In the current economic downturn, we’re all discovering a new low in both job opportunities and job security. Millions of people have been laid off from their jobs. Where unemployment benefits previously bridged the gap for out of work employees, entire job sectors are going south, along with available jobs. You may have spent a decade or more working in the auto industry, only to find there are now no new job openings to apply for, not today or in the foreseeable future.

It may be time to reassess your skills and natural abilities and get a new direction for your career. One of the best ways to switch gears and find a new career is by taking a free career aptitude test. OK, you say, how do I find the resources, how does this work and what will a free career aptitude test do to get me back on the road to employment before my unemployment runs out?

Although this option is not well publicized, it’s nonetheless one of the freebies afforded by the government, available to anyone considering a career change or a new job opportunity.

Finding the resources for free career aptitude tests: Your local Department of Employment or Department of Human Resources is the best place to start. A phone call to either should give you the information on who to contact and where to go to get the ball rolling. Usually, you’ll be able to get an appointment to take the career aptitude test within a week.

What’s a free career aptitude test about? How does this work? Unlike most tests, a career aptitude test does not measure knowledge in a specific field. Instead, these tests are designed to measure your innate abilities – natural talents which have nothing to do with formal training or work experience. While you may have spent years in a career in which you performed well, your natural talents may not have been potentiated. For example, as a worker in the auto industry, you may have excelled in parts assembly, due to a natural ability for visual and analytical processing of mechanical and spatial concepts. This natural aptitude may indicate that you would do well in computer programming, surely worlds away from careers you might have thought within your grasp.

When you take these tests, they may not seem to make much sense. The tests will elicit opinions, seem to measure skills and ask questions which seem irrelevant. However, these free career aptitude tests are designed to cover every aspect of your personality and mind set, in order to reveal both what you most enjoy and for which you have natural talent.

Upon completing the career aptitude tests, your test results will be analyzed, usually within the day. On the following day, you’ll be presented with the results. You’ll find that this free career aptitude test is worth its weight in gold.

The road to employment: getting a job. If you’re young, the Job Corps is a possibility. If you’re older, the free career aptitude test can land you a paying job with an employer willing to commit to training you under a government subsidy. Under this provision, the employer is subsidized, directly paying a minimal wage, with the government making up the difference to meet minimal wage standards, while training you in your new career.

Other programs, resulting from the free career aptitude tests, don’t guarantee continued employment, but do offer work experience to add to your resume.

Either way you win. The free career aptitude tests can win you freedom, a new life and a better income.

In a recent world survey, the United States received a D minus in public high school education! Besides being a disgraceful embarrassment, this fact bodes ill for the future of America. If high school graduates are so ill prepared to qualify for skilled jobs and don’t have the grades to get in to college, America will surely become a third world country of workers in the future. It’s abundantly clear that this issue must be addressed, and soon. Funding adult education courses may be one of the best first steps to getting our educational system back on track.

While the public high school curriculum also needs a vigorous overhaul, we need to do something about the kids who have dropped out of high school, as well as adults who barely made it out of high school. These kids are barely employable in minimum wage jobs, due to a lack of the basic skills required for a minimum wage job. If you can’t even count change correctly, you’ll soon lose your job. Such people often drift from one job to another. With jobs already tight, what happens to these young adults? Eventually, they are locked out of the job market altogether. They’ll either end up on welfare, become homeless, or turn to dealing drugs. A few remedial adult education courses can help reverse this trend. We need to provide funding for adult education courses for those who cannot afford to pay. The consequences of not doing so are costing so much more to every taxpayer and society as a whole.

By providing funding for adult education courses to people already living a life of poverty, we can turn these disadvantaged members of society into productive, taxpaying citizens, with dignity and hope for the future. This single initiative will ultimately reduce crime and provide a better future for the next generation.

In addition to providing access to adult education courses, we should supplement the funding to extend to tutoring, on an as-needed basis. Funding should also be provided to administer aptitude tests to unskilled, poorly educated adults to determine what natural talent they possess. It’s a fact that medical technician jobs go begging, for want of qualified applicants. These skills may often obtained through a short term certification program. These types of adult education courses can turn an adult on welfare into a well paid working taxpayer. Again, their children, the next generation, will reap the benefits, with better opportunities for their future. There are also many adult education courses available in distance learning programs.

Hopefully, the new political administration will take steps to mandate higher standards in our public high schools. A simple switch to the standard high school curriculum of the 1960s would be a massive step forward. We need to attract better teachers with a better rate of pay. Today, a starting teacher’s pay barely exceeds that of a minimum wage job!

It’s easy to crunch the numbers and see that investments made to revamp high school curriculum and provide funding for adult education courses is a drop in the bucket when compared with the cost of maintaining this disgraceful quality of education and the consequences to society.

The future of this country depends, in large part, on our kids acquiring skill levels to meet those required in professional fields.

Some students think that once you move past part time, minimum wage jobs that you will no longer have to fill out a job application. They think that their newly printed resume will take the place of the job application and it is something that they no longer have to worry about. She wasn’t filling them out, even though they were asking her to do so. She would just clip her resume over the top of the application and send it in. She was making a huge mistake and she had no idea.

It should be common sense, but there are times when someone tells us something and we just believe it because we trust him or her. Someone had told her that now that she had finished college, she didn’t have to worry about that pesky job application any longer. There may be some jobs that allow you to skip the job application, but you won’t find many of them when you are just out of college. In fact, when you first start out, you are not the one that is in demand. Once you move up and become very good at what you do, you may then be able to apply for a job without the application, and sometimes, you may find they are calling you first.

When job searching, you are going to have an easier time filling out your job application if you already have the information you need with you. If you have the information at hand, you can fill out the job application rather quickly, and you should be sure that you are not putting down the wrong phone number or perhaps forgetting an important reference or detail. Don’t be careless though, or you will have to ask for another one when you make a hasty mistake. Having the wrong information on your application is just as bad as not filling one out at all.

How to prepare and submit a writing sample for online work

You’re an aspiring or novice writer, looking for writing work online. You’ve covered the job boards and finally spotted a job you’d like to get. There’s just one catch. The publisher wants to see a writing sample. “Please send at least three writing samples …” is a typical request. It only makes sense that your prospective client wants to get a sense of the type of work you can provide. You’ve kept a journal for years, have a few school papers or that feature article you wrote for the school newsletter. Now this request has thrown you for a loop. Every publisher’s needs are fairly specific. Your writing sample must reflect your ability to produce work that matches their needs as closely as possible. Unless you already have an appropriate piece on hand, you’ll need to prepare a new piece. Here’s how to go about that task. While not difficult, you do need to adhere strictly to the format and submission instructions.

Let’s say that the publisher runs a website focusing on coffee and coffee-related products. He needs content articles on coffee and coffee products, about 500 words in length and which are informative and engaging. You’re a big coffee fan and are conversant with the coffee industry. So, how should you structure your submission?

If this prospective client wants three writing samples, he’s opening the door for you to demonstrate your all-around talents that make a perfect match for his objectives. You have three chances to show your versatile writing skills, a consistent style, knowledge of coffee and ability to conduct research. Make the most of the opportunity.

Your first sample might be an article on the history of coffee. This type of article is more of an academic piece, with lots of little-known facts. However, you must also write in layman’s language. Visitors to the site aren’t interested in having a dictionary at hand to wade through a dry, boring diatribe. So, when you prepare this article, inject some liveliness that makes the reader want to keep on reading, right to the last sentence.

Your second writing sample needs to shift focus, showing off your talents in copy writing. If the publisher has provided a link to his website, so much the better. Write a sample on a coffee product he sells. If not, pick out a coffee product and write a review. This will serve to highlight your research skills and sales skills. Your objective is to target the audience interested in the product and sell it to them. A persuasive style, engaging rhetoric and product knowledge works well here.

OK, two down, one to go. Remember, you want to convey your versatility as a writer who will drive traffic to the website. Your third writing sample might be of the op-ed sort, with a ‘human interest’ slant. For example, the customs of serving coffee in a Turkish coffee house are relatively obscure in American society. Not many readers will be familiar with this topic, but their curiosity will get the better of them. The information you provide should be an ‘aha’ moment for the reader, something they’ll want to share with friends and neighbors.

Used judiciously, the publisher’s request for three writing samples is a gift for you. Well written and researched articles keep the publisher’s visitors browsing his website, which translates into sales. That’s what he’s paying for with your services.

As for your submission, follow instructions to the letter. If you’re asked to paste your samples into the email, do it. If you send it as an attachment, your submission will be deleted. You might have the best articles, but they’ll never be read!

If you follow the submission guidelines to the letter, yet never receive a response, don’t feel your hard work has gone to waste. There are thousands of other good writers competing for the same job. While it’s hard to be rejected without so much as a rejection letter, think of it this way: your writing samples will, sooner or later, come in handy. File them in a directory for future use. This is a good way to have a ready portfolio, for the next job. Don’t give up! Happy writing to you!

Most families are not financially able to enjoy the luxury of a stay at home Mom. It’s too hard for most of us to make ends meet without a second income. However, when Mom goes to work, she finds, more often than not, that the working mother, doing the same job and possessing an equal skill set, is paid less than a man. This is a source of great and legitimate frustration.

Working mothers are already penalized, in that she has far less time to spend raising her children. The insult to injury shows up in her paycheck. She may be seated right next to Joe, doing the exact same work. Joe’s paycheck is, sometimes, substantially larger, while they both work 40 hours. Doesn’t seem right, does it? Let’s take a look at why this situation is so common and what the working mother can do to attain equal pay for equal work.

The genesis of unequal pay began more than fifty years ago. During World War II, with most working age men away at war, the family structure got turned on its head. It became necessary for women to do their part to support the war effort, going to work in factories to make the necessary supplies (remember Rosie the Riveter?), as there weren’t enough men to fill the jobs. The traditional stay at home Mom became a working mother, mostly due to a rally to patriotism. When the war ended, most women were relieved to be out of a job and back home tending the family fires.

This period of the working mother in war time did break the traditional mode of men as the breadwinners. By the mid-1950s, it became common for women to hold part time jobs to augment the family income. These jobs tended to be menial and women did not expect to be paid a man’s wage. Such part-time and short term jobs did not pay enough to support the family and were not intended to be so. More complex occupations were generally reserved for men. Men wanted to be the breadwinners, while women did not. This was the socially acceptable arrangement of the day.

During the 1960s, it became far more common for women to go to college and develop careers previously held only by men. The unspoken agreement was that women were only hired for ‘men’s jobs’ at a lesser rate of pay. After all, a woman was taking a job away from the traditional breadwinner. It would be unthinkable to give equal pay and women had to accept this if they wanted to work.

As time passed, these young women college grads married and had families. By the 1970s, economic conditions and increasing family debt brought women back into the mainstream work force, as working mothers. The prevailing notion of men being the breadwinners was still in effect. Employers still, perhaps almost unconsciously, regarded women as taking a job away from a man. The only rationale to hiring working mothers was that the company didn’t need to pay them an equal wage.

Although plenty of women are still on a slow burn over the issue, old ideas die slowly. Today, we talk about the ‘glass ceiling’. Equal pay is still an issue. Few women have overcome and broken through that ceiling, and now enjoy equal pay.

So what prevents most women from receiving equal pay? According to one female business consultant, the major reason is that women state a lower dollar amount as their desired rate of pay when they apply for that equal work job!

Working mothers often buy into this self-defeating concept, feeling that the only way into a profession is a lower pay rate. Some feel that it’s necessary to make that trade-off, because they need a job. Others think that they must be ‘mannish’ in their demeanor to get equal pay.

So what’s the solution? Realize that your educational qualifications are every bit as valuable as a man with the same credentials. Women can be just as professional in the performance of their job as a man. Being a woman can be an asset in certain professions, where a woman’s style of professionalism may be better suited to the occupation than a man’s. Go online and find out what the market rate is for your skill set. When you interview, or are going for a pay raise, ask for that rate of pay. Today’s working mother needs to buff up her professional self esteem! You may well get what you’re worth. Good luck!

In 2000, the American economy was booming. The IT field, including research and development, analyst, marketing and programmer jobs accounted for fully 51% of America’s GDP! We’re talking big money. In January of 2001, job boards like DICE boasted well over 100,000 engineering, analyst and programmer jobs, waiting to be filled. In past years, the period between October and March was traditionally the slow period. In 2000 and into 2001, this mold was broken, with more positions to be filled than there were qualified candidates. IT was booming.

Let me share a true story with you, to demonstrate how outsourcing IT jobs to foreign cheap labor sources, was the beginning of what we now are experiencing in the labor market and the current state of the economy. Be warned, it’s not a pretty picture, but should give you some insight into how we got to be where we are now.

In 2000, a good friend was contracted to IBM as an enterprise architect. IBM’s end user was another big name IT company. The project involved developing a licensing system. IBM’s end user had a staff of 40 foreign programmers, who had been working on the project for a year without progress or results. My friend’s job was to coordinate the activities of all these programmer jobs and get the job done. In the end, the end user company dismissed the staff of 40, for sheer incompetence, and replaced them with this top notch engineer, truly a one man show. The licensing system moved like greased lightning and was estimated to have saved the company a million dollars in previously lost revenue. To make it all happen, he was putting in some very long days. When the project was completed, he was ready for a vacation! He took a couple of months off. In March of 2001, he checked out the job boards, only to find that the 100,000 programmer jobs had dwindled to 23,000! Hey! What happened?

The IT companies had discovered that the government had decided to give them big tax breaks for using foreign cheap labor. Suddenly, the American engineer or programmer was shut out of the market. Corporations had gone for outsourcing with gusto! Why should they pay Americans the market rate, when they could have the job done in India for a tiny fraction of the American programmers rate? As it turned out, approximately three million American programmer jobs disappeared overseas.

This continued for several years. In the end, the outsourcing strategy did not work. The corporations discovered that, due to language and other communication problems, combined with a lack of availability during normal business hours, projects were not only failing, but cost 20% more, even with the tax breaks. Meanwhile, American technology was being handed out like candy overseas. What was formerly proprietary American technology was, and still is, in the hands of foreign countries, most notably India and China. American programmer jobs were like hen’s teeth – not to be found.

At the time, three million programmer jobs, spread all over America in a period of several months, didn’t even make a blip on the public consciousness or unemployment statistics.

Taking a page from the IT industry, other manufacturing companies soon followed suit. The American textile and auto industries were virtually wiped out. Entire regions suffered massive layoffs, plunging these workers into instant unemployment. This practice has continued to today. Anyone with a basic understanding of economics can see that if too large a percentage of the population is unemployed, they will not be able to afford to purchase the products produced overseas by American companies.

We’ve now effectively lost the technology that helped sustain that booming economy. In addition, the foreign workers are now in a position to demand higher rates. No free lunch anymore. From where I sit, it looks like greed overcame the corporations.

As a result, the corporations virtually shot themselves in the foot. It’s not known if American programmer jobs will begin to rise again. Our new President-elect has vowed to come down hard with a heavy tax burden on companies that use foreign labor. We’ll see. One thing is certain. It’s going to be a long hard road back to American prosperity. Ha. There really ought to be a law! Let’s see it.

I’d imagine, though, that with 160,000 plus workers, AT&T is bloated just like many government and other private companies. It’s always sad to hear when someone / anyone loses their job. It’s especially discouraging when it happens during the Christmas holiday season.

Now, AT&T is not the only company announcing major layoffs this year. Swiss Bank announced 5,300 job cuts, Dupont says 2,500 to go, and Viacom will shed 7 percent of their workforce or 850 jobs. I’m sure many of you who are reading this post are in turmoil with your company, as well.

But, of course, it’s not all doom and gloom! The banking industry got a $700 BILLION DOLLAR bailout, AIG got $150 BILLION and the auto industry is lobbying Washington for $60 BILLION? How ridiculous is this? The big three automakers – you know who they are – are collectively only worth $5 Billion in market value. What’s wrong with this picture? We, the taxpayers, will loan $60 Billion to companies only worth $5B? By comparison, Toyota is worth $130 Billion … all by its lonesome self.

Remember the good old days when you went to work for “replace name with company?” They shook your hand, welcomed you to the family and really cared about your well-being. Unfortunately, those days went out with the Model T Ford … pun intended.

One good friend of mine remarked the other day. She said that “at least we can comfort ourselves in the thought that many of us are in the same boat together.” Misery loves company?

So, I have a plan to solve all of our collective financial and career issues. There are approximately 330 million people (man, woman, child) in the United States. Give each person (except the top 1% of rich people – they don’t need it) $1 Million Dollars. For my family, that would be $4 Million Dollars. This would still leave $1.8 Trillion Dollars left over to bail out these sad, poor companies. I guarantee that will solve all of our problems, with plenty of money left over to boot.

Of course, another good friend of mine remarked about my idea. “Yeah, but we’ll still do stupid things with this money and blow it”. I say, “Let me have that chance!”

True change will only happen if there is revolutionary thinking. Washington needs to stop wasting tax payers dollars on bailouts of these crony-esque industries. Bailout the more than 10 Million unemployed people who lost their jobs due to lousy management and mis-use of corporate funds.

Write your congress person today

Better yet, Link In to Barack Obama, http://www.linkedin.com/in/barackobama, and send him a note directly!

As always, I stay committed to help in any way I can during these troubling times. Leave me your comments or Link In with me and let’s see if we can make real change from the ground up!

Telecommuting writing jobs: make your own schedule, save gas and creatively make a living

Rich writers are not the norm. You probably already know that. Even best-selling novelists, while enjoying some fame, seldom truly amass a fortune. If that fortunate and talented writer has their book made into a movie, they just may get into some wealth. However, most writers write because they love the work and would rather write than do anything else. Writers are often not well suited to a corporate environment, as they prefer working alone. If you now write as a hobby, but fear that your day job may go by the wayside in these tough economic times, you should begin now to look in to the telecommuting writing job market. You may not get rich, but you can make a living doing what you like doing best.

Here are a few of the benefits of telecommuting writing jobs. You don’t have to be anywhere and punch a clock. You can work by day or night, or a mix of the two. You don’t have to make special arrangements with your boss to go to the dentist, doctor or your kid’s school events. Telecommuting writing jobs give you (almost) complete freedom to schedule your own life. Working at home means you don’t drive any distance to work, so you can tame your gas costs as well. Sounds pretty good, right?

So what’s the catch? You’ll find there are times when you’ll get a job with a very tight deadline on the turnaround. For example, you find a client who needs a bio written for their website by tomorrow morning. Yes, there are people like that. If you want the job, you need to be flexible and diligent and get that piece written before the coach turns into a pumpkin, if you want to be paid and keep your sterling reputation. If you are unable to meet deadlines, word does get around, with negative effects on your career and income.

Telecommuting writing jobs are actually on the rise now, while the brick-and-mortar opportunities are on the decline. If you’re a disciplined writer, you can succeed in this market. You need to have the ability to be your own boss. No one will be telling you what to do next, or when. You’ve got to consistently pursue your craft, without fail.

So how do you break into the telecommuting writing job market? Unless you have previously published work, you may need to write a few pieces for free. This is a common practice. Literary sites often advertise for writers, on a ‘contributing’ basis. If you see such an ad, it means they want you to write for nothing. Why would anyone do this? What it amounts to is that you’re giving your work to them in exchange for being published. Now you’ve got a clip, a url you can give to a prospective client. Accumulate a few and you’re on your way in the paying writing markets.

You should also prepare several samples of your writing. It’s important to diversify, with samples on various topics, demonstrating good research skills and a distinctive and consistent style and voice. If you’re rusty on your grammar, review! With a variety of sample topics to choose from, you’ll better your chances of landing that 24-hour turnaround job. Competition is stiff and jobs go fast.

While writing can be hard work, is there something else you’d rather be doing? If not, start putting together your portfolio now, before you quit your day job. A telecommuting writing job may be the most fulfilling job you’ve ever had!

Teens often feel at a disadvantage in the job market, especially in the current economy. While you might eventually land a fast food server job, it’s going to cost you money to get there and back and the hours might not be ideal. There are plenty of ways to earn extra cash for an enterprising teen. Here are ten ideas for you to roll around in your mind. Many are in the self-employment market, which makes you the boss. If you choose the self employment route, be sure you are sufficiently disciplined and are dependable!

If you’re one of those kids who still has every possession accumulated since day one, you might consider going through your room and the garage to collect all the stuff you no longer use. You might be surprised at what these items will fetch at a yard sale. You can also sell on eBay. Take clothes you no longer use to a consignment shop. You bring them in and receive about 40-50% of what the shop gets on the sale.

Yard work, dog walking and babysitting are all time honored ways to earn extra cash. Canvas your neighborhood and see what sort of jobs are there. Appear at the door looking presentable and don’t chew gum!

If you’re an older teen with a reputation for being responsible, check out house sitting opportunities. Be prepared with references from teachers, past employers and other adult references. Three ought to do it. These jobs often don’t pay much, but you do have room and board. When you’re looking for ways to earn extra cash, this can be a gem. You can still do yard work, dog walking and such other small jobs.

If you like making crafts, the holiday season and a great number of crafts fairs are in the offing. Christmas wreaths, ornaments, jewelry and gift baskets are always popular and are easy and fun to make.

Another of the ways to earn extra cash not only pays, but gives you discounted prices at retail shops! Many shops hire extra people for the holidays. Apply first in shops where you have some knowledge and would love a discount on what they sell. Music stores, pet shops, or whatever is in your skill set.

Most teens are more web savvy than the average adult. Make your own website or blog. Get into the Google Adsense program and make some money! Here’s a tip that gives you even more ways to earn extra cash in your net enterprise. Visit w3schools.com and go through their free tutorials and become an expert. There are literally dozens of topics and tutorials.

If you live in a big city, a newspaper route can pay well. Your customers will usually tip you each month for good service.

Other ways to earn extra cash require that you apply well in advance. Summer camp counselor, lifeguard and National Park guide positions may begin advertising in winter, so keep your eyes peeled now.

If you’re a whiz at math, English or whatever, advertise as a tutor. You can schedule sessions which don’t interfere with school or work and make some pretty good extra cash. You can even develop this as a business.

You can see that the ways to earn extra cash are out there. Just pick one or two ideas that appeal to you and go for it!

First of all, when finding a job, you don’t necessarily have to aim lower than what you really want. Though you may have to later on, you should still try to find the jobs that you would have wanted no matter how well or how bad the economy is doing. There is always the chance that you could still get that job that you want. You should also think about jobs that are on par with the one you just had, even if it is not something you think of as a promotion. Staying in the same type of job is better than having no luck with finding a job at all.

What you have to decide is how far you are willing to drive when finding a job that is up to par with what you want. You may have to face the reality that you may have to travel. With the gas prices as they are, you should weigh your options carefully. Would it be worth a dollar less an hour to save a lot on gas? What other expenses would be involved with finding a job that is a bit of a drive? Can you spare that extra time that you would normally spend with your family?

However, when times are bad, no matter what, you do have to think about taking something you may not want or may not be ideal. You should always go for the jobs that you want, but you should be realistic and look for some that are related but not quite what you crave. You may not have a choice when things are tight and many are finding a job right along side you. Be careful, but be smart, or you may find that you can not get any type of work at all. Things will pick up, so taking something for a short time would not hurt, but still feeds your family.

Use the same strategies you would always use when finding a job. Use the classifieds, go to recruiters, and don’t be afraid to try temp agencies. You should use online sources for finding a job, as well as networking with others in your field. They may know of jobs that have not been advertised that are just what you are looking for. Just know your hunt may take a little longer, but you do not have to look at it as an impossible endeavor.