Employment

Health Benefits and Your Job Offer

Back in the early 1990's when I was a relative newcomer to the recruiting and staffing world the candidates were far more interested in what their salary offer would be than caring about what the company benefits were. Today that mindset has changed significantly thanks to the cost of healthcare. While salary will always play a key component in the job offer, future employees would be wise to consider what kind of health coverage their employer will be offering. For independent souls like myself, I continue to bear the cost of healthcare 100% but for many workers they depend on their employer to assist with healthcare insurance coverage.

We all know healthcare costs have risen in the past few years but the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the cost for employers paying their share of the premiums have actually skyrocketed. The premium for a single employee in 1999 was $2,000 today that same single employee premium runs an average of $6,000. That's a staggering 200% increase to pay the premium for just one employee. Employer coverage for family premiums is even more daunting with the average cost in 1999 being $6,000 and today that same family premium cost close to $17,000.

Employers aren't the only ones feeling the pinch as they must pass on an even greater burden of sharing the cost of the healthcare price increases. Employees find they are stuck with higher deductibles and increased co-payments.

According to a 2014 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Benefits Survey, Fifty-five percent of firms offer health benefits to their workers. The likelihood of offering health benefits differs significantly by size of the firm with only forty-four percent of employers with 3 to 9 workers offering coverage but virtually all employers with 1,000 or more workers offering coverage to at least some of their employees. Even in firms that offer health benefits, not all workers are covered. Some workers are not eligible to enroll as a result of waiting periods or minimum work-hour rules.

When it comes time to negotiate your job offer keep these facts in mind and consider yourself one of the rare lucky ones if your employer actually pays 100% of your healthcare premium. If your employer pays any portion of your premium, consider the consultants and independents that have to pay 100% of their healthcare cost thus putting in perspective your overall job offer package. Here's to good job offers and staying healthy!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_A_Smith

6 Tips for Success in a Remote Job Interview

When you apply for a job in another city or country or when the manager is away on a business trip, you may get a remote interview. Such job interviews are becoming ever more common due to the globalization of the job market and the advancement in technology. They are usually conducted via an instant messenger such as Skype or over the telephone. It pays off to be properly prepared and to use the right strategies for success.

Get prepared technically.

You need to get all the equipment and software necessary for the remote job interview in advance. If you cannot invest in a computer camera, for instance, you can borrow one from a friend. You have to check the connection no matter whether you will be interviewed over the internet or over the phone.

It is equally important that you get well familiar with the hardware and software which you will be using. You have to know how to adjust the settings and how to troubleshoot basic problems.

Do the required research.

You will have to conduct extensive research to learn as much as possible about the company and its culture. You should check not only their website, but their profile on the different social networks. You should get enough information which will help you to present yourself as the problem-solver which they are looking for. You should also get an idea of how to dress and how to approach the interviewer.

Get some practice.

This is really important especially given the fact that you will have to handle the technology while focusing on the essence of the job interview. You can practice with a friend who should give you feedback on technical things like volume, light and interference and on personal performance aspects like confidence, clarity of the answers and professional conduct. Take note of any weaknesses and work to eliminate them to ensure that you will pull the best performance.

Arrange the right setting.

For the remote job interview, you will need a quiet room which is well lit. You have to ensure that the background which the interviewer will see is neat and tidy. The background should be as professional as possible. Avoid having personal items like family photos behind you. Books are a much better option.

Approach the interview professionally.

You should dress professionally from top to bottom as if you are going to a traditional interview. Make sure that you are on time and that your equipment is ready. You should focus on having a positive attitude and on smiling even if you cannot see the interviewer. While the person talks, you should make it known that you are listening by saying "yes" when appropriate.

Use helpful cues.

Even if you use a camera, it has a limited range. This enables you to keep cues on the side of the computer. You can prepare notes with information on the company, statistical data and the questions which you plan to ask. Just remember that these are just cues. You should not look into them all the time.

You are now ready for nailing the remote job interview.

Get the The Career Push which you want with comprehensive advice on career choice, job application, resume and cover letter writing and job interviews. Start building a successful career today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Syed_Faris_Hussain

Importance of Online Content for Your Business

Writing online content is an art that has intricately woven itself into all forms of business. Most people believe it's good enough just to put up the business plan on the website. But they cannot be further from the truth as content writing is not a Do It Yourself craft that you can glue together in a few seconds.

There is a skill in writing articles online that makes a reader want to read and come back for more. Three things are an absolute: perfect command of language, an entertaining spirit, and passion.

The article should be optimized to bring out the most of the business idea. In this age of the world-wide web, the importance of search engine optimized online content cannot be underestimated. A website owner or copywriter must not only follow SEO guidelines but also choose between the creative article and blog styles of writing that will best suit the voice and tone of the business.

Every business should find a place for each of the above mentioned genres involved in content writing. Some fail to develop their own websites when it comes to loading it with engaging and useful content.

Without good online content, your visitor will skim through the different pages before moving on to another website.

For one, if you are selling products, the longer a person lingers, the more likely they'll find something that they would like to purchase. For example, they might stumble upon an article about home furnishings on your website and while reading it, their interest in home décor will increase.

If at the bottom or side of your page you have ads for home decors you have on sale, their minds have already been conditioned that they would like home furnishings. As a result they will be more amicable to purchasing some from your site.

Having good SEO or online content on your site depicts that you are knowledgeable about your craft to the eyes of your reader. To them, you don't simply own the business, but you are an expert and a thought leader in your industry. From your informative articles filled with facts and helpful tips for customers you earn your company credibility and an increase in conversions. If your business is new in the World Wide Web, people might feel hesitant about buying from a relatively unknown company.

To this effect entrepreneurs who own these websites should make sure that they post SEO optimised articles about their products or services on a continuous basis. Eventually, they will earn authority from their online readers as well as maintain consistent high Search Engine rankings.

Businesses nowadays have realized the value of good online content to help them boost their inbound marketing strategies. Outsourcing SEO writing services is ideal especially for those firms that have no in-house staff with SEO skill writing and may not want to settle on training, Companies like Ardor Content or Martlan Designs offer which offer SEO article writing services can come in handy and give good value for money.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Karoki

How Can a Recruitment Agency Help You to Find a Job Abroad?

You have decided that you want to work abroad. This is a great way to explore different lifestyles and cultures and to gain valuable work experience. Besides, you can have better chances of earning a higher salary and advancing in your career. The question is how to secure the perfect job and move to the foreign country. Find out what a recruitment agency will be able to do for you and how to select the ideal one.

Placement and Immigration

The job of a recruitment agency is to match talent to available job positions. The recruiters work on behalf of employers and have to adhere to their requirements. Typically, it is easier for employers to hire local workers. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Most often, foreign workers are considered for a particular type of job for one of two reasons. The first one is the lack of local employment seekers with the required professional skills and experience. The second one is the lack of interest of local job seekers in the position.

Given all this, you will have high chances of securing a job opening which is not taken by a local worker if you sign up with an agency. Still, it is best if you research the opportunities available to foreigners in advance. This will enable you to evaluate your chances before you enter the local job market.

It is important to note that usually, the recruitment agencies provide recruitment services only. They may be able to assist you with the immigration process, but their help will be limited as they are not specialists in the field. You will either have to work with an agency which operates in cooperation with a migration service provider or one which employs such specialists.

Specialisation

You need to keep in mind that recruitment agencies typically offer professional jobs only. These are jobs for which certain high education qualifications and professional skills are required. If you are looking for a non-professional job, you can consider the use of a service which focuses on such placements.

The Right Agency

Should you choose recruiters in your country or in the country which you plan to work in? The latter option is preferred. A local agency will have better access to the local job market and offer more diverse opportunities. You may get more effective assistance and support due to their extensive local knowledge.

Finally, you should keep in mind that your chances of finding a great job abroad will depend on your qualifications and effort as well as on the expertise of the recruitment agency.

Take advantage of the comprehensive range of services of Recruitment Agencies across New Zealand. Make the first step towards finding your dream job today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Celine_Potrov

The Advantages Of Global Sourcing

Global sourcing is the practice of getting goods or services on a domestic or an international level across geopolitical boundaries. It often aims to exploit global efficiencies in the delivery of a product or service. To survive the competition both strategically and financially, modern-day corporations must manage complexities, improve their operative efficiencies and reduce costs. In this context, sourcing is an attractive proposition. It is commonly found that global sourcing initiatives and programs form an integral part of the strategic sourcing plan and procurement strategy of many multinational companies. However, the processes involving sourcing are way too complex, time-consuming and expensive. If not planned and executed properly, practicing such processes 'in-house' are likely to overshoot the budget of the company.

As the most rational alternative, many businesses have resorted to global sourcing companies. Apart from the promise of providing the clients with customized solutions for every single problem in-hand, such qualified strategic companies provide the businesses with myriad benefits. Let us take a look at them one by one:

Reliability

When we are talking about sourcing on a global scale, finding the right supplier is the first, and often most-difficult part of the process. Getting feedbacks about a vendor from across the seven seas seems very difficult if not impossible. Established sourcing companies use their existing relationships and previous experiences to ease out the process and therefore can help the corporations to find a reliable supplier.

Low cost labor Sourcing companies 'outsource' the labor-intensive processes to developing nations, resulting in access to cheap labor. Thus the cost of production is much lower resulting in reasonably cheap products or services.
Access to raw materials across boundaries

If a corporation in a particular country uses raw materials that is limited in that country, the business might lower its supply risk by sourcing the raw materials internationally, from countries where the resource is abundant in supply. This requires excellent relationships and apt clearances (and the cost associated with it) on the international boundaries. These dynamics are taken care by the third party vendors who act as one stop shops.

Quality of materials

Okay, so you got access to the raw materials. Now let's look at the next level of difficulty - the quality of the raw materials. Even when a corporation looks at cost-cutting, there has to be a minimum adherence to the quality of the raw materials that are required by the company in order to come up with reasonable good products. The sourcing companies ensure that their clients get their desired quality of raw materials as per the agreement with the client. This makes the companies and their staff worry-free and the corporations can focus on other important aspects of their business.

Scalability and Resource Skills

While building a new product or upgrading an existing one, local or global sourcing is a great idea. The business can assemble a dynamic team of experienced professionals depending on the magnitude of the solution required. Once the project is completed, the team can be dispersed. This way the cost of the company is also reduced as it does not have to recruit and maintain a group of professionals even when the events are not happening.

Thus, it can be concluded that firms that leverage these alternative operating models and global capabilities can be much more focused on value-added activities and other strategic objectives, thus positioning themselves to receive a greater return on their assets.

The Miami based sourcing company, http://ShopUST.com offers 30 years of experience in global sourcing. With relationships in more than 20 countries, ShopUST can offer reliable, low cost and effective sourcing services. Representatives are standing by to assist you and all quotes are free. Call us NOW at 800-878-1660!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=T._Gil

How To Find A Job In Any Field Fast!

The type of job you find will depend on a number of things such as your interests, your skills and the specific business niche that you would like to enter. Keeping these things in mind, the most important thing is not to worry! To find a job quickly you must know your interests, skill sets, identify your target company, be able to identify problems, create value propositions, and submit your pitch to the appropriate person, then it will only be a matter of time before you find your ideal job. You will find more information on how to do these things in my detailed response below.

It's time to do inventory! Identify your skills, ideal industry, and your ideal company.

In order to sell yourself to an employer it is very important to identify your skills sets. Knowing your skill sets will help you determine how much value you can bring to a potential employer; this information will also increase the likelihood of you getting a job in your field. I recommend using a tool called the Skills Profiler created by Careeronestop.org. This tool will create a customized skills profile that will help you identify your skills and match them with 100 different jobs.

Once you have your skills profile and a list of recommended occupations derived from the Skills Profiler, then it's time to sift through them and pick out a minimum of 10 that are of interest to you. Next, head over to the Bureau of Labor statistics at Bls.gov and take a look at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This publication will give you an overview of specific industries, careers, experience and education required for each job, typical work environments and career forecasts. It will also provide you with links to similar occupations.

By using the Skills Profiler and the Occupational Outlook Handbook together, you should be able to identify potential industries and careers that appeal to you. Once you have this information in hand, you can then begin to focus on identifying specific companies that you would like to work for.

Doing your research - Get the scoop on the companies that you would like to work for.

Now that you have identified your skill sets and potential career paths, it's time to start looking for specific companies that interest you. A good way to begin your search is by visiting the website of your local library. Most libraries have a subscription to a business database called Reference USA. This database will allow you to do customized searches for businesses meeting your selected criteria.

However, before you can start your search, you must identify what your selected search criteria will be. With Reference USA, you can search by company name, executive titles, business type, geography, phone number, business size, ownership, and financial data. I recommend searching for private companies with 50-100 employees. By searching for smaller private companies it will be easier to reach the decision makers. Also, small private companies tend to place more value on your skills set and can easily and quickly implement your ideas into the existing frameworks without having to worry about red tape or corporate approval.

Moreover, in addition to allowing you to do customized searches, Reference USA will also provide you will information on current job openings of companies within your search results. It can also give you information on their competitors, provide you with the management directory, as well as give you the names of nearby businesses and more.

Create value - Identify your unique value proposition to each company.

Now that you've identified the companies that you would like to work for, it's time to create your value proposition. In order to create your value proposition, you must first do research on each individual company that you would like to work for. If you want to create value for a company, you must first identify areas within each company for which your skill sets would be of benefit. Ideally, this comes from identifying problems within the company. Finding problems within each company that you can solve requires that you do your research. This includes gathering information about the company's history, products and services, customers, and their competition.

You can gain the information you are seeking from a variety of sources. Typical sources include the company's website, SEC filings, online reviews, the Better Business Bureau, and talking with current and past employees, and customers. Once you have this information, then you will be able to gain greater insight into the internal workings of the company. Ideally, you should look for patterns in the information that you have gathered. For example, after looking at the online reviews of the company, do you find that all of the customers or employees are complaining about the same thing? If so, this may be a clue into a problem that you can solve for the company.

Submit your job proposal: Making your pitch to the right person and the right time.

After doing your research, you may find that some companies do not have current openings advertised. If this is the case don't worry. Everyday people are quitting, getting laid off or retiring. Also, while every company may not have a current vacancy they all have current problems that they have to deal with. You are solution to their problem. In some instances, companies may not even know that they have a problem until you bring it to their attention. Should this be the case, you are in the optimum position to have the company create a position for you.

If you find a company that you would like to work for that does not have a current job opening, then I recommend creating a one page job proposal for the person that you would most likely report to rather than sending in the standard resume and cover letter. The one page job proposal does two things. The first thing that is does is identify the problem that you have discovered within the company. The second thing it does is to position you as the ideal solution to the problem without having to worry about competition.

In closing, to find out more about creating one page job proposal, I recommend visiting 1-page.com. Once you have submitted your one page job proposal and the company requests more information, then you can send in your standard resume and cover letter tailored to their company that highlights your accomplishments, skills and experience. I hope that this information has been helpful.

Identify your skills, target your company, identify a problem, create a value proposition and submit it.

Good Luck!

Visit My Site And Get My FREE eBook: 101 Tips For Ex-Offender Job Search Success

For the past 13 years, Sheila Savage has worked with ex-offenders to help them find suitable employment. To get more information about ex-offender employment and job searching please visit http://www.lifebydesignconsultants.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheila_Savage

Using Career Narratives To Get A Job

You will need to create many stories throughout your job search to showcase your knowledge, skills and abilities. The first type of story that you will want to create is the career narrative. This type of story tells the potential employer who you are at your core and reveals why you are unique compared to other job candidates. This is considered by some to be your unique selling proposition. If done correctly it will reflect your personality and value system to the interviewer.

The story that you create for your career narrative can be about anything; but usually it involves a significant event, challenge or obstacle that you faced in a work environment which details how you overcame it and what lessons you learned. In the course of writing your story you will come away with a better understanding of who you are as a person. You will also be able to draw more stories from this experience that can be used during your job search that will highlight some of your other positive work characteristics and traits.

Keep in mind that you are not limited to creating one career narrative. It is best to create several ones that illustrate different aspects of your personality and accomplishments that you can pick and choose from. When creating your story it is important to be aware of the fact that the person listening has the power to hire you based in part on the personal revelations they receive after hearing the stories that you tell.

Here are a few pointers for getting the most out of your career narrative. First, keep it short so that it can be easily remembered and retold to others involved in the hiring decision. Second, link your past accomplishments to future goals that you have set for your career. Third, do not inflate your career narrative. It is important to remain authentic, reciprocal and transparent when relaying your story to the interviewer. Keep practicing your story with friends and family until your presentation begins comes across as both humble and personable.