Deducting Job-Hunting Expenses

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Advice, Economy, Employment, Help, Internal Revenue Service, Itemized deduction, Job hunting, Job-Hunt, Tax, Tax deduction, Unemployed, Unemployment

Written by Kay Bell, Published February 13, 2012, Bankrate.com/www.foxbusiness.com

These days a lot of Americans find themselves pounding the pavement in quest of a new job, whether they’ve gotten the pink slip or expect to get one soon. The good news: The search may help you cut your tax bill — under certain circumstances, job-hunting expenses are tax-deductible.

 

New job, same field

First, your hunt for new work must be in the same field in which you’re currently or were formerly employed. Uncle Sam won’t help out if you decide to totally switch career gears.

Great Resource for the Unemployed: Career One-stop

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Advice, Arbor, Career One-stop, Economy, Financial help, Gas card, groceries, Help, Interviews, jobs, Unemployed, Unemployment, Work

If you are currently unemployed, Career One-Stop is a great place to go to for help.

Career One-Stop is sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and was established by law under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA, P.L. 105-220).  The central component of all One-Stop centers is a labor exchange system that is universally accessible to job seekers and employers. This labor exchange system is undertaken by the U.S. Employment Service (ES) which was first established by the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933.  There are offices located all over the country.

For Jobless, Little Hope of Restoring Better Days

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Advice, Career, Employers, Interviews, jobs, Unemployed, Unemployment, Work

By MOTOKO RICH, NY Times – Published: December 1, 2011

People across the working spectrum suffered job losses in recent years: bricklayers and bookkeepers as well as workers in manufacturing and marketing.

But only a select few workers have fully regained their footing during the slow recovery.

Katie O’Brien Mowery is one of the lucky ones. After losing her job in the marketing department of a luxury resort in Santa Barbara, Calif., in early 2010, she eventually found a position with better benefits and the promise of a brighter future.

Letters of Reference/Recommendation

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Advice, After interview, Career, Economy, Employers, Interviews, job opportunities, jobs, Letter of Recommendation, Letter of Reference, Recommendation, Reference, Resume, Unemployed, Work

A reference letter, also known as a “letter of recommendation”, is a document that can be very helpful to use for your job search.

The purpose of the reference letter is to emphasize on the candidate’s key points and instill a sense of confidence about the candidate’s abilities.

As potential employers read your letters of reference, they look to discover specific descriptions and examples illustrating your potential to make a difference within the company.

Polish your skill sets with free, excellent on-line tutorials

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Advice, Career, Economy, Employers, Help, Interviews, job opportunities, Lynda.com, Microsoft, rewarding career, tutorials, Unemployed, w3school, Work

As each day passes, and you still find yourself unemployed, gaining no new experience and consequently, falling out of favor among potential employers, one thing you can do is update your skills and build new skills for your next job.  In this day and age with so many people unemployed, companies look for motivated individuals who take initiative in bettering themselves.

Don’t be surprised if a company asks you what you’ve done during the span of your unemployment.   How will you respond?

Long-term unemployment can take a toll on anyone’s life, but don’t dwell on your suffering.   Keep a positive attitude and take the proactive approach, for example; acquiring a certification, starting an industry-related blog, or volunteering for coaching or training others or taking an internship yourself. The message you’re sending to the potential employer is that even though you lost your job as a result of these tough economic times, you are determined to get back on your feet.

The Veteran Labor Force in the Recovery – Posted by the Department of Labor

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Advice, current population survey, Economy, Financial help, Help, Interviews, Iraqi war, racial minorities, troops from Iraq, Unemployed, Unemployment, veteran population, Vietnam war, Work, world war ii

From the US Department of Labor website:

Veterans are an honored part of the United States labor market. In the attached report (The Veteran Labor Force in the Recovery – PDF), veterans are defined as men and women who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were civilians at the time of their participation in the Current Population Survey (CPS).¹  In 2010, there were 11.8 million veterans working or looking for work, accounting for 7.7 percent of the U.S. labor force. Veterans are a broad population spanning from those who served in World War II (WWII) to recent veterans who were on active duty during the post-9/11 period known as Gulf War-era II.²  Although most veterans are men, women are a growing part of the veteran population, accounting for 8.1 percent of all veterans in 2010.³  

Great Resource: Career One-stop

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Advice, Arbor, Career One-stop, Economy, Financial help, Gas card, groceries, Help, Interviews, jobs, Unemployed, Unemployment, Work

For those of you who earn too much money from unemployment insurance to qualify for food-stamps and cash aid, Career One-Stop is a place to consider going to for help.

Career One-Stop is sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and was established by law under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA, P.L. 105-220).  The central component of all One-Stop centers is a labor exchange system that is universally accessible to job seekers and employers. This labor exchange system is undertaken by the U.S. Employment Service (ES) which was first established by the Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933.  There are offices located all over the country.

Bloomberg article on Three Types of People to Fire Immediately

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Advice, Economy, Unemployed, Unemployment, Work

Here is a great article from Bloomberg Businessweek on three types of people employers find undesirable. If you are currently employed, this is a good article to reflect on.

The Innovation Engine November 08, 2011, 2:28 PM EST

Three Types of People to Fire Immediately

Want a more innovative company? Get rid of these folks. Today

By G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón

“I wanted a happy culture. So I fired all the unhappy people.”
—A very successful CEO (who asked not to be named)

We (your authors) teach our children to work hard and never, ever give up. We teach them to be grateful, to be full of wonder, to expect good things to happen, and to search for literal and figurative treasure on every beach, in every room, and in every person.

But some day, when the treasure hunt is over, we’ll also teach them to fire people. Why? After working with the most inventive people in the world for two decades, we’ve discovered the value of a certain item in the leadership toolbox: the pink slip.