higher and lower performers in your workforce. Similar to waiters and waitresses pooling their tips at a restaurant, it leaves little room for rewarding outstanding performers. However, profit sharing as an employee benefit should still help motivate your workforce. It should improve employee engagement in your small business, and hopefully encourage employees to stay with the company long-term.It is also possible to give different people in the company a different cut of the profits. For example, a law firm might give partners a larger piece of the profits than the junior attorneys or administrative staff. It is also possible to use profit sharing as a bonus program to reward employees who have been especially loyal to the company.The second type of profit sharing that could benefit your small business is a retirement contribution plan. Similar to a 401k match that you may already have set up as an employee benefit, profit sharing differs in that you can opt out of the cont ribution if your small business has a bad year. You would set up this type of profit sharing with your bank, and can discuss specific guidelines for your small business with your financial advisor.This second type of profit sharing can also benefit your small business come tax time. Employer 401k contributions, which include profit sharing, are tax deductible. So, when you have a better-than-average year (congratulations), you can contribute more to your employees retirement plansthis is a great employee benefit, and it will save you some cashWhat tips do you have for profit sharing for small businesses? Do you use profit sharing as an employee benefit? Spark a conversation belowIMAGE Courtesy of Flickr byAlan Cleaver

Engineering the Viking Longboat

Engineering the Viking Longboat Engineering the Viking Longboat The Vikings are coming. Again. After a 900-year hiatus, Viking culture and all things Nordic are suddenly landing on shorelines around the world. From the History Channels ratings juggernaut Vikings, to 2011s blockbuster Thor, to the upcoming summer epics Hammer of the Gods and Thor 2, it is suddenly very cool to be a Northman. Even HBOs fictional Game of Thrones is set in the distinctly Viking-esque kingdom of Westeros. And yet, surprisingly little is known about this ancient culture that so thoroughly changed the world, and that has so thoroughly captured the imagination of scriptwriters, viewersand engineers alike. Theres much more thats unknown of the Viking Age, or even unknowable, than there is that is known, says Dr. William Short, who holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but who is now an author and independent scholar specializing in Viking-age topics, as well a s being a research Fellow of the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA. He teaches Viking martial arts on his site, Hurstwic.org. One thing we do know for certain, however, is that they could sail. And how. The Viking longboat remains an engineering marvel today. The Boat The Viking longboat, along with a related entwurf called the knarr for shipping cargo, is a true engineering marvel of the ancient world, and in light of the fact that modern replicas have been apocryphally clocked at 25 knots, these boats are a marvel to this very day, over a millennium later. First of all, they longboats had very shallow drafts, so they could sail in very shallow water, which meant they could go anywhere, says Short. They were strong enough to cross the open ocean, but they were shallow enough that they could go way up river and truly surprise people in places where no one expected an ocean-going ship to appear. And surprise people they did, with Viking culture fundamentally reshaping the people and culture of the British Isles, while simultaneously spreading as far east as modern Russia and as far southeast as modern-day Turkey, where the Varangian Guard served Byzantine emperors for centuries. At the heart of it all, of course, welches the longboat, their unparalleled means of transportation. Another thing they longboats could do welches sail very close to the wind atypical for European ships of that time, Short continues. So they could sail in many directions, and unexpected directions given the wind. One of the advances that enabled this virtually unique ability, related to tacking in todays terminology, was the beitass, which was a spar that helped brace the sail against strong winds. The ships could sail in very shallow water. However, one curiously modern advance in the engineering of the longboat seems to be the flexibility of the vessel. Anyone who has seen an airplane wing bounce up and down in a high wind knows how critical flexibility can be to the structural integrity of any vessel, particularly one trying to navigate huge ocean swells far out to sea. The Vikings seem to have grasped this concept much earlier than many other cultures. They could cross the open ocean and the swells and the waves of the open ocean and they were able to do that because of their flexibility, says Short. They the longboats werent firmly nailed together, they actually bent with the waves rather than taking the full force of the waves and possibly breaking. The People Combine all of these engineering elements shallow draft, the ability to sail in any direction, and an incredibly durable, flexible design and you had a boat that could create a distinct advantage for an early middle ages people, whether in warfare, trade, or exploration. But this particular people had one additional advantage, at least as far as discovery and exploration went. This advantage had nothing to with engineering and everything to do with psychology and the type of thinking that would enable a group of sailors to head for the horizon on the open ocean, not having any idea what would greet them when they got there. In effect, to go on what many would have considered an early middle ages suicide mission. The other aspect is the mindset of the Vikings, says Short. These people believed that at the moment of your birth, the time of your death was chosen for you. So if it was your day to die, nothing could save you. But if it wasnt your day to die, nothing could harm you. So why not go out and be bold? Why not, indeed. With a mentality that truly lent itself to bold exploration and discovery, it is little wonder the Vikings accomplished all that they did. However, the next time an episode of Vikings comes on television, or youre in the middle of a crowded theater at one of this summers blockbusters, keep in mind that things like draft, tacking, and stress analysis were just as responsible for the adventures we still enjoy watching today.They were strong enough to cro ss the open ocean, but they were shallow enough that they could go way up river and truly surprise people in places where no one expected an ocean-going ship to appear.William Short, author and Viking scholar

The One Thing That Will Make Resume-Writing 88 Percent Easier

The One Thing That Will Make Resume-Writing 88 Percent Easier The One Thing That Will Make Resume-Writing 88 Percent Easier Turns out, youre leid alone.Resume-writing is difficult for a number of reasons, but one common complaint is that its tough to write about yourself. Most of us are uncomfortable bragging, and most of us arent sure how to view ourselves objectively.That One ThingHeres the one tip that will make resume-writing easier. Its not a secret, but it is often overlooked Learn what your natural abilities are, and then lead with them in your resume.Natural Abilities Defined thingsyou do well with little time, effort, or energy. They are often referred to as talents.A few things to know about natural abilities- People are happiest and perform best when using their natural abilities to the fullest.- Intelligent and motivated people can work against their natural abilities, but they are rarely happy or satisfied doing so.- Abilities stabilize early in life.- Learning the lan guage of abilities allows you to capitalize on your strengths and make better career choices. If you ignore your abilities, you can land in mismatched roles or jobs.Examples of Natural Abilities, and How to Incorporate Them Into Your ResumeAbilities dont have to be extravagant to be awesome, and just because you have an ability, that doesnt mean you have to pursue a career in that area. For example, if you have athletic abilities, you do not need to become a professional baseball player but playing on a co-ed rec team on the weekends might fuel your soul.What follows is a list of possible natural abilities and some corresponding language you could use in a resume the describe these abilities- GeneralistThrives in roles with shared responsibilities, task variety, and multiple types of contributions also thrives in roles where apremium is placed on taking a broad-brush perspective and achieving results through or with others.- SpecialistThrives in roles with ultimate responsibility, targeted tasks, expert contributions, and roles that place a premium on taking an authoritative perspective and achieving results using ones own knowledge or skills.- Short-Timeframe ThinkingA natural orientation toward roles/tasks with outcomes expected in one year or less, a demand for closure or completion, or roles requiring immediate action and a focus on the here-and-now.- Long-Timeframe ThinkingA natural orientation toward roles/tasks with outcomes expected in five years or more, a focus on distant targets, or roles that require working toward goals that may take years tocome to fruition.- Observant Able to notice and remember small visual details, make visual comparisons quickly or automatically, and recall details.- Great Visual DexterityAble to scan tables of numbers or symbols accurately and quickly highly applicable in proofreading and/or numerically-oriented fields.Why Only 88 Percent Easier?Knowing your abilities does make it easier to describe yourself in a resume, bu t its not magic. You still need to create aresume that follows your industrys best practices and remember all those mundane details about your previous positions. Theres no way around that last 12 percent of resume-writing. For that, I suggest a strong cup of coffee and the help of a good friend.Master the species of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career. Like this article? We also offer tons of free eBooks on career and recruiting topics - check out Get a Better Job the Right Way and Why It Matters Who Does Your Recruiting. document.write(Read more ) in Resume Writing

How HR Should Handle Pay When an Employee Resigns

How HR Should Handle Pay When an Employee ResignsHow HR Should Handle Pay When an Employee ResignsIf youre wonderingHow to Handle an Employee Resignationwhen you dont want to offertwo weeks noticethere are several important things to consider. Lets consider the following scenario. The employees resignation was welcome and you didnt believe keeping him or her around for two more weeks would benefit your companyor the other employees. In fact, it may hurt employee morale. So, youve determined that their services should end that same day. You walkthe employee out the door and wished them well in all their future endeavors. Yourbig questionis does that mean the company should pay for the additional two weeks time that was given as notice? Should I (the employer) pay the employee as if he or she had been allowed to continue when the company accepted the resignation? You Need to Consider Setting a Precedent Generally speaking, mostemployers would want to pay for the employees two weeks just as if he or she had worked for the next two weeks. Thats because you dont want to set aprecedent or find yourself in a situation in which you treat employees differently. Assuming that you might want a good, valued employee to work the two weeks after their resignation, or to recognize their past contributions by paying for their time, you want to leave your options open. Paying some, and not other employees, following a resignation, no matter why they resigned, could very easily be interpreted as discrimination, which is an HR professionalsworst nightmare. Consider the Workplace Environment and All Employees If other employees know that you may not allow them to work out their two weeks notice or receive pay for the notice time, you encourage employees to not give two weeks notice at resignation. You will end up creating an environmental norm in which people just quit if they need to be paid for their last two weeks on the job. You simply have to operate on the premise th at most (if not all) employees want their final paycheck at resignation. Most likely youll be grateful that a non-productive employee whom you wanted to fire anyway, is leaving. The best course of action is to take the high road with a thank you gift of two weeks pay for the time, energy, paperwork, and so forth, that you were saved with their resignation. Two weeks pay is a nominal figure in comparison to what your organization may have experienced if you had gone the traditional routes of a performance improvement plan (PIP) or progressive disciplinary action. Take the Legal High Road There is very little likelihood that this employee would be in any position to sue you for any reason for his or her resignation. If they did, if you fork up the two weeks following their resignation, you look like the good guy who did the right thing- always a good position to be in should you end up standing in a court of law. And, while your objective in wanting to remove the employee from you r company is accomplished and all should be well, do check with your employment law attorney before you take action to understand all the parameters of what happensWhen Employees Resign.

Could Cultural Diversity Drive Your Business Forward

Could Cultural Diversity Drive Your Business ForwardCould Cultural Diversity Drive Your Business ForwardCultural diversity are the buzzwords of the moment, and their impact can be seen in corporate offices across the nation. Cultural diversity is often confused with race. The difference between culture and race in this context is cultural diversity is people of different backgrounds, behaviors and experiences. Racial diversity is based solely on the color of ones skin. Thus, different races can share the same cultural background, while the same race can have different cultural upbringings. If you watch the news or look at your Twitter feed, hiring people from culturally diverse backgrounds is always in the headlines. Why is everyone talking about cultural diversity, and how does a diverse workforce affect a company? Increases innovation and creativityAccording to Forbes Fostering Innovation Through a Diverse Workforce, a diverse set of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds is cr ucial to innovation and the development of new ideas. An example from the Forbes study is Mattel and its line of dolls targeted towards African-American girls. Senior management seeked the help of Mattels African-American Employee Resource Group to make sure that the dolls were culturally sensitive. Today, the So in Style line of dolls is one of Mattels best-selling brands.Expand and retain customer baseBesides creating new products, diversity in the workplace can innovate new ways to reach new and existing customers. An example of this in action from the case study is cosmetics company LOreal USA. LOreal USA tapped into its diverse workforce when it was brainstorming ways to attract and engage new customers. The result of the brainstorm was a partnership with Telemundo and an ansprechbar community on telemundo.com where members can access telenovela behind-the-scenes content, as well as a beauty blog. The new program helped expand and retain LOreal USAs customer base in the Hispani c market and credits its success to its diverse company talent. Attract top talentA lot of companies, especially in the tech industry, have perks like free laundry and catered lunches to attract the cream of the crop. With diversity becoming something that job seekers are looking for in a company, in addition to other benefits, many companies are creating policies and programs to promote diversity. Another example from Forbes Fostering Innovation Through a Diverse Workforce Intel implemented a program that not only promotes diversity but attracts top talent to its office. The Rotations Engineer Program was designed to develop and foster new, diverse talent at the tech giant. Participants in the Rotations Engineer Program spend three six-month rotations in multiple areas and teams within the company. The program is is a unique opportunity for us not only to attract diverse talent, but to bring diversity of experience to those that participate and experience the program. Having a cult urally diverse workforce sparks new ideas on how to solve business problems and is attractive to job seekers. Promoting a workforce with different backgrounds and experiences can really help your company, especially if its stuck in a rut. Its worth the time to develop a diversity policy when recruiting and hiring for your company.