The bill would also include an extension of the Hire Act payroll tax exemption and increase business tax credits for employers who hire the long-term unemployed.

Republicans are already lined up against the legislation because if would not be paid for and would increase the deficit. Senate Democrats know they have another fight on their hands and the House is considering a bill that would replace the long-term unemployment benefits with TANF block grants to states. TANF is an emergency contingency fund program created in 1996 to replace some welfare programs, and essentially provides money to states for temporary government subsidized jobs. In other words, under this program the long-term unemployed would become welfare recipients.

Florida ranks 47th in unemployment and has a state-wide unemployment rate of 11.4 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If the Senate bill to extend benefits passes, more than 30 states would qualify for Tier V benefits. Currently, 35 states show an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent or higher.

Senate Bill 3706 is a speck of light at the end of a long tunnel, but at least some in Congress recognize the unemployed still need assistance. It amazes me that Republican deficit hawks are concerned about paying the unemployed a few bucks to survive on,  while at the same time they are campaigning to extend the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy. It is more than apparent, these so called fiscal conservatives are not concerned over the deficit, but only who gets the biggest slice of the pie.

According to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in July, more than 10 million Americans had lost jobs since the Great Recession began, and it’s estimated that 1.4 million have run out of unemployment benefits. Currently, there are four tiers of extended unemployment benefits, which Congress provided additional funding for last month

It’s easy to see what’s going on in Washington, but Washington is not seeing clearly what is happening on Main Street, and further, it seems many of them do not care.

In November all 435 House seats are up for grabs along with 37 Senate seats. The Republican Party has one goal, to win back as many seats as they can and control both houses of Congress.  Maybe then something could be accomplished for the American people.  Maybe then the Party of “No” will support a small business package, as long as it’s attached to an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

The problem with this scenario is the President will veto legislation that includes those tax cuts, and so, nothing will get done.  We cannot allow the Republicans to take over Congress and create and even greater stalemate than we already have in Washington.

The House is preparing for a six-week break on Friday. Unless a compromise is reached this week, the vote to shore up small businesses will wait for September, and during that time unemployment will continue to edge upward in most areas.

During a NBC interview the other day at a General Motors auto plant in Michigan, President Obama called Senate Republicans the “just say no crowd,” which is a very fitting definition of what that party has become.

It’s understandable the two sides have a difference of opinion and different philosophies, but because they represent the people they should not stand in the way of progress in an effort to win elections, it’s  wrong, no matter what kind of spin you put on it, it’s just wrong.

Both sides like to use numbers and skew statistics to their favor.  The Republicans do it by pointing at the deficit and using it as an excuse to block legislation for things like unemployment benefit extensions and small business loan programs.

Obama, himself did it during his NBC interview.  The president said GM had created 55,000 new jobs since their financial bailout.

What he left out was the fact that the majority of those jobs were created in China, where GM is building a new $250 million advanced technology center.  The Chinese are buying Chevrolets and GM is providing the Chinese with jobs.  Back home, jobs are being lost and people cannot afford to purchase new cars.

According to Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under President Clinton, big business will continue to export jobs overseas because labor is cheaper and they have the purchasing power we no longer possess.

“The reality is this: Big American companies may never rehire large numbers of workers.  And they won’t even begin to think about hiring until they know American consumers will buy their products.   The problem is, American consumers won’t start buying again until they know they have reliable paychecks.”

So if big business will not put Americans back to work again, small businesses must start hiring.   For the small business sector to begin hiring again they need to expand, market, advertise and invest, but they cannot do that in our current business climate.

The legislation to help small businesses so they can hire workers is a step in the right direction and it will create jobs.  This is an important ingredient in the recipe to put Americans back to work, but if the Republicans have their way nothing will get done, unemployment will continue to rise and short-sighted out-of-work Americans will vote for them; they are counting on their constituents not to see the larger picture.

Tuesday, the Florida Legislature refused to remove the June 5^th deadline for paying extended unemployment benefits. This means – even though Congress has finally cleared the GOP roadblock and President Obama has signed the bill to extend benefits – almost a quarter of a million of Floridians may not receive checks.

Some Florida Democrats are urging Crist to sidestep the legislative process and issue an executive order to accept the Federal money and begin paying the unemployed. Crist could also call legislators back to Tallahassee for a vote, but I think we all know how that would go.

It is unclear at this time how federal regulations might affect the governor’s ability to issue a special order. The Governor’s office is saying they are looking into the implications of such a move.

This “my way or the highway” kind of politics has no place in Florida. The Legislature is not only obstructing progress they are hurting the very people they are supposed to represent. The Republicans may have a right to be upset with Crist, but they do not have a right to punish the people of this state in the process.

Besides refusing to address the State’s unemployed, the Republican-led Legislature has also refused to give Floridians the opportunity to have a say about offshore drilling. The Florida legislature, led by the Republican Party, refused to allow voters the opportunity to vote on a Constitutional amendment that could have banned drilling off the coast of Florida.

In an act of, what Crist called “arrogance,” the legislature removed the decision from the voter’s hands, as if voters in Florida have no idea what might be best for the state they live in.

Important issues are not being dealt with in Tallahassee or in Washington because the members of the Republican Party have more loyalty to party affiliation than to their constituency. This is wrong, no matter what kind of spin is placed on it because their actions, and inactions, are a dereliction of their duty to the voters.

Those who we elect to represent us are suppose to be our voice in Tallahassee, and being the voice of the people carries a responsibility to do what is best for the people. The Florida Legislature has failed miserably in their representation and their neglect of official duty borders on malfeasance.

Crist, once a rising star in the Republican Party, is currently running for the US Senate with no party affiliation. He gave up his status and fell out of favor when he failed to agree with every single item of his former party’s agenda. He vetoed legislation regarding abortion, teaching salaries and other issues because he did not believe they were in the best interest of the people. Unlike the Republicans, I think we can count on Crist to follow his convictions rather than party tenets.

The bait the Republicans are dangling is extended unemployment benefits. Combine the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy with an extension for the middle class, throw in extended unemployment benefits, and bingo, you have a deal.

There is only one problem with this give-everyone-what-they-want solution, it doesn’t increase revenue, and therefore won’t create jobs. If joblessness does not improve over the next quarter, the Democrats will face the same problem of extending unemployment benefits again, but next time they won’t have anything to bargain with and the Republicans will take over the House and possibly the Senate after stalemating the Democrats and making them look like buffoons.

The Democrats must either garner 60 votes, which may happen after Senator Byrd of W. Virginia is replaced, or they must break the filibuster. The Democrats have the Constitutional option to break the filibuster with 51 votes in the Senate; however, they relinquished that option when they failed to pass the budget and therefore, lost the opportunity for reconciliation. Remember reconciliation, it’s what they used to pass health care reform.

Where are the leaders? You can bet Ted Kennedy would be fighting tooth and nail if he still stood on the Senate Floor, but unfortunately, we have Harry Reid leading the charge instead. Senator Reid has done a miserable job leading the Senate, and because of that very fact he may lose his seat to bigger buffoon, Sharron Angle.

The, so called fiscal conservative Republicans, obviously do not care about the deficit, if they did, they wouldn’t be pushing a Bush tax cut extension. Allowing those cuts to expire would put more cash in the treasury and help reduce the deficit.

The Democrats, for some reason I cannot phantom, have done little more than trip over their own shoe laces and have failed to show Americans they can lead. Making this situation worse is the mainstream news media that is playing the filibuster up like its Holy Grail, it’s not. The Democrats may well be preparing their last supper, but they really can’t blame the Republicans for that.

James Owens is a writer for the West Orlando News Online.

Almost every Sunday morning someone feels the need to pray for President Barack Obama and his family. They usually pray for the President’s protection.

Lucius Gantt, political comentator

They don’t pray for God to give Obama wisdom, strength or courage. They just don’t want anybody to assassinate the nation’s beloved leader.

Many, if not most, of the people that supported the election of Barack Obama felt that they were voting for a Messiah. The masses were tired of the wicked and corrupt previous administrations and felt that Obama would be a fairer Commander in Chief.

Jesus, the Biblical Messiah, had a similar situation. The people don’t always want a leader to be forthcoming or do the right thing. Most people active in campaigns and elections want jobs. Today and in Biblical days, the poor, exploited, oppressed and neglected masses desire to rise from clerks to supervisors, from assistants to division directors, from representatives to governors and cabinet members.

All I want so-called leaders to do is tell the truth!

The 2010 truth is clear to me. Despite all of the talk about oil spills, Middle Eastern wars and immigration reform, America will never recover from its current economic predicament until the President and other so-called leaders do something about job creation.

America needs jobs. Politicians and persons seeking to become politicians must address the unemployment issue in every city, town and village.

In the United States, if you don’t work, you don’t eat. If you don’t have money to buy things, you do what you have to do to survive and to some that means stealing or taking from someone.

People aren’t losing their homes because they are bad borrowers; they are losing homes and businesses because they lost their jobs or their source of income.

America confronted employment issues in the past by building railroads and highways. Job Corps and Conservation Camps were formed. Everything that government could do to put people to work was done.

You can vote for anyone you choose but if you elect a candidate that only wants to self promote, only wants to self anoint and only wants to save his or her seat, so to speak, you will continue to be jobless and hopeless.

The political focus has got to change. The political priorities have to change. The political process has to change to make life better for Americans.

If only our political, and religious, leaders would just tell us the truth about why we are suffering economically and finding it more and more difficult to obtain and keep a good job.

We don’t need another hero all we need is a way to save our homes!

By Lucius Gantt
The Gantt Report
Contact Lucius at:  www.allworldconsutants.net

One thing I hear from clients over and over again is: “I don’t mean to toot my own horn.”  Well—on paper—you really should.  If you’re not using the resume to sell yourself to a potential employer, no one else is going to sell your value either.  There’s a difference between positioning yourself as the total package (which is what employers are looking for) and exaggerating your contributions.

Accountability and ownership go both ways in the workplace.  Just as you would take responsibility for mistakes and learn from them, recognize your achievements.  While it’s difficult for some people to write about their accomplishments, it’s a little too easy for others.

Simply put, tell it how it is.  If you created a process that saved hours in time and therefore thousands per week in costs, tell your readers how and how much.  If you came up with a plan to reach customers in a new area that delivered more in revenue than anticipated, tell your readers how, how much, and the initial goal.

Taking the passive route will make potential employers wonder why they should even call you.

Providing a full history of your career won’t necessarily get the phone ringing either, but highlighting contributions that could benefit any organization, such as cost savings, operational improvements, revenue growth, and client base expansion, will put your reader in the mindset that if you did it once you can do it again.  Just as we tell recent grads that having a degree is no longer enough, simply doing your job from day to day is no longer enough either.

How do you go above and beyond?  If you were to leave tomorrow, what gap would there be and would it be difficult to fill?

Every discipline brings a different contribution to an organization.  Whereas sales people bring in the money, the operations people are vital in making the process run smoother.  Instead of looking at resumes as tools for bragging, consider them as tools for personal marketing and progression.  If you don’t communicate your value, no one will know of your potential.

Thanks Sigmarie, your contributions are appreciated and most valued. We look forward to more.

dhuffman, MA, CEIP, CPRW, CPCC
Education Career Services
Career Services International

How do you increase the odds the market will see your value and make a bid (in the form of an interview and eventual job offer)? In some ways, your job in getting a job is to force the company to see its own self in a product advertisement (that being you). Is my twisted logic making sense? Put another way, once the company makes a connection, you will find yourself in the right position for the next step.

Let’s break it down a bit by comparing common commodities to this concept and how the average consumer/company defines a need to possess. If we were to find living room furniture and feel certain it would fit our current décor, and, most importantly fit through the door, we probably would purchase the piece. If not, we would walk on by. Likewise with a suit of clothes; if we can see ourselves in the suit and if it matches the style we are looking for, chances are, we would buy it.

So how do the above examples apply to selling yourself to complete strangers during the worst job market in 60 years? How do you get the market to see itself in you?

Warning: Attitude realignment may be required.

If you are selling, (and you most assuredly are) your presentation must be about the buyer (company) and his/her needs. With this as a mindset, your skills, education, contributions, and potential must be presented in terms of company need. Thus leading to the next question: how do you figure that one out?

Your résumé needs to present the value package as a solution to the present (and potential) problems challenging the market today and more specifically the company you are targeting. Rather bluntly, your value proposition is the foundation to open doors of communication and resolution.

Time for an exercise: Call ten industry leaders and ask them, point blank, what are the top three priorities or challenges affecting their labor force and what is it they value most in an employee. After about five calls you will see a common thread.

Next, look at YOUR career history and see where you have addressed these areas and how you are marketing those sought after qualities. Take note of what you hear (great knowledge during interview sessions) and know the buyer will ONLY be interested in the product (you) if what you bring can be internalized within the overall goal of the company.

Surely you are not a piece of furniture or made of fabric, but the lessons learned can be used to your advantage. Make sure your resume takes advantage of the top third of the page by highlighting VALUE.  These first few lines of information (Problem, Action, and Result) are the basis hiring executives use when evaluating candidates.

Keep a pulse on the industry you are pursuing and mirror company needs to what you bring to the table.  In today’s labor saturated market, packaging is almost as important as the product itself.

Wishing you success.

Thanks Steve, your 20+ years experience in career management is much appreciated.

dhuffman

The following concludes our previous post. Let us know what you think as well and how the activities worked for you…

2) Zumeo.com

Zumeo.com is a job search site specifically for recent graduates.  The job listing feature is very user-friendly and has a diversity of filters allowing you to search for jobs based on location, your personality type, your education, and other aspects of yourself not typically offered on other career search sites

Once you click on a job posting, more info is provided and you can click to view the company’s profile, view it on a map, or go to the actual job posting where you can apply for the job.  Users can also browse by company.

Users can multiple upload files to develop a professional portfolio, showcasing your past projects.  Zumeo also creates an online resume automatically with a brief description, your objective, experience, skills and education.  Although this functional approach is not recommended, it may give you the basic information and inspiration to create a dynamic and compelling resume.

If you’re looking to network, Zumeo allows you to connect with other users, join company communities, and submit endorsements of other users.

Activity:

Sign up for Zumeo.com with your email or through Facebook Connect.  Proceed to fill out a survey and on-line assessment to determine your strengths, talents, interests, and jobs matching your personality, goals, and skills.

3) Create a Blog

Blog about whatever interests you – music, books, politics, sports, food, whatever it may be.  In the perspective of social media networking for your career search, the content is not as important as revealing that you are opinionated and confident enough in your writing to share it with a community of online readers.  You definitely garner bonus points too if you’re able to create a blog that has a substantial following, as this demonstrates an entrepreneurial side that most employers love.

Activity:

Write a list of ideas, topics, and issues you feel passionate about.  Our of your lists of interests, passions, and even obsessions, choose one you can confidentially write about on a weekly (or even daily) basis.  Then, set up a blog in just a few key strokes by utilizing services such as Blogger or WordPress.  You shall definitely get bonus points if you’re able to create a blog that has a substantial following, since this shows an entrepreneurial side most employers appreciate.

4) Create a LinkedIn Profile

For those of you that don’t know, LinkedIn is essentially a Facebook for professionals. You’re able to provide a skeleton version of your resume and you can also connect to any professional or work-related relationships you have developed throughout the years. Employers are able to see this version of your resume, interests you have, and also the people that you’re connected with.  By creating this profile, employers are able to see how you interact and communicate with other professionals like yourself.

Activity:

Launch your own LinkedIn profile! Even if you feel you have minuscule professional/corporate experience as a recent graduate, take inventory of your achievements in internships, volunteer work, and classroom projects producing quantifiable results.  Having a profile will demonstrate a level of professionalism, ambition, and sophistication over and above typical college graduates.

5) Create a Twitter account

Twitter is an excellent way to get yourself involved in the community, show your thought process, and your opinions on many different subjects.  Yes, you can tweet that you’re going to eat a sandwich or that you’re dressed in a red boa for Gay Pride, but we would recommend tweeting more on your thoughts, opinions, revelations, and discoveries on the job search quest.  Employers will thus see that you’re an intelligent individual and that you’re able to communicate effectively, even if it’s only in the form of 140 characters.

Activity:

Create your own Twitter account and resist the temptation to tweet about trivial, everyday life experiences.  Push yourself to a new level and tweet only about your career interests and job search.  Demonstrating such discipline and restraint will set you apart from the crowd and reveal a higher level of sophistication than others your age.

Fine-tune your list of potential network contacts and set a goal to contact a certain number each week or month.  Arrange to meet with as many contacts as possible, and always ask each one for more referrals.  Send thank you notes, and update your contacts regularly on your progress.

Ultimately, job seekers should aspire to take advantage of any extra edge that they can get.  Capitalizing social media is an excellent way to get your name out there, to brand yourself, and also to potentially network with future employers or references.  By taking the fullest advantage of social media, the world shall be your oyster.

Thanks Victoria, you are greatly appreciated…

dhuffman,
career services international / education career services
dhuffman@careersi.com

Congresswoman Corrine Brown

The Congresswoman has invited a number of resource and social service agencies, college and universities, state and federal agencies and branches of the military to this year’s job fair to share their programs and services with job applicants.  The 2010 Job and Community Resource Fair will also present on-site workshops to help applicants sharpen their job training skills and offer resources for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

“With more than one in ten Floridians out of work, this is, unfortunately, an extraordinarily difficult time for job seekers both in the State of Florida, as well as, around the nation.  That said, attendance at the Job Fair is even more important this year, since it will provide a great opportunity for those searching for work to network and speak directly with prospective employers,” said Congresswoman Brown.

Among the many employers and agencies participating are: SunTrust Bank, LYNX, Lockheed Martin, Universal Orlando Resorts, Florida Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Protection/Florida Park Service, Florida Department of Corrections, Bankers Life, Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, Internal Revenue Service, Orlando VA medical Center, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Social Security Administration, and the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI).

Please come prepared to meet a broad cross-section of employers and agencies.

WHO: Congresswoman Corrine Brown in conjunction with area employers and community resource agencies

LOCATION: Amway Arena
600 W Amelia Street
Orlando, FL 32801

DATE: Monday, June 28, 2010
9:00 am to 2:00 pm

CONTACT:  For additional information please call the Orlando District Office at # 407-872-0656

At its foundation, social media is a set of technologies and channels targeted at forming and enabling a potentially massive community of participants to productively collaborate.  IT tools supporting collaboration have existed for decades. Yet, social-media technologies, such as social networking, wikis and blogs, enable collaboration on a much grander scale and support tapping the power of the collective in ways previously unachievable.

Six core principles underlie the value of social-media solutions and serve as defining characteristics setting social media apart from other forms of communication and collaboration.  Principles include:

1. Participation
2. Collective
3. Transparency
4. Independence
5. Persistence
6. Emergence

Social media can include text, audio, video, images, podcasts, and other multimedia communications.  Ultimately, it can be an effective tool to help with your job search. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn enhance and expedite your hunt for a new job.

For Generation X/Y, social media networking serves as the most potent catalyst to forming the vital partnerships, visibility, and opportunities needed to penetrate the job market for the first time.

Consider the following sample sites and exercises for working your networking muscles:

1) InternshipRatings.com

Thinking about applying for an internship? Wondering what kind of experience you’re going to get out of that internship? Internships are the most important thing students can do to prepare for their career, especially if you choose the ones which will grant you the important transferable skills needed for your future career.   InternshipRatings offers you reviews from students that have already been through internships and know how valuable they are.

Activity:

Log on and create a free account with www.internshipratings.com.  Complete a quick and easy survey to rate different aspects of your current and previous internships, including the level of “real life” experience, compensation, and networking opportunities you have garnered so far in your education and early career.  Then, add a comment to describe a specific experience from your internship in more detail.

Ultimately, this site is a quintessential way to weed out the internships that will be a waste of your time and shall catapult you into the ones that will actually benefit you personally and professionally.

Next post we will go over four more sites and activities for each. So, if I were you, I’d make sure and check out this location in the next few days as we skyrocket the social networking scene all the while propelling your success.

Thanks Victoria, I can’t wait to continue…

dhuffman,
dhuffman@careersi.com
education career services
career services international