This Year’s College Grads Leaving in Record Debt

College grads leaving with record debtMILWAUKEE — (from USA TODAY) After four years at Marquette University here, Molly Mead is graduating Sunday with a bachelor’s degree in women and gender studies and history — and student loan debt totaling more than $28,000.
In the fall, she plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where she expects to borrow another $20,000 as she pursues a master’s in social work.

Her situation is not the least bit unusual.

“I knew coming to Marquette that I would be taking on quite a bit of debt,” Mead said. “I won’t be making that much money even with my master’s, so debt is something that’s concerning for me. … However, it’s somewhat of a relief to know a lot of my peers are going through the same thing.”

Students graduating from college this spring are entering the healthiest job market since the recession, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, an organization that tracks college hiring. It says U.S. employers expect to hire 5.2% more recent graduates this year than in 2015.
But graduates entering the job market are doing so with a record amount of debt, according to recent surveys.

Along with their new diplomas, this year’s graduates will leave campus with an average of $28,950 of student debt, according to the latest figures from The Institute for College Access & Success, an independent nonprofit research organization. The institute found that from 2004 to 2014 the share of graduates with debt rose modestly from 65% to 69%, but the average debt at graduation rose at more than twice the rate of inflation.

Other groups have produced different estimates. Cappex, a college selection website that generates its projections based on federal student-loan data and economic factors such as inflation, predicted the average debt for this year’s graduates at $37,173. This is up from $35,000 for 2015 graduates, and an increase of more than $15,000 in the past decade.

However, the group most likely to default on payments aren’t graduates buried in debt, but the students who borrowed then dropped out.

This group generally owes less than $9,000, according to the Education Department. But without the income boost that typically comes from a degree, dropouts represent a disproportionately high portion of defaulters.

Students leaving college — whether graduating or withdrawing — with federal student debt are required to participate in exit counseling, a process that helps borrowers make smart decisions about repaying their loans.

Tim Opgenorth, director of financial aid at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said one of the best ways for students to manage debt after graduation is to make sure they’re keeping it under control during their undergraduate years.

“Hopefully, students have been borrowing responsibly,” Opgenorth said. “It’s important that they take out no more than they need to so they can pay it back in a timely matter.”

The debt situations facing three other Milwaukee-area students or recent grads play out countless times across the USA:

Vic Oliver

College: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Annual tuition: $9,429 for in-state students

Current debt: $70,000

Despite having a job lined up, Vic Oliver worries that the new position lacks the security and salary she needs to shrink the $70,000 she owes in federal and private loans.

“The job is guaranteed, but security isn’t,” said Oliver, who will have a seasonal job as zoo education coordinator at the Menominee Park Zoo in Oshkosh, Wis. Oliver works seven months of the year and earns $13 an hour.

The job will last at least two years, she said, and in the off-season she plans to work as a waitress or bartender.

She is graduating Sunday with a bachelor’s degree in conservation and environmental science.

Oliver received numerous donations from friends and family to help pay her tuition during freshman year, so she needed a loan of just $6,000, she said. But without the same financial support in the following years, she had to take out bank loans to pay for tuition, books, housing and studying abroad.

Additionally, she borrowed $3,000 to $5,000 each year through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

Today, she’s accumulated debt that she estimates will take 15 years to pay off.

“The way FAFSA is set up is really unfortunate because it puts a lot of people in a lot of debt, but that’s just the reality of how the system works,” she said. “And a lot of students are in a similar or worse condition.”

To combat mounting debt, Oliver has been working two campus jobs throughout college, one in the office of international education and the other as a peer mentor through university’s orientation program. She works 25 hours a week, the university maximum for students with campus jobs.

“I’m prepared,” Oliver said. “I’ve been saving and living a very frugal life.”

Kimberly Hadinata

College: Marquette University

Annual tuition: $38,000

Current debt: $51,000

With one year to go before graduation, Marquette junior Kimberly Hadinata already owes more than $50,000 and plans to borrow another $17,000 to help pay for her senior year.

“I worry about paying it off in time before it keeps adding up,” she said. “I want to have good credit so that I can live on my own, but I know realistically I probably will have to live with my parents after graduation.”

Hadinata says she has maxed out all federal loans the private Catholic university offers and has taken out additional loans with a bank in her home state of New Jersey.

After graduating from Marquette in May 2017, she hopes to attend law school, which will mean even more debt.

“The process of applying for loans can be annoying,” Hadinata said. “It feels like it’s not a mutual agreement. Students are slapped with a payment plan that we really have no choice but to accept if we want to continue pursuing a college education.”

Tatiana Zaldua

College: Milwaukee Area Technical College

Tuition: $160 per credit for health classes; full time, $2,080

Current debt: $6,500

Tatiana Zaldua has been pursuing a college degree on and off for seven years, but she estimates she will be able to pay off all of her debt within three months of graduation this month.

Zaldua, who graduated Friday from Milwaukee Area Technical College with an associate degree in cardiovascular technology, owes $6,500. In June, she will begin working as a cardiopulmonary technician at All Saints Hospital in Racine, Wis., making $24.95 an hour.

Zaldua will work alongside doctors, assisting with surgeries and helping fix hearts.

“It’s a good job,” Zaldua said. “I’m fairly confident I can have everything paid off by the end of the summer.”

Before attending the two-year public vocational-technical college, Zaldua was enrolled at Alverno College in Milwaukee, where she was studying to be a cardiac nurse. After one year in the program at the private four-year Catholic college, Zaldua left.

“Unfortunately, I got into a lot of debt,” she said. “At the beginning they tell you, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll give you financial aid.’ But after that, you realize that their scholarships are bigger because their tuition is more expensive.”

According to Zaldua, Alverno offered her an annual academic scholarship of $10,000; annual tuition that year, 2009-10, was around $27,000. It took her three years to pay off the loans she took out.

At Milwaukee Area Technical College, she was more cautious with her borrowing. She continued to work throughout the two years it took her to complete the cardiopulmonary technician program. Sometimes she went to school part time, sometimes full time, but she was always applying for grants and scholarships.

“I applied to every single one I could possibly find,” she said.

Zaldua plans to work at All Saints Hospital for at least a year before returning to school for her bachelor’s degree in cardiopulmonary sciences, which Zaldua said the hospital would help pay for.

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Hiring Hurdles: Employer Drug Testing

Employer Drug TestingSAVANNAH, GA. — A few years back, the heavy-equipment manufacturer JCB held a job fair in the glass foyer of its sprawling headquarters near here, but when a throng of prospective employees learned the next step would be drug testing, an alarming thing happened: About half of them left.

That story still circulates within the business community of this historic port city. But the problem has gotten worse.

All over the country, employers say they see a disturbing downside of tighter labor markets as they try to rebuild from the worst recession since the Depression: They are struggling to find workers who can pass a pre-employment drug test.

That hurdle partly stems from the growing ubiquity of drug testing, at corporations with big human resources departments, in industries like trucking where testing is mandated by federal law for safety reasons, and increasingly at smaller companies.

But data suggest employers’ difficulties also reflect an increase in the use of drugs, especially marijuana — employers’ main gripe — and also heroin and other opioid drugs much in the news.

Ray Gaster, the owner of lumber yards on both sides of the Georgia-South Carolina border, recently joined friends at a retreat in Alabama to swap business talk. The big topic? Drug tests.

“They were complaining about trying to find drivers, or finding people, who are drug-free and can do some of the jobs that they have,” Mr. Gaster said. He shared their concern.

Drug Free Certification PostingsNotices at Gaster Lumber & Hardware attest to its certification as a drug-free workplace since 1994.  Drug use in the work force “is not a new problem. Back in the ’80s, it was pretty bad, and we brought it down,” said Calvina L. Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation. But, she added, “we’ve seen it edging back up some,” and increasingly, both employers and industry associations “have expressed exasperation.”

Data on the scope of the problem is sketchy because figures on job applicants who test positive for drugs miss the many people who simply skip tests they cannot pass.

Nonetheless, in its most recent report, Quest Diagnostics, which has compiled employer-testing data since 1988, documented an increase for a second consecutive year in the percentage of Americans who tested positive for illicit drugs — to 4.7 percent in 2014 from 4.3 percent in 2013. And 2013 was the first year in a decade to show an increase.

John Sambdman, who employs about 100 people in Atlanta at Samson Trailways, which provides transportation for schools, events, tour groups and the military, must test job applicants and, randomly, employees. Many job seekers “just don’t bother to show up at the drug-testing place,” he complained. Just on Thursday, Mr. Sambdman said, an applicant failed a drug test.

In August, Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia promised to develop a program to help because so many business owners tell him “the No. 1 reason they can’t hire enough workers is they can’t find enough people to pass a drug test.”

That program is still under discussion. When job seekers contact Georgia’s Department of Labor, which provides some recruitment services to employers, the state would like to begin testing them for drugs; individuals who test positive could receive drug counseling and ultimately job placement assistance, Mark Butler, the state labor commissioner, said in an interview.

“Obviously, it’s not an easy process, and it would be costly,” Mr. Butler said. “But you’ve got to think: What is the reverse of that?” People needed to fill jobs are turned away, and, he added, “it’s pretty much a national issue.”

In Indiana, Mark Dobson, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County, said that when he went to national conferences, the topic was “such a common thread of conversation – whether it’s in an area like ours that’s really enjoying very low unemployment levels or even areas with more moderate employment bases.”

In Colorado, “to find a roofer or a painter that can pass a drug test is unheard-of,” said Jesse Russow, owner of Avalanche Roofing & Exteriors, in Colorado Springs. That was true even before Colorado, like a few other states, made recreational use of marijuana legal.

In a sector where employers like himself tend to rely on Latino workers, Mr. Russow tried to diversify three years ago by recruiting white workers, vetting about 80 people. But, he said, “As soon as I say ‘criminal background check,’ ‘drug test,’ they’re out the door.”

While employers’ predicament is worsened by a smaller hiring pool, the drug problem for those that require testing is not as bad as it once was. “If we go back to 1988, the combined U.S. work force positivity was 13.6 percent when drug testing was new,” said Dr. Barry Sample, Quest’s director of science and technology.

But two consecutive years of increases are worrisome, he said.

A much broader data trove, the federal government’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, reported in September that one in 10 Americans ages 12 and older reported in 2014 that they had used illicit drugs within the last month — the largest share since 2001.

Taken together, Mr. Sample said, his data and the government’s indicate higher drug use among those who work for employers without a drug-testing program than workers who are tested, though use by the latter increased as well in 2013 and 2014.

Testing dates to the Reagan administration. The 1988 Drug-Free Workplace Act required most employers with federal contracts or grants to test workers. In 1991, Congress responded to a deadly 1987 train crash in which two operators tested positive for marijuana by requiring testing for all “safety sensitive” jobs regulated by the Transportation Department. Those laws became the model for other employers. Some states give businesses a break on workers’ compensation insurance if they are certified as drug-free.

Here at the main yard of Gaster Lumber and Hardware, faded certificates and signs (“Drugs Don’t Work Here”) attest to its certification as a drug-free workplace since 1994.

Mr. Gaster’s human resources director, Chuck Keller, said that status reduced workers’ compensation payments for its nearly 50 employees by 7.5 percent in Georgia and 5 percent in South Carolina. The savings, about $4,000 this year, offset costs of about $2,500 for laboratory and on-site testing and related requirements.

“We’re always short of drivers,” Mr. Gaster said, “and drug testing is part of it.”

Terry Donaldson, 53, who was tested when he started 20 years ago, supports the policy: “If they want to have a good job, the drugs got to go.”

So it was for some of his new co-workers.

Britt Sikes, 38 and a single father to three young girls, lost his teeth to methamphetamine and used marijuana since he was 8 — until three weeks before taking the test for his $13-an-hour job as a Gaster door installer.

“I’m a recovering drug addict myself, and to raise my girls, I had to learn to leave it alone,” Mr. Sikes said.

Kevin Canty, 55, said that in his experience, “most people can’t pass the drug test because they don’t want to pass a drug test.”

“They want the job,” he added, but “they still want to be in that lifestyle. And they have to choose.”

One of the newest hires, Frederick Brown, 34, said, “I come from a society where drugs is common – marijuana, weed, it’s common,” and people who cannot pass a drug test seek work at McDonald’s. Most restaurants do not test.

“I asked for this job,” Mr. Brown said, calling it a blessing. “I already knew what I had to do — you know what I’m saying?”

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Best Careers for Personality Types

This was shared with us by Emily Parker of CollegeMatchUp.net.  Today, many job assistance organizations and career counseling centers will factor in a person’s Myers-Briggs personality type when helping them find the ‘perfect’ job. Find your type below and you will see a few suggestions to get you started in finding a role that can best fit your specific disposition.  Remember, these are general terms and suggestions presented, as opportunities abound and you’re not necessarily limited to what’s listed!  Below the infographic the 16 MBTI types are listed and identified!

PersonalityTypeJobsPost

ISTJ

These types are good work horses, as they get things done. They see every detail of a plan and aren’t afraid to spend extra hours at the office or take on extra work. To compensate, they seek out jobs with high rewards.

Nickname: The Duty Fulfillers

Prevalence: 8.5%

Perfect careers: Business administrator, police officer, lawyer

ESTJ

These are the defenders of our society. They seek out jobs in which they can feel accomplished and important, as well as helpful.

Nickname: The Guardians

Prevalence: 13%

Perfect careers: Military officer, teacher, sales representative

ISFJ

Like the ESTJs, these types are supportive, but in a much more nurturing, caring way. They feel things intensely and like to help others through difficult situations.

Nickname: The Nurturers

Prevalence: 7%

Perfect careers: Interior decorator, social worker, childcare

ESFJ

Full of empathy, ESFJs seek employment in places where they can connect with their client, student or patient. A high amount of these types are in the nursing and teaching fields.

Nickname: The Caregivers

Prevalence: 12%

Perfect careers: Nurse, counselor, teacher

ISTP

These types look at a problem from absolutely every angle. They like to problem-solve and believe there are multiple ways of finding solutions.

Nickname: The Mechanics

Prevalence: 6%

Perfect careers: Forensic pathologist, computer programmer, engineer

ESTP

ESTPs are the “go-getters” of the personality types. They are high-energy and enjoy friendly competition. They work well in fast-paced environments that are challenging and rewarding.

Nickname: The Doers

Prevalence: 10%

Perfect careers: Marketing, paramedic, athlete

ESFP

ESFPs crave the spotlight. They are very creative and thus stay away from jobs that require strict routines or office work. They like to travel, to design and to express themselves.

Nickname: The Performers

Prevalence: 11%

Perfect careers: Artist, fashion designer, consultant

ISFP

Like ESFPs, ISFPs are creative, though in a much more introverted way. They tend to choose jobs that require imagination and originality, but they’d much rather work in solitude.

Nickname: The Artists

Prevalence: 6%

Perfect careers: Musician, photographer, veterinarian

ENTJ

Born leaders, ENTJs are risk-takers with sharp wits. They can make firm decisions and never feel regret. They are best in charge of large accounts, corporations or business decisions.

Nickname: The Executives

Prevalence: 4%

Perfect careers: Corporate executive, entrepreneur, judge

INTJ

These types are the thinkers. They can solve complex problems and enjoy doing so. Most are in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) field.

Nickname: The Scientists

Prevalence: 1.5%

Perfect careers: Scientist, engineer, corporate strategist

ENTP

ENTPs like to solve potential problems, and they are often looking toward the future. They connect well with people and they like to work in teams on complex issues.

Nickname: The Visionaries

Prevalence: 4.5%

Perfect careers: Psychologist, actor, systems analyst

INTP

Like The Scientists, INTPs do well in STEM fields. But they also enjoy scripted public speaking and teaching, as they enjoy sharing what they find with others.

Nickname: The Thinkers

Prevalence: 2.5%

Perfect careers: University professor, mathematician, forensic research

ENFJ

ENFJs enjoy doing volunteer work and helping others. They are also good at organization and do well planning events and parties.

Nickname: The Givers

Prevalence: 4%

Perfect careers: Clergy, events coordinator, writer

INFJ

ESTJs are The Guardians, but INFJs are a bit more prone to choose careers that offer small victories. They don’t want to save the planet, they just want to make the world better one person at a time.

Nickname: The Protectors

Prevalence: 1%

Perfect careers: Chiropractor, early childhood development, dentist

ENFP

These types like to be surrounded by other creative types. They thrive on others’ energies and enjoy being a part of creative, political or social movements. They’re also perfect leaders with great communication skills.

Nickname: The Inspirers

Prevalence: 7%

Perfect careers: Politician, television reporter, writer

INFP

INFPs can be perfectionists, but this usually benefits them in their careers. They see only one solution per problem but work very hard to reach that solution.

Nickname: The Idealists

Prevalence: 2%

Perfect careers: Psychiatrist, social worker, teacher

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Class of 2016, time to clean up your digital footprint!

For the class of 2016, May’s graduation may seem quite a ways away still, and it is, but what you do now can greatly affect what happens in May. The holidays fast approaching, now is a great time to be starting to think, and act, on cleaning up your on-line persona. Using the time now to be making sure, as you start to meet with potential employers, that your ‘digital footprint’ is working in your favor. Here are some steps and ideas to make that favorable impression when launching into your the beginning of your career!

clean-online-profile-google1.  Search yourself!

Google your name and see what everyone else would see if they did the same.  This is a good opportunity to see what’s ‘out there’ with your name attached.  Once seeing anything that might not be favorable, now’s the time to be proactive and get it eliminated, ‘sanitizing’ you on-line presence.

 

clean-online-profile-linkedin2.  Start managing your reputation.

LinkedIn is a great place to start and the best thing about it; you get to control what’s said and how it’s presented. You can use your privacy settings to your advantage to decide who sees what and when.  The same can go for updates to your LinkedIn site, allowing people to see, or not see, your updates and edits.  the great thing about LinkedIn is that it not only gives you a chance to make a favorable presence in terms of content but a canvass to get involved with other people involved in things you are interested in.  You can get into individual discussions, get involved in news or discussion groups.  All various modes of demonstrating your prowess for certain topics, discussions or fields of interest.

 

clean-online-profile-facebook3.  Check Facebook privacy settings

If you think employers will not be checking you out on-line, think again.  They do, they will and will also look for various avenues to see what portrayals your digital footprint leaves behind.  It’s very important that you take this time to clean up and comments, photos, events, etc., that may compromise your impression.

 

clean-online-profile-social-media4.  Think before you post anything

All of the possibilities for social media represent a mosaic of ‘who you are,’ at least on-line and your hope is to present as favorable of an impression as possible!  Be wary of anything that may be posted, said or uploaded. Imagine a compromising tweet that is re-tweeted or a suspect photo that is shared.  Once you’ve hit ‘send’ it’s out there – forever….

 

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Oh, no! Please not another (bad) infographic.

Under construction.  Early October this will be published.  Thanks for checking in!

Job Searching for the Older Worker

Under Construction.  Come back soon!

The Ruse of the Unemployment Numbers

US UnemploymentHungry? Imagine being served your multi-course dinner by a Ph. D. in Pharmacology, or getting your burrito delivered by an experienced human resources professional. Both of these scenarios are very real. Both of these individuals, one a friend, the other an acquaintance, lost jobs due to economic downturns at their respective organizations and both have taken jobs, simply to pay the bills, while they seek out new opportunities in their chosen professions.

Both of these individuals are examples of many that have succumbed to a massive, but hidden, problem called underemployment. Watching falling unemployment numbers now being reported below 6%, down from nearly 10% four years earlier is, in many ways, simply misleading.

I believe it was Mark Twain who quipped, “statistics are like an alienist; they can work for either side.” The ‘official’ unemployment rate (technically called U3) is a simple and broad measurement that divides the number of people who are not working, want to work, and have been actively applying for jobs by the sum of the people working and those loosely defined as unemployed. In doing so, today, you get a number that’s just below 6% as stated above. While many seem to accept this as THE measurement of employment health, this is merely one measurement though; The unemployment rate can be calculated using a variety of differently ‘useful’ parameters and the U3 rate leaves out many that should be included as they are in the U6 statistic (see below).

With the Fed preparing to raise interest rates as soon as they believe the labor market is strong enough, determining that strength is difficult. But one fact everyone should be able to reasonably agree on is that the ‘official’ unemployment rate does not even attempt, and can’t really, measure the actual strength or health of the labor market exemplified by the openly known fact that Fed Chair Janet Yellen looks at a “dashboard” of at least nine labor market indicators!

Thus, lots of people who are unemployed by many reasonable definitions may not count as such, depending on the metrics used, in the official government statistic. In fact, using the government’s own definition, workers who are discouraged or marginally attached to the labor market do not count in the official unemployment rate. There are different, broader, unemployment measures available, but they do not get the headlines.

In fact, of the over 90 million Americans 16 years old or older that are not working, hence not part of the equation, fall into several categories: retirees, stay-at-home parents, students, and those who would prefer working but have given up on finding a job. Policy makers have been reduced to making educated guesses about the relative size of each subgroup of those not working because the capture of the actual numbers is speculative at best, and then their potential to reenter the labor market as conditions improve remains in question too.

Despite the significant decrease in the official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) unemployment rate, the ‘real’ unemployment rate is most likely over double that approaching near 13%. This number, which is a better portrait of the nation’s REAL economic health, reflects the government’s U-6 report, which accounts for the full unemployment picture, and this includes those that are marginally attached (describes individuals not currently in the labor force who wanted and were available for work)to the labor force, plus those “employed part time for economic reasons.” In July, this marginally attached group accounted for 2.2 million people. To put that in perspective, there are currently 16 states in the U.S. with populations smaller than 2.2 million. Another number, large in and of itself is the 741,000 discouraged workers – workers not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. These are included within the list of marginally attached people. Another 7.5 million were not considered unemployed because they were employed part-time for economic reasons. Those people are also called involuntary part-time workers – working part-time because their hours were cut back or because they were unable to secure a full-time job.

Unemployment is really a measure of labor market disequilibrium; it measures the mismatch between employers’ demand for labor of various types and workers’ willingness and ability to supply that labor. Unemployment that is “too high” or “too low” in aggregate, or in specific job categories, is really about these mismatches, not the overall health of the labor market.

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Don’t suffer the mistake of incorrect word usage on your resume!

0076-everyday-wordsToo often, I’m reading documents (and sadly, articles on-line); resumes, cover letters and/or college essays, seeing some confusion around some of the issues of proper word usage. Commonly, the mistakes I am seeing typically involve words that are similar sounding in nature, but actually different in definition and/or homonyms, words that sound the same but provide a different context in their use. These mistakes, simple oversights really, immediately reduce the credibility of said reading and, particularly, when it is in the construction of a resume/cover letter, it can be a death-knell for its chances on the author’s behalf.

For some simple clarity and an attempt to help those in the midst of constructing some important writings, I have outlined some examples below that can help your writing make a positive statement!

There are more, many more in fact, to consider, this really just being a primer to get one thinking about grammar when making a written presentation when it counts!

Too, to and two – Sure, they all sound the same, but they are different! “Too” is used when you are including something or someone. For example, “I would like one too.” “May I come too?” If you can substitute the word ‘also,’ then ‘too’ is the right option. “To” tends to be a destination or an action. “I’m going TO the park.” “I need TO get the dog.” Finally, “two” is numerically relevant. “I have TWO dollars with me.” “I need TWO hundred pieces of paper. Easy rule of thumb, if it’s inclusive; “too.” If it’s a destination or action; “to.” If it’s quantifiable; “two.”

Till and ‘til – The word “Till” can be used as a transitive verb or a noun. “I need to TILL the garden” and “put the cash in the TILL” are examples. Whereas “’til” is a truncated or shortened substitute for ‘until.’ If meant to say ‘until’ and shortening, then it is “’til.”

Adverse and averse – Adverse meaning harmful or unfavorable: “Adverse weather conditions canceled the trip.” Averse refers to feelings of dislike or opposition: “I was averse to the idea of paying $400 for a ticket to see U2!”

Affect and effect – Affect is a word of influence: “Aaron’s inclusion in the soccer match can affect the team’s performance.” Effect means to accomplish something or an outcome: “Aaron’s goal was effective in securing the win.” Use effect if you’re making it happen, and affect if you’re having an impact on something that someone else is trying to make happen.

Bring and take – Both have to do with objects you move or carry with the difference being in the point of reference. For example, you “bring” things here and you “take” them there. You ask something to be brought to you. You ask someone to take something to someone or somewhere else.

Compliment and complement – “Compliment” means to say something nice to someone as in ‘pay them a compliment.’ “Complement” means to add to, enhance, improve, complete, or bring close to perfection.

Criterion and criteria – One is “criterion,” two or more is “criteria.” Pretty simple in that the former is in the singular and the latter, plural.

Discreet and discrete – “Discreet” meaning careful, cautious and/or showing good judgment while “discrete” means individual, separate, or distinct.

Elicit and illicit – “Elicit” means to draw out or coax whereas “Illicit” means illegal or unlawful.

Farther and further – “Farther” involves a physical distance whereas “further” involves a figurative distance or goal to be met.

Fewer and less – Use “fewer” when referring to items you can count or quantify, like fewer hours or fewer dollars. Use “less” when referring to items you aren’t necessarily quantifying as in less ability or less time.

Imply and infer – The speaker or writer “implies,” which means to suggest. The listener or reader “infers,” which means to deduce. Whether correctly or not is another issue.

Insure and ensure – This one’s easy. “Insure” refers to insurance. “Ensure” means to make sure.

Regardless and irregardless – Simple here too. “Regardless” means without regard or respect to/for something. “Irregardless is NOT a word but, sadly, has started to appear in some dictionaries as a slang mis-usage of ‘regardless.’ “Irregardless” has, wrongly, become an amalgam of “regardless” and “irrespective.” One can pretty much use regardless or irrespective synonymously, but “irregardless” just doesn’t cut it! For those on the receiving end, it can really cloud their impression of your speaking/writing ability.

Precede and proceed – “Precede” means to come before. “Proceed” means to begin or continue.

Principle and principal – A “principle” is a fundamental. “Principal” means primary or of first importance.

It’s and its – “It’s” is the contraction of ‘it is.’ If you are using the apostrophe, that means that you could substitute ‘it is’ appropriately and it isn’t in any ownership. Whereas “its” typically DOES mean ownership, for example “its color is blue.”

They’re, there and their – All sounding exactly the same but quite different in context. “They’re” is the contraction for ‘they are.’ “There” is a destination or an action. “Their” refers to ownership. Here’s an example of all three in the same (rough) sentence; ‘we are hoping “they’re” home early as we planned on meeting “there,” so they can show us “their” new house in the woods.’

Who’s and whose – “Who’s” is a contraction of ‘who is’ whereas “whose” typically refers to ownership.

You’re and your – Once more, “you’re” is the contraction of ‘you are’ while using “your” means you own it.

There you have it! Some ideas on what to watch out for and be thinking of when you’re constructing anything it writing, but especially when putting together important documents such as a resume and cover letter for employment consideration. Proper grammar, all things being equal, can be a determining factor in your candidacy! Good luck!

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How to Best Use the Holidays in your Job Search!

Hiring During the Holidays

Hiring During the Holidays

There is a common misconception that hiring is to fall off during the holidays. Where in reality, it can be a time of the year when chances of getting recognized by a prospective employer are actually better odds for the active job-seeker. Finding success during this time of year requires, perhaps, a slightly different set of skills or techniques, but for those that embrace it, the New Year could ring you in on somebody’s payroll!

But, many wonder, if the holidays are such a great time to find work, why don’t more job seekers take advantage? Actually, there’s a pretty simple answer to this. Many think that the hiring process is in a bit of a stall mode and that, combined with the many distractions of the holidays; family, get-together’s, shopping, seasonal festivities, etc., it’s easy to have the search be resigned to the back burner for a bit.

I mentioned a ‘different set of skills or techniques’ and what I am meaning by that is an individual who can persevere, shake off the ever-present seasonal blues and be flexible enough to quickly change tactics to address varying situations, will have better luck during the holidays in their quest to find employment.

Another factor that tends to help in the search during the holidays is that many seekers buy into the myth that hiring falls off so they’ve effectively removed themselves from the mix. Essentially, lessening the competition and bettering the odds for one who is active and motivated, as it opens up more opportunities for those that choose to be actively engaged.
Remember these five reasons why actively looking for work during the holidays and the New Year could ring in nicely:

Less competition

Not only do many potential candidates tone down their search during the holidays, some stop entirely. In addition, those with jobs already that are considering a career change will usually stay put into the New Year to make sure they receive bonuses, vacation time and whatever else they might be accruing throughout the year. For every person who takes a break or drops out of the search means one less you’d be in competition with.

Hiring managers are easier to reach

Hiring managers and decision makers, for the most part, are less likely to be traveling during or as the holidays approach. Instead, they may be ‘home-based’ focusing on wrapping up the year, finishing projects, attending year-end meetings with colleagues and all the obligatory holiday parties and gatherings that are constantly parodied in prime-time television.

The holiday spirit pervades

Let’s face it, everyone (most) is a little happier at the holidays as it seems a welcome distraction for many in the workforce, so leveraging that good-will can be made to your advantage when trying to get your foot in the door and meet prospective employers. A great time to really nurture your networks and keep yourself visible – contacts are often more available and willing to meet as the correlation in work demands slow down, helping turn short discussions into long-term opportunities.

Getting a jump on January and the New Year

People who are fortunate to be starting a new job in January really had been planting the seeds well before. Applying and interviewing for that job in December, November or even earlier? For organizations that are to review their staffing needs in January each year, you’ll have had a head start wth these opportunities and be at the ready in case a need arises quickly.

Avoiding ‘the rush’

The New Year is full of count-downs, lists – 10-Best’s, 100-Best’s, etc… All reminders to be starting fresh, ‘turn over a new leaf’ and all that. And while very true, it CAN be a great marker to be setting, or re-setting career goals, you, by being active, can beat all of those to the punch by maintaining your job search throughout the holiday season. You’ll be at the advantage and on board by the time others are making their first calls.

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The “(E)ssault” of the Extrovert!

IntrovertVsExtrovert1I write this post on a slight tangent from my norm, combined with a new and refined empathy with a long-time friend of mine, Bob McIntosh, who writes a blog called “Things Career Related.” Frequently, his entries are prompts or opinion leading to healthy debates about the differences between ‘introverts’ and ‘extroverts’ as related to the Myers-Briggs continuum. Bob has long taken the stand of needing to define, defend and promote the world from the introverts’ side of the spectrum reasoning the argument being that the world is essentially created, defined and facilitated by extroverts.

Whether true or not, this post is not intent (here) in debating about which side of the fence has the ‘healthier’ attributes, or is more competent or capable in the world of work. This would be better left to pundits and experts that are far more experienced and studied than I. But that now being said, it IS written, as stated above, with a new-found empathy on my part in understanding what Bob has long been authoring about the introvert/extrovert debate as the other day I was, for lack of a better word (so I’m making up my own), experiencing an “essault!”

A quick definition of introvert vs. extrovert will define the former as one who essentially likes to charge their batteries by retreating inward, into their head. A good book, some quiet time, walking, something not necessarily alone, but with the stimulus meter being dialed back a bit. The Myers-Briggs, the Holy Grail of personality definition and character trait, defines it as; “Introversion (I) – I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing.”

Whereas an extrovert, swinging the pendulum the other way, gets their recharge by talk, and I mean lots of it. Verbal engagement would be the key, and the need, to an extrovert’s indulgence.  Again, according to the Myers-Briggs; “Extraversion (E) – I like getting my energy from active involvement in events and having a lot of different activities. I’m excited when I’m around people and I like to energize other people. I like moving into action and making things happen. I generally feel at home in the world. I often understand a problem better when I can talk out loud about it and hear what others have to say.”

With definitions in place, recently I met, or rather was ‘essaulted’ by what can only be called, the poster-child of the extroverted side of the spectrum.

observe-more-than-you-knowSitting in a crowded cafe, I happened to have a table that still had some open real estate. With the available chair, a woman plonks down and says ‘hi.’ Staring into my laptop, writing, yet with a book available by my side, cover side-up, stating it’s intent with baited breath to be read. To many it might be obvious I’m in the middle of a task or two? I answer, saying ‘how are you?’ in return and go on with my writing.

That was a mistake; answering with an open-ended question as this was apparently taken to mean that I was wanting to know not just ‘fine’ or ‘not-so-fine,’ but everything.

Several weeks for the next hour, I was barraged, spoken at, ‘essaulted’ with such a flurry of words that I was dumbfounded! I had never seen such a thing nor experienced someone who simply just, to use a metaphor, ‘drops all their luggage in the hotel lobby!’ Every possible factoid of this person’s life that could be pried to fit within a one-hours’ time-frame! I heard all about her childhood. Her move to Massachusetts from Virginia and the Carolinas. The details of her divorce. The fact that her daughter is with her ex and ‘shouldn’t be.’ How the ex is such an a** and all of the facts, details and supporting evidence as to why. How her work has been so compromised and how, now carrying two jobs, as a PCA and a delivery person for Domino’s that she’s making ends meet while ‘on the way to her Ph. D. in something.’ Of course once she’s done with her associates’ degree! How her Jeep Liberty came about from her ex selling off the Honda Civic without her consent and getting a Dodge Ram pick-up. Not sure of the connection but she drives a Jeep Liberty.

Quickly, I could feel the pressure of the walls as the cafe seemed to be really closing in on me. My side of the table drew smaller and smaller. I was tempted in the earlier part of the completely unilateral ‘conversation’ to say something polite to properly euthanize what was to become an interminable event.  The internal dialogue begging, shouting actually, to say “Please SHUT the heck up! Can’t you see I’m doing something and not your sounding board?” But the external dialogue was, “that’s nice,” or “too bad,” etc. Surprisingly, I did nothing, as a sort of anthropological switch flipped and I became a bit curious to see, simply, how this would go if I were to let it play out to its organic end?

But on it went, and at one point within all the verbiage, a question from her court popped out. She asked “what am I doing?” As I started to answer, “I wear a few different hats and….” That was it.  She stomped on my response mid-sentence and interrupted saying she “has many hats too and that she wears them in support of her teams, etc.” Many of them are “actually in her Jeep Liberty so she can switch them up! Gotta support your team, you know!” With that, I tried to throw in that I meant ‘many hats’ in the metaphorical sense, but when I spoke it, like before, as my words were leaving my lips in an attempt to make it across the table, they were met with her verbal defense system being fully armed. Her arsenal of words carpet-bombing and obliterating my response like a thought bubble with a dart through it.  It never made it near the half-way point across the table and just crashed down looking like a collection of Scrabble letters.  I could as well have been talking to a house plant.  My words would have no audience with her.

So, there I sat, glassy eyed, bored, not really being able to intake or process any of the words being thrown my way. What most concerned me was that my dazed look, my glance bouncing off her forehead to other distant parts of the cafe, the fact that of the hour in total my inclusion in the ‘conversation’ could have been counted in syllables much less actual words, never seemed to register on her part in any way? Not one iota of content was needed from my side of the table and there was absolutely no measure on her part as to how her verbal mortaring was simply distributing shrapnel in my direction? When, after said hour, she FINALLY seemed to slow to catch her breath, I started to pack up and excused myself. I said “nice to meet you” and headed out on my way, quickly. I don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted in my life compared to how I felt after fielding the time sitting across the table from this woman.

Bob, you’ve long argued, to paraphrase, ‘that it is the extrovert that runs the world while the introvert quietly maintains things behind the scenes.’  Bob, as a fellow introvert, I sympathize with you.  I empathize with you even. But, I disagree with you.  In my observations, the world is run by the introvert.  It may be ‘advertised’ and ‘marketed’ by the extrovert, but it is the introvert doing the planning, thinking, calculating, creating, reflecting and executing of how it is to move forth. The extrovert necessarily carries the bullhorn!

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