Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Archives for 2009

Tax information for your job hunt

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taxguy3446996142_ef962cee3a_mDid you know you can deduct some expenses associated with a job hunt from your taxes? There are some exceptions. You cannot deduct expenses if this is your first job hunt (for example, if you have just graduated from college and have never worked before) and you cannot deduct expenses if you are planning to change careers.

Since I am not a tax advisor, I thought it would be useful to direct you to the IRS’s website. Be sure to consult an expert regarding how this information may pertain to you, as this blog is not intended to provide tax advice. For example, you may download the IRS’s publication: Tax impact of job loss for answers to the following questions and more:

  • Can I deduct any of the expenses that I have from looking for a new job?
  • What types of expenses can I include?
  • What about travel costs for interviews or job hunting?
  • Can I deduct the moving costs I paid to move to my new job?
  • My chances of finding a new job will be better if I take a few college courses. Can I deduct any of my tuition?

IRS’s publication 529 (page 5) answers other questions (this link is to the document for preparing 2008 returns):

  • Can you deduct employment and outplacement agency fees you pay in looking for a new job in your present occupation?
  • What expenses for preparing and send a resume can you deduct?
  • What about travel and transportation expenses?

It is so important to be smart about your money, especially when you are looking for a job. Don’t miss an opportunity to use deductions that may be available to you just because you did not know you were eligible. Make it your business to learn the rules and to consult a professional for help.

If you need help actually looking for a job, THAT I DO provide expert advice about! Learn more about how I can help you with your job search.

photo by brianjmatis

Job competition at all-time high. Time to raise the bar.

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thebar3740145835_98f6af34d7_mThe AP reports that, according to data released Friday, October 9th, competition for jobs is tougher now than when the recession began, with the Labor Department reporting an average of 6.3 unemployed workers competing for each job opening. (This compared to 1.7 workers when the recession began in December 2007.)

The article by Christopher S. Rugaber indicates that, while layoffs are slowing, companies are hesitant to begin hiring. Several key points from the post:

“Fewer people are facing job loss,” said Heidi Shierholz, an economist at Economic Policy Institute in Washington, “but once you have lost your job, you are in serious trouble.”

“The recovery in output continues to be unaccompanied by a recovery in jobs,” said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist for IHS Global Insight. He expects the unemployment rate, currently at 9.8 percent, will be at 8.6 percent in 2012.

Economists offer several reasons why companies aren’t hiring. Many employers laid off huge numbers of workers earlier this year but have since found that productivity jumped, enabling them to maintain output.

It appears that American workers, possibly afraid to lose jobs if they still have them, have managed to outperform, inadvertantly making some employers believe that ramping up hiring is not necessary.


What is a job seeker to do? Yesterday’s Career Collective posts addresssed the topic of avoiding being a “cookie cutter” job seeker. My post included several suggestions, and I encourage you to follow THIS LINK and link to other member posts on the topic.

Is this news unwelcome? Of course, but anecdotal evidence (talking to people involved in outplacement and to my own clients) suggests that those who mobilize good information along with cutting-edge job search techniques, such as using Twitter to expand a network and find a job, ARE landing in opportunities. So, take a good, solid look at your resume. Think about how you are approaching the market. Are you doing the same things you did the last time you looked for a job (10 years ago)? If so, it is time for a change.

Another idea? Visit my friend Laurie Ruettimann’s blog with her outside the box ideas on how to manage if you are freaking out.

If looking for a job is tiring you out, and you are not sure that you are doing everything you can to fuel your plans, learn more about how I can help you HERE.

photo by lloydcrew

Plans and attitudes are key for job seekers!

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happyplanner.2190781982_57e218fecd_mU.S. News recently reported:

Researchers at the University of Missouri found evidence that developing and following a plan at the start of your job search, and having positive emotions later in the job search had a significant impact on success.

That is certainly not a surprise! Anecdotally, this is clear, and while they only studied 327 job seekers (between the ages of 20 and 40), it is useful to have some solid findings on the matter!

Readers of my blog already know that “setting goals and creating a plan of action helps job seekers stay more focused and eventually leads to more job interviews” and  that “positive emotions may help job seekers behave more confidently or cope better with stress, thereby making their search more efficient,” as U.S. News notes!

Here are some links with information to help if you need help to keep a positive attitude and to stay organized:

Tired of looking for a job? Jump start your job hunt

How to stay upbeat for your job hunt (pt 1)

How to stay upbeat for your job hunt (pt 2)

Stay positive and upbeat while job hunting

You control your job hunt destiny

Stress on the job and looking for work. Tips to manage

Job search planning tips and tricks

What to do if you lose your job

Unemployed? Use your time well for your job hunt

I can help you manage your job hunt! Learn more about me HERE.

photo by cat-sidh



How can a job seeker stand out?

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cookiecutters1423128740_50b9ac55c8_mAs co-coordinator with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, I am proud to help launch a new community of expert career advisors and resume writing professionals called the called the Career Collective. Today’s post is one of many responses to the question, “Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?” I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which will all be linked at the end of my post by this afternoon! Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

You’re a job seeker, so you want to stand out in a crowd. The LAST thing you want is to be called a “cookie cutter” applicant – someone who seems just like everyone else. We all know that the way to find a job is to stand out above a crowd. To be special – to be better.

So, the question is: How can you create your own shape?

As with many things, it may not be as complicated as you think.

– Know what you have to offer. You would be surprised (or maybe not!) to learn how few job seekers I meet can easily describe what skills they bring to the table. Being able to succinctly describe those skills in a networking setting – without resorting to the catch all/kiss of death, “I can do anything” will absolutely help you stand out. Follow THIS link for more ideas about your “elevator pitch.”

– Be a problem solver. Pitch yourself as a solutions oriented hire. Look for the organization’s “pain points” and identify ways that you can help. Remember – it’s all about what YOU can do for them! (Hat tip to Michael Long/The Red Recruiter and Stephanie Lloyd/Dream Job Radio.)

– Recommend someone on LinkedIn for helping you. This really shows that you want to pay it forward. Have something nice to say? Well, say it!  (Another hat tip to Michael Long/The Red Recruiter and Stephanie Lloyd/Dream Job Radio.)

– Know where to look. I teach clients to identify organizations and companies, not specific jobs. The fact is, most jobs are not actually advertised. (It may be as many as 70-80% of positions.) Rather, they are filled via networking and referrals. Stop spending all of your time looking for jobs. Research and target organizations instead and you will automatically stand out as someone not overly concerned with focusing on a specific job and more interested in the big picture.

– Use your ears more than your mouth. Ever been in a room full of people networking? They are all talking, but no one seems to listen? Be the listener. People LOVE listeners! Make a point to connect with people on a social and emotional level and you will stand out. (Learn more about this HERE.)

– Follow up! How many times have you networked your heart out, only to find yourself busy and overwhelmed? You didn’t make an effort to follow up and really connect after the event or to re-touch base online? Don’t let an opportunity slip through your fingers. Learn how to stand out by following up HERE. (There are probably some tips there you haven’t considered…They could change your job search for the better!)

– Great materials. This is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, most resumes are simply not very good. There are basic concerns – aesthetics, grammar, verb tense, consistency. These are not difficult to address. The bigger concern is making sure the resume specifically focuses on the employer’s needs and highlights the job seeker’s skills and accomplishments. If you are sending out a resume that lists “stuff” that you have done but is not adequately connecting to the employer’s needs, you are missing a key opportunity to stand out in the crowd.

There is no one ‘right’ way to look for a job that works for every person. So, don’t try to mold yourself into someone else’s shape. There is no “right” resume. There is no “best cover letter.” Not everyone likes or appreciates being approached the same way. So, stop trying to find the holy grail – it does not exist. Do your best to be your best. Go a little beyond the expected. You may be surprised.

Feel free to add your 2 cents to the comments…How can a job seeker stand out?

How have my colleagues responded? Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective and read these posts:

Megan Fitzgerald, Career By Choice’s Expat Success Tips:
 Ongoing Career management is No Longer Optional for the Expat in Today’s New World of Work

Top Margin: Gayle’s Blog:
 Sabotaging Your Prospects: Cookie-cutter Style

J. T. O’Donnell of Careerealism:
 Cookie-cutters are for baking…not job searching

Chandlee Bryan of The Emerging Professional:
 On the cookie-cutter approach to the job search: Do you need a recipe?

Rosa Vargas of Creating Prints Resume Writing:
 Creating Prints Being a cookie-cutter jobseeker is a misfortune

Grace Kutney, Sweet Careers:
 Passive Job Seeker = Cookie Cutter Job Seeker

Barbara Safani, Career Solvers Blog:
 Cookie Cutter Resumes Can Leave a Bad Taste in the Hiring Manager’s Mouth

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend Blog: 
 Eating Bananas Doesn’t Make You an Ape

Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog:
 Avoiding Being a Cookie-Cutter Job-seeker In Your Resume and Throughout Your Job Search

Heather R. Huhman, HeatherHuhman.com: 
Break the Mold: Don’t Be a Cookie Cutter

Rosalind Joffe, WorkingWithChronicIllness.com
Forget the cookies! Start with vision

Career Sherpa, Hannah Morgan
Are you a cookie cutter job seeker?

Learn how I can help you navigate your job hunt!
photo by alessandropinna


Guest post: Do something new for your job hunt, PT II

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twitterppl1824234195_e6b913c563_mThis is Part II of a guest post from Jessica Lewis. Jessica is a job seeker who joined Twitter about a month ago with the intention
of using it to help her drive her own career bus. She has been writing a Twitter-for-beginners series on her blog (which you should read!)

You can find Jessica on Twitter @copytailor.

Read Part I HERE, where Jessica addresses hesitations about joining Twitter.

Focus your Twitter usage.

I heard that a college football coach recently said that those on Twitter are “a bunch of narcissists that want to sit and type stuff about themselves all the time.” Twitter sure does lend itself to facilitating narcissists, but using it doesn’t automatically make you a narcissist. You are going to enter Twitter as a niche user.

Career-focused people have smartly taken Twitter and focused it for their own use. They tweet actual information. They work to be seen as unique voices on Twitter. That means they don’t bother with the silly, time-wasting stuff generally associated with Twitter.

And as long as you more often than not aim your tweets at advancing your job search and show interest in others, Twitter will actually facilitate your success. And just as you see the value in a niche blog like this one, you’ll see the value in everyone’s niche microblog.

You can start from scratch. I did.

Step 1 is the most difficult: You’re going to start a Twitter account from scratch. This seems daunting because here you are with a pathetic number of followers trying to get the attention of people with thousands and thousands of followers. Trust me, no one will ever view your follower count as pathetic. If you are focusing your tweets, people will see that you are trying to be a valuable contributor to their conversation. Everyone on Twitter started from scratch. You just happen to be doing that right now. No big deal.

Here’s the bottom line about Twitter: It’s here right now, the people you need are on it, and it will help you get things done faster, whether advancing your career, learning information or targeting your job search. Just ignore the hype and perceptions, think of yourself as a unique voice in what you do (and if you’re not sure what that voice is, don’t worry because you’ll end up developing one), and get really good at being concise!

I’ll be happy to help your follower count grow. Just send me a tweet saying you found me on Keppie Careers.

Need help getting your job hunt going? Learn more about me and Keppie Careers!