Who knew there were so many jokes to be made about static electricity?

With all this being said there is no need to get alarmed when a recruiter asks your salary and expectations, we are only trying to help you get the best offer as well as make this a very smooth process for both you and our clients.

As we head toward the second half of 2010, we hope to see a continued increase in opportunities, both off and on line. Here is to a continued positive vibe!

Remember, you have essentially created a ‘brand’ of yourself on line with these tools. If you brand yourself effectively, recruiters will start knocking on your door. You might want to create a Linkedin or Facebook profile which is solely dedicated to your job search, which you can add as a link on your resume. Social media can be an extremely successful tool to help you find your dream job!

To those out there who can’t take a joke (and I know there are a few by doing some googling), I encourage you to think with your dipstick; as you never know when a Scottish man will pop out of the bushes and try to beat your sense of humor into submission. 

Thank you, Ogilvy & Mather, for coming out with an ad that makes those all too long commercial breaks seem shorter…for those of us without a TiVo.  Hooray for dip – er – slapstick humor! 

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the commercial or would like to see it again, check out the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj5ms9PJDNY

We do not control the job orders we get from our clients.  Today, direct marketing VP’s may be hot, another day it is for a VP with shopper marketing and promotions experience or copywriters.  We do work with a variety of agencies and in-house marketing departments looking for expertise in different areas (direct, integrated, traditional, promotions, interactive, packaging, public relations, etc) so our opportunities are varied.  There is also a lot of variety in the levels of the opportunities we get.  However, we cannot promise that we will have the right opportunity for YOU within a specific time frame. 

Please do not be offended if you don’t hear from us right away after you register with us.  We do respond to all resume submissions and try to meet our local candidates in person, either immediately or when an opportunity surfaces.  We do ask that our candidates email us to stay in touch or to update us every couple of months, and we in turn will contact you once we have an active position open that may be a fit. 

We want to help you out – we are in this together and are pulling for you! 

Here’s to a more active job market in the second half of 2009!!!

References can be a very important aspect of helping you get a job. Here are some tips!

• You should always have at least three professional references.

• Do not list personal references such as friends or relatives. Employers want to hear from those within the workplace so they can find out performance-based information.

• The best reference that you can supply is a current or past supervisor (this is not always possible if you’re current employer does not know you are looking and in this case be sure to ask trustworthy people). If you can get two of your three references from supervisors, that would be ideal. All references that you provide should be by those you have worked on a one-on-one basis with.

• If you have worked in more than one position, use some references from your current employer (if possible) as well as previous employers to get a variety. Try to use references from more previous positions if your background is extensive.

• Discuss with your references that you will be using them and only put them down if they have the time and are sincerely interested in helping you. A reference check may take anywhere from 10-30 minutes (depending on the questions asked). There are occasions when we call our candidate’s references for our clients and they never get back to us. If an employer is checking your references and one does not get back to them, this may reflect poorly on you. Also, discuss with your reference to give thorough answers to each question.

• For your reference’s contact information, always include their cell and business phone numbers as well as their email address.

• Last but not least, when leaving a job, always ask your supervisor and co-workers if you can use them as references for the future. Also ask those who are significant to write a letter of recommendation as well. Those people would include someone who has worked with you closely, known you long enough, has relevant expertise, and is at a senior level.

There are definitely some attractive perks such as controlling your own hours, having a better lifestyle, picking and choosing the jobs to take on, etc.  Hey, you can be your own boss!

The marketing, public relations and advertising communities often staff consumer insights, traffic manager, digital, CRM, creative, product manager and brand manager positions in this capacity. In fact, freelance opportunities exist in all areas and levels of the business, but it’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time. 

Candidates often ask us if we recommend taking this route.  There is no way to predict how stable this lifestyle will be, and you should prepare yourself financially for periods when no work is available. 

One important aspect to consider is how you’ll report your income to the IRS.  There are two ways you can present yourself as a temporary worker:  Independent Contractor (filing a 1099 form) or an employee (filing a W-2).

Employers tend to want to work with the 1099 candidates to avoid paying additional mandatory expenses (i.e., liability insurance, matching Social Security and Medicare, state and federal payroll taxes, workers compensation insurance, costs of unemployment claims, etc.). 

Below is a comparison of the two:

·         The 1099 Independent contractor is considered to be ‘under contract’ and not an actual employee.  Independent contractors file a 1099 form to report income to the IRS.  The 1099 worker won’t have any taxes withheld from paychecks to cover income tax, Social Security, and Medicare.  Also, the 1099 worker will have to pay the IRS estimated tax four times a year as opposed to one time.  That being said, 1099 workers must carefully estimate the amount owed to the IRS and set that money aside to avoid being penalized if a payment is missed.  It is a good idea to set up a different bank account to track all of the business-related expenses.  The 1099 worker can write off business-related expenses (http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=109807,00.html), which is definitely a perk!

·         The temporary employee who files a W-2 will have taxes deducted.  This is often more attractive as there is not as much work involved to report to the IRS; however, there are some consequences as well.  For example, a W-2 employee will get a lower hourly or daily rate than the 1099 worker because it is more expensive for an employer to cover additional mandatory expenses of an actual temporary employee.  Additionally, the W-2 employee must deduct their expenses as a misc itemized deductions and lose the first 2% of such deductions as travel, phones, entertainment, internet, etc.

Most full-time freelancers or consultants file as a 1099 because they can write off business expenses, get a higher rate of pay and get more leads due to employers preference to hire the candidate with less financial implications involved. 

If this path is for you, make sure you consult with a tax advisor to steer you in the right direction.  Gary Eisen of Kolodriej, Eisen & Fey can give you more information. He can be reached at gary@keandf.com.

·         Be upfront and arm your recruiter with information. The more your recruiter knows about what you are looking for in an offer, the better chance the recruiter has in making it happen. We are here to be your advocate in the process.

o        Make sure you are honest with your recruiter about your current salary, bonuses, vacation time and other non-monetary perks at the start.

o        Let the recruiter know what salary you would accept, what salary you’re ideally targeting and any other components to an offer you require.

o        It’s also important to tell your recruiter if your have other offers or are expecting offers. By doing so, your recruiter can manage expectations.

·         Understand that there are many factors that impact your market value and your ability to negotiate with a potential employer that go beyond your talent and experience. Your current employment status and the economic climate are the two most important.

·         Be positive and professional. It is paramount to set the right tone with your potential new employer. Being too demanding or wishy-washy can quickly sour an employer’s opinion of you. We have actually have seen offers rescinded when an employer senses a ‘red flag’ in a candidate’s behavior or attitude.

·         Once you have an offer in hand, be prepared to make a decision. Offers rarely come out of thin air. You should be thinking about whether you’d accept an offer throughout the interview process. It’s fine to ask for a night to think about it in order to speak with a significant other or family member. However, it should not be a hard decision at this point. Making the employer wait doesn’t do anything but frustrate them and create questions regarding your motivation and enthusiasm level. If there’s a concrete reason to ask for more time, be honest with your recruiter so he/she can manage the process.

While there are always unique situations, in general these tips will help you navigate the offer process.  When in doubt, ask your recruiter questions and let them know if you have any reservations. Recruiters deal with these issues day in and day out. A good recruiter will be your advocate and be happy to guide you through the process!

Is there any money in improv?  No, none at all.  However, I truly believe that when you combine talent and love you can expect a masterpiece.  Chicago is and has been the key to becoming the best you can be when it comes to improv.  I have performed on the same stage as Chris Farley, Mike Meyers and Dan Akroyd-award in itself!!  I am having the time of my life and meeting my best friends here J

Some things I’ve taken up since being around you Midwesterners:

·         Bicycling

·         Ann Sathers

·         Goose Island brews

·         Gasping in disbelief when the sun warms the city to a comfortable 75 degrees

·         Lowering my standards on Mexican food

What can I say? Chicago hasn’t been that bad to me.  I certainly do miss home, but everyday I get closer and closer to becoming a Midwesterner myself!

- Annie Donley, Office Coordinator, Melinda Holm & Associates