Starting a New Job: Questions about Tax Paperwork

So you've been working on finding a summer job and you've actually found one that you're ready to accept. The next thing to do is to fill out your tax paperwork. Now, tax season is already over but because those of you who are in school may be looking for a new job might have questions about it. In fact, I think one of the most confusing things when starting a new job is filling out all the paperwork. Usually your first day the HR department or your manager will have you fill out a whole stack worth of paperwork. Among them will include your tax forms. On the form you'll usually have to provide a social security number (usually along with two forms of I.D. including driver's license, passport or social security card) and other important contact information such as your full name, address and birthdate. It'll also ask you how many people you're claiming as dependent. Say what?

What is a dependent?

A dependent basically is a person who can claim you as a primary source of income (usually this means children or spouses.) The number you put down will determine how much money is withheld for the different government taxes.

Why are taxes withdrawn from my paycheck?

We all owe a certain percentage of our income to the government every year. The withdrawn amount is supposed to be an estimate of how much you'll end up owing the government at the end of the year so you don't have to pay it all in one lump sum.

Where does the money withdrawn go to?

A large amount of it will go to the federal and state government for various things from building the streets of your town, to helping fund your local public schools. Part of that also goes to the Social Security program. This program helps older Americans with their living expenses. Depending on what kind of job you have and the company you work for, some of the money withdrawn will go towards health insurance and other benefits such as a 401k plan or life insurance. Most times you can designate an extra amount of your paycheck be taken out for other things such as child support or back taxes (if you think you're estimated amount will not be enough and you'll end up owing the government.)

At the end of the year, you'll get a W-2 form that tells you all the money you've made for the year as well as the amount of money withheld for taxes. You'll use this to file. Teenagers and individuals who make under a certain amount of money may not be required to file taxes at all. However, it's always a good idea to make sure and see if you will get a refund. Alot of times the government over estimates which means they may owe you money back. Things are pretty straightforward if you just have one job. It gets a little more complicated when you start donating money to charity and have one or more forms of income.

Taxes are complicated and it can be overwhelming especially when you have tons of other paperwork to fill out. Ask your manager if you have questions about your paperwork or talk to your Human Resources Department if you have any questions. You can always check out IRS.gov for more information on filing, or ask a friend/parent or a tax accountant.

- Rosie Reilman, photo by Phillip

Targeting Baby Boomers in Recruitment

Today, here at the office, we had some training on a new website that Dominion Enterprises just launched. It's crazy, another one! Can you believe it? First CareersinGear.com, then HealthCareerWeb.com and now WiserWorker.com.



It just goes to show the vast needs in the online recruitment industry. What was really interesting about our training was the great opportunity there is for the 40+ age bracket. Boomers, WiserWorker.com is a salute to you.

WiserWorker.com has partnered with the AARP to deliver a great job seeking resource to the largest demographic in the country. Not only is the Baby Boomer the largest demographic group but they're currently the fastest growing group on the internet. No more is technology just for the young guns. According to statistics from the AARP, a lot of those heading for retirement (or already in retirement) the majority don't think they've saved enough and not only that 23% plan to keep working through retirement because they want to keep their income coming in.

So what does this mean for the job market?

You have a demographic that is looking for continued independence into and past their retirement. There is this demographic who are perfect for part time and flexible scheduled working.

So if you're looking to pick up some post-retirement work just to have a little extra cashflow or looking to hire some experienced workers who are flexible, WiserWorker.com is a good place to check out and use as a job seeker resource or recruiting resource.

- Rosie Reilman (originally posted on Charleston Job Spot)

Applying for a Promotion

The above is a comic Basic Instructions: How to Apply for A Promotion. Click on the image to view it full-size. On a more serious note, sometimes when you try and go for a promotion, it doesn't work out. Ironically enough, Ask A Manager blog has a post about being passed over for a promotion. There's also some solid advice on what you can do to try and get that promotion.

What does this have to do with job searching? A lot actually. The first step to getting a promotion is to pick the right company to work for:

Work for a company that can give you room to grow. The type of company you work
can determine your potential for promotion. When applying for jobs, seek out
companies with opportunity for advancement. You don't have to work for a huge
corporation, although these usually offer plenty of promotion possibilities at
any given time, but you do want to look for a company that has enough going on
so that you can be assured you're not running into a dead end. Preferably this
company will be doing well and growing, though many companies, especially very
large ones, tend to grow in cycles.

- Rosie Reilman

The Right Resume

This is part of a series of articles with useful tips and information to help you hunt for the perfect job. Previously, we posted on the Charlotte page on how to determine your perfect job and how to write a killer cover letter. This week, we look at how to write a great resume. This information is also available in The Job Seeker Survival Guide, a free publication from The Employment Guide®.

The Right Resume!

Your resume provides a snapshot of who you are to potential employer. Along with your cover letter, it is their first impression of you. In a competitive job market, it must stand out from those of other applicants. To ensure you have the right resume, let's start at the top.

Here's what your resume should include...

1. Include pertinent contact information

• Resumes should start with your full name, address, phone number(s), and Email address, if you have one.
• You should always use a font of 10-12 for your text. Choose an easy-to-read font style such as Arial or Verdana (Sans Serif).
• Microsoft Word offers resume templates. To access, go to "file" and click on "new." Then you will see a series of tabs. Click on "other documents." You will see several different templates listed. Open the one that you prefer and fill in your personal information. For a more customized resume, click on "resume wizard," and it will walk you through step-by-step how to create the resume of your dreams!

Sally Smith
12345 Any Street Drive
Some City, ST 98765
(222) 333-4444 Home
(555) 666-7777 Work
SSmith@myinternet.com

2. State your objective

• The objective should be one sentence only.
• State the job you are seeking and what you hope to accomplish long term.

Objective:
To secure a challenging position in a growing company where I can utilize my sales and customer service skills.

3. Highlight your skills

• Showcase any foreign languages you speak, computer and/or software skills you have, and any other technical or skilled trade certifications you hold.

Skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills, computer literate, and experienced in Microsoft Office software products.

4. List your work experience

• List in reverse chronological order the names and locations of employers, dates of employment, job titles held, description of job responsibilities, skills demonstrated, and accomplishments while on the job. It's only necessary to go back ten years in listing your work experience.
• Be concise - use short, bulleted phrases (complete sentences are not necessary.) State your contributions to the company, not just duties.
• Use action verbs and industry buzz words to enhance the body of your resume.

5. Catalogue your education

• List schools attended, degrees, grade point averages, and honors. Note that it's not necessary to list years attended or dates of degrees.

"Red Flags" to Avoid in your Resume

Employers who review cover letters and resumes are trained to look for certain "red flags." Depending on the employer, these "red flags" might disqualify you immediately from the hiring process. Other employers may just make a mental note of their concerns and address them with you in the interview. Either way, the fewer "red flags" on your cover letter and resume the better the chance you have of landing your dream job!

Resume "Red Flags" and How to Avoid

• Overall messy appearance. Make sure your resume is typed on resume-quality paper and proofread carefully.
• Spelling Errors. Use Spell Check and have a friend edit.
• Grammatical Errors. Use Grammar Check and have a friend edit.
• No employment dates listed. Always include accurate employment dates.
• Gaps in employment dates. Try to avoid gaps. If you've taken time off for personal reasons, school or travel, list it under a section titled Additional Experience or make a notation in the resume that allows for continuity.
• Overlaps in employment dates. Explain overlaps in cover letter.
• Too much information. For recent college graduates and entry-level positions, keep your resume to one page. For everyone else, keep your resume to a maximum of two pages.
• Too little information. Include where you worked, dates of employment, job titles, job responsibilities, and accomplishments for each position held. If you are applying for your first position, highlight areas of study in school, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and hobbies/intrests, so the interviewer can get a sense of who you are.

Still have questions? Want to add something? Leave us a comment!

Also check out 10 Resume Dont's for what not to do on a resume.

Saying Goodbye......Yes I'm departing...

Today unfortunately is the last Blog that you will receive from me. Saying Goodbye to the lovely Atlanta Employment Guide is not easy, especially to my Keith you keep me laughing. I'm truly going to miss you. I have enjoyed my past two and a half months here as the Internet Specialist and will definitely miss each and everyone in the office. We have definitely had our laughs and cries and moments with trying to get those darn postings up at times but most of all we have remained a great TEAM! I am leaving to pursue a new career as a Territory Sales Manager for Menizzi Italy Eyewear, call me if you need frames. Lol... It has been a pleasure to have worked with you all and I wish everyone nothing but success and happiness!!! Keep in touch. Kisses..

Careers In Gear Presents........Trucking Jobs Jamboree

Are you looking for Class A,B or C Drivers? Then this is the event to attend! Careersingear.com and The Employment Guide® invite you to recruit at our 7th Trucking Jobs Jamboree to be held on Saturday, April 26th in Conley, GA from 10am-2pm . About 500 Drivers attended our last event (62% seeking company driver positions; 25% seeking owner/operators).

JOIN THESE TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES:

MILLER TRANSPORTERS
WH TRANSPORT
FLORIDA ROCK & TANK
WESTERN EXPRESS
CYPRESS TRUCK LINES
WERNER
CARDINAL
SCHNIEDER
AVERITT
TRANS AM TRUCKING
SYGMA
ENERGY DISPATCH
HIGHWAY TRANSPORT
COVENANT
TRANSPORT AMERICA
and more!

I hope you can join us for this fun day of recruitment!

Need more ways to reach drivers?
Get exposure at the job fair - plus truck stops, Wal-Mart & more!
Reserve your advertising space in careersingear’s Southeast edition! The publication is regional and is distributed quarterly.

Where to find us:

America's Driving Force

4180 Moreland Ave

Conley, Ga 30288

Why are Mondays the worst day of the week?

Mondays have to be the worst day of the week - right?

Sometimes we start the week with a good mood and sometimes we are not so lucky and begin with a bad mood. For me, Mondays are the worst considering that there is just too little time on the weekends to get anything done and it seems like here I am again starting the week all over again on Monday. I can not seem to get adjusted to Mondays. I feel like Mondays should be a national holiday to just stay home and do absolutely nothing! Right? I thought you'd agree.

Coffee, creamer and sugar can't even wake me up on Mondays. I know that's just downright pitiful, but it's the truth. I'd love to hear some of your comments about Mondays being the worst day of the week or any day that you feel is the worst to you.