This year, Americans are looking for every way to keep more of their money in their wallets, especially those currently searching for a job. If you find yourself between jobs, there are several things to remember this tax season, to ensure you minimize your tax liability and maximize your return. More than ever, taxpayers should consult the services of a professional to help them navigate through the complicated tax code.

1. Unemployment benefits are taxable income:
To avoid being shocked by a tax bill on April 15, taxpayers can complete Form W-4V – Voluntary Withholding Request so that 10 percent of an individual’s benefits are withheld for federal taxes. This won’t cover the cost of state taxes, so make sure to plan for that as well.

2. Job search expenses may be deductible:
If you’ve been unemployed for less than one year and you’ve acquired significant job-search expenses – such as out-of-pocket travel to interviews, educational courses, etc. – these costs may be deductible. Job-search expenses are claimed as part of the miscellaneous itemized deductions.

3. Another potential deduction could come from a job move: Qualified moving expenses (the cost of moving you, your family and your belongings) may be deductible, even if you don’t itemize. To be eligible, your move must meet certain rules, so consult tax rules or your tax professional.

4. Think twice about lump-sum severance:
These can be a quick boost to retirement savings, but income infusions bring tax implications that you should carefully consider. If a lump-sum payment makes your total annual income higher than it was last year, some credits or deductions that you normally claim may be reduced or unavailable. Severance may be paid over several pay checks, which provides you with salary continuance and a more “regular” tax picture for the year.

5. Check your lump-sum severance withholding:
Companies that provide lump-sum severances are generally required to withhold 25 percent to cover federal income tax. This may or may not be enough to cover federal taxes. State taxes would also have to be accounted for as well.

This is a post by H&R Block professional. Please visit http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/tax_tips/ for more tax tips.

Employ the Older Workers.....

According to the Alliance for an Experienced Workforce, "by 2010 nearly 1 in every 3 hourly workers in the United States will be over the age of 50.” So why are employers in a panic???

The baby boomer is one on the largest generation that has molded the workforce to be what it is today. Employers now are worried that if they lose their mature workers who's going to take their place. Will this candidate have the same skill level as the employee they are about to lose? So many questions, but not a lot of answers, so what should the employer do?

Start attracting the mature jobseeker now to start a new career within your organization or entice the currently employed mature workers to stay longer providing them with better incentives to retire at another time.

If you plan on looking to attract mature workers to your organization here are some tips you can use:
1. Network – A referral is a wonderful thing
2. Use Internet Job boards such as: employmentguide.com
3. Partner with organizations such as: AARP or any other baby boomer website
For more useful information about the mature worker check out the following link by clicking here.

Do you want a job in Healthcare?

HealthCare Job Fair!
When: Tuesday November 17th, 2008
Where: Anne Arundel Community College
101 College Parkway
Arnold, MD 21012
West Campus - CALT Building
(Center for Applied Learning and Technology)
Time: 11am-3pm

The following healthcare companies are seeking their next qualified candidate:
American Radiology Services
Anne Arundel Community College Continuing and Professional Education - Conference Services
Bello Machre
Dimensions Healthcare Systems
Genesis Healthcare
Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions
Mary Kay
Maryland Army National Guard (Healthcare Division)
PB Health
Parexel
Planned Parenthood
Priority Partners
Regent Healthcare
Rehab Management
Saint Agnes Hospital
St. Mary's Hospital
United States Army (Healthcare Division)
And More....

There will be many opportunities in the healthcare industry available.
The healthcare job fair is sponsored by The Employment Guide and Anne Arundel Community College. Just remember to dress for success and bring plenty of resumes.
Please click on this link for directions to Anne Arundel Community College.
Follow the directions to "West Campus."

Check out our Video Products.

We are very excited to present to you with our video products where recruiters have an opportunity to broadcast their entire organization and also promote their business as well.

Video Products
Job clips-Professionally produced video (up to 30 seconds in length.) Each Job Clip contains industry-related stock footage and/or photos, company logo and on-screen contact information. Your script will be generated using your existing online advertisement and read by experienced voice-over technicians.
•Profile Video-Professionally produced video (up to 45 seconds in length). Profile Videos utilize your company's personal photographs, web site and video footage, to spotlight your entire organization.
•Premium Profile- Video-With the Premium Profile Video, you will own rights to your customized video Profile Video. In addition, Employmentguide.com will distribute your video to YouTube, MySpace, GoogleVideo and YahooVideo.
•Custom Video-Allow EmploymentGuide.com to organize the production of your fully-customized video profile. A production crew will visit your facilities, interview your staff and shoot footage for your one of a kind recruitment commercial.
•Hosting Only-Do you already have a video made and want to see it on EmploymentGuide.com? We will host the video for you, promoting your video message to EmploymentGuide.com job seekers.
Features and Benefits
•Well informed Candidates-Video ensures candidates are knowledgeable about available positions, your company's mission statement, values and culture.
•Capture a Different Segment of Users-This product will attract candidates that may be unaffected by the traditional advertising.
•Increased Response -On average, there is a 38% increase in job seeker expression of interest after watching a recruitment video.
•Maintain Your Competitive Edge-Video is a memorable way to differentiate your company in an increasingly competitive job market.
•Multiple Points of Access-Your video can be viewed through multiple channels on EmploymentGuide.com. This includes the Video Center, Job Description and Job Search Results page.
Click below to see different videos that are posted on our website at.http://www.baltimore.employmentguide.com/

EG Publication

EG Weekly Publication October 26 - November 1
Check out this week's great career opportunitites:
All-State Career
North American Trade Schools
United Road
U.S. Xpress
Alban Tractor
Stella Maris
UtiliQuest
Maryland Department of Public Safety
Algorithme Pharma

EG Publication

EG Weekly Publication October 12 - October 18
Check out this week's exciting career opportunities:
Stein Academy
North American Trade Schools
UtiliQuest
Diageo
All-State Career
Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Stella Maris
Ivy Hall
Chimes, Inc.

14 Tips to Create a Positive Impact

Having a positive outlook and impact on those around you can help you more than you'd think. No one likes to hear someone be negative or complain all the time. If you think about it you're probably more likely to help out someone who helps you. So if you can set yourself up to have a good positive impact on those around you, not only will it will help support a good strong professional and personal network, but also probably make you a better person in general. Assume every person you meet is important, and treat him or her as such.

1.Shake hands strongly and firmly and, even better, say something positive while doing so.
2.Keep an open body posture, with your hands away from your face while speaking.
3.Stand up straight and tall, but not rigidly.
4.When speaking to a group, speak conversationally. Do not read from a script.
5.Take the time to remember people's names, and use them in conversation.
6.Look at the color of people's eyes. They will notice the extra attention you're giving them.
7.Sincerely compliment people freely.
8.Notice and acknowledge other people's strengths and accomplishments.
9.Use pauses while you speak to create emphasis.
10.Take care of your outside appearance; look your best.
11.Smile, ideally a little bit longer than the person you're looking at.
12.Hear the emotions in people's words, and respond to them.
13.Use positive body language. Maintain eye contact, briefly touch people on their upper arm, and moving around while you speak.
14.Be genuinely interested in those around you. Ask them their opinions, inquire about their life and interests, listen and don't interrupt.

EG Weekly Publication

Portland Employment Guide October 5th - October 11th
Check out this week's great career opportunities:
American Beauty Academy
North American Trade Schools
Stein Academy
First Transit
AEX Group
International Sales
Core-Mark
All-State Career
SunTrust Bank

Weekly EG Publication

September 28-October 4,2009
Check out this week's great career opportunities:
Aramark
North American Trade Schools
American Beauty Academy
Core-Mark
Fleet Transit, Inc.
The Wackenhut Corporation
Forman, Inc.
Ivy Hall
The Employment Guide

EG Weekly Publication

EG Weekly Publication September 14th-September 20th
Check out this week's great career opportunitites:
Metro Market
North American Trade Schools
Allines
Gallagher Services
United Road
Fleet Transit, Inc.
Chimes
Stella Maris
All-State Career

How Much Should We Network?

It's not what you know, but who you know!

How many times do you actually hear that saying? A lot, especially if you are in the market for a new position within your company or just a new job or career. So you ask yourself the question, "how much should I be networking?"

According to about.com, “At least 60% - some report even higher statistics - of all jobs are found by networking.” But then we ask ourselves how do we network? Here are a couple of tips you can use to start creating that network:
•Develop contacts with family, friends, Co-workers, everyone that you know.
•Join networking sites online
•Go to local networking events
Attending events and joining networking sites are just a couple of options you can use to get started, however, there are so much more you can do. We just need to ask ourselves how much should we be doing to add to our network.

EG Weekly Publication

EG Weekly Publication August 31-September 6
Check out this week's great career opportunities:
Chilis Grill & Bar
American Beauty Academy
Staff Quest
Oak Crest
North American Trade Schools
Delta Omega Commercial Cleaning, LLC
Maryland Department of Public Safety
Signature Flight Support
All-State Career

Have a Positive Outlook:)

Having a positive outlook and impact on those around you can help you more than you'd think. No one likes to hear someone be negative or complain all the time. If you think about it you're probably more likely to help out someone who helps you. So if you can set yourself up to have a good positive impact on those around you, not only will it will help support a good strong professional and personal network, but also probably make you a better person in general. Some of these below are excellent things to keep in mind when interviewing as well. So Fast Company's Blog had a good list of 14 tips for creating a positive impact on those around you Assume every person you meet is important, and treat him or her as such.
1.Shake hands strongly and firmly and, even better, say something positive while doing so.
2.Keep an open body posture, with your hands away from your face while speaking.
3.Stand up straight and tall, but not rigidly.
4.When speaking to a group, speak conversationally. Do not read from a script.
5.Take the time to remember people's names, and use them in conversation.
6.Look at the color of people's eyes. They will notice the extra attention you're giving them.
7.Sincerely compliment people freely.
8.Notice and acknowledge other people's strengths and accomplishments.
9.Use pauses while you speak to create emphasis.
10.Take care of your outside appearance; look your best.
11.Smile, ideally a little bit longer than the person you're looking at.
12.Hear the emotions in people's words, and respond to them.
13.Use positive body language. Maintain eye contact; briefly touch people on their upper arm, and moving around while you speak.
14.Be genuinely interested in those around you. Ask them their opinions, inquire about their life and interests, listen and don't interrupt.

EG Weekly Publication

Check out this week's great career opportunities:
All State Career
Maryland Department of Public Safety
FutureCare
North American Trade Schools
Baltimore School of Massage
American Beauty Academy
La Quinta Inn

Virtual Job Fairs!

Oh, how employers are making looking for a new job or career so easy for us!!!

Everywhere you look you see advertisements for job fairs telling you to show up at a specific location and at a specific time and date. Oh and do not forget to make sure that you are dress in your best and bring lots of resumes!!

Sure if you have time to take off work to drive to where they tell you to be on that specific time and date you will definitely be there, BUT what if you don’t have the time to appear in person at the specific location and specific time and date? What are your options?

VIRTUAL JOB FAIRS – The latest and greatest way to find your next job or career!

The virtual job fairs (VJFs) are great since the majority of us have jobs currently and don’t have the time to appear in person. These VJFs are great because you can sit back at home (or at your desk at work) and search for jobs that fit your criteria! You can do research on companies that you are interested in before actually apply to them or even just look to see what positions companies are hiring for. How great is that…. I can sit in front of my computer and I can find jobs that apply to me instead of having to drive across town to only find a couple of companies that might be a potential fit for me!

Here are a couple of virtual job fairs that will be going on in the near future:
Harrisburg - September 2nd-16th
Baltimore – September 9th-23rd

Weekly EG Publication

EG Weekly Publication August 17-August 23
Check out this week's great career opportunities:
North American Trade Schools
American Beauty Academy
Chimes
The Community College of Baltimore County
Stella Maris
Bello Machre
All-State Career
MV Transportation
Gallagher Services

Stress Relievers!

If you're constantly worrying about your job, whether or not you'll find one or even whether or not you're going to get to keep your job, it's likely that you're feeling extra stressed. It's common with a Soft Economy. If things are uncertain, it's hard not to get stressed over the way things are. Stress has some serious health ramifications so sometimes you need to just take a step back and relieve the stress. Here are some ways to relax and not let the stress of the job search get to you:
•Take a nap
•Go for a walk outside
•Turn up the music loud, sing and dance along
•Try a focused meditation
•Play a board game or do a puzzle
•Go for a drive
•Try breathing exercises
•Take a yoga class or start a new exercise program
•Keep a journal and write about things that you are grateful for
•Call a friend to vent
•Volunteer or help someone else
•Read a book
•Get a massage
•Go out with friends
•Paint, take a photographs, draw or do something creative

There are plenty of other ideas you can come up with to help relieve stress. While money might be an issue, not all the items on the list require cash. Having fun is a great stress reliever.

Jobless rate down for first time in a year

The Labor Department reported a net loss of 247,000 jobs in July, the fewest job losses since August 2008. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a loss of 325,000.
The job loss in June was also revised lower -- to 443,000 job losses from 467,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 9.4% from 9.5% in June, the first decline in that closely watched reading since April of 2008. Economists had expected unemployment to rise to 9.6%.
The unemployment rate fell even as employers continued to cut jobs because the Labor Department estimated there were 237,000 fewer people it counted as unemployed.
That decline in the labor force can be due to discouraged job seekers who have stopped looking for work, people who now consider themselves retired or those have gone back to school rather than applying for jobs.
The average hourly work week edged up to 33.1 hours, from a record low of 33.0 hours in June. The number of workers who wanted full-time work but could only find part-time jobs fell by 191,000, or 2%. That suggests that many workers who had their hours cut or were given unpaid days off in the current downturn are going back to full-time status.

EG Weekly Publication

EG Weekly Publication August 3-August 9

Check out this week's great career opportunities:
North American Trade Schools
American Beauty Academy
Stella Maris
Chimes
Nature's Own
The Employment Guide
Sodexho
All-State Career