How to Avoid a Rescinded Job Offer

The worst feeling in the world is to receive a job offer from an employer over the phone, then have it rescinded the following week. This happend to a job seeker going through Careerminds Outplacement Services.

Accepting a job offer (or declining one) is an important part of the job search process. Offers can be withdrawn, so use good judgment when negotiating and closing the deal. When receiving an offer over the phone, do not give an immediate answer accepting or declining. Take time to review the offer and follow up with your answer. Here are some additional key points to protect your offer:

• Ask for the offer in writing along with a benefits overview
• Agree to a decision date, and give your answer by that date
• Determine any contingencies, such as reference or security checks
• Do not give notice to a current employer until you have passed all background checks, physicals, and a start date is set
• Until you have started with the new company, do not stop your search
  

Job Acceptance Email

Even if you have accepted a job over the phone, it’s a good idea to write a job acceptance email to confirm the details of employment and to formally accept the job offer.

Your email can be brief, but, should include the following:

• Your thanks and excitement about the opportunity
• Written acceptance of the job offer
• The terms and conditions of employment (salary, benefits, stock options, etc.)
• Starting date of employment
  

Address the letter to the person who offered you the position. Include your contact information even though it is on file with the employer. Make sure that your letter is well written and does not contain typos or grammatical errors. Ask a friend or family member to proofread it before sending. Even though you already have been offered the job, you want to make sure all your correspondence is professional and accurate.

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The Three Keys to Success on LinkedIn ®

ONE: Quality Connections

Most people join LinkedIn to connect and network with people in order to find a job, obtain business contacts, or market themselves. I have found the quality of the connection is far more important than the quantity, especially when you are looking for a job. As your connections grow, it is important to be able to leverage the connections you have in order to have access to the right people at the right time that can help you professionally.

A quality connection is defined as a person that you know from your past (school, work history, military, groups, affiliations, organizations, etc.) and are looking for a professional connection, or someone you met at a networking or social event, job, or career fair.

TWO: Brand Yourself

Have you ever thought about yourself as a brand? Branding is essential to your LinkedIn profile because it clearly defines who you are, how you are great, and why other should seek you. Branding is your reputation. It’s about building a name for yourself, showcasing what sets you apart from others, and describing the added value you bring to an occupation, business, or connection.

Building your brand begins with strategically identifying your value proposition that you can market to people that want to connect with you. A value proposition, simply put, is what the person or company gets from you in exchange for connecting with you.

As you build your profile and participate on LinkedIn, always carefully consider the content you present on your summary, interests, website, blog, recommendations, responses, connections, and activities. Ask you yourself whether the information that you’re posting supports your brand. If it doesn’t, then it’s best to leave it out.

THREE: Participate

The simple act of creating a LinkedIn account and adding bunch of connections will not produce results. The real power of LinkedIn comes in the form of active participation. The more time you put in to participating, the more results you will achieve. How do you participate?

1. Let people know what you are doing through “Network Updates.”
2. Recommend people, and solicit recommendations
3. Join groups and participate in group discussions
4. Make quality connections that are interested in communicating with you
5. Comment on others


Raymond Lee, CEO
Copyright © 2010, Careerminds
http://www.careerminds.com/

Tax Benefits for Job Seekers

IRS Summertime Tax Tip

Many taxpayers spend time during the summer months polishing their résumé and attending career fairs. If you are searching for a job this summer, you may be able to deduct some of your expenses on your tax return.

Here are the top six things the IRS wants you to know about deducting costs related to your job search.

1. In order to deduct job search costs, the expenses must be spent on a job search in your current occupation. You may not deduct expenses incurred while looking for a job in a new occupation.
2. You can deduct employment and outplacement agency fees you pay while looking for a job in your present occupation. If your employer pays you back in a later year for employment agency fees, you must include the amount you receive in your gross income up to the amount of your tax benefit in the earlier year.
3. You can deduct amounts you spend for preparing and mailing copies of a résumé to prospective employers as long as you are looking for a new job in your present occupation.
4. If you travel to an area to look for a new job in your present occupation, you may be able to deduct travel expenses to and from the area. You can only deduct the travel expenses if the trip is primarily to look for a new job. The amount of time you spend on personal activity compared to the amount of time you spend looking for work is important in determining whether the trip is primarily personal or is primarily to look for a new job.
5. You cannot deduct job search expenses if there was a substantial break between the end of your last job and the time you begin looking for a new one.
6. You cannot deduct job search expenses if you are looking for a job for the first time.

For more information about job search expenses, see IRS Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions. This publication is available on the IRS Web site, IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

Links:

• Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions
• Tax Topic 508, Miscellaneous Expenses
• Tax Topic 511, Business Travel Expenses

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New Jersey Resident Shares Testimonial

Sonia shares her story of how she was successful in finding employment through Rutgers University and Careerminds.

"I was laid-off shortly after a major corporation acquired the company I worked for. Unfortunately, I was one of the victims of a work force reduction. With the economy stepping into depression and loosing a job I worked my way up to, it was a difficult and scary time for me. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and how to go about it. At first, I was in denial and did nothing, then angry and upset, and finally I accepted the situation and set out to do something about it. This was a new opportunity for me to start over and do something I want to do. I signed up for several classes at Rutgers University and earn two certificates and participated in two outplacement programs: Career Fast Track at Rutgers University and Careerminds MyBrand. These programs helped me find my path to finding employment. I learned how to job search, put together a powerful resume, market and promote myself, network, interview, negotiate salary, etc. It was easy and convenient, since the programs consist of online training and interactive web-training seminars, job search exercises and weekly meetings with my advisor. With my new skills and knowledge put into practice, I was able to secure a position as an Export Compliance Analyst with Lockheed Martin in less than two months. I believe that what I’ve learned through Career Fast Track and Careerminds have proven to be invaluable to my future and me."

Sonia L.
New Jersey

See other testimonials at http://www.careerminds.com/Testimonials

Data Mining Uncovers the Unpublished Jobs

by Raymond Lee

‘I sent my resume to ten job postings a day with no call backs’ is a common statement from job seekers looking for work in today’s ultra-competitive marketplace. ‘I’m frustrated. I know I am talented and possess the skill sets that companies are looking for. What am I doing wrong? Why am I not getting call backs?’

With over 14 million people unemployed, as reported in June by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the din surrounding the effectiveness of job search tools and techniques is increasing. Job seekers are finding that it’s more critical than ever before to have access to as many postings as possible in a single service. The problem is, even with sites like Indeed, Monster, and CareerBuilder, search results only reveal published openings. The result is hundreds—sometimes thousands—of applicants all vying for a single job.

While the current groundswell of skilled individuals submitting resumes is a good position to be in from the employer’s perspective, it’s not so desirable from the other side. So, what’s the next evolution in job search technology for consumers? How can 14 million eager-to-work citizens get a leg-up on the open market approach to finding meaningful employment?

Data Mining is likely the solution.

For years, private and public companies, government agencies, and institutions have used data mining to sort through volumes of information to analyze trends, forecast, and gain strategic insight. Data mining is an information-search method that can be used to uncover hidden patterns of data reported by companies all over the world. Until now, it has never been used to help job seekers find possible openings before companies even publish them.

Recent advancements in job search technology are now coming to market. CareerConnect, a proprietary search platform offered by Careerminds is one of the first services to harnesses the power of data mining for frustrated job searchers.

How does it work? The job seeker establishes ‘trigger words’ that filter relevant data which may be a key indicator that a company is experiencing potential growth. As we all know, growth equals jobs. The triggers return data that reveal information about a company such as major contracts awarded, FDA research announcements, awards and recognition, earnings announcements, labor movements, management changes, patent approvals, loan approvals, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Events such as these often suggest that a company is poised to expand.

Using data mining to uncover this type of information early in the job search process gives applicants an advantage when marketing their skills and abilities. With the advancement of social media sites like LinkedIn, making contact with decision makers, hiring managers, and human resource personnel is easier than ever. In fact, Careerminds’ CareerConnect data mining job search engine will not only find unpublished job opportunities by vetting 17 million organizations worldwide, but it will automatically identify the LinkedIn contacts you have at all of those companies. Plus, the tool also features a unique job management dashboard that helps the user stay organized with just a few clicks.

For more information on how CareerConnect is transforming the way job seekers find employment, visit http://www.careerminds.com/mybrand